The Prince's Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 123

Chapter 123: Between Those Who Share the Same Dream (1)

The Second Prince’s Palace.

With his arms crossed, Lloyd had both legs propped up on the desk.

He stared at the elderly scholar who taught him with a slanted gaze.

“…It spread downward from the Dragonia Mountain Range, which is called the Empire’s central backbone. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, sure~”

His voice held not a trace of enthusiasm.

His attitude was so insincere it was practically an insult from the teacher’s perspective, but the old scholar remained calm.

“Truly?”

“I said yes.”

At the prince’s answer, the old scholar asked again in an even tone, “Then would you explain it to me again?”

“Are you deaf? I said I understood all of it.”

“Then explain it again.”

“Damn it, what a pain in the ass….”

Lloyd grumbled and glared at the old scholar.

Just as he was about to snap back, the prince suddenly whipped his head to the side.

“Hey, what are you doing? Don’t just stand there. Come out.”

At that, the small boy who stayed at Lloyd’s side hesitated, then stepped forward.

The pretty boy with blond hair and blue eyes looked like he was about to cry as he rolled up his sleeve.

His scrawny wrist was already covered in marks from beatings.

“You.”

Lloyd dropped his legs from the desk and leaned forward.

His cold blue eyes glinted with danger.

“If you make even one sound, you’ll die by my hand.”

“Y-yes, Your Highness.”

Trembling at Lloyd’s threat, the boy held out his arm.

He knew all too well that the threats that came out of the Second Prince’s mouth didn’t end as mere threats.

“This time, ten strikes.”

At that, the elderly scholar, the prince’s tutor, quietly picked up the switch that had been resting on the platform.

‘How many times has it been today alone?’

The old scholar knew the Second Prince very well.

Lloyd was smarter than he looked, and his memory wasn’t so bad that he’d forget everything he’d just heard.

Even so, there was only one reason he shoved a child forward to be beaten instead of answering every time he was questioned.

Because Lloyd wanted it.

‘He’s still a child, and he’s already this cruel.’

Each time the boy was struck, each time he made a face as he endured the pain, each time a new bruise bloomed on his pale white arms, Lloyd couldn’t hide his delight.

‘If a child like that becomes emperor, he’ll either become a tyrant remembered forever in history, or the worst ruler, swayed by scheming ministers and ruining the state.’

Or both.

Of course, no matter which future became reality, it was nothing but bad news for the Empire’s people.

‘But the worst thing of all is….’

That he, a coward, couldn’t even add a single word in moments like this.

In the end, the old scholar let out a sigh as he watched the boy who’d finally burst into tears.

If it weren’t for the fact that his family owed a debt to the Marquis Redcliff’s household, he would’ve thrown away the position of the prince’s tutor long ago and left.

“That’s all for today’s lesson.”

“Yeah, good work~”

The moment he heard the lesson was over, Lloyd sprang up from his seat.

Then he went and stood in front of the boy who was slumped on the floor, crying.

“Does it hurt?”

Even as he looked straight at the boy’s arms, streaked bright red, the Second Prince displayed the kindness of asking if it hurt.

“Y-yes.”

“But they say making money is supposed to be hard. If you’re taking one gold coin a day for just this, do you think you can whine about it?”

Lloyd grabbed the boy’s scrawny arm, covered in welts, and yanked it up.

Then he roughly swept his hand over the wounded area.

“Aaah!”

When the boy let out a scream of pain, Lloyd’s expression changed in an instant.

“I told you not to make a sound.”

His bright blue eyes filled with rage.

“Do you think a prince’s order is a joke? A jokeee?!”

It was one-sided venting.

Lloyd kicked the boy, who lay flat on the floor like a bug.

In the end, the boy passed out.

“Isn’t there anyone there?”

Lloyd beckoned his guard knight.

He looked down at the boy clinging to his ankle with cold eyes.

“You called, Your Highness.”

“This one’s probably useless now too, so take care of it. He won’t listen.”

“…As you command.”

When one of the accompanying knights dipped his head, the rest quickly dragged the boy out of the study.

Watching them, the guard knight bowed his head again.

“Your Highness Lloyd, Her Highness the Second Consort is calling for you.”

“Mother?”

He still couldn’t calm down from throwing punches just moments ago.

Lloyd raked a hand through his hair as he let out a rough breath.

At the mention of the Second Empress Consort, he asked irritably, “Why all of a sudden?”

“Well….”

The guard knight hesitated.

He knew very well how much the words he had to deliver would sour the Second Prince’s mood.

He wanted to keep his mouth shut, but he couldn’t.

If he did, he’d obviously be punished even more harshly for failing in his duty as a subordinate.

“I’ve heard Marquis Redcliff has arrived at the palace.”

As expected, Lloyd’s complexion changed completely at the knight’s words.

The blood drained from the prince’s face, and even his expression disappeared.

“…Grandfather?”

“Yes. Her Highness Helena asked that you hurry to the Second Consort’s Palace as soon as your lesson ends.”

“Ha.”

It was short, but deep.

With a face twisted in a scowl, Lloyd straightened his loosened collar and messy sleeves.

He looked like he’d rather die than go, yet he still moved steadily. It seemed the name Marquis Redcliff was frightening enough that even the Second Prince feared it.

“Let’s go.”

Lloyd hurried past the elderly scholar, who gave him a light bow.

His steps headed toward the Second Consort’s Palace.

***

“You’re here.”

Lloyd’s face hardened.

The voice he heard the moment the reception room door of the Second Consort’s Palace opened belonged to someone he didn’t welcome.

But he couldn’t show it, because the other party wasn’t someone to take lightly.

“It’s been a while. It’s even nicer to see you, Your Highness Lloyd.”

Grayish blond hair, and faded red eyes that gave nothing away.

The name of the elderly man who looked vaguely like a fox was Howard Redcliff.

He was the biological father of Second Consort Helena and the maternal grandfather of Second Prince Lloyd.

At the same time, he was a wealthy magnate and the head of the Marquisate of Redcliff, one of the Empire’s most prominent noble houses.

“You seem to have grown a bit since the last time I saw you. Have you been well in the meantime?”

The Marquis of Redcliff sat in his chair and offered a quiet smile.

Across from him, Helena stood with one cheek covered by a handkerchief. At the sight, Lloyd’s eyes wavered slightly.

“…Greetings, Grandfather. Did you enjoy your time at the resort?”

“Thanks to Our Prince. But Your Highness, I told you to speak more casually with this old man. Why are you using honorifics again?”

“Even if I’m a prince, Marquis, you’re my maternal grandfather, so I believe it’s only proper that I speak respectfully.”

“Hahaha, for someone so young to be this considerate. I can’t tell you how pleased this old man is.”

Lloyd pressed his lips tight.

It wasn’t that he spoke respectfully because he respected his maternal grandfather. He did it because it was the only way to avoid offending that old fox’s temper.

“It was a good thing I returned from the resort a bit early. If I’d come back any later, I might not have been able to see Your Highness’s splendid sword dance.”

From Howard’s mouth came talk of the sword dance Lloyd performed at the founding festival banquet.

“Your swordsmanship improves by leaps and bounds every day.”

“You flatter me.”

When Lloyd showed humility that didn’t suit him, the marquis smiled faintly.

Fiddling with the glass in his hand, he continued.

“But.”

Howard flicked a glance toward Helena, standing before him.

“I think you’ll need to train even harder. It seems His Highness the Third Prince has also grown a great deal while we weren’t looking.”

Helena, the Second Consort, lowered her eyes as she felt the gaze fly at her like an arrow and lodge in her.

The hand clutching the hem of her dress trembled slightly.

“Yes.”

Lloyd also checked her reaction, then replied with an intentionally serious face.

“I’ll train harder.”

“What a spirited answer. Still, how could Our Prince possibly be at fault?”

Clink.

Howard set the jewel-studded glass down on the table with an audible sound.

“It’s all the marquisate’s fault for failing to find you a good teacher.”

Even as he said it was the marquisate’s fault, his gaze was brazenly fixed on Helena alone.

Sensing the strange current between the two, Lloyd cut in, “The swordsmanship teacher you found for me is more than enough, Marquis.”

“Save the pleasantries. Excessive humility isn’t a good look.”

“It’s not humility, it’s….”

“If it’s not that, are you overestimating your talent?”

“I’m not overestimating it, I….”

“So you’re saying you trust your talent that much?”

Howard crossed his arms and sank into the back of his chair.

His sharp eyes narrowed, glinting with a more savage, cutting light.

“To think the Third Prince, who’s never even held a sword, not even a branch, could become able to contend with Your Highness Lloyd in such a short time. There must’ve been Duke Crowner’s machinations.”

As if he couldn’t deny the foul, rootless blood.

Howard ground his teeth as he thought of Duke Crowner.

It seemed it still wasn’t enough that he’d refused the position of swordsmanship teacher to the First Prince, who shared his blood, and thrown away the position of swordsmanship teacher to the Second Prince, even though he’d been offered an enormous sum.

“I should’ve recognized his scheming from the moment he had the Third Prince join the knight order training.”