Chapter 131

Chapter 131: The First Mission (4)

‘What? An all-out war with the Holy Kingdom?’

What is this guy even saying right now?

I stared at Kayden with eyes full of shock.

‘The moment he turns the Holy Kingdom into an enemy, the Holy Emperor will proclaim a holy war in God’s name, and then Adamant becomes the enemy of every nation that believes in God.’

So it was something that absolutely must not happen.

Unless he wanted to ruin the kingdom he’d worked so hard to build.

[You’ve got a serious face, Lady Brown.]

“Because Your Majesty is talking about something serious.”

[Haha, don’t worry.]

Kayden looked at my earnest expression and let out a hearty laugh.

[The only thing we can do right now is deal with the exponentially increasing number of mutated monsters.]

“But then we’ll be back at square one. The Holy Kingdom will keep producing mutated monsters.”

[Ah, of course we’ll have to track the Holy Kingdom’s traces while we deal with the monsters. That way we won’t stand out.]

It seemed he’d decided that pursuing the Holy Kingdom would be done incidentally, while taking care of mutated monsters.

Well, that way, there’d be nothing suspicious in the Holy Kingdom’s eyes.

And Adamant is a kingdom that specializes in monster subjugation to begin with.

“But are there really that many mutated monsters?”

There’d only been one mutated monster in Luxen Village.

Thinking back now, maybe that bastard had split off from the pack and gotten stuck in the village, unable to leave.

[Well, let’s just say there are far more than you’re imagining.]

Kayden tilted his head from side to side as if he was utterly exhausted.

[And I’d like to add that, thanks to that, I’m tired enough to feel like I’m about to die as well.]

Why are you bothering to tell me that?

I looked at Kayden without a word.

Under my icy gaze that didn’t contain a shred of concern, he laughed again like an idiot.

[Did you know you’re the only one, Lady Brown, who looks at me like that?]

“I didn’t.”

And I don’t want to know.

In the end, I changed the subject first.

There was no point dragging the conversation out. I’d only end up tired.

It’d be better to talk only about the main point and end the call.

“Then what should I do now?”

Everything about the suspicious movements of the clerics going in and out of the Imperial Palace had already been uncovered.

So what could I do now to keep Kayden pleased?

“Should I dig up more information on the Grand Temple’s side?”

[No. We already know where the secret room is and who’s hiding there, so there’s no need.]

Kayden stared straight at me, then continued.

[So the thing you can do right now is only one thing as well.]

What is he talking about?

I made a puzzled expression.

Then Kayden spoke in a voice laced with amusement.

[The Holy Kingdom is mine, House Radcliffe is yours. What do you think?]

“You mean you want me to dig into the marquisate?”

[That’s about it.]

If he’d made a suggestion like this to an ordinary nanny, it’d be no different from telling her to go die.

Digging into one of the Empire’s top noble families was something you had to put your life on the line for.

‘…This bastard.’

I fixed my gaze on Kayden, who was still smiling.

‘Is he saying this because he has no expectations of me, or because he’s testing me?’

Since I carried out the first mission he gave me excellently, it wouldn’t be that he had no expectations.

So, is he trying to test me?

I couldn’t say I didn’t understand.

‘From Kayden’s perspective, it doesn’t matter whether I fail or succeed anyway.’

If I failed, he’d be losing a single source of information within the Imperial Palace. If I succeeded, he’d be getting his hands on House Radcliffe’s dirty secrets more easily than anyone.

From Kayden’s perspective as the King of Adamant, either way, he had nothing to lose.

“…All right.”

At my answer, Kayden’s eyes gleamed once more.

“I’ll look into House Radcliffe.”

Either way, it was something I needed to investigate thoroughly at least once.

Above all, House Radcliffe was the Second Consort’s maternal family, the ones who tried to kill Edwin, and it was also the house led by the head of the noble faction.

[This is nice. I like that you don’t hesitate.]

Kayden burst into cheerful laughter.

[The more I see, the more I like you.]

Yeah, it’s better than you disliking me.

With an indifferent face, I gave a small nod.

“Thank you.”

[Good. Then until our next call….]

“Your Majesty Kayden.”

[Hm?]

At my sudden call, Kayden raised one eyebrow.

[What is it?]

“May I ask one favor of you as well this time?”

A king and a nanny.

There was a gap in status that could never be crossed, but we weren’t in a lord and vassal relationship. We were allies.

So I had the right to ask Kayden for something too.

[A favor.]

“Yes. We’re allies, aren’t we?”

[Hahaha!]

This time, Kayden let out a loud laugh.

I was sure there was no one outside, but it was loud enough that I checked my surroundings again.

[Right. Since you and I are allies, I can grant you a favor or two. You’re also doing things for my sake.]

The young king wore a relaxed expression, as if telling me to go ahead.

[All right. What’s this favor?]

“It’s not something I’m asking for right now.”

Keeping my face as calm as possible, I continued, “But even if this alliance ends, I want you to grant me one favor later.”

[Even after the alliance ends?]

“Yes.”

Something shifted in Kayden’s expression.

He stared at me in silence for a long time, then gave a light smile.

[Very well. It’s not going to be some dangerous request like asking for my life, is it?]

“You can rest assured. I have no intention whatsoever of asking something like that.”

Once he heard it wasn’t a request that put his life on the line, he agreed readily.

Kayden seemed to place a hand over the communication orb, then smiled at me.

[Ah, I almost forgot to mention this. I still haven’t found any new information about the Breath of the Angel. But my men are tracking them diligently, so I might be able to bring you the news you’re waiting for soon.]

The members of the Breath of the Angel, whose whereabouts were unknown.

Kayden said he was still pursuing them.

Not solely for my sake, of course.

“All right.”

[Then I’ll end the call here.]

Kayden’s face wavered inside the orb, half-covered by his palm.

[Sweet dreams. Lady Brown.]

With an out-of-place bedtime greeting, the light in the communication orb went out.

I stared quietly at the orb in my hand.

‘Should I have returned the greeting?’

It wasn’t that I truly cared, but it left me oddly uncomfortable.

He’s not going to later accuse me of being irreverent because I didn’t respond when the king greeted me, right?

‘High-ranking people have been famous for being fickle since forever.’

Still, Kayden is common-born, so he’ll understand a little, won’t he?

It’d be nice if he thought, I’m common-born too, so a bit of rudeness still lingers in me.

‘Can’t be helped. If he does it again next time, I should greet him back too.’

In my life, I’d never given a bedtime greeting to any man other than Ian.

Setting Edwin aside, since he was closer to a child than a man.

‘What a ridiculous bastard.’

Who in the world greets someone to sleep first when they’re someone far beneath them?

Maybe the King of the Adamant Kingdom has a softer side than I thought.

‘Anyway, House Radcliffe.’

I already had some information, but with a year’s gap, I’d need to find out what’s changed.

‘This time, it’ll probably be hard to learn anything important through Catherine’s connections.’

The Marquisate of Radcliffe was a great noble house that could rival the Ducal House of Crowner.

It’d be extremely difficult to dig up information on my own.

‘Then it can’t be helped.’

A little dangerous, but I thought of the surest method.

‘There’s no choice but to go there.’

It was unsettling, but I had no choice.

This time too, it seemed I’d have to make use of a connection from my past life.

***

“That’s so unfair. How can you do this?”

Edwin complained as he watched me load the baggage onto the saddle.

“Why didn’t you tell me ahead of time that you were going on leave?”

It was the first leave I’d taken since becoming a nanny.

Though it wasn’t leave for myself, exactly.

“I apologize for not telling you in advance.”

“Can’t you not go?”

“Even a nanny needs rest.”

“Then can’t I go with you?”

A vacation spent with your boss?

That couldn’t be a vacation.

“Let’s go together. Please?” Edwin said, pestering me as I mounted the horse. “I’m a lot stronger now too, so I’ll be a help.”

“No.”

At my firm refusal, Edwin’s expression drooped. He jutted out his lower lip and muttered softly, “You took me with you when we went to Luxen Village last time.”

“We had no choice then.”

“Why can’t I go this time?”

“…Because it’s dangerous.”

“It’s your hometown, though.”

As if he didn’t understand at all, Edwin raised one eyebrow.

“Why would your hometown be dangerous?”

“The place I lived is rough. The mountains are steep, there aren’t many people, and security isn’t good. I can’t take you with me, Your Highness.”

“Is the County of Brown in a place that dangerous?”

No way.

The hometown I meant wasn’t Rachel Brown’s hometown.

Much less the hometown from my ‘Kyla’ days, when I lived with Emma.

‘Kyla Angel’s hometown.’

No, more accurately, the place where the one who made me ‘Kyla Angel’ was.

That was the hometown I planned to visit on this leave.