The Prince's Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: One Who Knows Gratitude (3)

“You… youuuu!”

The head maid let out a scream and charged at Rachel.

“It was you! You wretched…!”

She swung her hand hard towards Rachel’s cheek once again. But this time, it didn’t even graze Rachel’s hair.

Rachel had swiftly grabbed her wrist in mid-air.

“Head Maid.”

A low voice made the head maid flinch once more.

“Once is enough for tolerating such rudeness.”

Rachel smiled at her, baring her teeth.

“Don’t you agree?”

It was a chilling, razor-sharp smile, like the fangs of a bird of prey. The head maid, seeing that smile, retreated, clutching her wrist.

“Well then, Head Maid.”

Rachel continued, her tone almost cheerful as she watched the head maid, “The exit is this way.”

Once again, her guidance was nothing short of exceedingly polite.

***

“Countess.”

Countess Feline Katarina left the Third Prince’s palace, accompanied by her knight.

The knight trailing behind her spoke quietly, “What shall we do about the head maid?”

His tone was incredibly respectful, though the content of his words was far from it.

“Just leave her be.”

“But…”

“For someone like her, going back to her position is a punishment worse than death. There’s no need to stir up trouble.”

Disguising it as an accident would be too much of a hassle. Besides, that woman might prove useful again someday.

‘Those desperate lowlifes are capable of anything.’

Feline hid her rising lips behind her fan.

“But make sure to seal her lips.”

She gave her knight a firm order, “This matter must not reach the ears of the Second Empress, the Empress, or any other nobles.”

If word of this incident reached their ears, not only she but even the Second Empress would be the subject of gossip.

Everyone knew that she was the Second Empress’s right hand.

“Honestly, it’s utterly disgraceful.”

After all, the head maid was someone she had personally chosen. It was shameful enough that such a person had committed corruption, let alone gotten caught.

Feline clicked her tongue in annoyance. “That’s why idiots are more frustrating than the cunning ones.”

“Understood. Shall we place someone else in the Third Prince’s palace?”

“Someone else?”

Feline snorted at her knight’s suggestion. There was a time when she thought the Third Prince might become a troublesome figure, but that was no longer the case.

A timid child whose only asset was his bloodline. That was all the Third Prince was now. Just today, he made an excuse about being sick and sent his nanny down instead of facing her. The prince hadn’t changed at all from his younger days.

“Enough. It’s time to stop bothering with the Shabby Prince.”

She smiled, recalling the old and irritating face of Madam Conrad.

“Now that even the meddlesome Madam Conrad is gone, there’s no one left to blow useless wind into the prince’s ear.”

“Understood.”

“Oh, by the way.”

At that moment, Feline seemed to remember something important and came to a halt.

“Have you found that maid?”

“I’m sorry. We haven’t been able to locate her.”

At her question, the knight lowered his head apologetically.

“You haven’t found her?”

“Yes. We inquired about the maid’s appearance as described by the attendant, but we couldn’t find her.”

Feline frowned. The unknown maid who delivered the head maid’s ledger to the countess’s estate. She had passed the ledger to Feline through an attendant. Accompanied by a note saying she could no longer stand by and watch the head maid’s betrayal.

Initially, she had her doubts, but the handwriting in the ledger matched that of the head maid. There was no room for suspicion.

‘Given that she specifically did it for me, she must know me well or want to gain my favor in place of the head maid.’

But contrary to Feline’s guess, the maid never revealed herself. As if she wanted to keep her identity hidden.

‘If she wanted compensation, she would have approached me directly. Or at the very least appeared before me today.’

The more she thought about it, the less it made sense. What could have driven her to expose the head maid’s misconduct and ensure her expulsion?

“Should we expand the search area?”

“Hmph, do you plan to search the entire palace? Forget it.”

Feline fiddled nonchalantly with her nails.

“It’s not like there’s only one maid with black hair in the entire palace.”

The knight silently nodded at his mistress’s words.

“Besides, she wore her hood low. How do you expect to find her without knowing what her face looks like?”

“My apologies.”

The knight bowed deeply as Feline climbed into her carriage.

“To the mansion.”

“Will you not meet the Second Empress?”

“No need. I’ll see her in two days anyway.”

She thought of the banquet to be held at the Marquis of Redcliffe’s mansion in two days. It was a celebration of her newly born niece’s birthday, and the Second Empress would surely attend. She could tell her about today’s incident then.

‘Some stories are best heard when one’s mood is good, so they seem trivial.’

How would she deliver the news to please her this time? Feline sighed, recalling the unpredictable temperament of the Second Empress.

“It’s exhausting. Let’s go immediately.”

“Yes, my lady.”

And so, the carriage carrying Countess Katarina slowly left the prince’s palace, as if nothing had happened there.

***

“This makes no sense at all.”

“What doesn’t make sense?”

“Why me? Why on earth would someone like me be made the head maid?”

Catherine, the new head maid of the Third Prince’s palace, raised her hands above her head and shouted, “I’m just the daughter of a mere baronet! Why? Why would His Highness appoint me as head maid?!”

“Didn’t His Highness already tell you? He said you were the most trustworthy maid.”

“To be precise, he said he liked how well I made stew.”

“To be even more precise, the Empress heard about the expelled head maid’s misdeeds and was impressed by your loyalty to His Highness.”

The palace walls had ears, and despite the fact that the head maid had walked out on her own, the reason behind her expulsion had already spread throughout the entire palace.

The news, coincidentally, had even reached the Empress’s quarters.

The Empress, who had no interest in the Third Prince, suddenly stepped in and appointed a new head maid for his palace, raising questions.

‘Countess Katarina is the Second Empress’s right hand. Since the confidante she planted in the Third Prince’s palace is gone, it’s the Empress’s turn to make her move.’

Currently, the factions vying for the throne were split into two camps. One supported the First Prince, born of the Empress, while the other backed the Second Prince, son of the Second Empress. With such a situation, it was only natural for the Empress and the Second Empress to be sworn enemies.

‘And their families have had bad blood for a long time.’

The Empress probably wanted to cut off any influence the Second Empress might have in the Third Prince’s palace.

I tilted my head as I watched Catherine, still sulking.

‘Well, I don’t know why the Empress specifically made Catherine the head maid, though.’

If she wanted to monitor the palace in place of the Second Empress, it would have made more sense to send someone new. But instead, the Empress appointed Catherine, who had defied her direct superior’s orders and made stew for the prince. It was impossible to figure out why.

“Nanny, by the way, when will you return the maid uniform you borrowed from me?”

“Ah.”

Right, I’d forgotten about that.

“Nanny?”

“…Well, I lost it.”

“Huh? You lost my uniform?”

To be honest, it wasn’t lost—I’d discarded it. But I couldn’t say that.

“I’m sorry. I’ll buy you a new one.”

“It’s fine. Where would you get the money for that?”

Catherine sighed as she looked at the dress I was wearing, her gaze sympathetic.

“Anyway, the head maid can’t wear that maid uniform. As soon as I get my first paycheck, I’ll have to get myself a new dress.”

Unlike regular maids, the head maid of each palace was considered the face of the palace and had to wear refined attire. Of course, this was to be paid for out of her own pocket.

“Still, there is one good thing about becoming the head maid. The troublesome ones left on their own.”

After Catherine became head maid, there was a natural turnover among the maids of the Third Prince’s palace.

Perhaps because the former head maid had been expelled for a disgraceful reason, most of the main palace maids left voluntarily, likely worried they might be implicated as well.

Thanks to that, the annex maids who had worked with Catherine moved to the main palace. It was a good development—after all, the tasks that the main palace maids used to handle had always been the responsibility of the annex maids.

In any case, the Third Prince’s palace had returned to its usual routine. No, in fact, it was even more peaceful than before.

‘They seem to be enjoying themselves.’

I turned my attention to the prince and princess, leaving Catherine chattering beside me. The young pair playing under the warm spring sun looked like little puppies.

As I watched them, I ran my fingers through my hair without thinking. Something dark smudged on my fingertips.

Even after more than a week since ‘that day,’ there’s still soot in my hair. I thought it was only on the clothes I’d borrowed from Catherine, but apparently not.

I shook my head in annoyance when…

“Nanny! Are you listening to me?”

“Yes.”

“What did I just say then?”

“Actually, I wasn’t listening.”

Unable to withstand Catherine’s sharp glare, I relented and asked, “What did you say?”

“Well, I heard something from the servants working in the Emperor’s palace.”

Catherine lowered her voice as if revealing some great secret.

“Apparently, the most famous person on the continent is staying at the Emperor’s palace right now.”