The Prince's Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: The One I Couldn’t Protect (4)

“What…”

Lloyd stood still for a while, then twisted his face like a demon.

He pointed his finger at me and raised his voice, “Do you think that excuse will work?! And my knight was just following my orders, so there’s nothing wrong…!”

“Prince Lloyd! My offense was to prevent the fight between Your Highnesses, but this man pushed Prince Edwin for no reason, so his crime is heavier!”

Before Lloyd could finish speaking, I blurted out my excuse like a rapid-fire gun. My voice was so loud that it made the leaves hanging from the trees shake.

“So if you punish him first, I will also gladly accept my punishment!”

Having said all I needed to, I hugged Edwin tightly and bowed deeply. Thanks to that, not only the noble children gathered around but also the passing attendants began to whisper and look our way.

“Well, she’s not wrong. How could a mere knight dare touch a prince…?”

“No matter how much they look down on the Third Prince, pushing him is a bit much…”

“Even if he’s the Second Prince’s guard, he’s still a subordinate. Wasn’t that way too rash?”

“A knight shouldn’t act so ungentlemanly. Which order is he from?”

The knight guarding Lloyd seemed to realize that the atmosphere was turning against him.

He finally grabbed me by the collar. “What, what did you say, you wretched girl?! My crime can only be judged by Prince Lloyd! How dare you!”

“The same goes for me!”

“What?”

“My master is Prince Edwin, so only Prince Edwin can judge my crime! You have no right to interfere!”

“You… insolent woman! How dare you play games!”

The knight’s face turned red with anger, and he grabbed my wrist. Then, he raised the sword in his other hand high. In the noon sunlight, the knight’s sword emitted a sharp gleam.

“Ugh—!”

Suddenly, the knight let out a scream and fell to the ground. His right wrist, which had held the sword, was bent at a grotesque angle.

“You shouldn’t recklessly swing a sword in the Imperial Palace.”

A drowsy, deep voice, as if climbing up my spine.

I slowly lifted my head. Standing where the knight had been was a man dressed in pitch-black armor.

“That’s dangerous.”

The man lightly twirled the sword in his hand. It was definitely the sword the knight had been holding just a moment ago.

I stared at the man in a daze, unable to help myself, and Lloyd came walking over to us. He looked even more displeased than before, but his tone had become polite.

“King Kaiden.”

The young king of the newly established Adament Kingdom, Kaiden, nodded slightly towards the Second Prince. Lloyd frowned, seemingly displeased with the man’s attitude.

“Why are you here, Your Majesty?”

In response to Lloyd’s question, Kaiden spoke with a smile on his lips, “I was passing by and thought I saw a lady being attacked by a thug, so I intervened.”

The guard knight was wearing silver armor with a sword strapped to his waist. Anyone could tell he was a knight, but Kaiden feigned ignorance, seemingly teasing the Second Prince.

Lloyd, feeling insulted, sharpened his tone. “This man is not a thug but my guard!”

“Is that so?”

Kaiden opened his eyes wide as if genuinely surprised.

“I didn’t realize. No matter how I look at it, he seemed like nothing more than a thug swinging a sword at a woman.”

“Hah!”

Lloyd took a deep breath, seemingly incredulous at the king’s words.

“Before criticizing someone else’s subordinates, you should manage your own first, Your Highness.”

“What…”

“And before that, you should fix the habit of trying to cut off people’s hands for trivial reasons.”

“For trivial reasons?! How dare you speak like that…!”

Just as the enraged Lloyd was about to raise his voice—

“Lloyd, how dare you be rude to a guest.”

“Father…?”

Behind Kaiden, a middle-aged man wearing a red cloak and a crown adorned with jewels stepped forward. It was Emperor Cavelius III of the Ventrume Empire.

He looked more like a common countryman than an emperor, but his gaze was far from ordinary.

“Hail to the Sun of the Empire!”

Everyone present prostrated themselves before the sudden appearance of the Emperor. Lloyd also knelt on one knee, looking flustered.

“Second Prince Lloyd greets Father!”

He too had not expected the Emperor to appear here.

“Lloyd, what is this commotion in the sacred palace?”

“Well, I was trying to punish this woman for being disrespectful to me.”

“Disrespectful? In what way?”

“Well…”

Lloyd struggled to answer easily. He too knew he was partly in the wrong.

The Emperor sighed as he looked at his second son. “Enough. If you will not answer, I will have to ask someone else.”

The Emperor’s gaze finally turned to me.

“Stand up.”

At the Emperor’s command, I stood up and bowed deeply.

“Hail to the Sun of the Empire.”

“Are you the one who shouted just now?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You have a good voice. It was loud enough for me to hear on my way here.”

“I apologize.”

“So, is what you said true?”

The Emperor looked at me as he continued, “You tried to stop the fight between the princes and laid your hands on the Second Prince, and this knight laid hands on the Third Prince without reason?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

At that moment, the Second Prince’s guard interrupted, cutting me off. “Y-Your Majesty! I am innocent! I only made a mistake!”

The Emperor’s gaze turned icy cold. “I do not recall granting you the right to speak.”

“M-my apologies.”

Why did he even bother interrupting, knowing he would gain nothing? I silently mocked the knight as I bowed my head.

“Yes, as Your Majesty has heard.”

“So, you claim you are innocent, while this knight is guilty?”

“I never said that. I merely requested that he be punished first, as his crime is greater than mine.”

“Hmm.”

The Emperor let out a pondering sigh, then raised his hand as if making a decision. With just a gesture, the imperial guards standing behind him rushed forward.

“Take him to the execution ground and cut off his arm. Strip him of his knighthood.”

At the Emperor’s order, the Second Prince’s guard turned pale. “Your Majesty! Your Majesty—! I am innocent! Prince Lloyd, please save me! Prince Lloyd!”

The knight reached out towards Lloyd, but it was in vain. His master had already abandoned him long ago.

“And you.”

The Emperor looked at Edwin, who was trembling beside me. He seemed so frightened that even breathing appeared difficult.

The Emperor observed Edwin for a while before shifting his gaze back to me.

“Your actions were rude, but your intentions were good, so I will overlook it this time. But only this once.”

“I am grateful, Your Majesty.”

At that moment, Lloyd stood up abruptly, his face twisted in anger. “Father! This woman also grabbed and pushed me! So how could…!”

“Lloyd, enough.”

“Father—!”

Even I was surprised. My punishment was much lighter compared to that of the knight. But the Emperor showed no signs of changing his decision.

“Lloyd, I will find you a new guard myself. So let it go.”

“Ugh!”

Lloyd, unable to contain his frustration, turned his head away. He glared at me and Edwin alternately, breathing heavily.

“…Since everything is settled, there is no need for me to remain here. I will take my leave.”

Without properly greeting the Emperor, Lloyd left the scene. His furious stride made it clear he hadn’t calmed down.

The Emperor shook his head as he watched Lloyd leave. “It’s disgraceful for a prince to be so unable to control his emotions.”

He turned to the man standing beside him with a wry smile. “Goodness. I’ve shown you quite the spectacle.”

“No, it’s nothing. Boys at that age are always full of spirit.”

The man standing next to the Emperor.

I knew who he was.

He was the man I had locked eyes with in the central garden—the young king of the newly established kingdom, as Catherine had mentioned.

There was no doubt it was him.

‘I sensed no presence.’

I recalled the moment the man had appeared.

Until he twisted the knight’s wrist, I hadn’t noticed him at all. Even if my senses had dulled after possessing an ordinary woman’s body, it was still unusual not to sense anything.

‘Perhaps the rumor that he single-handedly fought off a hundred monsters isn’t just nonsense.’

Just as I was speculating about the man before me, the Emperor moved.

“It’s hot today. Let’s continue our conversation back at the palace.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Let’s go!”

I bowed my head as the Emperor passed by. The man accompanying him also walked past me.

‘Jasmine?’

As he passed, a familiar scent tickled my nose. It was the scent of the soap I used often before I died.

A faint hint of mint mixed with a common jasmine fragrance. It was a soap sold only in a small pharmacy in a rural area of the Empire, making it hard to find anyone else who used it. So why did the king of a foreign nation carry the exact same scent?

‘This feels strange.’

It was odd to catch the same scent as my past self from an unfamiliar man.

Just as I was about to look up, drawn by the fragrance—

A low voice, whispering only to me, came from above.

“I thought you were only good at sneaking around, but you’re quite sharp as well.”

He spoke as if he had read my thoughts.

‘…Sneaking around?’

With a stiff face, I looked up. Beautiful amber eyes, like those of a beast, were staring at me.

The man curled his lips into a smile before passing by like the wind.

“See you again.”

Leaving behind a meaningful parting word.