The Prince's Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Goal (2)

“Huh.”

Sage heard the prince’s answer and blankly opened his mouth.

“Teacher? What’s wrong?”

Perhaps finding his teacher’s reaction odd, Edwin asked back in a puzzled voice.

“No, well. It’s just surprising. I didn’t expect such words to come out of the mouth of someone timid like you.”

Sage stroked his beard as if amused.

“It’s an ambition too grand for your current self to even speak of.”

At his teacher’s remark, Edwin immediately looked dejected.

“Well, it depends on how one defines ‘strength.’”

Sage crossed his arms and looked down at his young student.

“What kind of ‘strength’ do you seek?”

To his teacher’s question, Edwin answered without hesitation, “I want to be strong enough to defeat monsters on my own!”

“Hmph, that’s not my specialty.”

Sage snorted, seemingly displeased by the prince’s answer.

“You wouldn’t want to learn how to swing a staff from an old man whose death is near, would you?”

With a bored expression, he picked up a random book and flipped through its pages.

“You’ll have to find a different teacher for that field.”

At the mention of needing to find another teacher, worry quickly appeared on Edwin’s face.

Who would willingly become the teacher of a worthless mutt-like prince?

Even Sage, who stood before him now, might not have accepted the role if he weren’t a criminal.

‘Someone else would have already taken him as a teacher for my older brothers.’

Edwin lowered his head with a subdued expression.

Then Sage raised his voice as if seeing something unpleasant.

“Hey, you little brat!”

“Yes?”

“Why is a snot-nosed brat worrying so much! Don’t worry. It’ll be resolved one way or another.”

Sage told the prince not to worry, his smile carrying a hint of mischief.

“Isn’t that right?”

At that moment, Edwin realized the smile wasn’t directed at him and turned his head.

Standing at the door was his nanny, Rachel.

***

“What is it you wish to say to me?”

Only Sage and I were in the library.

He said he had something to discuss in private and told Edwin to leave first.

Edwin obediently left the library without complaint, as if he had decided to follow his teacher’s words.

“I’m a busy person. Let’s keep it brief.”

Leaning against the bookshelf, I waited for Sage to speak.

“Seems like we still have a lot to talk about.”

Sage opened his eyes wide and stared straight into my face.

“Don’t you have something to explain to me?”

“I don’t quite understand what you’re referring to.”

Feigning ignorance, I replied, and Sage chuckled as if amused.

“Hey, nanny. How likely do you think it is for an ordinary nanny to fend off a monster with just a worn-out dagger?”

I frowned instead of answering.

‘I never said I killed the monster with a dagger. How did he know?’

The only person who saw me kill the monster was Edwin.

Could it be that Edwin—?

“I heard it from Edwin.”

As expected, my guess was right.

I should have warned him more strongly never to mention that I killed the monster.

“He said you saved him. A monster is relentless, so there’s no way to escape unless you kill it.”

I scowled at Sage’s words.

Since coming here, I thought I could quietly avoid any talk about monsters or ‘Kyla Angel.’

‘Seems that wasn’t the case.’

Instead of replying, I simply glared at him, and Sage continued, “I’d already sensed you weren’t an ordinary woman. One can tell by your speech and behavior.”

The great sage’s voice was full of certainty.

“As far as I know, there are only three kinds of people who can defeat a monster alone: a knight, a wizard, and—”

Sage’s sharp eyes turned to me.

“A highly trained assassin.”

Apparently, Sage believed I was some subordinate of Kyla Angel.

Well, that’s probably as far as human imagination can go.

Even I never imagined I’d die and end up possessing another person’s body.

“You’re the same type of person as Kyla. Aren’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I…”

“Or perhaps, are you—”

Just as I was about to give a vague excuse, he added one last sentence.

“Kyla?”

***

A suffocating silence fell over the library.

But unlike the stifling atmosphere, my mind was a complete mess.

‘When did he start suspecting?’

‘How did he find out?’

‘Is it really possible to figure it out this easily?’

That I was an assassin—fine. But Kyla?

‘…Kyla?’

I was frozen stiff like a plaster statue when Sage said, “Judging by your silence, my absurd guess wasn’t so absurd after all.”

He stared at me for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter.

It was such an exhilarating laugh, I wondered if he’d finally gone mad.

“Puhahahahaha―!”

“What’s so sudden…”

“Right, there’s no way you’d die so easily! What’s with this getup? Undercover again, Kyla Angel? Well, your disguise is surprisingly decent for someone like you…”

I clamped my hand over his mouth, which had loudly uttered my old name.

“Don’t call me by that name. I am Rachel Brown.”

“Right, right. Lady Rachel Brown. This is just too funny.”

Sage slumped into a chair with a hopeless expression.

I couldn’t understand his reaction at all.

‘Wait a minute.’

There was something off in what he had said earlier.

I furrowed my brows and blinked slowly.

“Have you ever heard anyone say that Kyla Angel is dead?”

I had never told him that Kyla was dead.

I merely said I was here to collect her blood price on her behalf.

‘But then how does he know?’

At my question, Sage frowned instead. “I should be the one asking that. Why did you tell some unknown knight where I live?”

Knight? A knight?

“When I first saw him, I thought he was some kind of monster. Reeking of blood, he broke down my front door.”

“Who exactly are you talking about? What’s his name?”

“I don’t know his name either. He was just a knight wrapped in black rags. He suddenly appeared and asked if I killed Kyla Angel.”

Not if she died, but if I killed her.

It was as if he already knew she had been murdered.

Sage rubbed both arms, as if the memory still gave him chills.

“So I asked if Kyla was really dead, and after standing there for a while, he said, ‘It’s not you,’ and disappeared.”

“His appearance? Any distinctive traits?”

“He had his hood pulled low, so I couldn’t see clearly, but his eyes were fierce. Like a beast.”

“Not something vague like that. Be more specific.”

“Hmm, he carried a huge greatsword. A black blade as big as his own body.”

A hulking knight with a black greatsword and beast-like eyes?

Who was that? Had I met anyone like that in the past?

‘Only knight I can recall by name is Duke Jerome Crowner.’

No way someone as busy as him would come all the way to Luxen looking for me.

‘Besides, he wouldn’t even know I was dead, so scratch that.’

As I quietly reviewed my memories, Sage continued, “That’s why I thought you really were dead. Because of that guy.”

“…You believed something a complete stranger said? You?”

“Well, he looked like he’d tear someone apart with his bare hands.” Sage rolled his eyes and added curtly, “Like a man chasing his mortal enemy.”

Could it be someone who saw me as their nemesis? There were too many of those to guess.

Anyway, I had no idea who this knight with the black greatsword was.

‘Actually, it’s a relief.’

I was glad that Sage had learned of my death not through the assassins.

‘…Because Ian is thorough.’

I never told anyone about Sage, but one never knows.

If Ian had killed me, he would have erased everything I left behind.

Starting from what he already knew, and even the things he didn’t.

‘He’d have erased everything, like I never existed in this world.’

Because that’s Ian Angel’s way of ‘killing.’

“Why so serious, Kyla?”

“…It’s Rachel.”

“Eh, that name just doesn’t roll off the tongue.”

“You’ve been saying it just fine until now.”

Though my head was spinning, I kept my composure.

“So, is that all you wanted to say?”

“No, I have something to say now as the prince’s teacher.” Sage crossed his arms and asked, “What do you plan to do with Edwin from now on?”

What do I plan to do?

I met Sage’s gaze squarely.

“The boy said he wants to become strong. Did you know that?”

Of course I knew.

I promised with my own hands to make him strong. There was no way I wouldn’t know.

“Yes, I know.”

“Huh.”

Sage raised an eyebrow, as if taken aback.

“Do you even understand what that means?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Listen, Kyla—no, Rachel.”

The great sage placed his hands on his hips and said in a serious voice, “A prince gaining power is the same as declaring he’ll join the battle for the throne. You’re not going to tell me you didn’t know that, are you?”