The Prince's Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: The Knight Commander, Jerome Crowner (1)

‘A battle for the throne, huh.’

Just hearing it made the tip of my nose tingle with the scent of blood.

I frowned at the brutal word that came out of Sage’s mouth.

“Why would you say something so ominous?”

“Ominous? I’m just stating the facts.”

“His Highness Edwin simply wishes to gain the strength to not be swayed by others…”

At that moment, Sage abruptly cut me off. “He just purely wants to become strong? Then he’ll be devoured by the other princes before he even gets there.”

To be pure means one must not be broken.

Could Edwin, who had no support, truly pursue strength ‘purely’?

“I heard the emperor only gives full support to the one he deems as his successor. Edwin’s been excluded from that list for a long time.”

Sage crossed his arms and raised his chin.

“So how do you plan to make that kid strong? Gonna make him duck-walk around his room? Or maybe teach him how to kill people like you?”

Sage sneered coldly.

“I…”

“I don’t know why you’re suddenly playing nanny to a prince.”

He twisted his broom-like beard.

“If you want to grant the prince’s wishes, you should start by building the foundation first.”

He wasn’t wrong.

To raise the prince without interference and make him strong, I had to gain the emperor’s support first.

‘Which means Edwin needs to catch the emperor’s eye.’

It didn’t have to be grand, but something that would make Edwin recognized as a prince was needed.

‘Guess there’s no other choice.’

I raised an eyebrow and glared at Sage.

“…You said to build the foundation first.”

“Y-yeah? I did, right?”

“Even if you hadn’t said so, that’s what I intended. So keep your useless advice to yourself.”

“Hmmm, my advice is useless, huh?”

Sage seemed startled by my cold gaze, but then began provoking again.

“So what are you planning? Tell me. You think His Majesty the Emperor will meet the nanny of a child he abandoned~?”

He seemed offended by being told his advice was useless.

I clenched my fist quietly at the old sage’s provocation.

“Or are you going to do it your way? Threaten the emperor with a knife at night or something?”

I’ve been thinking this for a while now.

Bringing this old man from the plague village might have been a huge mistake.

“You said His Highness needs another teacher.”

“Right, if you can even find one.”

Sage scratched his ear with a disinterested look.

“I doubt anyone would dare teach him, fearing the other royals.”

“No need to worry about that.”

I stared at Sage with eyes full of determination.

“If there’s no way, then I’ll make one. Just like I did when I saved you.”

As I ground my teeth between words, I saw Sage flinch.

“H-hahaha. Kid, if you grind your teeth like that already, you’ll lose them all~? Ahaha, well, now that we’re done talking, guess I’ll get back to my work! I forgot I had pruning to do, ahaha!”

Avoiding my gaze, he slipped out of the library.

After Sage left, I stood still for a long while, steeling my resolve.

‘If only to crush that old man’s pride, I’ll make it happen.’

I’ll make that Edwin kid strong. No matter what.

***

The next day, I headed to the annex while Edwin had a gap in his schedule.

“Shouldn’t someone in charge of the maids stop doing kitchen work?”

“Their Highnesses love my cooking so much, I can’t even if I want to…”

Catherine, who had been kneading dough in the kitchen, looked surprised as soon as she saw me.

“What brings you to the annex at this hour, nanny? Did Her Highness Emilia ask to play word games again and you ran away?”

“…Do I look like the kind of person who’d come all the way here scared of a toddler crawling on all fours?”

“Then did you fight with the gardener again?”

“Fight? A mere gardener couldn’t possibly be a match for the nanny.”

I bit into an apple from the basket.

Catherine glared at me and sighed. “Sigh, don’t be so mean to the gardener. He’s old and always working himself to the bone out there. It breaks my heart just watching.”

“He’s more robust than he looks. No need to worry.”

“You’re so cold sometimes, nanny. Do you even know how fragile an old person’s body is?”

Wasn’t she the one who yelled at him before, asking who brought in that homeless-looking man?

“At that age, bones get weaker, muscles shrink, and even moving becomes a struggle. A little injury or overwork can be fatal. They can pass away more easily than young folks like us.”

Well, it’s not like old people always die first or die easily.

I was betrayed by my lover and died in flames with a poisoned blade in my back while still young.

As I silently continued eating my apple, Catherine turned toward me.

“Nanny, are you listening to me? You’re letting it go in one ear and out the other again, aren’t you!”

Catherine deliberately stuck her face into my line of sight.

A stubborn woman’s face, seemingly delicate, filled my view.

‘Good grief, is she kneading dough with her face or what.’

Catherine’s face was smeared all over with flour.

Brushing the flour from her face, I continued, “Fine. Got it. But wash your face first. If you stuck your face in the oven instead of the dough, you’d probably bake a loaf.”

“You think saying something so horrible counts as a joke? It’s not funny at all!”

Catherine, looking appalled at whatever image came to mind, brushed off her hands.

I thought it was a decent joke, but what a shame.

“And I was just about to go wash the curtains. I’ll wash my face while I’m at it.”

“I just stopped by to report that I’ll be heading out for a while.”

“Huh?”

Catherine tilted her head at my words.

“Are you going outside the palace again?”

“No, not this time.”

“Then where are you going?”

Grinning, I tossed the gnawed apple core into the trash.

“The Gloria Knights.”

***

“…Quite grand, isn’t it?”

Under the midday sun, the Gloria Knights’ quarters shone dazzlingly.

Red banners bearing the golden lion emblem of the Gloria Knights hung from pillars throughout. Unlike Edwin’s palace, the place was lavish and flashy, which I found utterly displeasing.

‘No matter how prestigious the knights may be, it’s absurd for it to outshine a prince’s palace.’

Shouldn’t this be a punishable insult to the imperial family?

As I stood with my arms crossed, glaring at the quarters, a knight standing by the main gate approached me.

“A beautiful young lady graces our knight order today. Are you here to see someone?”

Good grief, I nearly bit my tongue at the nauseatingly slick tone.

No knight had ever spoken to me so politely before.

‘It was always one of two things. They’d either charge at me as if to kill, or tremble so hard they nearly wet themselves.’

Maybe that’s why this new treatment felt so incredibly awkward.

I forced a composed expression and looked at the speaker.

A young knight with an unremarkable face.

Judging by the brooch on his shoulder, he too belonged to the Gloria Knights.

‘Full plate armor outside the battlefield, huh.’

Should I call that discipline or sheer arrogance?

When I said nothing, the young knight seemed flustered and bowed.

“Young lady, if I’ve offended you in any way…”

“No, you’re right. I came here on business with the order.”

“May I ask what that business is, young lady?”

“I came to see the commander. Duke Jerome Crowner.”

At my reply, the knight stammered with a dumbfounded expression, “P-pardon? If I may ask, what is your relation to the commander…”

We were deeply entangled, but there was no need to bring up old stories.

“I am the nanny of His Highness the Third Prince, Rachel Brown.”

At the word ‘nanny’, the knight’s eyes widened.

His face said he was even more lost now.

“I have something to ask of the commander. Would you let me in?”

When I forced a gentle smile, the knight’s face relaxed slightly.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll be right back, young lady.”

He hurriedly ran into the courtyard.

After a short while, the knight reappeared.

“The commander will see you. This way, young lady.”

I gave a light nod and followed him through the gate.

The first thing that caught my eye upon entering was a well-maintained rose garden.

‘If I remember right, the Crowner family’s symbol is a red rose.’

Seeing the garden bathed in red roses gave me a strange feeling.

It felt like stepping into another palace within the imperial one.

The place we arrived at, following the knight, was a reception room.

“Please wait here a moment. The commander will arrive shortly.”

He gave a polite nod and vanished from sight.

With nothing else to do, I decided to look around the room.

‘Of course it’s a duke’s office. Must be drowning in money.’

All the furniture was made of the finest rosewood, and even the curtains were premium silk imported from the Kingdom of Asha.

‘Edwin and Emilia only manage to get clothes made from that stuff, and here it’s just curtains.’

I never thought I’d feel such a wealth gap even within the palace.

I lifted the corner of my lip in a displeased expression.

Just then, I heard approaching footsteps in the distance.

‘He’s here.’

As I turned, the door swung wide open.

“So, I hear we have a guest?”

Leisurely like a beast returning from a stroll, but with an overwhelming presence.

His name was Jerome Crowner.

Master of the Gloria Knights. The empress’s only brother. Head of House Crowner.