The Prince's Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Adults and Children (2)

“…I thought it was an offer not even worth hesitating over.”

That nanny must have done quite a job educating the prince.

The duke withdrew his hand from Edwin with a displeased look.

“Why do you hesitate?”

“It’s just…”

Edwin trailed off.

No matter how much better his circumstances had become, he knew better than anyone else that nothing had really changed.

‘That’s why I’m even more confused.’

What if something terrible happens if he accepts this offer? Or worse, what if something terrible happens if he doesn’t?

As a child, Edwin had no idea which choice would lead to a better outcome.

“Ha.”

Jerome, watching him, let out a small scoff.

“Your Highness seems to be someone who cannot make decisions alone.”

“…Excuse me?”

Edwin could only be flustered at his sudden change in demeanor, which had seemed so friendly just moments before.

As Edwin’s small fist tightened, Jerome continued with a sighing voice, “I don’t know what your nanny may have said to you in the meantime, but I am simply making this offer out of pure goodwill.”

Told him? Rachel?

Edwin frowned. “What do you mean by that…?”

“I understand. Since Your Highness is still young, it is natural to be swayed by the words of nearby adults.”

Jerome nodded as if he understood him.

“However, Your Highness is a prince. A lion must not listen to the words of dogs.”

“……”

At the duke’s words, Edwin’s face darkened.

But Jerome spoke on as if he didn’t care in the slightest.

“Did you know your nanny is an adopted daughter from a count’s family?”

Edwin flinched at those words.

“She is nothing more than a foolish woman ignorant of the ways of the world.”

The duke insulted the prince’s absent nanny.

“So do not be swayed by such nonsense and consider this carefully—”

Just as he was about to finish, a firm voice rang out from beneath his chin.

“Duke Crowner.”

Eyes as blue as the emperor’s stared up at him.

“Rachel is not that kind of person.”

At some point, the young prince was gazing straight into the duke’s eyes.

“Don’t speak of her that way.”

In those eyes mirroring the duke, hostility dared to rise.

‘Well, well.’

Jerome’s eyes twitched slightly.

“…Prince Edwin.”

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, then opened them again.

“One can only give orders when one is in a position above the other.”

At that moment, an overwhelming killing intent enveloped Edwin’s body.

“Hup—!”

The young prince gasped and lowered his head.

Sweat poured from his pale face.

“What a shame.”

Jerome, watching with indifference, withdrew the killing intent.

“I thought Your Highness would understand my heart.”

Edwin panted like a man nearly drowned.

“Then I’ll take that as a rejection of my offer.”

He turned back to the training ground as if nothing had happened.

“That’s the end of the conversation. You may leave now.”

‘Leave?’

Could it mean he shouldn’t come to training anymore?

Edwin paused with a distressed look.

“What are you doing? Not joining the formation?”

Fortunately, it seemed he wasn’t being expelled from training.

As Edwin sighed in relief and moved to follow the knights, Jerome added a remark, “Oh, and if you fail to complete today’s training, you won’t need to come anymore.”

Looking at Edwin, now pale, Jerome smiled kindly. “Dropouts are just a nuisance, after all.”

***

In the sweltering heat of midday, the scorching sun poured down aggressively.

The Third Unit knights of the Gloria Knights kept glancing back while running.

“Is this really okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, he’s a prince. Making him roll around like us is a bit…”

“Leave him be. The commander told us not to worry.”

“Still…”

“Yeah, he’s still just a kid…”

The knights frowned as they glanced at the Third Prince chasing after them, drenched in tears, snot, and sweat.

“Why is a prince so scrawny? My baby brother is chubbier than that.”

“You didn’t know? The Third Prince is called the shabby prince.”

“Shabby prince? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means he’s as poor as we are.”

Most of the Third Unit knights were skilled commoner knights.

Despite their talents, they remained in the Third Unit simply because they were of common birth.

“Yeah, otherwise why would a prince train with commoners like us?”

“Hey, but what if he collapses again? No matter what, making a kid train like us feels wrong.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’re dying here too. Who has time to worry about someone else?”

“Hey, speed up! If the prince catches up, we’ll be dead meat at the commander’s hands!”

“Damn it! Of all days, today had to be chaos!”

The knights soon forgot about the prince.

Meanwhile, Edwin felt just as miserable as the rest.

‘Or maybe I’m already dead.’

His knees creaked, and the soles of his feet burned.

He felt like quitting and running away.

Even his mind was a mess.

Why had Duke Crowner said he would teach him?

What happened between him and Rachel?

No, those things didn’t matter.

‘I made Sir Jerome angry.’

Edwin frowned.

Having your hero dislike you was a painful thing.

‘But I don’t regret it.’

He couldn’t stand hearing someone insult the person he trusted most, right in front of him.

Rather, this incident had left Edwin disappointed in the duke.

That his hero could casually insult someone precious to another.

That truth was quite shocking.

“…I’m such an idiot.”

“Judging by your mumbling, you still have some strength left.”

“Ack!”

Edwin shrieked at the sudden voice.

“S-Sir Philip?”

The one who had approached without a sound was none other than Vice Commander Philip Meyer.

Edwin looked between him and the formation in surprise.

“Um, this is the back of the group…”

“You’re holding too much tension in your shoulders. Take shorter strides.”

Philip cut him off and spoke only what he wanted to say.

“Don’t just swing your arms around. Lightly clench your fists and move them back and forth.”

Edwin stared blankly at him under the continued critique.

“A mountain isn’t like flat ground. Step with your whole foot, not just the heel.”

“Uh, Sir Philip…?”

“Inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth.”

His silver armor sparkled in the sunlight filtering through the leaves.

“If you want to keep training, you’d better follow my instructions.”

Edwin corrected his posture as Philip had said.

Then something surprising happened.

Running became much easier.

He even felt like his speed had slightly improved.

“Then I’ll go ahead.”

Philip said what he wanted and ran past the prince.

‘He helped me?’

Edwin stared blankly at his back.

‘Why?’

He couldn’t begin to understand, but there was no time to think it over.

The other knights were getting farther and farther out of sight.

Edwin quickly moved his body, thankful for his more comfortable breathing.

***

Twenty round trips to the mountain peak.

Amazingly, Edwin completed that training to the very end.

That’s not all. Even the ladder crossing he fainted during yesterday—he finished it all.

The knights, though not showing it, were all inwardly surprised.

No one had expected that the young and small prince would be able to keep up with knight training.

“Hoo.”

Meanwhile, Edwin was sitting alone under the shade of a tree.

He watched the knights sitting together on the other side cooling off their sweat.

Despite the grueling training, everyone seemed cheerful.

Edwin sat quietly, hugging his knees.

‘I want some water.’

Perhaps because he had sweated excessively.

Edwin felt a terrible thirst but decided to endure it.

To get water, he’d have to ask the knights, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that.

‘They’d probably feel uncomfortable around me.’

The prince knew that the knights didn’t welcome his presence.

Hadn’t the late Emma always told him to watch his behavior?

That just being royalty could make others uncomfortable.

Just then—

A small canteen suddenly appeared before his eyes.

“Eek! Sir Philip…?”

Once again, it was Philip Meyer.

He had silently approached and plopped down next to the prince.

“It’s water.”

“Ah, tha… thanks.”

Edwin hesitantly took the canteen.

After glancing at Philip for a moment, he quickly opened the lid and drank.

It was surely just ordinary water, yet it tasted as sweet as honey.

“…Thank you. I drank it well.”

Edwin carefully handed the canteen back to him.

“Is it really alright to accept something so easily from another?”

“H-Huh?”

Philip added, expressionless, to the flustered young prince, “You never know what I might’ve put in it.”