The Prince's Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Intense Initiation (4)

“You have quick wits, but no sense.”

The man chuckled at Oliver’s words.

“I told you not to speak that name aloud,” he said. Though he was smiling, the aura emanating from his body was nothing short of menacing. The Imperial Palace’s scribe, standing before them, was drenched in a cold sweat.

Since earlier, they had been standing at the main gate of the Imperial Palace, chatting away without entering, leaving the scribe at a loss for what to do. However, he couldn’t voice any objections to the man in front of him. The scribe was merely a servant, while the man before him was a king.

The Conqueror of the West, the Wolf King, the Rebel Lord, the Sword Emperor—there were countless titles attached to this man’s name. And every one of those titles was known throughout the continent.

“…I apologize.”

After receiving his subordinate’s apology, the man finally withdrew his killing intent. He then smiled kindly at the Imperial scribe, who was sweating profusely.

“I’ve kept you waiting for a while. You may proceed now.”

It was only upon hearing the man’s voice that the scribe regained his senses.

“I-I apologize, Your Majesty. I shall proceed immediately.”

The Imperial scribe, with his half-bald head, raised his voice loudly.

“His Majesty, King Kayden Ram of the Adamant Kingdom, enters!”

Kayden Ram, the first king of the newly-formed Adamant Kingdom, strode confidently into the Imperial Palace. He was the young king who had destroyed the great kingdom of Lionel in the West and devoured dozens of surrounding nations.

Following behind him were his aide, Oliver, and dozens of knights clad in black armor. It was a sight as if a pack of black wolves were entering the palace.

***

“I greet Your Imperial Majesty of the Ventrume Empire.”

His voice was courteous, but not ingratiating. Emperor Cavelius III looked down at the man kneeling on one knee before him.

‘Kayden Ram, the first king of the Adamant Kingdom.’

The man before him was currently the most famous person on the continent. After toppling the seemingly eternal Kingdom of Lionel, this young king had declared himself the ruler of the West, drawing the eyes of the entire continent.

“You must have had a difficult journey. The Empire sincerely welcomes the King of Adamant,” the Emperor said. With a casual gesture from the Emperor, Kayden slowly rose to his feet.

Kayden responded with a light smile, accepting the Emperor’s words.

“It is I who must thank you for the invitation. My knights and I were exhausted after subjugating a horde of monsters nearby, but thanks to Your Majesty’s invitation to the palace, we have been able to rest comfortably.”

The knights of the Adamant Kingdom, led by Kayden, were well-known as experts in subjugating monsters. Comprised of elite swordsmen and survival strategists who understood the ecology of monsters inside and out, they often took on commissions from other countries, like today.

“No need for thanks. It is only fitting to extend such hospitality to those who do not shy away from hardship to fulfill the Empire’s request.”

The Emperor smiled at Kayden, who was gazing up at him from below the dais.

“So, how long do you plan to stay?”

“A week, at most.”

“Ah, I wish you could stay longer, but I cannot keep a king here against his will.”

“My apologies.”

Kayden grinned, baring his teeth.

“I’ll do my best to stay as long as possible during the upcoming Founding Festival, even if Your Majesty tells me to leave quickly.”

The civil officials present in the audience room were startled by his blunt choice of words. Rumor had it that this upstart, who had risen to power by the sword, had no proper breeding—and the rumor seemed to be true.

“Hahaha!”

But the Emperor burst into laughter, apparently amused by Kayden’s candid manner.

“Very well. You must be tired today, so you may retire.”

“Thank you for Your Imperial Majesty’s grace.”

Kayden placed one hand over his chest and bowed slightly. It was an impeccably perfect courtly gesture, so flawless that it was hard to believe he had just been the one to casually tell the Emperor to let him leave.

***

“Ah, I already want to go back to Adamant.”

Having to stay in a foreign palace for a whole week—Oliver, Kayden’s aide and knight of Adamant, stretched his arms wide.

“Still, I’m surprised the Emperor was friendlier to us than expected. I thought he’d try to humiliate us at least once, what with all that talk about our lack of legitimacy and background.”

“If it were anyone else, perhaps. But the Emperor can’t question my legitimacy.”

“Ah, right.”

Oliver scratched his temple as if he’d forgotten.

“The Emperor is also the late Emperor’s youngest son, right? I’d forgotten that he drove out all his siblings to take the throne.”

“Still, he has the late Emperor’s blood. Even if he can’t question my legitimacy, I’m sure he thinks I have no proper background.”

The thought of that smooth face, showing no hint of disdain, made Kayden feel sick. He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword and strode forward without hesitation. His strides were so long that Oliver struggled to keep up beside him.

“But, my lord, do you really think that woman is alive?”

They had only met once, over a decade ago. And the woman Kayden was looking for was already supposed to be dead.

“In my opinion,” Oliver spoke in a hushed voice, looking troubled, “I think that crazy black mage tricked you.”

The notion of necromancy that could bring the dead back to life was simply absurd, no matter how much one thought about it.

“And even if she were brought back, how would we find her? She could come back looking completely different.”

“They said there’d be a mark on the resurrected. We just need to find that.”

“You mean that damned Ouroboros mark? We can’t possibly search every woman in the world for a snake-shaped mark.”

Oliver sighed, scratching the back of his head in disbelief.

“And have you already forgotten what happened in the kingdom when word spread that the king was searching for a woman with such a mark?”

Adamant’s young, strong, and handsome king was still unmarried. Among the nobles desperate to secure a close position to the king, many even went so far as to tattoo their daughters with the Ouroboros mark.

“It doesn’t matter,” Kayden replied indifferently. “I’ll recognize the real one at a glance anyway.”

***

Edwin lay in bed, unable to sleep. The young prince, tossing and turning, recalled what had happened earlier that day.

“It’s strange.”

Today had been a truly strange day.

‘Why did she help me?’

He frowned, thinking of his nanny. The new nanny who had come two weeks ago was a very indifferent person, despite her gentle appearance. Even until yesterday, she had looked at him with an uninterested gaze, no matter what pranks or mischief he pulled. It was as if she was looking at a person devoid of any soul.

“…Really strange.”

It was none other than that nanny who had retrieved his bracelet from Gale’s gang. Edwin looked at the bracelet loosely hanging on his wrist. A bracelet made of fake pearls and rubies, something so cheap it could be bought off the streets. He had briefly lost it, deceived by Gale’s gang, but to Edwin, it was his most precious possession.

Because it was left to him by his former nanny, Emma.

“Your Highness, please don’t cry. I love seeing your smile.”

Edwin recalled Emma’s last words.

“No matter how difficult or sad it gets, you mustn’t lose your smile. Only then can you smile freely when you’re truly happy.”

As if it was really her last, she handed the bracelet to the prince, gripping his hand tightly.

“I’m leaving you with my last wish…”

Even though his vision had blurred from tears, he remembered clearly that she was smiling.

“You must be happy, Your Highness Edwin.”

Must be happy? Why did adults always leave behind promises that were so hard to keep?

Edwin thought of his deceased mother. His mother, the third consort Edith, had been a very frail person. In his memories, his mother was always bedridden, leaving them with very little time to bond as mother and son. Moreover, Edith had been indifferent to her son, Edwin. As a young child, he had cried many times over her lack of attention. If it weren’t for Emma filling the void left by his mother, he might have kept crying forever.

Maybe that was why, when his mother passed away shortly after giving birth to his younger sister, he hadn’t felt that sad. He only felt pity for his sister, who would grow up not knowing their mother.

But when the only woman who had been on his side left him with nothing but an empty promise and a bracelet, he cried for three days.

Because he finally realized it. That the one who had always stayed by his side had gone somewhere he could never reach again.

‘Emma, you were foolish.’

Edwin bit his lip. He knew very well that he could never be happy, that he shouldn’t even try to be happy. He was a prince with a claim to the throne, yet he was also an unwanted figure—an incompetent prince who no one welcomed.

So he thought the new nanny would dislike him as well. Who would want to take care of a prince hated by everyone?

In fact, until now, she hadn’t shown any interest in him at all.

‘But today was different.’

She had instantly subdued Gale’s gang, who had been insulting him, and even threatened them. Even Emma, who had cherished him dearly, had never done that.

“…Really strange.”

Edwin pulled the blanket over his head. The strange, ticklish feeling deep in his chest was unfamiliar, but he found it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.