The Prince's Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 62

Chapter 62: The Intense Breakfast Gathering (1)

“His Highness Prince Edwin Anaxinian Ventrume, the Third Prince, is arriving.”

With the secretary’s announcement, the doors of the grand hall opened.

Edwin unconsciously swallowed and stepped into the room.

“Welcome, Edwin.”

The emperor of the Ventrume Empire, Cavelius III, greeted him.

The ornate crown on his head clearly marked him as the emperor.

“Take your seat.”

Edwin gave a slight bow and went to sit down.

“Your Majesty, today we’ve prepared your favorite venison dish. Please have a taste.”

At that moment, a woman seated to the emperor’s left opened her mouth in a melodious voice.

The stunning beauty with platinum blonde hair and red eyes was none other than the Second Consort, Helena Radcliffe.

‘Second Consort.’

As soon as Edwin heard her voice, his shoulders instinctively tensed.

Unpleasant memories resurfaced.

“This venison was something I personally hunted for Father!”

Just then, a loud voice came from across the table.

It was the Second Prince, Lloyd.

“Lloyd, you did it yourself?”

“Yes! I got it with a single arrow!” Lloyd answered proudly.

The Second Prince looked to his father for praise.

“Seems your archery has improved since I last saw you.”

“Of course! Everyone said I could shoot even birds mid-flight! I won’t lose to big brother in archery either!”

Lloyd spoke while staring intently at the boy seated across from him.

“Haha, do you agree, Adrian?”

The boy glanced briefly at Lloyd, then returned his eyes to his plate.

“Who knows? I’ve barely seen Lloyd shoot. He always has knights do it for him, so I wouldn’t know.”

Red hair, mysterious gray eyes, and a demeanor far beyond his years.

He is the First Prince of the Empire, Adrian Sapiens Ventrume.

“Brother! When did I ever do that for you to say such a thing!”

Lloyd turned red and snapped, as if he’d been hit where it hurt.

But the First Prince Adrian didn’t even glance at him and continued eating.

At that moment, the woman seated beside Adrian finally spoke.

“‘Who knows’? Haven’t I told you not to use such improper words in front of His Majesty? Adrian.”

The Empress of the Empire and the only sister of Duke Crowner, Melanie Crowner.

Unlike the Second Consort Helena, she was a refined and serene beauty with a quiet, composed presence.

“Forgive me, Mother.”

Adrian immediately apologized to his mother.

The emperor, watching the two, shrugged and chuckled softly.

“My, the empress is still too strict with the First Prince. Don’t be so hard on him.”

“How could I not be? One day he will succeed Your Majesty. His education must be thorough.”

At that moment, the Second Consort’s face twisted.

And understandably so. They were speaking as if the Second Prince didn’t exist.

“Indeed. Her Majesty the Empress is absolutely right.”

But what kind of person was the Second Consort Helena?

She smiled brightly, as if her face had never been contorted.

“How could we neglect an imperial successor’s education?”

Helena continued in a sweet tone, “That’s why I also pay close attention to Lloyd’s education. His archery has improved greatly because of it.”

“In my opinion, the Second Prince needs to cultivate patience more than archery skills,” replied the Empress as she cut a piece of meat on her side plate. “Not raising your voice in front of His Majesty is basic etiquette.”

“Oh my. Did Lloyd’s voice sound that loud to you? I didn’t realize Your Majesty the Empress had such sharp hearing. What’s your secret?”

“I don’t have a particular secret, but since it seems your hearing is lacking, I’ll have to come up with one and let you know.”

Meanwhile, Edwin silently put food in his mouth.

‘So this is what Rachel meant.’

As she had said, none of them paid any attention to him.

Not even the Second Prince or the Second Consort, who were too busy clashing with the Empress to spare him a glance.

‘It’s actually more comfortable this way.’

With his eyes fixed on the plate, Edwin moved his fork mechanically.

All he wanted was for this stifling meal to end quickly.

Clink, clink—

Just then, the emperor tapped his glass with his fork a couple of times.

“You ladies have plenty of energy this morning. Let’s stop the arguing now.”

He shook his head in exasperation and changed the subject.

“I will soon host a hunting competition. We’ll assess the princes’ archery skills then. Are we satisfied now?”

At the emperor’s words, the two women fell silent.

“All princes are required to attend, so take note.”

“Your Majesty.”

At that moment, the Second Consort spoke with a smile on her lips.

“All must attend? If you say that, won’t it be difficult for someone who doesn’t know how to hunt?”

“Hm?”

The emperor raised an eyebrow.

“Is there a prince who doesn’t know how to hunt?”

“Isn’t that right, Prince Edwin?”

The Second Consort suddenly turned her head toward Edwin.

As a result, Edwin had no time to look away and was forced to meet her gaze.

‘Huh?’

But it was strange.

The gaze that should have been frightening, the face he should have feared, didn’t scare him at all.

‘Why?’

Edwin was confused.

Even though he was locking eyes with the Second Consort he used to fear so much, he felt nothing.

In fact, the monster he encountered in Luxen Village was far more terrifying.

Edwin absentmindedly chewed his meat, forgetting to respond.

“Your Highness? Why aren’t you speaking?”

A slight twitch formed at the corner of the Second Consort’s eye.

Meanwhile, Edwin’s eyes met those of the emperor, who was also looking at him.

Unlike before, the emperor was now staring at him intently.

As if to say the answer had already been decided.

And Edwin unconsciously grasped the emperor’s intent.

“…Though it’s my first time hunting, I’ll do my best to participate in the competition.”

“What…”

The Second Consort didn’t have time to respond.

As soon as Edwin finished speaking, the emperor smiled and clinked his glass.

“Good. A prince should know how to enjoy the hunt.”

After the emperor’s words, a short silence followed.

Unlike the others, whose expressions remained neutral, the Second Consort’s face visibly stiffened.

‘His Majesty just called that boy a prince.’

She ground her teeth as she looked at the Third Prince.

‘So that’s what this breakfast gathering was about?’

She glanced sideways at the emperor.

Though he appeared as usual, on closer inspection, he seemed to be in a better mood than normal.

‘So this was your intention all along.’

There was clearly some reason behind the sudden rise in the Third Prince’s presence.

Veins popped beneath the Second Consort’s delicate hand, hidden under the table.

Whether he knew what she was feeling or not, the emperor lifted his glass and smiled faintly.

“Well now, I’m already looking forward to the competition.”

At this moment, the only one who truly looked pleased was the emperor.

***

Guided by an attendant, they arrived at the first-floor dining hall, which was filled with splendid mosaics.

As expected of the Imperial Palace, even the places used by the attendants were not decorated carelessly.

Several tables placed in the center of the room were already occupied by others having their meals.

When they sat at an empty table, a maid brought food to them.

“Oh my. What on earth is this flavor?”

Catherine interrupted her meal with repeated exclamations.

“What kind of ingredients did they use to make this soup taste like this?”

“It seems like cloves.”

“What are cloves?”

“They’re a spice imported from the Eastern Continent. I heard it’s also used as medicine.”

“This is exactly my taste. It’d be nice if we had this in the Prince’s Palace too.”

“It’s such an expensive item in the Empire and the West that it would be hard to stock in the Prince’s Palace.”

“That’s too bad. Then I’d better eat my fill here while I can.”

As if this were her chance, Catherine began stuffing food into her mouth.

‘Hmph, as expected of the Empire. These are dishes even the organization had trouble getting.’

Unlike here, the Third Prince’s Palace served meals that could have been mistaken for commoners’ food, aside from meat and wine.

Stews made from humble ingredients like various vegetables, barley, and beans were often served, and occasionally, meat or fish dishes appeared.

“Ah, I should’ve brought Her Highness Emilia too.”

Catherine paused mid-slice with a blissful look, only to wear a distressed expression.

“Will the gardener be able to take good care of Her Highness’s meal?”

“Don’t worry. He may be foul-mouthed and ill-tempered, but he’s not incompetent enough to fail to feed a child with prepared food.”

Despite his appearance, he was the one who had raised Leo from infancy in the plague village.

Though his personality was nasty and his mouth foul, he was more skilled at child-rearing than I was.

“Would it be too much to ask for a bit of this food to-go?”

Catherine lowered her voice and glanced around.

“Actually, I brought a container and a cloth. Should I pack just a little?”

“…Catherine, stealing is wrong.”

“It’s not stealing, it’s mutual aid, mutual aid!”

As expected, this woman wasn’t ordinary either.

I turned away from Catherine as she began stuffing food into a cloth while making excuses.

“Hey, you’re the Third Prince’s maids, right?”