The Prince's Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 95

Chapter 95: Founding Festival Preparations (6)

“Haha, then I’ll ask without hesitation.”

The Marquis of Radcliffe smiled with his eyes.

“Your Majesty, if you and Duke Crowner were to duel, who do you think would win?”

A cold silence fell over the hall.

Jerome shot the marquis a brief glare for his inappropriate question, then glanced sideways at Kayden.

‘He’s definitely not ordinary.’

With the frequent appearance of monsters, wars between humans had decreased.

Because of that, Jerome had never once faced Kayden in combat.

‘The King of Knights, huh.’

He was only pretending to be calm out of respect for the Emperor’s presence, but Jerome, too, was a knight who wielded the sword.

Part of him harbored a competitive desire to test his skills against the man who had conquered the entire western region in just three years.

But he had no intention of revealing such feelings openly.

“I’ve heard many tales about the Sword of the Empire.”

At that moment, Kayden spoke first.

His gaze turned toward Jerome.

“As one who carries the sword, it would be a great honor to cross blades with you someday.”

A handsome young man smiled humbly, and no one could possibly object.

Jerome cleared his throat awkwardly at the King of Adamant’s response.

“Ahem, if the King of Knights would be willing to face an old man like me, that would be my honor instead.”

“If the opportunity arises while I’m staying in the Empire, may I request a sparring match?”

Was that just a polite remark?

At the unexpected proposal, Jerome’s eyes widened slightly.

For a brief moment, he sensed an obscure hostility hidden within Kayden’s smile.

“If that happens, I’d like to be in the audience.”

“You’d be welcome anytime, Your Majesty.”

“By the way, about why the Adamant delegation arrived later than scheduled.”

Interrupting their exchange, the Emperor smoothly shifted the topic. His expression had turned serious.

“You said it was because of monsters. Are they still appearing frequently across the lands?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Kayden’s playful tone disappeared, replaced by quiet gravity.

“There was an ambush by a pack of monsters along the road, though it wasn’t large in scale. Still, to be safe, I eliminated every monster in the area. The attacks should decrease for the time being.”

“…All of them?”

Between the Adamant Kingdom and the Empire stretched a vast mountain range.

Due to the geography, powerful monsters often appeared there. Even the Imperial Knights had launched several extermination campaigns, but not once had they wiped them out completely.

There were always more casualties among the knights than the number of monsters slain.

‘So he destroyed every one of them and still made it here quickly.’

The Emperor studied Kayden quietly.

Then, as if nothing were amiss, he smiled faintly.

“You have my gratitude for your efforts. You must be exhausted from your journey. Rest and recover for now. The Founding Festival banquet won’t begin for another three days anyway.”

Turning his head, the Emperor looked toward the Empress seated beside him.

“Empress, where did you say the delegation from Adamant will stay?”

“The Third Prince’s Palace.”

At the mention of the Third Prince, a faint flicker crossed Kayden’s eyes, though no one noticed.

“Edwin.”

At the Emperor’s call, Third Prince Edwin stepped forward.

Emilia clung tightly to her brother’s trousers, hiding behind him.

“I’m Edwin Anaxinian Ventrume, Third Prince of the Empire. And this is the First Princess, Emilia Luce Ventrume.”

Thankfully, his voice didn’t shake, nor did he stutter.

Yet Kayden said nothing in response to Edwin’s greeting.

He only alternated his gaze between the much smaller prince and princess a couple of times.

‘Why… why isn’t he saying anything?’

Unable to meet Kayden’s eyes, Edwin kept his gaze fixed on the man’s chest, cold sweat trickling down his back.

‘Could it be he doesn’t like me?’

Maybe the humiliating nickname “Shabby Prince” had even reached Adamant.

What if Kayden suddenly refused to stay in the Third Prince’s Palace and stormed out?

As Edwin fidgeted nervously, Kayden finally spoke, “It’s an honor to meet the Third Prince and the First Princess. I’m Kayden Ram. I look forward to your kind hospitality during my stay in the Empire.”

There was no hint of displeasure in his tone.

Unconsciously, Edwin raised his head to meet Kayden’s gaze.

Up close, those golden eyes that had gleamed sharply from afar now held a surprisingly warm light.

“Edwin.”

Meanwhile, the Emperor, who had been watching their exchange, gave a command, “Until our distinguished guest returns to his homeland, see to his every need. Understood?”

“Yes, Father.”

As Edwin bowed to the Emperor, Catherine—who had been waiting behind him—stepped forward.

Just moments ago, she had been more nervous than the prince himself, yet now she was calm and composed.

“I’m Catherine Vale, head maid of the Third Prince’s Palace. I’ll guide you to your quarters, Your Majesty.”

Kayden gave a slight nod to the head maid’s words.

“Then, if Your Majesty the Emperor will excuse me.”

After offering his final greeting to the Emperor, Kayden turned without hesitation.

For a brief moment, as he stepped out of the hall, his gaze lingered on Edwin, but only for an instant.

‘He’s not as frightening as I thought.’

Watching Kayden’s retreating figure, Edwin fell deep into thought.

‘But why does he feel so familiar?’

The young prince tilted his head in confusion, unable to shake the strange sense of déjà vu.

‘Is it because we met once before in the garden?’

Edwin scratched his cheek lightly.

It felt odd to feel such familiarity toward someone he’d only met twice, but he quickly brushed off the thought.

***

“My knees ache now that I’m getting old. Do me a favor and take over, will you?”

“I already am.”

“Do it with more sincerity, more heart.”

“You damned old man, can’t you shut up for once?”

“Hey! Watch your mouth! Is it right for a nanny to use such language?”

Honestly, all he ever did was talk.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead and sighed.

‘I wonder when Edwin will be back.’

Under the scorching midday sun, I sat in the vegetable garden, swinging my sickle, and inevitably thought of him.

He was probably busy welcoming the delegation right about now. With Catherine, the head maid, by his side, there shouldn’t be any problems.

‘The sooner he comes back, the sooner I can escape this manual labor.’

After a long while of cutting weeds, I straightened my back and stretched.

Then Sage, who was sitting by the cabin window, chuckled. “Wow, Kyla, you’ve really gone soft, haven’t you? You’re stretching after just a few hours of yard work? You must be getting old.”

“…Even if I’m past my prime, I can still send you to your grave in five seconds. Want me to prove it?”

When I turned toward him, sickle in hand, Sage’s face turned pale. “Hey, hey, Kyla, it was just a joke! Why so serious all of a sudden….”

“I told you not to call me by that name.”

“Ah! This woman’s gonna kill an old man! You’ve lost your mind!”

“Don’t move. I’ll just turn you into fertilizer for the herb garden.”

Sage scrambled to lock the cabin door and screamed.

Bang!

But there was no way an old wooden door could withstand my strength.

I broke the handle clean off and stepped inside, glaring down at him.

“Go on, say it again. Who’s past their prime?”

“N-no one! You’re still in your prime! Just like before! Why are you coming closer?!”

“That half-bald head of yours—I’ll make sure to finish the job today.”

“AAAAAH!”

After venting a bit of long-overdue frustration, quite some time had passed.

The sun had dipped slightly westward by the time I finally stood up.

“What’s this, you’re done already?”

Sage, his hair a total mess, was sprawled helplessly on the floor. He looked at me in surprise when I suddenly got up.

“Someone’s here.”

“Huh? Who?”

“I don’t know.”

It was a presence I’d never felt before. At the very least, it didn’t belong to anyone who lived within the Imperial Palace.

‘If they did, there’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed someone with a presence this strong.’

Sage blinked at me in confusion. “If someone’s presence is strong enough to make you tense, it’s gotta be Duke Crowner, right?”

“That guy’s presence is no stronger than a pebble on the roadside.”

“You’re probably the only person in the Empire who talks about Duke Crowner like that, Ky—no, Rachel.”

Looking as if he’d never understand, he asked, “I’ve always wondered. Why do you hate Duke Crowner so much? Did he wrong you?”

“I just hate him. I always have. But now I hate him even more.”

“Why?”

There were endless reasons to dislike Jerome Crowner.

I hated how he acted one way and spoke another, how he tried to cover it up, and how even when his hypocrisy was exposed, he didn’t bother to hide it.

“Do I really need to explain everything? I’ll be going.”

“What? You haven’t finished the garden work yet.”

Instead of replying, I gave him a sharp look.

“Fine, fine, you can finish later….”

As Sage trailed off, I brushed the dirt and dust off my clothes.

“Anyway, you already know this, but don’t even think about leaving the cabin during the Founding Festival.”

“Even if you told me to go out, I wouldn’t. Don’t worry.”

Sage waved his hand without even bothering to get up from the floor. “Go on, then. It’s about time Edwin got back, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is.”

Without saying goodbye, I left Sage’s cabin.

Then I carefully scanned the area around the prince’s palace. Searching for the source of that overwhelming, almost suffocating presence.