The Prince's Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 99

Chapter 99: A Sleepless Night (1)

‘Damn it.’

This time, I wasn’t as startled as when I first met Kayden.

Unlike back then, he made sure his presence was fully known.

Even so, despite knowing he was there, chills crawled up my spine.

‘What kind of monster is this man?’

Every instinct screamed that the person behind me could take my life at any moment.

Forcing myself to stay calm, I parted my lips.

“…It’s an honor to meet Your Majesty.”

As I stared straight ahead, a quiet chuckle came from behind me.

The sound of footsteps approached from the wall beside the door.

“Hmm.”

The King of Adamant, Kayden, came to stand right behind me. He was so close I could feel his breath.

“An open door doesn’t necessarily mean you’re welcome to enter, does it?”

“My apologies. I was concerned that something might’ve happened to Your Majesty, so I entered without permission. Forgive my rudeness….”

“No need for apologies.”

Kayden cut me off, his low voice brushing past my ear.

“Why did you come looking for me?”

His tone was lazy, his words drawn out.

“I’m fairly certain I asked the head maid to come to me.”

His voice carried amusement, as if he found this situation entertaining.

“But I didn’t expect the nanny herself to come instead.”

“I came to explain that matter.”

I continued evenly, “The head maid suddenly fell ill and couldn’t make it. It seems to be a cold or something similar.”

“A cold? She seemed perfectly fine earlier.”

“…It came on suddenly. She thought it best to rest, since it would be terrible if she passed it to Your Majesty while attending you.”

I was rather proud of how smoothly that lie rolled off my tongue. At least Catherine wouldn’t be summoned by him again during the Founding Festival.

“I see.”

Kayden clicked his tongue softly, as though genuinely sympathetic.

“How unfortunate.”

“If Your Majesty requires service tonight, I’ll arrange for another maid immediately. Please wait just a moment—”

My words cut off.

A broad, solid chest blocked my view.

“…Your Majesty Kayden?”

When I looked up, pretending to stay composed, Kayden was staring down at me.

His golden eyes glowed vividly in the darkness.

Like a beast’s.

“That won’t do.”

A strange gleam crossed his eyes. Like a predator finding something amusing to toy with.

“I need someone to stay by my side right now.”

Don’t tell me this man was about to spout nonsense about not being able to sleep without a woman beside him.

‘They say heroes are lechers. Guess this guy’s one of them too.’

I frowned slightly and glared at him. Kayden laughed softly.

“I’m weaker than I look, you see.”

Weaker? Where?

From the looks of him, his brain and spine were probably made of muscle.

“I can’t sleep without someone near me.”

That was an awfully vague statement.

Depending on interpretation, it could mean he was a womanizer who needed company every night, or someone with insomnia who simply couldn’t sleep without another’s warmth.

Either way, it had nothing to do with me.

“I’ll have some tea brought to help Your Majesty sleep, then….”

“Are you offering to take the head maid’s place yourself?”

Kayden’s gaze fixed on me, unblinking.

Uncomfortably so.

“Of course not. I only came to deliver a message.”

“…What a pity.”

Did he finally give up?

Kayden straightened from where he’d been leaning against the wall.

I reached for the doorknob, relieved to finally leave this suffocating room.

“Well then, I suppose I have no choice.”

As he leaned closer, his whisper brushed my ear.

“In that case, I’ll just have to tell His Majesty the Emperor that the hospitality of the Third Prince’s Palace is… disappointing.”

His sharply upturned eyes curved like willow branches, mocking.

“…Is that a threat?”

“Who knows? You’re free to interpret it however you like.”

What a brazen man. To threaten someone so blatantly and then feign innocence.

I glared silently at him.

“If you want to leave, you’re free to go,” Kayden said with a light smile, stepping aside. He even opened the door himself, pretending to be courteous.

“……”

“I suppose I’ll just have to greet the Emperor tomorrow with the face of a man who’s suffered a sleepless night.”

His mockery was endless.

As I kept my expression stiff and silent, Kayden shrugged as though disappointed. He stretched lazily and began walking toward the bed.

“When you leave, don’t forget to close the—”

Thud, crash.

Before the arrogant young king could finish speaking, a dull noise echoed through the room.

“…What the—”

Underneath me, Kayden slowly opened his mouth. Half-reclined on the bed, he looked up at me.

“What exactly are you doing?”

There was no sign of anger in his tone. In fact, his voice carried a trace of composure.

But I could tell.

‘He’s flustered.’

The young King of Adamant was clearly unsettled by the sudden act of being pushed onto the bed by the prince’s nanny. The faint tremor in his pupils was proof enough.

“I’m giving Your Majesty what you asked for.”

I removed the pin securing my neatly tied hair.

Long, ash-brown strands cascaded down like silk.

“So, I hope His Majesty the Emperor won’t have any reason to be displeased tomorrow morning.”

Having once lived as an assassin, I was used to seducing men in bed.

Of course, I only ever did that when it was necessary to take their lives afterward.

Kayden frowned slightly. “Are you being serious…?”

Was that even a question? He’s not a child.

For a man who’d casually declared he needed a woman by his side to sleep, he was surprisingly pure-minded.

“Well, does sincerity even matter in situations like this?”

There was no need for further words.

All I wanted was to finish this farce and return to my room as soon as possible.

Without waiting for permission, I reached for the belt around the king’s waist.

Whip—click.

“If your plan was to surprise me,”

In that instant, Kayden grabbed my wrist and pulled me down from on top of him. The situation reversed in the blink of an eye.

“It worked. I’ll give you credit for that.”

Kayden now hovered over me, looking down.

He smelled strongly of jasmine. It was so intense I wondered if he’d drenched himself in jasmine oil from head to toe.

“But it seems there’s been a misunderstanding.”

Kayden’s voice softened into something almost amused.

“When I said I needed someone beside me, I meant I wanted a human pillow.”

…A human pillow? Did he mean he literally used people as pillows?

‘Then this bastard… with Catherine…!’

So the rumors about nobles having twisted tastes were true after all.

‘Honestly, it’d be better for the world if I eliminated this man now.’

If he could only sleep on a bed made of women, then it might be best to help him sleep forever, before he sacrificed any more.

“All I meant,” Kayden continued, “was that I want someone to stay in this room until morning.”

His explanation left me speechless.

‘Just… stay in the room?’

So he really did mean he needed some sort of charm or guardian doll beside him.

Even Catherine had misunderstood.

‘And now I’ve done the same.’

My face flushed.

In an instant, I’d become the ridiculous woman who’d jumped to conclusions all on her own. If I could’ve, I would’ve thrown myself straight out the nearest window.

Meanwhile, Kayden looked at my expression and burst into laughter.

“You’re amusing.”

Those otherworldly golden eyes gleamed strangely in the darkness.

“Not only did you barge into a king’s chamber without permission, but you even laid your hands on his body.”

“That was….”

“At this rate, it looks more like you’re the one trying to serve me in bed.”

Shut up, you arrogant brat.

I barely managed to swallow the words that rose to my tongue.

Then, feigning composure, I asked calmly, “Then why did Your Majesty specifically call for a woman to your chamber?”

“When I sleep beside my men, strange rumors start to spread.”

“Strange rumors?”

“Rumors like, ‘The King of Adamant enjoys the company of men.’”

Kayden grimaced slightly, looking genuinely troubled.

“My subordinates would rather sleep next to monsters than beside me, so it’s been a problem. That’s why I asked the head maid for help.”

“And the head maid didn’t find that request odd?”

“I assumed she was married, so no strange rumors would spread.”

He wanted a married woman standing by his bedside?

‘That sounds even worse.’

Instead of voicing my thoughts, I chose to correct his misinformation.

“The head maid isn’t married.”

Kayden’s eyes widened slightly at that. He raised a brow as though realizing his mistake.

“I see. My apologies, then.”

“I suppose I also owe an apology for misunderstanding Your Majesty.”

It was humiliating, but acknowledging one’s mistake was the mark of a true adult.

I lowered my gaze and murmured softly, “My apologies, Your Majesty.”

“No, the fault’s mine for misleading you. I should’ve explained it properly to the head maid.”

As if he’d ever intended to.

Kayden’s eyes still held traces of mischief.

After studying me in silence for a moment, he rose from the bed. The mattress, which had sunk deeply under his weight, lifted again.

“Well, that’s enough for tonight. I’ve caused quite a scene for the Prince’s nanny.”

Before I could respond, Kayden picked up the water bottle from the bedside table.

He moved with effortless grace, as if none of this had happened at all.