The Prince’s Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 13

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 13. The Maid, Catherine (3)

Something was strange.

The sharp gazes of the maids that poured down on me as soon as I entered the Prince’s Palace.

The somehow sunken atmosphere.

‘What is it?’

I frowned and looked around.

Edwin looked at me with puzzled eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“The atmosphere feels subtle.”

“Atmosphere?”

Edwin blinked as if he had no idea what I meant.

Then, I spotted the maid who had brought the prince’s washing water this morning.

Despite what happened this morning, she somehow looked to be in a good mood.

Just like someone who had something good happen to them.

“You there.”

“N-Nanny?”

At my call, that maid made a startled face.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Wh-when did I ever look surprised?”

The maid seemed to gauge my reaction, then soon her attitude changed completely.

“But why did you call me? I’m quite busy.”

Her subtly condescending tone made me frown automatically.

“Did something happen while I was away?”

“What kind of something?”

“The atmosphere doesn’t seem very good.”

“Ah.”

The maid let out a short exclamation at my question, then soon smiled as if troubled.

“Well, you see. One of the annex maids did something outrageous by disobeying the housekeeper’s orders.”

An annex maid?

I had an ominous feeling.

When my expression changed, the maid smiled with her eyes.

But her mouth wasn’t smiling.

“That lowly thing dared to serve a meal to His Highness without permission. The kitchen says they knew nothing about it.”

At the maid’s following words, Edwin’s eyes became like those of a startled rabbit.

“What does that mean?”

That was what I wanted to say.

“What happened to that maid?”

“What happened? The housekeeper punished her directly.”

The maid kept snickering as if pleased.

“She’s probably locked up in the food storage by now? Well then, I have a lot to do, so I’ll be going.”

She nodded to Edwin with a haughty face and left.

As soon as the maid disappeared, Edwin asked me accusingly.

“What did that just mean? Being punished for serving me a meal?”

Edwin’s voice was somehow extremely sharp.

I didn’t know why, but the boy looked anxious.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

Only then did I realize that Edwin had been clutching my skirt hem all this time.

The prince’s small hand had turned pale.

His tiny face had also turned pale with fear.

Instead of answering, I slowly removed Edwin’s hand.

“…It’s nothing serious. Your Highness should go up to your room with Princess Emilia first.”

“What? What about you?”

“I have somewhere to stop by briefly.”

“Hey, don’t you dare leave! Hey!”

I handed Emilia over to the prince and hurriedly moved my steps.

Edwin’s gaze clung persistently from behind, but I deliberately ignored it.

* * *

The food storage I arrived at after questioning the maids working in the kitchen.

The storeroom door was firmly locked.

“Catherine, are you inside?”

“…Nanny?”

After a moment of silence, a small voice came from inside the door.

It was definitely Catherine.

“What happened?”

“Well, the housekeeper found out that I served a meal to His Highness separately.”

“…”

When no answer came back, Catherine seemed worried and added in a deliberately bright voice.

“But the housekeeper was lenient with me. She said if I reflect here for just one day, she’ll let me out. It’s fortunate, really.”

I frowned while listening to her trembling voice.

I was the one who asked her to disobey the housekeeper’s orders.

So this was my responsibility.

“Nanny?”

“Please wait a moment.”

“Yes?”

Clank, clank, clatter—.

The padlock hanging on the storeroom door fell with a loud noise.

When I threw open the door, Catherine was staring at me blankly while tied with rope.

Her hair half disheveled, her lips bleeding.

Seeing her messy state, it seemed she had been slapped around.

“Nanny…?”

Catherine still had a dumbfounded expression as if stunned.

“Nanny, h-how?”

She muttered in surprise while looking at the chains and padlock scattered on the floor.

“The key should be with the housekeeper…”

“You don’t necessarily need a key to open a padlock.”

When I threw the bent hairpin on the floor, Catherine was shocked.

“W-wait! Nanny, if you do something like this, even you will…!”

“Stay still.”

“N-no, ah!”

Despite her protests, I ignored them and untied the rope, when I heard a pained groan.

“Why are you…”

I couldn’t finish my question and frowned.

Because I could see bloodstains on her slender back.

‘This is…’

What showed through the torn fabric were countless long wound marks—whip marks.

At that moment, my mind went cold as if doused with cold water.

“…Isn’t this strange?”

“Pardon?”

I continued as if talking to myself.

“Who do you think is the master of this palace?”

“Of course, it’s for Prince Edwin…”

“But didn’t you get whipped and confined here for the reason that you prepared Prince Edwin’s meal?”

At my words, Catherine seemed at a loss for words and closed her mouth.

She wouldn’t be unaware of it either.

That this situation was very unreasonable.

To be punished for preparing a meal for the master of the palace.

It was truly absurd.

‘Right, it doesn’t make sense.’

Unless Edwin was a damn bastard prince.

I slowly rose from my seat.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

At my words, Catherine raised her head.

“Why did you help me when you knew you’d be treated like this if caught?”

Catherine tried to smile as if joking in response to my question.

“I didn’t help you, Nanny…”

“I’m asking seriously.”

She hesitated for a moment at my serious voice, then lowered her eyes.

“…grateful.”

“What did you say?”

“Because I was grateful.”

She seemed burdened by my piercing gaze and continued with her head down.

“I’ve been constantly bullied by the main building maids, but you’re the only person who has ever directly stepped in to help me. So, so…”

I stood still in that spot for a long while.

“Catherine.”

“Yes.”

“I really hate troublesome things.”

“I-I’m sorry. I promised you that the housekeeper would never find out…”

Catherine misunderstood that I was blaming her for getting caught and made a tearful face.

I looked at her and added expressionlessly.

“But there’s one thing I hate more.”

“Yes?”

“It’s something I can’t accept no matter how rationally I think about it.”

I turned my back on Catherine, who had a blank expression.

“Go back to the quarters first.”

“Nanny! Um, ah!”

Just then, Catherine, who was trying to follow me, stopped getting up and sat back down.

“What’s wrong?”

“W-well, my legs are numb…”

What a mess.

But Catherine ending up like this was my fault to begin with.

I frowned and approached Catherine to support her.

She looked at me with a moved expression.

“Don’t look at me with those eyes.”

“Yes?”

“Since this happened because of me, helping you is only natural.”

Catherine stared at me blankly.

She seemed not to understand what I was saying.

I sighed and added a word.

“I was telling you not to be grateful to me.”

Then, Catherine burst into quiet laughter.

Can she laugh after even being whipped?

“Why are you laughing?”

When I asked as if I couldn’t understand, she grinned mischievously instead.

“Just because. Does there have to be a reason for laughing?”

“If you have the energy left to laugh, hurry up and walk.”

“Nanny.”

Catherine, who got up with her arm around my shoulder, suddenly called me.

“You’re quite peculiar, Nanny.”

Hearing her words, I suddenly remembered what Edwin had said to me.

– You’re really strange.

I’ve suddenly become a strange and peculiar person.

“I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.”

“And you seem like a good person.”

A good person.

Somehow I let out a bitter laugh.

“Nanny?”

Catherine made a puzzled face as if my reaction was strange.

“I guess all the good people must be dead.”

Calling an assassin a good person.

It was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard.

Meanwhile, Catherine seemed to take my words as just a joke.

“Oh, Nanny!”

She was still wearing a bright smile.

* * *

When I entered the annex with Catherine, the annex maids came running out with surprised faces.

“Catherine!”

“My goodness, what happened!”

“Are you okay?”

“Did the housekeeper let you go?”

They all had expressions of genuine concern for Catherine.

“No, it was the nanny who freed me.”

“What?”

At Catherine’s words, the maids’ gazes all turned toward me.

I nodded awkwardly at them.

The annex maids seemed just as awkward.

They looked around nervously as if seeing ‘Rachel Brown’ for the first time.

“This is the new nanny?”

It seemed the real Rachel Brown had never even set foot in the annex.

I pretended not to notice their curious gazes and spoke.

“Catherine’s wounds are severe. I think we need to move to a different location.”

“Ah, this way—!”

The annex maids seemed to come to their senses only after hearing my words.

I entered the quarters while supporting Catherine.

As soon as I laid her on the shabby bed, the maids moved busily.

‘They’re similar.’

The sight of them running around just to care for Catherine alone reminded me of the members who used to follow me in the past.

– Boss! You’re covered in wounds again today!

– Should I apply medicine? You don’t want it? Do you think I like this? I’m only doing this because the organization would fall apart if you died!

I recalled the voices of colleagues I’d been with for a long time and quietly lowered my gaze.

Somehow my mouth tasted bitter.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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