The Prince’s Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 199

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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 199. The Secret of the Red Magic Stone (3)

Dawn had broken.

Perhaps it was because I had gone to bed late after coaxing and threatening the grumbling Saylus into pushing him into the shadows. I felt like my fatigue hadn’t lifted.

‘Damn this body.’

When I was Kayla, even after rolling around for days, I could recover quickly after just three or four hours of sleep.

‘My whole body aches.’

I stretched and stepped outside the encampment.

Edwin, who had gotten up late, came out after me, rubbing his eyes.

“Good morning, Re— no, Kayl.”

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, I slept so well I don’t even know when I fell asleep.”

That’s a relief.

I had been worried he might have lost sleep because of all the commotion Saylus caused last night.

“Good morning, Prince Edwin! Kayl!”

Just then, Pinet appeared carrying food for two people.

He held out plates to us with a cheerful smile.

“Here’s breakfast!”

“Thank you, Pinet.”

“Don’t mention it.”

I tasted a spoonful of the Prince’s soup before handing it to Edwin.

He was still sleepy-eyed as he gulped down the soup.

“By the way, did you hear the news from last night?”

I stopped fixing Edwin’s disheveled hair with my fingertips and turned my head.

Pinet lowered his voice while holding his own bowl of soup.

“About the mercenary that Adamant captured.”

The mercenary who was lucky enough to survive Kaiden’s rampage?

Instead of answering, I stared intently at Pinet.

“He was found dead at dawn today.”

“…Did he kill himself?”

“That’s unclear.”

Pinet frowned as he took a sip of soup, then added an explanation.

“The one who was originally tied to a stake was found at a riverbank not far from here. His body was half-submerged in water, so at first they thought it was a corpse that had drifted down from somewhere else, but apparently that wasn’t the case.”

The dead mercenary’s cause of death was drowning.

But how likely was it that he untied the ropes himself and dunked only his head in the water?

‘Especially when he was a man who had been tied to a stake and had no strength left.’

But there was no clear evidence of murder either.

Even if there was, it would be difficult to find out who killed him.

Since he was found at the riverbank, anything that could serve as evidence would have been washed away by the water.

‘Somehow the method seems familiar.’

I looked toward the 2nd Prince’s encampment in the distance.

I could see knights moving back and forth in front of the encampment, but I didn’t see any faces I recognized.

“Pinet.”

“Yes, Kayl.”

“Were there any other wounds on the dead mercenary’s body?”

“Uh, I don’t really know about that either…”

Pinet scratched the back of his head as if troubled.

“Since no other details came up, I suppose there wasn’t anything special?”

Did the mercenary really die of his own will?

Or was he killed by someone else’s will?

I had a strong premonition that the latter was closer to the truth.

“Prince Edwin.”

Just then, one of Adamant’s knights approached us with long strides.

He showed courtesy to Edwin, then spoke politely.

“The Emperor requests an audience with you.”

“Huh?”

Edwin pointed at his own face with his finger and tilted his head.

“Me?”

“Yes, he wants to conduct a brief interview for a report to send to the Empire. The interviews with the other Princes were completed a little while ago, and you are the last one, Your Highness.”

A report to send to the Empire ultimately meant a report to send to The Emperor.

Instantly, Edwin’s face stiffened with tension.

‘There must be watchers that The Emperor assigned, but the commanders are sending reports too?’

The Subjugation Campaign was a kind of testing ground to determine the crown prince candidate.

The Emperor was weighing the lives of his own children.

‘He’s trying to determine whether they’re worthy of surviving to become emperor, or whether it doesn’t matter if they die.’

Not only The King of Adamant, but also the watchers The Emperor directly assigned would be continuously sending reports to the Empire.

‘I’m curious what they wrote.’

Every word and action the princes showed in the Subjugation Campaign would reach The Emperor’s ears completely. Whether good or bad.

‘The evaluation of Edwin will probably be harsh.’

No matter how much The Emperor’s assigned watchers valued fairness, they too were human.

‘They might speak more favorably of princes from families they support.’

So to be recorded favorably in reports, one had to achieve accomplishments that anyone would acknowledge.

‘I hope he earned some points for protecting the 2nd Prince’s encampment on the first day.’

I raised my head while thinking of small hopes.

‘By the way, was Kaiden writing the report himself?’

Probably Kaiden wasn’t the only one writing it.

Count Crowner and The Marquis of Redcliff would also write and send theirs together.

Since they were figures who each held the remarkable positions of Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army and Elder Council Chairman.

“Kayl, what should I do?”

Edwin was stamping his feet with a troubled expression.

“I don’t think I did anything well in this operation…”

“Nothing well?”

How common would it be to find royalty who would risk their lives and jump in front of monsters for a knight?

“Didn’t I tell you that you are a strong person, Your Highness?”

I placed my hand on the worried Edwin’s shoulder and smiled warmly.

“So The Emperor will surely recognize that as well.”

* * *

Scratch, scratch.

Only the sound of a quill pen moving could be heard in The King of Adamant’s encampment.

Kaiden silently wrote letters, then slowly raised his head.

“So, is that everything you saw yesterday?”

“Y-yes.”

Edwin nodded with a deliberately flustered face.

“Unknown mercenaries appeared with monsters and tried to kill you?”

“…Yes.”

“Then you didn’t see anything particularly unusual in the village you stopped at either?”

It was a question with a strange intent.

Edwin glanced around briefly, then nodded.

“Yes, I didn’t see anything else special.”

Had he perhaps become somewhat skilled at lying?

Edwin finished his answer while completely omitting any mention of encountering The Emperor’s party.

“I see. I understand.”

Kaiden seemed to think for a moment, then stood up from his seat.

Then he handed the quill pen he was holding to Edwin.

“Would you like to write?”

“Pardon?”

“Shouldn’t you send word to the Prince’s Palace? That The Prince is doing well.”

There was no law against sending personal letters during an operation.

However, Edwin had never once sent a letter to the Prince’s Palace until now.

‘I had stopped him.’

If he carelessly sent a letter and someone intercepted it, they might exploit personal weaknesses.

I had advised Edwin that it would be better not to send letters if possible to prevent such situations.

“If I know the coordinates, I can send it directly to the Prince’s Palace by magic. So please don’t feel burdened.”

But if he sent it by magic, that would be a different story.

There would be no chance of someone intercepting it midway, and no risk of the contents being censored.

“Oh, thank you so much! I’m grateful, but…”

Edwin was overjoyed but couldn’t help himself, while also glancing at me.

He seemed unable to decide whether it was okay to send the letter.

“A letter. The Princess and The Maid Captain would be pleased.”

It was an answer that was as good as permission.

Edwin smiled brightly and took the quill pen.

“Please write the letter right here. It wouldn’t be good if the letter caught attention while being passed around.”

Thanks to Kaiden’s consideration, Edwin was able to borrow the round table in the center of the encampment.

The boy immediately settled into his seat and began writing on the paper.

“So then.”

Just as I was habitually keeping my gaze fixed on Edwin.

Kaiden, who had casually perched on the desk, spoke up.

“Did you prepare an explanation?”

“…Pardon?”

What’s with this sudden talk about explanations?

I thought for a moment and frowned.

“Don’t tell me you’re referring to my relationship with the mage I hired?”

“Of course. What else would there be besides that?”

Kaiden looked at me as if asking why I was questioning something so obvious.

“Don’t tell me there’s another matter that requires explanation?”

“No!”

I raised my voice without realizing it, then quickly turned my head away.

Edwin seemed absorbed in writing his letter and didn’t seem to pay any attention to this side.

“Don’t worry, The Prince won’t be able to hear our conversation.”

“…Magic?”

“More precisely, a Magitech Device.”

Kaiden pointed to a small orb placed on his desk.

The orb, which had looked like an ordinary decoration until just moments ago, was now emitting a subtle blue light.

“Aurel made it, and it’s quite useful. It can make the voices of conversation partners, including myself, inaudible to others.”

Magitech Devices really are overpowered.

I glanced at the orb for a moment, then looked up again.

“Let me say this once more: the mage calling me ‘darling’ is simply that person’s habit.”

Instead of answering, Kaiden just quietly stared at me.

His gaze on me felt somehow ticklish.

To the point where it was slightly difficult to keep making eye contact.

“To be honest, I don’t understand why I need to give an explanation.”

I quickly added.

“The Prince and I aren’t in a relationship where I need to explain such things to The Prince.”

“What if I wanted it?”

His golden eyes sparkled as if they were emitting their own light.

It was just as I was blankly staring at that excessively intense sparkle.

“If I.”

Kaiden asked while keeping his gaze fixed on me.

“If I wanted to be in a relationship with you where such explanations were necessary, what would you do?”

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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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