The Prince’s Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 223
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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 223. An Unexpected Two-Sided Operation (1)
“Are you going to the garden again, Princess Emilia?”
Emilia nodded vigorously at Catherine’s question.
“Yes! Daddy said he’s waiting for Ria! So I have to go!”
I feel like I heard those words a few days ago too.
Somehow, the shock never seemed to fade each time I heard it.
‘I never dreamed that His Imperial Majesty would seek out Princess Emilia first.’
The Emperor of the Empire was a cold-blooded man who wielded his sword even against his own blood relatives.
Even the 1st Prince, whom he cherished so much, was visited maybe once a month at most.
‘Yet Princess Emilia has been summoned continuously since that day they met by chance in the Central Garden.’
What on earth could this mean?
Catherine looked at the maid attending to Emilia today.
She was one of the maids who had come in through Rachel’s introduction, and also the maid who had gone to the Central Garden with Emilia that day.
‘Amy, even when I ask that child, all she says is that she doesn’t know either.’
Well, how could a mere maid possibly guess His Imperial Majesty’s intentions?
‘Of course, Princess Emilia is so lovely and adorable that she wouldn’t hurt even if you put her in your eye.’
Catherine covered her face with one hand and made a troubled expression.
No matter how lovely Emilia was, she wasn’t confident that such charm would work on someone who had slaughtered his own siblings with his own hands.
‘Could there be some other ulterior motive? Perhaps he’s trying to use Princess Emilia somehow…’
Though what use could a child not even seven years old be put to?
Given who the opponent was, worry rose up to her throat.
‘Ah, if only The Caretaker were by our side at times like this.’
Catherine thought of her friend Rachel, who had been her only support in the desolate Imperial Capital.
‘What would The Caretaker have done? Probably…’
Even without thinking deeply, it was easy to predict.
Rachel seemed to think several moves ahead, but her preferred course of action was always crystal clear.
‘Yes, The Caretaker would have said we couldn’t miss such a golden opportunity and would have tried to more actively arrange meetings between Princess Emilia and His Imperial Majesty.’
Catherine made a complicated expression.
Since the Emperor had directly summoned the Princess anyway, there was no way for her to stop it.
“Catherine!”
Perhaps worried about Catherine’s troubled expression.
Emilia, who had approached closely at some point, was looking up at her intently.
The Princess, wearing a cape with a sky-blue pointed hat, was adorable enough to make you want to bite her cheeks today as well.
“Why do you look like that? Are you sick somewhere?”
“What? Oh, it’s nothing at all!”
“Mm-hmm, then that’s good.”
Emilia tugged and smoothed out Catherine’s skirt hem with clumsy hands.
“You know, is Catherine also going to meet that scary poison rose lady today?”
The scary poison rose lady the Princess was referring to was none other than Countess Pailin Katarina.
‘Ah, she saw me in an unseemly state back then.’
On the day they had promised to meet Countess Katarina under Somnia’s operation, Catherine was so nervous that she hugged Emilia and shed tears like chicken droppings.
– Ahhh, I’m so scared, Princess! I’m not mentally prepared yet! How can I possibly deal with that notoriously infamous poison rose of high society!
They say you shouldn’t even drink cold water carelessly in front of children.
From that day on, Countess Katarina became the ‘scary poison rose lady’ to Princess Emilia.
“Don’t be too scared. Catherine has the lucky charm that Emilia gave her too. You’re keeping it safe, right?”
The lucky charm.
Catherine recalled the four-leaf clover that Emilia had given her.
It was a precious charm that the young Princess had searched through the Central Garden to find for her when she was trembling with fear over the important mission.
“Oh, of course. I haven’t taken it off my body even once since receiving it from Your Highness.”
“Good, then it’ll be fine! So don’t cry today, Catherine?”
“I, I didn’t cry!”
“Hehe, then Ria will go and come back too!”
Emilia raised both small fists and waved them.
At that confident appearance, as if telling her not to worry, Catherine couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Maid Captain, there’s a message from Countess Katarina. She’s asking if it would be alright to change the meeting place we agreed on for today.”
Originally, they were supposed to meet at a clothing store near the Imperial Capital.
Catherine flinched for a moment, then asked in a calm voice in response to the maid’s words.
“Where did she say the new meeting place would be?”
“Countess Katarina’s estate.”
To invite her directly to the mansion when they had only just become acquainted a few days ago.
‘Did the lie about being the Golden Goose caravan head’s lover work well? No, it was probably more that the story I told was interesting.’
For just the past two days, two rumors about the 2nd Imperial Consort had been circulating in the Empire’s social circles.
Though she had subtly spread the rumors to Countess Katarina herself, she was a bit worried.
‘I did tell her exactly what Somnia told me.’
It was really hard to believe as fact, seeming like nothing more than rumors.
‘Could it all be true? That the 2nd Imperial Consort was the culprit who ordered the poisoning of the deceased 1st Imperial Consort…’
Catherine looked out the window with clouded eyes.
‘That the 2nd Imperial Consort is secretly raising a child who doesn’t carry the Emperor’s bloodline.’
If true, it was a rumor that could turn the Empire upside down.
However, it sounded so absurd that it was still being treated as baseless gossip.
‘But because of that rumor, some people have started talking about the man the 2nd Imperial Consort met in the past. Countess Katarina must have some suspicions too.’
There were hardly any rumors that remained just rumors.
Catherine turned around, recalling Pailin’s serious expression when she heard her words.
“Understood. Please tell her I’ll go to Countess Katarina’s estate at the appointed time.”
The timid maid captain’s face had an unusually calm and resolute quality to it.
* * *
Imperial Palace Reception Room.
The attendants and maids waiting by the door watched the two people sitting on the sofa with faces full of doubt.
“Hehehe.”
1st Princess Emilia grinned with chocolate smeared all around her mouth.
Sitting on a sofa larger than her own body, dangling her two legs that didn’t reach the floor, she looked utterly harmless.
“…Emilia.”
The Emperor, sitting on the opposite sofa, gazed at Emilia intently.
“Are you that pleased?”
“Yes! The chocolate is so delicious!”
That innocent face, that purely bright voice.
It was absurd how she looked like the happiest person in the world over a single snack.
“…Aren’t you even afraid of me?”
Emilia blinked at the Emperor’s question.
“Afraid? Why should I be afraid?”
Why indeed. When she should naturally be afraid.
The Emperor carefully examined Emilia’s eyes.
Surprisingly, not even a speck of fear could be found in the child’s large blue eyes.
‘She really isn’t afraid.’
He thought of the princes. Though they pretended to be fine, their eyes fundamentally had fear and terror underlying them.
The same was true for the Empress, the 2nd Imperial Consort, and the subjects who followed him.
“Hmm, Ria isn’t scared of Daddy though?”
Emilia seemed to think for a moment, then replied while swinging her feet.
“Because Daddy doesn’t flash like thunder or make loud noises.”
To think she was only afraid of thunder.
The Emperor unconsciously let out a small chuckle.
“Are you afraid of thunder?”
“Yes, Ria is most scared of thunder and dark things.”
Emilia grabbed the chocolate snack placed in front of her and laughed, “Hehe.”
“And you give me such delicious things too. Ria likes daddy!”
I like daddy, like, like, like.
It was just a simple phrase, but somehow it seemed to resonate deeply.
The Emperor unconsciously furrowed his brow slightly.
“…If you’re not scared, don’t you resent me?”
“Resent? What’s that? Ria doesn’t know such difficult words yet.”
“It means whether you hate me or not.”
Hate.
Emilia blinked her eyes after thinking carefully.
“Hmm, I think there were times when I hated you, but now it’s okay.”
His chest stung for a moment.
The Emperor straightened his posture and placed the arm that had been supporting his chin on the sofa’s armrest.
He lightly tapped the armrest with his fingers.
“When did you hate me?”
“Umm, when daddy didn’t come only on Ria and Edwin oppa’s birthdays.”
“…”
“And when Edwin oppa made sad faces whenever he saw daddy.”
A heavy silence suddenly filled the reception room.
The fact that the Emperor had never even treated the 3rd Prince as his child was something everyone in the Imperial Capital knew. The disgraceful title of “dog fur prince” had also originated from that.
“Other than those times, I didn’t really hate you.”
Emilia bit into her chocolate snack again with that same bright face.
Crunch, crunch.
Only the sound of the Princess eating her snack echoed through the reception room.
After maintaining silence for a long while, the Emperor quietly spoke.
“…Then what do you want me to do for you?”
“Huh?”
“Would you stop hating me if I put your brother on the crown prince’s throne?”
In an instant, everyone in the reception room tensed up.
“Umm, Ria doesn’t really know about such things. But…”
Emilia tilted her head after hearing the Emperor’s words.
“I think if oppa could make happy faces when looking at daddy, then Ria wouldn’t have any reason to hate daddy?”
Happy faces.
The Emperor’s expression became strange for a moment.
“Ah, right! I remembered something I wanted to ask daddy!”
Meanwhile, Emilia shouted in a bright voice as if she didn’t care about the serious atmosphere at all.
“You know, daddy is the Emperor, right?”
“…That’s correct.”
The young Princess asked the Emperor with sparkling eyes full of admiration.
“Then are you still the Emperor at night too?”
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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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