The Prince’s Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 256
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 256. An Unexpected Proposal (5)
“Reason?”
Ian briefly turned his gaze toward the window.
Even so, he showed no openings, as if the habits from his assassin days were ingrained in his body.
“There’s only one reason.”
Ian turned his head back toward me.
He answered in a voice much calmer than before.
“Because I want to confirm with my own two eyes that you are Rachel Brown. Do I need any other reason besides that?”
In the end, this proposal was a second trap to confirm my identity.
Ian looked into my face and smirked.
“And that goes for you too, doesn’t it, Kayla?”
As expected of a vice-captain.
Just as I had been guessing his intentions, Ian had also been guessing mine.
“You came alone to attack the Molton Estate to confirm whether I was Count Molton, and you deliberately responded to the proposal I sent and came to Brown County—all to confirm whether ‘Raily Molton’ is me or not, right?”
“…So what are you planning to do now?”
I asked while keeping my gaze fixed on Ian.
“Now that you know my identity…”
“I’m not particularly planning to do anything.”
“What?”
“I mean that just because I know your identity doesn’t change what I need to do, Kayla.”
Ian cut off my words and asked back.
“What about you? Now that you know my identity, were you planning to annihilate House of Molton? The Kayla I knew wasn’t such a thoughtlessly reckless woman.”
He slowly raised his gloved hand.
Raily Molton’s fake face held in his hand dangled limply.
“House of Molton is a noble family that has built much trust with House of Crowner. It’s also a family quite favored by The Emperor.”
“…If they knew you were occupying House of Molton, neither would stay quiet.”
“Haha, are you planning to report me directly? It would be better if you didn’t.”
Ian spread the fake face with both hands and grinned.
“Count Molton is dead, but his wife and children are alive. Of course, Raily Molton is also living well.”
Ah, is ‘well’ ambiguous?
He tilted his head several times with a puzzled expression.
Then he smiled at me again.
“But if you report me, I’ll kill them all. Not a single person with the surname Molton will remain in this world.”
I felt anger and madness of unknown origin.
In those ash-colored eyes that once looked at me lovingly, warmth no longer existed.
“…Why are you doing this?”
Would I even get a proper answer if I asked? Even if I got an answer, would I be able to understand it properly? My head was complicated, but my lips were already moving.
“Why are you doing this, Ian Angel!”
I stood up abruptly, clenching my fists.
Only a low table separated us.
“…I abandoned that surname long ago.”
Ian looked at me and smiled broadly.
“Hearing it from your mouth again doesn’t feel bad.”
No more words came out.
I kicked the table in front of me and leaped forward.
Crash, clatter clang.
The table fell over, and the teacups and plates on top fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.
“Whoa.”
Ian remained sitting calmly on the sofa.
He looked at me, who had practically mounted on top of him, and grinned.
Then he glanced at the dagger I had thrust right next to his face.
“Even though your body has changed, your skills remain the same. I almost had my hair cut off.”
“…Say one more word. I’ll tear your mouth apart.”
“How violent, our captain.”
“Don’t call me that way.”
“Then how should I call you? Should I call you affectionately like before?”
His sharp eyes curved thinly like a crescent moon.
“Kayla.”
A familiar voice called my name.
“Have you figured it out yet?”
Even a demon from hell probably wouldn’t be worse than this.
“The reason I killed you, I mean.”
As I inhaled, the pain from that day came flooding back.
It felt like the flames that had burned to my bones were reviving once more inside my body.
“From the looks of it, you haven’t figured it out yet.”
Ian looked at me and drooped both eyebrows as if feeling sorry.
“I thought by now you would have at least vaguely figured out why I killed you, but that’s disappointing.”
A composed demeanor without a trace of guilt.
Looking at Ian before me, my eyes burned as if they were on fire.
When I tried hard to hold back tears, my vision became blurred and I couldn’t see well.
“Unfortunately.”
Ian looked at me and raised his hand.
His gloved fingertips touched my cheek.
“Even after being reborn, you’re still weak. Kayla.”
Damn it, damn it, damn it.
Through my blurred vision, I could see Ian’s smile.
“Give up. You won’t be able to kill me or stop me.”
He spoke in an artificial and polite tone as if he were acting.
“You’ve gained many precious things in this life too, Brown Lordling.”
A voice sickeningly sweet echoed in my ears.
“People with much to lose can never win in a fight. You know that well, don’t you?”
“You…”
“You’re not planning to let the young Prince and Princess you’ve worked so hard to protect die meaninglessly, are you?”
Creak creak creak.
The dagger I had thrust into the sofa’s backrest tore through the fabric and moved closer to Ian’s nape. I glared at Ian with wide eyes.
“If you touch The Prince and The Princess, I’ll really kill you.”
“Oh my, how scary.”
Ian pretended to raise both arms.
“Don’t worry. If you don’t interfere with me, I have no intention of harming those kids either.”
If I don’t interfere, he says. What could he possibly want to say such things?
I glared at Ian while gripping the dagger tightly.
“…What do you want?”
“It’s not as big a deal as you might think.”
Ian slowly stood up from his seat.
He grabbed both my shoulders as I hesitated and stepped back.
“Getting back everything I lost long ago—that’s what I want.”
Had Ian ever lost anything?
I thought for a moment and frowned.
“Well then, let’s consider the proposal null and void.”
When I came to my senses, Ian was pulling out the dagger that had been stuck in the sofa and handing it to me.
“I respect Brown Lordling’s wishes.”
Before I knew it, he who had put on fake Riley’s face smiled and politely bowed his waist.
“Then I shall take my leave now. I hope we can meet again under better circumstances.”
Ian disappeared like a mirage.
Only I, standing dumbfounded while holding a dagger, and the completely destroyed sofa remained in the reception room.
* * *
I couldn’t remember what state of mind I was in when I returned.
However, when I returned from Brown County to the Prince’s Palace, it was already evening.
I had to put Emilia to bed, leaving behind Edwin who said he would sleep late because he had to do homework that Seiji had given him.
“Rachel.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Emilia, with sleepy eyes, stared at my face and asked.
“Are you hurt somewhere?”
“…No.”
“Then did something make you angry?”
Emilia sometimes read people’s emotions like a ghost.
I had no way of knowing whether it was a characteristic of young children or just a characteristic of the young princess.
“…A little.”
“Catherine said during the day that Rachel went to meet her mom and dad today, is that right?”
“Yes.”
“Does Rachel love her mom and dad?”
For me, they were adoptive parents I met for the first time today. Apart from love or not, I had no feelings at all. I don’t know how the real Rachel Brown felt though.
“Then, then you know.”
Emilia muttered with her eyes half-closed.
“Forgive them.”
“…Pardon?”
“You know, long ago Ria accidentally peed on an expensive dress that Emma had, but Emma said it was okay.”
The young princess squirmed in my arms and continued speaking softly.
“I thought Emma would be angry, but she said it was okay, kept saying it was okay. So when I asked why it was okay, she said it was because she loved Ria.”
“…I see.”
“Yeah, so Ria also said sorry to Emma, and that Ria loved her a lot too.”
If you love someone, you want to endure anything. If you love someone, you want to forgive anything.
I too had once thought that way.
“…Then what should you do with someone you love but who has made too big a mistake? What should you do if you absolutely cannot forgive them?”
“Huh? You love them but can’t forgive them? Hmm, that’s, that’s…”
Emilia rubbed both eyes with her fern-like hands.
After seeming to think for a long time, the little one leaned her head against my chest.
“I don’t know, don’t ask Ria such difficult things. Ria is still young.”
Thinking about what happened during the day, there was no way I could laugh, but somehow looking at the princess made me keep letting out small chuckles.
“I understand, I was wrong so please sleep comfortably now…”
“But Ria, if it were Ria.”
Emilia smacked her lips and mumbled.
“Even if Rachel made a really, really big mistake, I would forgive her. Because Ria loves Rachel very, very much…”
I hugged Emilia tightly with both arms.
The young princess seemed to burrow deeper into my embrace and then fell asleep with peaceful breathing sounds. Listening to the child’s comfortable breathing, for some reason I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
Tap.
Just then, a small pebble flew into the window.
I was about to draw the dagger I wore on my thigh but frowned instead.
The presence I felt from outside belonged to someone all too familiar.
“…Huh.”
As soon as I looked out the window, I let out a sigh.
“Prince Kaiden?”
In the thick thicket below the window stood Kaiden, the King of Adamant.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————