The Prince’s Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 265

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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 265. Bloody Feast (2)

Blood and death.

It was a sight that never felt familiar no matter how many times he saw it.

Unlike Edwin, who had been hardened by subjugation campaigns, Bridget screamed the moment she saw the knight collapse.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

At the princess’s scream, Duke Crowner, Jerome, was the first to rush out onto the terrace.

“Bridget! Prince Edwin! What’s happening…”

Jerome discovered the fallen knight as soon as he embraced Bridget.

He pulled Edwin behind him with a grave expression.

Swoosh, thunk.

Immediately after, an arrow flew into the spot where Edwin had been standing.

Edwin turned pale and stared blankly at the arrow embedded in front of his feet.

Whoooosh.

At the same time, the area near the main gate of the Imperial Capital suddenly blazed as bright as daylight. The crimson flames that shot up suddenly began spreading in multiple directions in an instant, carried by the wind.

“Duke, that’s…”

“Damn it.”

Jerome forgot that children were present and cursed under his breath.

Then he took Bridget and Edwin inside and locked the terrace door.

“Philip, Philip!”

“What’s the matter, Captain?”

Philip quickly approached Jerome’s side.

He too seemed to sense something amiss and frowned.

“Why are you…”

“Evacuate Her Imperial Majesty the Empress and Their Highnesses to a safe place. And please take care of Bridget as well.”

“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”

“It seems hostile forces have attacked the Imperial Capital. There are flames rising from the main gate area.”

Even Philip’s face, which rarely showed expression changes, was filled with shock.

He glanced at the tightly locked terrace door and lowered his voice.

“That doesn’t make sense. You said flames are rising from the main gate area, but isn’t that where the Imperial Palace mages have inscribed all sorts of protective magic and defensive magic circles?”

That place was designed so that flood barriers would automatically deploy even during floods, and fires would be quickly extinguished even if someone deliberately set them. Even if something went wrong with the magic circles carved into the castle gate, alarm notifications were set to sound, but even those hadn’t gone off.

“How could there be no warning signs…”

“Someone must have tampered with the magic circles.”

“You’re saying someone broke through magic circles created by the Empire’s most skilled mages? Who on earth could pull off such a thing?”

“Right now, action takes priority over thinking, Philip.”

Jerome handed Edwin and Bridget over to him as if there was no more time for conversation.

“The nobles gathered here must not learn that an unfortunate incident occurred on the Crown Prince’s investiture day.”

The nobles gathered in the banquet hall had not yet noticed the situation outside and were still enjoying drinks and food in a cheerful atmosphere.

“I’ll report this to His Imperial Majesty and handle the outside situation directly. You must ensure that those gathered here absolutely cannot go outside. Do you understand?”

“But Captain, this feels ominous. If these are people capable of rendering even the Imperial Capital’s magic circles powerless, they’re certainly not ordinary…”

“From the unfamiliar presences I sense outside, it doesn’t seem like a large-scale force has invaded. And those presences are still gathered near the castle gate. It means we can handle it with just our knight order forces in the vicinity.”

“Then I’ll go with you.”

Jerome shook his head at his adjutant’s words.

“If you leave your post too, who will protect Her Imperial Majesty the Empress and Their Highnesses? You’re the only one I can trust to take care of them, Philip.”

“But Captain.”

“This is an order, Vice-Captain.”

Jerome placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I’ll resolve this quickly and return. I’m counting on you for the rest, Philip.”

Philip had no choice but to nod at the firm and resolute tone.

“No, Father! If you’re going alone, take me with you!”

But Philip wasn’t the only one blocking his path.

Bridget was already clinging to his waist, sobbing.

“Bri, stay with Sir Philip. He’ll protect you.”

“I said no, I want to stay with Father!”

“You stubborn girl. It’s nothing serious. Your father will resolve this quickly and return.”

“What if it’s not nothing serious! I have a bad feeling! If Father doesn’t come back…”

Bridget barely suppressed her increasingly loud voice.

She wasn’t a thoughtless child who couldn’t understand her father’s intention not to inform the distinguished guests about the commotion outside.

“Don’t worry.”

Jerome smiled as he placed his hand on her head.

It was his characteristic hearty smile that revealed all his white teeth.

“When have I ever failed to return to you?”

“Father…”

“Philip, take care of the princess. I need to go see His Imperial Majesty.”

“Father! Father!”

Bridget called out to Jerome with a desperate voice.

Normally, he wouldn’t have been able to take a step away, but today was different.

He pushed his daughter away without hesitation and approached the Emperor to whisper in his ear.

“My apologies to everyone. I have urgent business and must step away for a moment.”

The Emperor’s expression turned serious upon hearing Jerome’s whisper, then he stood up casually as if nothing had happened.

“Those remaining here should continue to enjoy the banquet.”

The Emperor left the banquet hall with Jerome.

Several knights waiting outside followed behind them.

Perhaps because they disappeared hastily into the darkness of the corridor, the nobles gathered in the banquet hall didn’t notice that the Emperor had drawn his sword.

“Bridget, calm down.”

Edwin looked with pitying eyes at Bridget, who was facing the wall and wiping away tears.

“Duke Crowner, the Captain is a strong person. He’ll surely return safely.”

“I know that too. I know my father is stronger than anyone.”

Bridget muttered with her head hung low.

“But this time I really have a bad feeling. For a knight to die bleeding like that in the middle of the Imperial Capital. Such a thing has never happened before, and it shouldn’t happen.”

Indeed, in the Empire’s history, there had never been an incident where a knight protecting the Imperial Capital was found murdered by weapons within the Imperial Capital itself.

“The knight who died earlier told us to run away.”

Bridget looked at Edwin with a face full of worry.

“What if something really terrible has happened, Your Highness?”

“That’s…”

The feeling was indeed ominous.

A knight had died, arrows had flown, and flames had even risen from the main gate area.

‘But Duke Crowner said it doesn’t seem like the enemies have approached this way. He said they’re all gathered at the castle gate…’

Wasn’t something strange about this?

Why were people with enough force to destroy the magic circles carved into the castle gate and set fires still at the gate area instead of entering the Imperial Capital?

‘The dead knight even walked all the way here.’

Even without knowing exactly, there was no way a person could walk from the castle gate to here while bleeding that much.

“Bridget, wait a moment. I’m going to check on Emilia.”

Edwin left Bridget with Philip and headed to where Emilia should be. But for some reason, his sister was nowhere to be seen.

“Catherine!”

Edwin grabbed Catherine, who had come to the banquet hall with them.

“What’s wrong, Prince Edwin?”

“Where’s Emilia? Where is Emilia?”

“Oh my, Princess Emilia said she was sleepy a while ago, so the Caretaker took her to the Prince’s Palace.”

“What?”

Somehow, he felt his body grow cold.

Edwin asked back with a thoroughly flustered expression.

“Th-those two, when did they return to the Prince’s Palace?”

“Uh, probably about twenty minutes ago?”

From the banquet hall attached to the Imperial Palace to the 3rd Prince’s Palace was roughly a distance that took a little over fifteen minutes.

‘Rachel walks fast, so she might have arrived before then.’

They had definitely said the enemies hadn’t entered the Imperial Capital yet.

But even so, could he be certain that the two were safe?

‘What if they were attacked on the way? What if the enemies had already gotten inside?’

Of course, Rachel was strong, and whatever happened, she would be able to handle it on her own.

‘If worst comes to worst, there’s that white-haired mage too.’

But why was it?

Bad thoughts kept flashing through Edwin’s mind as well.

Just like Bridget, who kept having ominous premonitions.

“To the Prince’s Palace, I want to go back to the Prince’s Palace too!”

Edwin tried to rush out the banquet hall doors in haste.

But he was immediately stopped, caught by the hands of the Gloria Knights who were standing by.

“There are orders that no one may leave this place until His Imperial Majesty returns.”

Edwin struggled, shaking off the hands that held him.

But there was no way he could match the strength of the knights who were full-grown adults.

“Huff, huff…”

Edwin wrestled with the knights for a while before finally collapsing into his seat.

‘Please…’

The young prince bit his lips as he thought of the faces of the caretaker and younger sister who had left the banquet hall.

‘Please be safe, Rachel. Emilia.’

Along with a prayer that might or might not reach them.

* * *

“Rabbits hop hop, deer bounce bounce…”

I looked down at Emilia, who had bright eyes and was even humming a song.

“Princess Emilia, aren’t you sleepy?”

“Yeah, I was sleepy but I’m all awake now! Hehe!”

“Then shall we go back to the banquet hall?”

“No? Ria is hungry too, and the banquet hall is boring now. I just want to go back to the palace and play with dolls. Is that okay?”

I crossed the Imperial Palace Garden while holding Emilia in one arm.

Normally you would hear the sound of insects chirping, but tonight was an unusually quiet night.

“You know, Rachel.”

Then Emilia wrapped her arms around my neck and spoke.

Her large eyes were directed toward the full moon floating in the night sky.

“Ria isn’t scared of the dark anymore? Catherine said that at night there’s the moon, so no matter how dark it gets, there’s moonlight, so even if it’s dark it’s not really dark.”

“Is that so.”

“Yeah! And when it’s dark and scary, Rachel is always next to Ria! So it’s not scary!”

The princess, who had been holding the large full moon in her eyes, met my gaze and smiled brightly.

“Rachel is Ria’s moonlight!”

Though I was ignorant about literature, sometimes I had such thoughts.

Whether there could be any poet or writer as great as children.

“It’s an honor…”

Just as I was about to express my gratitude for Emilia’s high praise.

Suddenly, an unpleasant shiver ran up my spine.

Whoooooosh.

Flames that would devour everything.

I could see crimson flames rising from not far away, spreading toward the 3rd Prince’s Palace.

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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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