The Prince’s Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 281

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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 281. Last Dance (7)

“Oh my, what a commotion this has become.”

Oliver, the right hand of the King of Adamant, scratched his head.

He looked at the Empire’s knights and assassins whose eyes met his, then smiled awkwardly.

“It seems we’ve arrived just in time though. In a case like this, His Majesty the Emperor would surely forgive our sudden unauthorized intrusion—no, visit, wouldn’t he?”

“Good grief, we should have entered without being detected, but to barge in so recklessly like this…”

Aurel, Adamant’s mage, sighed as if exhausted.

He looked resentfully at Kaiden’s back standing before him.

“The King of Adamant? How is that bastard here…?”

Meanwhile, Jerome’s eyes widened in disbelief.

For a foreign king and the military forces he led to storm into the Imperial Capital—this was originally an unforgivable act.

“Duke Crowner.”

Kaiden, perhaps sensing Jerome’s thoughts, spoke in a rather loud voice.

“I am not an enemy. I have come to help you.”

“You say you’ve come to help, but how can I believe such words…?”

“Because the mastermind behind this disaster that has befallen the Imperial Palace is the enemy I have pursued my entire life.”

The young king continued with an expressionless face.

“My enemy is the Empire’s enemy, and the Empire’s enemy is my enemy. You are free to doubt, but since time is of the essence, it would be best to join forces for now.”

“That…”

Jerome couldn’t find words to respond.

It was true that the situation was urgent, and if the King of Adamant’s purpose truly aligned with his own, there was no reason they couldn’t join forces.

‘But what if those words are lies?’

In any case, Kaiden was the king of a foreign nation.

What if he used this opportunity to cause even greater chaos in the Empire?

‘Damn it.’

Sweat was forming on the hand gripping his sword.

Jerome pondered repeatedly before finally shouting.

“From this moment, the King of Adamant must take responsibility for the words he has spoken!”

It was a declaration that while he agreed to join forces immediately, he would never stand by if anything happened that harmed the Empire.

“So I shall.”

Kaiden replied briefly before turning his head.

“I will go inside. I leave this place to you.”

“Your Majesty! Are you really going to…?”

“Please calm down, Lord Aurel.”

Oliver stopped the agitated Aurel.

“Shouldn’t we handle the immediate situation first?”

Oliver drew his sword and raised his hand.

At this, the Adamant knights waiting behind all assumed attack positions in unison.

“I will follow my lord’s command. Leave the rear to us.”

“Even you, Sir Oliver…”

Aurel stopped mid-sentence and sighed.

“Even so, we cannot send His Majesty alone…”

“Lord Aurel, our lord has already departed.”

“What did you say?”

At Oliver’s words, he frantically looked around.

But Kaiden had already vanished without a trace.

“I can’t live like this, really.”

“Well, when has our lord not acted on his own whims? This isn’t a day or two old habit.”

Oliver chuckled and nodded his head.

“Then shall we do our job?”

“Haah.”

Aurel let out a long sigh.

Right, what could be done about something already started? There was nothing but to deal with it.

“Just thinking about fighting with the Empire later is already giving me a headache.”

“Haha, let’s think about later matters later!”

The unexpected reinforcements joined with the Empire’s knights and swung their swords toward the masked men.

“Don’t let a single one escape!”

Under Duke Jerome Crowner’s command.

The momentum of the Bentrum Empire and Adamant Kingdom rose.

It was the moment when the silent screams of the pitch-black masked assassins began.

* * *

Swish, clang.

Tedious. Difficult. Exhausting.

While fighting Ian, my chest felt stuffy as if a stone had been placed on it.

It felt like doing very arduous and difficult work, like trying to cut through an unbreakable tough thread.

‘Perhaps right now, both of us…’

Despite clearly giving our all, a quiet doubt arose in my heart.

‘Are we going easy on each other?’

No matter how tough a thread is, it should break immediately if cut with one clean stroke.

Nevertheless, the fact that this life-or-death match continued might mean that neither side could easily sever it.

“Give up! Give up already!”

Throughout our fight, we thrust our swords at each other countless times and hurled countless curses.

“You’re really so damn persistent.”

“Look who’s talking.”

Even in the midst of this, afterimages of the past kept overlapping in my mind.

‘I love you, Kayla.’

Even while fighting and splattering blood like this, a trivial question arose.

Were the sweet confessions you uttered back then sincere?

‘They must have been sincere.’

Yes, that’s why I felt even more betrayed.

To the point where you couldn’t bear it unless you killed me.

“…Haah.”

I was reaching the limits of my stamina.

Somehow, my vision kept feeling blurry too.

‘My dream is…’

At that moment, some moment from the past flashed through my mind.

It was a story about dreams that Ian had once told me, which I had completely forgotten.

‘My dream is to return to the happiest time of my life. But since I can’t go back, I suppose you could say my dream is to live as happily as I did back then.’

Ian’s voice from the past echoed softly like a hallucination.

‘With you, Kayla.’

I see. That’s how it was.

You became unable to achieve your dream because of me.

Because I was the one who burned down your happy childhood.

‘If that’s the reason.’

It wasn’t incomprehensible. It wasn’t unforgivable.

If Ian had sought revenge only against me, I might have accepted it obediently.

‘But.’

The moment I faced Edwin bleeding in the corridor.

The moment I faced Emilia crying in her brother’s arms.

I decided not to understand or forgive anyone who had made those kids suffer like that.

“Why the hell!”

Ian was still charging at me, venting his fury.

“Why did you appear before me again! Why!”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who remembered the past.

I could see the chaos swirling in Ian’s hollow eyes.

Like me, he seemed to be thinking about many things.

‘But my hesitation ends now.’

There must be no hesitation whatsoever at the tip of an assassin’s blade. That’s what it means to make killing one’s profession.

‘Now it’s truly coming to an end.’

The moment I learned the reason for my death, all my feelings for Ian ended too.

All those countless hesitations that had been controlling me throughout this journey had finally disappeared completely.

“Kayla!”

Ian shouted my name.

I could see his dagger approaching.

It was a simple strike that I could easily dodge if I wanted to.

Kuuung.

At that moment, the ground beneath my feet vibrated and I felt heat.

‘An explosion? Did they set off gunpowder? What’s happening?’

Edwin’s group would be in the Imperial Palace.

Since Saylus was with them, they wouldn’t be hurt, but.

‘This isn’t good.’

I could feel the air heating up rapidly.

It seemed the fire would soon spread to the rooftop as well.

‘Edwin, Emilia.’

I unconsciously thought of their names.

‘I… you two…’

At the same time, Ian leaping into my embrace appeared to move very slowly.

I stopped trying to block his attack and embraced Ian directly.

Puuk.

A chilling sensation ran up my spine.

Ian’s eyes, right before me, shook mercilessly.

“…What, why are you…”

I looked at Ian like that and smiled faintly.

“You got what you wanted.”

Ian’s dagger that had pierced my abdomen trembled slightly.

I felt the cold sensation of blood draining away instantly.

“You, why…”

His eyes seemed to ask why I hadn’t blocked it.

It was quite amusing, considering we’d been fighting to kill each other until now.

“You said it was your wish. I can grant at least one wish on my final journey.”

At my words, Ian opened his mouth blankly.

At that moment, bright red blood flowed down between his teeth.

“What…”

Ian slowly lowered his gaze.

He was looking down at the blood pouring from his mouth as if he couldn’t believe it.

“…How is it?”

I showed my teeth in a grin.

“How does it feel to be caught by the exact same method you used on me?”

Ian looked at the dagger embedded in his side and moved his lips.

But no proper words came from his mouth.

“Right, it must be hard to answer. I coated it with poison. You’d know what kind of poison it is.”

The dagger I had thrust into Ian’s side wasn’t the one I’d been holding in my hand. It was a palm-sized dagger I’d kept hidden in the back of my boot that I hadn’t used until now.

“You, you…”

Ian grimaced and opened and closed his mouth.

Losing his balance and swaying, he grabbed my arm.

“How can you be so cruel to me until the very end?”

It was a voice filled with grief.

I frowned without realizing it.

“Kayla, you…”

Ian’s voice trembled.

“You took everything I had, then gave me what seemed like the whole world, only to take everything from me again.”

“…I won’t say I’m sorry.”

A voice colder than I expected flowed from my lips.

“I already apologized with my death.”

I could see Ian’s jaw tense up.

His hand gripping my arm trembled violently.

“You, until the very end…”

“Still, don’t feel too wronged.”

Did forgivable murder ever exist in the first place?

Such things were merely pretty excuses from the perpetrator’s side.

“This time too.”

I met Ian’s eyes while we both had blades thrust into each other.

“…I’ll apologize with death instead.”

The scorching heat finally consumed the ground beneath our feet.

With a rumbling sound, the rooftop we were standing on collapsed into the flames.

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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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