The Prince’s Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 320

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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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Side Story 2. The Princess’s First Love (6)

“Really?”

Emilia jumped up with a face so happy she looked ready to bounce.

“Really? Starting today, Rachel will become my personal maid?”

“Yes.”

Though called a personal maid, in reality it was closer to the role of a guard who would stick by Emilia’s side all day long.

I nodded while tidying up the Princess’s attire.

“From today, I will follow Princess Emilia around continuously and be in charge of your every move.”

“Then even when sleeping? You’ll sleep next to Ria?”

Emilia looked at me with expectant eyes.

In principle, royal children could not share sleeping quarters with anyone.

This was to cultivate independence and bold character from an early age.

“Yes, I will guard by your side even when Your Highness sleeps.”

“Waaaah!”

Emilia cheered and hugged me.

“Great!”

Seeing the child laugh so innocently and brightly made me want to smile too.

“Then Rachel, let’s go together!”

Emilia grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door.

“To Brother Leo! We promised to go to the Central Garden together today!”

I knew this would happen.

I briefly hardened my face coldly before composing my expression.

“Hehehe, if Rachel and Brother Leo all play together, it’ll be really, really fun! Right?”

It was an opinion I couldn’t quite agree with.

But I reluctantly took the Princess’s hand and set out.

“Oh, The Caretaker is with us today too.”

Even though we were acquainted from Luksen, Leo and I were nothing more than an awkward pair.

He looked at me standing behind Emilia and smiled awkwardly.

“Princess Emilia.”

“Mm?”

“Since Leo doesn’t know the way, it would be good if Your Highness could lead and guide us.”

At my words, Emilia excitedly took the lead.

Thanks to that, Leo and I had no choice but to walk shoulder to shoulder behind the Princess.

“Are you naturally prone to such easy laughter?”

“Pardon?”

Leo looked at me with confused eyes.

“You didn’t seem to laugh quite so much before.”

“Uh…”

At my words, Leo pondered briefly before continuing.

“Back then, I was barely getting by with making a living.”

It wasn’t words that suited a boy who was still young.

Leo smiled while keeping his gaze fixed on the back of Emilia’s head.

“And when I look at Princess Emilia, I can’t help but keep smiling. Isn’t it the same for The Caretaker?”

I couldn’t deny it.

Emilia was such a lovable child that anyone would find it unbearable not to smile when looking at her.

“In the past, I thought all people of high status, whether adults or children, were arrogant and hypocritical.”

I couldn’t help but understand Leo’s words.

All the clerics and nobles who came to Ruxen Village must have been like that.

“They would say they should pity and help scale disease patients, but what was really reflected in those people’s eyes was contempt and disgust. Having grown up in Luksen since childhood, those were the only kinds of people I saw.”

Leo’s expression hardened as if recalling something.

Then he soon burst into light laughter and continued speaking.

“But the first person to shatter such prejudices was Prince Edwin.”

“Prince Edwin’s first impression couldn’t have been that good.”

“Yes, that’s right. But I immediately knew he wasn’t a hypocritical person like the other nobles I had seen.”

The day he first visited Ruxen Village.

Edwin had been frowning from the moment he visited Seiji’s house.

His crumpled face, showing no intention of enduring or hiding the discomfort he felt from the distinctive stench, seemed to have worked as an appealing factor for Leo.

“I liked Prince Edwin’s transparency. I think it’s fortunate that his nature remains almost unchanged even now.”

Leo smiled gently while looking at Emilia, who had arrived at the Central Garden entrance and was waving at us.

“I like that I can feel such transparency from Princess Emilia too. Of course, she’s still a young child, so that might be part of it.”

I looked into Leo’s eyes.

Catherine’s words about it being needless worry came to mind.

‘This boy.’

The day I first saw Leo in Luksen.

He had run to the village clutching wounds inflicted by The Monster and pleaded with me.

Please save Edwin, he said with tears, saying Edwin was in danger because of him.

‘He’s a good boy.’

When that thought came to mind, I couldn’t say anything.

After remaining silent for a while, I quietly spoke.

“…Leo.”

“Yes.”

“Do you like Princess Emilia?”

At my question, Leo’s eyes widened and he tilted his head.

“Of course. Is there anyone who would dislike such a lovable young child?”

“Rachel! Brother Leo! Over here, over here!”

I couldn’t react in time.

Frustrated that we weren’t following quickly, Emilia had run over to grab our hands and pull us along.

“Brother Leo, do you like flowers?”

“Yes, I like them.”

Emilia’s face reddened at his answer that he liked them, and she pointed with her fingertip from where we stood to somewhere far in the distance that couldn’t be seen.

“Then from here to way over there, you can take any flowers you like.”

The Central Garden was still bright and splendid.

Befitting the largest garden in the Imperial Palace, countless flowers in season were showing off their colorful petals.

Leo stared blankly at the endlessly spread garden that Emilia had pointed to.

“Uh, well, I do like flowers, but taking flowers from the Imperial Palace as I please is a bit…”

“It’s okay, Daddy gave permission! He said Ria can do whatever she wants!”

Someone might say they’re just flowers, but the flowers blooming in the Imperial Capital’s garden were all expensive varieties and clearly Imperial property.

In other words, it meant the Emperor had given the Princess permission to dispose of Imperial property as she pleased.

“Haha.”

Leo laughed awkwardly as he was dragged along by Emilia.

He smiled and deflected when the Princess kept asking which flowers he liked.

“The Emperor must cherish Princess Emilia very much.”

“Mm? That’s right. But Ria doesn’t like Daddy very much.”

When your father treats you this well, why?

Leo looked down at Emilia with surprised eyes.

“What? Why is that?”

“Because Daddy does a lot of bad things.”

Emilia turned her head with a slightly sulky expression.

“So I decided to only like him a little bit.”

The young Princess crouched down and pointed to a small flower.

“Brother Leo, how about this flower? Isn’t it pretty?”

“It’s a pansy flower. It’s beautiful.”

“Right? It’s Ria’s favorite flower.”

“Is that so? Then do you perhaps know the story behind this flower?”

“Story? What story?”

“The story of the human who became a pansy flower.”

“I’ve never heard that before? Tell me quickly, Ria is curious.”

“I also heard this from my teacher when I was young…”

Leo gently touched the petals and continued with a smile.

Emilia’s eyes sparkled as she listened to the story about the pansy flower.

Throughout the story, the Princess’s gaze remained fixed on Leo’s profile.

I simply watched that scene in silence.

* * *

The cabin still situated in a corner of the 3rd Prince’s Palace.

Seiji raised his voice while organizing herb bottles in the cabin.

“Send Leo back to Luksen?”

He raised one eyebrow at my words.

“Suddenly? Isn’t there still time left on the promised period?”

“There is.”

“Then why?”

I frowned as I looked at Seiji asking so innocently.

“Are you asking because you don’t know?”

“No, then I’m asking because I don’t know. Why would I ask if I already knew…”

Seiji grumbled in response but stopped mid-sentence and paused his hands.

He finally turned toward where I was standing, still holding the herb bottle.

“Don’t tell me, is it because of Emilia?”

“So you were asking even though you knew.”

Seiji stared at me blankly.

He opened his mouth with an expression of disbelief.

“…Rachel.”

“Yes.”

“They’re still just children.”

“I know.”

“You know, yet you’re going this far?”

“Because I know.”

Because I know better than anyone.

Because I know how heavy a child’s heart can be, and how long childhood memories can last.

“Whatever kind of relationship the two of them become, as time passes, they’ll only end up hurting each other.”

Because that’s what differences in status are like.

Because that’s what it means when each person’s role is so different.

“Therefore, I hope that Princess Emilia and Leo don’t grow any closer.”

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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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