The Prince’s Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 93

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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 93. Founding Festival Preparations (4)

“Hmm.”

She, sitting at the very end, had been shrinking her shoulders and keeping her gaze down, trying to avoid attention since the meeting began.

“Come to think of it, hasn’t the 3rd Prince’s Palace never received guests before?”

“Th-that’s correct, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“Then how about taking this opportunity to host the Empire’s important guests? It would be good experience for the master of the 3rd Prince’s Palace as well.”

Catherine looked flustered, as if she hadn’t expected The Empress to single her out.

“B-but Your Majesty. Isn’t this the first time Adamant Kingdom is officially visiting the Empire? Wouldn’t it be better for the Imperial Palace to host such distinguished guests on their first visit? There’s such a thing as first impressions…”

“Your words are correct. However, this time the scale of the visiting delegations is quite large, and the Khanate Empire’s delegation is already staying at the Imperial Palace. We would exceed our accommodation capacity.”

Catherine’s eyes wavered at The Empress’s response.

‘What should I do? Even if he is supposedly a handsome man.’

Adamant’s young king was famous for having an unpredictable personality despite his extremely handsome appearance.

Since he was someone who had started a rebellion at a young age to establish his country and expand its territory, there were rumors that he was a bloodthirsty warmonger.

‘That aide who came to the palace before seemed decent enough though.’

Catherine racked her brain and cautiously raised her head.

‘Ah, I shouldn’t have looked up.’

Everyone in the meeting room was now glaring at Catherine.

They all seemed to want the 3rd Prince’s Palace to tactfully take on the troublesome guests.

“…If Adamant Kingdom says it’s acceptable.”

Catherine eventually couldn’t withstand the pressure and bowed her head deeply.

“The 3rd Prince’s Palace will receive Adamant Kingdom’s delegation.”

* * *

Catherine returned from the Empress’s Palace and sobbed while hugging Emilia.

It had already been three hours.

“How did I, how did I! End up accepting such a proposal!”

“Weren’t you the one who used to gush about how handsome The King of Adamant was? Why are you reacting like this now?”

“Just looking at his face is different from having to host him myself!”

“Then you should have refused.”

I responded to her words while organizing Edwin’s clothes.

“Couldn’t you refuse The Empress’s request?”

“Of course not!”

Catherine rubbed her face against Emilia’s hair and sniffled.

“And everyone was glaring at me like ‘just do it yourself,’ so how could I refuse in that situation!”

The Maid Captain’s tears and snot dampened the princess’s hair.

Emilia looked at me with an awkward expression.

“Neitche, Catherine keeps crying. What should we do?”

“Just leave her be. Adults will stop on their own.”

Catherine heard my words and shouted angrily.

“Caretaker, that’s too much! So cold!”

“Woo, adults are pitiful.”

“That’s right, Your Highness. Only Your Highness pities this Catherine!”

“But Catherine is an adult, so stop crying now.”

“Huuuk! I don’t want to cry but tears keep coming! We’re already short-staffed, and they won’t give us more personnel but tell us to welcome Adamant Kingdom – what are we supposed to do…”

It would be more efficient to hurry with preparations for receiving guests instead of crying like that.

Well, she’ll figure it out.

I finished organizing and opened the door.

“There’s only a week left, so you’ll have to work hard if you don’t want to be criticized, Housekeeper.”

Catherine heard my words and suddenly stopped crying, reaching her hand toward me.

“Caretaker! You’ll help too, right? Right?”

“I have to assist His Highness the Prince, so I’ll be going now.”

I left the room, leaving behind the screaming Catherine.

‘The Founding Festival. Has it already come to that?’

It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long since I opened my eyes in the Imperial Palace.

‘I was trying to find clues about the organization before the Founding Festival.’

Previously, I had paid as much as 5 nomas to a back alley information broker to investigate ‘Ian Angel.’ However, unfortunately, there were no results.

‘Does it make sense that he disappeared without a trace after the day I died?’

Ian Angel’s whereabouts had been completely cut off since the day ‘Kayla Angel’ died.

Even the information broker sent a letter saying this was the first time he’d seen such a case and that he could no longer continue the investigation.

‘But I can’t give up.’

If he wasn’t dead, I would be able to find him.

If he was dead, I intended to at least find his corpse.

I readjusted Edwin’s clothes in my hands.

‘…Time really flies.’

Through the window, I could see fresh green foliage so vivid it was dazzling to the eyes.

It was already summer.

* * *

The week passed in an instant.

During that time, Edwin focused on evasion training with me.

Because once Adamant Kingdom’s delegation arrived, he wouldn’t be able to practice.

‘Not bad.’

I crossed my arms and recalled Edwin’s training.

Unlike before, the boy’s movements were incredibly fast and light.

At times like this, his smaller stature compared to adults actually became an advantage.

‘His stamina has improved a lot, and his appetite has gotten better too.’

The improved appetite was probably due to the rigorous training.

Thanks to that, the person with more work was none other than Catherine.

“You have great foresight, Caretaker.”

Catherine, sitting next to me, was altering the hem of the pants Edwin would wear during the Founding Festival.

She bit the thread to cut it and smiled.

“You deliberately asked the tailor to make the pants with extra length in the hem. Thanks to that, we only need to alter the hem like this – you don’t know how fortunate that is.”

Originally, it was standard practice to make royal ceremonial clothes to fit perfectly.

The reason was that it looked better and more dignified that way.

“Princess Emilia should hurry up and grow big too. I thought she had grown a lot, but I was flustered when her clothing size hadn’t changed at all.”

“Everyone grows at their own pace.”

“That’s true. Prince Edwin didn’t grow much until last year either, but this year he’s been growing by leaps and bounds every month – it was quite a surprise.”

Because of that, I had deliberately requested that all of Edwin’s clothes be made with extra length in the sleeves and hems.

As Catherine said, the boy’s growth rate was extraordinary.

“When I first met His Highness, he only came up to my waist, but now the top of his head reaches my shoulders, you know?”

“It’s his growth period. It’s natural.”

“But before, he was so small that I worried when he would ever grow.”

“That was what was strange.”

“True.”

Catherine spread out Edwin’s altered pants and smiled.

“I wonder if my younger brother has grown this much too.”

“You have a younger brother?”

“I have six siblings. Four younger brothers and two younger sisters.”

She poured out family stories without being asked.

“My younger sisters are quite sharp, but my younger brothers are nothing but troublemakers. I’m really worried about them. Do you know what mischief-makers they are? One time, one of them was nowhere to be seen all day, so the whole family went out looking for him, and we found him sleeping with a calf in someone else’s barn. Really strange…”

Was it pleasant just to recall these memories?

Catherine’s face lit up brightly as she talked about her siblings.

“But why don’t you go home? You even returned your last vacation.”

“Pardon?”

“You love your siblings so much, yet it’s strange that you don’t visit home.”

Catherine let out an “Ah” and shook her head slightly.

“There’s no one else to earn money if not me. My father doesn’t work.”

“Your mother is…”

“My mother is in poor health. She’s bedridden almost all day. But my siblings take good care of her, so I’m not anxious about it.”

The young siblings took care of nursing their mother, while Catherine earned money for their mother’s medicine.

That seemed to be the tacit division of roles in Catherine’s family.

“And I’m quite stubborn, more than I look, you know?”

Catherine smiled as she tucked her fallen bangs behind her ear.

She acted nonchalant, but it was a smile that seemed troubled.

“When I go home, I fight with my father every day, and the sparks fly to my siblings too. So it’s better not to go.”

I looked at Catherine without saying anything.

Then Catherine made a fist as if telling me not to worry.

“Don’t worry! We still exchange letters frequently! And later when I get married, I’ll bring my mother and siblings all to The Imperial Capital. For now, I think it’s fortunate enough that we’re all doing well.”

“Catherine’s siblings are lucky.”

“Pardon?”

“To have someone like you as their sister.”

For a moment, Catherine’s eyes wavered.

Then the awkward smile that seemed about to disappear suddenly changed into a bright smile.

“My goodness, hearing such words from The Caretaker makes me so happy I could fly!”

“I didn’t say it to make you feel good, I just said what I felt.”

“Yes, I’m sure you did.”

Catherine kept grinning and then tilted her head.

“Come to think of it, do you get along well with your family, Caretaker?”

Family.

I lowered my eyes.

If we only call those connected by blood family, then I had no family.

‘There was something like family though.’

When I was young, there was Emma, and when I grew a little, there were my colleagues.

And until just before I died, I thought Ian was like family to me.

‘But I was betrayed in the end.’

Perhaps one cannot become family with others who aren’t blood relatives after all.

Were Ian and I destined to never be together forever?

– I love you, Kayla.

A voice left in the past echoed like a hallucination.

My mouth tasted bitter beyond bitter.

So much so that my brow furrowed for a moment.

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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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