The Prince’s Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 154

Chapter 154. An Unexpected Gift (2)

Wait, I asked for information. What was this sudden talk of a gift?

And a gift in return for Emilia’s? What on earth was he planning to send in return for that stuffed rabbit?

[Well, I should be going. I have to clear my backlog of state affairs if I’m to attend the subjugation.]

“No, Your Majesty. Just a….”

[I hope you like the gift. Until next time.]

He cut off the call without waiting for a reply.

“…Seriously, what is wrong with that man?”

All I could do was stare at the now-dark orb and mutter to myself.

***

‘I’m sure it was only the day before yesterday that he said he’d send a gift.’

Amazingly, the gift Kayden promised arrived at the Third Prince’s palace just two days later.

“Good heavens, what is all this?”

Catherine covered her mouth as she watched the endless procession of gifts entering the palace.

“I was wondering the same thing.”

Holding Emilia in one arm, I watched the gift boxes being stacked neatly in her room.

‘Ha. A gift?’

Calling the long procession of offerings from Adamant merely a “gift” was quite a stretch.

‘Isn’t this more of a gift bombardment?’

Before long, Emilia’s room was so full of boxes piled almost to the ceiling that there was nowhere to step.

‘I thought it might cause problems if the new kingdom attracting the most attention on the continent sent this many gifts to the Third Prince’s palace.’

I glanced at the letter in Catherine’s hand.

‘To think he’d send them openly through the Empress.’

The pretext was quite convincing.

The King of Adamant was deeply pleased with the generous hospitality he received while staying at the Third Prince’s palace during the Founding Festival, and sent the gifts as a token of his thanks.

‘And since every last gift is something for a little girl, there’s no reason for anyone to get suspicious.’

Once the long procession ended, Catherine and the maids busied themselves sorting the gifts.

“These are all Lia’s? Really?”

“Yes. His Majesty the King of Adamant sent them for you, Princess Emilia.”

“His Majesty? My friend?”

There was quite a difference in both age and size for them to be friends.

But what did it matter? Emilia herself said he was her friend.

“Eeeee!”

Emilia squealed with delight and jumped out of my arms. Her face alight with excitement, she darted among the gifts.

“Catherin, Nayche! Look at this! There are so many dresses!”

Inside one large box were dozens of lavish dresses that looked as though they’d been made to fit the princess perfectly.

And that wasn’t all. Box after box was filled with matching shoes and jeweled accessories.

‘How on earth did he find out the princess’s measurements?’

Frowning, I sorted through her new dresses. The dresses in another box were slightly larger.

Apparently, he’d even taken into account how quickly young children grew.

“Good heavens, this would easily last Princess Emilia half a year, even if she wore a new dress every day!”

“Oh, there’s a card in here!”

One of the maids handed over a small card from a box of clothes.

A short message was written on it in bold, sweeping handwriting.

[Fashions change quickly, so please wear these to your heart’s content instead of saving them. I’ll send more another time.]

“Oh, my. Could His Majesty have written this himself?”

“Goodness, how thoughtful of him. Women’s clothes certainly do go out of fashion quickly. To think he’d even consider that!”

“He may be a little frightening, but he really is a good man.”

The maids gushed over the card they presumed Kayden had sent.

‘Well.’

I raised an eyebrow as I surveyed the gift boxes piled all around us.

‘He certainly isn’t stingy.’

Sometimes, wealthy people of high standing would ruthlessly haggle down our fees.

It left a bitter taste in my mouth every time.

‘At least Kayden doesn’t seem to be that sort.’

He’d readily given Edwin a fine sword and an expensive bow. And now he’d sent Emilia gifts so extravagant that I wondered whether he’d bought out an entire luxury goods shop.

‘Perhaps a man who founded a kingdom really does think on a different scale.’

Whatever the case, he didn’t seem to be a miser, and I liked that about him.

That didn’t mean I liked Kayden himself, though.

“Whine, whine.”

For a moment, I thought a stray puppy had wandered into the room.

I lifted Emilia out of a box as big as she was, where she was wriggling about.

“Your Highness, what are you doing? Leave the sorting to the maids….”

“Lia wants to read this right nooow!”

“Hmm?”

The thing Emilia was struggling to pull out was a thick book.

I didn’t remember seeing any books on the gift inventory.

‘Anything that isn’t on the list should be prohibited from entering.’

The book had a gold-embellished cover and was quite thick, but small in size.

It must’ve been buried beneath the dresses, allowing it to escape the inspector’s notice.

“Lia wants to read this before bed! Read it to me, Achel!”

“All right, all right. Please calm down.”

Holding Emilia under one arm, I pulled out the book.

‘A storybook?’

Since it wasn’t on the inventory, I opened it for a quick look, just in case it contained anything unsuitable for a child.

‘Hmm. Nothing out of the ordinary.’

It was a collection of fables without any particularly provocative content.

As I idly flipped through it, something felt off.

‘What is it?’

I leafed through the book several times before realizing what was bothering me.

‘The pages vary slightly in thickness.’

About fifteen sheets were noticeably thicker than the others. As though someone had deliberately glued two sheets of paper together.

“…Princess Emilia.”

After studying the book closely, I tucked it against my chest.

“I’ll keep this with me, then, and read it to you tonight.”

“Okay! Good!”

With Emilia’s permission secured, there was nothing stopping me.

I spent the rest of the day helping the maids sort the gifts and looking after the imperial siblings as usual.

“Now, then.”

At last, the sun set, and night deepened.

I read Emilia a few fables from the book.

Then, as soon as she fell asleep, I took it back to my room.

“Shall we have a look?”

Riiip, riiip, rip.

Without hesitation, I tore out the suspiciously thick pages.

‘It wasn’t two sheets stuck together. It was one sheet folded in half.’

The moment I unfolded the pages I tore out, I realized that the little princess wasn’t the only person Kayden had sent a gift to.

“Honestly.”

There were strange drawings on the folded portions of the paper.

At first, I couldn’t make out what they depicted, but once I unfolded all fifteen sheets and arranged them together, their purpose became clear.

“…Is he toying with me?”

The pages hidden inside the book fit together to form a tactical map for the upcoming subjugation.

‘Everything’s marked.’

The map distinguished not only the areas assigned to the princes, but also the rear areas assigned to the nobles.

It even detailed terrain features to watch out for and the types of monsters commonly found in each area, all in tiny, meticulous handwriting.

This was information only someone of a king’s standing, fighting at the forefront of the subjugation, could obtain.

‘It really was a gift.’

The young King of Adamant.

Kayden had sent me a true gift.

‘It’s certainly welcome.’

But I couldn’t simply be delighted.

I folded my arms, lost in thought.

‘Something’s strange. Why is he doing so much for us?’

Kayden would know better than anyone. The Kingdom of Lionel, which he destroyed, was the homeland of the Third Prince and his sister’s maternal family.

‘Even if the plan is for me to help him, and for him to help me put Edwin on the throne….’

Was there any need to go this far?

He might’ve sent the gifts to conceal the map, but far too much care went into Emilia’s presents for them to be mere camouflage.

So much that it was hard to believe there wasn’t some other personal motive involved.

‘Honestly, he must’ve considered the possibility that Edwin won’t become emperor.’

Going all in on a single hand was foolish.

For the king of a nation to choose just one candidate for the next emperor was foolish, too.

‘Does he not care about the diplomatic consequences?’

He should be cultivating ties with the other princes in case one of them became emperor.

I couldn’t understand why he favored the Third Prince so openly.

“…Well, I suppose that’s none of my concern.”

Right now, I wasn’t in a position to be choosy.

‘I don’t know what Kayden is thinking.’

But to protect Edwin and help him stand out in the upcoming subjugation, I had to use everything at my disposal.

‘Whatever happens, I’ll do things my way.’

I carefully folded the map and tucked it inside my clothes.

Making the same resolve as always.

***

It was an imperial banquet like any other.

Emperor Cavelius III spoke at the dinner table where his sons were gathered.

“Today, I have an important announcement for my princes.”

Those few words changed the atmosphere in the dining room.

Tension crept into the eyes of Empress Melanie and First Prince Adrian, their faces as composed as ever, while Second Consort Helena and Second Prince Lloyd exchanged knowing smiles.

‘At last.’

Third Prince Edwin swallowed without realizing it.

“I’d like the princes to participate in the joint subjugation operation taking place in fifteen days.”

Emperor Cavelius III gave a meaningful smile at the three pairs of young eyes watching him.