Chapter 20
“Ray-che?”
Emilia sat up reflexively as she called the nanny’s name.
As if she had been waiting, the door opened.
“You really haven’t gone to sleep yet.”
Rachel stood there in her nightgown, holding a lantern.
“Ray-che—!”
With tears hanging in her eyes, Emilia threw herself into the folds of her skirt.
“The light seemed to have gone out, so I came to check.”
Rachel scooped up Emilia, who had clung to her, and walked over to the bed.
She set the Imperial Princess down on the bed and transferred the flame to the lantern in the room.
“Lia didn’t put it out. It was already out when Lia woke up.”
“It’s such a stormy night. The wind must have blown it out.”
Rachel checked the gap at the window and secured the latch even more tightly.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
“Yes, Ray-che!”
Emilia grabbed hold of the nanny, who was trying to leave the room right after finishing her task.
“What’s the matter?”
“Ray-che, Lia’s scared……”
Before Emilia could even finish her words.
Rumble—
The thunder crashed once more, and the young Imperial Princess finally burst into loud sobs.
“Lia’s scared—! Lia hates lightning—!”
“Then, if you’ll excuse me for a moment.”
With her reply, Rachel casually climbed up onto the bed.
She settled into the spot right next to the Imperial Princess and lay down.
Emilia gazed at her nanny with a puzzled expression.
“Ray-che?”
“I’ll stay by your side until the thunder passes.”
Rachel drew the Imperial Princess into her arms and pulled the blanket all the way up over their heads.
“This way, the sound will be a little less loud.”
Emilia’s eyes went wide.
Sure enough, the thunder sounded quieter than before.
“How does it feel?”
“Mm, it sounds smaller.”
“Not scared anymore?”
“Mm, just a little scared.”
Emilia stared fixedly at the nanny lying next to her.
She couldn’t make out her face in the darkness, but she could hear her breathing and feel her warmth.
Somehow, it felt snug and secure.
Emilia fidgeted with her fingers.
It was so strange.
How could the exact same darkness feel so cozy?
‘Emma did this too.’
Emilia thought of her previous nanny, who was no longer with them.
Even though she hadn’t been allowed to light the lamp, whenever the weather turned foul at night, she had always held her close and sung lullabies until she fell asleep.
Unconsciously, the young Imperial Princess burrowed deeper into Rachel’s embrace.
Her whole body went rigid at the small warmth nestling against her.
“Ray-che.”
“…Yes.”
“Is Ray-che not scared?”
“Of what?”
“Of the dark and the thunder.”
“I’m not scared.”
The nanny added in a flat, emotionless voice.
“Because it all passes by.”
“Passes by?”
The night passes, and morning comes. The thunder fades, and a clear sky appears.
Just like always.
“So I’m not scared.”
Rachel carefully stroked Emilia’s soft locks of hair.
“Your Highness has no reason to fear things like this either. They’ll pass soon enough.”
“Mm.”
It’ll pass soon. This frightening darkness, this thunder that screams like a wail.
Emilia repeated the nanny’s words to herself in her mind and let her eyes drift half-closed.
Now that she felt reassured, sleepiness came rushing in. It might have been because of the pleasant floral scent wafting from Rachel.
“Mmm, then what scares Ray-che?”
“Me?”
“Mm.”
Rachel fell silent for a long while.
She gazed steadily at the Imperial Princess, who was blinking sleepily as if she would nod off any moment.
“…Who knows.”
Between the distant rumbles of thunder.
The nanny said nothing more.
Her gaze remained fixed on the face of the soundly sleeping Imperial Princess.
The stormy night was drifting past.
* * *
After getting through that stormy night, Emilia clung to me even more tightly.
“Ray-che, play with Lia!”
“Ray-che, eat with Lia!”
“Ray-che, carry Lia on your back!”
Her spoiled antics had only gotten worse, of course.
“Ray-che, tell me an old story!”
“It’s late, so how about going to sleep now, Your Highness?”
“If you tell Lia a story, Lia will sleep well.”
The young Imperial Princess pulled the silk blanket up to her chin, her eyes shining brightly.
Looks like she wasn’t going to bed on time tonight either.
I sighed inwardly, and Edwin, sitting nearby, piped up.
“Just tell her one. It’s not a big deal.”
Ever since hearing about what happened on the stormy night, Edwin had been staying by his sister’s side until she fell asleep before heading back to his own room.
He really doted on his little sister, that one.
“What kind of story would you like?”
“Tell me a princess story!”
A princess wanting to hear a story about princesses.
I just couldn’t wrap my head around it.
“Aren’t you a princess yourself, Your Highness?”
“Lia’s not a princess. Lia’s an Imperial Princess.”
Wasn’t that basically the same thing? This was tricky.
I lapsed into thought.
‘A princess story, though.’
What on earth should I tell her?
All the princesses I’d ever encountered fell into one of two types.
The ones who asked me to kill their political rivals. The ones who asked me to kill their husbands.
But could I really tell stories like that to a little kid who wasn’t even ten years old yet?
“Another princess story?”
At that moment, Edwin frowned and scolded his sister.
“Aren’t you sick of princess stories yet, Lia?”
“Nope! Does Oppa hate princesses?”
“…Yeah.”
“Why? Why do you hate princesses? Princesses are pretty and kind!”
“They’re weak.”
It was as if he were thinking of someone in particular.
Edwin’s voice grew quieter.
“I hate weak things.”
“Then does Oppa hate Lia too?”
Emilia looked up at Edwin with disappointed eyes.
“Lia’s weak too.”
“Dummy. You’re still a baby, so of course you’re weak.”
Edwin gave his sister’s nose a light pinch and grinned.
“And I’ll protect you, so it’s fine.”
“Right! Oppa’s an Imperial Prince! Imperial Princes are the strongest in the whole world!”
“You just now realizing that?”
They were having fun, those two.
Edwin, who couldn’t even beat a single squire— who was he planning to protect?
“Then who protects Imperial Prince Your Highness?”
“Huh? Well, that’s……”
Edwin faltered at my question, seemingly at a loss for words.
Then, instead, he got huffy and raised his voice.
“You do! You’re my nanny!”
I froze for the briefest instant.
“Your Highness.”
“What! What is it! Got something to complain about?”
“You shouldn’t rely on others to protect you. You need to know how to protect yourself.”
Edwin’s eyes widened at my words.
Then all of a sudden, he started chewing on his lower lip and furrowing his brow.
“What’s that supposed to mean? So you’re saying you won’t protect me?”
“Of course not. It’s only natural for me, your nanny, to protect Your Highness.”
“But?”
“I can’t stay glued to Your Highness’s side every hour of every day, though.”
“That’s—!”
Edwin started to say something but clamped his mouth shut.
He shot me a resentful glare, then turned his head away.
“Hmph. Nagging me over one little joke. I can protect myself just fine!”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah!”
He practically shouted at me, thoroughly sulky.
“I get by just fine without anyone protecting me!”
“That’s a relief, then.”
I extinguished the lantern sitting by their bedside.
“Now it really is time to sleep.”
“Eeeeng! What about the princess story?”
“Ah, the princess.”
Come to think of it, I had agreed to tell a princess story.
I glanced at the moon rising outside the window and bent at the waist.
“It’s far too late. Both Your Highnesses should get some sleep.”
“Aaaah—! Ray-che, you said you’d tell the princess story!”
Emilia whined, but I had no choice.
I couldn’t very well tell her the story of an enraged princess who commissioned the assassination of her adulterous husband and his lover maid.
“Instead, tomorrow I’ll have the head maid come. She’ll know way more fun stories than I do.”
“Really? Catherine’s gonna tell stories?”
“Yes.”
Well, I hadn’t cleared it with her yet, but she’d say yes if I asked.
Sorry, Catherine, but it couldn’t be helped.
Otherwise, I’d be stuck wringing out random stories until Emilia finally dozed off.
“Then, good night.”
At any rate, today’s nanny duties had come to a safe end.
Now it was time for me.
* * *
“Nanny, didn’t you sleep well last night?”
Catherine gave me a worried look as I kept yawning nonstop.
“Yeah, something like that.”
I clamped a hand over my mouth to stifle the yawns escaping nonstop.
To think I’d been training alone in my room and hadn’t even noticed dawn breaking.
‘Guess I don’t have any spare time either.’
If I ever wanted to venture outside and uncover the reason for my death, I had to make this body at least somewhat useful.
‘The problem is, even the same training yields no results—the body just won’t keep up.’
Back in my previous life, I’d been born with a natural martial constitution.
But trying to do assassin-level training now, in the body of an ordinary woman? It was enough to kill me.
“I didn’t sleep very soundly.”
“Shall I brew you some herbal tea to help with deep sleep?”
“No, I’m fine.”
I rubbed my bleary eyes and waved her off.
Catherine watched me for a moment, then planted her hands on her hips.
“This won’t do. Go lie down and catch at least thirty minutes of rest.”
“Huh?”
“Nanny, your eyes aren’t even focusing right now. How are you supposed to look after Their Highnesses in that state? Right?”
She shoved me away without ceremony.
“I’ll watch over Their Highnesses for a bit, so go rest.”
“But still……”
I didn’t like foisting my duties off on someone else.
I hesitated for a moment.
Emilia and Edwin were chattering away happily over breakfast.
Just a short break shouldn’t be a problem.
‘There are plenty of people around to watch them anyway.’
Unable to resist the siren call of sleep, I finally accepted Catherine’s offer.
“Then I’ll leave them in your hands for just a moment.”
“Sure thing. Don’t worry about it.”
I tried to slip away quietly, but the children turned to look my way.
Those bright, sparkling eyes made my heart twinge uncomfortably for no reason.
“You haven’t even finished eating yet.”
Edwin scowled, displeased at my attempt to leave.
“Your Highness, it seems the nanny had a restless night. Perhaps she should take a short rest?”
“Restless night?”
He flicked his eyes toward me in reproach.
“You went to bed early yesterday—what did you do that kept you from sleeping?”
