Chapter 8
Where on earth did the idea come from that princes aren’t dirty?
Did that come out of his mouth or his ass? Is that why it doesn’t make any sense?
‘I suddenly want to just quit everything.’
On my second day as nanny, and I’m already thinking of quitting the job.
‘As expected, I’m not cut out for working with kids.’
With an expressionless face, I opened my mouth.
“No, Your Highness, you are dirty.”
At my words, shock stained Edwin’s eyes.
“W-what did you say?”
“You smell, too. Did you wash after coming back from the stables yesterday?”
“I-I did wash!”
That kid has no talent for lying.
Looking at his wavering gaze, I asked.
“Really? Your Highness, your scalp smells like horse dung.”
“What? Horse dung?”
“Yes, horse dung. It reeks terribly.”
Edwin grabbed his hair at my words and gaped.
He must have been pretty shocked to hear his scalp smelled like shit.
But despite the shock, he didn’t seem inclined to wash again.
‘In that case, I have no choice.’
With great reluctance, I decided to wash his face myself and dipped my hand into the water.
But the wash water was ice-cold.
The weather had warmed up, but mornings were still chilly—why use water this cold?
‘Did the prince order it?’
Washing with ice water in winter was a method assassins used to sharpen their senses deliberately.
‘It doesn’t make sense.’
And Edwin seemed somehow off.
He was avoiding my gaze, furtively checking for someone else’s eyes on him.
‘Hm?’
I quickly turned my head toward the maid who had brought the wash water.
When our eyes met, she smiled nonchalantly and held up a towel.
“Shall I bring the towel?”
What kind of nonsense is this?
‘Does she really not know? Or is she pretending?’
In times like this, as the nanny, I should say something.
In a calm tone, I ordered the maid.
“Your Highness’s wash water is too cold. Bring warm water.”
“Huh? No way. I brought warm water.”
“I just put my finger in, and it was cold.”
“Then it must have cooled off in the meantime.”
The maid made a bored face, as if annoyed.
“And His Highness said he’d already finished washing his face, so do I have to fetch new water again?”
I frowned at the maid’s response.
A prince’s nanny makes a request, and this maid dares to argue back.
‘The hierarchy here is a total mess.’
Meanwhile, the maid was still smiling at me.
“Nanny?”
Only then did I read the intent in her eyes.
‘So what? What are you gonna do about it? You don’t care about the prince either, right?’
She seemed convinced I was the same type as her.
‘What a load of crap.’
I smiled back at her, who was still grinning.
Splash—
And without hesitation, I dumped the prince’s wash water over her.
“Kyaaah!”
The maid shrieked as the cold water hit her out of nowhere.
Startled awake by the shrill scream, Emilia rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up.
“Ugh, what? Are we playing with water? Lia wants to play with water toooo.”
No one could laugh at the little imperial princess’s cute words.
The maid just clutched her arms, shivering, and stared at me.
“W-what is this…?”
“How is it?”
Still smiling at her, I asked in return.
“Do you think it’s possible for the warm water you just brought to cool this much in such a short time?”
The maid looked at me with eyes full of terror.
“Don’t make me tell you twice next time.”
I thrust the basin at her like I was throwing it and said firmly.
“Bring new water. This time, it has to be truly warm.”
“Y-yes!”
The maid had no room to refuse my demand.
With tears in her eyes, she ran out like she was fleeing.
I watched her pathetic retreating figure with pitiful eyes.
At that moment, I felt a burning gaze from below.
The owner of that gaze was the prince, Edwin.
He was gaping up at me in a daze.
“Why are you doing that?”
At my question, Edwin eyed me silently.
From his reaction, he seemed a bit scared of my actions.
It was unexpected.
I’d thought he had no fear, mewling like a stray kitten.
‘Turns out he mewls like that because he’s actually quite timid.’
I knelt down and brushed the water from the prince’s damp bangs.
“Your Highness, if something like this happens again, tell the Head Maid. Things like this don’t resolve if you just stay quiet.”
At my words, the prince’s eyes widened.
He stared at me fixedly, then soon lowered his gaze.
“…What’s the point of telling that witch? She always takes the maids’ side.”
Edwin muttered in a weary voice that didn’t suit his age.
“It’s so tiresome.”
Looking at the top of his head, I narrowed my eyes.
What on earth had happened to this young boy to make him wear such a dark expression?
‘Even if he’s a mutt, he’s still the emperor’s son.’
I couldn’t understand at all why a prince born of the noblest blood had the same face as some street urchin.
“It wasn’t like this when Emma was here.”
I hesitated momentarily at the familiar name that slipped from the prince’s mouth.
Emma, the previous nanny who had recommended me.
‘Of all names, it has to be the same as that woman.’
Recalling a certain lady, I asked indifferently.
“Then has she quit now?”
“No.”
I looked up at his suddenly cold, sunken voice.
Before I knew it, Edwin’s face was right in front of mine.
His pale blue eyes looked somehow shattered.
“She died.”
The words from the child’s mouth were too vivid for a kid.
But his expression seemed utterly indifferent, excessively so.
As if he knew exactly what death was.
“Because of me.”
My mouth fell open slightly at the words that followed.
“I-I brought it!”
Just then, the maid came in with the wash water.
Steam was rising moderately from the basin she carried.
At least she got the point.
I held out the newly fetched warm water to him.
“This time, do it properly.”
Edwin, who had been wearing a serious face moments ago, scowled fiercely at the sight of the wash water.
Then, obediently, he dipped his hands in.
I thought he was surprisingly compliant without complaint, but no.
Splash, splash.
He was still doing his cat wash.
…It seemed he just didn’t want to wash, regardless of the water temperature.
Finally losing patience, I placed Emilia on the bed and rolled up my sleeves.
“W-what!”
“Pardon the intrusion, Your Highness.”
After politely asking permission, I grabbed the nape of his neck.
“Let go! What is this, pu-pu-pupu!”
“You scrub like this! Scrub, scrub!”
“Ubububu!”
Without giving him a chance to speak, I rubbed his face with my palm.
“Since you’re already wet, let me wash your hair too.”
“Buuaaack!”
Thanks to that, Edwin ended up completely clean, even his hair.
But he looked shocked, like he’d been swindled.
“Nanny! Lia too! Lia wants water play! Do it for me!”
I picked up Lia, who was clinging to me, and handed Edwin a towel.
“Dry off.”
The boy who took the towel had his face flushed with humiliation and mortification.
Edwin ground his teeth and glared at me.
As expected, after that, Edwin started ignoring me like he was getting revenge.
“You should wear this one.”
“No! I don’t like it!”
“Then what will you wear?”
“I’ll wear yesterday’s!”
Edwin insisted on wearing the clothes he’d rolled around in at the stables yesterday, despite my suggestions for new ones.
“…Just wear this.”
“No! I don’t like it!”
“Then I’ll have them bring another…”
“I said I’ll wear yesterday’s!”
Whose stubbornness did he inherit to be this strong?
Edwin hugged the dirty clothes and shook his head.
‘No helping it.’
I brought my lips close to the still-fussy prince’s ear.
“If you don’t change into new clothes, I’ll run to the Head Maid and tell her everything that happened yesterday.”
“W-what?”
“If that’s what you want.”
At my words, Edwin yelled as if wronged.
“You said you weren’t on that witch’s side! You liar!”
“I’ve never lied. As your nanny, I can’t let Your Highness wander around in such a filthy state.”
“Eeeeek!”
As Edwin tried to throw the clothes in anger, the imperial princess intervened.
“Oppa, that one is prettier!”
At his little sister’s words, Edwin finally gave in and changed into the new clothes bit by bit.
He ignores me completely, but changes at his sister’s one word.
Edwin seemed to cherish his little sister far more than I’d thought.
“Nanny.”
Then, Emilia, who had been quietly in my arms, whispered in my ear.
“Lia did good, so give candy!”
Whether it was fortune or misfortune for him that his adorable little sister was more clever than expected, I wouldn’t know.
* * *
I took the groomed siblings down to the dining room.
The meal was already prepared on the table.
‘What a feast.’
White bread, some unnamed fish dish, roasted chicken, colorful fruits.
A luxurious spread that commoners could hardly even glimpse in a lifetime.
But the prince just poked at his food half-heartedly and soon set down his fork.
“I’m done eating.”
Looking closely, his plate was piled high only with vegetables.
“Food is precious. Eat as much as you can while you can.”
Edwin made a dissatisfied face at the nagging.
“Vegetables taste bad.”
Eating food for taste? As long as it wasn’t rotten or poisoned, wasn’t that enough?
The picky eater looked novel in my eyes.
Well, I didn’t care if the prince starved or burst from overeating.
But I had my duty as nanny.
To take ‘good’ care of the imperial prince.
“Then, Your Highness, how about a bet with me?”
“A bet?”
Edwin furrowed his brow at the sudden proposal.
“Yes. How about a bet where the loser eats all the remaining vegetables?”
