APNSA 02

Chapter 2

 I’m a Nanny? A Nanny?! (2)

I had lived a life completely without any contact with children.

Because of my confused mind, I was now dizzy.

‘Anyway, if she was recommended to be hired here, she must be a noble lady.’

I formed my first hypothesis about Rachel Brown, then erased it.

At least as far as I knew, there was no noble family in the Empire with the surname “Brown.”

After all, “Brown” was not a name nobles would normally use.

A noble surname had to sound beautiful and carry grand meaning.

‘If not, then she’s just some insignificant girl from a poor household.’

Most likely, this woman belonged to the latter category.

Even if she was a maid, a daughter of a noble house would not be wearing such worn-out clothes.

At that moment, as if waiting for it, a sharp headache struck me.

A familiar voice, chillingly clear, echoed in my ears.

— Then think about it carefully while you still can. Why I am doing this.

The existence of “him” that I had forgotten came back vividly.

— From the other world.

It felt like I had swallowed burning charcoal.

Something in my chest began to burn, as if that damned flame that once devoured my body was now burning my heart again.

“…Ian.”

I shouldn’t have said it.

I should never have spoken the name of the bastard who killed me.

The flames in my chest spread into my eyes.

Hot tears flowed down my face.

“Neiche, are you crying? Does it hurt?”

At that moment, the ball of fluff—no, the child called Her Highness Emilia—hugged my lap.

“Neiche, don’t hurt! Hwaaeeeng—!”

“No, wait…”

The princess suddenly burst into loud tears.

Seeing the princess crying because of me, I felt helpless.

I carefully placed my hand on Emilia’s messy, tangled hair.

I had no memory of ever comforting a child before, so I was awkward.

“…Please stop crying.”

I gently stroked her soft, cotton-like hair.

I wondered if this would work—but luckily, it did.

As soon as I patted her head, Emilia stopped crying.

“Mm, then Neiche won’t cry too?”

“Yes. I will not cry either.”

“Then Ria won’t cry either!”

The princess wiped her tears bravely and pressed her lips together.

Watching her, my mind strangely cleared.

Yes. I had died and come back to life. What mattered now was not emotions like this.

I clenched both fists and remembered his words.

— Burn it. So not even ashes remain.

Ian wanted me to disappear without even ashes left.

But contrary to his wish, my soul had returned, inhabiting another body.

‘Wait for me, Ian.’

I gritted my teeth as I pictured the face of the lover who had stabbed me in the back.

‘Whatever the reason.’

For a traitor, there is only death.

I recalled the rules of my organization and tightened my resolve.

‘I will never forgive you.’

The day I opened my eyes in the body of a royal nanny—once the leader of the continent’s top assassination group—

I decided I would live this second life only for revenge.

“Neiche, Neiche.”

While I was silently burning with revenge, Emilia tugged at my skirt.

“Big brother ran away. Find him.”

Big brother? Ah, right. The head maid said to find “His Highness Edwin.”

“Do you mean Prince Edwin?”

I lowered my tone, remembering the child’s status as a princess.

“Yes! Big brother’s name is Edwin!”

I nodded, then frowned slightly.

‘Wait, do I even need to stay here?’

Escaping the imperial palace was not difficult for me.

I knew more than five secret exits in the palace.

‘But even if I leave now, I can’t guarantee I’ll find Ian.’

I didn’t even know how much time had passed since my death, and I had no money.

Going out blindly would be foolish.

‘This body isn’t trained like before. If I act recklessly, I might die a second time.’

I looked at the young princess, Emilia, and made a decision.

For now, I would have to live as this ridiculous “nanny.”

With a solemn expression, I opened the door.

The moment my new life truly began.

Finding the prince was easier than expected.

Emilia knew where he was.

“Are you sure it’s there?”

“Yes! Ed brother always plays there!”

As the small Emilia followed behind me, I found her slow pace annoying and lifted her into my arms.

‘So light.’

She was as light as if she would be blown away by the wind.

A sweet scent came from the top of her head.

‘Is she cotton candy instead of hair?’

The cotton-candy-like princess wrapped her arms around my neck and laughed happily.

“Neiche, high!”

So cheerful for no reason.

Ignoring her playing with my hair, I kept walking.

‘Come to think of it, what kind of person was Edwin?’

Even though I had entered the palace many times before my death, I had never been to the Third Prince’s palace.

‘Now that I think about it…’

The palace surrounded by arched corridors was large, but empty.

It felt… hollow.

‘Right, I’m remembering now.’

As I looked at the empty palace, information about the Third Prince came back.

Edwin Anaxinian Ventrum, Third Prince of the Ventrum Empire.

‘A discarded child.’

He was the only son of Emperor Calvelius III and Third Consort Edith Lionel.

But Consort Edith had died three years ago.

She died from heavy bleeding during childbirth—probably right after giving birth to Emilia.

She left behind nothing for her children.

‘It couldn’t be helped.’

She was from another country and had no support in the empire.

She had basically been sent here as a political hostage.

The Lionel Kingdom likely couldn’t care less either.

Thus, the Third Prince Edwin and First Princess Emilia became children with no presence.

As if they had never existed at all.

That was all I knew about Edwin.

‘No wonder my memory was fuzzy. He was that insignificant.’

In any place, servants suffer the most under powerless masters.

Staying here too long would only bring hardship.

‘Better to leave as soon as possible.’

While thinking, I arrived at the rear garden of a detached building.

‘Something’s off.’

I couldn’t find the prince anywhere.

Frowning, I scanned the area and closed my eyes.

I focused all my senses.

Then I felt noise from outside the wall.

I quickly moved toward it.

“This is…”

In the corner of the rear garden wall,

there was a poorly hidden patch of bushes.

But my eyes were not deceived.

I pulled the bushes aside.

A small hole in the wall was revealed.

The grass around it was flattened.

Clear signs that either a small animal or a child had passed through.

If the prince wasn’t in the garden, he must have escaped through this hole.

‘No choice.’

I set Emilia down.

“Neiche?”

“Your Highness, please stay here quietly. Do you understand?”

“Quietly?”

Emilia fiddled with her fingers, confused.

“Ria is hungry.”

Right, she had said that since we first met.

I was also troubled, but there was no choice.

I couldn’t take a young princess outside.

And if it was discovered that the prince had left his palace without attendants, there would be chaos.

I had to find him quickly.

“I will return shortly. Please wait here.”

“Mm, okay. But come back fast!”

I nodded lightly instead of answering.

Then I took a breath.

And kicked off the ground, leaping over the wall.

“Neiche! Amazing!”

Emilia’s voice came from behind.

Thankfully, this new body wasn’t bad physically.

Just as I brushed my hands off and turned—

I felt a gaze.

A hidden but persistent gaze.

Not hostile, but not pleasant either.

I quickly turned my head.

But it was already gone.

‘Was I imagining it?’

I narrowed my eyes and started moving—

“Give it back!”

A sudden shout came from the opposite direction.

A child’s voice.

The source of the noise was the imperial stables near the Third Prince’s palace.

“Give it back! Give it back!”

About twenty steps away, under the wooden roof of a stable,

a group of large boys was surrounding a small child.

“I said give it back!”

“Givvv it~ givvv it back~”

They seemed to be enjoying teasing the child.

Their clothes suggested they were not low-status.

‘Big bodies, but young faces. Nobles? Or attendants?’

While I was thinking, I noticed an odd figure among them.

‘Found him.’

Third Prince Edwin.

Right there—the boy I was looking for.