APNSA 07

 The Prince and the Nanny (1)

“Childcare is definitely hard labor.”

I closed the door and sighed.

“Or is that brat just unusual?”

Just thinking of that irritating prince made my blood pressure rise for no reason.

Instead of chasing after Edwin, who had run off with a bracelet, I had chosen to leave him alone.

But of all times, I got caught by the head maid for leaving Emilia alone.

The one who first found Emilia was the head maid—hiding in the kitchen, unable to endure her hunger and secretly stealing food.

• If I catch you neglecting your duties one more time, I will cut your pay. Understood?

Damn it.

To think I was being threatened with money by some ordinary person.

It hurt my pride, but there was nothing I could do.

I needed funds to escape this place, and every coin mattered.

In the end, I had to spend the entire day following the imperial siblings around.

Of course, Edwin would run away the moment he saw me, with a disgusted expression on his face.

I let out a deep sigh.

“I never thought I’d survive by working as a nanny.”

At the word “nanny,” old memories suddenly came back.

I was… Kailla Angel, an orphan.

I was born in an era where bloodshed never stopped because of monsters and barbarian raids.

Abandoned at birth, I spent seven years in an orphanage attached to a temple.

There, I met a woman.

A woman who called herself the mother of children like me who had lost their parents.

We called each other “family.”

But that peaceful life did not last long.

Even the temple could not escape the barbarian raids.

The temple burned, and the children were scattered. No one knew who lived or died.

Barely escaping with my life, I was captured by a strange slave trader.

That slave trader sold me at a high price to an assassination group called “Breath of the Angel.”

The reason was that, despite being malnourished, I had a better physique than others my age, which convinced the former leader.

My first memory there was the instructor ordering me to kill a puppy that hadn’t even opened its eyes yet.

After five years in the assassination group, I was finally allowed to leave.

And then, I met the woman who raised me again by chance.

She was still doing her role as the mother of orphaned children without homes.

Unlike me, who was too shocked to say anything, she hugged me tightly and cried.

• I’m glad you’re alive. Truly, I’m so glad, Kailla.

I couldn’t tell her what I had become in front of her.

After that reunion, I visited her whenever I could.

Being with her felt like returning home.

Even though someone like me, an orphan, had no real home.

But the former leader who had once marked me as a successor did not allow it.

• What use is talent if it’s defective?

He clicked his tongue, pointing a blade at my chest after I returned to the assassin group.

• You killed all the members I sent to kill that woman. Is she really your family or something?

I lowered my eyes instead of arguing.

• I will never meet that woman again. So please do not touch her.

• And do you think she would understand you? You, who have already become a murderer?

He looked at me, drenched in the blood of the other assassins, with pity.

• This is why women are no good. Too emotional.

He never took his disappointed eyes off me.

• Kailla, your weakness will kill you someday.

What did I answer back then?

I couldn’t remember clearly.

I only remember meeting that woman a few more times afterward.

As if fate disguised itself as coincidence.

A faint memory of her smiling with children flickered in my mind.

“Emma.”

I repeated her name in my head.

By now, she must be living peacefully with her real family in her hometown.

She deserved that much.

Sometimes, even the faint outline of a memory can bring comfort.

And with that thought, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

For once, a very deep sleep.

“…Damn it.”

Around the time dawn broke outside the window.

“So it wasn’t a dream after all.”

I sat up, staring at the ceiling that still felt unreal.

When I opened the window, cold air rushed in.

Outside, servants were already moving busily despite the early hour.

Watching such a normal scene made my heart strangely uneasy.

I had lived and died as an assassin.

My guilt toward killing had long faded, and I had never felt pride in life itself.

Maybe that was why.

Sometimes I wondered what it would have been like to live an ordinary life.

• More romantic than I expected, Kailla.

Ian’s words came back to me reflexively.

That bastard who killed me often called me “romantic.”

He also often said I didn’t fit being an assassin.

“I guess that’s why I liked him.”

When everyone said I was born to be an assassin,

only he told me I didn’t belong there.

I liked that about Ian. Probably.

“Though it’s pointless now.”

Shaking off useless memories, I turned around.

A neat dress hung on the wall as if waiting for me.

I had learned a few things while eavesdropping yesterday.

‘First, I died and was revived after one year.’

I had no idea why a year had passed.

I didn’t even understand how I had come back to life.

There must be a reason, but there was no way to find it now.

‘Second, the real Rachel Brown was brought in through the recommendation of the previous nanny.’

I couldn’t find out what happened to that previous nanny because no one would answer me.

Even mentioning the name “Mrs. Conrad” made people change the subject.

But I did learn that the real Rachel Brown had been close to the previous nanny.

‘Third, a foreign king and his delegation are visiting, so security is twice as strict as usual.’

I had planned to secretly move in and out to gather information about the organization and Ian.

But that would have to wait.

A king from a newly established kingdom was visiting with knights.

Why did it have to be now?

“Terrible timing.”

If I got caught climbing walls while a foreign king was visiting, I might be falsely accused and executed.

This body wasn’t bad physically, but compared to my old one, it was far inferior.

If I tried to escape clumsily, I could easily be executed.

‘I’ll have to lie low for now.’

I stared at the dress on the wall.

‘Fine. This isn’t childcare. It’s a mission.’

My assignment: nanny duty.

My clients: not one, but two.

A hot-tempered prince and a troublemaking princess.

‘Let’s endure it. It’s just a means to gather money.’

Once I had enough funds and regained strength, I would leave immediately.

Hoping for the day I could escape, I straightened my dress.

“Let’s go.”

After getting ready, I opened the door firmly.

The second day of being a nanny in the prince’s palace began.

Thanks to chasing the royal siblings all day yesterday,

fortunately, there was no problem finding the prince’s room.

I entered the room holding a still-sleepy Emilia, and Edwin looked at me in surprise.

“What are you doing here at this hour?”

His expression clearly said he never expected me to come this early to torment him.

I hadn’t expected a warm welcome, but his open annoyance irritated me.

“As a nanny, it’s natural for me to wake Your Highness.”

“Strange. You haven’t come at this hour even once in the past two weeks.”

The maid who entered with washing water also glanced at me curiously.

‘From their reaction, the real Rachel Brown probably wasn’t very good at this job either.’

I lowered my head to hide my embarrassment.

“I apologize. I was unfamiliar with this place and failed in my duties. I will correct it from now on…”

“Enough.”

He yawned lazily and got up from the bed.

It seemed he had given up on running away like yesterday.

“I’ll wash my face.”

Edwin stood in front of the basin with a half-asleep face.

Then he started doing something completely incomprehensible.

“What is he doing?”

He dipped only his fingertips into the water and rubbed his eyes.

He repeated it a few times, then looked at me.

“I’m done.”

Done? What did he even wash? His eyeballs?

I let out a quiet sigh.

I never thought I would have to teach a prince how to bathe.

“You also need to wash behind your ears.”

Even after I pointed it out, Edwin shook his head irritably.

“I did it properly!”

“What do you mean properly?”

At my question, Edwin shouted confidently.

“I’m a prince!”