What I Could Not Protect (3)
Emilia glared at the teacup and Lloyd in turn, her expression clearly displeased.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you taking it?”
Edwin, growing anxious, began to coax her.
“Emilia, your second brother is apologizing to you. Go on, take it.”
“No!”
“Emilia! Hurry up!”
“I said no—!”
“Emilia! Listen to me!”
“Ughhh!”
Emilia let out a frustrated groan.
The princess absolutely loathed the second brother standing before her. After all, he was the one who had ordered her to be hung just moments ago—and the one who had fired the arrow.
But with Edwin pressing her, she had no choice. The princess reluctantly extended her hand.
Lloyd smiled sweetly at the sight.
“That’s right. Gifts should be received with your own hands.”
Glug—
Lloyd tilted the teacup and poured its contents straight into Emilia’s palm.
“Waaaaah—!”
“Emilia!”
A startled Edwin quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. Fortunately, the tea had cooled, so she didn’t seem burned.
“Hahahaha!”
Lloyd burst into loud laughter at the scene.
“Don’t tell me you’re actually scared? Were you afraid I might harm that worthless little brat?”
He was more than capable of doing exactly that. The Lloyd that Edwin knew was precisely that kind of person.
It’s okay, it’s okay. She’s not hurt. Emilia is safe.
As Edwin held his sister tightly, breathing hard, another stream of lukewarm liquid poured over his head.
“Didn’t I tell you? Stay out of my sight.”
Lloyd had already flipped the teapot upside down and continued speaking.
“I simply cannot understand how someone like you could possibly share equal rights as a prince.”
Edwin. The only thing worth looking at was his pretty shell. A half-brother who shared nothing but the emperor’s blood.
And yet.
Lloyd furrowed his brow. The image of that damned old nanny rose in his mind—the one who had once raised her voice to protect this cursed child in front of him.
It makes no sense.
What was so appealing about a mangy mutt with nothing to his name and no maternal family left to support him?
Why on earth did she protect a wretch like him?
Whenever he saw Edwin sobbing pathetically and that old nanny embracing him with such tender comfort, rage boiled up inside him. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly why.
“This is your only warning. Remember it.”
Lloyd hurled the empty teapot at a servant and turned away.
But he hadn’t even taken two steps.
“You wicked villain—! Apologize to my brother!”
Because Emilia had sunk her teeth into his calf with all her might.
“Ugh! You filthy little—!”
Lloyd finally lost his temper and kicked the girl clinging to his left leg with his other foot.
The moment he saw his sister get kicked, Edwin’s pupils shrank to pinpricks. It felt as if a thin thread inside his mind had snapped.
At the same time, Emma’s smiling face as she closed her eyes flashed before him.
Edwin let out a guttural scream and charged at Lloyd.
“Aaaaaaaaagh—!”
“Ugh!”
In an instant, Edwin had tackled the second prince to the ground and climbed on top of him. Then he began swinging his fists wildly.
It was nothing short of a dogfight.
Tears streaming down his face, Edwin shouted at the top of his lungs.
“What did I ever do so wrong—!”
“You son of a bitch—!”
“My sister didn’t do anything wrong either! Why did you touch her—! Why!”
As if unleashing all the resentment he had bottled up until now, Edwin’s fists showed no restraint. For a moment, he seemed to be overpowering Lloyd, who was a full head taller than him.
But it didn’t last long.
There was no way he could defeat the second prince, who had been rigorously trained by exceptional masters since childhood.
Lloyd seized Edwin’s arm and flipped their positions in the blink of an eye. Without hesitation, he punched his brother squarely in the face.
Blood welled up on the third prince’s lip.
“Foolish brat.”
Lloyd looked down at his brother with gleaming eyes.
“Fine. I’ll teach you. I’ll show you just how pathetic and worthless you are.”
He grabbed Edwin by the collar and raised his right fist high.
“One or two hits won’t be nearly enough.”
Just as his fist was about to come crashing down with that chilling threat—
“Stop right there.”
Lloyd frowned at the sight of his arm halted in midair.
The person blocking him was a woman he had never seen before. Judging by her attire, she appeared to be a palace maid.
Yet she dared to stand in a prince’s way.
“Let go of—”
Irritated, Lloyd tried to shake off her hand.
But for some reason, the arm caught in the woman’s grip wouldn’t budge.
What is this? This strength…?
Lloyd was bewildered. Though still young, he had trained for years and possessed strength far above his peers. It was certainly not weak enough to be easily restrained by some delicate maid.
With a flustered expression, Lloyd shouted.
“Who the hell are you! Do you even know who I am!”
But the woman simply stared at him with those unchanging, icy eyes. The hand gripping his wrist only tightened further.
The old nanny who once shielded him.
The sister who had just been kicked.
And the thin thread inside his mind… finally snapping.
* * *
“Your Highness Emilia! Oh my goodness—!”
Catherine let out a scream when she saw Emilia sprawled on the grass.
I confirmed that she was lifting the princess into her arms before turning my gaze away.
The second prince was glaring at me as if he wanted to tear me apart.
I studied him carefully.
Second Prince, Lloyd Cataronian Ventrum.
Thanks to Catherine’s earlier briefing, I recognized him the moment I saw him.
He was the only child born between the current emperor and Second Imperial Consort Helena Radcliffe. Perhaps it was because he had the backing of the Redcliffe Marquisate—the wealthiest family in the empire.
The boy truly seemed to fear nothing.
He doesn’t resemble the emperor at all, except for the hair and eye color.
Since the second consort was a renowned beauty, that was probably a blessing for Lloyd.
As I was reflecting on his appearance, two knights—who appeared to be his escorts—came running from a distance.
“Your Highness—!”
They must have been standing watch, worried that someone might witness the prince’s cruel little game.
The moment the knights saw me, one of them drew his sword.
“You wretch! Release His Highness this instant! How dare you lay a hand on him!”
The instant the knight finished speaking, I flung Lloyd’s wrist away. The boy stumbled backward as if shoved toward where his knights stood.
“W-what insolence!”
“Your Highness, are you alright!”
“That woman, just now…”
I ignored the furious second prince and helped Edwin to his feet.
“Are you alright?”
“H-how…?”
Edwin’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit, as if he never expected me to appear.
He was in terrible shape. His clothes were covered in dirt and grass, his face streaked with tears, and his lip was split. Anyone who saw him might mistake him for a street urchin rather than a prince.
“Insolent wench! Why are you not kneeling before His Highness and begging for forgiveness!”
One of the escort knights bellowed at me. He was still pointing his blade in my direction.
To draw a sharp sword against an unarmed civilian—what a knight with no sense of honor.
Ah, well. Knights have always been like that. All flash on the outside, but rotten and narrow-minded on the inside.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and bowed my head with a perfectly calm expression.
“I apologize. As the Third Prince’s nanny, I could not simply stand by and watch what was happening. Please forgive me.”
“Hah! You dare speak of forgiveness so lightly!”
The knight seemed taken aback that I had apologized so readily.
“Nanny, you say?”
At that moment, Lloyd raised an eyebrow as if he had learned something amusing.
“So you’re the nanny who replaced that arrogant old hag?”
Instead of answering, I simply stared at him.
“How interesting. The master is a worthless mutt with nothing to his name, yet every single one of his nannies acts so insolently.”
He looked me up and down and laughed mockingly.
“Edwin, if you needed a dog to bark in your place, you should have picked one that was stronger and smarter. Not some stupid mutt that can’t tell the difference between heaven and earth. The first one might have been a mistake, but the second…”
Lloyd turned his gaze to Edwin, who was trembling beside me.
“It must be the master’s own intention, no?”
“B-Brother…”
“Still, since I cannot punish the master directly, I suppose the dog must take the blame.”
The second prince called out to the escort knight beside him in a indifferent voice.
“A mere nanny not only touched a prince’s body without permission but even pushed him. The crime is severe. Cut off her hands for insulting the imperial family.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
The knight approached me without hesitation at his master’s command.
“Nanny!”
Catherine screamed in alarm from behind.
But the knight’s steps did not falter.
“Stop! Don’t do it!”
Edwin, having come to his senses, desperately tried to block the knight, but it was useless. The man shoved him aside with one arm as if he were nothing and stood before me.
“Now, extend your arm here…”
Just before he could grab my arm, I quickly dropped to the ground and pulled the fallen Edwin into my embrace.
“Insolence—!”
The sudden shout caused confusion and bewilderment to appear on everyone’s faces.
“Your Highness Lloyd! A mere knight not only touched a prince’s body without permission but even pushed him. The crime is severe. Cut off his hands for insulting the imperial family!”
“W-what?”
The knight turned his head with a bewildered expression. He looked back and forth between me and the fallen Edwin, then turned to his young lord with a dazed face.
He stupidly asked what he should do.
Perfect.
In that moment, I smiled as I sensed the presence drawing closer.
Beyond the bushes in the distance.
The emperor’s banner fluttering in the wind was approaching rapidly.