The Knight Commander, Jerome Crown (1)
A battle for the imperial throne, of all things.
Just hearing the words made the metallic tang of blood sting my nose.
I frowned at the gruesome term that had slipped from Sage’s lips.
“Why say something so ominous?”
“Ominous? I’m merely stating facts.”
“His Highness Edwin only wants to build enough strength that he won’t be manipulated by anyone…”
At that, Sage cut me off sharply.
“Purely wants to grow stronger? The other princes will devour him long before he manages it.”
Purity, after all, meant never being broken.
Could a prince with no support truly pursue strength in any pure sense?
“I’ve heard the emperor pours every resource into his chosen successor. Edwin was struck from that list long ago.”
Sage crossed his arms and lifted his chin.
“So how exactly do you plan to make the boy strong? Have him do duck walks around his room? Or perhaps teach him your specialty—how to kill people?”
A cold sneer curved his lips.
“I…”
“I don’t know why you’ve suddenly taken up the role of royal nanny, but if you truly want to grant the prince’s wish, start by building a proper foundation.”
He wasn’t wrong.
To strengthen Edwin safely without interference, we first needed the emperor’s backing.
Which means Edwin must catch His Majesty’s eye.
It didn’t have to be grand, but we needed an event that would force the emperor to acknowledge him as a true prince.
So that’s the only way.
I raised one eyebrow and fixed Sage with a hard stare.
“…You said to build a foundation first.”
“Y-yes? I did say that, didn’t I?”
“I was already planning to do exactly that. So keep your unnecessary advice to yourself.”
“Hmmmm. My advice is unnecessary?”
Sage flinched at my icy gaze, then immediately resumed his teasing.
“What were you going to do, then? Let’s hear it. His Majesty won’t bother meeting the nanny of a son he discarded~”
He seemed genuinely offended by the slight to his counsel.
I quietly clenched my fist at the old sage’s provocation.
“Or will you handle it your way? Sneak into the emperor’s bedchamber at night and hold a blade to his throat?”
I’d been thinking it for a while now.
Bringing this old man back from the plague village may have been a colossal mistake.
“I told you His Highness needs another teacher.”
“True, though whether you can actually find one is the real question.”
Sage dug at his ear with a bored expression.
“Who would risk teaching him when the other royals might come for their head?”
“You needn’t concern yourself with that.”
My eyes burned with resolve as I stared him down.
“Methods can be created. Just as I did when I saved your life.”
I ground my teeth between words. Sage visibly flinched.
“H-hahaha! A young thing like you already grinding your teeth? They’ll all fall out at that rate~? Ahaha! Now that our little chat is finished, I should return to my actual duties! Completely forgot about the pruning, ahaha!”
He avoided my eyes and fled the library.
After he left, I stood motionless for a long time, forging my determination.
Even if it’s only to flatten that old man’s nose.
I would make Edwin strong. No matter what.
The next day, I headed for the annex during a rare gap in Edwin’s schedule.
“Shouldn’t the head maid be able to step away from kitchen work?”
“Their Highnesses love my cooking too much. Even if I wanted to stop, I couldn’t…”
Catherine, busy kneading dough, looked up in surprise when she saw me.
“What brings you to the annex at this hour, Nanny? Did Her Highness Emilia beg you to play word games again and you fled?”
“…Do I seem like the type to run all the way here simply because I’m afraid of crawling on all fours?”
“Or did you fight with the gardener again?”
“Fight? A mere gardener could never be my opponent.”
I bit into one of the apples from the basket.
Catherine shot me a look and sighed.
“Really, stop tormenting the poor gardener. He’s old. Doesn’t it hurt your heart to watch him work until his back is bent?”
“He’s far sprightlier than he looks. No need to worry.”
“Sometimes you really are too cold, Nanny. Do you have any idea how fragile an elderly person’s body is?”
This was the same woman who had once scolded me for bringing a vagrant into the palace.
“At that age, bones grow brittle and muscles waste away. Even simple movement becomes difficult. A small injury or bit of overwork could kill them. They pass far more easily than we young people.”
Well, it wasn’t as though the elderly were always the first to die.
I myself had died young—betrayed by my lover, a poisoned blade buried in my back, body burned to ash.
When I continued eating my apple in silence, Catherine turned fully toward me.
“Nanny, are you even listening? In one ear and out the other again!”
She deliberately thrust her face into my line of sight.
A woman who looked delicate yet stubbornly determined.
Good grief. Is that dough on your face?
Flour was plastered thickly across Catherine’s cheeks.
I brushed it away and continued.
“I understand. I understand, so please wash your face first. If I put your face in the oven instead of that dough, I suspect bread would still come out.”
“You call that horrible thing a joke? It’s not funny at all!”
Catherine pulled a disgusted face at whatever image my words had conjured, then shook out her hands.
I’d thought it was a rather amusing quip. Pity it didn’t land.
“I was just about to wash the curtains anyway. I’ll clean my face while I’m at it.”
“I only stopped by to report that I’ll be stepping out briefly.”
“Pardon?”
Catherine looked puzzled.
“Are you leaving the palace again?”
“No, not this time.”
“Then where are you going?”
I tossed the shriveled apple core into the waste bin and smiled.
“The Gloria Knights Headquarters.”
“…It really is quite grand.”
Under the midday sun, the Gloria Knights Headquarters gleamed brilliantly.
Red banners hung from every pillar, embroidered with golden lions—the symbol of the order. Unlike Edwin’s palace, everything here was ostentatious and glittering. It left a bad taste in my mouth.
No matter how elite the knight order is, to be more lavish than a prince’s residence?
Wasn’t that grounds for a royal insult charge?
I stood with arms crossed, glaring at the building, when a knight stationed by the gate approached.
“It appears the beautiful young lady has business with our order. Might you be looking for someone?”
Good lord. The nauseatingly sweet tone nearly made me bite my tongue.
Knights had never once spoken to me with courtesy.
It was always one of two things: they either charged at me with murder in their eyes or trembled so hard they nearly wet themselves.
Perhaps that was why this new treatment felt so awkward.
I kept my expression calm and turned to the speaker.
A young knight with unremarkable features.
The brooch on his shoulder marked him as a member of the Gloria Knights.
Full plate armor when there isn’t even a battlefield in sight.
Whether that spoke of strict discipline or pure bravado was debatable.
When I offered no reply, the young knight grew flustered and bowed.
“My lady, if I’ve made you uncomfortable…”
“No. You’re correct. I do have business with the order.”
“May I ask what that business is, my lady?”
“I’ve come to see the commander. Duke Jerome Crown.”
The knight’s face went slack. He stammered.
“P-pardon? If I may be so bold… what is your relationship with the commander…?”
Our connection ran deep, but I could hardly bring up old history.
“I am Rachel Brown, nanny to His Highness the Third Prince.”
At the word nanny, the knight’s eyes widened.
His expression made it clear he understood even less now.
“I have a request for the commander. Will you let me through?”
When I offered my most courteous smile, the knight’s face relaxed slightly.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll return shortly, my lady.”
He dashed inside the walls.
After a brief wait, he reappeared.
“The commander will see you. This way, my lady.”
I gave a small nod and followed him through the gate.
The first sight that greeted me was a meticulously maintained rose garden.
The Crown family’s symbol was indeed the red rose.
Staring at the blooms that painted the entire garden crimson left me with a strange feeling.
It was like stepping into another imperial palace nestled inside the first.
The knight led me to a reception room.
“Please wait here. The commander will arrive shortly.”
He offered a light bow and vanished.
With nothing else to do, I decided to examine the room.
Left alone, I studied my surroundings carefully.
As expected of a ducal house. Money must be rotting away in their vaults.
Every piece of furniture was highest-grade rosewood. Even the curtains were the finest silk imported from the Kingdom of Asha.
Even Edwin and Emilia only manage clothes made from that fabric.
I had never imagined I would feel the sting of wealth disparity inside the imperial palace itself.
My lips twisted in even deeper displeasure.
Then I heard heavy footsteps approaching from a distance.
He’s here.
The moment I turned, the door burst open.
“So we have a guest, eh?”
The owner of that voice carried the relaxed yet overwhelming aura of a beast returning from a leisurely hunt.
His name was Jerome Crown.
Master of the Gloria Knights. The empress’s only brother. Head of the Crown ducal family.