There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]: Chapter 61

* * *

Philomel silently chewed her food, finding no need to speak.

“So, I jumped out to catch it, but the rabbit ran away, and I ended up wandering all over the mountain…”

Elencia had been chattering non-stop for quite some time.

The meal had become her solo performance.

Childhood memories poured out endlessly. Philomel and Eustis, seated side-by-side, could only nod along to Elencia’s stories.

Slightly overwhelmed, Philomel wondered, “Was Elencia always this talkative?”

*I didn’t really get that feeling when reading the book.*

However, there was no indication that she *wasn’t* talkative, making it difficult to definitively say Elencia differed from her book portrayal based solely on this.

Philomel watched Elencia, who was grinning.

“Hehe, even though I was frozen stiff, it was really fun.”

She saw a face that appeared utterly innocent.

*That* face had almost driven Katrin to her death. A suspicion crept in that perhaps a completely different, terrifying face was hidden beneath the surface.

*No. Don’t be afraid.*

Philomel consciously straightened her slumping shoulders.

*If I start by being scared, I can’t do anything.* Reminding herself of her decision to no longer run away, Philomel focused on the conversation.

Elencia’s cheerful voice echoed through the dining room.

“So, I asked if I could raise the baby rabbit, but Mom wouldn’t let me.”

Eustis responded, “If you want, you can raise it here.”

“Wow, really? How exciting!”

A friendly atmosphere permeated the room.

Honestly, Philomel felt awkward in this environment. She had eaten with Eustis often, but it wasn’t like this.

Their conversations were occasional, like seasoning sprinkled on food, with the two focusing more on the meal than on talking.

*That doesn’t mean this looks good at all.*

*It’s too noisy and chaotic.*

*There was less conversation back then, but my heart was more at ease.*

Elencia looked at her father and said affectionately, “I had the most fun when I skipped temple service and went to play with my friend. Have you ever done that, Dad?”

“No.”

Perhaps realizing his answer was too curt, Eustis added, “I’ve never skipped service without permission, and I don’t have any friends.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

The atmosphere turned solemn.

*It felt like I had to say something.*

Just then, Philomel, feeling she had been too quiet, began to speak.

“Come to think of it, I used to skip service too…”

“It’s okay! I’ll be your friend, Dad!”

Elencia cut off Philomel’s words as if she hadn’t heard, resuming her chatter.

*She doesn’t seem to want me to open my mouth.*

*Well, that’s fine.* It was rather convenient for Philomel, as she didn’t have to force herself to say something.

Leaving the two to converse, Philomel began to observe Elencia.

*There are things you can only know by looking from the side.*

Elencia.

The real princess and the protagonist of *Princess Elencia*.

In the first place, what was the author of *Princess Elencia*’s purpose in writing the book?

Unlike other prophetic texts, the novel format was unsettling.

Among the books of prophecy Philomel had investigated, not a single one focused on an individual’s love story like this book.

They usually contained grand prophecies, such as future wars, natural disasters, or magical tools being distributed for public use.

There must be a reason why *Princess Elencia* differed from other books of prophecy.

*Why? For what?*

*Is there an advantage the author could only gain if it was in the form of a novel?*

But she had no idea what that was.

If they wanted money or power, they could have informed the Emperor about his daughter and received compensation instead of writing a book.

It was just one book to spread the reputation as a prophet. There were too few clues to infer the author’s intention. All she had was the *Princess Elencia* that he wrote.

But that was also a clue. It is said that writing is the mirror of the writer. There must be traces left by the author in that book.

Philomel mentally flipped through the pages of the book, which she had already read thousands of times.

Personality, preferences, linguistic habits…

Anything would be helpful if it reflected the author’s self-awareness. Right now, even the trivial clues she had overlooked were crucial.

Beyond the countless letters, faint outlines were glimpsed. Some became clearer.

*Yes, that is…*

“…What about you, Philomel?”

The unexpected question abruptly halted her train of thought.

The Emperor was looking at Philomel intently.

“Yes? I’m sorry, but I didn’t quite hear you.”

Philomel asked, embarrassed.

“Don’t you have anything special to tell me?”

“Well, not really…”

“Any topic is fine. I want to hear your story.”

*I barely caught on, but he talks to me at times like this.*

Philomel was about to say anything to return to her sea of thoughts.

But… there was nothing to say.

As the conversation continued, it was Philomel’s turn to share a pleasant memory like Elencia. The problem was, there was no such thing.

She could lead conversations about politics, diplomacy, and society.

But when the conversation became personal, Philomel always listened to others’ stories.

“Uh, um…”

*Is there a plausible memory?*

Even if she tried, all she could think of was the boring and monotonous daily life of a princess.

Then the apple served for dessert caught Philomel’s eye.

*That’s right. There was that.*

“One of the maids brought me an apple pie from the central square, and it tasted surprisingly good. The food of the common people is also edible.”

In reality, it was a story from when she secretly went out with Jeremiah, but she embellished it appropriately.

Eustis’s eyes lit up.

“Exactly where in the central square do they sell it?”

*Why is he like that? Does he like apple pie?*

Elencia said, “It sounds so delicious, I want to try it too! I’ve tasted all sorts of fancy sweets in the palace, but sometimes I miss the simple tastes I used to enjoy…”

That’s how Elencia took the lead in the conversation again.

Just as Philomel was about to relax and fall back into thought.

“I see. I’ll tell the chef to prepare the food you used to eat. But Philomel, don’t you have anything else to tell me?”

After listening to his daughter’s lengthy words, Eustis spoke to Philomel again.

*Why is he so interested in me? Leave me alone!*

But Philomel swallowed the complaint and searched for other topics.

*I really don’t have any. I can’t help it. It’s a memory I don’t really want to recall, but…*

Among the topics that could be mentioned in this place, she had a unique experience that none of them had ever had.

“As you know, when I left the Imperial Palace, I was imprisoned in the Security Office’s detention center. It was uncomfortable because it was my first time, but it was a different kind of memory…”

Philomel’s voice trailed off.

Because Eustis’s face was fiercely distorted.

“You were in detention?”

Murderous intent dripped from his low voice.

“Uh… yes. Didn’t you receive the report from Duke Averide?”

“There was no such content.”

*This.*

Philomel clicked her tongue inwardly.

Nasar must have accidentally omitted it.

Eustis gritted his teeth.

“…Arrogant brat.”

Philomel began to defend Nasar.

“The Duke must have been too busy bringing me back. Everyone makes mistakes, so please be lenient.”

If he was punished for such a trivial matter because of her, she would feel guilty.

The Emperor’s anger was somewhat lessened by Philomel’s persuasion. Still, his eyes remained fierce.

Honestly, she didn’t know if Nasar’s omission was so upsetting to him, but it was fortunate nonetheless.

After that, an awkward atmosphere settled over the table. Philomel remained silent, unsure how the Emperor would react, and he seemed lost in thought.

Elencia, who had only spoken of cheerful things, suddenly began to talk about the difficulties of palace life for some reason.

The meal ended uncomfortably. The Emperor hurriedly left the table, and Elencia followed him like a chick.

Philomel, getting up last, paused. Something pungent and spicy tickled her nose.

Philomel asked the maid clearing the table, “What is that?”

She pointed to a small seasoning container.

The maid stopped and bowed politely. “It’s Hosa powder.”

Hosa is a spicy vegetable, and the powder made by grinding it is used to add spiciness to food.

“Why is Hosa powder here…?”

Most people in the Empire didn’t enjoy spicy food. Hosa powder was a spice favored only in the southernmost regions of the Empire.

“The Princess sprinkles it on every meal. It seems she likes spicy food.”

The seasoning container was placed at Elencia’s seat.

At that moment, the author of *Princess Elencia* came to Philomel’s mind.

[The envoy picked up a delicious red chicken leg. He tore off the flesh greedily, saying that the addictive spiciness filled his mouth.]

A passage from *Princess Elencia* and a clue about the author that Philomel had just discovered.

It was a scene where envoys from the southern country, plotting a conspiracy, were holding a secret meeting.

‘Delicious red chicken leg’ or ‘addictive spiciness’ were rather unusual expressions.

In the Empire, spiciness was just spiciness. Like sour or acidic tastes, some people liked it, but generally, it wasn’t considered delicious.

Until now, she thought the spicy taste was preferred in that region, so it was expressed from the envoy’s point of view.

But the more she considered it, the clearer it became that the author’s taste was reflected.

Elencia also liked spicy food. *Why spicy food of all things.*

*It must be a coincidence…?*

Tastes could overlap.

But Philomel clenched her hands tightly, a sense of unease lingering.