There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]: Chapter 128

* * *

The next day.

The news of the Princess’s disappearance was made public, along with the obituary of her nanny.

The Princess, having suffered a severe mental shock from the death of the nanny who had cared for her, had suddenly disappeared. That was the reason for her disappearance put forth by the Imperial Family.

People couldn’t hide their bewilderment at the sudden announcement.

With this, the Empire faced another major incident: the disappearance of the Princess.

The nanny’s funeral was held quietly. It was known to the world that she had died in an unforeseen accident.

The existence of the intruder should not be known to the world, but neither could the innocent, real Ellensia be made a murderer. So, the truth of her death had to be buried.

“Still, the one inside Ellensia’s body will pay the price for her sins.”

Philomell placed a white flower in front of the tombstone.

The nanny’s grave, located near the capital, was quiet.

Nasar, standing beside her, held her hand tightly.

“Are you upset?”

“Well…….”

Philomell struggled to express her feelings.

“She wasn’t someone I liked, but seeing her grave like this makes me feel a bit strange. Besides…….”

Her gaze turned to the tombstone. Next to the flower Philomell had placed was a small bouquet. It was left by an earlier visitor.

They had talked for a while, and the person introduced themselves as a teacher who taught commoner children at a school.

She said about the nanny:

“She was someone who donated to our school every year. She had worked as a nanny since she was young due to her family circumstances, and she said she didn’t want the children to have to do the same.”

Although the amount had decreased due to losing her job seven years ago, the nanny had still consistently donated.

Philomell sighed softly.

“Embezzling money from the Imperial Family to indulge in luxury and donating some of it. I don’t know whether to call her a bad person or a good person…….”

In fact, if she could meet the dead nanny, she wanted to ask. Why was she such an angelic benefactor to those children, but so cruel to her?

‘I was the child who spent the most time with the nanny, though.’

But the nanny was dead. There would never be an answer to that question.

Nasar said,

“Perhaps it’s both. The good and the bad were both parts of her.”

“Both…….”

“I have something I’d like to talk about for a moment. Would that be alright?”

Nasar plopped down on the grass and took out a handkerchief, spreading it out next to him.

Philomell smiled and sat on the handkerchief he had prepared.

“Yes, of course.”

“My father was never a good father to me. But it’s also true that he cared about me.”

Nasar calmly shared his story. It was the first time she had heard about his personal circumstances.

Philomell belatedly realized. Nasar was always the one who listened attentively to her stories.

‘I knew the Duke was very strict with his son, but…….’

The reality was beyond imagination.

Her nose tingled. She felt sorry for the person in front of her, but also admired him.

Philomell squeezed the hand she was holding. She could feel the calluses. They were calluses that had formed while he swung his sword thousands, tens of thousands of times.

“Are you okay now? Your father must disapprove of my association with you.”

Now that the fact that she was the daughter of the Master of the Magic Tower had been revealed, the Duke would never take Philomell lightly. Still, he wouldn’t just let his son go to the Magic Tower with a woman.

“I’m fine. It’s been resolved.”

“How was it resolved? Don’t gloss over it, tell me.”

She had vaguely brushed it off last time, but not this time. She wanted to know the details.

“It’s not a big deal…….”

Nasar’s cheeks flushed slightly, as if he was embarrassed.

“I overturned my father’s desk once, and he hasn’t said anything since.”

“……Oh, really?”

“Anyway, the point of my story is that everyone has both good and bad sides.”

When he said it, it was strangely persuasive.

She had felt it since he broke the table and provoked Killian at Count Escal’s mansion last time…….

‘Nasar, he’s surprisingly temperamental.’

His face was the kindest in the world, but his actions weren’t always so. He was always kind only to Philomell.

* * *

The Emperor’s office.

Philomell sat down and moistened her throat with water. In her head, Regin’s words about going to the Magic Tower made sense. But her heart wouldn’t follow.

After seeing the nanny’s grave, she felt a sense of responsibility rising within her.

Philomell was going to ask the Emperor if it was okay for her to stay here. If he said yes, she would use that as an excuse to stay in the Imperial Palace longer.

‘His Majesty will probably want me to, but…….’

She wanted to hear it in clear words.

Everything was still ambiguous. She hadn’t clearly defined the relationship between him and herself.

Both of them had consciously avoided such topics, fearing that the fragile connection that had been maintained would be completely severed.

Philomell couldn’t leave this place until she had uncovered the truth behind the book, and he had carefully treated Philomell as she was. But now was the time to face it, not avoid it.

“You’ve been waiting long.”

The Emperor, who had been looking at documents at his desk until then, got up and approached.

“Not at all, Your Majesty.”

“Is there something special you need?”

“It’s nothing like that, I was just worried about Your Majesty’s well-being…….”

Philomell said, glancing at the piles of documents on the desk.

“It’s nothing, so you don’t have to worry. But Philomell…….”

The Emperor hesitated unusually before speaking.

“Please speak.”

“……I don’t care who your real father is.”

“Pardon?”

“What I said before about wanting to adopt you is still valid. No, even if we don’t have to be connected on paper, I want to continue…….”

“Your Majesty, what you’re saying is…….”

The blue eyes, like a rolling sea, turned to her.

“Won’t you stay here? Give me another chance to build a proper relationship with you.”

So that’s how it was.

Philomell felt a sense of fullness in her chest for some reason. She was about to answer that she would.

Thump!

But a heavy sound rang out from outside. It sounded like something heavy had fallen to the floor.

The Emperor reassured Philomell, who was startled.

“It’s alright. It seems the secretary made a mistake.”

“……Count Polan?”

“He’s the one temporarily taking over Polan’s work. Polan has taken ill.”

“Oh my, does he have some kind of illness……?”

“It’s just overwork. He’s been overworked recently.”

That was understandable. Searching for the missing Ellensia, explaining the Princess’s disappearance to others—even ten bodies would not be enough.

Philomell thought of the skinny Count Polan. He didn’t look like he had good stamina, but he had managed to endure under the Emperor until now.

Anyway, Philomell stroked her startled chest and said,

“Still, it’s amazing. Your Majesty, you recognized who was outside without even looking at them.”

“It’s not difficult. Every human has a different way of walking or breathing.”

That’s difficult enough. Just as she was about to answer, a strong sense of unease arose.

‘Huh?’

A chilling sensation that she was missing something important.

Philomell looked around to figure out the identity of the unease.

The Emperor’s office. Yes, this is the Emperor’s office. Fragments of old memories flashed through her mind.

“Living as quiet as a mouse. So that there’s nothing to pay attention to, so that you don’t even know I’m there.”

Seven years ago.

Even when she heard those words, Philomell was in the Emperor’s office. To be exact, behind that door.

The realization came suddenly.

“You knew, Your Majesty.”

A surprisingly calm voice flowed from her mouth.

“……Philomell?”

“Knowing that I was behind that door then…… No, because you knew.”

The Emperor’s eyes wavered as he looked at Philomell. He realized what time Philomell was talking about.

“That’s what you said.”

Justis was an Emperor, but also an outstanding warrior.

Even if it was Count Polan, who was a civil official to the bone, he must have felt it—the presence of a child hiding behind the door, holding their breath.

Philomell quietly reflected on the past.

‘Why haven’t I ever suspected it until now?’

She herself thought it was ridiculous that she had only now reached the truth. She may have been consciously suppressing it, trying not to recall the memories of that day as much as possible.

“Was this the ‘confession’ you were going to make to me all this time?”

His expression told her the answer without having to hear it.

The confession that the Emperor of the great Belleroph had tried to say several times but couldn’t.

She had wondered what it was that made the great Emperor of Belleroph stammer every time.

But this was it. Just this.

In fact, that day, I was saying bad things about you for you to hear.

Philomell got up from her seat.

“Philomell, wait a moment!”

The Emperor, who had stood up awkwardly, hurriedly grabbed her arm.

“I, I was wrong. I won’t make excuses. Just listen to my story…….”

“I don’t want to hear it!”

Philomell shook off his hand with all her might.

“When I first came back here, you apologized to me then too.”

Justis apologized to Philomell, who had run away and been caught. What could she do now that she had looked back on the past? She had answered that.

“I’ll give you the answer I couldn’t give you then now.”

Philomell slowly opened her mouth.

“As expected, I can’t forgive Your Majesty.”