There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]: Chapter 33

Soon, maids appeared, pushing a trolley.

“Your Highness, the meal is served.”

I wondered why they still called Philomel ‘Your Highness.’ The news of the fake princess spreading throughout the country must have reached the Imperial Palace.

“We will set up a small table so you can eat in bed.”

“It’s not like I have trouble moving around. I can eat at the table.”

“Please, reconsider. You must have absolute rest at the moment.”

It was clear I was being treated like a patient. Moreover, the food served was all highly nutritious.

“We will step back so Your Highness can rest comfortably. Please call us anytime if you need anything.”

The maids, having completed their mission, left the room without giving me a chance to pry for information.

Having just declared that I would leave the Imperial Palace, I didn’t want to be indebted to them…

Grrr.

But I was too hungry for that.

Come to think of it, I had been starving since the bread and a few spoonfuls of soup I ate at the restaurant last night.

Perhaps because I had poured out everything I wanted to say, I felt refreshed, and for the first time in a while, my appetite returned.

‘I don’t know. Let’s eat first and then think about it.’

Philomel picked up a fork.

After the meal, the Head Chamberlain brought medicine this time, holding the fruit of the World Tree, which Philomel knew well.

“I’m not a patient…”

I fainted because I was startled after not sleeping well for a few days due to an uncomfortable bed. There was nothing wrong with my body.

But the Head Chamberlain didn’t seem to think so.

“You are a patient. Your face has become half its size in the meantime. Oh my, you were already thin, and now only your bones remain.”

I had lost some weight from living as a fugitive, but those words were clearly an exaggeration.

“It’s a wonder you can walk around properly.”

To the Head Chamberlain, Philomel seemed like a seriously ill patient who could collapse at any moment.

Faced with his worried gaze, I ended up taking the medicine and even drinking a cup of after-meal tea that followed. Thanks to that, my body became very relaxed.

Having lived as a noble princess my whole life, my body, which had suffered from uncomfortable sleep and tasteless food for the past few days, screamed with joy.

It’s fickle how people’s minds work. After satisfying my appetite, I became desperate for a bath and clean clothes.

Philomel looked around at the dress she was currently wearing. It was dirty because she hadn’t changed it for several days and had been rolling around on the floor of the detention center.

Only now did I worry about the state of the bed I had crumpled the dress on, and when I looked, the bedsheets and blankets were all smudged and dirty.

“…This is expensive.”

The only bedding set, which the fairy race had spent years creating for the Emperor of the Empire.

The founding myth of Belleroph [a legendary hero in Greek mythology] was intricately embroidered on the blanket. Moreover, I heard that the Fairy Queen had personally given her blessing, making it priceless.

I was worried it wouldn’t come off, so I rubbed it with the cleanest sleeve I could find, but it only spread the stain wider.

…The face of Belleron, the child of the Sun God and the founding emperor, became blotchy.

“I don’t care! It’s not like I wanted to lie down.”

Philomel stopped the useless act and lay back down.

‘…Surely they won’t kill me for just this, right?’

I shook my head and decided to think about the future.

First of all, it’s a relief that I didn’t die. Being adopted is out of the question, and staying here…

Bang!

But then, the door, opened without a knock, slammed against the wall with a loud noise.

“Daddy! I’m here!”

Beautiful golden hair fluttered. It was Ellensia.

“Let’s continue the dice game we were playing last time!”

Philomel and Ellensia’s eyes met.

“Oh…”

“……”

Ellensia, with wide eyes, strode closer.

“Oh my! Philomel, is that you? When did you arrive?”

“…This morning. It’s been a while, Princess Ellensia.”

Philomel answered Ellensia using formal language.

Since it had been revealed that she was a fake princess, this was the right thing to do.

“That’s great! I was so worried when I heard you were missing.”

Ellensia approached Philomel and smiled as if she had met a friend she had been separated from for a long time.

It might be natural for the kind Ellensia, but it felt awkward to me.

“Thank you. For worrying about me so much.”

Philomel suddenly felt ashamed of her appearance.

Her clothes were dirty, and her hair was disheveled. She hadn’t even been conscious of it in front of Eustis, but for some reason, she wanted to show Ellensia only her best side.

Was it because she was in the opposite situation from their last meeting, when they had met as a country girl and a princess?

“Are you here for good now?”

“Not really…”

When I trailed off, Ellensia didn’t delve any further and looked around.

“But where is Daddy?”

“I don’t know. It seemed like he was going somewhere.”

Rather, Philomel wanted to ask: Where did the owner go, and how should she explain the current situation where she was occupying someone else’s room? It was awkward.

“What’s that?”

Philomel changed the subject, pointing to the object Ellensia was holding.

She saw a board and a box made of paper.

“Ah, this? Perfect timing! Will Philomel play dice with me?”

Led by Ellensia, she sat at a table on one side of the room. It was the table that Eustis and Philomel often used for tea time.

“Have you ever played dice before?”

Ellensia spread the board on the table and took out dice and small pieces from the box.

“I’ve never played, but I roughly know what it is.”

She had watched the maids do it a few times for fun.

The method was to move one’s piece on the board by the number that came up when rolling the dice.

On each of the squares drawn on the board, the status of the piece either decreased or increased according to the written phrases. Everyone started as a serf, and the first person to reach the emperor became the winner.

“I used to enjoy this game when I was at my old house, and a maid brought it to me when she saw me bored here. Now, Daddy or my nanny plays with me.”

“Nanny?”

“The person who was also my mother’s nanny! I heard that Philomel also grew up in the hands of a nanny.”

One more reason to leave the Imperial Palace had been added.

“Last time I played with Daddy, he had an urgent matter and had to leave. So I came to do it today…”

“He’ll be here soon.”

Philomel comforted the sulky Ellensia appropriately.

Even though it was a scene in the novel, she couldn’t picture the emperor playing a game that commoner children would play. It was also a bit funny that the real emperor was playing a game aiming to become the emperor.

‘At best, it’s maintaining the status quo, and if you don’t do well, your status will fall.’

Anyway, the two started playing.

She didn’t know why she was playing dice with Ellensia in the Imperial Palace. She could only think that she had been caught up in her cheerful attitude.

But the game, which she was playing for the first time, was quite fun, so she wasn’t in a bad mood.

‘I always pretended to be uninterested, but I actually wanted to join in.’

The two took turns rolling the dice, moving their pieces forward and backward. It was neck and neck.

The square that Philomel moved her piece to read, ‘You enter the Imperial Palace as a lady-in-waiting.’

She went from a merchant to a lady-in-waiting. A lady-in-waiting, who could only be a noble with a guaranteed identity, was a relatively upper-middle class.

“Philomel, are you becoming a lady-in-waiting?”

“Yes. That’s what happened. Next is Your Highness’s turn.”

“Not in the game, but for real. Will you be my lady-in-waiting?”

Philomel, who was moving her piece, raised her head and looked at Ellensia.

“I still don’t know anything, so I hope Philomel, who knows a lot, will teach me by my side. And I’m worried about Philomel. You’ve been living in the Imperial Palace all this time, but now you have nowhere to go. Live here with me as my lady-in-waiting. Okay?”

She was speechless at her innocent face.

“…Thank you for considering my situation. However, I must decline. I have no intention of staying in the Imperial Palace.”

Philomel answered, trying hard to appear calm.

Becoming Ellensia’s lady-in-waiting gave her goosebumps.

It wasn’t the kind of problem that she hated being a lady-in-waiting or that her pride was hurt. Becoming Ellensia’s lady-in-waiting was the development of…

When Ellensia appears and the fact that she is fake is revealed, ‘Philomel’ is in danger of being punished for impersonating a princess.

However, Ellensia, who pities her, appeals to the Emperor for leniency, and furthermore, puts ‘Philomel,’ who should be kicked out, in her lady-in-waiting position. But the spiteful ‘Philomel’ repays the favor with betrayal.

Can’t I escape the predetermined fate even if I struggle to get out? Is it her destiny to become Ellensia’s lady-in-waiting even if she doesn’t want to?

A cold fear spread through her chest.

“Really? Can’t you just stay here? I’ll be good to you.”

“I will only accept Your Highness’s heart.”

“…Tch, okay. That’s too bad.”

Ellensia didn’t urge her repeatedly and rolled the dice that Philomel handed her.

The sound of the dice rolling was strangely loud.