There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]: Chapter 36

* * *

The next day, Philomel woke up late, had breakfast with Countess Delles, and enjoyed a leisurely morning. Now without the responsibilities of a princess, she had no lessons or official duties to attend to.

However, the peaceful interlude was shattered by a shout from outside.

“Come out! You vulgar thing!”

Philomel opened the door to find a face she hadn’t seen in seven years.

“Nanny.”

“Aha! You finally came out.”

“Nanny, please stop!”

The nanny was standing in front of Philomel’s residence, fuming, while Elencia was desperately trying to restrain her.

“How dare you still hang around here, you wretch?”

The nanny shouted, glaring daggers.

“I don’t know how you seduced His Majesty, but I won’t fall for it. If you have any conscience, leave this place at once!”

Having heard from Elencia that the nanny was back in the Imperial Palace, Philomel had anticipated this confrontation.

Philomel regarded the nanny with a calm expression.

“I’m leaving even if you don’t tell me to. So stop making a scene. People are watching.”

Courtiers in the vicinity observed the scene with tense faces. The situation involved the former princess and the current princess’s nanny, making it difficult for them to intervene.

“Now that I see it, you’re just like your mother! Because of you and your mother, our poor Princess Elencia hasn’t seen her father’s face! Do you know that?”

“I’m okay, so please stop!”

Elencia grabbed the nanny’s arm, attempting to pull her back, but it was to little avail.

“What is this rudeness? Stop this immediately!”

“You stay out of this!”

Countess Delles, normally gentle, was no match for the nanny’s outburst.

Philomel sighed. Although she harbored no affection for her, the nanny had been her primary caregiver throughout most of her childhood. Seeing such a person openly hostile was disheartening.

‘Wherever I go, does my existence only cause trouble?’

Just as Philomel’s spirits began to sink, the nanny suddenly stumbled. It appeared as if someone had pushed her.

“Aah!”

The nanny, having fallen to the floor, screamed and thrashed about.

“You pushed me! Oh, my back! You’re killing me!”

“…What are you doing?”

Philomel and the onlookers stared blankly at the nanny.

“You pushed me!”

“Who? Me?”

Philomel asked, dumbfounded, as the nanny pointed in her direction.

“Don’t blame others when you fell on your own! We all saw it.”

Countess Delles stepped forward to defend Philomel, and others nodded in agreement. It was clear to everyone that the nanny had fallen without assistance. No one had touched her except Elencia.

“That can’t be! Someone definitely pushed me… Princess, you saw it, right?”

The nanny asked hopefully, but Elencia shook her head.

“Rather than that, get up quickly. What kind of disgrace is this?”

Elencia tried to grab the nanny’s arm and help her up, her expression cold.

The nanny grumbled with an aggrieved look, but there was nothing she could do when Elencia didn’t support her claim.

“I don’t think I can. I think I sprained my back and can’t get up.”

The nanny muttered powerlessly after groaning for a while. Her back pain was a chronic condition.

In the end, four servants grabbed the nanny’s arms and legs and carried her away like luggage.

Even if one person tried to carry her on their back, the nanny was too heavy, and she would scream in pain if they tried to touch her back even slightly.

“Aah, it hurts! It hurts! Move me gently!”

Even so, screams occasionally echoed through the palace corridor.

“Meow.”

A meow came from behind.

Turning around, a silver-haired cat was stretching contentedly, looking out of the room.

Philomel stared at the cat for a moment with a strange feeling, then turned back.

“Princess Elencia.”

She called out to Elencia, who was about to follow the nanny. There was something she wanted to say.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know how this will sound, but I hope you keep your distance from the nanny. From my experience of living with that person when I was young…”

“Philomel.”

Elencia said in a rather low voice.

“Don’t speak too badly of the nanny.”

“……”

“I’ll apologize for what happened today. I think there was some misunderstanding. But the nanny is a good person.”

“No. The nanny is not a good person.”

“Stop. I don’t want to say bad things about someone who isn’t present. It’s not right.”

Philomel was speechless. She was just trying to offer advice, but Elencia’s words made her feel like she was gossiping behind someone’s back.

“Princess, the nanny…”

“I’ll be going now. I think I should comfort the nanny who had an accident.”

Elencia cut her off.

“By the way, what did you decide about the adoption? Did you accept it?”

“I haven’t given an answer to His Majesty yet.”

“What does Philomel think?”

“It’s a kind offer, but I think it’s too much for me.”

Elencia smiled gently.

“Consider it positively. I would love for us to be sisters. If you stay here, the day will come when Philomel and the nanny will resolve their misunderstandings.”

With that, Elencia left gracefully.

‘Misunderstanding?’

She was so dumbfounded that she almost laughed. She knew the nanny’s true nature a hundred times better than Elencia did.

But Elencia seemed to trust the nanny quite a bit, despite having only met her a few days ago.

‘Did the nanny already win her over?’

“Philomel!”

At that moment, Count Polan rushed over, having heard about the situation from the servants.

“What on earth is going on…”

“What were you thinking, bringing such a woman back to the palace? Considering what that woman has done, you shouldn’t have done that!”

Countess Delles asked sternly, and Polan, looking embarrassed, inquired about the details.

After hearing the full story, Polan bowed deeply to Philomel and the Countess.

“I’m really sorry! I thought she would have learned her lesson after being reprimanded in the past… It’s all my fault for making the wrong judgment.”

“You’re going to kick her out right away, right?”

“Of course. I’ll go inform her now.”

Philomel sent Countess Delles back to her room and accompanied Polan to Elencia’s residence.

Countess Delles didn’t like Philomel going to see the nanny, but she didn’t object.

The nanny was never one to back down easily, especially with Elencia on her side.

There was no easy solution even if Philomel went, but it was better than doing nothing.

When they arrived at Elencia’s residence, the maids informed them that the nanny was being cared for in the princess’s room.

The nanny was lying on the luxurious bed usually reserved for the princess, and Elencia was sitting on a chair beside her. To offer her bed to a mere subordinate showed a truly benevolent heart.

Philomel watched from a step behind as the Count stepped forward to inform the nanny of her dismissal and expulsion.

“You’re being too harsh! Where do you expect me, an old woman who is not even well, to go? It’s no different from telling me to go die!”

“That’s why you should have come to your senses when you were given another chance. If I tell His Majesty about the disgrace you caused today, it won’t end with you leaving nicely.”

“Surely His Majesty wouldn’t do that to me, who was the Empress’s nanny…”

“Shall we find out? I can go and tell him right away.”

The nanny, having nothing to say in the face of Count Polan’s firm stance, only mumbled.

“Don’t forget to apologize to Philomel.”

“But…”

“Ahem.”

The nanny whispered quickly with an unwilling face.

“…I’m sorry. It was my fault.”

It seemed like the situation was coming to an end, but an unexpected person intervened.

“I feel so sorry for the nanny.”

Elencia said, stroking the nanny’s wrinkled hand, on the verge of tears.

“The nanny hurt her back and can’t move at all. How can she possibly leave the palace?”

“However, just ignoring her other offenses…”

“Doesn’t the Count have any compassion? At least let her stay here until the nanny’s back is fully recovered.”

“Princess, to do so much for me… How will you survive in this harsh world with such kindness?”

The nanny even sniffled and held Elencia’s hands tightly in her own.

The maids were also touched by Elencia’s display of compassion.

A wave of emotion flowed through the room, except for Philomel and Count Polan.

“Philomel.”

Elencia stood up from her chair and turned to Philomel.

“If you’re worried that Dad will get angry, I’ll talk to him. So can’t you forgive the nanny? The nanny is also showing remorse.”

By addressing Philomel instead of Count Polan, the decision of whether to send the nanny away was placed on Philomel’s shoulders.

Count Polan stepped forward on Philomel’s behalf.

“No matter how difficult the situation, this cannot be allowed.”

“But the person who was harmed by the nanny is not Count Polan, but Philomel. Count, please step back.”

Suddenly, Elencia’s tone shifted to an order.

Philomel watched the situation unfold calmly.

‘If I refuse here, will I be seen as a wicked person eager to drive out a helpless old woman?’

She would be leaving soon anyway. She didn’t care about her reputation, but even if she sacrificed it, she doubted she would achieve her desired outcome.

If Elencia brought this to Eustis, he would most likely side with his own daughter.

Rather than a fruitless endeavor where Philomel became the villain and the nanny remained safely in the Imperial Palace…

Philomel, who had been lost in thought for a moment, spoke.

“Okay. I’ll do as the Princess says.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I won’t object as long as the nanny promises to leave as soon as her back recovers. Instead, how about this?”

Philomel held up her index finger.

“Nanny, when I was about eight years old, I fell down the stairs and broke my leg, right?”

“Yes? Ah, there was such a thing.”

The nanny had a vague expression, as if struggling to recall the sudden change of topic.

“I also remember that you stayed by my side when I was unable to move and took care of me twenty-four hours a day?”

“Of course! At that time, I fed Princess, no, Philomel, and carried her on my back when she needed to move.”

The nanny’s eyes lit up as she recalled the memories.

For the nanny, it would have been the golden age of her life, wielding power as the princess’s guardian as she pleased.

“It was really nice that you were there for me when I was sick.”

Of course, it was a blatant lie.

It was a hellish time for Philomel, constantly subjected to the nanny’s nagging and interference.

‘But……’

Philomel smiled brightly and addressed the nanny.

“So how about being a source of strength to the Princess in that way too?”

“…To Princess Elencia?”

“This time, the nanny is the one who is sick, but you can do a lot of things even while lying down. If it’s just giving teachings with words, you don’t even need to use your body.”

The nanny nodded with confidence.

“That’s true. Princess Elencia’s mother, Isabella, also grew up receiving all my teachings. I never knew that you appreciated my hard work so much.”

“Since the bed is wide, how about staying in this room and taking good care of the Princess, just like when I used to sleep next to you every day?”