There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]: Chapter 49

“My wish……?”

Ellencia asked, looking bewildered.

Instead of elaborating on his daughter’s question, Eustis turned to look at the people in the room and said,

“Sixteen years ago, my wife passed away while giving birth to a child.”

A solemn atmosphere filled the room at the mention of the former Empress.

The unhealed scars were evident on Eustis’s face as he spoke of the past.

“The child was born at the home of my wife’s longtime friend, Katrin Hounds. At the time, Katrin also had a newborn child.”

No one could guess why Eustis was bringing up the past.

Not until they heard what he said next.

“That day, my child and Katrin’s child were switched. By mistake.”

Everyone except Eustis gasped.

‘What?’

Philomela was also surprised and widened her eyes.

“But, Your Majesty……!”

The youngest maid dared to question him. However, she soon turned pale and lowered her head, as all eyes turned to her.

In the silence, Ellencia opened her mouth with a trembling voice.

“What are you saying? Mother clearly did it on purpose…….”

“Ellencia.”

Eustis looked at his daughter with unusually dark eyes.

“If it wasn’t someone’s mistake, that woman must pay for her sin with death.”

“That’s…….”

Ellencia looked around and closed her lips, which had been moving slightly.

She seemed to have realized that this was the only way to save Katrin, as she had pleaded.

Philomela also realized the common thread among the people gathered here.

They were the ones who knew that Katrin had intentionally switched the two children. Not as a rumor, but as a fact.

‘Presumably, the nanny had been summoned to the palace to confirm whether Ellencia resembled the Empress.’

The book also mentioned a similar confirmation process. And Katrin, who was brought to that place, confessed her crime, making others aware of it as well.

Considering that the time when Countess Delles witnessed Katrin and the time when the nanny appeared in the Imperial Palace coincide, it is a plausible assumption.

‘The knights must be the ones who captured Katrin, and the maids must be the ones who serve Ellencia.’

The nanny must have cursed Katrin immensely, so the maids next to her couldn’t have been unaware. It was obvious.

“Katrin initially didn’t know that the children had been switched, but…….”

At this point, the Emperor’s teeth grinding could be felt.

“As the child grew to resemble the Empress over time, she realized the truth. And coincidentally, she met Philomela and confided in her.”

Thus, a lie was completed.

The Emperor made eye contact with each person and said,

“I know what rumors are circulating. They are just nonsense that will soon subside. If not…….”

The Emperor didn’t finish his sentence. However, the answer could be found in his fiercely shining eyes.

“I trust that everyone will act accordingly.”

* * *

After the Emperor’s veiled threat, everyone returned to their places.

After Count Polan also left, only three people remained in the office.

“With this, that woman will no longer face a public trial or punishment,” Eustis said in a low voice.

“The sin she committed will not disappear, so I cannot allow her to move freely, but I will order her to be moved to a better environment than now, as you wished.”

“…….”

“Ellencia?”

Ellencia, who had been lost in thought, suddenly came to her senses.

“Ah. Um……. Thank you for listening to my request! More than anything, I’m happy that Father cares about me so much.”

“That’s a relief.”

“I have to tell the nanny this good news too. I’ll go ahead.”

Ellencia quickly left the office after saying what she wanted to say.

After Ellencia left, only Eustis and Philomela remained in the office.

“…….”

“…….”

In the awkward silence, Philomela spoke first.

“Why…… did you make that decision? For Ellencia’s sake?”

In the book, he couldn’t contain his anger and killed Katrin with a single blow, even displaying her head.

Philomela swallowed the words she couldn’t say.

Eustis had just declared that he would cover up the crime of the woman who switched his daughter.

Because of Katrin, he lived for over ten years without knowing the daughter his wife had given her life to bear. He must want to tear her to pieces.

“Yes.”

He replied calmly.

“No one will question your birth mother’s sin, so don’t shrink back unnecessarily. It wasn’t your responsibility in the first place.”

Was it a delusion that those words sounded like Philomela was also the reason for covering up Katrin’s sin?

That’s impossible. It must be her delusion.

“……I understand.”

With that, Philomela returned to her residence with a somewhat complicated feeling.

“So, you’re staying here?”

“That’s great!”

The maids were overjoyed when they heard that their imprisoned colleague would be released.

They were even more pleased with the news of Philomela’s long-term stay.

Countess Delles, who was also smiling, said,

“Then we’ll have to postpone the invitation to our territory.”

“I’ll definitely go when I have time.”

The Delles family wanted to finish their business here and visit with peace of mind.

“That’s a promise. But if you’re moving to the South Palace, you’ll have to start packing tomorrow.”

“Yes. I’m not planning on taking much.”

Since she had already abandoned them once when she ran away, she had no attachment to the things here.

‘It wasn’t originally mine anyway.’

None of the things Philomela had eaten, worn, or possessed until now were prepared for her.

Even the people were the same. In principle, it was right to return them to their original owner, Ellencia.

“Meow.”

At that moment, the only being unrelated to Ellencia approached Philomela and greeted her.

‘Ah, this cat was here.’

Philomela mentally stroked the cat’s head and then spoke to everyone.

“Thank you for working for me all this time. From now on, I’m going to relieve you of your burden.”

Everyone looked puzzled at Philomela’s words.

Countess Delles asked with a bewildered expression.

“Excuse me, but what do you mean…….”

“I mean that when I go to the South Palace, you don’t have to stick so close to me like you do now. You only need to do the work assigned to you at certain times, according to the Imperial family’s guest reception rules.”

Countess Delles and the maids were noticeably embarrassed. It was no wonder, since she, who had lived receiving the service of others since birth, suddenly declared that she would not receive it.

“However, the reason why such guest reception rules were created is because the distinguished guests staying in the South Palace bring their own servants.”

That’s right.

There was no way that the distinguished guests, who were guests of the Imperial Palace, would not have servants they had been using. Naturally, the servants they had originally served were like their own limbs, so it was a rule to accommodate the guests’ convenience.

“Are you perhaps planning to hire a separate servant?”

Philomela shook her head.

“I’m going to try to do it myself as much as I can.”

Standing on her own.

She was planning to use this time staying in the Imperial Palace as a step to prepare for standing on her own.

She felt it during her few days of running away.

She had been raised as a hothouse flower in the Emperor’s shadow.

It was common for her to be overcharged at the market because she didn’t know how to bargain, and she would have had all her money stolen if it hadn’t been for Jeremiah. She vividly experienced the facts she had only known in her head until then.

‘I thought I was all grown up, but I wasn’t.’

From basic grocery shopping to the know-how of choosing safe accommodation.

If there hadn’t been people who willingly lent a helping hand to her, who was wandering around not knowing how to do anything, she wouldn’t have been able to spend even a day safely, let alone a few days.

Therefore, while staying in the Imperial Palace from now on, she wanted to do other meaningful things besides finding out the identity of the book. Until she became a complete person.

To do that, she had to distance herself from the things she had taken for granted until now.

“……Are you really okay? The state guest house is too big. It will take a whole day just to clean it.”

The maid Nancy expressed her concern.

“I just have to make sure not to make a mess. Besides, it’s not like I’m not getting any service at all, it’s just not dedicated.”

She only needed to entrust the basic chores to the palace staff once or twice a day, like other distinguished guests. Cleaning and laundry were included in that.

In fact, she wanted to do this herself if she could, but it was impossible with one person’s strength. There was a reason why nobles had multiple servants.

“Still, it will be hard…….”

At the maid’s words, who was worried about her, Philomela smiled and said.

“If I really can’t do it, I’ll call you. Help me then.”

All she had to do was clean up the dishes she ate and brew the tea she would drink, but everyone was very worried.

After the maids were somewhat convinced, it was Countess Delles’ turn.

“……What should I do? If you do that, it seems like you don’t need me.”

Countess Delles murmured self-deprecatingly.

As a noble, she couldn’t do chores like the maids. In the first place, her role was over the moment Philomela was no longer a princess.

But even as a distinguished guest, she, who was not a member of the Imperial family, could not use a maid. She didn’t want to either.

Philomela opened her mouth.

“Madam, please rest comfortably now. You haven’t even seen your daughter’s face since she returned, have you? It would be better to go back to your territory and spend time with your family for a while.”

Philomela conveyed the words she wanted to say before sadness and sorrow settled on her face.

“And come back and be my friend. Not as someone who serves and someone who is served, but as equals.”

“That…….”

“Now that I’m no longer a princess, there will be fewer people visiting and I’ll be very lonely. So you have to come often and spend time with me.”

Countess Delles answered with a choked voice.

“Yes. I will.”

Afterwards, at Philomela’s suggestion, dinner was eaten together with not only the Countess but also the maids.

Everyone hesitated at the unconventional form, but in the end, they accepted her insistence.

It was a lively dinner.