There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]: Chapter 56

It was time to return to the Imperial Palace.

After Jeremiah contacted Le Guin through the communication stone, they used teleportation magic to return to their original arrival point and waited.

“……”

Jeremiah had been silent since they’d returned from the river.

Philomel tried to guess why.

‘Is he angry because he thinks I didn’t take his advice seriously?’

If so, Philomel had her own perspective to share.

She hadn’t ignored Jeremiah’s advice. In fact, there wasn’t anything to listen to or ignore, because his advice didn’t really apply to her.

Philomel had never expected them to think of her as someone extraordinary.

Of course, she didn’t believe those who had followed her this far disliked her.

Perhaps they even cherished her. However, that feeling wouldn’t be as profound as the love they had for family.

So, when Jeremiah brought it up, she was simply bewildered.

In some ways, it sounded like concern that Philomel might follow the same path as her mother.

‘Jeremiah, you have a surprisingly delicate side.’

Suddenly, Jeremiah and Philomel’s eyes met.

He quickly looked away.

‘Huh. But why does it seem like he’s watching over me, rather than being angry……?’

Philomel’s question was soon interrupted by the murmuring of people. Now that she thought about it, the street was quite noisy.

‘What’s going on?’

Philomel moved a few steps out of the alley and onto the main street. A large crowd was gathered in front of the bulletin board, whispering.

‘It seems like it will take some time for Le Guin to arrive, so it should be okay if I take a quick look, right?’

Philomel eavesdropped on the conversation of two passersby nearby.

“Hey, what does that poster from the palace say that’s causing such a commotion? Geez, there are too many people, I can’t even see it.”

“The rumor that a new princess has appeared is apparently true.”

“I knew it!”

“But that’s not the important thing! The original princess wasn’t a bad person!”

The person who heard that jumped in surprise.

“What? Then why was she a princess when she wasn’t even the real Emperor’s daughter!”

“The poster says that when the princess was born, she was accidentally switched due to the mistakes of some low-level servants.”

“No, is that even possible?”

“I don’t know! Well, babies are often switched in nurseries, aren’t they? It seems like the affairs of the higher-ups aren’t that different from ours.”

“Gee, all sorts of things happen.”

“You should be careful with your words. They say your tongue will be cut off if you go around saying bad things about the former princess.”

“Who says?”

“The soldier who was putting up the poster. Apparently, he’s the one who found the real princess, so he’s a grateful person.”

“I see. I somehow knew it.”

“When did you? You were so excited and shouting that those things should be nipped in the bud.”

“Hey! That’s a dangerous thing to say if someone hears it! But…….”

The man stroked his chin with a puzzled look.

“Strangely, I was really angry at that time……. Looking back, there was no need to go that far.”

“I know. I thought it was strange that someone who doesn’t even read the newspaper was so interested.”

At that moment, a voice came from right behind Philomel.

“What are you doing here?”

“Eek!”

Philomel screamed in surprise, and Jeremiah scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“Le Guin is here, so let’s go.”

“What about Jeremiah? Aren’t you coming?”

Was he planning to leave the capital? If so, there was something she wanted to say before he left.

Philomel looked up at him urgently.

“……Go first. I have some business to take care of separately.”

Jeremiah looked down at Philomel and replied.

“How are you going to get into the Imperial Palace without Le Guin?”

“I have a way. It’s going to take a long time and be annoying, though.”

Leaving only those words, Jeremiah disappeared toward the plaza.

Philomel joined Le Guin and returned to her residence.

When asked why she was late, Le Guin replied that Countess Delles kept talking to her.

Only then did Philomel realize that Le Guin had been transforming into her appearance to deceive others.

Le Guin was confident that she had perfectly played Philomel…….

“Phi, Philomel-nim? Um…… Did you enjoy the meal?”

“If there’s anything we did wrong, please don’t hesitate to tell us.”

Judging by how closely Countess Delles and the maids were watching her, it was an unreliable statement.

‘What on earth did you do!’

But it was already water under the bridge [an idiom meaning the situation cannot be changed].

She vowed never to make Le Guin do this kind of role again.

It was late in the evening when Jeremiah returned. He looked as if he had jumped into a fire, with his clothes and hair singed.

Jeremiah, who had once again climbed in through the window, took out a luxurious paper bag from his arms.

“I picked it up on the way.”

“……You picked up Cression’s pastries on the way?”

The paper bag was full of various popular items that Cression boasted about.

“Ahem! I saw that there was no line on the way. I bought it in the blink of an eye, so it’s the same as picking it up.”

If he picked it up, he picked it up, and if he bought it, he bought it. It was a strange logic.

Jeremiah glared at the innocent floor for no reason and said.

“Anyway! I’m giving it to you, so eat it. And…….”

The next words were as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz.

“Forget what I said during the day. It was nonsense.”

Philomel didn’t immediately understand what that meant.

‘What did he say during the day? What was it? Ah, that!’

He’s more delicate than he looks.

Le Guin, who was listening to their conversation, interjected.

“What is it, what is it? What did Jeremiah say?”

Instead of Jeremiah, who was hesitating, Philomel answered.

“It’s nothing. More than that, let’s eat our pastries! They’re delicious!”

The three moved to the maze garden with Le Guin’s magic and held a midnight tea party in the canopy.

“Hey, I was saving that to eat.”

“Hmph. Finder’s keepers.”

“Stop talking nonsense and give it to me.”

“You’re the one who should take your hands off the pastries I bought.”

The sounds of the two, father and son, bickering were like background music.

When Philomel casually said, “It would have been nice if Lexion and Cardin were here too,” the two were even summoned.

Lexion, who had fallen from the magic circle created by Le Guin in the air, grabbed his shoulder and got up.

“Ugh, I wish you would call me normally from now on.”

Snoring, Cardin didn’t seem to wake up even though he fell headfirst.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to call you like this…….”

Philomel, who was embarrassed, looked at Le Guin with reproachful eyes, but he retorted.

“Why. What. Those guys grew up rough, so it’s okay to do this.”

‘Sigh, never mind.’

Anyway, Lexion sat down. After a while, Cardin, who woke up from sleep due to Jeremiah’s kick, joined them.

Lexion and Cardin were officially appointed as court mages today.

The four began to chat.

“Wow! This pastry is really delicious! What’s the name?”

Cardin, who was eating the pastry, exclaimed.

“Damn it, I can’t eat because it’s too noisy.”

Jeremiah grumbled in response.

“According to the latest report from the Magic Tower…….”

Lexion said calmly.

“Phil, when I pretended to be you today, the Countess or whatever was really annoying.”

Le Guin spoke.

Philomel looked at her father and brothers, who were each talking, and thought. These people really only say what they want to say.

‘Does a proper conversation even happen usually?’

Anyway, they were all people who cared about Philomel in their own way.

And she had something to say that she had to convey when they were all together. It was something she wanted to say before Jeremiah left.

“Everyone, please pay attention.”

The commotion stopped at once, and attention was focused on Philomel.

Philomel cleared her throat and then spoke.

“I have something to say to you all. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude.”

She grabbed the end of her dress with her fingertips and bowed slightly.

“Thank you all for following me to this distant place for my sake. Although it seems like Jeremiah came against his will.”

Jeremiah coughed.

Philomel continued to speak.

“However, you don’t need to take responsibility for my life.”

The eyes that had been listening to Philomel’s words casually were all filled with bewilderment.

“Even if I finish what I want to do here, I don’t want to go to the Magic Tower. Ah, of course, I’m not saying I won’t go at all. I’ll visit sometimes if I miss you. At that time, if you don’t turn me away…….”

“Phil, just a moment.”

Lexion was the first to regain his composure and raised his hand.

“Please speak.”

“If you’re not coming to the Magic Tower, where are you planning to live? Perhaps the Imperial Palace?”

“That’s not it. I haven’t decided on the specifics yet.”

“Then the Magic Tower isn’t a bad choice…….”

“No. Lexion once told me to do what I want to do, right?”

Philomel interrupted Lexion and said firmly.

“That’s right.”

“I’ve thought about it carefully, and I’m sorry, but I don’t feel like going to the Magic Tower.”

“Why?”

Le Guin asked with a look of complete incomprehension.

“Even if you ask why…… it’s just because that’s how I feel…….”

“If you become a mage, do you think you’ll want to go to the Magic Tower?”

“I’m not a mage.”

“You can become a mage.”

Even with Le Guin’s insistence, Philomel didn’t budge.

‘No, it’s not like I’m saying I’ll never go, so why are you doing this?’

The three brothers also kept trying to persuade Philomel for some reason.

“Phil, please reconsider. The Magic Tower is a pretty good place.”

“That’s right! What’s good about it is…… um, anyway, it’s good!”

“……Not bad.”

Lexion, Cardin, and Jeremiah said in turn.

“I appreciate your feelings, but I have no intention of going.”

But Philomel stated firmly.

Of course, a slight worry arose in her heart.

‘Did I say too much when I don’t even know what will happen in the future?’

If Philomel is framed as a criminal and has nowhere to go, she would have to go to the Magic Tower with gratitude.

However, there was no sign of that, and they seemed to think that Philomel would naturally go to the Magic Tower when her business was over.

Continuing to receive help without clearly stating her feelings was no different from deceiving them.

Philomel stealthily looked at the others. She wondered if they were upset.

But they were thinking something completely different from Philomel.

They had to change her mind before Philomel left the Imperial Palace.