There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]: Chapter 6

* * *

The Fruit of the World Tree must truly be a miraculous medicine. After drinking the tea Eustis sent, Philomell felt her energy return. She felt lighter in both body and mind than before.

During the Princess’s literature lesson,

Philomell closed the book she was reading and said to her literature teacher,

“I’ve finished reading it. What should I read next?”

“You’ve already read it? Perhaps you just flipped through the pages…….”

“I read it properly. If you doubt me, test me on what I’ve read.”

Philomell answered all the questions the teacher posed.

The governess and tutors watched with wide eyes as the Princess, barely recovered from her sickbed, threw herself into her lessons with such enthusiasm.

It was a complete turnaround from her previous behavior, where she showed no interest in the lessons and only wasted time.

When Philomell voluntarily organized her questions and sought out the elderly foreign language teacher, claiming there were parts she didn’t understand, he nearly fainted.

She even spent her free time catching up on lessons or reading quietly.

The same was true for her time with Nassar.

“Um, Your Highness.”

“Yes, Prince. I have a question. When did the Battle of Silia break out?”

“……It was in the Imperial Year 132.”

“Ah, that’s right. Thank you for letting me know. Nassar is so smart.”

Nassar glanced at his fiancée, who was sitting across from him, memorizing a history book.

“Shall we spend our time doing our own things today? Nassar, please bring some work from home next time. Even though it’s only once a week, it’s a waste to squander such precious time.”

Philomell, who had said that as soon as they sat down, opened her book and began studying without giving Nassar any attention.

Even when she occasionally asked questions, Philomell’s gaze remained fixed on the book.

He had permission to borrow books from the Imperial Library, but he didn’t feel like it.

Nassar just kept emptying the teacup in front of him, like a sack of barley left out to dry [feeling useless and ignored].

It was the first time he had come to the Imperial Palace to be the Princess’s playmate and had so much free time. Until now, time had always flown by as he moved according to Philomell’s wishes.

‘Is she angry with me?’

Knowing it was impolite, Nassar stared intently at the small face so focused on the book that it seemed she would bury herself in it.

Philomell treated Nassar with a constant smile, far from being angry, but there was a strange sense of distance.

It was awkward. A distance as if separated by a thin glass wall. Philomell paid no attention to Nassar at all.

The young prince tilted his head at the awkwardness.

For some reason, he didn’t feel good. There was a time when he wished the Princess would be a little more mature…….

For some reason, it didn’t feel good at all.

* * *

The change was not limited to that. The number of times the Princess lost her temper with her inferiors had noticeably decreased.

Clang!

“Ah. I’m sorry! Your Highness!”

The teacup the maid dropped shattered into pieces. The bluebird painted on the surface broke into three pieces.

The teacup was a gift from Prince Averdeen on her birthday last year and was one of the Princess’s most prized possessions.

“I-I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!”

The maid trembled and begged for forgiveness, thinking she would receive severe punishment.

In fact, even if the Princess were to get angry, the governess could stop her, but recently she had fallen out of favor with the governess. It was because she had forgotten to bring a souvenir for the governess after taking a vacation to her hometown.

She braced herself, awaiting Philomell’s sharp scream.

But…….

“What are you doing? Clean it up quickly.”

“Yes?”

“The carpet will get wet. Clean it up and leave.”

“Ah, yes. I understand!”

The maid hurriedly gathered the broken pieces.

Philomell’s next words were even more unexpected.

“Be careful not to cut yourself. People are important, not just this teacup.”

The Princess, who would have been furious in the past, was even worried about the hand of a mere maid.

The surprised maid began to spread the strange experience she had that day whenever she met the palace people.

At first, most people regarded the Princess’s change as a momentary whim.

“She must have been scolded severely by His Majesty for what happened during the Founding Day.”

“How long will it last? Sooner or later, she’ll return to her old self.”

“Anyway, the palace will be quiet for a while.”

They remembered the Princess’s usual behavior all too well.

A sensitive and capricious child.

A troublemaker who neglected her duties as a princess and only thought about having fun.

However, as such changes continued for a day, two days, and several days, everyone had no choice but to change their minds.

The troublemaker princess had finally come to her senses.

Philomell’s desperate struggle for survival was seen by others as simply growing up.

“It’s rewarding to have taught the Princess with all my heart. I would have regretted retiring just because my back hurt a little.”

The governess pretended to be a great educator who had reformed Philomell, as if it were all her own merit.

“You are indeed the governess.”

“You’re amazing.” Philomell ignored the governess’s arrogance and the maids’ flattery.

And whether word about Philomell had reached the Emperor’s ears, Philomell was summoned by him a few days later.

It was at lunchtime. Rare dishes were served one after another in front of the two people sitting at either end of the long table.

Philomell was so nervous from the Emperor’s sharp gaze that she didn’t know where the food was going, but she tried to remain calm.

‘Why did he call me?’

There was no way he suddenly wanted to have a cozy meal with his daughter.

The Emperor opened his heavy mouth.

“I’ve heard the story. You’re focusing on your studies. That’s a good attitude.”

It took some time to realize it was a compliment because of his indifferent tone.

A meal with her father, a compliment from her father, was all a first.

Those things she had wanted so much came into her hands only when they had lost their meaning.

Philomell replied politely for now.

“……Thank you. But I still have a long way to go.”

“Your teachers praise you to the skies.”

“It’s all thanks to Your Majesty for providing me with such excellent teachers.”

Your Majesty?

Eustis furrowed his brow because of the sense of incongruity the word gave off. Everyone called him that, but Philomell had always called him ‘Father’.

“……You’ve become quite mature in the time I haven’t seen you.”

“Now I, too, must strive to have the dignity befitting a member of the Imperial Family.”

Philomell smiled. It was a smile that only slightly raised the corners of her mouth without opening it enough to show her teeth.

The Emperor stared silently at Philomell’s ‘aristocratic smile’. If he knew a little more about his daughter, he would have realized with his sensitive senses that the recent changes were extremely unnatural.

But Eustis, who didn’t, didn’t feel anything other than a slight sense of incongruity.

“I understand. Continue to work hard in the future.”

“Yes. I will keep that in mind.”

“Now that I think about it, is your body alright now? Is your cold completely gone?”

Philomell’s fork, which had been moving over the plate, stopped for a moment. She didn’t expect Eustis to even ask how she was.

“……I took the medicine Your Majesty sent and have fully recovered.”

She felt strange because he seemed to be genuinely worried.

‘No. Don’t let your heart be softened by the favor he throws like alms [charity given to the poor].’

Philomell steeled herself once again.

If it was revealed that she was a fake, if she didn’t obediently listen to him, the man who would one day kill her was him.

“I’m glad to hear that. Your mother was also very weak.”

“……Yes.”

Just as the Emperor was not her father, the Empress, whom she had thought of as her mother for nearly ten years, was not Philomell’s mother.

Eustis, who had been staring into space for a short time, looked at Philomell again.

“In recognition of your hard work, tell me if there is anything you want. I will grant it if I can.”

Praise, concern, next is reward?

Philomell swallowed hard.

The thing she had been waiting for had come.

The Emperor clearly distinguished between rewards and punishments when dealing with everyone. Severe punishment for those who were sluggish. Rewards for those who achieved results.

For that reason, Philomell had expected him to say the same to her.

But you can’t just say what you want right away when he asks like that.

Philomell hid her true feelings for now.

“There’s nothing in particular. It is an honor just for Your Majesty to recognize me.”

The Emperor brought the wine glass to his mouth and said leisurely.

“You are humble. But those who stand on the throne should have a moderate amount of ambition.”

I guess I can stop holding back since he’s saying this much.

Philomell pretended to be troubled before speaking.

“Actually, I don’t know if it’s something I want……. There is something I would like to ask of Your Majesty.”

“What is it?”

Philomell conveyed to the Emperor the wish she had been planning for a long time. Hoping that her first attempt at acting would be natural, hoping that it would seem as sincere as possible.