There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]: Chapter 91

There Is No Place for a Fake - Episode 91

Katrin gave her daughter a serious look.

“Listen carefully, Philomell. It’s about your biological father.”

That deflated Philomell’s mood.

‘Come to think of it, Katrin doesn’t know I already know who my biological father is.’

“Your biological father is someone more amazing than you can imagine. If you have nowhere else to turn, go to him. He won’t ignore you. He is…”

Before her mother could say more, Philomell interrupted.

“It’s okay. I already know that my biological father is the Master of the Magic Tower.”

“How did you know that!?”

Katrin was so surprised her mouth dropped open.

Philomell spoke to the cat beside the chair leg.

“You can return to your original form now. Judging by how thick the door is, our voices won’t be heard outside at all.”

Then, with a ‘pop’ sound, the cat disappeared, and a person appeared in its place.

“Hello, Katrin, is it? Long time no see.”

Katrin was startled.

“Lord Le Guin!”

Philomell briefly summarized for Katrin how she came to be working with Le Guin.

“I don’t know exactly… but you’re investigating because you suspect Ellen, right? And Lord Le Guin is helping you.”

Le Guin snapped his fingers.

“Yes, that’s it.”

Katrin smiled happily.

“Anyway, Lord Le Guin, it’s been a long time. You haven’t aged a bit.”

“You too. You look exactly the same as before.”

“Actually, you don’t remember me very well, do you?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I was just pretending to know you.”

“Your personality hasn’t changed either.”

Philomell watched them silently.

It was a conversation that seemed more like a casual chat between long-lost neighbors than a parent and child.

‘Well, it’s not like I was hoping for something dramatic between the two of them, but this is a bit anticlimactic…’

The two continued to reminisce for a while.

“Lord Le Guin saved me when I was being chased by a group of monsters near Mount Palos.”

“Mount Palos…? Ah! You were that woman who didn’t value her life back then.”

“My hometown is just across the river from there.”

Philomell interjected with new information.

“Wait, Le Guin saved Katrin?”

Katrin replied.

“That’s right. He was amazing back then. He took care of so many monsters at once…”

So, it was quite a romantic first meeting.

In the romance novels Philomell often read, the two main characters often met in that way.

She looked at her biological mother.

‘Could it be that Katrin had some feelings for Le Guin? Maybe she clung to her old love even more after Le Guin left…’

Katrin, noticing Philomell’s meaningful gaze, waved her hand.

“No! I just respected Lord Le Guin, I didn’t have any ulterior motives!”

“…Is that so?”

“It’s true! You don’t have to look at me with such pitiful eyes! In the first place, I’m only interested in men with black hair…”

“What did you say?”

“Ah, no. That’s…”

Philomell was dumbfounded and retorted.

“This is all happening because you’re creepily obsessed with that black hair.”

“It’s a misunderstanding! I’ve forgotten about that person now! It’s just that black hair is still my type.”

Philomell sighed.

“In the first place, liking someone just because of their hair color…”

“Hey, Philomell. You must have a favorite hair color, too.”

“I don’t.”

“Don’t say that, just pick one. If you’re going to date a guy later, it would be nice if he had this hair color.”

“I told you, I don’t.”

“Then at least a favorite color.”

“Hmm… then gold?”

“What, that kid has blonde hair!”

“What kid! There’s no such kid!”

“You don’t have to hide it. You’re at an age where you might have a crush on a boy.”

Katrin spoke as if she were a mother listening to her daughter’s love troubles.

“What are you two doing? What about blonde hair? If you’re going to talk about it, talk about silver hair too.”

Le Guin looked back and forth between the two with a sulky look.

‘Oops, I got caught up in Katrin’s pace.’ She seemed much more easygoing than expected.

Whenever she was with Katrin, the atmosphere was always serious, so she didn’t know that this was her original personality.

A strange feeling came over her at the fact that such a person had committed such a great crime.

‘No, now is not the time to be sentimental.’

She should quickly ask about Ellensia so she can’t talk about anything else.

“What I want to ask about is not my biological father, but about Ellensia.”

“Ah, Ellen…”

Katrin’s face clouded over for a moment.

“That child must resent me, right? She’ll never come here in her life.”

From Katrin’s words, Philomell realized that Ellensia had not yet visited this eastern tower.

Surely she must have heard from Count Polan that Katrin was allowed visitors…

‘Hasn’t enough time passed yet? Or…’

After a moment of silence, Philomell looked at Katrin and opened her mouth.

“You said that Ellensia changed into someone else before, right?”

Katrin’s body trembled.

“I, I might have been mistaken. It’s a ridiculous story.”

“That could be. But still, tell me. Exactly how did Ellensia change?”

Philomell naturally didn’t say a word about the book to Katrin.

Nevertheless, Katrin was well aware that something unusual was happening to her adopted daughter.

“Okay. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

How much time had passed? Katrin soon nodded her head as if she had made some kind of decision.

“I first felt that Ellen had changed about three months before you appeared. It was winter.”

Sitting on the stool, she recalled.

“I’m not sure if it was exactly that day… but one day, I went out and felt that the child’s condition was a bit strange when she came back. She came home late in the evening, and she asked me as if she didn’t remember my name.”

‘She didn’t remember Katrin’s name? Could that be? She’s her mother?’

It was suspicious to anyone.

“I thought Ellen had caught a cold from being outside for a long time in the cold weather, so I gave her medicine and put her to bed. The next day, the child’s condition was dazed, and the day after that, and the day after the day after that…”

She continued, stroking her cheek.

“Then, after a few days, her condition changed a bit.” Her voice suddenly grew louder. “Should I say she suddenly became energetic? At first glance, it seemed like she had returned to her old self, but… something was subtly different from before. Should I say her emotional expressions changed dramatically? Ellen was honest with her emotions, but her mood didn’t change quickly.”

Philomell, recalling what she had heard from her in prison, asked.

“Didn’t you say that her eating habits and gait had changed too?”

Katrin clapped her hands.

“That’s right! That’s why it was strange. I can accept that people’s feelings can change, but it’s hard to change things like that in an instant. But Ellen changed.”

She listed Ellensia’s changed points, counting on her fingers.

“She used to walk slowly, but she became very fast, and she ate very quickly too. Her tone changed a bit irritably. It doesn’t seem like she has any malice, but when you listen to her, you feel angry.”

Philomell nodded her head without realizing it because she sympathized.

Katrin’s words were not over.

“Besides that, her minor habits changed, she clearly didn’t remember things I had told her before, and she asked me for money to go to the capital…”

Philomell opened her mouth.

“What about her taste? Did Ellensia like spicy food before?”

“Ah! Now that you mention it, I remember. Once, she asked me if I could make the food spicy. She never looked for spicy food before. She really liked it when I sprinkled Hosa powder [a type of spice] on the food.”

She frowned.

“And what else did she say…? That the food I make is too greasy? Ssaal [possibly a type of grain or dish]? I don’t know what it is, but she was looking for something like that.”

‘Ssaal?’

It was a term she had never heard before. Le Guin, who was leaning against the wall and listening, also shrugged his shoulders.

After that, Philomell asked Katrin a few more things about Ellensia. Katrin answered faithfully, but no new facts were discovered.

Ellensia suddenly changed one day. Like someone else.

For now, that was all Philomell could know.

‘At this rate, there’s no progress…’

Katrin, seeing Philomell’s face darken, spoke.

“Do you want to see Ellen’s diary?”

“She has a diary?”

“Yes. I bought her a diary as a birthday present a long time ago. She writes in it sometimes. It seems like she was writing in it even after she changed. Come to think of it… she was sitting at her desk more often than before. She looked very bored.”

That diary might be the key to unlocking Ellensia’s secret. At least she could get a glimpse of her inner thoughts.

“Where is the diary now?”

“If nothing happened, it would be left in the house we used to live in, right? Ellen suddenly took you away, and I only packed my things and ran away. Maybe Ellen brought her things here after that?”

“I don’t think so.”

According to Emily’s report, there was no such content. Ellensia said she bought everything new when she came to the Imperial Palace.

‘I need to go to Ellensia’s hometown right now and find the diary.’

Philomell got up from her seat and asked Katrin one last question.

“Do you know exactly where the diary is in the house?”

“Ellen hid it, so I don’t know either. I was worried after the child suddenly changed, so I searched the house, but I couldn’t find it.”

Then there’s no choice but to go and find it myself.

“Philomell…”

Katrin’s pitiful voice caught Philomell’s footsteps as she headed for the door.

“I’ve said it before, but I’m really sorry. I’ve committed a sin against you that I can’t repay even if I apologize for the rest of my life. I wouldn’t dare ask for your forgiveness.”

Philomell answered without turning around.

“It’s okay. What’s the point of talking about that now? Just worry about how you’re going to survive here from now on.”

East Tower. This place was a prison that wasn’t a prison. A prison where anyone trapped in this room would eventually lose their mind due to the maddening sense of isolation.

Nevertheless, the person currently trapped in this room said indifferently, “I’m fine. It’s a light punishment compared to the sins I’ve committed. And I’m really happy just that you came to see me. I thought I would never see your face again.”

“…”

Philomell bit her lip and uttered a different sound instead of answering that.

“Even if Ellensia comes, what happened today is a secret. You can do that much for your abandoned daughter, right?”

“Of course! Besides, the child now is not the Ellen I knew.”

“I’ll trust you. Goodbye then.”

Philomell opened the door and went outside.

There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]

There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]

No Place for the Fake Princess Philomel the Fake (Serialized Title) 가짜를 위한 장소는 없다
Status: Completed Author: Native Language: Korean
Bookmark
[English Translation] Philomel's life takes a dark turn when she's executed for impersonating a princess and causing a devastating war. But fate has a twisted sense of humor. After her death, she finds herself reborn as the very character she despised from a mysterious book. Determined to escape her doomed fate, young Philomel embarks on a perilous journey of survival. She seeks out the real princess, Ellencia, hoping to forge a new life far from the palace's treacherous intrigues. Yet, her past refuses to stay buried. The emperor, who once loathed her, now desperately seeks her return, while her indifferent fiancé suddenly vies for her attention. Even her biological father emerges, disrupting her carefully laid plans. Can Philomel unravel the secrets of the ominous book that foretold her demise? Will she ever truly escape the shadow of her past and discover a future where she can finally be free? Dive into a world of royal secrets, hidden identities, and unexpected romance in this captivating fantasy series!

Read Settings

not work with dark mode
Reset