There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]: Chapter 97

“Actually, you are…….”

“Meooow.”

Just as the Emperor was about to speak, an unexpected guest arrived.

A cat sauntered in through the open door, padded over to Philomell, jumped onto her lap, and settled comfortably on her knees.

‘Why is he acting like this again?’ she wondered.

Because of the cat’s sudden appearance, the Emperor’s confession was interrupted.

“……Well, I’m eating, so please go down,” she said gently.

She carefully nudged the plump feline off her lap, but it promptly jumped back up.

“I said, go down.”

She tried again, but the cat was persistent.

Jump. And back up it went.

The cat, as if claiming Philomell’s lap as its rightful throne, contentedly wagged its tail.

‘Why is he doing this? He’s never climbed on my lap before.’

Philomell narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the cat.

“Did you raise a cat?” the Emperor asked.

Philomell’s gaze shifted from the cat to him.

Come to think of it, this was the first time the Emperor had seen Le Guin.

“Yes, I do.”

“Since when?”

“Around the time I returned to the Imperial Palace.”

“I didn’t know you liked animals. Come to think of it, you used to raise carp in the pond when you were young.”

“……Do you remember?”

She never imagined that Eustis would still recall that detail.

“Yes. Didn’t you have the chef cook me a dish with that carp?”

“The chef cooked it, and I merely provided the carp…….”

“I remember how pleased you looked back then. You even said you would grow vegetables in the garden next time and make me a salad.”

……Did I?

Philomell herself had no recollection of that.

She had noticed it when she went to ask for a breakup with Narsar, but he had a surprisingly good memory.

‘So, did I promise him a salad? I don’t remember that at all.’

The conversation flowed easily, sparked by the carp dish Eustis mentioned.

“During the Founding Day celebration, I was quite surprised when Your Majesty suddenly hugged me.”

“Did I? I didn’t even realize it. I just did it without thinking.”

“Everyone watching was shocked.”

It was around that time that Philomell was actively trying to gain recognition as the successor.

She was quite surprised, even as she spoke. Hadn’t she been living behind a mask, concealing her true self?

When she was young, she felt a surge of happiness whenever her plans succeeded and she earned the Emperor’s approval. She also felt a sense of accomplishment.

However, on nights when she was alone, fear for the future always crept in. The joy she felt during the day vanished without a trace.

In terms of quantity, there were more painful memories than happy ones. And painful memories always surfaced before happy ones.

Negative experiences always seemed more intense than positive ones.

But how can I smile and talk as if it’s nothing?

As if that fragmentary memory was true happiness.

“Meooow!”

The friendly conversation was abruptly halted by a sharp meow.

The cat stood on its hind legs, resting its front paws on the edge of the table.

“Why are you doing this, really……!” Philomell whispered into its perked ears, but the cat only stared straight ahead. Only at the person sitting across from it.

The Emperor’s and the cat’s gazes locked in the air.

Human and animal glared at each other.

‘Why are they both doing this?’

Sensing an ominous atmosphere, Philomell quickly scooped up the cat and ushered it out the door.

The cat struggled, as if reluctant to leave, but when she narrowed her eyes, it stopped moving with a disgruntled frown.

Philomell, returning to her seat, looked at the remaining person.

Let’s leave Le Guin out of this, she thought. He didn’t seem to like the Emperor from the start.

That was because the two people’s personalities were truly incompatible.

Eustis was stricter with himself than with others. The Philomell remembered was always working diligently.

Without relentless effort, a prince born to an empress without a strong backing could not have ascended to the throne.

He was originally the type to devote himself to governing, but after his wife died, he became so consumed by his work that he was often described as ‘married to the country.’

In short, he was a dedicated workaholic.

In comparison, Le Guin lacked responsibility to the point where he neglected the Magic Tower and lived a leisurely life here.

Occasionally, when he had to go to the Magic Tower, he would make it clear that he was being dragged away by Lexion’s nagging.

According to him, he had suddenly awakened his genius when he was young, and since then, he had become the most powerful wizard without much effort.

In a word, he could be called a lazy genius.

Whenever she saw him spending most of the day lazing around, whether he was a cat or a human, she would unconsciously start nagging him.

At times like that, Le Guin would usually pout and sulk.

“Do you want me to become a boring person like that Emperor?”

Philomell didn’t even mention the Emperor’s name. It was an incomprehensible sensitivity.

She just thought he really hated the Emperor.

‘Well, let’s leave Le Guin out of it, but why was that person glaring at the cat like that? Could it be…….’

Did he suspect Le Guin’s true identity?

If so, it would be very problematic.

The Empire and the Magic Tower were nominally in a cooperative relationship, but there was an underlying tension.

Philomell recalled the Emperor, who always seemed to be in a particularly foul mood whenever there were pending issues related to the Magic Tower.

It would be a major scandal if the Master of the Magic Tower was hiding his identity and secretly living in the Imperial Palace. Imagining the chaos that would ensue made her head ache already.

She decided to test the waters and gauge Eustis’s intentions.

“Your Majesty, I apologize. My cat has been rude. Please punish me, the owner.”

The Emperor replied with a thoughtful expression, as if lost in contemplation.

“No. But that cat…….”

Did he really suspect something?

Le Guin’s transformation technique had never been detected by anyone, but it seemed possible that the Emperor might sense it through some special intuition.

“What about my cat……?”

“It’s a bit much to say in front of you…….”

“I’m fine, so don’t hesitate and tell me everything.”

“Since you insist, I will. That cat from earlier…….”

What was he hesitating so much about?

Philomell’s lips felt dry as she waited for his answer. He slowly opened his mouth.

“It was very ugly.”

“…….”

“It looks unpleasant.”

“…….”

“If you are considering getting another animal, it would be better to choose one that doesn’t make you feel uncomfortable.”

……Is that all?

Philomell placed a hand over her chest, which had been so tense. He had made her heart race for nothing.

By the way, the Emperor’s aesthetic sense seemed rather peculiar. It wasn’t just because he was her biological father, but Le Guin as a cat was undeniably cute, both objectively and subjectively.

Considering Empress Isabella’s renowned beauty, her eye for people seemed to be normal……. Is it just different when it comes to cats?

Philomell simply tilted her head in confusion.

* * *

At the same time, in the Imperial Palace, at the Magic Tower.

Court wizard Lexion was dealing with his father, who had barged into his laboratory.

Le Guin, sitting on his son’s research materials, burst out in annoyance.

“Ah! I’m so angry!”

Lexion indifferently replied while continuing to examine the documents he was reading.

“What’s wrong?”

“That annoying Emperor. Why is he acting so friendly with someone else’s daughter?”

“As I said before, he’s the one who raised Phil for over ten years…….”

“He found his own daughter, didn’t he? Shouldn’t he be satisfied with one daughter?”

“According to that logic, the person with three sons should concede.”

“Why should I! No matter how you look at it, doesn’t it seem like I’m more suitable as Phil’s father than that guy?”

“No. It doesn’t seem like it.”

“In what way?”

“It’s difficult for you to deeply empathize with her on an emotional level, and you’re also older, so Phil might feel a generation gap…….”

“Don’t you know? Phil told me before that my mental age is young.”

“……That’s not a compliment. What are you so proud of?”

Despite his advice, Le Guin, who selectively listened to other people’s words in a way that benefited him, remained unconcerned.

“You’re just jealous that my relationship with Phil has improved.”

“……It certainly seems like your relationship has improved compared to before.”

“That’s right. But that guy keeps interfering…….”

“It’s not Le Guin-nim [formal title], but the relationship between that child and Guin-Guin [cat name] has gotten better.”

“That’s me.”

“It’s different. Honestly, you can feel it, can’t you? The way Phil looks at you when she faces Le Guin-nim’s original form and when she faces the cat’s form is different.”

He didn’t seem to realize it himself, but Philomell gave a somewhat cold look to the human Le Guin, while she gave a strangely warm look to the cat Guin-Guin.

Perhaps he sensed it himself, as Le Guin glared at Lexion without any particular rebuttal.

“You’re the one who suggested getting her favor in cat form in the first place.”

“I meant for you to do that only at first, not to stay as a cat for the rest of your life like you are now.”

“……But she likes the cat form more, so what can I do?”

“Don’t be discouraged. But who knows? If you keep trying in cat form, you might become her pet, even if you can’t be Phil’s father.”

“I want to be a father!”

“You’ll have to try harder then. In my opinion, that side is slightly more dominant.”

“Whose side are you on anyway?”

“I’m on Phil’s side.”

The Master of the Magic Tower clicked his tongue.

“My son is of no help at all.”

“Then go complain to your other sons instead of me.”

“They’re impossible.”

Jeremiah would ignore him altogether, and Cardin would talk more than he would, so he wasn’t a good conversation partner.