Chapter 49
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: The Truth Behind the Switch
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"My wish...?"
Ellensia asked with a bewildered expression.
Rather than resolving his daughter's confusion, Emperor Justis turned to the people in the room and spoke.
"Sixteen years ago, my wife passed away while giving birth to our child."
A solemn atmosphere filled the room at the mention of the late Empress.
The unhealed scars were visible on the profile of the man dredging up the past.
"The child was born in the home of Katrin Hounds, my wife's old friend. Katrin had just given birth to her own child at the time."
No one could even guess why Emperor Justis was bringing up this old story.
Not until they heard what came next.
"That day, my child and Katrin's child were switched. By mistake."
Everyone except the speaker gasped sharply.
What?
Philomel widened her eyes in shock as well.
"But Your Majesty...!"
The one who dared voice a question was the youngest maid. But as all eyes turned to her, her face paled, and she quickly bowed her head.
In the silence, Ellensia spoke up in a trembling voice.
"What do you mean? Mom said she did it on purpose..."
"Ellensia."
Emperor Justis looked at his daughter with eyes that seemed unusually dark.
"If it wasn't someone's mistake, that woman would have to pay for her sins with her life."
"But..."
Ellensia glanced around the room and clamped her mouth shut.
She seemed to realize it. That this was the only way to save Katrin, as she had begged for.
Philomel realized it too. The common thread among everyone gathered here.
They were all people who knew Katrin had intentionally switched the two children. Not as rumor, but as fact.
Presumably, the Nanny had been summoned to the palace to confirm if Ellensia resembled the Empress.
The book had described a similar verification process. And Katrin, dragged to that scene, had confessed her crime, letting the others know.
It was a plausible guess, considering the timing matched when Lady Deless had seen Katrin and when the Nanny appeared at the imperial palace.
The knights must be the ones who captured Katrin, and the maids serve Ellensia.
The Nanny must have ranted endlessly about Katrin, so the maids by her side couldn't have been ignorant. It was obvious without seeing it.
"Katrin didn't know at first that the children had been switched..."
At this point, Philomel could hear the emperor grinding his teeth.
"But as time passed, she saw the child growing to resemble the Empress more and more, and realized the truth. And by chance, she met Philomel and confessed everything."
With that, one lie was complete.
The emperor made eye contact with each person one by one.
"I know what rumors are circulating in the world right now. Baseless gossip that will die down soon. If not..."
The emperor didn't finish his sentence. But the answer was in his eyes, gleaming with menace.
"I trust you'll all act accordingly."
After the emperor's threat—not quite a threat—everyone returned to their posts.
Once even Count Polan withdrew, only three people remained in the office.
"This means that woman won't face a public trial or punishment."
Emperor Justis said in a low voice.
"Her crimes won't vanish, so I can't grant her full freedom, but as you wished, I'll have her moved to better conditions than now."
"..."
"Ellensia?"
Ellensia snapped out of her thoughts.
"Ah. Um... Thank you for granting my request! Above all, I'm happy that you care about me so much, Dad."
"I'm glad."
"I should tell the Nanny this good news too. I'll go first."
Ellensia spilled her words and hurried out of the office.
Once even Ellensia left, only Emperor Justis and Philomel remained.
"..."
"..."
In the awkward silence, Philomel spoke first.
"Why... did you make that decision? For Ellensia?"
In the book, he had killed Katrin in a rage with a single stroke and even displayed her corpse.
Philomel swallowed the words she couldn't say aloud.
Emperor Justis had just declared he would cover up the crime of the person who switched his daughter.
Despite living over ten years ignorant of the daughter born in exchange for his wife's life because of Katrin. He must have wanted to chew her to death.
"Yes."
He answered calmly.
"No one will hold your birth mother accountable, so don't cower needlessly. It wasn't your responsibility to begin with."
Did those words sound like Philomel was included in the reason for covering Katrin's crimes? It must be an illusion.
Absurd. It had to be her own misconception.
"...I understand."
With somewhat complicated feelings, Philomel returned to her quarters.
"So you'll be staying here from now on?"
"That's great!"
When she announced that her imprisoned companions would be released, the maids jumped for joy.
They were even happier about Philomel's extended stay.
Lady Deless, also smiling, said,
"Then we'll have to postpone the invitation to our estate."
"I'll visit when I have time."
The Deless family wanted her to visit comfortably after finishing business here.
"It's a promise. But if you're moving to the Guest Palace, we should start packing tomorrow."
"Yes. I don't plan to take much."
She had already abandoned everything once while fleeing, so she had no attachment to the items here.
They weren't truly mine to begin with.
Nothing Philomel had eaten, worn, or owned up to now had been prepared for her.
Even the people were the same. In principle, they should be returned to their original owner, Ellensia.
"Meow."
At that moment, the only being unrelated to Ellensia approached Philomel and greeted her.
Ah, you were here.
Philomel mentally petted the cat's head, then addressed everyone.
"Thank you for serving me all this time. From now on, I want to ease your burdens."
Philomel's words left everyone puzzled.
Lady Deless asked with a confused expression.
"Pardon, but what do you mean...?"
"It means once I'm at the Guest Palace, you won't need to attend me as closely. Just follow the imperial guest protocols—handle assigned tasks at set times."
Lady Deless and the maids visibly panicked. It was no wonder; someone who had been waited on hand and foot her whole life was suddenly declaring she didn't need it.
"However, the guest protocols exist because honored guests staying in the Guest Palace bring their own private servants."
That was true.
VIP guests of the imperial palace wouldn't arrive without their usual attendants. Naturally, they preferred their familiar servants over palace staff, so the rules accommodated guest convenience.
"Are you planning to hire separate servants?"
Philomel shook her head.
"I'll handle what I can myself."
Standing on her own two feet.
She intended to use her time in the palace preparing for independence.
She had realized it during her few days on the run.
She had grown like a flower in a greenhouse, under the emperor's shadow.
Ignorant of bargaining, she had been ripped off at markets as a matter of course, and without Jeremiah, she would have lost all her money to thieves. She had truly felt with her body what she had only known in her head before.
I thought I was all grown up, but I wasn't.
From basic shopping to choosing safe lodging.
Without people willingly offering help to her floundering self, who knew nothing, she wouldn't have survived even a day, let alone a few.
Thus, during her palace stay, beyond uncovering the book's identity, she wanted to accomplish something meaningful. To become a complete person.
To do that, she needed to distance herself from what she had taken for granted.
"...Are you sure you'll be all right? The Guest Palace is huge. Cleaning alone would take a whole day."
Maid Nancy voiced her concern.
"I'll just keep it from getting messy. Besides, you're not my full-time attendants—you'll still help."
Like other guests, she could assign palace staff basic chores once or twice a day. Cleaning and laundry, for instance.
In truth, she wanted to do even that herself if possible, but one person couldn't manage it. Nobles didn't keep multiple servants for nothing.
"Still, it'll be hard work..."
To the worried maid, Philomel grinned and said,
"If I can't manage, I'll call you. Help me then."
The remaining tasks were just clearing her own dishes or brewing her tea, yet everyone fretted excessively.
Once the maids somewhat accepted it, it was Lady Deless's turn.
"...What should I do? If that's the case, it seems you no longer need me, Lady Philomel."
Lady Deless murmured self-deprecatingly.
As a noble, she couldn't do menial chores like the maids. Her role had effectively ended the moment Philomel was no longer a princess.
But even as a guest, Philomel—a non-royal—couldn't commandeer a lady's maid. Nor did she want to.
Philomel spoke up.
"Lady Deless, rest easy now. You haven't even seen your daughter who returned home yet, have you? Go back to your estate and spend time with your family for a while."
Philomel conveyed what she wanted to say before disappointment and sadness could cloud the lady's face.
"Then return and be my friend. Not as servant and served, but as equals."
"Such..."
"Without being a princess anymore, few will visit, and it'll be lonely. So come often and spend time with me."
Lady Deless replied in a choked voice, full of resolve.
"Yes. I will."
That evening, at Philomel's suggestion, they all dined together—Lady Deless, the maids, everyone.
Everyone hesitated at the unconventional setup but eventually yielded to her stubbornness.
It was a lively dinner.