Chapter 50
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: The Forgotten Jeremiah
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“So, you'll be staying at the state guesthouse from now on?”
After finishing dinner, as she lay down in bed to sleep, Rguin—who had returned to his human form—suddenly asked.
“Yes. At the state guesthouse.”
Philomel pulled the blanket up to her neck as she replied.
“Hmm. The southern building has weaker divine power than here. That's convenient.”
“Is that so?”
“But do you really need to assign attendants? Well, it'll make it easier for me to come and go.”
“Actually, that's one of the reasons. We'll be meeting often from now on...”
Philomel trailed off.
For some strange reason, she felt uneasy. It was as if she'd forgotten something important.
“Why stop mid-sentence?”
“Um... did I forget something?”
“Who knows. Doesn't seem like it?”
An image of someone flashed in her mind at Rguin's casual lift of one eyebrow.
The next moment, Philomel kicked off the blanket and sat up.
“Ah! Jeremiah!”
She had completely forgotten about Jeremiah, whom she'd left trapped in the dark space.
Jeremiah emerged from the dark space still bound hand and foot.
“...Jer, Jeremiah?”
His closed eyes snapped open at Philomel's call.
His piercing blue eyes glared at them fiercely. He looked seriously angry.
Her original plan had been to talk with Emperor Justis and then release Jeremiah upon returning. But Ellensia had intervened, Katrin's issue had arisen, and Jeremiah had slipped her mind.
This was bad. She would earn his hatred before she could even win him over.
“Uh, please release him quickly...”
Philomel urged Rguin while quickly hiding behind his back.
“...”
Contrary to her expectation that Jeremiah would lash out the moment the restraints were removed, he remained surprisingly docile. But he didn't withdraw his harsh glare from Philomel.
“Can't you open your eyes properly? You're scaring Phil.”
“...”
At his father's words, Jeremiah's eyes narrowed even more rebelliously.
“Well, now.”
“Don't do that. It was my fault.”
Gathering her courage, she stepped forward. It was the courage granted by the so-called “secret weapon” in her hand.
“Jeremiah! I'm sorry for letting you out so late! It's not much, but will you accept this as an apology gift?”
What Philomel offered was a plate of cookies. She always kept snacks ready in her room for when hunger struck.
“Hmph.”
But Jeremiah merely turned his head away with a snort.
“You must be starving since you missed dinner. Have some of this for now.”
He remained unmoved.
“...They're pretty good. Loaded with thick chunks of chocolate.”
Philomel muttered in a small voice.
“What about me?”
Rguin frowned from the side. He seemed displeased that she hadn't offered him any cookies.
“I already prepared dinner for you, Lord Rguin...”
Philomel, feeling inexplicably tired, pressed her fingers to her temples as she answered.
“That's that, and this is this.”
Far from helping, he was making things worse.
But then, an opportunity arose.
“I can't just stand by and watch. What on earth are you two—mmph.”
The moment Jeremiah opened his tightly shut mouth, Philomel swiftly shoved a cookie inside.
“You...”
He grimaced but diligently chewed the food now in his mouth.
Soon, a gleam appeared in his blue eyes.
“...It's decent enough.”
“Have more.”
“If you think I'll fall for something like this—mmph.”
*Munch munch.*
Only after swallowing the cookie did he speak again.
“That's enough. Stop—mmph.”
This time, she stuffed three in at once. His cheeks bulging as he chewed evoked the image of a hamster.
“Thirsty, right? Here's some water.”
“Hmph...”
She poured water into a cup and held it out. Jeremiah cleared his throat awkwardly and took it.
'Eating cookies always makes your throat dry!'
After several rounds of “mmph” and “pour pour,” he finally filled his starving belly and spoke.
“...Ahem. Enough of this pointless nonsense. If you have something to say, spit it out.”
Though his words were harsh, the angle of his raised eyebrows had softened somewhat. His anger seemed to have subsided a bit.
“He sure ate a lot.”
Rguin grumbled, eyeing the now-empty cookie plate.
But Philomel, relieved, didn't hear him at all.
In fact, she was overwhelmed with emotion like waves crashing in, upon realizing that sweet treats worked well on the prickly Jeremiah.
The Ice Prince, Jeremiah.
He had a weakness for sugary foods. Though he denied it himself.
This was straight from Princess Ellensia.
She recalled how Ellensia had melted Jeremiah's icy walls with sweet desserts.
Though he wasn't the male lead—Nassar held that role—Jeremiah's appearances always featured him with something sweet in his mouth, underscoring his fervent love for desserts.
'Great. If I exploit this well, I might even win Jeremiah to my side!'
A brilliant plan sparked in Philomel's mind.
“You listening? Why did you lock me up?”
She bowed her head once more to Jeremiah, who grumbled in complaint.
“I'm really sorry. It must have been so uncomfortable. It was all my fault for leaving you like that.”
“Well, no... It's not entirely your fault. The one who actually put me in there was Rguin...”
This matched the book as well.
Jeremiah wasn't harsh toward those who acknowledged their mistakes and reflected. Even when Ellensia erred, a proper apology won him over.
“Still, I'm sorry.”
“So, why did you do it?”
Jeremiah's eyebrows had now fully relaxed.
“Well...”
Philomel cautiously opened her mouth.
The next morning dawned.
“Lady Philomel, good morning.”
As Lady Deless looked around the bedroom after waking Philomel, her eyes widened in surprise.
“Where's the cat?”
Philomel yawned widely as she replied.
“He went out the window. Seems he prefers sleeping outside.”
“Well, he was a stray to begin with, so that makes sense.”
In truth, Rguin had been dragged outside by the scruff of his neck by Jeremiah the night before.
Philomel had asked Jeremiah to stay here just one more day.
“What? So the reason you locked me up was because you wanted to talk to me more?”
Jeremiah responded incredulously to the excuse Philomel had roughly made up.
But he didn't get angry again.
“...If that's the case, just say so. It's not like I wouldn't listen for a single day.”
His reaction—sighing lightly and mildly scolding her—was quite unexpected.
'I see. He does listen if you just ask.'
Philomel blinked in realization.
She had unconsciously assumed otherwise because the book's Jeremiah was so hostile toward “Philomel.”
“Anyway, it's late. We'll talk details tomorrow.”
With that, Jeremiah picked up his father—who was turning into a cat and heading to the hearth—and lifted him.
“Where do you think you're going? You're staying with me. No empty rooms in this vast palace where we can hide?”
The cat shot Jeremiah a glare, but at Philomel's urging, he eventually vanished out the terrace window.
She was inwardly relieved. Even in cat form, sharing a bedroom with her newly discovered birth father felt awkward.
Moreover...
“You talk in your sleep pretty clearly, you know?”
Rguin's offhand comment from yesterday made it even more uncomfortable.
She hadn't realized she still had that habit.
Her nanny had nagged her as a child about not sleeping quietly, but she hadn't heard complaints since, so she'd thought it gone.
Looking back, it was simply because, after growing up a bit, she always slept alone, giving no one the chance to notice.
'My innermost thoughts slipping out without me knowing... I hate that.'
She didn't want to reveal them. To anyone.
“The weather's lovely today. What are your plans?”
Just then, Lady Deless brightly opened the window and asked.
Philomel gazed for a moment at the kind woman's warm face before answering.
“I think I'll rest quietly all day. I still feel tired.”
“Then I'll ensure no one disturbs Lady Philomel's rest. Shall I have meals left at the door?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Rest well.”
The quick-witted lady withdrew promptly.
The lady really was a good person. She always looked out for her and took care of her.
'But...'
Philomel didn't want to reveal her true feelings even to Lady Deless.
It wasn't dissatisfaction with the lady. She simply couldn't be completely honest with her.
Kind to everyone, but close to no one.
That had been Philomel's way of living until now.
'...Can someone like me change now?'
Philomel let out a small sigh.