Chapter 51
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Sneaking Out to the Plaza
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"No time to waste! If you want to sightsee outside to your heart's content, we need to get going now."
Philomel patted her cheeks and stepped out the window.
"Rguin! Jeremiah! Can you hear me? Are you still sleeping?"
Not knowing where they had stayed the night, she shouted loudly just in case.
The reply came almost immediately.
"I'm up."
Jeremiah descended from a nearby tree, his hair a tangled mess like a bird's nest and a cat perched on his head.
"You two seem to get along better than I thought."
Philomel chuckled at the unexpectedly cute sight, but Jeremiah recoiled in horror and waved his hands frantically.
"Don't even joke about that. He climbed up there on his own because he hates me looking down at him."
"Did you sleep in the tree?"
"Too lazy to wander around, and I couldn't find a decent room. It's fine. We've both camped out plenty of times before."
"Meow."
A cat's meow sounded as if in agreement.
"So, what was it you wanted to tell me? Make it quick—I'd like to wrap this up fast."
Jeremiah stepped closer to Philomel and asked. His attitude had improved since their first meeting, but he was still prickly.
Hmm. Looks like the cookies from yesterday weren't enough.
To win him over, it seemed she'd need to stuff him full of sweets.
"Sure, I'll tell you. But in exchange!"
"In exchange?"
"Want to go out and have some fun together?"
It was time to put yesterday's plan into action.
"Where to?"
"How about the central plaza? It's the busiest street in the empire. Bet you've never been."
The central plaza was the last place someone like Jeremiah—who hated crowds—would ever visit. And he probably never would in the future either.
"No thanks."
As expected, he refused outright.
But Philomel had a compelling reason to drag him there specifically.
"Aw, come on. There's tons to see—it'll definitely be fun. It's not famous for nothing."
"No. We can talk just fine right here."
"I'll buy you something sweet and delicious at the plaza."
"...Ugh, I hate sweets! I was just hungry yesterday."
The obvious lie was plain as day.
"Can't you make an exception...? Truth is, touring the plaza has always been my dream. As a princess, I've never had the freedom to just wander around..."
Philomel pulled her most pitiful expression, and Jeremiah's mouth twitched.
"Forget him. Just go with me."
Tower Master Rguin, now back in human form, spoke up, but Philomel pretended not to hear.
"It'd make me so happy if you'd come along, Jeremiah..."
"Fine! I'll go! Happy now?!"
In the end, Jeremiah waved the white flag.
"Why hold out when you're going anyway? Phil, take my hand. I'll teleport us straight to the plaza with magic."
Philomel shot Rguin a puzzled look as he extended his hand.
"What are you talking about? You need to stay here."
"Huh?"
"No one can find out I'm gone."
If word got out, there'd be a huge uproar.
Going through official channels for permission would be too much hassle anyway.
"Please? Keep watch for me. Throw up some illusions if needed. You can do that with magic, right?"
Philomel flashed a cheeky grin.
Unable to refuse Philomel's request, Tower Master Rguin used teleportation magic to drop her and Jeremiah off in a back alley near the plaza.
He passed through the imperial palace's magic suppression barrier without issue. No alarms went off, so he must have evaded the detection spells too.
The palace security is this easy to breach? I should summon the head of security and order some upgrades...
Philomel shook her head, caught in old habits from her princess days.
What good would tighter security do? It would only make it harder for her to sneak in and out.
"I know my way around the plaza too, you know. Pretty sure I'd be better at it than Jeremiah."
Rguin leaned against a lamppost and grumbled loudly enough for them to hear.
"But whatever. Can't be helped if Phil wants me to stay behind. Guess I'll stand watch. This is gonna be so boring."
He's such a child!
Philomel clicked her tongue at her birth father's immaturity.
Becoming Tower Master must depend solely on magical prowess. Diligence and maturity clearly weren't factors.
...Still, maybe asking the Tower Master to house-sit was a bit much?
The belated worry crept in.
But spending genuine time with Jeremiah meant Rguin's presence would just be a distraction. They'd probably spend the whole time bickering.
That said, if Rguin got fed up and ditched his daughter to return to the Magic Tower, Philomel couldn't stick around the palace much longer either.
The emperor had promised to treat her as an honored state guest, but whether others would see her that way was doubtful.
If things spiraled into a Princess Ellensia-style plot twist, she'd need Rguin as backup.
He'd been the only one to protect "Philomel" in Princess Ellensia, even if he gave up in the end.
And...
Ellensia scares me.
Ellensia's words and behavior in front of Emperor Justis—claiming she wanted to save Katrin—felt off.
"I love my mom! I know you hate her, Dad, but she's more of a mother to me than my own birth mom who gave birth to me."
Did Ellensia really want to save Katrin? Or did she want her dead?
Just before, during their conversation, Ellensia had visibly panicked upon hearing Katrin's message.
Katrin said Ellensia had changed, like she was someone else. What if Ellensia silenced her on purpose by provoking the emperor...?
A chill ran down Philomel's spine at the dark, sinister possibility.
It might be overthinking, but the suspicion lingered. If Ellensia's malice ever turned toward her, Philomel had no real counter.
Ellensia was the princess who would one day inherit the throne. To prepare for the worst...
I need to cheer Rguin up first.
In a crisis, he was her most reliable shield.
Philomel flashed a sociable smile and turned to Rguin.
"Aw, don't be like that—cheer up. You can go sightseeing with me later, just the two of us."
"...When?"
"Mm, whenever we both have time? I'll give you a special tour of the capital then."
"Really?"
"Of course."
He seemed intrigued. Time to embellish a little.
Philomel lowered her voice so Jeremiah couldn't hear.
"Actually, the reason I came out with Jeremiah first is to do a practice run before we go together."
"Practice run?"
"Gotta scout out the good spots in advance so I can pick the best ones for us later."
"...I see."
He lapsed into thought, seeming half-convinced.
Was that excuse too flimsy...?
But then came his bright conclusion.
"So that means I'm the priority over Jeremiah!"
His expression was as clear and trusting as a blue sky.
Philomel realized in that moment:
This guy's simpler than I thought.
To boost his mood further, she piled on the flattery.
"Obviously you're the priority, Rguin. You're the Tower Master, great at magic, breeze through palace barriers, uh, um... your magic is just so...
She ran out of ways Rguin outshone Jeremiah. No—upon closer inspection, they were all the same. It all boiled down to his superior magical skill.
What else was there? His looks? But he looks just like Jeremiah.
Still, Rguin brightened up regardless.
"Right. That's what it was. Knew it."
"Exactly. That's it."
Whatever "it" was, Philomel nodded along.
After that, Rguin kindly told her to call him via communication stone if she wanted a ride back to the palace, then left.
Philomel let out a sigh of relief.
Good. As childish as he was, he was straightforward and easy to handle.
With a breather, she approached Jeremiah, who had wandered a block away the moment they arrived—clearly hating to share space with his father.
"Can't use magic, huh? Guess the palace isn't a place for you long-term."
Jeremiah muttered, eyeing the faint magic circle flickering at his fingertips.
Unlike his brothers—who became court mages and thus exempt from the suppression barrier—he couldn't access his full power inside the palace.
In Princess Ellensia, he became a court mage to stay by Ellensia's side and protect her at all times.
To join an organization despite his loner nature, all for a woman who saw him as just a friend—it was a heartbreaking tale of unrequited love.
Maybe because she empathized with the one-sided crush, Philomel had grown fond of Jeremiah while reading the book.
He treated "Philomel" like a thorn in his side, but that was understandable given "Philomel's" villainous deeds.
As the princess's maid, "Philomel" constantly picked fights with him whenever he hovered around Ellensia.
Their relationship was pure enmity.
What if he'd known they were blood-related siblings? Would things have changed?
Jeremiah leaves on a journey after heartbreak from rejection, before "Philomel" seeks refuge in the Magic Tower.
"Philomel" might have learned he was her brother while staying there, but...
The moment he leaves Ellensia's side, "Philomel's" role evaporates, so details are unknown.
All that's known of "Philomel's" later actions is that she sows discord between the Magic Tower and empire, gets caught, and ends up on the execution block.
Either way, to avert the worst ending and uncover the book's truth, her next step was clear.
Philomel steeled her resolve, gazing at Jeremiah's back.
I'll make him my ally, no matter what!