Chapter 57
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Jeremiah Refuses to Leave
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Philomel, taking their silence as acceptance, finally felt a bit of her worry ease. There was just one last thing she needed to say to Jeremiah alone.
"Um, Jeremiah."
Philomel called out to him cautiously.
"What."
"I'm sorry for locking you up yesterday."
"Forget it. You've already apologized."
"You can go wherever you want now. I won't mind. We talked about everything you wanted while wandering the square today."
"What kind of talk?"
"You know, this and that."
In truth, she'd completely abandoned her plan to win him over midway.
If Jeremiah ended up falling for Ellensia later and turning against her, it would be a painful loss.
But she didn't want to exploit the dark side of him that she'd learned about through the book to gain his favor.
It was the last shred of conscience from someone who'd secretly peeked into his future via the book.
Besides, it was a sense of camaraderie with a fellow whose secrets had been exposed in the book—secrets he wouldn't want broadcast either.
Philomel herself had desperately hidden that book which labeled her the fake princess, hadn't she?
'No matter how much he ends up hating me, he's still my little brother. What could he possibly do? Plus, Tower Master Rguin is by my side.'
Since this was their final moment together, Philomel smiled brightly.
"Jeremiah, head off to wherever you desire. Thanks for today."
"……."
For some reason, Jeremiah bowed his head and fell silent. Whatever the cause, his clenched fists trembled.
He suddenly jerked his face up and shouted.
"No!"
"……Pardon?"
Philomel wore a bewildered expression at the unexpected reaction.
"You seem to want me gone, but I'm not leaving, so give up!"
His sky-blue eyes were filled with betrayal.
'Yesterday, he insisted on leaving no matter what I said. What's gotten into him?'
It was utterly baffling to Philomel, but she had no way to unravel the mystery.
In any case…… Jeremiah ended up staying in the imperial palace.
Several days passed after that.
Philomel vacated her original room and moved into the state guest quarters in the southern palace.
Now, the palace servants addressed her not as Her Highness the Princess, but as Lady Philomel or Miss Philomel.
She wasn't nobility, but as a state guest, she was treated as quasi-nobility. In fact, her accommodations and treatment were no different from those of royalty from another kingdom.
Tower Master Rguin, sprawled on the couch, suddenly asked,
"Can't you just announce that you're my daughter?"
This was after the workers who'd unpacked and organized Philomel's belongings in the guest quarters had left.
Philomel replied while checking that nothing was missing from her luggage.
"I'm sorry. That's a bit……."
"You don't want to acknowledge me as your dad?"
"……."
It was spot on. Tower Master Rguin continued breezily, unperturbed by her silence.
"It's fine. I know it's all my fault. I found out about you way too late, and our first meeting was a disaster. Thinking about it still pisses me off."
"……I was the one crying, so why are you the one annoyed?"
"Is that not it? It's something different from annoyance. Anyway, it doesn't feel good."
Philomel recalled what Lexion had told her in advance. He'd described Tower Master Rguin as a complicated yet simple person.
"Lord Rguin's emotions boil down to just two things: 'feeling good' or 'not feeling good.'"
"He feels good mainly when his research goes well, when he finds something intriguing, or when someone he dislikes gets their comeuppance."
"He feels bad when someone keeps nagging him…… Well, it's not like Cadin or Jeremiah, so you won't have to worry about it."
"Even when he's in a bad mood, he doesn't throw tantrums too badly—just leave him be. It'll sort itself out with time."
Tower Master Rguin kept talking to her.
"Maybe this is guilt? What do you think, Phil?"
"Who knows. Why don't you think about how you usually feel when you wrong someone?"
"Wrong? What wrong?"
"Like, say, stepping on someone's foot by accident?"
"Is that wrong? Besides, it's their fault for putting their foot there."
This was hopeless. They weren't communicating.
As expected, a person like this wouldn't feel remorse or guilt.
Philomel let out a small sigh and opened her jewelry box to check the other items.
But…….
"Huh?"
Philomel let out an involuntary sound.
"What's wrong?"
"All the jewelry is gone."
The white porcelain jewelry box was completely empty.
Philomel asked Countess Deless and the maids about the missing jewels, but they knew nothing.
She barely managed to calm them down as they apologized profusely for failing to manage properly while insisting it wasn't them.
Honestly, she didn't suspect them at all.
Philomel realized anew how much she trusted them. She had no desire to blame them for negligence.
'They must've all been distracted with me gone.'
A room full of valuables but no owner.
The guards were frequently absent for investigations due to her disappearance. It was perfect prey for a thief.
Even if the missing valuables were discovered, the blame would likely fall entirely on the missing Philomel.
The fake princess fled and took all the jewelry with her. How perfect a picture.
While strolling in the southern palace garden, Lexion appeared before Philomel.
"Phil, you called for me?"
"Thanks for coming, Lexion."
"No trouble at all."
The southern palace, where imperial guests stayed, was geographically on the outer edge of the palace grounds. It made it convenient for him, a court mage, to sneak in unnoticed. Their workplaces and quarters were in the outer palace anyway.
'Relatively easy, that is.'
Lexion, having heard the situation, adjusted his glasses.
"I see. The fact that you told me specifically means…… you don't intend to report it through official channels, right?"
Lexion was someone she could talk to easily.
"Exactly. If I report it, the thief gets punished, but I won't get their personal effects."
"You want their belongings."
"Could you handle it? Lord Rguin said you're perfect for this kind of thing."
"Conveniently, I have some connections in the capital, so I can make it happen. But do you want them unharmed?"
"Ideally, just scare them. If they resist too much, do what you must."
"Understood."
The two exchanged knowing smirks. It was the moment Philomel glimpsed a new side to her eldest brother, whom she'd only known as an elite mage.
"……What are you two doing?"
Jeremiah, standing behind Philomel, looked disgusted.
"Jeremiah…… how long do you plan on freeloading off Phil?"
Lexion said in a pitying tone.
"What business is it of yours what I do?"
Jeremiah shot back, frowning.
"I'll see about creating a position for you as a court mage. Why don't you apply?"
"Pass."
Lexion shook his head.
Philomel smiled awkwardly and said cautiously,
"It's fine by me. I'm sharing the room with Lord Rguin anyway."
"Lord Rguin can transform into an animal, but you can't hide forever like that, can you, Jeremiah?"
"Hmph!"
Not long after, Lexion tracked down and captured the culprit. It was a face Philomel recognized.
"What were you doing here?"
"Your Highness! No, um, I…… I'm sorry!"
It was Emily, the awkward maid who'd been standing outside her room the day she met Nassar. She was also Ellensia's maid, tasked with spying on him.
Emily collapsed to the floor, trembling and screaming.
"I'm Princess Ellensia's personal maid! No matter that you're Lady Philomel, you can't treat me like this!"
Philomel said lowly,
"Still haven't grasped your situation after getting caught fencing my jewelry to the black market?"
Emily let out a pathetic squeak like a deflating balloon.
Stealing in the palace, especially imperial property, was a grave crime—life imprisonment at minimum, execution if severe.
Imagining her fate, Emily's face alternated between blue and pale.
"You're not even the real princess! So it's not your stuff!"
"Doesn't matter. You stole items I bought as royalty. They're recorded as such in the ledgers."
"Wouldn't they all automatically become Princess Ellensia's property anyway?!"
Cornered, Emily started yelling hysterically.
"……."
"Nothing to say? Then send me to Princess Ellensia! I'll accept her judgment!"
Jeremiah, leaning against the wall, snarked at Lexion.
"Wasn't it just supposed to be a scare? You handle this properly?"
"……My apologies. I'm not skilled enough in that area."
Lexion replied with a cold smile.
Emily, still shaking, looked back and forth between the two conversing men.
"Wh-who the hell are these guys? Colluding with shady people for what?!"
Too noisy.
At Philomel's request, the Emperor had barred servants from the guest quarters outside designated times.
So no one would hear Emily's screams, but noise was noise.
"……Emily, shut your mouth before I report you officially."
Philomel sighed softly.
"P-Princess Ellensia would forgive me……."
"Even Her Highness couldn't fully protect you if I file a formal report."
Philomel sneered, lifting only one corner of her mouth.
"Besides, there's Nanny by the princess's side. She might forgive you, but Nanny never will."
Emily froze.
"Nanny has a similar history, but people tend to be lenient with themselves. She'll be even harsher on you to prove her own newfound integrity. It's so predictable."
Thinking of Nanny made Emily's heart shrink.
Nanny hadn't been at Princess Ellensia's quarters long, but all the maids despised her.
She lounged about lazily, barking orders at others. Unable to move freely herself, she controlled everyone else harshly.
She was a master at draining people's life force.
Even the foolishly kind Princess Ellensia occasionally frowned at her.
'If Nanny finds out, I'm done for!'
And there was one more threat: Philomel herself.
She was nothing like the former princess she remembered.
Princess Philomel had overlooked servants' mistakes with a laugh, rewarded generously, and exchanged small pleasantries.
Many servants liked her, but as with any group, some took her kindness for granted and slacked off.
Emily had been one of them, assuming a firm denial would end it.
But…….
She prostrated herself, forehead to the floor.
"I've committed a grave sin! Forgive me just once, and I'll do anything for you, Lady Philomel! Please, have mercy!"
Finally, Emily had found the one path to survival.
Philomel nodded in satisfaction.
"Very well then……."