There Is No Place For Fakes

The next day, Philomel got up late, had breakfast with Countess Deles, and enjoyed her free time. Since she was no longer a princess, she had no other schedule, let alone her successor’s classes. However, the peaceful time was broken by shouts from outside.

“Come out! You vulgar thing!”

When Philomel opens the door and walks out, she has the first face she has seen in 7 years.

“Nanny.”

“Ooh, you finally came out.”

“Nanny, please stop!”

Nanny was wheezing in front of Philomel’s quarters, and Ellencia was trying to stop her.

“Where do you dare to be, are you still wandering around?” shouted the nanny, rolling her eyes. “I don’t know how the Emperor might have lured you in, but I won’t be beaten. If you have this much conscience, leave this place!”

When she heard from Ellencia that her nanny was in her imperial palace, she expected this situation to unfold.

Philo Mel looked at the nanny with her impassive expression.

“I’ll leave even if the nanny doesn’t talk to me. So why don’t you stop being noisy go back your way? People have eyes.”

The courtiers around them watched the atmosphere with tense faces. Seeing all the affairs of the princess’s nanny and her ex-princess, it seemed that they couldn’t be quick to intervene.

“Now that I see it, you look just like your mother! Because of you and your mother, our poor Princess Ellensia has lived without seeing her father’s face until now! Do you know?”

“Stop it because I’m fine!”

Ellensia held her nanny by the arm and tried to dissuade her, but it didn’t help her much.

“What disrespect is this? I can’t stop right now!”

“You’re out!”

Countess Delles, with her natural disposition, was no match for a nanny. Philomel let out a sigh of relief. Although she hated it, the nanny was her primary caregiver for much of Philomel’s childhood. Seeing such a person openly hostile made her uncomfortable. Wherever she goes, does her presence only cause trouble?

When Philomel’s mood subsided, suddenly the nanny’s body tilted over. Where did she go? She looked like someone had pushed her.

“Oops!”

The nanny, sprawled on her floor, screamed and struggled.

“You pushed me! Oh, it’s my waist! It catches people!”

“…What are you doing?”

Everyone around her, including Philomel, looked away from the nanny.

“You pushed me!”

“Who? Me?”

When the nanny pointed her finger at Philomel, she asked in bewilderment.

“Don’t fall for yourself and catch a live person! We’ve seen it all.”

When Countess Delles came forward to speak for Philomel, the others nodded her head. Anyone could see that the nanny collapsed by herself. Except for Ellensia, no one touched her body.

“It can’t be! Someone pushed me… did the princess see it?”

The nanny asked with her hopes, but Ellensia also shook her head.

“Rather than that, get up sooner. Embarrassingly, what kind of insolence is this?”

Ellencia, with her cold expression, grabbed the nanny’s arm and tried to raise her up. The nanny muttered about the unfair day, but when Ellensia did not take her side, she was helpless.

“I can’t. I can’t get up because I sprained my back.”

The nanny, who had been groaning for a while, muttered helplessly. Her back pain was her chronic disease. In the end, four attendants grabbed the nanny by the limbs and carried her like a piece of luggage. Even if someone tried to carry her, the nanny was too heavy, and if she tried to touch her waist even a little, she would complain that she would get sick, so she had no choice but to do so.

“Oh, it hurts! It hurts! Move it gently!”

Even so, screams resonated intermittently in the corridors of the imperial palace.

“Aww.”

A cry was heard from behind. She turned around and she looked out of her silver-furred cat that was stretching contentedly.

Philomel looked at the cat for a moment in the strange mood, then turned away.

“Princess Ellencia.”

She summoned Ellencia, who was about to follow in the nanny’s footsteps. She had something to tell Ellencia.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know how that sounds, but I hope you stay away from the nanny. She’s the one I’ve been with when I was a kid…”

“Philomel.”

Elencia spoke in a rather low voice.

“Don’t speak too badly of the nanny. I’ll apologize for today. I think there was a misunderstanding. But she’s a good nanny.”

“No. She’s not a nice nanny.”

“Stop. She doesn’t want to say bad things in a place where there are no parties. That’s not right.”

She was speechless. She was only trying to give advice, but hearing Elencia’s words made her feel like a gossip.

“Princess, the nanny…”

“I’ll just go. I guess I too have to comfort the nanny after her accident.”

“Oh,” Elencia stopped talking.

“By the way, how did you decide to talk about your registration? Did you accept it?”

“I haven’t been able to give an answer to His Majesty the Emperor yet.”

“What do you think, Philomel?”

“Thanks for the offer, but I think it’s too much for me.”

Ellencia smiled gently.

“Consider it positively. It would be great if we became sisters. If we stay here, the day will come when Philomel and Nanny will clear up their misunderstandings about each other.”

Saying that, Ellencia quietly left.

‘Misunderstanding?’

It wasn’t funny, so she laughed instead. At least she knew what a nanny was like, a hundred times better than Ellencia herself. However, Ellencia seemed to have a great deal of trust in her nanny, whom she had only met for a few days.

‘Has she been baked and boiled by the nanny already?’

“Miss Philomel!”

At that time, Count Pollan, who had heard of the situation from the attendants, hurriedly ran.

“What the hell is this…”

“What did the Count think by bringing such a woman into the palace again? She shouldn’t do that considering what she did!”

When Countess Delles strongly argued, Pollan was perplexed and asked what was going on. After a while, Pollan, who heard the details, bowed his head deeply to Philomel and the Countess.

“I’m so sorry! I thought I’d been scolded and reflected on myself a little bit… It’s all my responsibility for making the wrong decision.”

“Are you going to chase after them?”

“Of course. I’m going to inform you now.”

Philomel sent Countess Deles back to her room and she accompanied Pollan to the abode of Ellencia. The Countess Deles was reluctant to go see Philomel, but she did not object.

The nanny was never one to step down. Especially if Ellencia wrapped and spined herself. She didn’t mean that Philomel was going to be spiky, but she was better off sitting still and sucking her finger. When she reached Ellencia’s residence, her maids informed her that her nanny was being nursed in her princess’ room. 

The nanny was lying on the luxurious bed used by the princess, and Ellensia was sitting on her chair next to her. It was kind hearted to be kind to one of her subordinates, even to her own bed. Philomel watched one step behind her, and the Count stepped in front of them to announce the dismissal and expulsion of the nanny.

“It’s too much! Where are you going to go when you see this weak old woman? It’s no different than telling me to get out and die!”

“You should have come to your senses when I gave you another chance. If you tell His Majesty the emperor about the indecent behavior you committed today, you will end up noticing it.”

“Your Majesty could not believe that I was the empress’ nanny…”

“Shall we check now? We can go and report right away.”

When Count Pollan stubbornly went out, the nanny, at a loss for words, only mumbled at her.

“Don’t forget to apologize to Miss Philomel.”

“But…”

“Uh huh.” whispered the nanny into her face.

“… sorry. I was wrong.”

The situation seemed to end like that, but an ambush appeared.

“I feel so sorry for the nanny.”

Elencia was weeping as she brushed the nanny’s wrinkled hands.

“The nanny hurt her back and she can’t move at all. How can she get out of the palace?”

“Ha, but just by not asking for any other crimes…”

“Does the Count have no mercy? Let her stay here at least until the nanny’s back heals.”

“Princess, that’s all for me… How can you live in a rough world when you’re so kind.”

The nanny sniffed and held Ellencia’s hand tightly with both hands.

Seeing Ellencia like that, her maids were also thrilled. With the exception of Philomel and Count Pollan, a wave of emotion flowed through the room.

“Philomel.”

Ellencia stood up from her chair and faced Philomel.

“If you’re worried that Daddy will be angry, I’ll be sure to tell him. So can you forgive her nanny? The nanny is also reflecting on herself like this.”

By naming Philomel, not Count Pollan, the subject of her nanny’s departure was changed to Philomel.

In place of Philomel, Count Pollan stepped in.

“No matter how bad the circumstances are, it’s not going to happen.”

“But the person who was harmed by the nanny is Philomel, so back off, Count.”

Suddenly, Ellencia’s tone changed to a command tone. And then she turned to Mel.

‘If I refuse here, am I the only one who is struggling to chase down the homeless old woman?’

It’s a place to leave soon anyway. Her own reputation was good, but giving up her reputation did not seem to achieve her desired goal. If Ellencia takes this to Eustis anyway, he will most likely side with his biological daughter. Only Philomel becomes a bad person, and the nanny remains intact in the imperial palace.

Philomel, lost in thought for a moment, opened her mouth.

“Okay. Do as the princess said.”

“Really?”

“If the nanny promises that once her back get better, she will leave immediately. I won’t object.” Philomel raised her index finger. “Nanny, when I was about eight years old, I fell down her steps and broke my leg, right?”

“Yes? Oh, that happened.”

At the sudden change of topic, the nanny put on a blurry expression as if searching for her memories.

“Do you remember when you looked after me for twenty-four hours while I was handicapped?”

“Of course! At that time, I also scooped and fed the princess and carried her with me when we moved.”

The nanny’s eyes were filled with ecstasy as she recalled her memories. For her nanny, it must have been the golden age of her life as she wielded her power as her own as her princess’s guardian.

“It was so nice to have a nanny by her side to support her when she was sick.”

Of course, it was a blatant lie. It was a hellish time for Philomel, as she was constantly exposed to her nanny’s nagging and ramblings.

‘But…’

Philomel smiled broadly and added.

“So, why don’t we help the princess in the same way?”

“… Princess Elencia?”

“This time, the sick person is the nanny. The nanny can lie in bed, but she can do a lot. She doesn’t need to use herself as long as she’s just teaching with words.”

Then the nanny nodded her head in her confidence.

“That’s right. The princess’s mother, Isabella, also grew up receiving my teachings. I didn’t know that Miss Philomel would understand my hard work so well and escape.”

“Just in case, I’ll make the bed every day. How about staying in this room and taking good care of the princess like you did when I slept next to you?”

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Translator Note:

How to say this? Ellencia is… I won’t say stupid but girl! at least listen to what a person that know the nanny has to say about her.