~ Chapter : 4.2 ~

When she came to her senses, she was back in her room. Shortly after the end of Eustis’ sentence, Philomel had managed to leave the door discreetly without being caught because the Count had stayed in the office to answer Eustis. She lay down in her bed and felt as if she had fallen into a well.

« What should I do now? »

Her father…No, the emperor did not consider her as his daughter at all.  He didn’t have a single drop of affection for her.If Ellencia appeared in the future and the emperor discovered that she was not his real daughter, that she was a fake, he would never forgive her.  Why not start living a good life instead of having the same mean behaviour as the « Philomel » in the story?

« Maybe this will save my life »

It is not as if history is frozen and there is no possibility at all.

In the novel, the revelation that she was a fake did not lead to her death immediately. It was thanks to Ellencia, who had begged the emperor to spare her. But the wicked Philomel was jealous of Ellencia and returned the favour by seeking revenge and was executed in the end.

« If I understand my place and act in accordance with the situation, I will be able to avoid death, contrary to the book…… »

But…

« Only that won’t be enough »

She didn’t want to risk her life on such a small hope. She lived a very precarious life in which she could be killed by the emperor if she disturbed him. She remembered the conversation between the servants she had overheard earlier. They had a real hostility towards her.


What if they found out that she was not a real princess?

They wouldn’t leave her alone. The most terrifying thing was that they weren’t the only ones who hated her. If they started to answer bad rumours to her own and put her out of business.

« Can I guarantee my survival? »

It wasn’t good. Philomel wanted a better chance of survival.

I don’t want to die.

At that moment, suddenly an idea popped into his mind.

« Let’s run away. »

It may be much too early now, but it was a long time before the real princess appeared.

And so it was that the life plan of the fake princess was decided.

~ O*O*O*O*O*O ~

Before going to bed; Philomel was in the process of fine-tuning the plan to flee from the palace which had come to her during the day. She had gone to bed early but could not fall asleep until late because she had many complicated thoughts in her head.

As it was very late, she didn’t notice that he had someone coming into her room.

« My lady, His Majesty… »

Eustis beckoned to the nanny not to wake the sleeping child.

« What am I doing? » asked the emperor, looking at Philomel’s round white face. Eustis smiled with self-derision. Count Pollan had not stopped bothering him about the princess so much that he could not continue to ignore it. He had no choice but to come and check on his daughter’s condition at least once.

Was it because of her big yellow eyes that had looked at him straight in the rain yesterday seemed dark and desperate? Maybe it was just an illusion of course.  What was so great about growing up as the emperor’s only daughter? However, it appeared to him that what Count Paulan had told him was true. The child was very ill.

« …ther… »

Suddenly, a sound came out of the child’s mouth.


« …Father… »

He wondered for a moment if Philomel had woken up, but she was turning in her bed with her eyes closed. She was just talking in her sleep.

« …I…I…will be a good girl. So…don’t…kill…me…kill me…don’t… »

It was soft and died away in a breath.

The child mumbled other words, but Eustis did not understand them all because they were more like whispers. Then the child began to cry in his sleep. What could be so sad to make her cry in her sleep? Eustis could not take his eyes off Philomel’s face for some reason. He had a vague memory that was trying to come back. Eustis, who wondered what it was, soon remembered it. It was a distant memory.

The memory of a child who was unable to sleep, trembling with fear of dying every night. It was him as a child.  He felt as if he saw the same fear in his daughter.  It was the first time since the birth of that child that he felt he saw a resemblance between her and himself.  In order to survive, he had stained his hands with blood and sins and he had finally reached the summit. He had forgotten that there had been a time when he also trembled with fear in his room. The emperor reached out his hand impulsively and picked up a tear from the child’s cheek with his fingertips. Very lightly, the emotions and sighing he had at that time came back to him. At that time, he would have liked to have someone at his side to reassure him. He touched her cheek gently.

« ….. »

A small, chubby hand grasped Eustis’ fingertips. It was a sleepy reaction of the child but Eustis was surprised. He had never been in physical contact with anyone since his dead wife.  The sensation was strange but not unpleasant. The child’s hand was smaller and warmer than he had expected.

He felt a lot of warmth, and then he went back.

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