There Is No Place For Fakes

Seraphine’s eyes filled with tears as she saw the celestial wings Lexion handed over.

“Oh, yes. These are the fabric made from my children’s bodies.”

The small fairies by her side also cried softly.

At the queen’s gesture, the boxes containing the fabric floated in the air.

“We will take these. We plan to bury them next to the graves of the deceased.”

Two pupils resembling the night sky filled with stars turned towards William. The air vibrated with her anger.

“Ugh… No, I don’t want to! Let me go!”

William struggled with all his might, but it was futile to try to free himself from the ropes.

Seraphine flew towards him like flowing water.

Her beautiful and cold hand touched the man’s face.

With a voice colder than her hand, the queen spoke.

“You have to come with us.”

He cried out, sensing the future that would unfold if he went with them.

“No, I refuse! I am a citizen of the Belerove Empire! Even if I receive punishment, it will be in my homeland!”

Seraphine smiled, even to the point of enchantment.

“Why should someone who committed a crime against our people on our land receive punishment here?”

She gently patted the man’s face.

“Don’t worry. I don’t plan to kill you right away. I want you to experience the pain of our kin who were tormented and killed with their wings plucked while still alive.”

“I didn’t do it! It was the hunters! You know that too!”

“What a foolish excuse. You were the one who provided information to those hunters.”

“That, that’s…”

“The process of paying the price won’t be lonely. The hunters are also waiting for you in our land.”

“I refuse! I won’t go!”

William pleaded for Philomel’s help.

“Philomel, please help me!”

However, she had nothing she could do or wanted to do for his sake.

The enraged little fairies clung to William one by one.

Surrounded by the fairies, he screamed, but soon fell silent.

That was a fitting end for William Hounds.

Before leaving, Seraphine expressed her gratitude to Philomel.

“Thank you. With this, I can face my fallen comrades in my homeland.”

Philomel replied awkwardly, “No, I haven’t done anything.”

“Not at all. If it weren’t for you, would the Mage have revealed this man’s existence to us?”

She brushed her hand over the unconscious William lying on the ground.

He wasn’t dead. He was merely unconscious from the fairy dust. Considering the future that lay ahead, it might have been better if he were dead.

Seraphine  looked at Le Guin.

“I didn’t know you had such an adorable daughter.”

Philomel, feeling embarrassed, reached out her hand.

“Just adorable, that’s all.”

To receive such praise from the fairy queen, who possessed beauty to captivate even the same gender, was embarrassing.

Seraphine smiled and held Philomel’s hands.

“You’re not only adorable, but you are also kind and compassionate.”

“Your praise is too much.”

“Not at all. It was you who first conceived the idea of a law banning fairy-wing fabric for our sake, wasn’t it?”

“… How did you know?”

“I heard it from your other father.”

The Emperor?

“I met him at the species conference held every three years at the World Tree. He was usually reserved, but at that time, he was unusually…”

Seraphine’s story was interrupted by Le Guin’s interjection.

“What ‘other father’? You, go away! If you’re going to say useless things to someone else’s daughter, leave quickly!”

Seraphine  playfully stuck out her tongue.

“How pitiful to see a man’s jealousy.”

“What? I called her for no reason.”

“Hehe, anyway, you’re adorable, Philomel!”

She slightly floated up and brought her face close to Philomel’s.

And… smooch!

She kissed Philomel’s forehead. Warmth spread where her tender lips touched.

Seraphine shouted,

“To the one who saved countless of our kin from danger, and brought solace to the children who died in pain without being able to close their eyes!”

A gentle warmth seemed to spread throughout Philomel’s entire body.

“I bestow upon you the protection of the fairies! May a bright future unfold before you. And also, a title.”

Following the queen, the little fairies also took flight. William, who had passed out, was the same.

A long journey back to their homeland.

Despite being able to return in an instant with Le Guin’s power, they chose the lengthy flight. It was to be a journey honoring the rest of the deceased.

And so, Seraphine and the little fairies departed.

Le Guin looked at his sons and daughter and said,

“Let’s go back, too.”

Philomel had one question.

“But why did you contact Queen Seraphine? It didn’t seem like you were particularly close, from what I heard about her.”

“You said so.”

Compassion and Affection

“It’s said that you shouldn’t kill people to an unpleasant extent.”

“That’s true.”

“In that case, you can let those who despise him enough to want him dead know.”

“So, the fairies…?”

“Yes. You didn’t stop them from what they were doing, either.”

How could she appease the deep resentment embedded in their bones? She didn’t want to, nor did she try to.

Rather, when Seraphine, who restrained her sadness and anger, asked for her help, she only felt a desire to assist.

Philomel believed that it was the minimum duty she, as someone who shared kinship and the same species as William, who committed unforgivable sins, should uphold.

Le Guin smiled and said,

“The wind is getting cold. Let’s go back.”

Philomel gazed at his back.

‘Honestly, I still don’t know exactly what kind of person he is…’

Moreover, what he just said could be interpreted as using the fairies to eliminate William simply because he wanted him dead.

Recalling the image of him she had seen so far, Philomel lowered her head.

‘Well, it couldn’t be just that, right? He must have had a sense of justice.’

Considering that he helped the fairies seek revenge in the end, he seemed like a decent person after all.

“Let’s go together!”

Philomel walked alongside Le Guin toward where her two brothers were.

[The next day, in the reception room of the royal palace.]

Philomel was meeting a new guest, just like the emissary William had sought.

Philomel opened her mouth.

“So, you’re the lawyer, Mr. White?”

A middle-aged man with slicked-back hair neatly answered, “Yes, yes. That’s correct. It is an honor to meet Miss Philomel.”

His attitude was polite to the point of seeming somewhat obsequious.

“As the head counsel of Hounds, Mr. White, what brings you to see me?”

With a hidden sense of embarrassment, Philomel asked in a graceful manner.

‘Could it be that he knows about my involvement in the downfall of the Hounds upper-class establishment and has come to claim damages or something…?’

[Hound’s Upper-class establishment Collapsed Overnight! Upper- class establishment Owner, William Hounds, Fleeing the Country?]

That was the headline prominently featured in today’s morning newspaper.

Most of the fairy wings were taken away by the fairies themselves, but the hidden stock that the establishment secretly planned to sell was discovered by the security forces.

Evidence of their ongoing transactions was also found. Not only that, but the upper-class establishment of Hounds were involved in various illegal activities, big and small.

Tax evasion, collusion, bribery, and more.

Of course, it was also revealed in detail how William manipulated the books to conceal the difficult situation of the establishment.

The downfall of Hounds was just a matter of time. And it was during this time that this lawyer named White came to see Philomel.

White wiped his hands and spoke, “I have come to offer Lady Philomel a good proposal.”

“Please go ahead and tell me.”

“Well, this is a secret that only Mr. William and I know.”

The lawyer’s voice suddenly became quieter.

“Lady Philomel, you also have the right to inherit Hounds’ assets.”

“… Pardon?”

“I am the head counsel of the upper-class establishment, but I have also handled the private affairs of the Hounds family.”

“So?”

“William’s father, who is Miss Philomel’s grandfather and the previous head of the Hounds family, left a will when he was still alive. He stated that he would leave half of the estate to his missing daughter, Catherine!”

“… But I know that the inherited fortune didn’t come back to my mother.”

“Well, that’s because that wicked man, William, or rather that scoundrel, manipulated the will and seized the estate for himself!”

“… I see.”

White stiffened his expression and pretended to wipe away tears.

“When the old man was about to die, he even uttered nonsense that I couldn’t bear to hear!”

“That scoundrel manipulated me, who was in charge of the will, and made it seem like there was no will at all. So, naturally, all the assets would go to him, the only surviving child.”

“So, you cooperated with William’s scheme?”

He took out a handkerchief and pretended to wipe away tears.

“Sob… I tried not to, but… I needed money for the medical expenses of my sick grandmother… In the end, I got involved in the fraud and pretended to be a victim.”

After taking a sip of tea, Philomel asked in a businesslike manner, “I see. I learned something new. But why did you come to see me?”

The lawyer’s gaze changed. It seemed like this was where the main point would be addressed.

“I simply can’t violate my conscience any longer! Since we have no way of finding Catherine’s whereabouts, Miss, you may also be able to exercise your mother’s rights.”

He spoke fervently.

“I still have that will. If I submit it as evidence in a lawsuit, it could be a significant help in recovering Miss Philomel’s share.”

“Are you offering to help me without any compensation?”

“Yes? Well, if you just show some appreciation for my efforts, I won’t ask for anything else… In short, if you want the will, pay me the money.”

Philomel let out a hollow laugh.

“Is it a trend these days for people to come to me with strange demands?”

Surely this lawyer has been extorting money from William all this time. Threatening to expose the will if he doesn’t pay.

Since William turned him down, now he has come to her.

White wiped the sweat from his face with a handkerchief.

“Miss, you need to make a decision quickly. If we continue like this, William and his family can drain all the assets.”

He must have weighed William’s family against Philomel. Which side can offer him more money?

Since the prospects for the upper-class establishment’s recovery are bleak, he turned to Philomel. His family is destined to become penniless.

Philomel crossed her arms.

“Mr. White, don’t you have the ‘real’ intention to follow your conscience without taking a single penny?”

“Well, that’s a bit… um, I also have my livelihood to consider, haha… Oh, Miss, I didn’t expect you to be so… not as generous as I thought…”

Jeremiah, who was standing behind, asked, “What should we do? Should we follow some kind of procedure again?”

Philomel pondered.

“A procedure…?”

She remembered what happened yesterday.

“I went to the Central Security Bureau and had a wrestling match with a corrupt investigator. If we follow the procedure this time, I’ll have to go to the Central Security Bureau again…”

Philomel let out a sigh.

“I’m tired. I’ll leave it to you, Jeremiah.”

With a sword in hand, he took a step, then another step towards the lawyer.

White pressed himself against the backrest of his chair.

“Why, why are you doing this? If you cause any harm to me, I will demand substantial compensation later… Agh!”

The lawyer’s screams echoed, but there was no one to come to his aid.

Since Philomel’s attendants rarely approached her unless there was a special reason or outside the designated time.