48.
“Um… well, is there a special reason you’re staying in the Imperial Palace? Since you rejected the entry into the family register, Philomel is no longer a princess.”
Ellensia quickly composed her expression and asked with a smile. To Philomel, that smile felt strangely brittle.
“Is there a law that says only princesses can stay in the palace?”
“But, as far as I know, the State Guest House is only for state guests…”
“That is correct. However, I’ve been granted state guest status in recognition of my recent contributions.”
Philomel decided to be shameless. It seemed the best way to provoke a reaction from Ellensia.
“…Contributions?”
“The contribution of bringing Princess Ellensia to His Majesty the Emperor. His Majesty was very grateful, saying that if it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t have been able to meet the Princess.”
“…Ah. I see. That.”
“It is a true honor to have been of such humble service in helping the Princess find the place where she originally belongs.”
“I suppo… se. Thank you.”
It was a disappointingly hollow expression of gratitude, especially considering how long she had spent on useless chatter. Her image, talking incessantly while playing dice, remained vivid in Philomel’s mind.
A moment of silence settled between them. Just as Philomel was about to bid her farewell:
“How long do you intend to stay in the South Palace?”
Ellensia asked in a small voice.
“…Well. Until I feel like leaving? I’d like to stay for as long as possible, if I can. That way, I can see Princess Ellensia often.”
“That’s good to hear. I wanted to talk to Philomel more, too.”
“Surprisingly, the Princess and I were feeling the same way.”
The conversation that passed between them didn’t contain a single shred of sincerity. It seemed this level of provocation wasn’t enough to catch a glimpse of Ellensia’s true nature.
*Should I poke a little harder?*
Philomel stared straight into Ellensia’s face.
“Come to think of it, I met with ‘Katherine Hownz’ in prison today.”
“Katherine?”
Ellensia, who had asked reflexively, immediately smoothed her tone into an apologetic one.
“Ah. You mean Mother. She used a pseudonym when she lived with me…”
Philomel had heard she didn’t bother changing the name Katherine, though.
“So, what about her?”
“…She seemed to miss you very much. She was desperately searching for you, calling out, ‘Ellen, Ellen.’”
At that, Ellensia brought her hands to her face and began to tear up.
“I wanted to go see Mother, too… but Father wouldn’t permit it. It breaks my heart thinking about how much she must be suffering there.”
For someone who claimed that, she had seemed to have forgotten all about the woman until Philomel brought it up.
“Is Mother doing well and healthy? Did she look like she was in pain? Is she eating properly?”
Tears welled up in Ellensia’s eyes as she mournfully inquired about Katherine’s well-being.
“Fortunately, while she looked haggard, she didn’t seem to be in any significant pain.”
“Really? Then I’m relieved.”
“But she did say something rather strange.”
“Something strange?”
“What was it… that Princess Ellensia had changed into a different person at some point?”
“…What did you say?”
It was only for a split second, but Philomel witnessed it clearly. The perfect face of a devoted daughter had twisted. Sensing Philomel’s piercing gaze, Ellensia hurriedly smoothed over her expression. She tapped Philomel on the shoulder and said lightly:
“What are you talking about? A different person? That’s impossible. Mother must have been saying things she didn’t mean because she was sick.”
It seemed she didn’t remember that Philomel had told her just moments ago that Katherine wasn’t sick.
*As expected… she’s suspicious.*
A corner of her heart turned cold.
“More than that, I’m so worried about Mother. What if something truly terrible happens if we leave it like this? I think I need to get her out of that prison right away.”
That was when it happened.
Ellensia muttered in a rapid-fire voice.
“Pardon? Get her out? That woman’s crimes are difficult to forgive…”
“I just have to ask Father! If I ask him earnestly, he’ll forgive Mother too.”
Before Philomel could stop her, she sprinted toward the Emperor’s office.
*No!*
Philomel, realizing exactly what Ellensia was about to do, chased after her. Eustis absolutely detested Katherine. It was a miracle he had kept her alive this long. To beg Eustis, of all people, to worry about Katherine and release her—and to do it as the biological daughter who had been kidnapped and raised by her?
That was tantamount to begging him to kill Katherine. In *Princess Ellensia*, there were several scenes where Eustis would grind his teeth while watching the daughter who longed for the deceased Katherine.
“If I could, I would drag her from her grave and kill her one more time.”
The only reason the Emperor hadn’t fulfilled that wish was that Katherine’s executed body had become food for crows, leaving no grave to dig up.
“Wait a moment! Your Highness!”
Philomel shouted loudly, but Ellensia, who had already reached the end of the corridor, did not look back.
Philomel gritted her teeth and ran down the hallway. It would be a problem if Katherine died. Not simply because she was her mother, and not out of guilt that she might die because of something Philomel said. Philomel still had much to ask her. How exactly had Ellensia changed, and what secret was she hiding? To find those things out, Katherine was absolutely necessary.
“Why is she so fast?”
A moment later, Philomel reached the front of the office, panting heavily. Through the door that Ellensia had swung wide open, two figures were visible. She was already clinging to her father, pleading.
“Father! Please! Please, release Mother from prison!”
It was ruined.
Philomel’s arms, which had been reaching to open the door, fell limply toward the floor. She couldn’t stop it in the end. She felt a sharp pang of guilt for having provoked Ellensia so recklessly.
“…Is that truly your wish?”
The Emperor looked down at his daughter with unreadable eyes. He looked troubled, and in a way, he also looked deep in thought.
“Yes! I love Mother… I know you hate her, Father, but to me, she is more of a mother than the one who birthed me.”
*My God.*
Philomel bit her lip hard.
*There’s a time and place for everything. Why not just tell him to kill Katherine outright while you’re at it?*
Every citizen of the Empire knew how much Eustis had loved the former Empress. To say that in front of him… Moreover, hadn’t Katherine been the one to swap Ellensia and Philomel? The image of Katherine standing on the execution block flickered before Philomel’s eyes.
“I will ask you one last time. Is that truly what you desire?”
“It is!”
Eustis closed his eyes and groaned. Deep agony was evident. At that moment, he discovered Philomel standing in front of the door.
“What is it? Do you still have something to say?”
“…No. I was speaking with the Princess, and she suddenly ran off, so I followed in case she wasn’t feeling well.”
“That isn’t the case. Regardless, you have come at the right time.”
At the right time? What did he mean?
“Sit down. You too, Ellensia.”
Philomel and Ellensia looked at each other in confusion before sitting in front of the table.
“Polan. Are you there?”
“Yes. Await your command.”
When Eustis gave a separate order to Count Polan, who had been waiting outside the door, about ten people entered the office shortly after. They ranged from knights to maids. They all had one thing in common: they were people who worked in the palace. Among them was the jailer Philomel had met earlier that morning—the one in charge of Katherine.
Count Polan, who entered last, reported.
“The nanny is currently unable to move, so I could not bring her.”
“That cannot be helped. Ellensia, take responsibility and convey the message yourself. She is the one you kept under your wing even at the expense of your middle name.”
Philomel was startled.
*He risked his middle name just to keep a single nanny in the palace?*
A royal family’s middle name was not a common name, but a name bestowed by the gods. It was said that when the Founding Emperor received a revelation to build the nation, he was granted a new name by God. His descendants would offer prayers when a child was born, and the child would be given a middle name from the oracle that followed.
By these days, when oracles had become rare, the name was decided by parents choosing from those recommended by the High Priest, but the symbolism held by a royal’s middle name remained immense. It meant she was staking not only her honor as royalty but also the blessing bestowed by the gods.
Since every member of the royal family was a descendant of God, even the Emperor would usually step back if a middle name were invoked. Of course, a middle name was not omnipotent. There had been cases where people lost their divine power after staking their middle name on unjust deeds or swearing a false oath on it.
Even Philomel, who had been born without divine power, had heard the gossip. But a royal losing their divine power due to such a disgraceful incident?
*It would be the end of them as royalty. Plus, social ruin.*
It was never a name worth staking on a person like a nanny.
*Especially since Ellensia’s middle name is the real one!*
According to *Princess Ellensia*, on the dawn of the day Ellensia first appeared, the High Priest received God in a dream and heard a certain name. Upon hearing that a true princess had appeared, the High Priest realized that the name was indeed the Princess’s middle name. Presumably, even though Philomel had advanced her appearance by a year, the High Priest seemed to have received the same oracle for the middle name.
This meant that Ellensia was currently wasting the rare, true blessing of the gods.
*If you’re going to do that, just give it to me!* Philomel shouted internally.
Philomel’s middle name was just a name borrowed from Emperor Meitias, the first to ascend the throne as a woman. That was why, when she was young, she had envied a real middle name so much that she would ask the High Priest every time she saw him if he had received any oracle.
“Father. Why did you call these people?”
Philomel snapped out of her recollection at the sound of Ellensia asking as she looked around.
The Emperor answered his daughter’s question.
“I am going to grant your wish.”