/
It was a shameful position, but it was not the time to be conscious of it.
“If I go to the palace, I will die. Nassar doesn’t want me to be that way, does he?”
“Calm down. It can’t be. Who dares harm the princess?”
“Of course, His Majesty the Emperor!”
“
 Yes? That’s a misunderstanding. Your Majesty is truly concerned about Her Highness, the princess.”
I suppressed my desire to question whether it made sense.
“Why would you worry about me who’s not even a real daughter? I’m sure you’re grinding your teeth.”
“It’s all a rumor that the princess is a fake
”
“No. I am certainly not his daughter.”
Philomel suppressed her frustration and answered.
“I can’t
”
He hesitated for a moment in shock, then shook his head.
“No, even if that’s the case, it’s true that His Majesty is worried about the princess. Count Pollan said so, too.”
“It must be the Count’s misunderstanding.”
Pollan was more or less inclined to look at the world with compassion.
“
”
Philomel’s determined attitude confused Nassar.
He, too, had heard everything from Pollan and had not met the Emperor himself.
“No way, the Emperor really
?’
Philomel didn’t miss the confusion on his face.
“Please, Nassar
 Please let me go. If you do, I’ll do anything you want.”
Nassar’s pupils shook greatly.
Seeing that face, Philomel was sure that she had a chance to survive.
Nassar is upright and good in character. Like ‘Philomel’ in the book, he was merciless when she bullied Ellencia, but he was kind to everyone else. At least he didn’t have the personality to push Philomel to death.
For the past several years, they have maintained an amicable relationship without bothering Nassar and keeping a reasonable distance.
Everyone looked at the princess and the duke and agreed that it was an ideal engagement relationship. She thought he might turn a blind eye to her once in a while if she appealed to his sympathy.
It was not difficult for Nassar to silence the duke’s knights and Angelium’s security guard.
She said that she would do anything, but it was an empty remark since the good Nassar would not make unreasonable demands.
“
”
However, Nassar’s reaction was unusual.
“Why, why do you put me to the test with such words?”
The tear-stained Nassar removed Philomel with an overly polite hand and sat her down. His fingers were trembling, though slightly.
“What did I
?”
Philomel was puzzled.
‘What did I do!’
Is it my fault that I asked for help? What does it mean to put you through the test?
Nassar, who was brushing his bangs, lowered his head.
“What I just said was presumptuous to Your Highness. I apologize.”
“
 I don’t know, but there’s nothing to be sorry about.”
After the meaningless apology, there was only silence.
Nassar looked out of the wagon with a disappointed look on his face. It was more like a feeling for himself than a feeling for Philomel.
Was there anything in the conversation he could have blamed himself for?
Suddenly, Nassar opened his mouth.
“I cannot accept your request not to inform the Emperor.”
“Why?”
Nassar, who saw Philomel, said in a tone that he was speechless.
“The fact is
 I have instructed to send a message to the imperial palace before getting into the carriage.”
The image of Nassar, who was saying something to the knight, flashed through my head.
“I’m so sorry. I can’t wait to tell you the good news that I’ve found the princess
 I sent it through a magic messenger, so it will reach the Emperor as early as the morning.”
“
”
Philomel calmly tried to figure out the situation. At least there are no wizards in these groups, so it’s a relief that they used a telegraph instead of a communication stone.
While the communication stone required a wizard, anyone could use the communication stone as long as they had previously charged mana.
“It can’t be helped that the Emperor finds out about this, but I still want to help you.”
Nassar looked up and continued talking.
“Why don’t you stay at the villa owned by Avrydon? I will report to the Emperor that I missed the princess, or that it turned out to be someone else.”
“Would anyone believe that? Even if they believe it, only a little Duke will become a fool.”
Missing a woman with a group of men and mistaking a fiancé were excuses that were hard to accept.
And that excellent little duke of Avrydon? Not just Eustis or even a passing three-year-old would trust this.
“It’s okay to be treated like an idiot, I am only concerned about your well-being.”
It was a touching line, but the person was wrong. She was not Ellencia.
“I’m not okay. Above all, I don’t know why the Duke of So does that for me. If you get caught in a villa owned by a duke, the duke will also be charged.”
Compared to just pretending not to see her, it was too much kindness.
“That’s because you
”
“Me?”
“You
”
Nassar opened his mouth.
Even after waiting patiently, nothing came out.
“I know. Let’s pretend I ran away. I will be grateful for the kindness of the Little Duke.”
Whatever the reason, Philomel was in no position to reconsider.
“But I won’t go to Avrydon’s villa. Because I don’t want to trouble the duchy.”
And Nassar may not have known, but his father, the Duke of Avrydon could not be trusted at all.
As long as the real princess appeared, Philomel would just be an annoyance to the Duke.
The person the Duke wanted as his son’s mate was the princess, not Philomel.
“Then what are your plans for the future?”
“I’m going to go somewhere else as soon as we arrive in the imperial palace.”
“Where?”
“I haven’t decided yet. I should think about it later. Anywhere away from the imperial palace is fine.”
I said so, but I was going to go back to Angelium and go to the Ma Tower.
It was urgent, but time was running out to find a new place and leave. I was just reluctant to let Nasar know about this.
‘I know he’s a good person, but I can’t fully trust him.’
Philomel peeked across the street.
Nassar Avrydon.
A man who had been a good fiancé for close to ten years, but nothing more and nothing less.
When they were young, they often ate together and played strange fortune-telling games, but that was also a thing of the past. Growing up, both Philomel and Nassar got busy, and their encounters dwindled drastically.
‘In the end, this is the person who will become Ellencia’s lover.’
I didn’t hate him, but there was nothing good about being closer than necessary.
Nassar, who looked sad for some reason, spoke resolutely.
“Even so, I would like to help Your Highness in some way on the way.”
“
do as you please.”
Philomel replied so because she was no longer bothered to pay attention to him. I was tired when I decided on the plan.
The sky outside the window was gloomy. It was already dawn.
“Are you tired? Close your eyes for a bit.”
At Nasar’s recommendation, I leaned back comfortably in the seat.
Even if I closed my eyes, I couldn’t fall asleep easily, maybe because of the tension. After tossing and turning a few times, Nasar’s coat that was worn on her body flowed down.
Nassar picked it up and covered it with Philomel. The hand that refines the shape was delicate enough to cover as much of the body as possible.
“I hope you rest in peace, even in your dreams.”
A whisper tickled my ear.
The wind was overshadowed, and Philomel couldn’t sleep a wink until dawn. I was so tired that I couldn’t fall asleep.
“We have arrived.”
After a few days, the scenery I saw before was no different from before.
Since there was no need to take detours like Philomel, it was possible to cover it in one night. The carriage stopped near the hotel where the Duke was staying.
“Thank you so far. I will not forget today’s grace.”
“Are you leaving right away? You must be hungry, so let me serve you breakfast.”
“Because I don’t have much time. There’s nothing nice about seeing us together.”
“
 That’s a fair statement.”
“Okay then”
I was going to break some money, but I was going to go to the telecommunications office and contact Lexion to come and pick me up.
I thought about it in the carriage, but that was the fastest way to get to the magic tower.
It would be nice if Lexion could use movement magic, but even if she couldn’t, there would be at least one wizard who could.
The sound of Nassar’s words caught Philomel who was about to leave.
“Wait a minute. I’ll tell them to prepare something simple to eat as they go. Please don’t refuse this.”
What should I do?
It was true that I was hungry, so I was a little hesitant.
The hotel where the Duke of Avrydon stayed was the best aristocrat-only hotel. It was also known for its delicious food.
Without missing Philomel’s hesitation, Nassar quickly instructed one of the knights who came with him.
“Tell the hotel kitchen to wrap it well with a delicious, digestible, nutritious, but easy-to-eat and quick-prepared menu. It should taste light.”
“Yes, yes!”
Confused by the long and detailed order, the knight hurriedly ran into the hotel.
‘You know I like plain food.’
For some reason, a corner of Philomel’s chest ached, and she bit her lip.