Philomel blinked her eyes as she woke up from her sleep, greeted by the sunlight streaming through the window.
âIt wasnât a dream.â
With a groggy mind, she recalled the events of the previous night.
Last night, Philomel received a confession from Nassar.
âIt doesnât mean Iâm asking for an immediate answer. Itâs just that I couldnât bear to keep it inside any longerâŠâ
After confessing, he simply got on the carriage and returned home.
Normally, he had a face that often couldnât express himself properly, but at that moment, he had a serene expression that was surprisingly calm. It led to frivolous thoughts.
âIndeed, Nassar likes me.â
In truth, Philomel already knew. From a certain point, She had been thinking, âCould it be that?â Unlike Ellencia, who hadnât noticed, Philomel sensed Nassarâs dislike for Ellencia.
Among them, there were some moments that seemed excessive to be attributed to mere duty or friendship⊠but due to the contexts of <Princess Ellencia> the truth of Philomelâs life, she chose to pretend they didnât hold any meaning .
Philomel wondered if Nassar would fall for Ellencia, or even if he didnât, the image of Nassar as âEllenciaâs manâ was too strong in Philomelâs mind.
And there were many other things that occupied her thoughts. The truth of the book, Ellencia, Eustis, Le Guin, Jeremiah, and others⊠Oh, even Roseanne had a greater presence in Philomelâs mind than Nassar.
Amidst the entanglement of those who made Philomel tense, Nassar⊠âWhat should I say?â When they were together, he was a comfortable person who didnât require complicated thoughts.
âBut now, Nassar is the one who gives me the most anxiety.â
Philomel looked at the bouquet of flowers placed on the side table.
New flowers for the new Philomel.
âI had a feeling that soon he would express his feelings clearly.â
The moment her vague suspicion turned into certainty was when she received those flowers from him as a birthday gift yesterday.
It was an incredible feat to develop a new breed of flowers that bloom only for one night in Utina. Without exceptional patience, it would have been impossible. Even if someone ordered it, the cost would be exorbitant.
âHow could I not know that he would give such a gift for my birthday?â
What Philomel didnât know was that he would confess his feelings on that day.
âI adore you.â Not âI like youâ or âI love you,â but an excessively weighty confession with âadore.â
She wrapped her head with both arms.
âI have to do something somehow.â
Philomel couldnât accept his feelings. Even though Nassar said it was okay not to give an immediate answer, she couldnât let him hold onto futile hope.
âFine. Letâs reject him. Letâs minimize the damage to his feelings as much as possible.â
But before that, there was another matter that needed to be dealt with.
After having a meal and completing her preparations, Philomel left the Southern Palace.
Her destination was the Imperial Office.
She had to meet Eustis immediately.
The Emperor seemed tired as if he had worked late yesterday.
âPhilomel, did the birthday banquet go well yesterday?â
âOh, come to think of it, didnât he send the Imperial Orchestra yesterday. I was preoccupied with various things and completely forgot.â
Philomel briefly expressed her gratitude and brought up the main issue.
âYour Majesty, please allow me to break off the engagement with Little duke Nassar Averydon.â
Thatâs right. The engagement between her and Nassar was still intact.
âIâm not sure of the reason myself.â
In the book, it was clearly stated that once it was revealed that Philomel was not a Princess, the engagement would automatically be broken. However, seeing that it didnât happen like that, it seemed to require specific actions.
An engagement is a promise between households.
When breaking this promise, it usually required a request from one side, followed by discussions between the families for annulment.
So in this case, either the Emperor or Duke Averydon had to bring up the topic of annulment first.
Duke Averydon would probably be eager to annul the engagement by now.
âHe probably doesnât want to send his well-raised son to a despised woman.â
But so far, the Duke hadnât taken any specific actions.
A vague speculation was that perhaps Philomelâs position hadnât plummeted yet, so he didnât want to demand annulment right after it was revealed that she wasnât a Princess.
âHeâs a nobleman, so heâs probably waiting for the right time.â
Philomel also waited for the Duke to take action. The problem was that it was taking too long. Impatient, Philomel decided to take matters into her own hands.
HoweverâŠ
Anger flashed on the Emperorâs face. His voice trembled with anger.
âHow dare that insignificant Averydon say he doesnât want to marry you just because youâre not my biological daughter?â
âYour, Your Majesty?â
âOr is it the big one? Tell me. Who said that?â
Philomel was taken aback.
âWhy is he getting so angry?â
Even as the Emperor, it would be better for him to break this engagement. Thereâs nothing good that can come out of maintaining a strained relationship with a powerful noble.
âCould it be⊠Is there a special reason why Eustis hasnât brought up the annulment request first?â
Until now, she thought he was simply being lazy or busy.
In any case, if she remained passive, it would only bring trouble to Nassarâs side for no reason. So Philomel hastily denied it.
âNo! It wasnât demanded by the Averydon House. Itâs my own will.â
âDonât deceive me. That cunning old fox and his lineage must have manipulated you well.â
âThatâs not true. Do you see me as someone who gets easily manipulated?â
Fortunately, it seemed that her words were accepted, and Eustis fell silent for a moment.
ââŠIs it sincere?â
âItâs sincere.â
âWhy do you want to break the engagement?â
âI, as a commoner, cannot be married to someone from a family like the Duke Averydonâs⊠â
Eustis extended his hand.
âIf thatâs the reason, thereâs no need to listen. Iâll handle it myself, so you donât have to worry.â
âBut isnât it customary for nobles to marry someone of the same social standing?â
Philomel spoke in a low voice.
âI married the person I wanted.â
âOh, youâre such an exceptional romanticist! Thatâs not the norm!â
âEven if I marry the little Duke, how would they perceive me, a commoner, in the Dukeâs familyâŠâ
âIf it bothers you, tell me. Iâll take care of it.â
âI apologize, but it seems Your Majesty has already made up your mindâŠâ
âAs long as the royal family doesnât end up being assassinated from generation to generation, the bloodline will continue.â
Superficial reasons wonât work.
Philomel decided to be honest and open about her true feelings.
âI donât have any feelings for the little duke. Thatâs why I want to break off the engagement.â
At that moment, Eustisâs eyes widened. For someone who had limited emotional expressions, especially surprise, it meant he was extremely astonished.
He was the person who appeared nonchalant even when Roseanna was dancing or whatever.
âLies.â
âItâs not a lie.â
âI canât believe that.â
âWhy are you so convinced?â
âIf I didnât arrange your engagement with that guy when you were young, you said you wouldnât eat anything, didnât you?â
Philomel swallowed her words.
ââŠDid I say that?â
She had no memory of it.
When she got engaged to Nassar, she was only six years old. Her memories were relatively vivid after she turned nine and started reading books, but before that, they were vague.
Eustis continued speaking.
âYou said you wouldnât get up from the floor during a meeting until I arranged your engagement with him.â
âŠEven during a meeting?
In her memory, it remained as a mere tantrum.
But it didnât end there.
âWhen I tried to go somewhere else, you clung to my ankles and cried, not letting me leave.â
Confronted with her embarrassing past, Philomel felt like hiding herself even under a rock. If she could go back to the past, she wanted to slap her younger self.
âBut more importantly⊠â
âYou can stop now!â
Philomel slammed the desk, interrupting the Emperorâs words.
âWhat am I doing?â
She quickly regained her composure and coughed lightly.
âAnyway, thatâs a story from when I was six years old. My feelings have changed since then. Your Majesty, even at that age, itâs not like oneâs liking for the opposite sex lasts a lifetime. You know that, donât you?â
ââŠIâm not sure, but if you say so, then maybe itâs true.â
Eustis seemed somewhat uncertain, but he seemed to accept it.
âAlright. I will order the annulment with Duke Averydonâs House.â
âThank you.â
With that, Philomel achieved what she desired and returned to her chambers.