~Chapter 3.1 ~

What should I do ? Philomel turned her head blankly. Then a few steps away, she met a red eye looking in her way.

“….Your Highness”

It was Nassar Abriden, her fiance who was born a year earlier than her.

“Nassar, it’s not a good time now. Let’s go back first” At that moment, his father, Duke Abriden, led Nassar.

“ Father, but…”

“Come on.”

The boy hesitated at the stern voice of the Duke and reluctantly shifted his steps. Unlike his fiancé, the boy wasn’t hit by a drop of rain, went far away.

Philomel also soon returned to her palace dragged by the maids. Even after entering the bathtub filled with warm water. She couldn’t warm up. She was still so cold. Just by remembering the back of Eustis.

“What ? what were you doing while the princess was doing that !” burst the nanny after hearing what happened between the Princess and the Emperor.

Philomel couldn’t see the nanny who didn’t accompany her to the event due to a back pain. When she stepped out of the bathroom, the nanny was standing with a whip.

“ I can’t let this go. I didn’t want to do this, but I think you’ll become mature when you’re in trouble.”

Tchak ! Tchak ! Tchak !

The thin whit hit the white calf continuously. It hurts. It hurts so much.

Philomel shed tears as an excuse for the calf-burning pain. Even though her real pain comes from elsewhere, she couldn’t complain to anyone. After the corporal punishment, the nanny muttered loudly

“How persistent, stubborn of you ! You didn’t even show a sign of recognition of tour fault.”

“……”

“Since it seems that probation is not enough, you will be under special supervision management from now on. You better to be prepared”

“…..Yes”

“Did you understand ? I’ll always be watching you !”

The nanny repeated the same words several times before leaving.

“You ! Why on earth did you do that ?” blurst one of the maid

“Go beg your nanny that you did something wrong, that way the princess and I will be less scolded”

Feeling the hands of the maid who applied medicine to her calves, Philomel stared blankly at the floor.

“……”

Perhaps embarrassed when Philomel did not respond, the maids looked at each other and brought up words of consolation.

“Don’t be so sad. The nanny’s anger will be relieved soon because she’s in good mood”

“And I heard from the head maid that they decided to postpone today’s event a week later” said one of the maids.

“By that time, wouldn’t your nanny allow you to go to his Majesty’s festival ?”

“…… A week ?” muttered Philomel.

“Yes, in a week. The High Priest fainted in his carriage on the way home. »

« Isn’t too late? We could hold the festival in three or four days…  » Philomel asked with a thin and trembling voice.

“ Well, this has never happened before, but the sacred event stopped because of rain, which he took over as substitute, so it must be shocking for him.” said the other maid.

“People are also mumbling that God’s protection for the Empire is over”

Belerov’s legitimacy comes from the power of God. Raising the question of God’s protection could have sounded like denying the legitimacy of the imperial family.

“Hey, be careful with your words”

When the first maid noticed her colleague’s warning look, she excused herself with a tone of apology

“…. No, it doesn’t mean much ! I’m just talking about those who don’t know nothing”

Philomel shook her hand without strength.

“Okay, go back”

After everyone stepped away, Philomel limped to the desk. Inside the drawer, a book titled <Princess Ellencia>  with a brown cover.

What was the likelihood that everything written in the novel would come true? Everything that had happened today had turned out exactly the same way as written in the novel. The fainting of the High Priest and the festival had been postponed until a week later. She was struck by a cruel realization, which spread like ink on a blank page. The appearance of the book did not differ much from other Romantic novels. But it was not a story like the others.

‘A prophecy.’

The hand holding the book began to shake. The emperor was not Philomel’s father. She was a fake.