âItâs exquisite that there are two vacant court mage positions just in time.â
âEveryone packed their bags happily when they said that the Mage Tower would provide the best research environment.â
âThe job of a court mage is great for honor and salary, but there are quite a few people who want to quit because of the limitations in research.â
It seems that there was even an underhand operation that Philomel did not know about. Le Guin asked Lexion.
âYou were the one who packed Philâs luggage, right? You found it.â
âIâll give it to you now.â
Lexion pulled out a familiar cloth bag from a backpack that had fallen to the floor. It was a bag that Philomel herself bought at the market. In Angelium, he inquired about Philomelâs whereabouts, and he found her at an inn, and he said that he kept it.
As she opened the bag he was handed to her, Philomel hesitated.
âHave you checked inside?â
âPlease. Iâm not a ruthless person who rummages through other peopleâs luggage.â
âSorry. I didnât mean to doubt it.â
âI understand.â
Seeing that <Princess Elencia> was in this, she became sensitive. The book was like a shame she didnât want anyone to see. She opened the bag slightly and looked inside, and a familiar brown cover caught her eye. Fortunately, she didnât lose it.
âIs anything missing?â
âNo. Thanks for bringing it to me, Lexion.â
Philomel closed the bag again and answered quietly.
âYouâre welcome.â
âThe person who brought it seems to want to say itâs him.â
âCardin, thank you too.â
âYay!â
It was kind of funny to see him actively expressing his opinion even though he was tied up tightly.
âItâs noisy. It talks a lot on a tied topic.â
Puck!
âEup-up!â
Jeremiah kicked him in the ass, causing Cardin to jump.
âPooh.â
Even knowing that it would be rude to laugh at the sight of him being beaten, Philomel burst out laughing at them. The book was also in her hands again, and there was also a part of her heart that was relieved. As Philomel burst out laughing at them, the four rich men stopped all their movements and looked at her.
âItâs nice to see you smiling like that.â
âThatâs right.â
Le Guin agreed with Lexionâs words.
âMe? You must be looking at it wrong.â
A little embarrassed, Philomel erased her expression and let go of her pretense. Without taking her eyes off Le Guin, she put the question she had asked before into her mouth again.
âCome to think of it, what are you going to do now? Now that youâve found your belongings, are you going to the Magic Tower?â
ââŠI have to leave the imperial palace for now.â
She didnât want to go to the Mageâs Tower, but Philomel had to leave. A new life must be waiting for Philomel somewhere other than here where Elencia, Nanny, Catherine, and Eustis were. Because that place was not a place for her.
At that time, Lexion gave a rather serious voice.
âPhil, what do you really want to do?â
âYes?â
âYour face doesnât look very happy right now. Like a child with homework he doesnât want to do.â
ââŠIt canât be. I want to leave.â
âReally?â
Philomel had no answer.
âWe donât want to take you against your will. If you donât want to, tell me honestly.â
âI want to take you.â
ââŠLe Guin, are you not going to respect Philâs will again? Have you already forgotten your work at the Mage Tower?â
âUgh, why are you bringing that up?â
Le Guin glanced at Philomel, and he ruffled her hair.
âYes! People have to live doing what they want to do. I lived that way and I taught them to do that too.â
âIt was a problem because you did everything you wanted to do.â
âHa!â
Jeremiah and Cardin, who had returned to their seats, added one word at a time.
âAnyway, donât look at us and decide. No, not only our notices, but if thereâs anything that gets in your way, ignore everything and think about what you want to do in the future.â
ââŠWhat do I want to do?â
Philomel blinked her eyes. She was confused. Sheâs stuck here with an immediate reply, âI want to leave this place.â She did, but sheâs strangely speechless, âWhat do I want? Not what I have to do, but what I want to do.â
It was a very quick question to ask.
Her own pure hope always took a backseat. Over the years, Philomel made big and small decisions. Most of what Philomel did was not what she wanted to do. Because she didnât want to die, she was recognized by the Emperor, and because she didnât want to die, she fled.
âAnd thatâs how I ended up living like that. Ugh.â
Philomel ran her fingers across the outside of the bag in her bosom. The outline of the leather cover was touched under the thin cloth. âIt was all because of this book.â
For the past 7 years, her most desired wish was to sleep peacefully in a place without worrying about her life. But today, Philomel saw some potential. That this book, which had influenced her life so far, might, really, possibly be wrong. It was a cruel possibility that she kept burying even though she felt it implicitly.
Philomel impulsively opened her mouth without even being able to organize what he was about to say.
âI donât know if Iâve been running away from some huge facts all this time.â
Because if she acknowledged that possibility, all her efforts for the past seven years would be in vain. She wondered if all the fear, resignation, worry, etc. were for nothing. She guessed it was a wrong choice not to open her heart to the people who approached her from the bottom of her heart.
âBut now I donât want to run away. I want to know.â
What was the identity of this book that has wielded her for a long time, and why did it come into her hands? What truth was hidden. She wanted to face it without avoiding it anymore.
ââŠâ
The guys didnât say anything. Ever since Philomel grew up, she had developed the habit of always chewing her tongue several times before speaking. Being the emperorâs heir was such a position, and as the fake princess, she had to be even more careful.
Suddenly, the words that had just come out of her mouth were ashamed. Moreover, it would have been a sound to catch a cloud if she said anything about the contents of the book.
âMy, if I said something that you didnât understandâŠwhat does this mean?â
âItâs okay. If itâs nonsense, Le Guin always does it.â
âThank you for being honest. To tell you the truth, I donât fully understand, but I get a sense of how you feel.â
âOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!â
Philomel examined the faces of the three brothers in turn. No one looked puzzled or embarrassed. They just took her word for what she said. It was the same with Le Guin.
âOkay. I donât know the details, but you mean you have to be here to achieve what you want anyway?â
ââŠI think so.â
All keys must belong to Ellencia. At least Philomel thought so.
The main character of <Princess Ellencia> and the real princess was Ellencia. However, a girl who shows a different side than the one mentioned in the book appeared as Ellencia and Philomeleâs intuition whispered that something was different from the book.
âThen, the future policy has been decided. I want to act with Phil. Let the rest take care of themselves.â
Philomel asked in surprise.
âAre you staying here?â
âI told you so.â
His grinning face was believable. It would be a great help if he, the owner of the Mage Tower, stayed with her. Even if the Emperor says he has no intention of killing her right now, she didnât know the future. If Le Guin could ignore the barrier, he could be able to take Philomel out with his movement magic in case of emergency.
âIf you stay with me for a while, you will want to go to the Mage Tower very much.â
However, he was so confident that she became anxious.
ââŠWill we be able to get along?â
Next to Le Guin were Lexion and Cardin.
âI must adapt to life in the imperial palace as soon as possible.â
âEup!â
âThe two of you too? Is it really okay not to go back to the Mage Tower?â
âI just got a job, but I canât quit. We will actively cooperate with what Phil is doing.â
âOooh!â
A little lump of Cardinâs feeling welled up in her chest. But Jeremiahâs attitude was callous.
âTake me out. I want to go back.â
âHe was always doused with cold water.â
â
You must have seen the face of the newly-made man. You have seen it all.â
After hearing her fatherâs words, he turned towards the exit of the garden.
âWait!â
When Philomel called him, he turned his head away.
âI have no personal feelings for you, but Iâm not into group action.â
âItâs not like that⊠I want to ask you something.â
Jeremiah nodded his chin as if to say something. Philomel hesitated but at the end she asked what she had been wondering since the beginning of the episode. She had cared about Jeremiah ever since he revealed his name.
âJeremiah, is your nickname the Freezing Scion?â
âThe glacier of ice.â
It was a nickname for a certain magician. In fact, ever since she heard his name Philomel had been questioning whether he was a Freezing Scion or not.
ââŠâ
However, Jeremiahâs white face instantly warmed up. As if he was covering it up, he pressed down and hit the outside.
âDonât call me by that name!â
ââŠDid I excuse myself?â
Lexion, who was giggling, stepped out.
âHe hates that nickname. He doesnât like it because Cardin teased him a lot with it.â
âWhat are you laughing at!â
Cardin smirked and kicked and ran away in her dreams to avoid her brother approaching.
âIt was wrong to call him that.â
âSorry. I didnât even know thatâŠâ
âItâs okay!â
She asked just in case, but Jeremiah was really the scion of freezing.
âItâs difficult.â
That situation was very embarrassing. Because Jeremiah was a mystery when he was the other male protagonist in <The Princess Ellencia>.