In the novel <Princess Ellencia> he was the second male lead, who loved Princess Ellencia passionately.
At the end the one who took the seat next to Ellencia was Nassar, but Jeremiah was described as a noble and innocent person who secretly protected the woman he loved.
The only problem is that he was a great threat to the âVillainessâ Philomel.
There was more than once in the book that âPhilomelâ almost got convicted by Ellensia for harassing her with the qualification that she was not a real princess.
âTo think that the love interest was the villainessâ brother âŠ?â
Jeremiahâs family circumstances were not stated in <Princess Ellencia>, so Philomel didnât know it until now.
Once the initial surprise at the realization wore off, annoyance took its place.
âWhy didnât you mention such important information in the book!â
Fierce hostility toward the author of <Princess Ellencia> arose, but first Philomel had to take care of the problem at hand; second male lead Jeremiah.
âIâm sure he wonât listen to me if I tell him to stay here.â
Even in the book, Jeremiah was morbidly disobedient. And a rebel by nature.
After considering for a while, Philomel approached Le Guin.
âLe Guin.â
âYes.?â
âYou told me to do what I want to do from now on, right?â
âI did.â
âThere is something I want right now, but I need your help with it. Will you help me?â
âFinally, you see my true worth.â
Le Guin looked at Philomel and smiled confidently, holding her gaze.
âAll right. Tell me what you want me to do.â
âPlease donât let Jeremiah go anywhere.â
âWhat? Are you crazy? Who do you are-â
Jeremiah didnât even get the chance to protest.
âGot it.â
Whoaaaaa!
In the blink of an eye Le Guin used the same spell as before and Jeremiah shared the same fate with the brother heâd ridiculed a mere moments ago.
âEup-up-up-up!â
Jeremiah, whose limbs were suddenly bound, burst into anger, but fortunately, it was nothing more than a meaningless struggle against Le Guinâs powerful spell.
âI meant, you should persuade him, not tie him up like that⊠â
It was embarrassing, but the water had already spilled. Apparently, persuasion is not in Le Guinâs vocabulary, and this might be for the best.
With an apologetic look, Philomel turned toward Jeremiah.
âIâm sorry, but I need you to be patient, and Iâll let you go when I decide what to do with you.â
According to <Princess Ellencia>, Jeremiah and Ellencia would meet in winter, three or four months before Ellencia came to the imperial palace.
It may be stupid for Philomel to worry about the appearance of Ellencia and the relationship between the two, who have yet to meet.
And if Jeremiah was left as heâs right now, the two might never cross paths with each other.
â And Ellencia is living in the palace right now, anyway.â
Besides, since Jeremiah has found out that sheâs his younger sister, thereâs the possibility that he wonât come to hate Philomel, like in <Princess Ellencia>.
HoweverâŠ
âI canât let my guards down so easilyâ
Philomel, who decided to remain in the Imperial Palace for the time being, was determined to be cautious.
Because there was no guarantee that Jeremiah wouldnât cross paths with Ellencia in an unexpected place and fall in love.
Now that Ellensia seemed strangely hostile towards Philomel, she couldnât give her a powerful pawn, called Jeremiah.
âI have no choice but to keep an eye on risk factors and manage them.â
The best way is to appease Jeremiah. But if thatâs not possibleâŠ
âIf itâs impossibleâŠ?â
âIâm going to take care of it.â
âAh, thatâs the face youâre trying to confine.â
ââŠâ
Philomel was trying to think of a way to persuade Jeremiah when Le Guin and Lexion chipped in with a stupid interpretation of Philomelâs silence.
âPhil, no matter how much you want me to get rid of him, I canât do that. Instead, if itâs simple confinement, I can arrange it..
âEup-up-up-up!â
âEup-up-upâ
When the word confinement left Le Guinâs mouth, the two brothers who were tied up side by side protested by rolling on the floor.
Philomel sighed softly and opened her mouth.
âWhy donât Lexion and Cardin go out first? Now that youâve officially become a court mage, you should take care of your duties. And JeremiahâŠâ
Le Guin interrupted Philomel.
âWould you like me to put him into the dark space?â
â⊠A place called dark space. Is it very painful to enter?â
âNot at all. Itâs cozy and nice. Thereâs nothing, so itâs suitable to sit still and reflect on yourself.â
âThen, please do so.â
Philomel nodded in agreement, and decided to think about a way to deal with Jeremiah later.
Le Guin snapped his fingers and Cardin was freed from his restraints.
âWhoa! I thought I was going to die from frustration!â
Cardin jumped up and stretched all the way. His somewhat tanned skin further highlighted its healthy charm.
âPhil, call me whenever you need me! Iâll drop everything and run to you at your call!â
Philomel gave a slight nod to acknowledge Cardinâs offer.
Cardin laughed cheerfully and disappeared over the maze with Lexion.
And under the canopy, only Le Guin, Philomel and Jeremiah remained.
When Le Guin snapped his fingers, a magic circle appeared on the floor, and soon a black hole opened.
âIs this the dark space Le Guin was talking about?â
Philomel peeked through the hole curiously. It was just as its name implied, a dark space without any kind of light source. Nothing more, nothing less.
âItâs funny.â
Le Guin strode up and lifted Jeremiah. Then, as if storing socks in a closet, he threw him into that dark space.
âEup-up-up-up-up!â
Jeremiah, whose veins pulsated on his forehead from anger, disappeared into the hole of darkness.
Philomel didnât know much about Jeremiah yet, but she guessed he probably thought; âDamn you old man! I wonât forget this!â she guessed that meant something.
âWhat are you going to do next?â
Le Guin clapped his palms, closing the portal to the dark space and asked Philomel.
âDo you have to stay at the Imperial Palace? Canât it be a mansion close to the Palace?â
âDo you have a mansion in the capital?â
âI can buy it.â
âUhâŠâ
âBuying a mansion in the capital requires a huge amount of money, you know.â
Watching Le Guin say it so nonchalantly, Philomel realized that he was the owner of the Mage Tower who had amassed tremendous wealth.
âYou donât have to go through that kind of trouble. Besides Itâs something I can only do if Iâm in the palace.â
Philomel turned her head and tried to say something.
Of course, considering the crowd who would gossip about her, the decision to stay in the imperial palace wasnât too pleasant.
However, the subject she wanted to carefully observe in the future was a princess.
âAnd the princess lives in the imperial palace.â
Philomel could only Observe Ellencia closely when they shared the same roof. Otherwise her effort would go down the drain.
âSheesh, okay.â
At Philomelâs determined answer, Le Guin clicked his tongue, as if he couldnât help it.
âYou donât like the Imperial Palace, do you?
Philomel asked cautiously.
âItâs unpleasant because thereâs so much divine power in the air.â
Come to think of it, Philomel had heard that magical power and divine power conflicted each other.
Since they are in a place where all of the descendants of the sun god resided, the Imperial Place was brimming with divine power. Philomel has never felt uncomfortable in her ten years of living in the Palace, but she guessed itâs different for Mages.
âSorry. Youâre going to such lengths because of meâŠâ
Philomel muttered with a sullen expression. Somehow, it seemed that everything was her fault.
Le Guin was stunned and denied it.
âNo, what? Itâs not unbearable.â
âStillâŠâ
âItâs okay. As long as you donât approach that human, itâs quite comfortable.â
âThat human?â
âWho is it? The person whose body overflows with nasty divine power even when theyâre standing still.â
âAh.â
Philomel could easily tell who Le Guin was talking about.
âThen Le Guin should turn into a cat and go back to my room first.â
âWhy?â
âBecause I plan to visit âthat humanâ right now.â
She still had to talk to Eustis.
* * *
After a while, Philomel arrived at the Emperorâs office and asked for an audience. She thought that he might be reluctant to meet her, but the Emperor obediently allowed her to meet him.
âI didnât expect to see you so soon. Did you consider my offer?â
He had a dark face, but he didnât avoid her gaze like last time.
âYes, Iâve thought about it, and Iâm here to give you my answer.â
Philomel spoke cautiously, sitting on the sofa facing Eustis.
âNo. Before that, I have something to say. No matter what your answer is, I have to say it first.â
âGo ahead.â
Eustis lowered his eyes and opened his heavy mouth.
âIâm sorry.â
His low voice echoed in the office.
âI, to you⊠have made a big mistake. I shouldnât have said something like that so carelessly. And I sincerely apologize.â
His self-deprecating apologies continued.
âThatâs not all. Iâve been so indifferent to you. I didnât even think about seeing you properly under the pretext of my misfortune.â
Eustis slowly rose from his seat and approached Philomel.
âItâs too late now, but I want to ask you for forgiveness. No, you donât have to forgive me, just please donât disappear without a word. You are only sixteen. You havenât even come of age yet or had your debutante ball.â
Eighteen was considered an adult in the Belerov Empire. And there were nearly two years left before Philomel would come of age.
âEven if I am not your biological father, I am still your guardian. You still need to be protected by an adult.â
A black gloved hand gently rested on Philomelâs shoulder. It was a very careful touch.
âIf you donât want to be with me, I will find a place that is convenient for you. So even if you donât want to see me, I want you to be within my reach. That way, I can protect you no matter what happens.â
ââŠâ
Philomel looked at him without saying anything.
âIâm so sorry. Thereâs no other suitable word other than sorry.
Philomel felt a bitterness that she could not erase, seeing Eustisâ frown.