Philomel the Fake
Chapter 7

* * *

Philomel returned to her room after their meal together.

“Your Highness! You’ve returned! What did His Majesty have to say to you—”

The nanny, poised and ready to question her about the conversation, noticed that someone had accompanied the young girl back to her rooms.

“Hmm? What are you doing here, Count Polan?”

“His Majesty has commanded that you be relieved of your duties. Thank you for your services tending to Her Majesty the Empress in addition to Her Highness Philomel all these years.”

“What? I don’t quite follow...” The nanny blinked slowly in stunned confusion.

“You’ll be awarded a handsome severance pay, don’t you worry. If you so wish, we will even provide you with a house in the capital.”

Philomel smiled up at the nanny. “Thank you for everything, Nanny. Please rest now, and don’t overexert yourself.”

“Relieved of my duties? What is all this about? I never asked for such a thing. I will continue to stay by Her Highness’s side until the very end!” protested the nanny, sounding aghast at the mere mention of retirement. Though she pretended otherwise, she very much relished the authority she enjoyed as the princess’s guardian.

“While I admire your devotion, I’m afraid that Her Highness mentioned to His Majesty that you’ve long suffered from back pain.”

Philomel had also added that it seemed as though the nanny might collapse on the job any day now. Hiding behind the count, she smiled wickedly.

The nanny, expression now guilty, began to protest. “I-it’s really nothing to worry about. Her Highness probably took it far more seriously than she should, being as young as she is—”

“I’ve already confirmed all this with the other servants as well. You don’t need to hide it any longer,” said Polan.

The nanny had probably gone around talking loudly about her back pains in order to emphasize her devotion to the imperial family, but intentions were easily warped in transit. Philomel had pretended to be sincerely worried for the nanny when she made her request, and Eustis had immediately ordered that the old woman be allowed to retire. He had probably only done so because he didn’t want the nanny his dead wife had loved like her own mother to suddenly keel over on the job, of course.

“You will cease your duties starting today, so please take care of your health. Her Highness will be assigned only the best lady-in-waiting after a careful selection process.”

“I’m telling you, I’m fine! Please do reconsider—”

Philomel ignored the nanny as she clung to Polan and entered her room. Never in a million years would Eustis take back a command once it had been issued.

The maids murmuring to one another in the corner didn’t look too happy, either.

“What happens to us if the nanny is no longer working at the palace?”

“We’ll have to ingratiate ourselves to the new lady-in-waiting, that’s what.”

“But we’ve worked so hard to get on the nanny’s good side. What a waste.”

These maids had been lax in their duties and had led very comfortable lives since the only thing the nanny cared about was her orders being followed.

Philomel’s escape required that these maids be flushed from the palace, first of all. Having enemies so close to her on the inside would only hinder her escape preparations.

Things were off to a good start. It was with a spring in her step that she went about bathing for the evening.

* * *

A few days later, Philomel could be found in her quarters. Today was the day she was meeting Countess Dellese for the very first time. She was the new head lady-in-waiting, who would be taking over the retired nanny’s responsibilities.

Philomel considered the gray-haired woman standing in front of her. Count Polan actually managed to find someone quite talented even though it was on very short notice.

Countess Dellese’s greatest flaw was her lack of tenacity, but she was polite and reserved, making her perfect to serve as a lady-in-waiting. Philomel was meeting her today for the first time, and the only reason she knew all this about the countess was because she’d been Ellensia’s head lady-in-waiting in the novel. Because she’d been a fastidious but dignified and, most importantly, honest individual, Ellensia had relied on her quite a lot.

The countess, who had a gentle look about her, bowed politely.

“My house is deeply honored to serve you in this way. If you ever need anything, please feel free to let me know at any time.”

Countess Dellese was nervous that the princess might find fault in her during their very first meeting, given her reputation for being picky. Though Princess Philomel was seldom seen in public because she was still so young, everyone knew that she was quite the handful.

“Nice to meet you. I’m happy to have you in my service.”

Despite the rumors that she was very arrogant, the princess greeted her with a polite smile. She continued to be well-mannered during the conversation that followed—in fact, the countess quickly got the impression that she was more mature than the average nobleman’s daughter.

I guess I needn’t have worried. By the time she’d spent half a day with the princess, the countess was completely relaxed. From what she’d seen of the young girl, accompanying her as she went about her day, she was diligent in everything she did and never unkind to anyone who served her.

Philomel did seem a little inexperienced from time to time due to her age, but it was clear that she would grow up to be a worthy addition to the imperial family, if nudged in the right direction. All the malicious hearsay about the princess seemed to be rooted in the many unproven rumors that were commonly spread in high society.

How could anyone dare to say such things about her? the countess wondered. At that moment, the princess addressed her lady-in-waiting, her cheeks pink with a blush.

“Would you like to see my wardrobe? I have lots of pretty dresses.”

The two had been taking a moment to rest and have some tea. The countess, searching for topics of conversation that a young girl might enjoy, had mentioned a style of dress that was popular lately. In response, the princess led her by the hand to her closet. As it happened, the countess had just been thinking to herself that the princess was too mature for her age. She smiled as the girl tugged her along, pleased to see that she was still capable of acting her age.

The countess’s expression grew stiff, however, as soon as she saw the state of the wardrobe.

Philomel showed her each dress and chattered excitedly. “This is my favorite one. And this one I purchased last spring...”

“I see... They’re all very beautiful.”

The dresses themselves were lovely, but the problem lay with the state of the wardrobe itself. The clothes looked neatly arranged at first glance, but they were actually mixed up randomly with no regard for their intended season or purpose. What was more, the lace on many of them was wrinkled and unkept, already hung up without being tended to.

At this rate, the dresses would quickly begin to show wear, meaning they would be unsalvageable before long. It seemed that not much attention had been shown to her dresses up until now since she was often being given new dresses to wear.

But this is a foolish mistake that not even the maids in a common noble household would make! The countess turned a cold glare on the maids. She’d already noticed that their manners were less than stellar when they’d been serving the tea. This can’t be all there is to it.

Mistakes that were so easily seen were usually indicative of ten more hidden away. She decided she needed to conduct a thorough investigation into the quality of their work. Perhaps a whole set of new maids would be required.

It wasn’t long before all the princess’s maids were replaced, as the countess had insisted that the palace officials conduct an investigation into their conduct. Not only were the maids found to be negligent of their duties, but they’d apparently also used the princess’s budget for private ends. As one might have expected, the nanny was responsible for the worst of the embezzlement.

Everyone implicated in these findings was strictly punished. Philomel heard later that the nanny apparently didn’t even think that she’d done anything wrong.

“I’m an old woman! Is it such a grave sin that I was confused about what money was mine, and what was hers? My goodness, I’m innocent! If only Her Majesty Empress Isabella were still alive. I was like a mother to her. She’d be so upset to see how I’m being treated...”

The nanny came to the palace to protest, and a maid who witnessed the spectacle she caused then reported to Philomel everything. Her excuse was utter nonsense since the sums of money involved and the frequency of the embezzlement suggested that it had not been a mere innocent mistake.

Philomel hadn’t known things were that bad, though she’d sometimes thought that the nanny was being far too liberal with her money. The old woman was beaten and thrown from the palace grounds, a light punishment given her crimes and the brazen protests she’d raised.

Unlike the maids who were now locked up in prison, the nanny had only seen her possessions confiscated. The emperor had been as kind to her as he could given the circumstances, but despite this, she’d still brought her so-called grievances to the palace.

“You should have seen her, Your Highness. She burst into tears after a single blow, screaming that it hurt.” The maid snickered as she described the nanny’s fall from grace.

“Behave yourself in Her Highness’s presence,” Countess Dellese scolded with a frown. She studied Philomel cautiously, worried that the princess might be upset hearing the fate that had befallen the nanny who’d cared for her for so long.

“I’m all right,” Philomel said. “She got what she deserved.”

With a gentle smile, she set the countess’s mind at ease. The nanny was no longer any of her concern. She yawned and massaged her shoulder, and the countess laughed quietly.

“I’ll have your bed prepared.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. This is my job.”

Philomel fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow. She hadn’t been able to sleep well for the past few nights, constantly thinking of ways to drive the nanny and the maids away. Even as she studied, her mind had mulled over the topic. The wish she’d requested from the emperor, as well as the careful way she’d shown the new head lady-in-waiting the state of her wardrobe, had involved meticulous thought and planning.

While these small plots might seem like nothing special to others, Philomel was nine-years-old, and it was enough to drain her completely of energy. In any case, she’d gotten lucky. Everything had gone according to plan.

Let’s hope this continues, she thought as she sank into slumber.