There Is No Place For Fakes

“What kind of mess is this?”

Spotting the crowd, Philomel muttered to herself. She was on her way out to return a book she had borrowed from the Imperial Library. However, the area around on the way from her outer palace to the inner palace was noisy. She got curious and went closer, and there were many people who didn’t look like courtiers.

“What’s up?” Philomel asked her former maid, who was also there. 

“Hello, Miss Philomel. The Emperor is now meeting face to face with Lady Manon.”

Really? Has Roseanne’s obsession finally paid off?

“What are all these people up to?”

“They are pleading in front of the Imperial Palace that they have to receive payment from the Viscount and the young lady. His Majesty the Emperor heard the news and ordered them all to be brought…”

Philomel already knew where this was going. The creditors of the Viscount Manon’s family came all the way to the Imperial Palace to collect their money. Even Philomel had heard the rumors that the Manon family was on the verge of bankruptcy because of their lavish spending. They must be very desperate too. It was not unreasonable that they flocked to the Emperor, who was considered the only person who could pay them. If the Emperor had any intention of making Roseanne his Empress, or at least his lover, he would pay her debts. 

Curious, Philomel stepped further into the crowd.

The Emperor and Roseanne were in the middle, and people surrounded them in a circle. Falling on the floor, Roseanne begged the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, please take care of me and my family. Those insolent men harass me. I beg you to punish them and protect me.”

Unheard of, a man bravely stepped before the Emperor.

“Your Majesty the Emperor!”

The man briefly introduced himself and stated his business.

“I lent 100,000 golds to Viscount Manon and haven’t gotten them back yet! It’s already been a while since the repayment date expired. Please don’t believe that woman’s words. We are the victims.”

Then the Emperor looked around at the crowd.

“Anything else. If you have anything to say to the Emperor about this woman and her family, do it right here and now.” 

As if they had made up their minds, the debtors opened their mouths one by one.

“I run a small boutique, and the young lady bought 30,000 golds worth of goods yesterday and they didn’t pay for them.”

Rosanne shouted.

“No. I just bought it on credit!”

“I didn’t want to sell it on credit, but the young lady threatened me that she wouldn’t let me go if I didn’t sell it…”

The accusations continued.

“It was like that at our store too!”

“I haven’t received a total of 140,000 golds yet!”

The maids next to Roseanne also bowed down and pleaded.

“The salaries of the servants working in the mansion have been delayed for a long time. Although, the Manon family enjoyed luxury!”

“Not only that. Lady Manon insulted us severely and even beat us if we made even the slightest mistake!”

At first, the theme was the money that was not received, but gradually, the evil deeds of Roseanne and her family came out. A man who seemed to be the coachman of the poor Viscount also stepped forward.

“The Viscount hit me, saying it was my neglect that the sick and old horse died! He didn’t even pay for the medicine. I had to lie down for a week!”

According to the testimony of the maid of the West Palace, it was also revealed that Roseanne had been messing around at Ellencia’s tea party the other day. People couldn’t hide their surprise at Roseanne’s rude actions even toward the Princess. And coincidentally, Philomel was right next to the maid in the West Palace. Since the accusations continued sideways from a certain moment, people’s eyes naturally focused on Philomel. And of course Roseanne knew that Philomel had something to say about her.

‘I just came to see…’

As she listened, more people flocked to it and she couldn’t get out. But that wasn’t the mood to be honest. Come to think of it, Roseanne hadn’t returned the ring of red flames yet.

She gave a glance as if asking Eustis if she could talk. Eventually Philomel raised her hand.

“Lady Manon robbed me of the Red Flame ring, a treasure of the Imperial Family.”

She was hesitant to uncover Roseanne’s next misdeed, since she’d already got her revenge on that. Besides, it seemed too trivial amongst all of her other sins.However, Philomel said her words with a feeling of ‘I don’t know’.

“Also the young lady slapped me on the cheek while robbing me of the ring.”

At that moment, the atmosphere in the audience froze. Everyone looked at the man who exuded that chilling aura. 

“So this woman… she dared to slapp you on the cheek?”

The Emperor’s voice was dozens of times colder than usual. Roseanne, who received that energy authentically, had a pale complexion like a corpse.

The Emperor ordered the secretary behind him.

“Take this woman and bring her family. Pollan, interrogate them yourself.”

“I’ll take your Order!”

Count Pollan, who answered, disappeared.

For the Emperor’s secretary to interrogate them personally, it meant that the Emperor himself would decide on the punishment. And there was no light sentence in Emperor Eustis’ dictionary.

The Viscount family ended up collapsing splendidly afterward. In the process of investigating the crimes of the Viscount Manon, charges against the Muriel family who helped them were also discovered. The Duke of Muriel devoted a large portion of his territory to the Imperial Family, barely avoiding losing his title. However, it was unavoidable that the situation was rapidly declining. In effect, the axis of the five Ducal Families that dominated the Empire collapsed. The press, who had talked about Roseanne like a prospective Empress, shut their mouths as if it had never happened, and the Emperor restored his honor, fulfilling his promise to only know his deceased wife.

Several newspapers were shut down. Compensation for the victims was made with the property of the confiscated Viscount, and the shortfall was paid by the Muriel family. The family members were imprisoned after receiving the full sentence according to the crimes committed by each of them. And Roseanne Manon, who was at the center of this situation…

Philomel went to see the Emperor.

“That can not be done.”

That was the answer the Emperor gave to Philomel’s request to release Roseanne.

“But haven’t you tortured her enough already?

Even at this level, the young lady would live with the aftereffects for the rest of her life.

“But no. She deserves to die.”

“It is true that Lady Manon committed a great crime by pretending to be the Empress, but she doesn’t deserve to die.”

“Why do you care so much about her? She is the one who beat you.”

“That…”

Philomel bit her lip for a moment before she spoke in a low voice.

“Somehow I think she is like me.”

To be precise, ‘Philomel’ in the book, a girl who liked extravagance, was vain, and acted evil on others. For some reason, Roseanne had a side that overlapped with her. Besides, she seemed to be dying because Philomel had slapped her just one time, which made her feel bad.

Eustis raised his voice.

“It’s not like that at all. Where do you resemble a woman like that?”

“She’s not now, but isn’t she a bit like me when I was a kid?”

“Not at all.”

“Your Majesty…”

As Philomel persistently appealed, the Emperor eventually raised the white flag.

“Okay. Let’s keep her alive.”

“Thank you.”

Eustis’s mouth went loose as Philomel smiled faintly.

“Ah, but what happened to the ring of red flames?”

“We found it among the woman’s belongings.” 

“Thank God.”

“I decided to dispose of it because it is dirtied now.”

Philomel widened her eyes in surprise.

“Why did you dispose of it! What a waste!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make you a new one.”

So he was serious when he said that he would make her a new one at the ballroom?

“No, isn’t the ring of Red Flame a gift given only to the Emperor and his successors? Princess Ellencia should receive it.”

“Ellencia’s is under production. And I want to give it to you, so don’t hesitate.”

“It’s not like that…”

She was tired of arguing now. Philomel decided to just accept it. She couldn’t compromise with her conscience again.

“Okay. Please give me the original ring to dispose of it.”

In that way, the ring of Red Flame returned to Philomel’s hand. Full of Eustis’ divine power once again. Philomel was delighted inside as it was something she had been fond of. It’s pretty useful, too. Anyway, it is said that Roseanne was seen leaving the Imperial Dungeons while limping that day. She was told that Muriel Dukedom had agreed to take her in. In a way, she was an enemy who had tilted their family, but it seemed that they felt sorry for her situation as she had no place to go even her body was not in good shape.

The commotion of the new Empress seemed to come to an end in this way. But the next day, Jeremiah, with her serious face, spoke to Philomel.

“They said the woman was found dead.”

“…What women?”

Philomel did not understand immediately and asked with a puzzled expression. Jeremiah was talking about ‘Roseanne.’

“Yes? How?”

Philomel’s eyes widened.

“She was stabbed by an assailant, and she was already dead when Lexion went looking for her.”

“It can’t be…”

It was horrifying news. She continued to listen to Jeremiah with her mouth hanging open.

“She seems to have gone to her mansion to retrieve her belongings, but since there were no witnesses, they said the culprit was unknown.”

Philomel held the warm cup of tea tightly without saying anything.

The debts of the Viscount had been paid off beforehand, even so there must be a pretty good number of people who still hold grudges against the Manon family. Furthermore, Philomel heard that Roseanne and her family were cruel to the weak, but some sympathy arose anyway.

‘It feels strange to hear that someone I know is dead.’

Philomel opened her mouth as she remembered something odd in Jeremiah’s retelling.

“But why did Lexion look for Roseanne?”

“The thing is….”

Jeremiah took a moment to answer.

“What is it? Can you tell me a little bit?” Philomel asked in her earnest voice, as she didn’t want anything to happen that only she didn’t know about.

“We have very different values from you.” Jeremiah just kept his mouth shut as he left an incomprehensible answer.