There Is No Place For Fakes

When young Nassar demonstrated his talents in various fields, his parents were delighted. Especially Duke Averyden, who expressed his satisfaction and always said, “Indeed, he is my son.”

Nassar liked hearing those words. He wanted to receive more praise from his father, so he worked even harder.

However, the more he worked hard, the more responsibilities he had, and his time with people he liked decreased.

“It’s tough,” Nassar, who was only seven years old, fell into a sense of disillusionment.

No matter how hard he tried, there seemed to be no good outcome.

But if he didn’t work hard, the situation only got worse.

The expectations from his father for Nassar were already high, and there was no possibility for the boy to return to the way things were if he slacked off.

It was during that time that he first met the Princess, a cute girl one year younger than him.

“Wow! You’re pretty! What’s your name? I’m Philomel. Want to be friends?”

As soon as Nassar met the girl, she said that enthusiastically and showed her liking for him.

“Nassar, let’s get married!”

Honestly, Philomel was burdensome to him.

He appreciated her affection, but the boy was overwhelmed by people’s favor. He had become too accustomed to receiving kindness from others to place a high value on the favor of one person.

Nevertheless, the Duke was more than willing when he heard the news.

“The Princess has taken a liking to you! You, Indeed, are my son!”

Nassar was confused.

Wasn’t his father’s praise something he could only receive when he worked hard?

But he had put little effort into winning the Princess’s love.

Although they occasionally talked and treated each other kindly, Nassar’s personality was inherently limited in showing affection to anyone.

When the engagement with the Princess was decided, the Duke’s satisfaction reached its peak.

“Well then! Who else could become the Emperor’s husband if not my son? I’m proud of you.”

Indeed, Nassar had made little effort leading up to the engagement. The engagement was a result obtained by the Princess from the Emperor.

Thus, Nassar’s self-esteem diminished.

“If my worth is determined solely by receiving the love of the Princess, then what have all my efforts been for?”

Nassar didn’t want to admit it.

To admit that would mean that most of his short life had been in vain, filled with futile efforts.

So Nassar continued to make relentless efforts. He believed that if he worked hard and continued to do so, eventually his father would come to value the worth of his efforts more.

One day during playtime, the Princess said, “Nassar, why are you doing something so boring? Instead of studying, let’s play together!”

Nassar felt that he wasted precious time every week when he met the Princess. He had reduced his sleep time at home to study, but whenever he was in the Palace, he felt extremely idle.

Nassar tried to make use of that idle time by teaching the Princess about various things. He would review while teaching her, and it would be beneficial for both of them.

However, the Princess seemed to have a different opinion.

After persistently persuading the reluctant Princess, she spoke with a sulky face.

“Why do I have to do it? I don’t want to. My father doesn’t care.”

It was a shock to Nassar as if the heavens and the earth were being overturned. Until now, his father had always told him that he must fulfill various obligations as the heir of Duke Averyden, one of the five dukes of the Bellerov Empire and the most prestigious noble family in the empire.

Nassar had unwaveringly believed in those words.

Then, what about the Emperor? Isn’t the Emperor’s position higher and more burdensome than that of a Duke? But why doesn’t the Princess, who is destined to become the Emperor, have any special responsibilities?

In reality, no one seemed to care, even if the Princess neglected her studies and ignored etiquette.

The Princess’s attendants would nag at her, but they didn’t seem to believe that the Princess would change.

Nassar confided in his father about these concerns.

“What’s gotten into you? Just let the Princess do as she pleases.”

“What? But isn’t it the duty of a loyal subject to advise and guide the lord when they stray onto the wrong path?”

The Duke sighed and spoke.

“Well, you see, it’s about time you learned the reality of this. Teachers have instilled too many ideals in you. It’s time for you to learn about my reality.”

And the following words were truly shocking.

“If the Princess becomes an incompetent Emperor, won’t you interfere in state affairs? If she tries to do everything like the current Emperor, we’ll all be at a loss.”

“Did you think that I paid attention to your education just to keep you occupied with simple paperwork?”

The values and beliefs that Nassar had upheld were shaken to their core.

The noble sense of duty he had been taught was nothing more than a facade. He felt disappointment and disillusionment towards his respected father.

The boy fell into deep confusion.

Perhaps to conceal this turmoil, he may have acted even more coldly towards the Princess, who kept insisting on playing together.

“Then, Your Highness, please play alone. I will focus on studying.”

Nassar’s initial coldness caught the Princess off guard.

After calling him multiple times and receiving no response, the Princess reluctantly burst into tears.

“Duke! What should I do? Nassar hates me!”

“There’s no way he’d hate Your Highness. I will talk to him.”

Nassar could never forget the magnificence his father displayed when he smiled kindly at the Princess that day.

It was the first time he had witnessed such tenderness, despite the hardships he had endured since birth.

One sad aspect was that he still loved his disappointed father and his mother, who could only watch over him.

And Nassar was a child who couldn’t survive without the shelter of their presence.

So he redirected his resentment.

All the doubts and confusion began when he met the Princess.

He resented the Princess who had thrown him into this turmoil. It was partly born out of envy.

The indifference shown by the Emperor to the Princess at that time was what Nassar had earnestly prayed for from his parents.

However, Nassar didn’t hate the Princess. He naturally felt fondness towards someone who liked him sincerely.

Moreover, he felt sorry for the Princess. She was a lonely person. At times, he felt the desire to be a source of strength for her.

However, Nassar couldn’t empathize deeply with that loneliness. He was surrounded by too many people to truly experience loneliness.

Nassar’s feelings towards the Princess were complex.

There were times when he liked her and times when he didn’t. There were moments when the girl’s favor was gladly received and moments when it felt burdensome.

One thing that was certain was that Nassar was a presence prepared for the Princess.

The disappointment towards his father remained, but his rebellion gradually diminished. It was a resignation.

If he couldn’t change his parents, it was easier to be on their side.

Time passed in this manner.

Even though the Princess started using honorifics for him and Nassar grew taller, nothing changed.

No, he believed it wouldn’t change.

However, a change occurred. He was ten years old, and the Princess was nine.

The Princess suddenly changed at some point. It was a very abrupt transformation.

Nassar tried to find the cause in his own way but failed.

Although there were hints, he thought it would be difficult for a person to undergo such a significant change.

As he watched his playtime with the shrinking Princess, the boy became afraid.

‘What if the Princess no longer needs me?’

It meant that the significance of Nassar’s existence would completely disappear.

One day, he kneeled before the Princess and pleaded. He wanted her to let him know, If he had done something wrong.

And that day, the boy had a peculiar experience.

“Repeat the words after me.”

“I am a precious person.”

“I was not born for the sake of someone else.”

“I will live according to my own heart.”

Initially, he followed the Princess’s instructions involuntarily, but repeating the same words made him feel strange.

Words held power.

Although that incident didn’t dramatically change his life, it ignited a flame in his dwindling rebellion.

Gradually, he changed, like clothes soaked in drizzling rain.

While he didn’t directly defy the Duke, his father, he no longer nodded his head as he did before in response to his praise or approval.

He could hear the scolding with one ear and let it pass through the other. Occasionally, he acted contrary to the given instructions.

The Duke exclaimed that his son had become arrogant as he grew up.

However, there was nothing he could do.

Nassar remained a coveted child and the heir who would inherit the family externally.

He wasn’t the only one who changed. The Princess began her transformation into a perfect heiress.

The Duke found it difficult to handle the Princess and expressed his frustration. Nassar, too, wasn’t particularly pleased with the Princess’s changes.

Clearly, he had hoped she would become an Emperor worthy of admiration.

That incident was a fleeting moment, and the relationship between him and the Princess drifted apart once again.

Nassar wanted to close the widening gap, but there was no way. The more he approached, the farther the Princess moved away.

Her focus seemed to be on her relationship with the Emperor, not with Nassar.

Outwardly, they maintained a respectful engagement, but inside, there was nothing but awkwardness, no different from strangers.

Until then, he had not realized his own emotions.

He believed that his feelings towards the Princess were nothing more than sympathy as someone burdened with a similar weight.

Perhaps because she had been someone he had taken for granted without much thought since a young age, he might have been slow to notice his feelings. 

For Nassar, that place became the starting point of his self-awareness of his emotions.