The Fake Legend of Princess Mei Mei - Episode 5.8

A small voice murmured from within the crowd, making Tsukika gasp.

There was no mistaking it. That voice was the one she had heard every day for fifteen years since she was born.

“It’s really you, Tsukika!”

Keigetsu called her name once more, pushing Gijouu aside to step forward.

Tsukika turned pale and began to tremble.

“Sister…” The word almost escaped her lips, but she swallowed it down at the last moment. If she called out that way, wouldn’t that mean she was admitting to being Tsukika?

“Tsukika!”

Calling out the name of the little sister she had been searching for, Keigetsu tried to rush forward. Gijouu hurriedly grabbed her arm to stop her.

“Lady Keigetsu, you must be mistaken. That is Princess Houbai.”

Keigetsu gasped, her eyes filled with confusion.

“Princess… Houbai?”

As she hesitantly repeated the name, Gijouu nodded.

But that was Tsukika. She was wearing beautiful clothes Keigetsu had never seen before, her glossy black hair adorned with luxurious hairpins. Yet, her face—there was no mistaking it. She was Tsukika, Keigetsu’s beloved little sister.

“How dare you!”

A stern voice cut through Keigetsu’s confusion. An older woman stepped forward, her sharp gaze making Keigetsu instinctively shrink back.

“Even if you are the Crown Prince’s consort, I have heard you come from lowly origins. For someone of such humble birth to face the princess directly and even speak to her without permission is the height of disrespect!”

Her eyes glared at Keigetsu with pure disdain.

It was Gijouu who retorted.

“Who is truly being disrespectful here, Bihou? Even if you are the chief lady-in-waiting to the princess, you are still only a court attendant. How dare you insult the Crown Prince’s consort so harshly? Show some restraint!”

Both had valid points. Keigetsu had indeed been somewhat impolite, though she hadn’t realized it. On the other hand, Bihou had overstepped her bounds by speaking so harshly.

But neither side was willing to back down. Gijouu wanted to put Bihou in her place, as she had grown too arrogant since becoming the princess’s attendant. Meanwhile, Bihou wanted to make the low-born consort bow her head in shame.

As the maids glared at each other, Keigetsu’s eyes remained fixed on the princess who looked so much like Tsukika.

How could she not be Tsukika?

“Tsukika…”

As she called out once more and took a hesitant step forward, Tsukika turned away.

“Bihou, let’s go back.”

Even the voice that summoned her maid was the same as Tsukika’s. And yet, they claimed she was someone else.

“But, Princess—”

“It’s fine. I don’t want to be here. Let’s go.”

Shaking her head, she walked away quickly. Bihou looked at her in confusion, glancing at Gijouu and the others before following after her.

“Tsukika!”

Keigetsu called out more forcefully.

At that, Tsukika couldn’t bear it any longer and ran. Bihou and the other attendants hesitated in shock but hurried after her.

“Mother is dead, Tsukika!”

Keigetsu’s voice, thick with sorrow, trembled slightly. Her painful cry echoed in the air, striking Tsukika’s ears.

For a moment, her heart pounded loudly.

But she did not stop. She kept running, disappearing into the distance.

“Tsukika… why…?”

A faint whisper escaped Keigetsu’s trembling lips.

Why? She couldn’t understand.

That was Tsukika. The face, the voice—everything was the same. She looked slightly fuller than before, but her height and figure matched perfectly.

And yet, she had ignored Keigetsu. For just a brief moment, she had looked at her with frightened eyes before running away.

“Why…?”

Another sorrowful whisper escaped, and tears began to fall.

As she crouched down, crying, Koji knelt beside her and gently patted her shoulder.

“…Could it be a mistake?”

Gijouu hesitated as she offered Keigetsu a finely embroidered handkerchief. Keigetsu shook her head.

“That was Tsukika. Her face, her voice, her figure—everything was the same. It couldn’t have just been a coincidence.”

“I think so too.”

As Keigetsu wiped her tears in confusion, Koji unexpectedly agreed. She looked up in surprise.

“What do you mean?”

Gijouu frowned suspiciously. Koji nodded.

“It happened about two months ago. My brother and I helped a girl who had collapsed from exhaustion. She said her name was Tsukika and that she was searching for her lost parents.”

That girl looked exactly like the princess they had just encountered.

“She stayed with us for a few days, and when my brother and I went to the constabulary to ask for help in her search, she happened to meet her parents there. She left with them, and that was the last we saw of her.”

He had assumed she had been reunited with a noble family and would run into her again eventually. He hadn’t thought much of it.

“That can’t be.”

Keigetsu shook her head firmly.

“She wasn’t lost. Our mother… passed away ten days ago, but our father is still alive.

He’s still searching for Tsukika.”

They had always lived together. How could Tsukika claim to have been separated from them?

She bit her lip in frustration, her brows furrowed. She still remembered the day Tsukika was born. She had been only three, but she could recall their mother’s large belly and the sound of a strong newborn cry.

Tsukika was undoubtedly their parents’ child—Keigetsu’s little sister. They had never been separated.

“Lady Keigetsu, I know this is a difficult topic, but could you tell us more?”

Gijouu asked politely. Though confused, Keigetsu nodded.

Gijouu smiled in satisfaction and reached out a hand to help Keigetsu stand.

“It’s getting chilly. The flowers will last a few more days. Let’s postpone viewing the irises and return to the palace. I’ll prepare some tea.”

She encouraged Koji and the others to follow, leading them back the way they had come.

As she glanced at Keigetsu’s tear-streaked face, Gijouu felt a surge of excitement.

She had been ordered by Rougyoku to investigate Princess Houbai’s origins. Just as she was about to look into a girl named Tsukika, she had found not one but two people who knew her.

And Keigetsu was from the same region as the princess.

This could be a major discovery.

With that thought, she gently placed a comforting hand on Keigetsu’s shoulder.

Tsukika ran into her room, struggling to contain a scream.

(What do I do?! What do I do?!)

Her lips trembled. Her hands and feet shook.

(The woman my brother chose… was my sister!)

The nightmare she had feared most had suddenly become reality.