A fortune-telling princess Chapter 111

 

“Are we ever going to make it back to the Fableur Empire?”

The wind howled outside, carrying flurries of biting snow.

Two days had passed since the coronation, but the relentless snowstorm showed no sign of stopping. It was as though they were trapped—completely snowed in.

The coronation had concluded without incident, and it was time to return to the Fableur Empire, but all means of transportation had been blocked. The path to the teleportation circle was utterly impassable. Other delegations from neighboring countries were similarly stranded, pacing in frustration.

“Zeno.”

[Yes?]

“You mentioned that this region wasn’t always this cold, right?”

[That’s correct. It’s documented in the history books. Long ago, this place had four distinct seasons, much like our empire. While winters here were naturally longer due to the terrain, the region was not perpetually frozen like this.]

Staring out at the snowstorm through the window, Camilla recalled a memory from the coronation.

The pale-haired figure standing outside the window, her long white hair fluttering amidst the snow, surrounded by the fretful seasonal spirit kings.

“Spring, summer, autumn…”

Could she be winter? The thought seemed almost obvious—she’d been the one the other seasonal spirits were speaking to.

“Hmm.”

Could this storm be caused by her power? The thought followed naturally.

“Well, I might as well ask.”

“What?”

“I’m going to step out for a bit.”

“Where? In this weather? Are you serious?”

“The greenhouse.”

It’s nearby. How bad could it be in that short distance?

***

It was bad enough to nearly kill her.

Stepping into the greenhouse, Camilla stood frozen for a long moment. Her entire body felt like it had turned to ice. Any farther, and she might have become a frozen statue.

[Oh?]
[It’s her! The one who’s close to the divine beasts!]
[The human with ties to the beasts!]

The three spirit kings recognized her immediately and flew over. But even with their approach, Camilla had to focus every ounce of energy on thawing her frozen body.

Fwoosh!

“……!”

Suddenly, the yellow dragon, the spirit king of spring, pursed its lips and exhaled a warm breath. A wave of heat enveloped her in an instant.

“Oh!”

The biting cold that had seeped into her bones melted away.

“That’s pretty impressive.”

[Of course it is! What do you think a spirit king is?]

“A special type of ghost?”

[G-ghost?!]
[How could you?!]
[We are great spirits! Spirit kings!]

“Well, you’re certainly cuter.”

Camilla said this sincerely. The tiny dragons, no bigger than her hand, looked like toys. Their colorful, shimmering forms made them even more adorable in a group.

[C-cute?!]
[Unbelievable…]
[Calling a spirit king cute!]

Despite their protests, the spirits seemed to appreciate the comment. Their fiery indignation noticeably cooled.

“I’ve got a question.”

She directed her attention to the spirits flitting around her. Camilla wasted no time cutting to the point.

“Is this blizzard caused by a spirit?”

The spirits froze midair. They fidgeted nervously, looking as though a deep secret had just been exposed. After a moment, they let out collective sighs.

[Yes.]
[It’s the power of Aisla.]

“Aisla?”

[The spirit king of winter.]

Just as she suspected.

Chapter: The Winter Spirit King

[You’re really going back there, Mars?!]
“She’s calling for me.”
[That woman abandoned you!]
“She says she needs me.”
[Don’t go!]
“…I’m sorry, Aisla.”
[Mars!]

“So, you’re telling me Aisla lost her mind after Mars died?”

[Lost her mind?!]
[Aisla is merely expressing her anger over the death of someone she loved.]

That sounds like the same thing to me, Camilla thought. The explanation from the seasonal spirit kings boiled down to this:

Mars had been in love with a woman—none other than the empress. Despite being in a relationship with him, she married the emperor.

Even after her marriage, she kept Mars close, using him for her own ends. When she no longer needed him, she killed him.

“Wow…”

Camilla shook her head. Who would’ve thought the hero of their empire was such a fool?

[That’s not true! Mars wouldn’t have died like that!]

Zeno, Mars’ devout fan, clutched his head in anguish, but Camilla ignored him and continued.

“So, now Aisla’s throwing a tantrum because the empress’s descendants inherited the throne?”

A rampage is fine and all, but couldn’t she have waited until after we left?

“When’s it going to stop?”

[We don’t know.]
[She does this every time a new emperor ascends the throne.]
[Aisla is terrifying when she’s angry.]

“Aren’t you all spirit kings? Can’t the three of you stop her?”

[By the time we tried, it was too late. The entire region had already frozen solid.]

[If this garden disappears, we won’t be able to stay here either.] 

[There won’t be another place for the other seasons to touch this land again.]

Apparently, their reduced size was a result of the region being dominated by winter’s energy. Here in the Gracia Empire, their powers were rendered almost completely ineffective.

“That’s great and all, but…” Camilla looked at them, exasperated.

“How am I supposed to get home?”

Would she have to live here forever? In this frozen wasteland?

“I hate the cold!”

***

─ So, you’re stuck?

“Yeah.”

─ When will you be back?

“I don’t know.”

The communication crystal buzzed with a steady stream of tongue clicks. Ravi’s exasperated voice soon followed, full of complaints.

─ See?! I told you not to go! That place is dangerous! Magic teleportation isn’t even allowed between countries!

Strict regulations had banned cross-border magic teleportation long ago due to the devastation caused by wars waged with such methods. Now, teleportation was only permitted within one’s own country.

“People live here too. The weather has to clear up eventually.”

─ What if it doesn’t?!

I try to reassure him, and he panics anyway. If that’s how he’s going to be…

“Brother.”

─ What?

“If I freeze to death here, you can have all my assets.”

─ Don’t even joke about that! You little—! @$%&@#$!!!

My brother sure knows how to curse like a sailor.

“Alright, alright. I’ll get back safely. Don’t worry.”

─ ……

Ravi fell silent for a long moment, then finally sighed.

─ Fine. Just contact me if anything happens.

“Sure. Oh, by the way.”

─ What now?

“I heard you swindled thirty mana stones out of Arsion?”

─ Swindled?! It was fifteen—!

He stopped mid-sentence, then his voice dropped.

─ …How’d you know?

“So it was fifteen, huh?”

─ Did that brat tell you?

“Why would he? I just guessed, dummy!”

Camilla recalled overhearing a strange comment from Ravi during her investigation. It turned out Arsion had been purifying mana stones for the Sephra Duke and receiving payment in kind. But those stones…

“So you’ve been taking them?”

─ It was a fair trade!

“And what kind of trade was that?”

What deal could have possibly led Arsion to hand over mana stones? It had to have something to do with her.

─ …Ask him yourself. I’m hanging up.

Oh, really? Hanging up on me now? Ravi abruptly ended the call, leaving Camilla glaring at the now-dormant crystal. Just wait until I get back.

The blizzard raged louder outside.

Will I even be able to get back?

Her gaze drifted to the window, where the spirit kings were huddled, trembling.

Sigh.

“Just come in.”

At her gesture, the tiny spirits darted into the room.

“You could’ve just entered without asking.”

[What kind of beings do you think we are?!]
[We’re dignified spirits!]
[We don’t barge in uninvited.]

“Uh-huh.”

Camilla’s uninterested response trailed off as her attention shifted to the figure following behind them—a ghost.

The ghost was a woman in her mid-40s, her expression full of unease.

“Who’s that ghost?”

[See? Told you she could see the dead!]
[She was talking to the ghost earlier too!]
[She can see spirits and ghosts? Incredible!]

Enough already. They’re so noisy.

“So, who is she?”

[We need your help.]

Same old routine. Camilla sighed and turned to the spirits again.

[My name is Mariana de Gracia.]

“Gracia? So, you’re from the royal family?”

Camilla’s eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. What Mariana said next left her stunned.

[I was the wife of Emperor Gaible… and the lover of Mars.]

And with that, the star of a messy drama stepped onto the stage.