A fortune-telling princess Chapter 118

“Did you know about this?”

The thought struck Camilla suddenly, dredging up a memory from before she left for the Gracian Empire.

“This  Ruby ring suits you perfectly, milady. You should take it.”
“Of course, everything suits me.”
“You never know.”
“What now?”
“Perhaps this ring will lead you to a new encounter.”
“What nonsense is that?”

Dormann’s insistence on including the  buby ring among her travel items now felt oddly suspicious.

A new encounter… Was he talking about that man?

“Did you really know all along?”

“As always, I only wish for milady’s happiness.”

…He knew.

“Hah!”

Why hadn’t she considered it sooner? As the one directly managing her soul, Dormann likely knew more about her true lineage than anyone else.

“So, milady,” Dormann began cautiously, “how was the meeting with your—”

“Dormann.”

“Yes?”

“You’ve got five seconds.”

“Excuse me?”

“If you’re still here after five seconds, I’ll let Zeno take over. He’ll beat you until you regret every word you’ve said.”

“Gasp!”

“One… two…”

“If you need anything, just call meeee!”

Dormann bolted out of the room like his life depended on it. Geno, standing nearby, clicked his tongue in disappointment.

Camilla let out a deep sigh. “You could’ve warned me about something this big.”

My brother, my father…

“Wait.”

Something didn’t add up.

“Red eyes… a distinctive trait of the Escra bloodline.”

“…But Ravi doesn’t have red eyes.”

If Duke Escra’s claim about their lineage was true, then what about Ravi? He hadn’t lied—Camilla was certain of that. So where did Ravi fit into all this?

Could Ravi… not be my brother?

The thought sent her mind spiraling.

Bzzz. Bzzz.

The communication orb on her bedside table began buzzing loudly. Camilla stared at it for a moment before connecting the call.

─ “Where have you been?! Do you know how many times I’ve tried to reach you?!”

Ravi.

─ “I swear, you’re impossible! What the hell is going on—”

“Brother.”

─ “…What?”

His tirade cut off abruptly.

─ “Why do you sound like that? Did something happen?”

Camilla didn’t answer. Her silence made his voice grow more concerned.

─ “Camilla. What happened? Tell me!”

“I…”

─ “What?!”

“I just…”

─ “Just what?”

“…suddenly felt like I missed you.”

─ “…”

The communication orb fell silent. She could almost picture Ravi’s stunned face on the other end, as though he were processing something absurd.

─ “Wait there. I’m coming to get you.”

“What?”

─ “Father and our older brother are already preparing to fetch you. Once they deal with the matter at hand, we’re leaving. I’ll come too.”

“Don’t you have work to do?”

─ “Not really.”

Liar. Ravi, the man who constantly complained there weren’t enough hours in the day, claiming to have free time?

Camilla found herself laughing softly.

─ “Why are you laughing? You almost got killed! What’s so funny?!”

“Who knows.”

The warmth welling up from her chest turned into uncontrollable laughter.

─ “Camilla.”

Her laughter faded as a deep, familiar voice resonated from the orb.

“…Father.”

─ “Are you alright?”

Just a few simple words, but they tightened her throat and stung her eyes. She bit her lip to keep the tears at bay.

Why do I keep crying so easily these days?

For some reason, she always seemed to shed tears when talking to her father.

─ “Camilla.”

“I’m fine, Father,” she replied, trying to sound composed.

But Sorpel Duke wasn’t fooled.

─ “We’ll come for you soon.”

“No, really, I’m fine.”

─ “Camilla.”

“I need to finish things here first.”

There was no point in denying it—she needed closure.

─ “Finish what? Do you seriously think business is more important after what happened? Get your priorities straight!”

Ravi’s angry interruption made her sigh.

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay in touch.”

─ “You—!”

“Goodbye.”

─ “Cam—!”

Camilla set the orb down gently and exhaled. She had one more thing to look into before she could move forward.

“Ravi…”

Why didn’t he have red eyes like hers?

The thought weighed heavily on her as she let out another deep sigh.

***

“Hm.”

Early in the morning, luve, the Sorpel family butler, noticed something peculiar as he stepped outside.

A box had been left at the front gate, its placement deliberate and attention-grabbing.

As he approached, a metallic scent hit his nose.

“Blood…”

 Luve’s eyes narrowed as he surveyed the area. The guards who had been on patrol overnight were nowhere to be seen.

Suspicious, he cautiously opened the box.

“…”

Inside was a severed head.

It was Marquis Gaviel’s.

Alongside the head was a note, the handwriting clear and bold.

“He is the mastermind.”

 Luve grimaced. No further explanation was needed.

He closed the box and carried it inside to the Sorpel Duke.

“Marquis Gaviel?”

“It seems he had a lot of grievances against Miss Camilla.”

“Grievances?”

“The magic stone business, for one. Then there’s the scandal with his daughter. He’s lost so much face he can’t even show himself in public anymore.”

“And that’s enough reason to kill someone?”

“Well, Marquis Gaviel wasn’t known for letting things go.”

 Luve’s calm tone belied the weight of his words.

Many who crossed Gaviel had disappeared without a trace. Though evidence was always lacking, everyone knew he was responsible.

“This time, he picked the wrong target.”

Sorpel Duke’s gaze was icy as he stared at the gruesome remains of Gaviel.

“Do you think it was the assassins?”

“Most likely.”

The organization “Kan,” known for its ruthlessness, had been under attack by both the Sorpel family and the imperial family. The decapitated Gaviel seemed like an attempt to appease them.

“They want us to back off.”

“They’d rather sacrifice their client than face us both.”

 Luve nodded, impressed by their pragmatism.

“Well, they’ve lost their credibility. No one will trust them after this.”

Executing their own client? That’s unprecedented.

“Let the imperial family know.”

“Yes, my lord.”

 Luve moved to dispose of the box. What a pitiful end for a once-powerful man, he thought.

****

“Memory loss?”

“Yes.”

“Hah…”

Alton Count’s explanation felt like a scene ripped from a cheap drama.

“Eighteen years ago, Duke Escra was attacked while visiting the Fable Empire.”

It was no secret that the attackers were his own brother’s faction, unhappy with his designation as heir.

“They aimed for his life but left him gravely injured.”

His body wasn’t found for a year, during which time his faction scoured the empire for him in vain. When he finally returned, it was without any memory of what had transpired.