A fortune-telling princess Chapter 120

Chapter : The Duke of Escra

“You’ve arrived, Lord.”

A crowd gathered outside the grand mansion to welcome the Duke of Escra, returning home after a long absence. Among them, a woman in her mid-thirties approached first, greeting him warmly. Her smile radiated kindness.

“You must have had such a hard time wrapping up the coronation ceremony.”

Who is she?

Camilla, stepping out of the carriage, eyed the woman standing beside the Duke of Escra with a curious gaze.

The Duchess was said to have passed away long ago. So who could she be?

“She’s Madam Sevine, the nanny.”

Count Althon, standing nearby, quietly clarified the woman’s identity in a low voice, noticing Camilla’s questioning expression.

“Nanny?”

This woman, so young, couldn’t possibly have been the Duke’s nanny.

“She takes care of the second son, Master Dive.”

Camilla’s eyes turned to Sevine again, this time with a hint of surprise. Since when did a child’s nanny maintain such a casual rapport with the head of the household?

Unlike the other servants, who stiffened nervously at the Duke’s arrival, she seemed entirely at ease.

“She’s known Lord Kays since they were children, and she was like a sister to the late Duchess.”

Upon hearing this, Camilla silently nodded.

That child…

Her gaze shifted to a boy standing a short distance away. The boy, appearing around ten years old, stared fixedly at the Duke of Escra. His pale complexion was striking, and the way he repeatedly opened and closed his mouth suggested he wanted to speak but hesitated.

Red eyes.

Noticing the hue of the boy’s irises, Camilla immediately guessed his identity.

“That is Master Dive, as I mentioned earlier.”

Count Althon, who had been attentively watching Camilla, provided another succinct explanation.

Step.

“Father.”

As the Duke of Escra approached, the boy stiffened slightly but bowed his head respectfully.

“You’ve been well, I assume.”

“Yes.”

The boy answered lightly but quickly averted his gaze when his eyes met the Duke’s. A moment ago, he’d seemed eager to speak with him, but now he couldn’t even hold his gaze.

“Of course, Master Dive has been as diligent as always,” Sevine chimed in, joining the conversation with ease.

“He reads extensively, never misses his lessons, and his tutors are full of praise.”

Placing a gentle hand on Dive’s shoulder, she encouraged him with a small pat. Though he flinched briefly, the boy soon nodded obediently.

“Please, come inside, my Lord. You must be exhausted.”

At her suggestion, the Duke began walking towards the mansion. But then, he stopped and turned to look behind him. For a fleeting moment, his gaze met Camilla’s.

“Rest.”

That single word was all he said before resuming his steps.

What the…?

Camilla blinked. Was that all he had to say to his daughter on her first visit? The greeting was cold enough to send chills, but she decided not to dwell on it. She hadn’t expected much anyway.

Yet, the reactions of those around her were unusual. Everyone lined up in front of the mansion was staring at her with a mix of surprise and disbelief.

“The Duke isn’t one to say much, especially in greetings,” Count Althon offered, sensing her confusion.

Famous for his foul temper, huh? And this was apparently enough to astonish them?

Camilla shook her head slightly, recalling the Duke’s curt words to his son earlier.

“You’ve been well” would have sufficed, but instead, he said, “You’ve been well, I assume.”

Was he trying to start a conversation or shut it down?

As she clicked her tongue in annoyance, her gaze fell back on the boy. He, too, seemed startled, likely because his father had paid even a sliver of attention to someone.

Now that I look closely… He’s actually kind of cute…

Whip!

Huh?

The boy quickly turned his head, avoiding her gaze. Like father, like son—he had quite the attitude.

Alright! Fine!

Camilla smirked. I don’t like kids anyway. It’s not like I care. Rio is way cuter than him!

Resolving not to waste another thought on the boy, Camilla followed Count Althon, who led her inside.

***

[Are you okay?]

The voice of Zeno, who had been silently observing everything, echoed in her mind.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

[Well, you know, finding out your father didn’t even remember he had a daughter. No big deal.]

“…Could you just shut up?”

With Dormann recently tiptoeing around her, Zeno had taken it upon himself to rile her up instead.

[Did you see that earlier] he continued.

“See what?”

[“The woman ghost. She seemed so sorrowful.]

Ah, her. She did look sorrowful.

“Maybe she’s Master Dive’s mother or something.”

[His mother? She looked awfully young.]

“Then maybe the Duke has no morals.”

[Hey, he’s still your father.]

Among those who had come to greet them, there had been a ghost—a woman in her early twenties, unable to take her eyes off Dive.

What’s her story?

[Want me to go ask her?] Zeno offered.

“Zeno.”

[Yes?]

“Are you bored?”

[…A little.]

“Then go check out the training grounds or something.”

Why waste energy offering free ghostly services? With a dismissive wave, Camilla looked out the window.

The weather was clear again, but the garden was bleak, its scraggly, hardy plants giving it a desolate appearance.

It wasn’t surprising—until recently, the weather had been a mess. Other noble households probably looked the same. Even though the weather was better now, would they bother beautifying their gardens?

 

“Hooh.”
Perhaps the gardening business might actually be quite profitable…
“…What am I even thinking right now?”
In this situation, how could I be thinking about making money? Ravi once teased me for being money-obsessed, and now I really don’t have a retort.

“Miss.”
After a while, Dormin, who had been stealing glances at her, cautiously approached.

“It’s six o’clock. They said the meal would be ready then, so you can head down to the dining room.”

It seemed he had gathered information about the daily schedule here after chatting with the other staff earlier.

Though he could be infuriating at times with his sneakiness, it was somewhat endearing how diligently he took care of servant duties for her sake.

Camilla stood up without a word.

“Are you still mad?”

Dorman asked carefully, trailing after her like a puppy.

“I’m not mad at you.”

“How could you say that? You’ve been snappy with me this whole time.”

“I’m always snappy with you.”

“…”

“It’s just venting.”

“Venting?”

“Yeah. You’re the easiest target.”

“Wow…”

What? You should’ve treated me better in the first place. Think about all the stuff you’ve done to me before!

Leaving behind Dorman, who was practically pleading his case with his eyes, Camilla briskly entered the dining room.

“Welcome.”
Several maids stepped forward and greeted her politely.

“You’re here?”
Soon, Camilla spotted Nanny Sevine.

She also noticed a child sitting at the table. Dive glanced at her but quickly turned his head away when their eyes met.

“This way, please.”
Following a maid’s guidance, Camilla sat across from the child. Food was promptly served.

“What about Father?”
Dive asked urgently when the food was brought out despite the absence of the Duke of Escra.

“The master is busy with work and said he’d eat simply in his office,” the maid replied.

Disappointment flashed across Dive’s face, though he quickly masked it when their eyes met again.

‘For such a little kid…’
Would he get scolded for showing emotion? Watching the child struggle to hide his expressions, Camilla shook her head lightly. So the family is strict about raising their children?

“Enjoy your meal, then.”

The food wasn’t bad. Camilla found it impressive how she could still eat well under these circumstances.

Right, skipping meals wouldn’t make her feel any better anyway.

As she tore a piece of bread along its grain and brought it to her mouth, her gaze casually drifted back to the child.

Dive, seated properly, was intently focused on eating and didn’t even notice her attention.

But something about his face seemed odd. It was a minute reaction, but Camilla, who was particularly good at reading expressions, caught it clearly. After watching him for a little longer, she figured it out.

‘He doesn’t like carrots.’

Every time Dive ate a piece of carrot, his brows furrowed slightly.

‘I hated carrots so much when I was a kid too.’

Even as an adult, she didn’t particularly enjoy them. In an age like hers, who forced themselves to eat what they disliked just to get nutrients when there were so many alternatives?

Of course, in this era, eating whatever was available was probably the wisest thing to do…

‘But isn’t that too much?’