A fortune-telling princess Chapter 122

Instinctively raising her hand high, the ghost exclaimed urgently before letting it fall slowly back to her side.

[I want to eat it, but… I’m already dead.]

Food wasn’t something the dead could indulge in, no matter how much they craved it. Since her passing, she’d never tasted anything.

“Go on, eat it.”

[No, as you can see, I’m dea—oh?!]

Reaching out toward the cookie Camilla offered, she stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening.

The cookie… the cookie was in her hand!

[This can’t be real!]

The cookie Camilla had held blackened and crumbled to dust, yet an identical cookie appeared in the ghost’s hand.

[Unbelievable…]

She stared at the chocolate chip cookie in her trembling grasp, her eyes brimming with disbelief. Slowly, as though afraid it might disappear, she brought it to her lips.

Crunch.

[Ahhh!]

…Was Camilla imagining things? There was no way this woman was the Duke’s wife. Who cries over a single bite of a cookie?

“Would you like another?”

[Yes, please!]

Camilla placed two more cookies in her hands, and the ghost lit up like a child with a treasure trove. Watching her nibble happily, Camilla couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

She rarely initiated conversations with spirits, but something about this one intrigued her. If she really was the Duke’s wife, there were things Camilla wanted to ask.

[I’ve always loved cookies.]

“I can tell.”

[It’s been so long since I’ve had one. I died when I was thirty-one, so…]

“Wait, what?”

Camilla blinked.

“Did you just say thirty-one?”

[Yes.]

This woman looked no older than a high schooler. Thirty-one? Seriously? Even adding a few years wouldn’t make her look a day over twenty.

[I do look a bit young, don’t I?]

“A bit? You look way younger.”

Her laughter rang out, light and melodic. Laughing made her appear even younger.

Crunch.

As she bit into another cookie, her face lit up with pure bliss.

[It’s amazing, though, to be talking with someone alive like this. It’s a first for me.]

Only after devouring all three cookies did she shift her focus to Camilla.

[I’m Sharua. What’s your name?]

“Camilla.”

[Camilla… what a beautiful name.]

Sharua smiled again, her expression warm and genuine.

[You’re his daughter, aren’t you?]

Had she overheard conversations between the Duke and his retainers? It seemed she already knew something about Camilla. However, Camilla gave no response, and Sharua didn’t press for one.

[But… is he okay?]

Sharua’s gaze shifted, and Camilla followed it, clicking her tongue in irritation. Dormann was awkwardly retreating, his steps slow but deliberate, as though trying to flee unnoticed.

“What are you doing?”

“Uh, nothing.”

Camilla shook her head. Why was a former spirit handler scared of ghosts? His claim that spirits and ghosts were different was starting to sound ridiculous.

“Wait.”

She turned as someone approached them slowly.

[Oh!]

Sharua shot to her feet, clearly recognizing the newcomer. Camilla soon identified him as well.

“Dive?”

It was late—far too late for a child to be wandering around alone. Her brows furrowed.

“Why are you dressed like that?”

As Dive drew closer, she noticed his attire: pajamas. No coat. Worse—

“Barefoot?”

Realizing something was wrong, Camilla immediately stood and approached him. What on earth was going on?

[Wait!]

Sharua stopped her abruptly.

[Leave him be.]

“What?”

[That child…] Sharua’s eyes reddened with tears as she gazed at Dive.

[He’s sleeping.]

What?

[He’s not awake. Talking to him won’t do anything.]

Camilla turned back to Dive, scrutinizing him. It didn’t take long to understand. His expression was blank, his gaze unfocused.

‘Sleepwalking?’

Realizing she couldn’t disturb him, Camilla could only watch silently as Dive passed by her, his bare feet making soft sounds on the ground.

[Kyuu…]
“Hm?”
[Kyuu… Kyuu…]
“Hm.”

Duke Sorpel set down the documents he’d been reviewing, unable to focus thanks to the incessant whining of King, his sacred beast. Since Camilla’s departure, King had been noticeably listless, but this morning, his complaining had reached a peak.

“Should I let you hear her voice?”

Thinking of connecting a communication orb for him, the Duke offered the suggestion. But to his surprise, King shook his head vigorously, far from the joyful reaction he had expected.

[Kyuu…]
“You want to see her face?”
[Kyu!]
“But you know that’s not possible, don’t you?”

The Duke tried to console him, reaching out a hand, only for King to bite it in protest.

“…”

Though King hadn’t used his teeth hard enough to cause pain, it was shocking nonetheless. King had never bitten him before.

[Kyuu!]

King stomped on the ground and pretended to jump, his claws scratching at the floor. Suspicious, the Duke narrowed his eyes.

“You want to go to her?”
[Kyu-kyu!]

King nodded fiercely, and the Duke chuckled.

“How will you find her on your own?”

Wooooong!

“…!”

The Duke’s smile vanished as a small magic circle appeared beneath King’s feet.

[Kyuu!]

King lifted a paw, waving as if in farewell. The next moment, he was enveloped in light and disappeared.

“…Huh.”

The Duke stared at the now-empty space where King had been, speechless. He had just witnessed a new ability of his sacred beast.

Could he really have gone to her? Just like that?

“…I envy him.”

The Duke let out a hollow laugh.

Lick.
Huh?
Lick, lick.
“…!”

Camilla’s eyes flew open. After a late night, she had slept in longer than usual, only to be startled awake by the familiar sensation of something licking her face.

“King?”
[Kyu!]
“No way.”

It was King.

Sitting up, Camilla gaped at the little creature before her.

“How are you here? You’re supposed to be back in the empire!”

Woooong. Woo-wooong.

As if on cue, her communication orb began to vibrate incessantly. Grabbing it from her bedside table, she activated it.

─ “Camilla.”
“Father, King is here—!”
─ “I see he arrived safely.”
“You knew?”

Duke Sorpel chuckled softly.

─ “He kept whining about wanting to see you and then suddenly disappeared.”
“Suddenly?”
─ “It seems he’s grown in ways we didn’t realize. He’s using magic freely now.”

“Grown? Him? He’s still tiny!”

Camilla looked at King, who was enthusiastically licking her hand as if to make up for lost time. Despite his small size and fluffy white fur, he carried himself with the confidence of a cub who thought himself a tiger.

─ “Still, it’s reassuring to know he’s with you.”
“…I’ll come back soon, Father.”
─ “Good.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Camilla ended the call.

“You’ve really grown?”

[Kyu-kyu!]

King stretched his tiny limbs dramatically, as if to emphasize his size, drawing a laugh from Camilla.

“Well, it’s nice to see you again.”

When she reached out, King immediately pressed his face into her palm, purring contentedly like a kitten.

“No causing trouble, okay?”
[Kyu!]

***

“Oh my!”
“How adorable!”
“He’s so tiny!”

The moment Camilla entered the dining room with King in her arms, a chorus of admiration erupted. King, as if understanding the compliments, lifted his head proudly, eliciting more squeals from onlookers.

“What’s that little thing?”

The reaction wasn’t universal. The Duke of Escra, who was unusually present in the dining room, scowled as he observed the creature in Camilla’s arms.

“A sacred beast?”

Sensing the unique aura emanating from King, he clicked his tongue.

“Why would a sacred beast appear here?”

 “He came to see me.”

“I thought sacred beasts only followed their masters. And why is it so small?”

“He’s still a baby.”

Offering no further explanation, Camilla sat down. She quickly noticed Dive staring intently at King, his expression curious but wary. Behind the boy, Sharua stood, her gaze as loving and sorrowful as ever.

[Grr…]
“Quiet.”

Camilla gently stroked King’s head, calming his instinctive reaction toward Sharua. Dive flinched, misinterpreting King’s growl as directed at him, and turned away, looking slightly hurt.

Still, the boy couldn’t help but sneak glances at King, though he quickly looked away whenever Camilla caught him.

‘Sleepwalking…’

The previous night’s events replayed in Camilla’s mind. Dive had wandered the garden, aimlessly walking in circles before stopping to gaze blankly at the sky. Eventually, he’d returned to his room without incident.

[It started two years ago. Sometimes, he just roams the garden and returns as if nothing happened.]

‘The weather was freezing until recently—snowing heavily, even.’

[That’s why he often catches colds. Just a little while ago, he was bedridden for a week.]

‘Do others know about this?’

[Sevine does. But Lord Kays has no idea. Sevine made sure no one spoke of it.]

So only a select few were aware of Dive’s condition.

Glancing at the Duke of Escra, Camilla shook her head slightly. Even if she told him, he probably wouldn’t care.