A fortune-telling princess Chapter 132

‘How could she know?’

This was knowledge only Ersch himself possessed. The one other person aware of it was no longer among the living.

Ersch wanted desperately to silence her, even if it meant tearing her mouth apart. But with countless eyes observing his every move, he couldn’t act.

He watched as her hand reached for another card. The sight sent a chill down his spine, and he barely managed to suppress a scream.

“The location of the secret ledger is…”

“Shut up! Say one more word, and I won’t stand for it!”

Unable to bear it any longer, Ersch bellowed.

“This is slander, Brother! How could I possibly…!”

He desperately appealed to Duke Escra, but the duke’s gaze was as cold as ice.

Unlike the other attendees, who muttered “could it be true?” among themselves, the duke didn’t seem to doubt Camilla’s words in the slightest.

“It’s easy enough to confirm whether it’s slander or not.”

“B-Brother!”

Duke Escra rose from his seat without hesitation, showing no intention of wasting any more time.

“Where is the ledger?”

“Brother! You’re not really going to believe this nonsense, are you?!”

“Yes.”

“…What?”

“If I don’t believe my daughter, whose words should I trust?”

Ersch stammered, trying desperately to come up with an excuse.

“Give it a rest, will you?!”

Camilla interrupted, handing a slip of paper to the duke.

It contained the exact location of the secret ledger.

Duke Escra accepted the note and immediately exited the hall.

“Brother! Please, wait!”

Ersch scrambled after him, his panic clear for all to see. Several others followed, sensing that this was no trivial matter.

If Camilla’s accusations were true, Ersch had embezzled from the family’s coffers—a crime even a direct relative couldn’t be forgiven for.

Those who remained behind in the hall exchanged anxious glances.

The sound of dry swallows echoed throughout the room, each attendee secretly hoping their own sins wouldn’t be exposed next.

“The tea is delightful,” Camilla commented nonchalantly, raising her teacup as though nothing had happened.

“That’s what you get for provoking someone who was minding their own business.”

Her expression as she sipped her tea was one of perfect satisfaction.

“Heh.”

Jaynorr chuckled, clearly amused by the scene.

****

“I didn’t intend for things to escalate like that.”

“Really?”

…Why did he have to ask so bluntly? Now she felt a little guilty.

Jaynorr had followed Camilla back to her quarters, clearly brimming with curiosity.

“I swear, I just wanted to see his face.”

But that man had provoked her first. With his irritating tone and smug attitude, why should she hold back?

“So, it’s truly some kind of foresight ability?”

Jaynorr’s curiosity was obvious. How she had known about Ersch’s affair and embezzlement, secrets even his closest aides didn’t know, left him in awe.

“Something like that.”

Camilla sidestepped the truth, still reluctant to reveal that she could see ghosts.

This time, she had enlisted Zeno’s help. She had asked him to investigate Ersch’s surroundings for any vulnerabilities. A single piece of leverage would suffice.

‘But it turned out to be a jackpot.’

Luck had brought her a ghost who bore a grudge against Ersch.

Zeno had brought the ghost directly to her.

[I helped him embezzle funds for years.]

“And?”

[Then he killed me.]

“Why?”

[Because I knew too much. He was always paranoid and furious whenever I interacted with anyone outside.]

Ersch had dug his own grave.

The ghost had provided Camilla with an abundance of information: the embezzled amount, the location of the secret ledger, and even Ersch’s affair with his trusted subordinate’s wife.

‘That woman’s in trouble too.’

The moment a red-eyed child was born, she wouldn’t be able to claim it was her husband’s.

Earlier, as Ersch had broken into a sweat chasing after the duke, Camilla had noticed the ghost perched on his shoulder, grinning with satisfaction.

Rather than exposing Ersch as a murderer, the ghost seemed far more delighted to watch him utterly ruined.

“What about me?”

Jaynorr’s tone was light, his usual amusement glinting in his eyes.

That look of his—the perpetual amusement—sparked a sudden urge in Camilla.

She wanted to shatter it.

“There is something.”

“Oh?”

Meeting his gaze head-on, she quietly spoke.

“It’s you, isn’t it?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re the one.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The one who sent those assassins after me.”

For the first time, she saw it.

The amusement in Jaynorr’s eyes flickered and shattered.

Chapter: Master of Kan

Ersch was imprisoned in the Escra family’s dungeon that very day. This was because everything Camilla had said turned out to be true.

The Duke of Escra discovered the ledgers hidden in Ersch’s secret vault and immediately ordered his imprisonment. No one objected to his decision. Though Ersch once wielded influence nearly equal to that of the Duke, there was no way the Duke would let him remain unchecked after assuming the title of head of the family.

By now, most of Ersch’s loyal followers had already been eliminated. For a man who had been eking out a living by quietly siphoning funds from the family, this incident severed his last remaining ties. Even his wife, who had been unfaithful, abandoned him, leaving Ersch with no one to turn to.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

After handling everything, the Duke of Escra called Camilla aside.

“That ability of yours…”

His piercing gaze made it clear he would tolerate no lies. Camilla swallowed dryly without realizing it. Had he figured out her lie? Did he suspect she didn’t actually have the power of foresight?

“Does it harm your body?”

But his next words left her momentarily stunned.

“I heard divine powers can strain the body. Is that the case for you as well?”

“…”

Camilla eventually let out a small chuckle. How could they be so alike?

The Duke of Sorpel had once asked her a similar question. When her ability became known, the first thing he’d asked about was her well-being—whether using it affected her health negatively.

“Not at all.”

Only then did the Duke of Escra relax his sharp gaze.

“What will happen to Ersch?” she asked.

“He will pay for his crimes.”

Given the large sum he embezzled, there was no escaping punishment.

“By the way…”

The Duke furrowed his brows repeatedly, trailing off. His hesitation seemed uncharacteristically awkward, as if he was unsure how to phrase his thoughts. Letting out a short sigh, he fixed his gaze on Camilla.

“Don’t pay it any mind.”

“What?”

It was such an abrupt remark. What shouldn’t she pay attention to? Ersch’s fate? She had no particular attachment to him. She had only asked out of curiosity about his punishment.

“Ersch—he’s always been the type to spout nonsense.”

Ersch? Nonsense? What was he talking about?

“Ah!”

Suddenly, Camilla realized what the Duke was referring to.

“Are you really going to acknowledge him as part of the family’s bloodline?!”

“How can you accept him as one of us when we don’t even know what kind of woman his mother was?!”

It seemed the Duke had been bothered by those words. Did he think she had been hurt by them? Perhaps he imagined she had been deeply offended by such remarks.

‘Well, I did get a bit annoyed.’

That’s why she had so thoroughly exposed his secret.

“I have high standards,” the Duke said abruptly.

What was he on about now?

“I don’t give my heart to just anyone.”

“…”

“Even if I’ve lost my memory.”

The way he seemed to be defending her mother made Camilla burst out laughing again. Hearing him insist her mother wasn’t “just anyone” did make her feel a little better—a very small bit.

“I’ll be on my way now.”

“All right.”

Watching his gaze subtly shift away, clearly uncomfortable with this kind of conversation, Camilla smiled softly and left the study.

Click.

“Hmm?”

The moment she stepped out of the study, she found someone waiting for her.

“Got a moment to talk?”

It was Jayner.

* * *

“How long have you known I’m the Master of Kan?”

Their destination was the garden. After ensuring no one else was around, Jayner wasted no time getting to the point.

“From the beginning.”

“From the beginning?”

“Yes.”

How had she known? Should she call it luck?

She recalled the day they first met. In the garden, while she was playing with King, Dive had fallen over. As she helped Dive up, she noticed a presence near him.

‘An assassin.’

More precisely, a ghost who had once been an assassin.

The assassin, who had been caught and interrogated by the Duke of Escra after attempting to kill her, had passed away at that moment.

Appearing before Jayner, the ghost knelt on one knee, bowed his head deeply, and then slowly faded from sight. It seemed that, even in death, his loyalty persisted—his final wish had been to see Jayner one last time.

Of course, that alone wasn’t enough for her to suspect Jayner. There was still the possibility, albeit slim, that Jayner and the deceased assassin had crossed paths elsewhere.

What confirmed her suspicions, however, was something else.

[That guy’s footsteps disappear sometimes.]

It was the ghost, Zeno. He had noticed Jayner unconsciously silencing his steps and erasing his presence. After hearing this, Camilla became certain that Jayner was the leader of the assassins who had once sought her life.