A fortune-telling princess Chapter 134

In response to Dive’s sudden fall, the call was hastily cut off. It seemed like contacting him again later would be necessary.

“You two seem closer than I thought.”

“Who? Arison?”

Jaynor standing nearby, approached with a faint smile.

“We’re friends.”

Friends. That word no longer felt unfamiliar. Referring to Arison with that term felt completely natural now.

Maybe it meant they really had grown that close, just as Jaynor said? There was no denying it. Out of everyone here, the person Camilla spent the most time with was Arison.

“Is that all?”

“All of what?”

“…Never mind. Forget it.”

Camilla tilted her head in puzzlement at his enigmatic smile.

“Anyway, keep your promise.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t lay a hand on anyone connected to you.”

What Jaynor had asked of Camilla was simple: convince Arison to stop his destructive behavior at the Kan branch.

 

‘So, if I grant your request, what will you do for me?’

‘What do you want?’

‘Don’t interfere.’

‘With whom?’

‘With Arison or anyone connected to me from now on.’

‘Is that it?’

‘Yes.’

‘Alright.’

“Are you sure that’s enough?”

Jaynor asked again, double-checking if that was the only condition.

“It’s not really a condition. There’s just one more thing I’d like to ask.”

“What is it?”

“I’ll tell you later. More importantly, how did you know?”

“Know what?”

“That Arison isn’t someone who listens to others.”

And yet you were so sure? That he’d agree to this request?

“I figured he’d listen to you.”

“And why’s that?”

“Do you really not know?”

“Know what?”

Jaynor chuckled softly.

“…You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

“Doing what?”

“You laugh like that because you know it gets on my nerves.”

“…You found it annoying? That’s a bit of a shock, honestly.”

His feigned disappointment was so uncharacteristic it made Camilla laugh lightly.

“Anyway. Can I ask you one more thing?”

“As many as you’d like.”

“That time… when you tried to kill me.”

Camilla recalled the assassins who had attacked her during the festival.

“They only targeted me.”

Of course, attacking the target was standard practice. What puzzled Camilla was that the assassins didn’t use lethal force against the knights or Dorman, who had been protecting her.

Even in the chaos, she had worried about them. She had Arison’s magic item for protection, but the others were defenseless against magic.

“But they didn’t attack anyone else besides me.”

The assassins’ actions seemed strange.

They had fought against the knights, but never aimed for vital points. Their killing intent was solely directed at her.

“Kan only kills the target. They don’t bother with unnecessary bloodshed.”

“Well, what a principled assassin group.”

Principled assassins—it was an odd combination of words.

“Why is the Kan organization based in the Fabler Empire and not in the Gracia Empire?”

After learning that Jaynor controlled Kan, this was what had intrigued her the most. Why abandon his home country?

“My father is sharper than you’d think.”

“The Duke?”

“If we operated in Gracia, he would’ve figured it out in no time.”

“Hm. But isn’t it inconvenient? You have to keep traveling back and forth without access to inter-country magic arrays.”

Jaynor let out a small laugh.

“I appreciate your high opinion of Kan’s integrity.”

“What?”

“The world doesn’t function on legality alone.”

“What does that—wait, don’t tell me…”

“Magic arrays are being used secretly.”

Despite strict governmental regulation, illegal use of magic arrays was apparently a reality.

“Anything else you’re curious about?”

“No.”

“Then, may I ask something?”

“What is it?”

Jaynor’s lips curved into a smooth, ambiguous smile.

“What happens when a former soul manager dies?”

A former soul manager… Dorman?

“Why do you ask?”

“……”

His silence, accompanied by that faint smile, sent an involuntary shiver down Camilla’s spine.

Though he was smiling, his gaze was utterly indifferent.

‘Dorman… Are you about to die?’

 

Chapter : Waiting

“Isn’t that him? The son of the man who was murdered recently.”
“That’s right. I heard he was stabbed to death….”
“How pitiful….”
“Pitiful, yes, but what could he have been up to to get himself killed?”
“Exactly.”
“Still, the boy seems to be doing well in his studies. If he’s attending this academy as a scholarship student, that must mean something. I heard his family situation isn’t good either….”

Gracia Imperial Academy. In the elementary division, where only children under the age of 10 are admitted, there was an annual event held around this time.

It was a day where parents were invited to observe the children’s accomplishments over the semester—essentially, a parent observation class.

Those arriving at the academy’s entrance that day began to whisper when they spotted a certain child. He looked to be about nine years old.

“But that murdered man worked under Ersch Escra., whose crimes were exposed recently, didn’t he?”
“I knew it….”
“It’s clear he was killed while doing something unsavory.”

The murmurs grew louder, and the boy walking alone, Evan, hung his head even lower. Though young, he was not too young to understand their words.

“His dad was a criminal!”
“That’s why he died!”
“My mom told me not to play with him.”

At first, Evan shouted back, “That’s not true! My dad wasn’t like that!” But as time went on, and more people repeated it, he grew increasingly confused.

Was my dad really a bad person?

“Oh my!”
“Look over there!”

Suddenly, people began to buzz with excitement. Everyone heading into the academy turned their gazes in the same direction.

Carriages lined up to enter the academy began to make way, and a single carriage approached leisurely through the cleared path.

“That’s…!”
“It’s Escra!”

The carriage, moving slowly forward, bore the emblem of the Escra family—a luxurious rose crest.

“Why is that carriage here…?”
“I haven’t heard of any children from the Escra family attending this academy.”
“Could it be that the second child is enrolling?”
“But I heard he’s taking private lessons….”

While people murmured in confusion, the carriage soon came to a stop. The door opened, and a person emerged.

“It’s Lord Jaynor!”
“They said he had returned!”

Jaynor’s appearance caused exclamations of awe to erupt from the crowd. Just by standing silently in place, he drew every eye.

But that wasn’t the end. Another person stepped out of the carriage next.

“Th-the Duke of Escra!”

When he descended from the carriage, wearing his usual indifferent expression, the area fell utterly silent. Only the sound of people gulping nervously could be heard.

Everyone stared blankly—at Jaynor’s gentle smile and the Duke’s icy presence.

“That’s the child, isn’t it?”
“Hm.”

Moments later, they spotted a child and began striding toward him.

Evan, like the others, had been staring in a daze, but his eyes widened in shock as the Duke and Jaynor approached him directly.

“Hello, Evan.”

At Jaynor’s greeting, Evan opened and closed his mouth wordlessly. Then, realizing his mistake, he hurriedly bowed his head.

“H-Hello.”

He wasn’t sure who they were, but judging by everyone’s stunned reactions, they must be extremely important people.

Swish!

“…!”

The boy, who had bowed his head, nearly screamed. Suddenly, his field of vision rose.

“You’re even smaller than Dive,” said the Duke of Escra. He had picked Evan up effortlessly.

The Duke clicked his tongue briefly as he held the boy.

“You need to eat more.”

Evan’s mouth hung open in shock. The others were no different.

What on earth is happening right now?

“Evan.”

“Y-Yes!”

The dazed boy quickly responded to Jaynor’s call.

“Starting today, my father and I will be your guardians.”

Evan tilted his head, not understanding, but the reaction around him was explosive.

The Duke of Escra and his heir were becoming this boy’s guardians?!

Everyone gaped, unable to comprehend. What was so special about this child that these two would claim guardianship of him?

“We owe your father a debt.”

The Duke ruffled Evan’s hair lightly.

“Let’s go inside.”

I’m here on behalf of your parents.

With those words, the Duke began walking toward the academy building, still holding Evan.

People could only stare blankly at the surreal scene.

****

“I picked lots of wildflowers! I thought the lady would like them!”

 “…”

 “Didn’t I do well?”

Dorman entered the room, looking like someone a flower would suit perfectly if placed in his hair.

“Dorman.”
“Yes?”
“Do you like wildflowers?”
“Aren’t they pretty? You liked them last time too, didn’t you?”
“I’ll decorate your grave with wildflowers when you die.”
“…What?”

Does he even know? That I nearly died because of him.

‘People who act all carefree and lighthearted on the outside are the scariest ones.’

Even after learning the truth, Jaynor had remained unnervingly calm. He hadn’t even gotten angry at Dorman, the root of all the misfortune.

“There’s no use killing me. I’m not fully human yet.”
“Is that so?”
“Besides, he’s not such a bad guy when you get to know him!”
“I see.”

At least for the moment, it seemed as though he had let it go, but who knew if he had truly given up? Jaynor was impossible to read.

“But the mansion is very quiet today. The Duke and Lord Jaynor are nowhere to be seen.”
“They’re both out.”
“Where?”
“The academy.”
“…What? Why?”
“I asked them to do something for me.”

The ghost who had helped her last time—the one who’d been killed by Ersch and had given her the secret ledger and other information—had a son attending the academy.

[My wife is very ill. I desperately needed money, and Ersch offered to help pay for her treatment if I worked for him. I knew it was wrong, but I turned a blind eye.]