A fortune-telling princess Chapter 136

Cador took a long step forward, lifting his foot without hesitation. And then…

Thud!

“Ugh!”
Ravi, who had been lying on the bed, rolled off and fell to the floor.

“Master!”

“You insolent brat. You knew your master was here, yet you acted like you didn’t.”

There was no way he could have missed Cador’s magical presence entering the space.

“…What brings you here?”

“I heard you’ve been digging into the ground again, so I came to check.”

“……”

“What’s the matter?”

Whoosh!

Cador casually waved his hand, and a chair from nearby flew toward him. Sitting down, he stared at Ravi intently.

“What’s wrong with you this time?”

“It’s nothing.”

Ravi turned his head, avoiding Cador’s gaze.

Smack!

“…Master, are you trying to kill me?”

“At least you still have the presence of mind to defend yourself.”

Ravi had to quickly cast a defensive spell against the ice arrows suddenly hurtling toward him.

“What’s your problem?”

Cador used magic again to bring over another chair, setting Ravi in it. Ravi, seemingly used to his master’s manipulative magic, sat quietly without resistance.

“Are you going to keep silent?”

Cador conjured several more ice arrows and suspended them midair. Seeing them, Ravi let out a long sigh and bowed his head deeply.

“Master.”

“Yes?”

“I…”

“Go on.”

“…I might become an orphan.”

Ravi’s head drooped even further, as if carrying the weight of the world.

“So, the Sorpel family is finally kicking you out?”

Cador’s response was utterly indifferent.

“When are you being expelled?”

“……”

“It seems the procedure is simpler than I thought.”

“…What?”

Surprised by Cador’s unexpected remark, Ravi slightly lifted his head.

“Taking in an adopted son.”

Ravi’s eyes widened slightly.

“If you’re completely cast out, come find me. I can spare a room for you.”

With that, Cador stood and prepared to leave. Ravi, who had been staring blankly after him, eventually allowed a faint smile to form on his lips.

“You’re terrible…”

“You little brat.”

“I have no intention of calling you ‘father.’”

“You ungrateful wretch.”

With a final ice arrow hurled in Ravi’s direction, Cador left the lab.

Ravi chuckled softly to himself, but the laughter faded from his lips as his thoughts turned elsewhere.

“…That man has shown up again.”

Although he was young and their time together had been brief, Ravi still remembered that man’s face vividly—Camilla’s biological father, who had reappeared after 17 years.

“And now…”

Ravi barely restrained a curse. More than anything, he was worried that Camilla was with him now… and that she had not returned.

“Damn it…”

Cursing under his breath, Ravi let out a deep sigh.

Wooooong!

At that moment, he felt a familiar flow of mana again.

“Master?”

The recently departed Cador reappeared.

“Stop sulking and help me with something.”

“What is it?”

“You know the new recruits will be heading to the Tower of Guardians for exploration in a few days, right? Go along and supervise them.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

“…Understood.”

As soon as Ravi responded, Cador vanished as swiftly as he had appeared.

***

Chapter: Returning

“You want to attend the academy?”

“Yes.”

At the breakfast table, Dive suddenly declared his intention to enroll in the Imperial Academy.

The unexpected announcement left everyone surprised. Dive, who had been diligently studying through private lessons, had never shown interest in such a thing before.

“Why the sudden decision?”

“Friends…”

“Friends?”

“I want to make friends.”

This statement was even more shocking. Dive, who had always preferred solitude, now wanted companionship?

“Ah…”

Only Camilla seemed to understand Dive’s sudden change of heart.

Not long ago, during a family meeting, many children around Dive’s age had attended, hoping to gain favor in the eyes of the head of the family.

After exposing Ersh’s embezzlement and leaving the meeting, Camilla had observed the children outside.

They were gathered in groups, chatting or drinking tea together, enjoying their time.

And then, apart from them all, Dive had been sitting alone.

His usual cold demeanor kept others at bay, making him seem like a different person compared to when he was with King or herself.

‘It was like looking at my past self,’ Camilla thought, letting out a heavy sigh.

She had once been the same—resenting people approaching her, fearing rejection and hurt.

Who would like me, when even my parents didn’t?

Closing her heart from the start, she had refused to grow close to others.

‘Honestly, it was more comfortable being alone,’ she recalled.

Why bother making friends? Why deal with the mental exhaustion of complicated relationships?

‘But Dive is different.’

Even as he exuded a cold aura, Dive’s eyes betrayed his desire to connect with others.

Yet, he didn’t know how to interact with peers—he lacked social skills entirely.

That’s when Camilla had made a suggestion. There was a place where Dive could meet many people his age.

“The academy?”
“Aren’t you tired of studying alone at home?”
“But…”
“You might make some friends.”
“…Friends?”

That had been the end of the conversation.

It was Dive’s decision to make, and Camilla hadn’t pushed him further. She didn’t want him to feel pressured.

But now, Dive had expressed his desire to attend the academy.

“I really want to go.”

His voice, firm and resolute, suggested he had thought about this for a long time.

The Duke of Eskra seemed to consider it for a moment, while Jaynor as usual, simply smiled.

[Dive…]

Only Sharua, Dive’s mother, looked at him with tearful pride and affection.

[Thank you.]

Sharua, deeply moved by even Dive’s small changes, expressed her gratitude repeatedly.

[And… I’m sorry.]

“For what?”

Camilla tilted her head, puzzled as Sharua bowed her head apologetically. She understood the gratitude, but what was she apologizing for?

[I knew from the beginning.]

“Knew what?”

Sharua lowered her head further, as though confessing a grave sin.

[That Kays had another woman.]

“…What?”

Camilla blinked, struggling to process the revelation. Another woman? Was Sharua referring to her own mother?

[The moment Kays returned after regaining his memories, I knew. During the year he was gone, there was someone else by his side.]

How?

[He had changed—just a little, but noticeably. And… everything about him bore traces of someone else’s touch.]

“Oh…”

Camilla shuddered at the eerie accuracy of a woman’s intuition.

[But I said nothing.]

Though she knew, she had pretended otherwise.

[Honestly, I was a little upset.]

If she had mentioned it even slightly back then, Kays, being who he was, would not have let it go. He would have sought that woman out no matter what.

[If I had…]

Perhaps Camilla wouldn’t have had to wait so long to meet her father.

[I’m so sorry.]

Sharua bowed deeply again, but Camilla shook her head.

“It’s not your fault,” she said. If anything, she felt she would have acted the same way in Sharua’s position.

After all, it wasn’t Sharua’s fault that Kays had lost his memory and lived with another woman for a year.

[Instead, let me give you a gift!]

“That’s not necessary.”

What kind of gift could it be? Camilla shuddered at the thought of something like the cursed potion from Hersel.

[No, please accept it!]

Despite Camilla’s refusal, Sharua remained firm.