A fortune-telling princess Chapter 147

“Do you think someone who’s grown up surrounded by those four would ever like a man like Oslyn?”

“Of course, she’d—!”

“Camilla.”

Lady Lindus, who had jumped to her feet to shout, froze in place. Someone was approaching their group.

“There you are.”

It was Petro. And next to him…

“The elders are here.”

“You left your communication orb behind again. How many times do I have to tell you to keep it with you?”

“Did you sleep well?”

Standing beside Petro were none other than Ravi and Ludville. Arsion emerged quietly behind them.

The sight of the four men, each naturally commanding attention even when alone, walking together left everyone speechless.

“D-D-D…”

Lindus stammered incomprehensibly, prompting Camilla to click her tongue.

‘At least you’ve got a shred of self-awareness.’

Faced with the sight of these four, Lindus couldn’t even pretend to justify her earlier “of course.” She had no choice but to slump back into her seat in silence.

****

“This is… ridiculous.”

Camilla shook her head as she surveyed the pile of items filling her room.

A closer look revealed that they were gifts left behind by Ravi and Ludville.

“I brought a few protective tools just in case.”

“Let me know if you need more. I can bring them.”

…Oh, her brothers had no sense of moderation.

“Why do they always treat me like I’m heading into a war zone?”

The room was packed with various tools, from items imbued with offensive magic to all kinds of protective gear.

She was only staying at a friend’s house for a few days—what was all this for?

“Is this because of that incident?”

The attack in the Gracia Empire. It seemed that the memory of that event still lingered, leading them to overcompensate.

“Well… it’ll probably come in handy.”

If someone really was planning to steal the Sword of Guardians, the estate could very well turn into a battlefield.

Knock, knock.

A light knock on the door was followed by it opening slightly.

“May I come in?”

It was Elisha.

“Come in.”

Though given permission, Elisha hesitated at the threshold before finally stepping inside, her movements awkward.

“What are you doing?” she asked tentatively.

“Just relaxing.”

“That…”

That? What that?

Elisha seemed to want to say something but kept hesitating, biting her lip instead. Finally, Camilla broke the silence.

“Do you have something to ask?”

“Well… earlier…”

“Earlier?”

“Why did you help me?”

Elisha’s confusion was clear. Of all people, Camilla was the last person she expected to stand up for her. Camilla was more likely to ignore her than to help.

“I didn’t help you.”

“What?”

“I just played along because they were being so petty. You think I’d actually help you? Someone as tactless as you?”

Why would I?

“Ugh…”

Elisha’s face turned bright red. She glared at Camilla for a moment before standing abruptly.

Just as she thought—she never should’ve come.

“Do you like plays?”

“…Why?”

Elisha froze mid-step, her body reacting to the word “plays” before her mind could.

“You said you went to see one by yourself.”

Camilla recalled being dragged to the theater by Elisha in the past. Back then, she had zero interest in such things and had gone reluctantly. But now, she found the performances of this world surprisingly captivating.

“The Heart of Evil” had been particularly enjoyable.

“Do you remember it?”

“You and I saw that play together three times.”

“That’s right!”

Elisha’s voice rose slightly in excitement.

“But did you really enjoy it?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought you hated plays.”

You dragged me along even though you knew? What a conniving little fox.

“I heard The Heart of Evil is being performed again soon.”

“Should we go see it?”

Wow, she really loved plays.

Even in front of someone she disliked, Elisha couldn’t hide her excitement when discussing theater. It was unexpected.

“I… I’ll think about it.”

Embarrassed by her slip, Elisha’s face turned red again as she hurried toward the door.

“Here, take this.”

Camilla handed her some protective tools Ravi had left behind.

In all her cycles of life, she had never heard of a direct descendant of the ducal family dying, but…

‘You can never be too careful.’

Of everyone here, defenseless Elisha was the one who worried her most.

“What is this for…?”

“They say people who get criticized live long lives. Don’t you want to live long? I talk about you behind your back all the time.”

“You’re so—!”

The door slammed shut behind her, leaving Camilla chuckling to herself. Teasing that girl was oddly satisfying.

“Still… her complexion’s not looking great.”

Was she stressed about her friends?

Elisha looked noticeably thinner than before, and Camilla clicked her tongue in mild disapproval.

****

[You’re still awake?]

“What time is it?”

[It’s past midnight.]

“Already?”

Camilla set down the book she had been reading. The Jabilon estate’s library had turned out to be more interesting than expected.

Maybe it was because Elisha loved plays, but the library had a wealth of play scripts and novels that had been adapted into performances.

“How about some tea?”

Though it was late, Camilla decided to finish her book before bed. Stretching her stiff body, she decided to head to the kitchen for tea.

…Ugh… Ugh…

“What’s that sound?”

Camilla froze mid-step, a faint noise reaching her ears as she made her way to the kitchen.

“Elisha?”

The sound was coming from Elisha’s room.

…Ugh… Ugh…

‘No way…!’

Camilla’s expression hardened. Had an attack already begun? But the rest of the estate was silent. Could it be a thief? An assassin?

Bang!

Without hesitation, she burst into the room. She trusted the protective tools left by Ravi and Ludville to keep her safe.

“El—!”

Her words died in her throat as her face twisted in disbelief at the scene before her.

‘What the hell is that ghost doing?’

It wasn’t an assassin attacking Elisha—it was a ghost.

The pale specter, with wild hair and hollow eyes, straddled Elisha as she slept, its hands wrapped around her neck.

“This is ridiculous!”

Just moments earlier, Elisha had been up late reading.

“The Heart of Evil”—no matter how many times she read it, it never got old. Even after watching it on stage multiple times, it always felt fresh and entertaining.

Sigh… I wish I could act.

Though she’d never admitted it, Elisha dreamed of becoming an actress.

Since childhood, after witnessing a play by chance, she’d been completely captivated. Whenever she could, she’d sneak off to watch performances.

Even just once, she wanted to stand on stage and act. But that dream felt impossibly far away.

“How could someone like me…”

It was just a dream.

“Me? An actress?”

She knew better than anyone what her father’s reaction would be if she ever voiced such thoughts. She’d be lucky not to be disowned.

Petro might support her, but her father? Never.

Sigh.

Elisha sighed again, her only solace the nights she spent practicing lines in front of a mirror.

The more she practiced, the stronger her yearning to act became.

“Maybe I should sleep.”

Weary, Elisha dragged herself to bed, though the thought of sleep filled her with dread.

Recently, her nights had been plagued by nightmares—or so she thought. She could never remember the dreams, only the cold sweat that soaked her bed.

“Maybe my mattress is old.”

Shaking her head, she lay down and closed her eyes.

Within moments, she was fast asleep, her breathing even.

Rattle… Rattle…

An hour later, the drawer of her vanity began to creak open.

A pale, skeletal hand reached out, followed by a ghostly woman with long, disheveled hair.

The ghost crawled toward Elisha’s bed, climbing onto her and wrapping its hands around her throat.

Ugh… Ugh…

Elisha’s face grew pale as her breathing became labored.

[Just a little more…]

The ghost muttered incomprehensibly, its crazed eyes glinting with madness.

Smack!

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

[……!]

The ghost was thrown forward, its head struck by a powerful blow.

“Zeno, hit it again.”

[With pleasure.]

Smack!

[Aaaaah!]

Before the ghost could recover, Zeno landed another strike.

[W-Who are you?]

“Shouldn’t I be asking that? What are you?”

Camilla ignored the ghost and quickly checked on Elisha.

The girl had been briefly paralyzed by the ghost but was now peacefully asleep again, breathing softly.

“Take it outside.”

Leaving the ghost to Zeno, Camilla stepped out of the room. Her gaze lingered on the vanity the ghost had emerged from.

‘That thing’s the problem.’

Why was such an object even in this room?

The icy aura surrounding the vanity was unmistakable—it was the kind of chill unique to haunted items.

Clicking her tongue, Camilla made a mental note to deal with it.