A fortune-telling princess Chapter 149

“Why do I have to carry this thing?”

“Isn’t this the last thing the original lead actress left behind?”

“So what?”

“She’ll probably like it, even in death.”

“What?”

Elisha couldn’t hide her incredulous expression. There, sitting prominently in the front row of the audience section, was none other than the vanity from her room.

“You can think of it as your audience and act for it.”

“Are you—!”

Elisha bit back the “crazy” that nearly slipped out. She couldn’t fathom why Camilla had gone to the trouble of bringing the vanity all the way here.

‘What choice did I have? If you want to bring a tethered ghost, you bring the tether.’

It wasn’t like Camilla enjoyed lugging that heavy thing around.

To bring the ghost, Julia, onto this stage, the vanity had to come along. And dealing with tethered spirits was always a hassle.

[Ah…]

Julia, who had just stepped into the theater, stared at the stage with trembling eyes. She couldn’t tear her gaze away. How long had it been since she’d last seen a stage?

Sigh…

Elisha felt the same way. The stage was already fully set for the play, The Heart of Evil.

Since this theater in the capital was scheduled to perform the play soon, renting the stage for a day had been an easy matter. As always, money made everything possible.

“It’s… really a stage.”

Elisha’s voice quivered. The realization that she was finally standing on a stage she had only ever admired as an audience member made her heart pound wildly.

There might not be an audience, but her nervousness only grew stronger.

“Let’s get ready,” Camilla said casually.

Unlike Elisha, she stood on the stage with an air of effortless confidence. Elisha found herself staring at her in silence.

“Can you really pull this off?”

“Pull what off?”

“Playing all those roles by yourself.”

Camilla had claimed she would take on all the roles aside from the protagonist. It wasn’t just one or two characters—how did she plan to manage that?

‘She seems to know something about acting, but still…’

For the past few days, Camilla had coached Elisha on her performance.

Performing in front of someone was vastly different from practicing alone in front of a mirror, and Elisha had been awkward at first. But she soon lost herself in the performance, pouring her heart into it.

“Here, here, and here. Your delivery is choppy. Stretch your breath out more.”

“Enunciate clearly here. Use your diaphragm.”

“Your breathing’s too fast. Slow it down.”

“Your expressions aren’t bad.”

At first, Elisha had doubted whether Camilla knew what she was talking about. But following her advice made her acting noticeably smoother.

“Do you know how many people have begged me to teach them acting? Be grateful.”

…What nonsense.

Still, Elisha couldn’t deny that Camilla’s guidance had boosted her confidence in her acting.

“Don’t worry about anything else. Just focus on your performance.”

“Got it.”

As Elisha nodded, Camilla cast a final glance at Julia before heading backstage to change costumes.

 

The Heart of Evil 

There once was a woman who spent ten years caring for her bedridden mother.

One day, the mother passed away—strangled to death. The killer was her daughter.

The play begins with her trial.

“I am not guilty.”

“Are you denying that you killed her?”

[No… I killed her. But I only granted her wish.]

“My mother… begged me to end her life.”

*[She pleaded with me to end her suffering.]

Though the lines were the same, Elisha and Julia delivered them in vastly different styles. Their interpretations were distinct, but both had their own unique charm.

‘Impressive.’

Camilla had no doubt about Julia’s abilities—she was a renowned actress, after all. What surprised her was Elisha.

Even during rehearsals, Elisha had shown promise. Despite a few rough edges in her pronunciation and tone, her performance was so natural that it was hard to believe it was her first time on stage.

“Shut up! You’re a murderer—a mother-killer! How could you strangle your own mother?”

But the ones most in awe were Elisha and Julia themselves.

“No, Anna loved her mother dearly. Everyone knows how devoted she was to her care.”

Playing the townspeople called as witnesses, Camilla was mesmerizing.

Each character she portrayed had a distinct tone and expression, flawlessly transitioning between roles without missing a beat.

“I… I killed my mother.”

[But it wasn’t murder.]

Elisha and Julia, inspired by Camilla’s performance, gave their all in their roles.

“Anna Esnia is declared not guilty.”

The play moved swiftly toward its conclusion.

“Mother… Did I kill you truly for your sake?”

[Did these hands strangle you only to end your pain?]

“Was my heart purely good?”

*[Only the gods would know.]

Elisha climbed onto a prepared chair, tying the noose hanging above it around her neck. Julia mirrored her movements, overlapping with Elisha as they both took their final position on stage.

Thud.

The sound of the chair falling was followed by darkness as the stage lights dimmed and the curtain fell.

“Phew.”

As if Camilla’s deep exhale was a signal, the lights came back on.

‘That was exhausting.’

It had been a while since she’d performed on stage properly, and it had taken its toll. Still, despite her tired body, she couldn’t stop smiling.

The satisfaction of completing the play—it was the reason she loved acting.

When Camilla looked up, the first thing she saw was Elisha standing frozen on stage.

Beside her was Julia, wearing a serene smile as she radiated contentment.

[You…]

Julia’s smile deepened as her eyes met Camilla’s.

[You were the most amazing partner of my life.]

With those words, Julia’s form began to fade.

[Thank you.]

Camilla watched silently until Julia disappeared entirely. Then she turned her attention to Elisha, who was staring back at her, her eyes filled with countless emotions.

“I really…”

Had she really just finished her first play?

From her toes, an unfamiliar heat rose through her body. Her heart pounded wildly, her chest tight with indescribable emotion.

It wasn’t the same nervousness she’d felt before stepping on stage. This was something entirely different.

Tap.

“…!”

A hand gently ruffled her hair. It was Camilla.

“You did well.”

For a moment, Elisha’s expression was blank. Then her eyes reddened, and she broke into sobs, tears streaming down her face.

Chapter: Protect the Sword of Guardians

“Camilla, try this!”

“Strawberry cake?”

“I made it myself!”

“You did?”

Elisha had changed.

“I started working on it at dawn. It’s for you, unnie!”

Actually… she’d changed a lot.

Ever since they performed together on stage, Elisha hadn’t left Camilla’s side for a moment. She seemed desperate to show her appreciation, always finding ways to pamper her.

And now, she’d shown up with a cake, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

‘They say people who change overnight are on the brink of death.’

As Camilla imagined an invisible tail wagging behind Elisha, she sighed and picked up a fork. Regardless of how this tasted, she should at least try a bite to acknowledge Elisha’s effort.

Poke!

“Huh?”

Before Camilla could take a bite, someone else had stabbed their fork into the cake.

“It’s bad.”

The person who spoke, his face twisted in distaste after one bite, was none other than Arsion.

“Bad? Why? I followed the recipe exactly, and—!”

Wait, that wasn’t the point right now!

“Why are you eating it? It’s for Camilla-unnie!”

“What, are you discriminating against guests? I’m a guest too.”

“You’re my brother’s guest, not mine!”

Elisha, seething, snatched the fork back from him. The way she gripped it like a weapon suggested she might actually consider using it as one.

Arsion, of course, merely smirked, unfazed by her threats.

“I have a question!”

Elisha raised her fork-wielding hand high, like a student asking to speak.

“What is it?”

“When are you leaving? How long are you planning to stay here?”

Instead of answering, Arsion turned to Camilla.

“Camilla, when are you leaving?”

“Not sure.”

“Not sure.”

Taking her response as his own, Arsion echoed it back to Elisha, whose glare intensified.

“Unnie is staying to spend more time with me! So could you please stop clinging to her?”

…Unnie? Since when did I become your unnie?

Camilla was speechless as she watched Elisha, hands on her hips, practically yelling at Arsion.

“My unnie already has someone she likes! So stop wasting your time and go home!”

Excuse me? That was ages ago!

‘And aren’t you scared of him at all?’

Was she this bold because she trusted Petro to intervene if things got out of hand? Her fearless attitude toward Arsion was baffling.

Camilla glanced back, only to be struck speechless again.

Petro was watching the scene unfold with a fond smile, looking like a proud parent. Far from stepping in to calm things down, he seemed to be cheering Elisha on with his approving gaze.

“I’m not giving you any food from now on!”

Wow. Resorting to food-related threats? How petty.

Of course, Arsion didn’t even acknowledge her. Whether she yelled or not, he continued to treat her like she didn’t exist.

“So, leave our house right now and—!”

“Elisha, enough.”

“Yes, unnie!”

“…….”

…This is going to take some getting used to.