A fortune-telling princess Chapter 150

At Camilla’s single word, Elisha’s anger vanished in an instant. She beamed, sidled closer, and hooked her arm around Camilla’s. Even Petro, watching his sister, looked amazed by her sudden change in demeanor.

“Unnie, stay here for a long, long time, okay?”

Elisha rested her head against Camilla’s shoulder, her face full of affection. She even nuzzled her cheek against Camilla, smiling sweetly like a kitten seeking attention.

‘This is… a bit much.’

The look in Elisha’s eyes was painfully familiar. Camilla had seen it before in the adoring gazes of her old fans.

‘Maybe I overdid it on stage.’

Perhaps it was the thrill of being back on stage after so long. Camilla had let herself get swept up in the performance, enjoying every moment of her return to acting.

“Unnie, it’s hot, right? Should I fan you?”

Elisha had a folding fan in her hand, ready to serve. Watching her earnest, sparkling eyes, Camilla couldn’t help but laugh.

***

[What are you doing?]

Zeno looked puzzled. For a while now, Camilla had been sneaking around the house, tucking things away in corners.

“What are those?”

“Something Ravi gave me.”

[Protective mana stones? Why are you stashing them everywhere?]

“He said they can resist fire.”

As she explained, Camilla carefully placed items designed to bolster fire resistance in concealed spots throughout the mansion.

[Fire? Why fire all of a sudden?]

“It’s just a precaution.”

Camilla had decided not to warn the others about the impending attack or the theft of the Sword of Guardians. The more she thought about it, the stranger the situation seemed.

‘This is the Jabilon ducal residence, after all.’

Even with Duke Jabilon absent, the mansion’s defenses should have been formidable. How could it have been so easily breached and set ablaze?

‘There’s something off here.’

After pondering it, she arrived at a possibility: an inside traitor. Just as Duke Sorpel had been poisoned by someone close to him, the culprit here could be an insider.

‘This could happen here, too.’

Having reached this conclusion, Camilla couldn’t risk tipping anyone off. If her warning reached the wrong ears, it could make matters worse.

“I’m relying on you, Zeno.”

[What? Out of nowhere?]

“This mansion might be attacked soon.”

[Attacked? Wait—!]

Zeno’s expression darkened as if something had just clicked.

[That thing you said about the Sword of Guardians being stolen—this is related, isn’t it?]

“Yes. I think it’s going to be taken soon.”

“What are you talking about?”

A voice interrupted their conversation.

“Attacked? What do you mean?”

It was Arsion. Ignoring the translucent form of Zeno, he strode toward Camilla.

“Is something going to happen to this house?”

“Well…”

“Answer me properly.”

“Okay!”

Startled by his furrowed brow and sharp tone, Camilla nodded instinctively.

‘Maybe it’s better if he knows.’

She sighed inwardly. Arsion knowing might actually help.

“I’m not sure, but I had a strange dream.”

“A dream?”

“The mansion was engulfed in flames, and the Sword of Guardians was stolen.”

Arsion let out a short sigh.

“You’re here because of that dream?”

Camilla avoided his eyes but nodded. Arsion’s frown deepened.

“That explains it.”

Her behavior had seemed off from the beginning. She wasn’t particularly close to Elisha, yet she’d decided to stay at Jabilon Manor. Now her strange actions made sense.

Arsion grabbed her wrist.

“Where are we going?”

“Pack your things.”

“What?”

“If you knew this would happen, why are you here? Go home now. I’ll handle things here.”

He clearly intended to send her back immediately, gripping her wrist tightly as he began leading her away.

“Wait.”

Camilla stopped him in his tracks.

“I have something to do here.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

He didn’t even know what she was planning, but he insisted on handling it himself. She stared at him in mild disbelief, then smiled faintly.

“Why are you smiling? Go pack.”

“Arsion.”

Her gentle call froze him in place.

Arsion. He hated that name, despised it with every fiber of his being. It was a name given to him by someone he loathed, a name that felt like a shackle he could never escape.

Yet, when Camilla said it, the name felt different—almost comforting. Hearing her say it made him feel inexplicably fulfilled.

“What’s there to worry about? You’re here with me.”

“You…”

“As long as you’re by my side, nothing can happen to me.”

Camilla spoke softly, trying to calm him down. She knew that if she left, she’d only worry more.

When would the attack come? What if the Sword of Guardians was already stolen? These thoughts would haunt her.

‘And Zeno’s no different.’

Knowing about the imminent threat to the Sword of Guardians, Zeno would nag her incessantly to investigate. Staying here was simply more practical.

“You’re really staying?”

“Yes.”

“…”

“I promise I won’t get hurt.”

Her unwavering gaze, filled with conviction, left Arsion no choice. He exhaled heavily.

“How am I supposed to argue with you?”

His hand brushed her face lightly, activating the protective artifacts she wore. The items, gifted by Ravi, emitted a faint glow as Arsion layered additional protective magic over them.

If another mage had seen it, they would have been shocked. Adding magic to pre-enchanted items was no simple task, but Arsion did it effortlessly.

“Just fire resistance?”

He proceeded to enhance all the hidden items Camilla had placed around the mansion.

“That’s the main concern.”

Camilla watched him with a mix of curiosity and admiration.

“You believe me?”

He hadn’t questioned her claim about the attack or the theft of the sword.

“It’s you. Why wouldn’t I?”

His simple response widened her eyes briefly before a smile spread across her lips.

“But why go to such lengths?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why not let it burn a little? It’s not like this family lacks money to rebuild.”

His grumbling made it clear he wasn’t thrilled about protecting Petro’s house.

“What’s going on here?”

Elisha’s voice interrupted them as she rushed over, her eyes narrowing.

“Get away from her, right now!”

…Never mind.

Pushing herself between them, Elisha separated the two, glaring at Arsion.

“I told you to stay away from my unnie, didn’t I? Ugh!”

“You want to get scolded?”

“What’s this? A guest threatening the homeowner? Fine, no food for you ever again!”

“Elisha, enough.”

“Yes, unnie!”

The instant Camilla spoke, Elisha fell silent, retreating to her side.

“Unnie, I brought coffee from your café. Want to drink it together?”

Arsion looked utterly exasperated at the sudden shift in Elisha’s demeanor, while Camilla could only shake her head slightly.

***

[Camilla!]

“Huh?!”

[You need to wake up!]

Late at night, Zeno’s urgent voice jolted Camilla awake. Startled by his uncharacteristic tone, she quickly opened her eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

[There’s suspicious activity.]

“…!”

Camilla wasted no time getting out of bed.

Thud!

As soon as she stepped into the hall, she froze. The floor was slick with a strange liquid.

“Oil?”

[Exactly.]

So there really was a traitor inside. The scattered oil made her frown deepen.

“Did you see them?”

[Over there.]

Carefully avoiding the oil, Camilla moved silently in the direction Zeno indicated. Walking in the dark without making a sound was harder than it looked.

[Look.]

‘There’s more than one.’

Three people were pouring oil: two dressed as servants and one as a maid.

After finishing their task, they gathered briefly to whisper amongst themselves before splitting up again.

The maid ran outside, while the other two lit sparks to ignite the oil.

‘So that’s why it was so easy to breach.’

The ease with which the Jabilon estate had been attacked now made sense—it had been an inside job.

Fwoosh!

As flames began to rise, Camilla stepped out from her hiding spot and moved toward the culprits.

****

“This way! Hurry! There’s a massive fire inside!”

The maid who had run outside was now frantically summoning soldiers and knights, leading them toward the mansion.

‘What’s going on? Is the fire not spreading?’

But as she approached the mansion, her expression turned puzzled. From the outside, there was no sign of flames or smoke.

‘What happened?’

Still, she led the group into the mansion, convinced the fire must be raging inside.