A fortune-telling princess Chapter 156

“Ravi, this is the man who will be your new father starting today.”

“…”

“…”

When his mother first announced she would be marrying this man, Ravi hadn’t felt much of anything. The man hadn’t seemed particularly moved, either.

Becoming a family changed nothing. Neither of them cared to make an effort.

The man never showed warmth to Ravi, and Ravi kept his distance in turn. Neither was the type to take the initiative in relationships.

To Ravi, the man was merely “Mom’s husband,” nothing more, nothing less.

But then, there was a slight shift in how Ravi felt.

“Ravi, isn’t that guy so annoying?”

“Yeah.”

“That smug attitude is the worst.”

Ravi had always been more mature than his peers, and because of it, the local kids didn’t like him. Hate might have been a more accurate word.

He became an outcast, often returning home bruised after being picked on.

But he never told his mother. He kept quiet, claiming he had just fallen.

Then, one day, the bullying stopped. The kids who had tormented him started avoiding him instead, their faces pale with fear.

“Your dad is terrifying.”

“He said he’d make us regret it if we touched you again.”

“The way he said it while smiling… it was even scarier!”

Apparently, the man had warned them. This man, who had only ever glanced at Ravi with indifferent eyes when he came home hurt, had intervened behind the scenes.

That moment marked the beginning of a small change in how Ravi viewed him. Living with this man might not be so bad after all.

Of course, he disappeared less than a year later.

Maybe that was why Ravi despised him even more. He was furious at himself for briefly letting his guard down and opening his heart.

And that anger had often been directed at Camilla. Looking at her had once been enough to ruin his mood.

Thinking back now, he realized how absurd it was.

“Do you have something to say?”

Naturally, Ravi’s tone toward Duke Escra was anything but kind. The man’s title of “Duke” only made him angrier.

So that’s why you left Mom? You thought she was insignificant after regaining your memories? So insignificant you didn’t even want to look for her?

Few people knew that Duke Escra had no recollection of his year spent in the Fabler Empire. Ravi wasn’t among them, so to him, the Duke’s sudden appearance seemed shameless.

“Just curious.”

“About what?”

“About what kind of person made my daughter panic and run like that.”

“Your ‘daughter’! Can you stop calling her that?!”

“If you’d prefer, I can call you my son instead.”

“…What did you just say?”

“I said I’m willing to take you as my son. My daughter doesn’t seem like she can abandon you.”

Ravi stared at him for a moment, then turned and walked away without a word, muttering to himself that the Duke had been more tolerable when he’d lost his memories.

“Oh, he’s got a good temper,” Duke Escra remarked with a chuckle.

“Does he?” Count Alton, standing nearby, raised an eyebrow.

“If it were me, I’d have cursed him out. But he just walked off.”

“I think he just doesn’t find you worth engaging with.”

“Maybe I was nice to him when I lost my memories?”

“…”

“What’s with that look?”

“I’m amazed you can entertain such an absurd thought.”

“What’s so absurd about it?”

“Do you really not know?”

Even without his memories, would someone like Duke Escra ever be kind to a child? This was the man who couldn’t even spare a kind word for his own son, Dive. Did losing his memories make his personality do a complete 180?

“In any case, he might be the key to convincing Lady Camilla to come with us.”

“I think so too.”

Both men watched Ravi’s retreating figure, their eyes gleaming with a shared realization.

***

Click.

“Huh?”

Camilla’s eyes widened slightly as she entered the room. Sitting there was someone she hadn’t thought about in a while.

“You’re here?”

“‘You’re here’? That’s all you have to say?”

The man, Dorman, was trembling with indignation. He still seemed bitter about being left behind.

What a persistent guy.

Camilla sighed. Dorman had always been one to hold grudges.

“You left me there and didn’t contact me even once!”

“We weren’t that close to begin with.”

“That’s too much!”

“Never mind that. You’re here now, so that’s good.”

“…Why?”

Dorman’s eyes darted nervously as if trying to figure out if he’d done something wrong again.

“Can you get in touch with Havel?”

“Havel?”

“Yeah.”

“I can, but…”

“Tell him I need to see him.”

Camilla had questions for Havel, the reaper.

“What’s this about?”

“I saw something strange again.”

The ghosts tied to Emperor Fabler had a few things in common:

First, their appearance. They all shared the distinct golden hair and eyes characteristic of the imperial family.

Second, they bore a striking resemblance to each other. And they were all male.

Lastly, their age. All of them seemed to have been around the same age when their bodies were taken.

What does this mean?

The conclusion seemed inescapable.

Every Emperor of the Fabler Empire has been the same person.

Or rather, the same soul, continuously switching bodies to remain in power.

“That’s horrifying.”

He was using the bodies of his own children to extend his life.

“This is insane.”

The very idea was monstrous. How could anyone use their children as tools for immortality?

Yet nothing else made sense.

In dramas, fathers sometimes told their sons, ‘You are my dream and my future.’

It was meant as encouragement and an expression of love. But if Emperor Fabler said it to Crown Prince Edsen, it would take on a chilling new meaning—because it would be literal.

No doubt he’ll do it again.

The Emperor would likely take the body of Edsen or the Second Prince soon. The ages of the ghosts suggested that the time for another switch was approaching.

“What am I supposed to do with this?”

Who would believe her?

This was the Emperor they were talking about. Accusing him without proof would lead to her immediate execution for treason.

“I need to see Havel.”

If anyone knew the truth, it would be him. Perhaps he could even reveal the Emperor’s true name from the Book of Souls, as he had with Rania.

Meeting Havel might provide the answers she needed about Emperor Fabler’s dark secret.

“Oh, right. Here.”

“What’s this?”

“Dive asked me to give it to you.”

Dorman handed her a letter. Dive must have written it as a casual greeting, knowing Dorman was on his way.

“The party sounded like it was quite the scene.”

As Camilla read the letter, she glanced at Dorman.

“Word’s already out?”

“News about you always spreads quickly, my lady.”

“Sigh…”

Camilla sighed. Of course, it would spread. Duke Escra had dropped a bomb at the party, and now the entire capital likely knew about her biological father.

“Why did he even show up?”

If she’d known he was part of the envoy, she would have mentally prepared herself.

It seemed even Duke Sorpel and the others hadn’t expected him to come.

“Originally, someone else was supposed to lead the envoy, but something came up, so Duke Escra took their place.”

“Something came up?”

Duke Escra wasn’t the type to fill in for anyone.

“What kind of ‘something’?”

“Well…”

Dorman avoided her gaze, his smile turning awkward.

There was already a rumor circulating that the original envoy had fled to the countryside for “rest” after a private meeting with Duke Escra.

“If he wanted to come, he could’ve just said so from the start!”

He probably knew you’d tell him not to come.

Dorman debated whether to explain that Duke Escra’s decision was entirely because of Camilla, but he decided against it.

“Anyway, contact Havel as soon as you can.”

“Understood.”

Dorman nodded and brought her a cup of tea.

“I thought you might need something to settle your nerves.”

“Sigh…”

Camilla sank into her chair, sipping her tea in an attempt to clear her mind.

But the frown soon returned to her face.

I hope I don’t have to deal with him again.

She meant Emperor Fabler. She had barely managed to escape the party after Duke Escra’s unexpected arrival.

“I have many questions about that day. I hope we can discuss it in private soon.”

The Emperor’s words lingered in her mind. Surely, it had just been a polite formality?

“Right…”

The Emperor wasn’t someone who had time to waste. Camilla tried to calm her growing unease and took another sip of tea.

****

“…The Emperor must be quite idle,” Camilla muttered a few days later, staring at the invitation in her hand.

Delivered personally by a royal steward, it contained a simple message: the Emperor wished to have tea with her.

“Why does he want to meet me?!”

He claimed to want details about the day the Guardian Sword awakened. But she hardly remembered it herself—she had been possessed at the time! What could she possibly say?

She couldn’t send Zeno in her place, either.

And it feels… off.

Was the Emperor’s curiosity really the only reason? Why go so far as to send a formal invitation to the palace?

“What’s that?

“Huh?!”

Whoosh.

Before she could react, someone snatched the invitation from her hands.