A fortune-telling princess Chapter 158

“Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Despite her true feelings, Camilla sat down with a radiant smile in the chair the Emperor gestured toward. On the table before her, refreshments had already been prepared.

“They don’t know his name, right?”

Her gaze flicked briefly to the line of ghosts standing silently behind the Emperor.

A few days ago, she had attempted to calculate their numbers and trace the imperial family’s lineage to uncover the identity of the first mad Emperor who had stolen a child’s body.

“Alberto de Fabler. Is that it?”

“No.”

“No? But based on the number of deaths, it has to be him.”

“Someone called him by that name, so I tested it myself. He didn’t react at all.”

“Then who is it? Who’s inside that body?”

“It might not even be someone from the imperial family.”

Even after presenting several additional names, Havel had dismissed them all.

“So it’s not even someone from the royal bloodline, and yet they’ve been playing Emperor all this time?”

That made it even worse—an outsider borrowing bodies to maintain the imperial throne.

“I hope the tea suits your taste.”

“The aroma is delightful. Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Though her mind reeled in horror, Camilla maintained her bright smile. As the tension mounted, so did her acting skills. Good job, me!

“I hear there’s been quite a stir around you lately.”

The Emperor began conversationally, his benevolent smile unwavering.

“That Rania woman, I believe? I heard she died under very unusual circumstances.”

Unusual, indeed. Her body had decayed in an instant and crumbled to dust. Surely, the Emperor knew more about that phenomenon—it was his doing, wasn’t it? That woman had been working with him.

“They say it happened right after she spoke with you.”

Camilla resisted the urge to gulp. The sharpness in his eyes made her heart race.

So that’s why he called me here.

He was fishing for information. Did he suspect something?

From the hunting ground incident to the awakening of the Guardian Sword—she had ruined quite a few of his plans. To him, she must be a thorn in his side. But surely he wasn’t planning to eliminate her here and now?

“She saw the divine beast and then suddenly collapsed. Her body began to decay rapidly.”

“The divine beast?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Our family’s divine beast let out a mighty roar, and Rania just fell to the ground. Then, her body started to decay.”

Camilla stuck to the story she had crafted with Havel, leaving out the part where she had used Rania’s true name to destroy her.

“Haha, a divine beast…”

The Emperor’s smile didn’t waver, but his eyes glinted as if calculating whether such a feat was within a divine beast’s capabilities.

Camilla returned his gaze with her usual innocent smile, projecting an air of complete ignorance.

“And the Guardian Sword…”

“That’s been giving me such a headache lately.”

She quickly interrupted, shaking her head as if exasperated.

“When I saw a maid from the Jabilon family trying to steal it, I grabbed the sword to stop her. Suddenly, it started glowing.”

Not a lie.

“After that, I don’t remember much. They say I defeated the enemies, but honestly, it felt more like the sword was controlling me.”

This, too, was true—though she omitted Zeno’s involvement. Her hazy recollection of that night wasn’t fabricated.

“So, I don’t really have much to tell you about that day.”

She beamed.

“…”

The Emperor’s piercing stare lingered on her, but she maintained her innocent smile.

Gradually, his expression shifted, his benevolence fading.

“Oh, no.”

His face grew cold. The warmth and kindness he had displayed earlier vanished entirely.

“What do you know about me?”

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing specific?”

She knew too much. Camilla’s heart pounded at his blunt question, but she kept her expression neutral.

So, this meeting really is to probe me.

She hadn’t expected him to be so direct.

“Your Majesty’s achievements are well-known throughout the Empire. I am, of course, one of your admirers. How could I not know of them?”

Her voice was soft, her gaze sparkling with apparent admiration. She practically radiated sincerity.

The Emperor said nothing, but his sharp gaze bore into her. Camilla continued to feign cluelessness, smiling brightly.

‘I should have brought Zeno.’

Though everyone knew she would be visiting the palace, she had assumed nothing could happen within its walls. But now, she wasn’t so sure.

‘His aura feels off.’

The absence of anyone else in the room, combined with the Emperor’s intense demeanor, made her wonder if she might not leave the palace alive. If the Emperor decided to dispose of her, hiding her body would be trivial.

‘I can’t breathe.’

Camilla resisted the urge to flee, forcing herself to remain seated.

Clatter.

“Apologies for the intrusion.”

Suddenly, someone pulled out a chair and sat down without waiting for the Emperor’s permission.

“May I have a cup of tea as well?”

It was Duke Escra.

The Emperor’s eyes widened slightly in surprise before his brows furrowed in irritation.

Duke Escra met his gaze with a calm, almost bored expression.

“Or has the tea party already ended? In that case…”

The Duke stood up abruptly, as if the thought of drinking tea had never truly interested him.

“I’ll just take my daughter and leave.”

Once again, he didn’t bother waiting for the Emperor’s response. Taking Camilla by the hand, he pulled her to her feet.

‘This is insane.’

Camilla stared at him, incredulous. Was he really acting this way in front of the Emperor? Did he have no sense of self-preservation?

“Lord Escra.”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

The Emperor finally spoke, his voice low and measured.

“I don’t recall inviting you today.”

“Good to see your memory is intact.”

Camilla’s jaw dropped as she looked at Duke Escra in disbelief.

“I was worried you’d lost your mind, what with the hostility you’ve been directing at my daughter.”

‘Did he just call the Emperor senile?’

“And you seem unwell yourself. Perhaps you’re losing your senses.”

‘Did the Emperor just imply Duke Escra is crazy?’

“That’s a comment I hear often.”

Unfazed, Duke Escra shrugged and continued leading Camilla away, leaving the Emperor speechless.

‘This can’t be happening.’

Camilla didn’t dare look back as they exited the greenhouse. She could feel the Emperor’s fiery gaze burning into her back.

“You should have let me cause a scene from the start.”

“What were you thinking?”

“What do you mean?”

Once they were a safe distance from the greenhouse, they stopped walking.

“Do you not know who that man is?”

“Of course. He’s the one you didn’t want to meet.”

“Did he just call the Emperor ‘that guy’?”

Camilla glanced around nervously, hoping no one had overheard.

“What if they throw you in prison for this?”

“Me? In prison?”

Duke Escra chuckled as if the idea were absurd.

“Who would dare?”

‘Who would dare’? Is there anyone else who could say that so confidently?’

For a moment, Camilla could only gape at him, stunned by his arrogance.

“Were you worried about me just now?”

His smirk widened.

“No! I was worried about war breaking out! War!”

“That’s fine.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve been meaning to deal with some pests around here anyway. A war would give me an excuse.”

“I hope we’re not the pests he’s talking about.”

“Now that we’re done, shall we have some tea together?”

“I’m busy.”

“So am I. But I was willing to make time for you…”

“Don’t bother. Let’s just go our separate ways.”

“How heartless.”

Ignoring his grumbling, Camilla quickened her pace and left the palace grounds.

“I never want to come here again.”

***

 

“Is it ready at last?”

“Yes, someone from the Magic Tower just delivered it.”

“Wow.”

Camilla admired the small device on the counter at Ghost Commerce.

“If I insert the recording stone here?”

“You’ll see an image,” Chris explained.

Camilla pulled a recording stone from her drawer. It contained footage of King and young Leo playing in the garden, sharing fruit.

“Here, this is the one.”

The image showed Rio biting into the last piece of an apple, only for King to jump up and try to snatch it away.

She pressed the stop button at just the right moment, capturing their adorable tussle.

Whirr—

As the video paused, light emanated from the device, and a photograph began to print.

The image of the two fighting over the apple was perfectly preserved on the paper.

“It works!”

Camilla’s smile widened as she admired the printed photo. It was the first-ever photograph in this world.