A fortune-telling princess Chapter 159

“Amazing”

Even Chris, usually unflappable, couldn’t hide his amazement at the new device.

“How can it produce such lifelike images? No painter on the continent could match this level of realism.”

“Magic is truly incredible,” he said, shaking his head in wonder.

“It’s Ravi who’s incredible,” Camilla corrected with a faint smile.

“I’ll admit it this time—he really is amazing.”

Every time Camilla saw Rio and King playing, she had the same thought: If only I had a smartphone.

Out of curiosity, she had asked Ravi if it was possible to create a camera in this world. After a long deliberation, he had replied that while a camera as she described was impossible, capturing moments through magical means might work.

He had warned her that it would take time to develop something so outside the realm of existing technology.

“But he did it,” she murmured with a grin.

“Our sly fox—uh, my brother—sure has a knack for things.”

“Fox? Did you say fox?”

“Nothing. Forget it.”

The results exceeded her expectations. It didn’t look anything like the cameras she was familiar with, but who cared?

“People will absolutely love this,” Chris said. “When should we start production and sales? Do you have the schematics from Ravi?”

“What?”

“Pardon?”

Camilla and Chris stared at each other, confusion clouding their expressions.

“You weren’t planning to sell it?” Chris asked hesitantly.

…She hadn’t been. Camilla had commissioned the device for personal use—to preserve more adorable moments with King and the kids. Still, after a moment’s thought, she nodded with a slightly awkward smile.

“Right? It’ll sell well, don’t you think?”

“Yes, it’s a revolutionary product.”

“But won’t it be expensive? The magic crystals required aren’t cheap. Even if we lower the price, it’ll still be out of reach for most people.”

“Then it might be best to target nobles.”

“Hmm… What about a service for developing pictures instead?”

“A printing service?”

“Yeah. For people who can’t afford the machine, we could open photo studios instead. Developing pictures isn’t as costly.”

Even common folk would want to preserve memories with their families. Offering an affordable service could make the technology accessible to more people.

“I’ll draft a report immediately.”

“Thanks, Chris.”

****

BAM!

“Excuse me!”

“This is the place that prints pictures from video stones, right?”

The Ghost Commerce Guild had launched a new business, offering to develop pictures from video stones at magic crystal shops across the region.

The novelty of the service thrilled everyone. Nobles clamored to buy the machines outright, but due to their long production time, few were currently available. Instead, many customers opted for in-store photo development.

“Yes, it is,” the shopkeeper replied with his standard welcoming smile.

Two women, Laila and Elisha, entered the shop simultaneously, both holding armfuls of video stones.

“Which moments would you like printed?”

“All of them!!”

Their identical responses caused the shopkeeper to blink in confusion. The two women exchanged a brief, wary glance before turning their attention back to the shopkeeper.

“All of them?”

“Yes, from start to finish!”

“Don’t skip a single frame!”

“A-All right.”

The shopkeeper inserted video stones into two different machines, but his eyes widened as the footage began to play.

“You both recorded the same person,” he remarked.

“What?”

“The same person?”

Laila and Elisha turned to the screens simultaneously, and their eyes widened in unison.

“Camilla?”

“Sister Camilla?”

The video showed none other than Camilla herself.

“…”

“…”

Their gazes clashed, then shifted back to the screens.

“Where did you record this? Oh my, she’s smiling!”

“Wait—is that a bedroom? Did you record her just waking up?”

Laila and Elisha couldn’t tear their eyes away from the footage. After a moment, they looked at each other again, exchanging an indecipherable glance.

Finally, they shouted in unison:

“Print them all! Two copies of each, please!”

****

“Lady Camilla, I had such a wonderful time today.”

“The pleasure was mine. Thank you for inviting me.”

Camilla smiled warmly at the noblewoman she had just visited.

“Let’s meet again soon.”

“Of course, Lady Eunice.”

Lady Eunice was a VIP client of Ghost Commerce. Camilla had personally delivered the custom blue diamond bracelet Eunice had ordered, a rare occurrence since Camilla usually avoided direct interactions. However, Eunice’s extensive social connections made her a valuable ally.

Not to mention, she’s loaded.

Camilla’s smile deepened as she thought about the potential for more VIP points and future business. Eunice had already ordered five of the newly launched cameras.

“Should we return to the manor?”

“No, to the guild.”

“As you wish.”

Seated in her carriage, Camilla massaged her stiff shoulders. Plastering on a business smile all day had been more draining than she’d anticipated.

Leaning back in her seat, she gazed idly out the window—until her eyes suddenly widened.

“Stop the carriage.”

The carriage came to a gentle halt, and Camilla stared out the window, unmoving.

“What is she doing there?”

She spotted someone familiar—Laura, the ghostly daughter of Ansois. The girl was crouched in front of a small, dilapidated house, but she wasn’t alone.

“A dog?”

A dog was eagerly licking Laura’s hand.

Click.

Camilla climbed out of the carriage and approached them. As she neared, Laura noticed her and waved enthusiastically.

[Lady Camilla!]

Camilla quickly scanned the area to ensure no one was watching. Apart from the coachman waiting nearby, the street was empty.

“What’s with the dog?”

[Oh, I just found it here. It used to live in this house. It’s always hanging around.]

Camilla glanced at the house. It had the unmistakable air of abandonment.

[Its name is Nana, apparently,] Laura continued.

“Nana? How do you know? Didn’t you just meet it?”

[I asked the other ghosts in the area.]

“Of course you did.”

[The dog belonged to an elderly woman who lived here alone. But she got sick and moved in with her son.]

“And the dog?”

Laura’s expression turned somber.

[They abandoned it.]

Camilla sighed and looked down at the dog, now wagging its tail enthusiastically. Its body was painfully thin.

Did it starve to death?

Unthinking, Camilla extended her hand. By the time she realized what she was doing, Nana was already licking her fingers, nuzzling her palm as if craving human warmth.

With another sigh, Camilla gently patted Nana’s head.

“I’ll come back.”

[What? Really? But I thought you didn’t like dogs!]

“That’s not a dog. It’s…”

Camilla glanced at Nana again and trailed off. The dog was clearly a full-grown adult, not a puppy.

She left quickly, ignoring Laura’s puzzled expression and Nana’s wagging tail.

****

“What are you making?”

The head chef, Gerard, peered at Camilla curiously. She was slicing the finest quality beef in the manor’s kitchen.

“Dog food.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Dog food.”

“D-Dog food?!”

“Yeah.”

“You’re using that beef—for dog food?”

Camilla glanced at him. “Why not?”

“No reason.”

He stammered, watching her season the beef with salt.

“Are you… seasoning it?”

“It’s fine. It’s already dead.”

Gerard couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry as Camilla packed the cooked meal into a container and left the kitchen.

Returning to the abandoned house, she found Nana waiting exactly where she had left him.

“Eat up,” she said, setting the food down.

With a happy bark, Nana dove into the meal.

‘Should I look into it?’

Camilla considered tracking down the dog’s former owner but dismissed the thought with a shake of her head.

‘What would be the point?’