A fortune-telling princess Chapter 166

‘Why has he been acting like that since earlier?’

‘I’m not sure.’

It was the afternoon of the day before yesterday. Duke Escra and Count Alton, who had gone out for a short walk, noticed Duke Sorpel pacing back and forth near the entrance.

And then, a little later.

‘Father.’

‘You’re back now?’

‘Yes, I’m back.’

‘Was everything alright today?’

Only then did they realize why Duke Sorpel had been acting that way. He had been waiting to welcome Camilla as she returned from the academy.

Duke Escra silently watched Duke Sorpel warmly greeting Camilla. He also saw Camilla smiling back at Duke Sorpel.

‘It feels like the chilly breeze is starting to blow now that the sun has set.’

‘You need to take better care of your health during times like this. Don’t eat too many cold things just because it’s hot.’

‘Yes.’

Camilla’s smile, responding to the affectionate nagging, was brighter than ever.

It was the first time he realized she could smile like that. She had always seemed to wear a somewhat dry smile before.

Duke Escra found it hard to look away from the two of them as they chatted warmly.

And the next day, he informed Count Alton that he would be returning home.

‘He must have confirmed it thoroughly.’

That Camilla was no longer an outcast in this household. That she was fully accepted as family.

“Still, you must feel a little sad, right?”

“I told you, there’s nothing to feel sad about.”

“Even if the original purpose wasn’t that, it would’ve been nice to bring her back with us. But now we’re giving up and leaving on our own.”

“Giving up? Who said that?”

“Huh?”

Duke Escra gave Count Alton a strange look, as if he were talking nonsense.

“I’m leaving because work is piling up, but I’ll send someone else.”

“Someone else?”

“They might have already left.”

“What are you talking about?”

Count Alton, filled with curiosity, asked, but Duke Escra seemed uninterested in explaining further and simply continued walking.

“Who is it? Do I know them?”

Count Alton hurriedly followed him, firing off questions, but no answer came from Duke Escra.

* * *

“So, we’ve decided to increase the quantity this time…”

“…”

“Miss Camilla?”

“Huh? Yes?”

“Is something wrong?”

Chris, who had been reading a report, quietly set it down and gave her a puzzled look. She seemed distracted during the meeting, which was unusual for her.

Camilla had arrived at the guild earlier, holding some documents, but her mind had been wandering.

“It’s just…”

Finally, Camilla let out a short sigh.

“Something’s been on my mind.”

“I see.”

“It’s a personal matter. Sorry for being distracted.”

Another sigh escaped her lips.

‘It would’ve been nice to at least see him off properly.’

She was thinking about Duke Escra. She hadn’t been able to see him off properly. She hadn’t expected him to leave so suddenly.

Thinking she should at least see him off, she hurriedly chased after him, but he was nowhere to be found in the Sorpel estate. That really had been their last goodbye.

‘He probably left using magic.’

He must have teleported directly to the international teleportation circle. It was only then that she remembered Count Alton was a high-level mage.

“I’m such a joke.”

“Huh?”

“No, it’s just…”

Even she found herself contradictory. She had always found his constant following annoying and disliked it.

But deep down, had she actually not minded him calling her “daughter” and chasing after her?

‘This probably isn’t the end.’

Still, she hadn’t expected him to leave so abruptly, and it left her feeling empty.

“The guest visiting today is a priest, you said?”

Camilla shook off her thoughts and focused on the task at hand. First, she needed to understand the guest she was meeting today.

“Yes, he’s one of the most likely candidates to become the next High Priest.”

“Why would someone like that want to see me?”

“Some of the orphanages you’ve been sponsoring under the Sorpel name were previously managed by the temple.”

“But it’s under the Sorpel name, right? Shouldn’t he be meeting with my father instead of me?”

“Everyone knows by now that it’s actually you who’s sponsoring them. He wanted to meet you in person.”

“Hmm.”

Given that he was a candidate for High Priest, she decided to meet him. But honestly, she wasn’t thrilled.

Her past experiences with various religious organizations, when she tried to “fix” her ghost-seeing eyes, had left her with a distaste for religious figures. She had been quite disappointed.

‘Religious organizations are just another kind of business.’

They were all about making money off their gods. Nothing more, nothing less.

Of course, not all were like that, but the ones she had encountered were. They claimed that the greatest proof of faith was money.

‘Is the religion here any different?’

*Knock knock.*

“Miss Camilla, the guest has arrived.”

“He’s here.”

After being informed by the staff that the guest had been escorted to the reception room, Camilla headed there with Chris.

*Click.*

As she opened the door and entered, a man stood up with a smile. He appeared to be in his early thirties.

She had expected someone older, given that he was a candidate for High Priest.

‘He’s much younger than I thought.’

To become a High Priest at that age, he must have exceptional divine power.

“May the blessings of Lord Midrad always be with you. I am Daniel, a humble servant of the Lord.”

“Welcome.”

He had a somewhat slender build and a very kind expression. He fit the typical image of a priest.

“I’m Camilla.”

“It’s truly a pleasure to meet you.”

Camilla guided him to his seat. As they sat down, refreshments were quickly laid out on the table.

“Why did you want to meet me?”

Camilla got straight to the point.

It didn’t seem like he had come just to express his gratitude. There must be something else.

“I wanted to meet you.”

“Me?”

“Everyone in our church is very interested in you.”

Priest Daniel’s smile deepened.

“You are blessed by the divine, aren’t you?”

“Ah…”

He was referring to her precognitive abilities.

Come to think of it, she had heard that the temple had been persistently contacting the Sorpel family for a while. They wanted to meet Camilla.

‘They said I might be receiving divine revelations.’

Of course, all those communications had been completely blocked by Duke Sorpel. She had forgotten about it since things had been quiet for a while.

“I really wanted to meet you. I also wanted to express my gratitude, so I came to see you in person. I hope I’m not being too forward.”

“Not at all.”

Camilla smiled brightly. As warmly as she could.

In an empire where imperial authority far outweighed religious authority, it wouldn’t do any good to antagonize the temple or the papacy.

‘The power of public opinion controlled by religious organizations is much stronger than you’d think.’

Once the church labels something as “evil,” things get very troublesome.

For example, take the video printing machine that our guild has recently monopolized. If the temple were to call it a tool of evil that traps souls, what would happen?

Sales would plummet overnight. Worse, we could be dragged before an inquisitor and put on trial.

“There’s a major event coming up at the central temple soon. Are you aware of it?”

“A major event?”

Camilla easily recalled what he was referring to.

“The Festival of Abundance, right?”

“That’s correct.”

It was an event held at the end of summer. It marked the beginning of autumn and was a prayer for a bountiful harvest.

Festivals were held all over the country. It was probably one of the largest festivals in the empire.

The temple was the main organizer of this event. The temple’s primary missionary activity was aiding the poor. Praying for abundance was part of their work.

“We would be honored if you could attend the opening ceremony of the Festival of Abundance.”

“Me?”

Of course, the temple would hold the festival. But she had heard that only those closely connected to the temple were invited to the opening ceremony.

“If someone blessed by the divine attends, everyone will be delighted.”

Goodness, all this talk of divine blessings is making me uncomfortable.

Even if this ability is just about seeing ghosts, can they really call it a blessing? Camilla clicked her tongue inwardly.

“If I have the time.”

“Please do attend. We’ll be eagerly awaiting your presence. And this.”

Priest Daniel took something out from his robe.

“A small token of our gratitude.”

It was a wooden box intricately engraved with the temple’s emblem. Inside was a necklace.

“I’ve never seen a gem like this before.”

“It’s a sacred relic.”

“A sacred relic?”

“It’s a very precious stone imbued with divine power. Just possessing it is said to grant eternal peace.”

“…Eternal peace?”

“Is something wrong?”

“No.”

Camilla, who had unintentionally shown a troubled expression, quickly smiled and shook her head.

After meeting Emperor Fable, the word “eternal” alone made her feel uneasy. It was like a trauma.

“Then we’ll see you at the event.”

Having finished his business, Daniel stood up. He maintained his friendly smile until the end and gave a slight bow before leaving the reception room.

“So that’s the famous sacred relic.”

“You know about it?”

After Priest Daniel left, Chris, who had been quietly standing to the side, immediately showed interest in the necklace on the table.

“It’s been quite popular lately. Is this your first time seeing it?”

“Yes, it just looks like a pretty stone.”

Is this really popular? But if Chris says so, it must be true.

Since the Ghost Guild started dealing in gemstones, he’s been more thorough than anyone in gathering and managing information about popular items on the continent.

“It’s strange.”

Do people really like this kind of thing?

“The shape and craftsmanship aren’t particularly refined.”

It looked no different from a stone you’d find lying on the ground.

“They say just possessing it can prevent illness.”

“What?”

“They say it’s effective against all kinds of diseases.”