A fortune-telling princess Chapter 191

How could they all have been so certain?

Camilla couldn’t understand it. Not only had the religion not been wiped out—it had spread so deeply that even the Emperor of the Empire was now one of its members.

And as if that weren’t enough, now even the Empress had lost her soul to them.

‘There must be Eva Church members inside the temple too.’

And not just low-level clergy—people high up in leadership.

Otherwise, there’s no way the Church’s relics could be distributed so freely.

‘No, seriously, how?’

How had no one noticed a religion that was supposedly erased from the world spreading so widely and deeply?

And how was it even possible for a single soul to occupy the throne for that long?

‘Yeah… it doesn’t make any sense.’

Now that she thought about it, wasn’t the Emperor of Fable just… too strange?

Judging by the number of souls he had possessed, she could roughly guess just how long he’d been sitting on the throne.

‘What if…’

A certainty was growing stronger in her mind.

‘What if he’s not just a follower of the Eva Church…’

‘What if he’s the center of it all?’

‘God, I’m losing it.’

That would be the worst case scenario. The head of the Empire being the core of the Eva Church?

‘The Eva Church, seriously…’

Should she be glad she figured it out—or fall into despair?

It didn’t feel real. The Eva Church, the one spoken of only in ancient texts, was now lurking around her in the present?

‘You want me to accept this?’

It was more absurd than hearing that a mass murderer lived next door.

“Camilla? Are you all right?”

As she sat there, dazed and laughing dryly, Petro looked at her with concern. What kind of book had she read to make her react like that?

“Could you bring me a glass of cold water?”

She needed to get her head straight. Her insides felt like they were on fire, and she couldn’t think straight.

“I’ll be right back.”

Without even calling a servant, Petro hurried out of the study himself.

Camilla watched him go, dazed, then turned back to the book. Not that staring at the same words again would change anything.

“Zeno.”

After a long pause, she softly called the spirit standing by her side.

“I think… we were right.”

[Hmmm.]

Zeno, who had followed her into the library, had also skimmed through the contents of the book. His usual laid-back expression was completely gone.

[This might be too much for you to handle alone.]

“I think so too.”

If they really were the Eva Church, this wasn’t something she could just brood over on her own. This was the same Eva Church that had once swallowed the entire Empire whole.

‘I just kept trying to avoid it…’

Even during the Lania incident, and everything else she’d experienced until now—her only thought had always been one thing:

Don’t get too involved. Stay safe. Just protect the people close to me. The rest? Not my problem.

‘But if it’s the Eva Church?’

This wasn’t something she could just close her eyes to and hope it passed. Especially not when they were practically right in front of her face.

She had come to realize—pretending not to see and hiding everything was no longer a viable solution.

“But how?”

[How what?]

“Who would believe me?”

We’re talking about the Emperor of the Empire here.

Who’s going to believe that he’s not even human on the inside, but some ancient soul that should’ve died centuries ago?

She’d be lucky not to be accused of treason and beheaded on the spot.

[You’re the Saintess, aren’t you?]

“I’m not even the real Saintess.”

Sure, the thought had crossed her mind before—pretending to have received divine revelation, like always, to warn people about the false relics and the Emperor possessed by a ghost.

But still…

“What if they find out I’m faking it?”

Again—the problem was the enemy.

Let’s not forget, the person she was trying to accuse was none other than the Emperor of this nation!

“He’ll never admit it.”

This was a being who had lived for centuries as Emperor. A monster. He wasn’t about to confess to anything just because someone said a few words.

Worst case, what if people who hate the Sorpel family or Camilla side with the Emperor and pressure her instead?

What if they bring out the Sword of Judgment that she handed over to the temple and demand she prove she’s the real Saintess?

‘There’s no way I could!’

She had no desire to die. Couldn’t a priest spirit just possess her?

‘How do I know the sword would accept that?’

It’s still deception, isn’t it?

She couldn’t test it in advance, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to risk her life on it.

Was she crazy? She’d sooner drop everything and run.

“Isn’t there some better way?”

A method to naturally reveal the Eva Church’s activities to the world—safely. Ideally something she could hand off to someone else and walk away from.

[Didn’t you say you were investigating the fake relics?]

“I already asked Jayner to look into it, but I haven’t heard anything back.”

If the Imperial Family couldn’t be touched, she thought the temple selling the red relics would be the next best route.

Judging by the fact that the Pope wore a red relic around his neck, he probably wasn’t connected to the Eva Church.

No one would knowingly wear something that would let a soul take over their body.

‘But I can’t exactly go ask him outright.’

He was already prepared to resign from his position because of her. There was no way he’d hand over information so easily.

Still, she was convinced that following the trail of the red soul-stealing relics sold in the temple would eventually lead to the truth.

But that wasn’t easy either. The temple was just as closed off and protective as the Imperial Family, making it difficult to get any intel.

“I thought the Khan group would be able to pull it off…”

Yet there was still no word from Jayner.

‘What is it?’

When she asked if he’d found anything, he’d only smiled slyly and shrugged—suspicious as hell.

“Huh?”

Just then, as she wrestled with her thoughts, something she had previously missed caught her eye.

“Mirror of Truth. It was the only thing that could uncover Eva Church followers hidden among ordinary people.”

“The Mirror of Truth?”

Camilla frowned at the overly theatrical name. But the content inside was no joke.

In fact, it was very enticing.

“It reveals Eva Church members?”

Could it show the soul inside the possessed body? Or maybe the spirit lurking nearby?

‘The name gives it away. That has to be it, right?’

“Is there anything more?”

She frantically flipped through other books. But there was nothing further written about the Mirror of Truth.

Just a few lines stating that Eva followers always avoided it and tried to hide whenever it appeared.

“Oh, come on!”

That was not helpful.

“There should at least be a picture of what it looks like!”

If she had that thing, she could easily prove the Emperor and Empress were already possessed.

But where would she even begin to look? The books gave no clue.

“It’s from way too long ago…”

It had happened centuries ago. Finding someone who knew the truth from then was almost impossible.

‘Not even the ghosts would know…’

Even Zeno and Arena—the ones who had wandered the world the longest—were from after that time.

“Haa…”

The more she learned about her enemy, the more overwhelmed she felt. So this is what they meant by “ignorance is bliss.”

‘I wish I didn’t know. Seriously!’

Letting out a long, silent groan, Camilla dove back into the books in search of new information.

****

“Lord Jayner, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?”

High Priest Daniel looked puzzled at the unexpected appearance of a most unlikely guest. Jayner, who had visited with Camilla once before, had now requested to meet him alone.

‘We’re hardly even acquainted…’

Even on that previous occasion, they hadn’t exchanged more than a few words.

If Jayner had business with the temple, there were plenty of others he could have gone to. So why had he specifically sought him out?

“Thank you for welcoming me despite the sudden visit.”

Jayner spoke with perfect decorum, wearing the kind and virtuous mask that Camilla so often grumbled about with such disdain.

“The pleasure is mine, truly. It’s an honor to have you here.”

Daniel responded in kind, keeping his own doubts behind a warm smile. Despite his inner wariness, his face remained cordial.

“The Divine always welcomes new encounters,” Daniel said reverently.

At those words, Jayner’s smile deepened.

Had Camilla been present, she would’ve likely broken out in hives. She was the only one who truly understood what that particular smile meant.

It was the smile he wore when he wanted to kill someone.

“Do you think the Divine truly welcomes me?”

“Of course. Why would you say such a thing? Is there something troubling you? If you’d like to make a confession, I would be happy to—”

“High Priest… do you believe in the Divine?”

Jayner abruptly cut him off, clicking his tongue in mild annoyance at the overly scripted response.

“I beg your pardon?”

The kindly smile on Daniel’s face faltered for a moment as he sensed that something was off. Asking a high priest if he believed in the Divine?

“That’s just something I’ve been curious about.”

“I would advise against saying things that could be misconstrued.”

Daniel shook his head lightly and continued, his tone now carrying a hint of rebuke—a veiled warning to watch his words.

“There is nothing more difficult or painful than being branded a heretic.”

“Is that so?”

Jayner smiled faintly and pulled something out from his coat, placing it on the table between them.

“Then I suppose there’s no harm if a true heretic is called one, is there?”