A fortune-telling princess Chapter 193

Camilla gave a slight shake of her head and decided to get straight to the point.

“There’s a soul occupying Empress Javiela’s body in the palace.”

“Empress Javiela?”

“I want to know the true name of the one who took over her body.”

Camilla explained the situation she had witnessed in more detail.

This was the reason she had called Havel today. She needed to find out the true name of the soul possessing Empress Javiela, and if anyone could do it, Havel could.

“I’ll look into it and let you know.”

Even if a soul that had been evading the reapers was caught, informing the responsible agent and going through the formal process was quite the hassle, he said.

“As quickly as possible, please.”

Still, since she had provided the exact location of the escaped soul, it should be quicker than usual—but who knew exactly when.

If I know the true name…

Should I shout it out in front of others? Would Empress Javiela rot away and vanish like Lania did?

Or maybe not?

What if not all of them react like that? That would be a problem.

People might accuse her of using some strange trick to kill the Empress!

“Sigh.”

Guess the only real option is the Mirror of Truth.

“By the way…”

Since she had Havel here, Camilla decided to ask about something else that had been weighing on her mind.

As a reaper—and someone who had wandered the world for quite a while—maybe he’d know something.

“Do you know something called the Mirror of Truth?”

Clatter.

“Hm?”

At that moment, the sound of something breaking reached her ears.

“What was that?”

She turned her head to see broken pieces of a cup scattered across the floor. Standing at the center was none other than Dormann.

Jump!

Havel dashed over in an instant and began cleaning up the shards.

Seriously, anything involving Dormann and his reaction time becomes impeccable.

“Sorry about that. Is anyone hurt?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Dormann bowed politely to the customers near the broken cup.

“I’ll bring you some complimentary macarons.”

“Oh my! Thank you.”

Well, look at him. Smiling so brightly no one could even think of getting upset.

And who gave you permission to offer freebies? That’s coming out of your paycheck.

But something’s off.

Dormann wasn’t someone who made clumsy mistakes like this.

Despite his usual clumsy demeanor, his physical reflexes were sharp.

He once caught a falling fork she had dropped without missing a beat.

And when guests visited her home, she’d seen him carry dozens of cups in one go without issue—that was what convinced her to bring him to the café in the first place.

And now he breaks two simple cups?

Just then, her eyes met his.

Oh?

But he immediately looked away, naturally avoiding her gaze.

What’s this?

His expression had looked very strange just now… or was she seeing things?

“You said the Mirror of Truth?”

A moment later, Havel returned to his seat.

“Yeah. Ever heard of it?”

“Never heard of it.”

“Really?”

So much for relying on him. Guess she’d have to ask Dormann directly.

“What even is it? Why are you looking for it?”

“I read about it in a book. The Mirror of Truth is su—”

Clatter.

Jump.

“So the Mirror of Truth is…”

Clatter.

Jump.

“If you break one more dish, you’re not getting any pay this month.”

And Havel, stop jumping up and down.

“Just leave it! Let the one who broke it clean it up.”

Or go ahead and hire yourself as our janitor already…

“I’ll take care of it! Please step back, Dormann-nim!”

Even before she finished speaking, Havel grabbed a broom and bolted over.

Camilla stared at him in disbelief as he looked back at her like he was the one being wronged.

Fine, do whatever you want.

But seriously…

What the hell is up with him?

Camilla narrowed her eyes, watching Dormann closely after his repeated blunders.

***

“Have some tea.”

“Thanks.”

“You worked hard again today.”

“Yup. You worked hard breaking dishes, and I worked hard cleaning them.”

“…Havel cleaned them all.”

“Half pay for you this month.”

“H-Half? That’s harsh…”

Dormann put on a pout, but Camilla stared at him silently. Like that expression was going to change anything.

“You.”

“Yes?”

“You know something about the Mirror of Truth, don’t you?”

“…Me?”

“Don’t even think about playing dumb. Do I look stupid? You were obviously acting weird earlier. You did it on purpose so I’d notice, didn’t you?”

“……”

“What is it? What is it that makes you twitch every time I bring it up?”

From the moment she mentioned the Mirror of Truth, Dormann’s entire demeanor had shifted.

Camilla hadn’t missed it—she’d simply chosen to let it slide because of the setting.

“You do know something, don’t you?”

Faced with her unwavering certainty, Dormann finally let out a long sigh.

“Why are you suddenly looking for that?”

“You know what’s been happening around me lately. I’m pretty sure this is all tied to the Eva Cult.”

“And the Mirror of Truth?”

“I feel like it’s the only way anyone will believe me. According to the book, they used it to find Eva cultists…”

…Wait a second.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

Yes? Yes??

For someone who was once a soul manager, that neutral reaction was way too off.

Like he already knew everything—

“…You knew all along, didn’t you?”

“……”

Don’t you dare look away. Don’t you dare, you little—

“Tell me the truth!”

Dormann let out another long sigh. Then he stared at Camilla in silence.

“What now?”

What was with the mood all of a sudden?

“What else are you hiding from me?”

Why couldn’t he ever just say everything all at once?

Like with her father, or with Jayner—why didn’t he ever tell her things up front?

“Do you enjoy making my life difficult? Is that it?”

If this keeps up, I’ll murder you first before anyone else gets the chance!

You realize Jayner’s gunning for you, right?

“What even is the Mirror of Truth?”

“The Mirror of Truth…”

He started to speak, then clamped his mouth shut again. But Camilla didn’t push him further.

She could tell something was different this time.

Was it just her imagination? His eyes seemed to soften—almost wistful.

“…It’s not actually a mirror.”

“What?”

“People just used it as a metaphor.”

“Then what is it?”

“…It’s a person.”

Camilla’s eyes widened more than ever at the answer that came after a long pause.

The Mirror of Truth… was a person?

“And…”

Just as she opened her mouth to ask another question, a bitter smile spread across Dormann’s lips.

“My younger sibling was the Mirror of Truth.”

***

Under the shade of a tree, Lyla and Elisha looked down at the sleeping Camilla and smiled faintly.

Today was just another peaceful day… if you could call a Camilla fan photo competition peaceful, that is.

“Elisha, are you sure I can speak informally to you?”

“You can, but I’m saying you should. I told you before.”

“But you’re a noble lady…”

“I told you to drop the formalities!”

As Lyla hesitated, Elisha butted in with a huff.

“Oh, come on. You think I had it easy calling her ‘Camilla’?”

That kicked off another one of their usual arguments—this time about who was worse to Camilla in the past.

“You were the one who poured ink into her shoes!”

“Excuse me? You’re the one who put sand in her tea!”

“And you—!”

“And YOU—!”

The two bickered fiercely, their whispers growing sharper, only to stop mid-sentence and glance back at the sleeping Camilla.

…Still asleep. Good.

Confirming that she was indeed napping peacefully, the two quietly returned to their original mission—evaluating the prints.

“Okay, this one’s good.”

“The composition’s weird. Her profile isn’t even centered.”

“Oh please, this one? The lighting is perfect—”

“Lighting doesn’t matter if she looks like she’s mid-sneeze!”

It all stemmed from a certain traumatic event: a while back, Camilla had caught them printing out video stills of her, and absolutely exploded.

“Only print the good ones! What’s this? The angle’s all wrong! And this one—what is this even supposed to be?! Is this me? You think this is me?! You call this proper fan behavior?!”

She had raged not over the fact that they were printing her photos without permission, but over their lack of discernment.

Ever since then, the girls had made a solemn vow: no prints until they improved their skills.

Today’s debate was just part of their continuing mission—to honor Camilla properly. To fangirl correctly.

Their enthusiastic whisper-fight eventually gave way to soft chuckles.

“Still, I think we’re improving.”

“Of course. We’ve gotten a lot better.”

Then they looked down at the peacefully dozing Camilla again.

Her expression was relaxed, her breathing calm.

They gazed at her with the fondness of those who knew how hard she worked and how much she carried on her shoulders—even if Camilla herself never said it.

Somehow, just seeing her resting like this was enough to fill their hearts.

“She really doesn’t know how many people care about her, huh?”

“Yeah.”

As Elisha and Juella exchanged smiles, Lyla quietly joined them.

Their eyes met, and this time, no bickering followed.

Just a quiet moment shared between three people—who, despite their odd beginnings, had come to feel like Camilla’s own little family.