A fortune-telling princess Chapter 27

“Welcome, Count Shailen.”

“Is the Duke inside?”

“Yes, he’s waiting for you.”

The butler, Luv, greeted Count Shailen respectfully at the entrance.

The Shailen family was the oldest and closest vassal of the Sorpel family.

Today, the Count had come to discuss the recent fire at the textile mill. As the one in charge of overseeing the mill, he felt personally responsible for the incident.

His normally composed face was visibly tense. As the person responsible for the factory, he couldn’t excuse what had happened.

Although the damages weren’t extensive, resuming operations would take significant time.

‘Sigh.’

He exhaled softly, following the butler into the mansion.

“Hm?”

Count Shailen stopped abruptly as he spotted someone walking toward him at the end of the hallway leading to the Duke’s office.

“Long time no see, Lady Camilla.”

Camilla greeted him with a serene smile and an elegant nod.

“Yes, it’s been a while, Count Shailen.”

Seeing the stiffness on his face, Camilla let a faint smile linger on her lips.

“You must be here about the mill fire.”

“Yes.”

Hearing the word “fire,” he couldn’t suppress a sigh. Then, looking somewhat surprised, he turned to Camilla.

She knew the factory under his care had been affected? He had assumed she wasn’t interested in family business matters.

“Don’t worry too much.”

Camilla offered him a word of comfort. Drawing on her past experience, she subtly hinted at something to reassure him.

“I overheard that they’re planning to rebuild the mill, doubling its size.”

Count Shailen’s eyes widened in surprise.

Regardless of whether it was true, the suggestion of expanding the mill wasn’t a bad idea. Even if the Duke hadn’t considered it, persuading him to do so might be worth trying.

“Have you heard this saying?”

“This saying?”

“Good fortune often follows misfortune.”

“Good fortune?”

Camilla handed him something she had been holding.

“What’s this?”

“Good fortune.”

Good fortune?

What Camilla handed him was a small gift box.

“May I open it?”

“Of course.”

Perplexed, Count Shailen untied the ribbon and opened the box.

“…….”

Inside the box was a tiny pair of baby shoes.

“How adorable, aren’t they?”

Count Shailen fell silent, staring at Camilla with a conflicted expression.

‘Is she mocking me?’

What other reason could there be for giving him such a gift?

“Keep these safe.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’ll need them soon.”

Camilla’s cryptic words left Count Shailen frowning. She smiled sweetly before leaving without further explanation.

“…….”

For a moment, Count Shailen alternated between looking at the tiny shoes and the retreating figure of Camilla, his expression growing colder.

But a few days later—

“Did you hear?”

“The Countess of Shailen is pregnant!”

“And Camilla was the first to inform them?”

“Apparently, she gave the Count baby shoes out of nowhere, saying they’d need them soon!”

“And they were pink shoes! Does that mean the baby will be a girl?”

“Who knows?”

The Shailen family’s joyous news soon spread, and Camilla’s name was naturally mentioned alongside it.

Count Shailen, overjoyed to learn of his wife’s pregnancy, had immediately sought out Camilla to express his gratitude. His effusive thanks made it seem as though she had personally blessed them with the child.

“Did you hear about Viscount Basel’s new business partner? The moment Camilla saw him, she shook her head. Turns out, after investigating, the man was a con artist!”

“And remember how she told the head maid to hurry home? She got there just in time to see her mother before she passed away!”

“And that fire dream she had? It doesn’t seem like a coincidence, does it?”

“She’s amazing!”

“Our young lady must be receiving divine revelations!”

“Do you think that’s true?”

“She’s better than any fortune-teller in the capital!”

“Do you know how many people are lining up just to catch a glimpse of her these days? Everyone wants her to predict their futures!”

The Sorpel estate buzzed with excitement. Camilla’s recent “miraculous” predictions left everyone in awe.

If it had only happened once, it might have been dismissed as luck. But the consistent accuracy of her predictions was becoming impossible to ignore.

“Camilla.”

“Yes, Father?”

The Duke of Sorpel shared in the amazement but also harbored concerns.

“What’s happening to you?”

While others expressed awe and admiration, the Duke worried about the potential toll her abilities might take on her, both mentally and physically.

“I don’t know myself.”

Camilla shook her head gently.

“Sometimes I dream about things, but other times, just seeing a certain person brings strange visions to mind.”

“Are you in pain?”

“Excuse me?”

“Is your body suffering?”

“No, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“…Alright.”

The Duke nodded slowly, reassured by her radiant smile.

Rumors of Camilla’s abilities had already reached the temple, prompting them to send a request. They wanted to investigate whether her premonitions were connected to divine power.

Naturally, the Duke had immediately and firmly rejected the temple’s approach.

“If you experience anything unusual, you must inform me at once.”

“Of course, Father.”

Camilla smiled softly but then paused, as though she had something more to say.

“By the way….”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been having a recurring dream lately.”

“A recurring dream?”

The Duke’s face grew serious. With everything that had happened, he couldn’t dismiss the significance of her dreams.

“Is it a bad one?”

“No, not at all.”

Camilla set down her teacup, meeting her father’s gaze to reassure him.

“I’ll check it out and let you know.”

“Check it out?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not dangerous, is it?”

“Not at all.”

She didn’t elaborate further, and the Duke refrained from pressing her.

‘Alright, the groundwork is complete.’

It was finally time to retrieve the divine beast’s egg

 

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Chapter. In Search of the Divine Beast’s Egg

“Whew.”
Standing in front of the lake, Camilla exhaled a deep breath again and again.

She had dressed as lightly as possible—simple trousers and a shirt like what she wore during sword training. There was no way she could enter the water in a long, flowing skirt.

“I’m not good at swimming, but…”
She had a fair bit of experience with diving. She’d even been taught by a professional once. After all, underwater filming was common in commercials, movies, and dramas.

‘Of course, back then everything was perfectly safe.’

There were always safety personnel nearby. But now?

Camilla glanced at the two ghosts standing beside her—Hershel and Derin. Far from being concerned about her potentially drowning, they were brimming with excitement. She couldn’t help but sigh.

‘Let’s look on the bright side.’

At least she had guides.
In this vast lake, not having to aimlessly search for the divine beast’s egg was a blessing.

“You’re really sure it’s not far?”
[Yes! Just trust me and follow! It’s not even that deep. You’ll retrieve it in no time!]
Why did Derin’s confidence seem so unreliable today? Still, she had no intention of postponing things now that she was here.

Lately, rumors had been spreading about her having precognitive powers, drawing even more attention her way. It had been difficult enough to sneak here unnoticed.

In any case, since she had decided to go through with it, she planned to finish the task quickly today.

Camilla stretched lightly and double-checked to make sure no one was around.

“Let’s begin.”
[Yes!]
[Be careful.]
Instead of replying, she gave a small nod to Hershel—and in the next instant, Derin dove into the water. As expected from a ghost, there wasn’t even a ripple.

After watching for a moment, Camilla took several deep breaths and then dove in herself.

Splash!

The water was colder than she’d anticipated, making her flinch briefly, but she soon opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.

Derin had swum closer and was now looking at her with concern. Camilla gave him a nod, and he resumed swimming.

She followed slowly behind. Fortunately, Derin was adjusting his pace to match her swimming ability, so keeping up wasn’t too difficult.

‘The water is so clear.’

Her vision extended far into the distance.

[Here it is, my lady!]
Just as her breath was starting to run short, Derin signaled that they had arrived.

[This is the divine beast’s egg!]
‘That thing?’

Camilla looked at the object Derin pointed to and was taken aback. She had expected something egg-shaped—like a chicken egg.

‘Isn’t that just a glass marble?’

A small, glass-like orb the size of a baby’s fist sat on the lake bed.
Its color shifted continuously in the faint light filtering through the water, which was unusual—but still, it didn’t look like any kind of “egg.”

[My lady.]
‘I know.’

Prompted by Derin, Camilla quickly retrieved the object. She was already at her limit for holding her breath and couldn’t stay down much longer.

But then—

Just as she was about to head back up, her eyes widened.
Someone was swimming rapidly toward her, face tense.

‘Donna?’

Camilla was so shocked by the unexpected appearance that she forgot she was underwater and gaped her mouth open.

“…!”
Water rushed in, snapping her back to her senses.
But her disrupted breathing made it hard to hold on any longer.

[My lady!]
Derin’s panicked voice echoed in her ears as Donna sped toward her.

The rest of what happened was a blur.

“…My lady!”
“Ugh…”
“Lady Camilla!”
When she came to, she was outside the lake. Donna was hovering over her, pale as a sheet, calling out to her again and again.

“My lady! Can you hear me?”
“You… cough!”