A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 102

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“Big sister, here you go!”
Camilla gazed at the child’s beaming face for a moment before accepting the bracelet and fastening it around her wrist.
“How does it look?”
“Beautiful!”
“Of course. Your big sister looks beautiful in anything.”
She gently stroked the child’s head, and in that moment, a soft chuckle echoed behind her.
Turning around, she found Arsian and Petro standing there.
“Aren’t you embarrassed saying things like that about yourself?”
“It’s the truth, so why would I be embarrassed?”
Ignoring Petro’s renewed laughter and Arsian’s exasperation, she continued to stroke the child’s head.
“Hehe.”
“….”
Poke.
Huh?
Camilla’s eyes widened slightly as she absentmindedly poked the child’s cheek with her finger, and the child responded with an even brighter smile.
She poked again, gently, and even pulled at the soft cheek a little.
So squishy.
“What are you doing?”
“Finding peace of mind.”
“What?”
“Now I understand why children carry around soft toys.”
“What are you talking about?”
Why were these cheeks so impossibly soft? Like touching a giant marshmallow.
The child giggled brightly at her touch.
‘I really don’t like children.’
I hate their crying, their whining annoys me, and when they throw tantrums, I want to give them a good smack.
“Hehe.”
But this little one was oddly adorable.
Poke, poke. So squishy.
“Ah… ah?”
My little squishy!
Suddenly, the child was lifted into the air.
“What are you doing?”
It was Arsian. He grabbed the child by the scruff of the neck and held them as far away from Camilla as possible.
“Why are you pestering the child like that?”
“Pestering? Me? Are you sure you understand what that word means?”
When did I ever pester the child! I was just touching their cheek a little… no, quite a bit!
“….”
…I suppose I was pestering them.
“I like it when big sister pets me.”
As Rio struggled to reach Camilla, Arsian lifted the child once more and pulled him away from her.
Petro burst into laughter at the sight of Arsian glaring at the boy.
Naturally, Arsian’s sharp gaze turned toward him.
“Now I’ve seen everything—someone jealous of a child. That’s hilarious.”
“Shut it.”
“Would you like one too, sir?”
“What?”
“Here you go!”
The child beamed with pride as he handed Arsian a bracelet identical to the one he’d given Camilla.
“….”
As the boy pressed the bracelet firmly into Arsian’s palm with his small hand and broke into a radiant smile, Arsian found himself speechless for a long moment. His expression betrayed an uncharacteristic bewilderment.
Watching him, both Camilla and Petro curved their lips into faint smiles.
* * *
“Huh? Isn’t that Camilla?”
“I think it is?”
Several male students who spotted Camilla sitting beneath the shade of a tree in the Garden couldn’t help but stop in their tracks.
“Is she sleeping?”
“Seems like it.”
Their eyes gleamed as they watched her leaning against the tree with her eyes closed.
“Should we go closer and try talking to her?”
“Why not?”
After all, Camilla was someone who rarely allowed anyone to have a proper conversation with her these days.
It wasn’t often that they’d encounter her in such a quiet place, away from the crowds that usually surrounded her.
“But is it okay to wake her?”
“What’s the harm? My father keeps pestering me to build a better relationship with her anyway.”
“Mine too.”
After a moment’s hesitation, they began walking toward her.
But in that instant, an oppressive chill washed over them, and they froze mid-step.
“Gasp!”
They turned their heads in confusion and quickly held their breath.
Someone was staring directly at them—with an utterly indifferent gaze.
Yet none of them possessed the composure to meet that stare. Their observer was Arsian, after all.
Without hesitation, they hastily retreated, practically fleeing the scene.
Only after all the male students had vanished did Arsian approach the spot where Camilla slept.
“Tsk.”
Arsian clicked his tongue softly at the sight of her, undisturbed despite his proximity.
What could she possibly be trusting to sleep so carelessly in such a place?
He exhaled a quiet sigh and settled beside her, keeping watch to ensure no other pests would approach.
“…Huh?”
After some time had passed, Camilla finally opened her eyes.
“Arsian?”
Camilla’s eyes widened upon discovering him seated beside her. There had been no one here before she fell asleep—when had he arrived?
“You sleep so soundly in a place like this.”
“I’ve always been able to sleep anywhere.”
You try living as a busy entertainer for years. If there’s a place to rest your head, that becomes your bed, and any spot with a warm blanket becomes your sanctuary.
Camilla shifted her body this way and that, shaking off the last remnants of sleep.
‘My body feels stiff—it seems I slept quite deeply. How long was I out?’
I had only meant to rest briefly in the cool shade of the trees, but I must have fallen into a deeper slumber than intended.
“I’m thirsty.”
Had I perspired while sleeping? My throat felt slightly parched.
“…? Where are you going?”
Camilla quickly grabbed Arsian as he began to rise from his seat.
“You said you were thirsty.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll go get us something to drink. Just wait here.”
A smile blossomed on her lips as she emerged from her momentary daze.
“Never mind.”
Camilla gently grasped him again and shook her head softly.
“You don’t like juice anyway.”
“…”
A faint smile played at Arsian’s lips at her words. He recalled the fake Camilla casually handing him fruit juice not long ago.
“Camilla.”
As they savored this brief moment of ease, Laila’s figure appeared in the distance. Noticing them as well, she trudged toward the two of them.
“Is something wrong?”
But Laila’s expression as she drew near was troubled. Her eyes were slightly reddened, suggesting something had happened.
“It’s just that…”
Tears welled up in her eyes at Camilla’s question.
“Rio…”
“Rio?”
“What happened to that child?”
At the mention of Rio’s name—someone Camilla had seen just days ago—her expression stiffened slightly.
Arsian too showed interest. What could have happened to the child?
“The director received word just a moment ago. The child was adopted yesterday morning.”
“What?”
“It’s good news, but it happened so suddenly…”
The news was indeed shockingly abrupt. Of course, I knew such things could happen since there was no fixed timeline for adoptions.
‘But still…’
Upon hearing that the child was Rio, my heart inexplicably grew heavy.
“It is good news, isn’t it?”
Watching Laila fight back her tears, Camilla nodded silently in response.
It was certainly a good thing for a child at the Orphanage to meet new parents and build a family.
Staying at the Orphanage until coming of age, just as she had once done, was far more awkward than one might think.
‘Surely that’s not the case?’
Even though it was clearly cause for celebration, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of unease wash over her.
After all, she had only recently witnessed firsthand what had happened to Bes’s son—a child who had been at the Orphanage before being adopted.
But Camilla quickly shook her head lightly.
When she had visited the Orphanage last time, she had even warned Heman, the director, to verify the identities of prospective adoptive parents more thoroughly.
“This.”
Laila carefully handed Camilla, who was barely suppressing the rising anxiety, a crumpled piece of paper.
“What is this?”
“Rio asked me to give it to you.”
The paper contained a very short message.
Sister Camilla! See you again!
Crooked and uneven. The handwriting was so crude it was difficult to read properly.
“….”
A child who couldn’t even write his own name yet—that boy had painstakingly written her name letter by letter to send her this note.
She shot to her feet.
“Camilla?”
After staring at that short sentence for a long while, Camilla suddenly stood up from her seat.
“Where are you going?”
“Home.”
I need to find that child right now! Rather than sit here worrying, I’ll go directly and see for myself whether the people who took him are truly decent.
“Why home all of a sudden? The classes aren’t even finished yet….”
Leaving a bewildered Laila behind, Camilla hurried away.
* * *
“What did you say?”
“We cannot locate the child’s whereabouts.”
Why did bad premonitions never prove wrong?
Upon hearing the news of Rio’s adoption, Camilla immediately asked Rube, the butler—or rather, the leader of Black Shadow—to find where the boy had gone.
Normally, he would have peppered her with questions about what was happening, but seeing Camilla’s hardened expression, Rube immediately set about tracking Rio’s movements.
And within a single day, he had completed his investigation of those who had adopted Rio and brought her the documents.
“Their identities were forged. We went to the address they provided, but someone else was living there.”
In truth, there was no way to verify someone’s identity other than checking their identification documents stamped with the Empire’s seal.
If they had created forged documents, even if Heman, the Orphanage director, had been as thorough as possible in his verification, there would have been little he could do.
“Then Rio is….”
“We’re continuing to pursue the trail of those who took the child, so please wait just a bit longer. Since the director remembers their faces, we should be able to find them soon.”
We’re mobilizing all of Black Shadow’s eyes scattered throughout the Empire.
But Rube’s words offered no comfort whatsoever. Those who had deliberately taken the child would hardly have acted in a conspicuous manner.
“The Duke is also very concerned about this.”
“I know.”
When Duke Sorpel learned that a child close to Camilla had gone missing, he lent his hand as well. He was pouring all the resources of the Sorpel Household and Black Shadow into finding the child’s whereabouts.
“Perhaps you should rest for a while. It seems you didn’t sleep at all last night.”
Rube was right—I hadn’t slept a wink yesterday.
Even I, who could sleep anywhere and in any situation, couldn’t find peace now.
Knock, knock.
“Miss.”
The door opened and Dorman stepped inside.
What was that oblivious fool grinning about so foolishly?
“What is it?”
“Arsian has arrived.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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