A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 109

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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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Chapter. To the Gracia Empire
“A-ah, Miss… A-are you… are you alright?”
You look far worse off than I do.
Watching Dorman approach with his chattering teeth, I couldn’t even manage a sigh. My breath would have frozen solid the moment it left my lips.
“How is this even possible?”
I shook my head slowly, watching the steady stream of white vapor escaping my lips. How was I supposed to explain this cold?
“Can a single border really create such a difference?”
The moment we crossed the border, a wave of bitter cold had stolen my breath away.
Just a few steps. In such a short distance, one side was summer and the other was winter? It made no sense.
“Why is there no middle ground?”
Shouldn’t there be a gradual transition between heat and cold?
How could Africa and the North Pole be pressed directly against each other? It defied all logic!
“That’s why the Gracia Empire is called the land cursed by eternal winter.”
Crown Prince Edsen had appeared at my side without warning.
“You must have known it would be like this?”
“I had no idea it would be this severe.”
I’d packed winter clothes carefully, but I never imagined the winter here would be anything like this.
‘I absolutely despise the cold.’
Brother! Why didn’t you try harder to stop me?
Regret was already washing over me.
What was I thinking, coming all this way for wealth and glory? I should have been satisfied with what I already had!
Whoosh.
“…?”
Crown Prince Edsen, who had been watching me exhale continuously, casually tossed something my way as if bestowing a favor.
It looked like a stone, but it radiated warmth.
“Oh.”
A magical artifact?
“Let us depart now.”
“Yes, sir!”
Before I could even thank him, he quickly moved away and began issuing orders to the others.
I watched the people move with perfect coordination before heading toward the prepared carriage myself.
We’d traveled comfortably to the border via magic circle, but there was no direct magic circle from here to the Capital of Gracia Empire. We’d have to travel overland to the city where that circle was located.
“Phew…”
The moment Dorman stepped into the carriage, sheltered from the wind, he released a long, relieved breath.
“Would you like some tea?”
It appeared to be an ordinary wooden flask, but it was actually a magical artifact capable of temperature regulation.
Ravi had packed it for the journey, saying it would be useful, and I was grateful he had.
[This place hasn’t changed.]
Ghost Zeno, the only one who had followed me here, gazed out the carriage window and nodded slightly.
“Have you been here before?”
[Right. We came to find the Guardian Sword.]
“The Guardian Sword was here?”
[Didn’t you know? Mars eliminated those heretical cultists who worshipped the false god Eva and went into hiding in the Gracia Empire.]
I had read books when investigating the Guardian Sword, but I’d only skimmed through them carelessly, so I hadn’t known such detailed information.
“It must have been terribly cold.”
[It was cold. But the strange thing is, where the Guardian Sword was located wasn’t cold at all. There was just a lot of fog.]
That was certainly peculiar. Had the Guardian Sword been protecting that region from the cold?
“Miss, over there….”
“What?”
“Could there be someone else here besides us….”
“Yes.”
“Eek!”
Why was he acting like that? I found Dorman’s trembling form utterly ridiculous.
He claimed to be a Soul Manager? What kind of Soul Manager fears ghosts?
“Well, I’ve lived as a human for so long that…? As I mentioned before, I’ve been stripped of all my abilities as a Manager, so I can’t even see spirits.”
Embarrassed, he offered an awkward smile and shifted his gaze toward the window.
“At least the wind isn’t blowing too hard, thankfully.”
The temperature was brutally low, but the wind remained calm.
“If the wind picked up and a blizzard struck here, everyone would freeze to death perfectly, wouldn’t they? Haha.”
“…Um, Miss Camilla?”
Dorman called out to her cautiously, meeting—no, facing—the piercing, menacing glare she fixed upon him.
“This is all your fault.”
“What did I do!”
“What are we going to do about that blizzard!”
“Now the weather is my fault too!”
“Your words brought it into being!”
And after all that talk about blizzards too!
Exactly the kind of situation Dorman had described came to pass.
At first the wind had merely grown stronger, but soon snow began to swirl, and before long the conditions made travel impossible.
The Gracia Empire escorts who had come to meet the Faebler Empire delegation and guide them hastily erected tents and prepared shelter, but it proved insufficient against the cold.
“We had originally planned to stay in a nearby city tonight, but continuing to travel in this weather is dangerous. We’ll resume our journey at first light.”
At Count Alton’s words—he had come to receive the Faebler Empire delegation—Crown Prince Edsen immediately halted their progress.
There was no greater danger than ignoring the counsel of locals on an unfamiliar journey.
“Please forgive the inconvenience on our first day. Come inside.”
Following Edsen, Count Alton approached me and pointed to a tent that had been erected nearby.
“It will be uncomfortable, but warmer than the carriage.”
My first impression of him was favorable. In his early thirties, his gentle eyes and natural smile put those around him at ease.
‘He supposedly made great contributions during this civil war.’
A subordinate favored by the Duke who was the Second Prince’s closest confidant? Indeed, one must choose their allegiances wisely. He’s already succeeded at that age.
“Thank you.”
Following his guidance into the tent, I found it far more comfortable than expected. Whatever special material had been used, no wind penetrated the interior at all.
“Forgive my presumption, but I had no idea the master of the Ghost Merchant Guild was so young.”
Count Alton spoke with a gentle smile.
“Duke Kayes Escra has been greatly anticipating a meeting with you, Camilla.”
Kayes? Ah! That Kayes.
Duke Kayes Escra—the very architect behind the Second Prince’s ascension to the throne. He was the figure Count Alton served like a master.
“His temperament is somewhat prickly, though.”
Somewhat? Somewhat? I’ve done my own research, and I know better than that.
“But he possesses a certain sense of justice.”
Justice? What was he talking about?
“He’s quite an agreeable person overall, so there’s no need to worry excessively.”
Did I investigate someone else? Had Chris given me completely wrong information?
I barely managed to suppress the laughter threatening to burst forth, offering only a light nod instead.
“I’m quite looking forward to it as well.”
So what if he’s a thug? So what if he’s a villain? As long as the deal goes smoothly and I return home, that’s all that matters. Right!
* * *
“Welcome.”
We had finally arrived at the Capital of Gracia Empire.
The weather was so different from the Faebler Empire that I was somewhat taken aback, but the journey proved far more comfortable than I’d anticipated.
The path to the city with the magic circle was slightly treacherous, but from there to the capital, everything proceeded smoothly.
“Thank you for your arduous journey from afar.”
As we entered the Imperial Palace, the Second Prince himself came out to greet the delegation.
In his mid-twenties, he bore a surprisingly gentle demeanor—hardly what one would expect from someone who had waged prolonged war against his elder brother.
“I hope you’ll make yourselves at home during your stay.”
“We appreciate your consideration.”
Crown Prince Edsen, wearing a welcoming smile that would easily win favor from those unfamiliar with him, accepted the greeting lightly.
‘Could it be that person…?’
Meanwhile, I found my gaze drawn to one figure—the man standing closest to the Second Prince. I suspected the others found themselves in a similar situation.
The man, who appeared to be in his early forties, stood quietly with an expressionless face, yet his presence was unmistakably commanding.
Those standing nearby flinched and reacted more to his gaze and movements than to the prince’s.
From his bearing alone, I could easily discern his identity.
Duke Kayes Escra.
Summarizing the report Chris had given me about him in simple terms: a villain without blood or tears. That was precisely it.
If he deemed someone an enemy, he showed no mercy—not to children, not to women.
‘Yet his appearance is perfectly respectable.’
With my aesthetic sensibilities honed by exposure to so many remarkable individuals, my eyes kept drifting toward him.
Looking at that handsome face, I felt an inexplicable chill run down my spine. It was as though merely observing him drained my vitality.
Flinch!
In that instant, our eyes met. Confronted with his gaze—piercing and glacial—I found myself frozen, unable to move.
“Shall we proceed?”
Only after hearing Count Alton’s voice, who had taken it upon himself to guide us to our lodgings, could I finally tear my gaze away from him.
‘What was that?’
Even as I left that place, I felt it—Duke Kayes Escra’s gaze continuing to follow me.
His stare was oddly irritating, and I quickly removed myself from his presence.
* * *
“Miss! Miss Camilla!”
Dorman, who had stepped outside, came rushing back in. Wondering what was the matter, I lifted my head only to have something thrust directly in front of my face.
“A snowman, miss.”
“….”
“A snowman in this season—haha!”
Why did I even bring this fool along? I should have just ordered him to work himself to death at the cafe. I brought him because I was worried he’d slack off there.
“It’s cute, isn’t it? I made it….”
Drip. Drip. Drip.
In the warm air of the room, the tiny snowman resting in his palm began to melt away in an instant.
“Wipe up the water that fell.”
“Yes, ma’am….”
Should I send him back out right now? I couldn’t very well throw him out in weather perfect for freezing to death.
“Sigh.”
Looking out the window, snow continued to fall gently. It really was coming down relentlessly.
[You know what?]
Zeno, who had sidled up beside me, continued speaking while gazing out the window with me.
[It wasn’t like this before.]
“It wasn’t this cold back then?”
[Right. Supposedly it suddenly became like this one day—the day Mars passed away.]
That name again?
[So people call this cold Mars’s curse.]
“Seriously?”
Someone regarded as a hero in the Faebler Empire is called the source of a curse here? How can things be so completely opposite?
“What curse?”
[Some say he was betrayed by an old friend, others say he died by the hand of the woman he loved.]
“How do you know so much about it?”
I’d never heard this story before. I’d never even read anything like it in books.
[Because he was the person I respected most.]

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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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