A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 110

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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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His eyes sparkled—he really was a fan.
[But no one knows exactly what happened to him. After he planted the Guardian Sword on the Cliff, his whereabouts became a mystery.]
“Ah, yes.”
Since it was of little interest, I let the words go in one ear and out the other.
“Miss, there’s an enormous Greenhouse over there—would you like to visit it?”
“A Greenhouse?”
The moment I showed interest, Dorman eagerly continued.
“It’s normally restricted to members of the Imperial Court, but they’ve made a special exception for our delegation.”
“Hmm.”
To be honest, things had grown rather tedious. With the coronation still days away, I had nothing in particular to do.
Crown Prince Edsen was swamped with meetings, his schedule packed with people lining up to see him, but I had plenty of free time.
“Why not? Let’s go take a look.”
“Yes!”
“Wow….”
Extravagant excess.
That was my first impression upon stepping into the Greenhouse.
How much wealth must be poured into maintaining all these flowers and trees spread across this endless expanse?
Unlike the modern world with its electricity, all of this had to be sustained by mana.
Outside, a blizzard raged through winter, yet within the Greenhouse existed spring, summer, and autumn all at once.
“There are even autumn leaves over there.”
Autumn leaves alone? And weren’t cherry blossoms falling over there too?
I couldn’t help but marvel. The Imperial Court truly spared no expense on this place, and it showed.
“I’ll go fetch some refreshments!”
Dorman dashed out of the Greenhouse, apparently intending to stay a while longer and wanting to bring back something to eat.
Given how vast the space was, even a casual walk around would take over two hours. Left alone, I strolled through the Greenhouse at a leisurely pace.
“Is that a waterfall?”
Even a miniature waterfall had been constructed here, and I couldn’t help but exclaim in wonder once more.
‘But what on earth is that?’
There were things fluttering back and forth around me. At first, I thought they were birds, but they weren’t.
‘Dragons?’
Creatures no larger than an adult’s palm, fluttering about on short wings—they were unmistakably dragons.
Moreover, they were transparent like ghosts. Though they had color, the background showed right through them.
‘What? Are these spirits?’
Now even ghostly little dragons were appearing?
As I let out a somewhat enlightened laugh, the creatures flying about suddenly stopped moving.
[Hey, I’ve been bothered by this since earlier—that human seems to be looking at us, doesn’t she?]
[What? Is she a Spirit Summoner? Weren’t all Spirit Summoners supposed to be extinct on the Continent?]
[I sense something strange emanating from that girl’s neck too.]
[Ah! That’s the aura of those cursed things! Shinsu!]
[Huh? You’re right. It’s the aura of that wolf bastard.]
…Spirits? Those are spirits?
Camilla’s face grew even more bewildered as she listened to the three dragons’ conversation. Had she really lived long enough to see spirits with her own eyes?
‘This is driving me mad.’
Should I just leave? They still seem uncertain, so couldn’t I simply pretend I didn’t notice and slip away?
[I’m sensing the presence of other Shinsu from her too?]
[What? Multiple Shinsu approaching at once means….]
[She’s an existence very harmonious with nature. That means there’s a very high chance she’ll recognize us.]
…I’m caught.
“So what? You’re saying you’re spirits?”
[Eek!]
[She can hear us!]
Fine. I’m already tired of that kind of reaction, so let’s skip it.
“Are spirits different from Shinsu somehow?”
[Unbelievable! How could they compare us to those!]
[We’re not ordinary spirits!]
“Not ordinary spirits?”
[I am the Spring Spirit King who governs spring!]
[I am the Summer Spirit King who manages summer.]
[I am the Autumn Spirit King who cherishes autumn.]
“….”
Were they filming a children’s hero movie? With their yellow, green, and red colors, I almost wanted to hand them transformation items, honestly.
“Sure, manage things well then.”
Camilla quickly walked past the heroic dragons.
[Wait!]
[Talk to us a bit!]
[It’s been hundreds of years since we’ve talked to a human!]
Don’t follow me! Don’t follow me!
* * *
“I must assure you once more—there’s absolutely no need to be nervous.”
Count Alton, whom I met again, still appeared to be a good-natured man.
“Our Duke is quite understanding, in his own way.”
Crash!
─ “Did you really submit this as a report?”
“He’s quite benevolent, in his own way.”
─ “You do sloppy work like this, yet you seem to have eaten a very delicious lunch. Oil is dripping quite nicely from the corners of your mouth.”
“He’s quite fair-minded, you see.”
─ “I don’t want to hear excuses, so get out.”
“So please meet with him at ease.”
“….”
Excuse me? Can’t you hear the sounds coming from inside right now?
Outside Duke Escra’s office in the Imperial Palace, Camilla exhaled a short breath.
It was only today, a day before the coronation, that contact came regarding the mana stone transaction.
Though I had anticipated it, Duke Escra was indeed the one responsible for this deal.
Knock, knock.
“Lord Kaes, I have brought Lady Camilla of the Sorpel Household from the Faebler Empire.”
“Come in.”
A brief reply came, and upon opening the door, I could see Duke Escra sitting at a desk piled high with documents.
‘There he goes again.’
He was staring at me intently without a word. I met his gaze without flinching.
Those reddish eyes of his… somehow irritating.
“Sit.”
Only after a long moment did Duke Escra offer me a seat.
He approached and dropped something onto the table—it was the contract I had prepared.
I had already delivered it through Count Alton when arriving at the Imperial Palace.
“Your price is 1.5 times higher than what we proposed.”
“That is the standard price.”
“Don’t you know there are exceptions in inter-nation transactions?”
“It offers me no particular benefit, so it doesn’t apply.”
“You live on the nation’s coin—you should cooperate.”
“The nation’s coin doesn’t taste particularly good, so I plan to eat something else going forward.”
“Suddenly changing your diet will upset your stomach.”
“Wouldn’t that be less painful than having money stolen and a sore belly?”
….
….
The two of us who had been exchanging words suddenly fell silent.
What was this? This back-and-forth? Despite speaking for the first time, the conversation flowed so naturally.
“So you’re pushing forward with this contract as written?”
“Yes.”
“And if I refuse?”
“I have a principle I always maintain when selling mana stones to people.”
A deep smile played at the corners of Camilla’s lips.
“If you don’t like it, don’t buy it.”
Pfft!
Count Alton, who had been quietly listening from the side, spat out his tea.
“…That’s the spirit I always conduct my business with, quite happily.”
There are plenty of other buyers for mana stones, you know? You’re a big customer, certainly, but I have no intention of lowering my price just for you.
Before departing for the Gracia Empire, I had been told by officials of the Faebler Imperial Court to accommodate these people as much as possible and adjust conditions accordingly… but.
Why should I?
“You’re the worst merchant.”
“Yet I earn quite well.”
Duke Escra, who had been studying her intently, finally picked up his pen. He then signed both copies of the contract.
“Must be nice to earn so much money.”
Camilla, receiving one copy of the contract, smiled faintly and carefully tucked the documents away.
“I sincerely thank you, Duke, for being quite understanding, quite benevolent, and quite fair-minded.”
“…Quite?”
Watching Count Alton hastily avert his gaze from Duke Escra, Camilla rose from her seat.
“Then I shall take my leave. Perhaps we’ll meet again.”
Though no response came, Camilla bowed respectfully before departing the office.
Tap.
“She’s quite resourceful, isn’t she?”
As Camilla left, Count Alton chuckled and began organizing the scattered documents on the table.
“More than resourceful—she seems to have lost all sense of fear.”
“It’s been quite some time since I’ve met someone who doesn’t tremble even before the Duke.”
“So I was quite understanding, quite benevolent, and quite fair-minded, was I?”
“Ha… haha….”
“….”
“You understand my heart, don’t you?”
At the sight of him forming a heart shape with his hands, Duke Escra hurled the documents he was holding at him.
* * *
“I heard you had quite the exchange with the Duke?”
The coronation was magnificent and worth witnessing.
As a delegate of the Faebler Empire, Camilla had been assigned a seat of honor and watched the coronation with great interest.
Then Crown Prince Edsen’s soft voice reached her ear.
“An exchange? I merely concluded a contract.”
He let out a small chuckle of genuine admiration.
“Did you knowingly provoke someone of his caliber?”
“I was told he was benevolent, understanding, and fair-minded?”
“What?”
Leaving him to gaze at her in bewilderment at such nonsensical words, Camilla surveyed the area around the Coronation Hall.
‘Delegations from other nations have arrived in considerable numbers.’
As she observed the crowd, her eyes caught sight of Duke Escra.
‘Everyone seems rather nervous.’
Far more people appeared to be watching Duke Escra’s expression than the one ascending to the throne today.
He sat calmly in his seat as if already accustomed to such attention, which seemed rather impressive.
‘The weather today is absolutely dreadful.’
A blizzard was nothing compared to the literal snow storm raging outside.
Even the people of the Gracia Empire clicked their tongues, saying they hadn’t seen weather like this in ages.
‘Hm?’
Camilla’s eyes widened as she gazed absently out the window. There stood someone pressed against the glass, dressed in fluttering clothes despite the bitter cold.
‘What is that person?’
A woman with snow-white hair and eyes of brilliant blue gazed unblinking at the coronation ceremony unfolding before her.
From her eyes as she beheld the one who had ascended to the throne, an icy chill dripped with palpable intensity.
‘Is she a woman who died in this rebellion?’
There was no other explanation for why she would regard the Emperor with such eyes brimming with resentment and sorrow.
Yet moments later, Camilla found herself bewildered once more.
‘What are they…?’
Small creatures had gathered around the woman.
They were the very spirits she had seen in the greenhouse not long ago—colorful beings in what she had mistaken for costumes—now hovering uncertainly around the woman.
‘How strange? Why do they appear smaller?’
Camilla could not hide her confusion at the spirits’ diminished size compared to when she had seen them in the greenhouse.

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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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