A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 142

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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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I tensed, wondering if my voice had been too loud, when he, who had been standing quietly for a moment, slowly turned toward the two of us.
“Hm!”
“Ah…!”
The two female students whose eyes met Arsian’s froze in place.
Unable to control their trembling bodies, they collapsed to the ground without even realizing it.
The cold, sharp aura sweeping through their entire bodies made it impossible for them to remain standing.
“….”
Arsian bit his lip. I had thought there would be no one at the Academy at this hour.
Arsian understood well why they were reacting that way. They were terrified by the aura flowing from his body right now.
A series of murders using dark magic had occurred. Duke Sefra had intended to handle this matter personally, but the Family Elders wanted to see Arsian’s abilities.
Due to their firm insistence, Arsian had ultimately stepped forward for this task, and I was now returning after resolving everything.
“Damn it.”
All the dark mages who had committed the murders had been eliminated, but the process had not gone as smoothly as expected.
Because they had used innocent people as tools for dark magic, I had to stain my hands with the blood of countless innocents.
“Sigh.”
Not a single one could be saved. There was no way to erase the dark magic already deeply imprinted on their souls.
All I could do was ease their suffering through death.
Perhaps that was why, even after dealing with all the dark mages responsible for this incident, my mood felt so filthy.
Killing intent and aura mixed chaotically and could not be easily suppressed. This was the first time I had ever lost control like this.
The reason I could not return home immediately even after finishing everything was because of this aura.
If Rio were to see me like this now, he might tremble with fear.
‘Kyaaaah!’
‘It hurts… it hurts!’
‘Aaaah!’
‘P-please… save me…!’
Their screams still echoed in my ears. They had manipulated people like puppets while leaving their minds intact.
The people had feared their bodies moving against their will, and from their mouths came endless pleas for salvation directed at me.
“Cursed.”
Arsian moved his feet habitually, heading toward one place.
The Spirit Forest. The place I had been visiting most frequently for some time now.
Upon arriving near the deserted Lake, I settled down and lay beneath the shade of a tree.
Rough curses flowed from my lips as I lay on the ground. The images of the children who had died by my hand kept dampening my mood.
The more this happened, the darker the aura flowing from my body became, rapidly consuming the surroundings.
I tried to calm my mind and find sleep in every way possible, but it was not easy.
Rustle.
After some time had passed, unable to find sleep, I suddenly released a thick killing intent at the sound of approaching footsteps without even realizing it.
Arsian rose to his feet with irritation, opening his eyes wide. Standing before me was someone far too familiar.
“Camilla.”
She was looking at me with a startled expression in her eyes.
“Ca…!”
His body froze mid-step as he unconsciously moved toward her. The bloodlust radiating from him still shimmered visibly in the air.
Fearing she might be hurt, Arsian quickly retreated backward.
He tried to suppress his aura hastily, but his turbulent emotions made it difficult to control—far harder than usual.
In the end, Arsian took another step back, his expression growing dejected.
‘Sigh.’
What’s wrong with you now?
Witnessing his state, Camilla exhaled a long breath internally. She bit her lips firmly to quickly shake off the creeping chill that threatened to consume her entire body.
She had arrived at the Academy moments ago and immediately sought out the Classroom where Arsian was.
He was the person who had shown her the most care when she was in the Gracia Empire.
She wanted to tell him first that she had returned.
But she couldn’t find him anywhere in the Classroom. Fortunately, when she ventured to the Spirit Forest on a hunch, she was able to locate him.
Yet approaching him proved difficult. An eerie sensation enveloped her entire body.
Camilla recognized it well—it was killing intent.
“Arsian.”
She called out to him as he hesitantly retreated further backward.
“Where are you going?”
A smile had already formed at the corners of her lips.
His aura still pressed heavily around her, sharp enough to sting her skin, yet Camilla stepped closer to him.
After steadying her breathing several times, not even a tremor remained in her body.
‘I know now.’
That he—Arsian—would never be the one to hurt her.
“I’m back.”
Instead, she was more curious about why he had become so sharp and guarded. What had happened to him during her absence?
“….”
His eyes wavered ceaselessly as they met her concerned gaze.
Watching Camilla draw near, a long breath escaped his lips.
Whoosh.
He pulled her into an embrace, burying his face against her shoulder.
An inexplicable sense of relief washed over him—the fact that she didn’t flee even seeing him like this.
With her warmth and scent, which he hadn’t felt in so long, the murky feelings that had clouded him gradually dissipated.
Camilla, who had momentarily stiffened at his action, gently patted his back as he breathed heavily and roughly.
Without asking anything, she simply remained still.
Though she noticed his sharp aura fading rapidly, Camilla didn’t withdraw her soothing hand for a long time afterward.
* * *
“Wow… this is really too much.”
“Indeed.”
“The morning business is ruined again today, isn’t it?”
“This is driving me insane!”
Sighs and laments poured from the mouths of the arriving staff. The front of the Cafe was in complete disarray.
“How many days has it been now!”
The storefront was littered with all manner of filth and refuse. One could believe that every scrap of garbage in the neighborhood had been dumped here.
The walls and windows were equally defaced. Obscene curses written in red paint covered every surface.
Swish, swish!
“Manager…”
Laila, who had arrived first, was already scrubbing away the red paint with a wet mop.
Seeing her efforts, the other employees stopped their grumbling and quickly gathered cleaning supplies, beginning to tidy the storefront.
“Damn them!”
“I agree!”
But the resentment and curses that burst forth were unavoidable.
“I’m more frustrated with the guards.”
“Same here!”
“They say they can’t punish anyone without evidence—it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
“We know exactly who’s doing this, but…”
“They say suspicion alone isn’t enough for punishment.”
Someone attempted to calm the heated atmosphere, but their effort was immediately undermined by what followed.
“Wasn’t it better when those thugs came and caused a scene? At this rate, the shop will become a garbage dump.”
“To do this to a food establishment!”
“May they be cursed!”
The employees’ faces burned with anger.
Those who had previously come to cause trouble had not returned after being dealt with harshly by Arsian.
But the relief we felt was short-lived.
Within days, someone began dumping garbage in front of the shop, leaving it in ruins. And it happened repeatedly.
Now all the employees knew the truth—it was Dorald, the largest dessert shop at the Shopping District Entrance, orchestrating this!
But since Dorald’s shop flatly denied responsibility, there was no way to punish them.
One day, unable to bear it any longer, the employees took turns staking out inside the shop waiting for the culprit to appear, but it was useless.
On those days, they somehow knew and did nothing at all. It was absolutely maddening.
“Should we go at night and throw garbage at their place the same way?”
“I’m in!”
“Let’s collect all this trash and I’ll go dump it on them tonight!”
“I’ll come with you!”
The employees cleaning the storefront ground their teeth in frustration without pause.
Doing this every single morning, day after day, was infuriating beyond endurance. Revenge seemed like the only way to ease the burning anger.
“But we can’t commit a crime.”
Laila, who had maintained silence until now, tried to dissuade the employees.
Yet even as Laila scrubbed the windows vigorously, her lips were pressed tightly together—she was just as frustrated.
But what could we do? The anger was real, yet we couldn’t bring ourselves to do the same thing.
“What is all this?”
Then came a familiar voice.
“Oh!”
“B-Boss!”
Laila and all the staff members quickly looked up, their eyes fixed on the red-painted walls with expressions of bewilderment.
“When did our cafe’s interior change like this without my knowing?”
At Camilla’s arrival, Laila’s eyes widened in an instant. Soon after, her eyes began to glisten with tears.
“C… Camilla!”
Gone was the spirited figure who had been cleaning moments before—she rushed toward Camilla with tears streaming down her face.
‘Tsk.’
Watching Laila throw herself into her arms, Camilla clicked her tongue inwardly.
I wasn’t entirely certain what had transpired, but it was clear enough that she had endured considerable emotional turmoil.
‘So that’s why she hasn’t been coming to the Academy.’
Class was about to begin, yet there had been no sign of Laila anywhere.
When I learned that she had been skipping classes lately, I immediately left the Classroom. Sensing something had happened to her, I made my way to the Cafe.
“I’m here.”
“Sob!”
At Camilla’s greeting, Laila finally burst into audible tears.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“Ugh… ugh… waaaah!”
Those words seemed to trigger an even more sorrowful outburst from her.
Camilla gently stroked Laila’s hair while surveying the surroundings.
‘First, I need to understand what happened here.’
Who had left my Cafe in such a state of ruin.
Camilla’s eyes suddenly gleamed with an icy coldness.

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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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