A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 148

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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 can’t go any further.]
“What?”
[This is my limit!]
The Female Ghost, held by Zeno’s hand as she tried to move forward, let out a sharp cry.
As expected, she appeared to be a bound spirit tied to the vanity—unable to stray beyond a certain distance from Camilla’s Room.
“Tch.”
I had intended to leave without worrying about the noise, but—
Camilla changed her plan and headed toward her own room. The moment she closed the door, she got straight to the point.
“What are you doing? What were you trying to do to her?”
It was extraordinarily rare for a ghost to harm a human.
This one seemed to carry some deep resentment, but did she have a grudge against Elisha?
Even if that girl was tactless, she wasn’t so empty-headed as to incur such bitter hatred from someone.
[Ugh… uuugh….]
The Female Ghost glared at Camilla with wide eyes. Was she trying to intimidate me? Her ambitions knew no bounds, truly.
Blood dripped steadily from her eyes, visible between her disheveled hair. Strange sounds poured from her mouth as she recreated a scene straight from a horror film.
Camilla let out a short sigh at the sight.
Did all ghosts lose their minds when they died? Where did that endless positive conviction that everything they did would work come from?
“Zeno.”
Crack!
[Aah!]
The Female Ghost was sent tumbling forward once more by Zeno’s swift and forceful strike.
“Tell me straight before I burn that vanity to ashes.”
[…!]
At the mention of the vanity, her already pallid face went even whiter, and her posture changed immediately.
Her angry expression instantly transformed into tension as she watched Camilla’s reaction carefully.
“You’re being disruptive. Fix that disheveled hair. Relax your eyes.”
[Ah, yes!]
She looked to be in her early thirties. Once she straightened her posture and neatly swept her disheveled hair back, her face finally came into proper view. It was quite a beautiful face.
[I’m an actress.]
“An actress?”
[Yes! I… I want to act, I want to perform…!]
The ghost continued, her voice wailing.
[I want to possess that girl’s body and act again!]
What is she talking about?
“Do you think possession works on just anyone?”
If it were possible, all the ghosts would be making a fuss trying to enter human bodies.
Why do you think Zeno stays glued to my side? Because suitable vessels for possession are far from common.
[But that girl is possible!]
“What?”
[Because what she desperately wants is to stand on stage!]
“Elisha?”
I blinked in surprise at this unexpected revelation. That child wanted to perform on stage?
I’d known she loved theater, but I never imagined she harbored ambitions to step into the spotlight herself.
[If only I had a bit more spiritual energy, I could slip into that girl’s body!]
“And?”
[Then I could act again!]
“And?”
[W-well….]
The ghost, who’d been shrieking with excitement, trembled as she sensed my tone growing colder.
“This is exactly why I don’t deal with ghosts carelessly. They twist everything to suit themselves and act without shame.”
So possessing someone else’s body was her dream? Was that supposed to be an excuse?
Building karma towers as a profession, as a dream—whatever. I couldn’t fathom why she’d want to commit sins even in death.
“And are you an idiot?”
[An idiot?!]
“Do you not know where you are?”
[I do know….]
“You know and still attempt this? Are you truly aware?”
[What are you even talking about?]
“The Three Guardian Deities of Faebler Empire. Even with such a blatant hint, if you don’t understand—”
[S-Shinsu…? Kyaaaaaaah!]
“Remarkable that you haven’t been caught until now.”
You’ve managed to evade detection so far, but will that remain possible after entering Elisha’s body? You’d have to face Shinsu every single day.
“Shinsu Zetti’s ability was fire, wasn’t it?”
At least you wouldn’t be burned to ash—that would be fortunate.
[Gasp!]
…What? That reaction?
“You hadn’t even considered it?”
[I, I just….]
Regarding Shinsu, she clearly hadn’t given it a moment’s thought, and her voice wavered with tears.
Watching her, I couldn’t help but sigh.
[I only wanted to act again! If I could do that, I’d do anything!]
“That’s true enough.”
[R-right?]
“Deserving of a beating.”
[….]
The moment my words left my lips, the female ghost hurriedly shielded her head, glancing nervously at Zeno, and I shook my head once more in exasperation.
* * *
“Mmm….”
At an unusually early hour, Elisha awoke in a pleasant mood after a long time.
Recently, no matter how long I slept, I remained exhausted and felt perpetually drained, but today I felt remarkably refreshed—as though I’d truly slept deeply and soundly.
“Huh…?”
As I stretched and stepped down from the bed, my body suddenly went rigid.
“Gasp!”
Startled beyond measure, I tumbled back onto the mattress.
Someone was standing in the corner of my room, staring at me with an utterly vacant expression.
“What… what is this?”
“Waiting for you to wake up.”
It was Camilla. She stood with her arms crossed, her gaze fixed intently upon me.
“So why are you doing this in my room right now!”
“I have something to ask you.”
“What?”
I was utterly bewildered. I couldn’t fathom what urgent matter would compel her to appear at my door so early in the morning.
“That vanity over there.”
“The vanity?”
“Where did you get it?”
Camilla pointed toward the vanity—the very piece that could be called the residence of the female ghost I’d seen yesterday.
The design was utterly incongruous with the rest of the room. Its weathered appearance exuded the unmistakable aura of something salvaged from a junkyard.
“Why are you asking about that?”
“Wondering if you fished it out of a garbage heap.”
“What are you saying! A garbage heap!”
I shot up from my seat in indignation, placing my hands firmly on my hips as I declared with conviction.
“I won it at an auction!”
“An auction?”
“It belonged to the great actress Julia!”
I could never adequately express how proud I felt the first time I personally won a bid at the Auction House. It made me feel so grown up.
“Julia? That woman’s name is Julia?”
“You… you don’t know Julia?”
“Why should I?”
“How could you not know Julia? Evil Heart!”
“Evil Heart?”
“She was the lead in that play!”
Ah, so that’s why her face seemed vaguely familiar—she was the protagonist of that production. Without makeup, her features were completely transformed.
“She’s such a renowned actress!”
You really do love theater, don’t you.
Watching Elisha pour forth her words with even greater fervor than usual, I clicked my tongue lightly.
“Even so, do you really want the belongings of a murdered woman?”
“How do you know that woman is dead? You didn’t even know who Julia was!”
“How do I know.”
I heard it. From you.
Three years ago, Julia was murdered by a stalker—someone who called himself a fan, though he was anything but.
That stalker was arrested and executed at the time, but she remained attached to acting and couldn’t leave the world.
‘This one too. Is she lucky or unlucky?’
The dead Julia was bound to her vanity table, which was soaked with her own blood, and it just so happened that Elisha had purchased that very vanity table.
Would she be pleased to learn that the actress she adored so much was dead and existed in the same space as her? Or would she be terrified?
“Is being an actress your dream?”
“Mmph!”
Elisha hastily covered her own mouth at Camilla’s blunt question. How could she possibly know when she’d never told anyone?
“W-what are you talking about?”
“Whether standing on stage is your dream.”
“It’s not!”
“It’s not?”
“How could a noblewoman do such a thing? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Is that so?”
Though she’d brushed it off, the very fact that she’d denied the theatrical performance she loved so dearly caused her pupils to flutter ceaselessly.
“I was also going to…”
“Going to what?”
“Help you if you wanted to stand on stage.”
“…Pardon?”
Leaving Elisha with her eyes wide, Camilla’s gaze turned back to the vanity table. The spirit dwelling there—what was her name again? Julia?
[A heart of malice… I want to perform that role on stage once more.]
‘If only her desire were something other than acting.’
What did I care about a ghost’s wishes?
Yet even so, from the perspective of someone who had once lived as an actress, I found it difficult to simply ignore that desperate longing to perform.
I knew better than anyone how terrifying that hunger for acting could be. Once you tasted it, it was truly difficult to escape.
“Standing on stage isn’t particularly difficult.”
“What do you mean? It’s not difficult?”
At Elisha’s immediate interest, Camilla let out a soft laugh. It was clear that Elisha too was desperately thirsty for acting.
“I’m thinking of renting out the entire Theater for a day.”
“The entire place?”
“As you know, I have quite a bit of money.”
Renting would be no problem. I could have bought the entire Theater outright. What was renting the stage for a single day?
“Of course, there won’t be an audience.”
Mixing this amateur with a ghost to perform on stage—bringing in an audience and other actors would be impossible. That wouldn’t be fair to the audience or to other performers.
But allowing those two to perform freely at the center of the stage was nothing difficult.
“On stage…”
“What? Are you interested?”
“On stage…”
She merely repeated the same words in a daze. Only after a long moment, unable to hide her trembling pupils, did she ask carefully.
“Can I… can I really stand on stage?”
“Of course, there won’t be any other actors. There’s only one person to perform opposite you.”
“Just one person?”
“Me.”
Watching Elisha’s eyes widen like lanterns, I smiled softly.
Of course, there was no real need to bring Elisha along for this. I could simply take the Ghost to the Theater, release her resentment, and be done with it.
But…
I gazed at the books and scripts scattered across the table.
They were the first things I noticed when I entered the room—I’d already examined them carefully.
The scripts and books were worn and tattered from being read again and again, their margins filled with her own meticulous character interpretations.
Seeing that moved something within me. Since I was already borrowing the Theater, it wouldn’t be so bad to grant at least a portion of Elisha’s earnest wish.
“What play will we perform?”
After hesitating for some time, Elisha finally asked with great care.
Watching her, the corners of my mouth lifted once more.
“The Heart of Malice.”

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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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