A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 159

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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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“How fascinating.”
Even Chris, who was usually composed, showed surprise at the unfamiliar device.
How could something produce an image so identical to reality? Not even the finest painters on the Continent could replicate it with such precision.
“Magic truly is remarkable.”
“It’s Ravi who deserves the credit.”
“This time, I’ll admit it.”
Whenever I looked at Rio or King, a thought crossed my mind—how wonderful it would be to have a smartphone.
On a whim, I cautiously asked Ravi about cameras and whether he could create one.
After pondering for a while, he said it might be possible to capture a single moment in time.
However, since it was a concept that didn’t exist before, he warned it would take considerable time to properly implement it.
“Our clever fox brother… you really are talented.”
“Pardon? A fox?”
“It’s nothing.”
In the end, Ravi had done it.
Is my brother Ravi truly a genius? Though it looks completely different from the cameras used in that other world, this is remarkable.
“I believe people will be quite pleased with this. When shall we begin manufacturing and sales? Should I obtain the designs from Ravi?”
“Huh?”
“Yes?”
For a moment, Camilla and Chris simply stared at each other blankly. Something seemed off about their conversation.
“You made this to sell, didn’t you?”
…No, I made it just for personal use.
I’d asked Ravi to create it so I could preserve more precious moments of King and the children. But Camilla nodded with an awkward smile.
“Right? It would sell well, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes, I believe it’s a truly revolutionary product.”
“But wouldn’t the price be quite high? The mana stones required for this are no joke. Even if we lower the price, the price range itself would be different.”
“Perhaps it would be best to target the nobility.”
“Hmm, what about offering just the printing service?”
“Printing service?”
“Wouldn’t it be worthwhile to offer printing services to ordinary citizens?”
Operating a separate photography studio for those who couldn’t afford the machine itself seemed like a good idea. After all, printing wouldn’t require such substantial expenses.
“They’ll want to preserve images of their families too.”
Wouldn’t this device actually receive greater enthusiasm from commoners who couldn’t afford expensive painters?
“I’ll prepare a report right away.”
“Yes, please do.”
* * *
The door burst open.
“Excuse me!”
“Is this where you convert image stones into pictures?”
The Ghost Merchant Store had launched a new venture. At various locations where mana stones were sold, they began offering a groundbreaking service: converting image stones into printed pictures.
People were captivated by this new innovation. The nobility immediately expressed their desire to purchase the machines, but due to lengthy manufacturing times, very few had actually received their units.
Instead, the Mana Stone Shop had machines pre-positioned to develop the image stones for them.
“Of course, naturally.”
The shop owner greeted the two women who had just entered with his customary business smile.
“….”
“….”
Meanwhile, the two women, Laila and Elisha, regarded each other in silence for a moment. Numerous image stones hung from their hands.
“Which scenes would you like me to develop?”
“All of them!”
“All of them!”
Identical answers spilled from both their lips in response to the owner’s question. At that, Laila and Elisha’s gazes met once more.
“All of them?”
“Yes! From the first frame to the very end!”
“Don’t leave out a single one!”
“Ah, I understand.”
Faced with the gleaming intensity in both their eyes, the shop owner offered an awkward smile and simultaneously inserted the image stones into the two machines positioned in his shop.
“Hm?”
His eyes widened slightly.
“It seems you both captured the same person.”
“Pardon?”
“The same person?”
Elisha and Laila hurried to look at the images the owner had displayed. There, moving across the screen, was indeed the same person, just as he had said.
“Camilla?”
“Sister Camilla?”
It was Camilla.
“….”
“….”
Laila and Elisha’s gazes collided. But their eyes quickly shifted to each other’s footage.
“Where was this taken? Goodness! Sister is smiling!”
“That! That right there! Is that the bedroom? Is this her just waking up from sleep?”
Having confirmed each other’s footage, Elisha and Laila could not tear their eyes away from the image of Camilla captured within.
Their gazes met once more. After exchanging an indecipherable look for a moment, both women cried out simultaneously to the owner.
“These images here!”
“Please print two copies of each!”
* * *
“Camilla, today was truly delightful.”
“I should be thanking you for the invitation.”
Camilla exchanged pleasantries with a noblewoman and smiled warmly.
“Let us meet again next time.”
“Yes, Lady Yunes.”
A VIP member of the Ghost Merchant Guild.
I was on my way back from personally delivering a Blue Diamond bracelet to the home of the woman who had ordered it.
While I rarely ventured out myself for such matters, Lady Yunes had such extensive connections in high society that cultivating her favor was never a waste.
‘And she has quite a fortune.’
Her smile deepened at my mention of seeing her again—it sounded like a promise to continue accumulating VIP points.
She was apparently buying five of the new expensive cameras we’d just started selling.
“Shall I take you to the Duke’s Mansion?”
“No, the Trading Company.”
“Understood.”
Once in the carriage, I kneaded my tense shoulders with my hands.
Maintaining that business smile for so long had exhausted me far more than expected.
Sinking into the carriage seat, I gazed out the window in a somewhat dazed state.
“Hmm?”
My eyes widened slightly in that moment.
“Stop for a moment.”
I hastily brought the carriage to a halt. Even after it came to a gentle stop, I stared intently out the window in silence for some time.
‘What is she doing there?’
A familiar face appeared—Laura, Answa’s deceased daughter. She was crouching in front of a small house.
But Laura wasn’t alone.
‘A dog?’
A dog was licking her hand repeatedly.
Click.
I eventually descended from the carriage and headed toward them. Suddenly, something Laura had said to me before came to mind.
[You know, Camilla. Do you happen to like dogs?]
So this must be the dog she mentioned back then.
‘It’s strange—animals rarely become ghosts.’
Perhaps because they don’t harbor resentment? I’d almost never encountered animal spirits.
[Camilla!]
Laura, spotting me, waved with a bright smile.
Instead of responding, I quickly surveyed my surroundings. If anyone saw this, I’d be labeled insane.
After confirming no one was present except the coachman waiting in the distance, I spoke in a low voice.
“What is this dog?”
[I happened to pass by and saw it. It seems to be a dog that lived in this house. It’s always been in this spot.]
I lifted my gaze to examine the house. It didn’t appear to be inhabited. The atmosphere of an abandoned dwelling was unmistakable.
[Its name is Nana.]
“Nana? How do you know? You said you’d never seen it before?”
[I asked the people around here.]
The people around here—she likely meant other spirits wandering this neighborhood.
[Originally, it was a dog raised by an elderly woman who lived alone in this house.]
“And now? She doesn’t live here anymore?”
[Her health declined, so her son, who lived elsewhere, came and took her away.]
“Who’s this?”
[….]
Laura’s face fell. Meanwhile, Nana seemed delighted that someone new had acknowledged her, panting happily as her tail wagged without pause.
[She was abandoned.]
As the expected answer spilled forth, I turned my gaze back to Nana, noting her skeletal frame. The poor creature looked starved to the bone.
‘Did she starve to death?’
Forgetting all my efforts to avoid direct contact with spirits, I found my hand reaching out unconsciously.
By the time I realized what I was doing, Nana was already licking my hand eagerly.
Starved for human warmth, she rubbed her face against my palm repeatedly.
I exhaled another short sigh and gently stroked her head.
There were countless creatures I wanted to crush beneath my feet and pummel through the night, yet I had never once laid hands on them directly—always delegating to other spirits instead.
I despised the thought of them knowing I could touch them.
Surprisingly, many spirits craved human warmth.
If they found out, how much more troublesome would they become? Begging to be held, asking to have their hands held… just thinking about it gave me a headache.
[Pant, pant!]
But I couldn’t help my resolve weakening toward a creature who loved and welcomed human warmth so desperately.
“I’ll come again.”
[Huh? Really? But you said you hate puppies?]
“…She’s a dog, isn’t she?”
How could anyone call that a puppy? She was clearly a full-grown dog.
I left Laura standing there slack-jawed and Nana wagging her tail behind me, hurrying swiftly toward the carriage.
* * *
“What are you preparing, Miss?”
In response to the head chef Jelard’s question, I sliced premium beef as I answered.
“Dog food.”
“Pardon?”
“Making dog food.”
“D-dog food?”
“Yes.”
“You’re using that beef for dog food…?”
Premium beef so expensive that even common noble houses couldn’t easily afford it—and she intended to give it to a dog?
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Ah, no, nothing at all.”
I knew it was excessive. But what was I supposed to do when every ingredient in this house was top-grade?
“But are you seasoning the dog food?”
Jelard tilted his head as he watched me salt the meat.
Didn’t animals typically eat unseasoned food? He’d heard it was bad for their health.
“She’ll be fine.”
Since her body was already dead, there was nothing harmful about it. If anything, proper seasoning would enhance her appetite, wouldn’t it?
“You can eat the rest.”
“…dog food?”
“You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to.”
“Well….”
Leaving the chef behind, still deliberating over the leftover dog food made from premium ingredients, I finished packing the bento box and headed toward where Nana was.
She was still sitting obediently in the front yard of the Small House, like a stone monument waiting for her master’s return.
[Pant, pant!]
Nana recognized me and bounded over, her tail wagging furiously. Laura seemed to have already returned inside the house.
I gently patted Nana’s head as she licked my hand, then set down the bento box I’d brought.
“Eat.”
[Woof!]
Seeing food for the first time in ages, Nana barked once at me before burying her head in the container and devouring it eagerly.
Watching the food vanish and turn black in an instant, I let out a short sigh.
‘Should I search for her?’
If I put in a request with the information organization that owns this place, I could probably find her right away.
“But then again, what would I do even if I found her?”

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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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