A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 166

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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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‘Why has that man been acting like that since earlier?’
‘I couldn’t say.’
It was the afternoon of the day before yesterday. Duke Escra and Count Alton, who had stepped out for a brief stroll, could see Duke Sorpel pacing restlessly near the entrance.
And moments later.
‘Father.’
‘You’re back now?’
‘Yes, I’ve returned.’
‘Nothing troublesome happened today?’
Only then did I understand why Duke Sorpel had been behaving that way. He had been waiting to welcome Camilla as she returned from the Academy.
Duke Escra watched silently as Duke Sorpel greeted Camilla with affection.
And Camilla, smiling warmly in return toward Duke Sorpel.
‘Now that the sun is setting, a cool breeze seems to be blowing gently.’
‘In times like these, you must take better care of your health. Don’t eat only cold things during the day just because it’s hot.’
‘Yes.’
Camilla’s smile, bright and radiant as she laughed lightly at his affectionate nagging, was utterly luminous.
I had never realized she could smile like that. She had always worn such a withered expression, but here she was.
Duke Escra found himself unable to easily tear his gaze away from the two of them conversing so tenderly.
And the next day, he conveyed to Count Alton his intention to depart.
‘You’ve confirmed what you needed to, then.’
That Camilla was no longer an unwanted burden in this household. That she was being accepted as family.
“Still, you must feel disappointed?”
“There’s nothing to be disappointed about, I tell you.”
“Though you say the original purpose wasn’t that, it would have been wonderful to bring her along with us. Now we’re simply giving up and returning on our own.”
“Giving up? Who?”
“Pardon?”
Duke Escra regarded Count Alton with a strange look, as if he were spouting nonsense.
“I have pressing matters, so I’ll leave now, but I’m sending someone else.”
“Someone else?”
“He may have already departed.”
“What do you mean?”
Duke Escra simply resumed walking, as if unwilling to say more in response to Count Alton’s question brimming with curiosity.
“Who is this person? Is it someone I know?”
Count Alton hurried after him, pressing his inquiry, but still no answer flowed from the Duke’s lips.
* * *
“So we’ve decided to increase the shipment volume this time….”
“….”
“Lady Camilla?”
“Hm? Yes?”
“Is something the matter?”
Chris quietly set down the report he had been reading, his eyes reflecting bewilderment. Unlike her usual self, she seemed distracted and somewhat dazed during the meeting.
She had arrived at the Trading Company just moments ago, yet her mind continued to wander even as she held documents in her hands.
“It’s just… something.”
Eventually, a short sigh escaped from Camilla’s lips.
“I’m a bit preoccupied.”
“Is something the matter?”
“It’s personal. I’m sorry for being distracted.”
Another sigh slipped from her lips.
‘It would have been nice to see him off properly.’
Duke Escra. In the end, I hadn’t managed to witness his departure properly. I never expected him to leave so suddenly.
Thinking I should at least see him off, I hurried after him, only to find his figure nowhere within the Sorpel Mansion.
That truly had been our final farewell.
‘He must have left by magic.’
It seemed he had moved in one go to where the inter-nation teleportation circle was located.
Only then could I recall anew that Count Alton was a high-ranking mage.
“I’m truly ridiculous.”
“Pardon?”
“No, it’s just…”
Even thinking about it myself, it was quite contradictory. I had always found his constant following bothersome and disliked it.
Had I actually not disliked him, even as I kept pushing him away?
‘I have a feeling this isn’t the end.’
Still, I hadn’t expected him to depart so abruptly, and a sense of emptiness settled over me.
“The guest arriving today is a High Priest, you say?”
Camilla deliberately brushed aside thoughts of him and focused on her work. First, she needed to understand who she was meeting today.
“Yes, I’ve heard he’s the most likely candidate to become the next High Priest.”
“Why would such a person seek me out?”
“Several of the orphanages you’ve been sponsoring under the Sorpel Family name were previously managed by the Temple.”
“But I sponsored them under the Sorpel Family name. Shouldn’t he be seeking out my father instead of me?”
“Everyone now knows that you are the one actually providing the sponsorship. He wished to meet you directly.”
“Hmm.”
Hearing that this was someone who would become High Priest, not merely an ordinary priest, I decided to meet him. But truthfully, I wasn’t pleased about it.
Based on my past experience when I had explored every religious organization trying to cure this cursed eye of mine, I didn’t particularly favor religious people.
My disappointment had been considerable.
‘Religious organizations are all just businesses in the end.’
People who conducted commerce over the gods they served. Nothing more, nothing less.
Of course, there might be exceptions, but every place I visited was like that. They were all full of people claiming that money was the greatest proof of faith.
‘I wonder if the religion here is somehow different?’
Knock, knock.
“Miss Camilla, a guest has arrived.”
“They’re here, then.”
Upon hearing the employee’s announcement that the guest had been shown to the Reception Room, Camilla headed there with Chris to meet the waiting visitor.
Click.
As I opened the door and stepped inside, a man rose from his seat with a slight smile. He appeared to be in his early thirties.
I had expected a High Priest candidate to be considerably older.
‘He’s far younger than I anticipated.’
To become a High Priest at that age—his divine power must be exceptional.
“May the blessings of our Lord Midrad forever accompany you. I am Daniel, a humble servant in the service of our Lord.”
“Welcome.”
His frame was lean, and his gaze possessed an unmistakable gentleness. He embodied the quintessential image one conjures when thinking of a priest.
“I am Camilla.”
After exchanging light pleasantries, I guided him to a seat. As we sat, refreshments that had been prepared in advance were swiftly arranged upon the table.
“Why did you wish to see me?”
I asked him directly about his purpose.
It hardly seemed he had come merely to offer thanks. There had to be another reason.
Yet his response differed somewhat from what I had anticipated.
“I simply wished to meet you in person, as we do now. That is all.”
“Me?”
“Everyone in The Cult holds great interest in you, Camilla.”
High Priest Daniel’s smile deepened.
“You are receiving the protection of the divine, are you not?”
“Ah…”
He was referring to my foresight ability.
Now that he mentioned it, I recalled hearing that the Temple had been in constant contact with the Sorpel Family for some time, expressing their desire to meet me.
‘They were suggesting that I was receiving divine revelation.’
Of course, Duke Sorpel had completely intercepted all such communications. I had forgotten about it entirely during the quiet period that followed.
“I truly wished to meet you. I came to offer my gratitude as well. If I have overstepped, please forgive me.”
“Not at all.”
I smiled brightly, as radiantly as I could manage.
Though imperial authority far exceeded ecclesiastical power in this Empire, there was nothing to gain from making enemies of the Temple or the Church.
‘The influence of public opinion managed by The Cult is far more formidable than one might expect.’
The moment The Cult labels something as “evil,” life becomes extraordinarily troublesome.
For instance, what would happen if the Temple declared our Trading Company’s recently monopolized image printing device to be an evil instrument that captures and imprisons souls?
From that day forward, sales would become immensely difficult. In the worst case, I could be dragged before the Heresy Inquisitors for trial.
“There is a grand ceremony at the Central Temple in the coming days. Are you aware of it?”
“A grand ceremony?”
I could easily discern what event he was referring to.
“The Blessing of Abundance ceremony, perhaps?”
“Precisely.”
It was held at the tail end of summer. A blessing ceremony that heralded the beginning of autumn and sought divine favor for a bountiful harvest.
Festivals were held throughout the realm in conjunction with it. It would surely rank among the grandest celebrations in the Empire.
The Temple was the institution that orchestrated this event. The Temple’s primary missionary work, in service to our Lord, was the relief of the poor.
They all believe that seeking abundance is their own doing.
“I’ve come in person to request your attendance at the Ceremony of Abundance, which marks the beginning of this festival.”
“Me?”
Of course, a prayer service would be held at the Temple that day. But I’d heard that only those with very close ties to the Temple were invited to that ceremony.
“If someone blessed by the Divine were to attend, everyone would be delighted.”
Good grief, divine blessings, blessings this and blessings that—it was terribly embarrassing to listen to.
Even knowing that this ability was nothing more than the gift of seeing spirits, could they really call it a blessing? I clicked my tongue softly to myself.
“If time permits.”
“Please do attend. I shall count the days until then. And this is….”
High Priest Daniel withdrew something from his robes.
“A small token of our sincerity.”
It was a wooden box with the Temple’s insignia intricately carved into it. Inside lay a single necklace, resting quietly.
“I’ve never seen this mineral before.”
“It is a sacred relic.”
“A sacred relic?”
“A precious stone crafted from divine power. It is said that merely possessing it grants eternal peace.”
“…Eternal peace?”
“Is something the matter?”
“No, nothing.”
I quickly smiled and shook my head, having inadvertently let my displeasure show.
Ever since meeting Emperor Faybler, the very word “eternal” triggered an instinctive aversion. It was a complete trauma.
“Then I shall see you that day.”
Daniel rose from his seat as though his business was concluded.
He left the Reception Room with a light bow, never once dropping the affable smile from his face.
“So that’s the famous sacred relic.”
“You know of it?”
As High Priest Daniel departed, Chris, who had been standing quietly to one side, immediately took interest in the necklace on the table.
“It’s been quite the recent trend. Have you not seen one before?”
“No, it just looks like a pretty stone to me.”
Is this really in fashion? But if Chris says so, it must be true.
Since the Ghost Merchant Store began dealing in jewels, he gathered and managed information about items trending across the Continent more thoroughly than anyone.
“It’s strange.”
Do people really favor things like this?
“The design and craftsmanship aren’t even particularly refined.”
It was hardly different from a natural stone you’d find rolling on the ground.
“They say that merely carrying it prevents one from falling ill.”
“What?”
“It’s said to be effective against all manner of ailments.”

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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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