A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 187

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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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“Yet you can’t say a word to your own family.”
That’s why I tormented Camilla even more. I threw barbed remarks at her and never stopped our petty squabbles.
“Perhaps it wasn’t really directed at you—maybe it was all aimed at myself.”
All those moments when I mocked and sneered at Camilla so openly… weren’t they really just mockery and scorn I was hurling at myself?
Juella, who had been muttering self-deprecatingly, suddenly fell silent and stared hard at Camilla. Then she blurted out a single remark.
“You’re insufferable.”
“…Hey, that’s what I should be saying.”
This was absurd. Who was calling whom insufferable here?
Whether Camilla displayed her bewilderment or not, Juella stubbornly voiced her thoughts.
“Acting all impressive on your own.”
What kind of awkward comment was that? Sure, I’m somewhat impressive, but this is so random, you!
“That’s exactly why you’re insufferable.”
Camilla burst into another incredulous laugh.
“I find you insufferable too.”
“I know.”
Juella brushed dust from herself and stood up.
Had she wanted to tell someone about her current situation? Her expression seemed lighter than before.
“Father told me to make a good impression on you, so I’ve been pretending to be friendly, but I know how ridiculous I must seem right now. I’m not doing this because I want to, so bear with it.”
With that blunt declaration, she quickly passed by Camilla.
“Wow.”
She really left me speechless.
“We really don’t get along.”
It was absurd, yet strangely, I wasn’t angry like I usually would be.
Irritatingly enough, I understood her feelings completely.
“Tsk.”
Camilla watched her disappear and shook her head lightly.
* * *
“A reply has arrived from the Sorpel lady.”
“Is that so?”
Prince Abihel immediately tore open the letter his attendant handed him and began reading. His expression, which had been wearing a faint smile as he opened it, quickly hardened.
“This is ridiculous.”
As clicking sounds of disapproval flowed continuously from his lips, the attendant, sensing his master’s foul mood, quietly left the room.
Left alone in the room, Prince Abihel expressed his displeasure even more openly.
“She used to chase after me so desperately.”
Now that her value has increased, is she putting on airs?
It was true that her circumstances had changed considerably from before, but he had no intention whatsoever of continuing to tolerate such absurd rejections.
“I didn’t have any particular interest in her anyway.”
Initially, it was his mother’s command.
He had reluctantly agreed to her order to bring Camilla to his side, but he was far from satisfied with it.
Remembering her dark, obsessive behavior when she used to chase after him still irritated him.
Had she not been from the Sorpel Household, I wouldn’t have even offered a greeting.
“She’s certainly changed quite a bit.”
Yet when I saw her recently, I couldn’t find a trace of her former self. Even her appearance seemed different.
Of course, she had always been striking in appearance, but back then it stirred nothing in me. Even facing her was difficult.
“Why was that?”
Even I found my own aversion excessive. Now I felt nothing of the sort.
“And besides….”
Crown Prince Edsen. My brother had reacted to my movements for the first time.
‘Is this your doing?’
‘What do you mean, Your Highness?’
‘Mother seems intent on arranging a marriage between you and her. Was it your idea to draw Camilla into this game?’
He, who had always ignored whatever I did or however I acted, had revealed hostility for the first time.
I was genuinely shocked. And there was a peculiar thrill to it.
Learning that touching Camilla stirred his nerves, I found myself genuinely interested in this matter.
What had begun as a light fancy had become sincere.
“But….”
The problem was her.
She kept responding to my letters requesting a meeting with refusals.
I couldn’t actively pursue meetings because of Duke Sorpel. There was nothing to gain from upsetting him.
“I suppose I’ll have to visit her directly.”
Surely that would demonstrate sufficient sincerity?
Now that she bore the title of ‘Saint,’ I was more than willing to exert that much effort to make her mine.
Making her my ally would certainly bring considerable advantage.
“That doesn’t seem like a particularly good idea, I’m afraid.”
“…!”
Then, from somewhere, came the soft voice of an unfamiliar man.
Startled, I jerked my head up and found myself facing a Gray-Masked Man whose presence I hadn’t noticed until now.
Standing by the window, the stranger’s lips curved into a deep smile as he regarded me.
The moment I saw that smile, my entire body went rigid with dread.
“I recommend you don’t pull that cord.”
My hand, which had been reaching for the bell pull, froze. Cold sweat ran down my back.
For someone to have penetrated so deep into the Imperial Palace, they were certainly no ordinary person.
There was no need to ask who. It was clear this person meant to harm me.
“I’ve been commissioned.”
The answer I’d anticipated came. But by whom? Who had ordered my assassination?
‘My brother?’
Or someone else from his faction?
I stepped back, my eyes sharp with caution.
I couldn’t even cry out. The blade he held would pierce my heart faster.
“My client had but one request: deliver a warning and leave.”
“A warning? What do you—”
“Camilla.”
“Camilla?”
Prince Abihel’s confusion turned to alarm as the man advanced another step, forcing him to retreat hastily.
“Do not touch her.”
“…!”
“I’ve been told that if you continue your meddling, this warning will be the last courtesy you receive.”
The word “meddling” struck his ears with particular force.
Prince Abihel swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry.
“Did my brother send you?”
The certainty crystallized in his mind. To come all this way and warn him away from Camilla—who else could possibly deliver such a message but the Crown Prince himself?
“Not precisely, though it seems the Crown Prince also takes considerable interest in her, does he?”
Prince Abihel’s question seemed to displease the man; his smile turned sharp and bitter.
“As if I don’t have enough irritating fools to contend with already. Now both brothers are causing trouble.”
He muttered the words in a low voice before stepping closer still, pressing his face near enough that Prince Abihel could feel his breath.
Prince Abihel swallowed again, paralyzed, unable to muster any response.
“The one who hired me—”
Was he actually going to reveal who had commissioned him?
“It was you.”
“…What?”
Prince Abihel found himself repeating the words in shock.
What in the world was this man saying? That he had hired himself?
“If you wish to see me again, you’re welcome to ignore my warning. Then I’ll remove this mask for you.”
The man fell silent for a moment, then drove the dagger he’d been holding deep into the wall. The blade pierced the solid stone as easily as if it were pudding.
Prince Abihel trembled, and a soft voice whispered near his ear.
“I have no qualms showing my face to one who will soon be dead.”
With that, the man stepped back and bowed with exaggerated courtesy.
Yet the gesture only made Prince Abihel shrink further into himself.
“I trust we shall not meet again.”
Whether through magic or some other means, the man vanished in an instant.
Thud.
Prince Abihel collapsed where he stood, unable even to call for help.
His gaze remained fixed on the dagger still embedded in the wall.
Shiver.
His body began to tremble anew.
* * *
“What is this doll?”
Chris entered the office and started to greet Camilla, but stopped short. An unfamiliar object sat on her desk.
It was a small bear figurine.
“I received a gift.”
I attended a gathering hosted by Juella, and this teddy bear was the gift I received.
She said she made it herself and distributed one to everyone who attended the gathering.
“But why did you bring that doll with you?”
You’re not the type to carry around a toy just because you received it as a gift.
“What do you think?”
Camilla turned the bear so Chris could examine it more closely. Its eyes, fixed like tiny dots, stared directly at him.
“…It’s cute.”
“Is that all?”
What kind of answer was she looking for?
Chris adjusted his glasses and studied the doll more carefully.
But he couldn’t sense anything particularly special about it. If there was any difference from a cheap teddy bear…
“The doll’s clothing is quite elaborate.”
“Exactly. The outfit is quite ornate, isn’t it?”
Camilla, wearing a faint smile, gazed intently at the teddy bear once more.
After a moment, she set down the doll she’d been examining and rose from her seat.
“I’m going out for a bit.”
“Where are you going?”
She hesitated briefly before answering a beat too late.
“…To a friend’s house.”
“We’ve arrived, Miss.”
“Mm.”
Camilla descended from the carriage and quickly surveyed her surroundings.
She had arrived at the House of Bakes, Juella’s family estate.
“Hm?”
Just then, a group of people hurried through the entrance into the manor.
Watching them rush inside with such urgency, a knowing smile played across Camilla’s lips.
* * *
“Where is Juella?”
“She is in her room.”
“Is she sewing again?”
“Presumably…”
“Tsk.”
Count Bakes, visibly furious, furrowed his brow and clicked his tongue repeatedly. His displeasure toward Juella dripped from every word.
“This is madness. I arranged that gathering to win favor, and all she does is make dolls to give as gifts?”
Having only learned today of what Juella had done at the gathering she’d hosted recently, he had rushed straight home.
He’d already known she was short-sighted, but how could she present something like that as a gift?
“It’s utterly pathetic.”

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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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