A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 237

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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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Chapter. The Struggle for Supremacy
“Haa… haa….”
‘Shut up, will you?’
‘H-honey, the child is sick….’
‘Damn it! The house is cramped enough, and she’s taking up the whole bed lying down!’
‘Maybe we should take her back to the Hospital-‘
‘Are we made of money? Are we?!’
“Haa… haa….”
‘Honey, Sia doesn’t seem to be breathing properly.’
‘So what? What do you want me to do about it?’
‘Sia is….’
‘Just leave her alone.’
“Ah… haa….”
‘What? What are you feeding her? Medicine? Are we made of money?’
“Ugh… ugh….”
‘Tsk, hey! If you’re alive, get up this instant! How long are you going to lie there?!’
“Ugh… ugh….”
“Camilla.”
Through blurred vision, I could make out someone’s figure. But fearing a fist might fly at any moment, I squeezed my eyes shut tightly.
‘What?! Won’t you get up? Damn it!’
“Ugh… sob….”
“Camilla?”
‘How much longer are you going to lie there like that?!’
“I-I’m sorry… ugh… please don’t hit….”
“Camilla!”
It hurts… it hurts….
Please don’t hit me. It’s all my fault. Please… stop, stop…!
Pat.
Trembling, I slowly opened my eyes that had been squeezed shut.
Where am I? Where is Father? Where is Mother?
Pat.
In that moment, I felt a warm hand on my back.
Who is this? Who am I being held by right now?
“Camilla.”
Camilla?
“My child.”
This tender voice is….
“F-Father?”
Pat.
Instead of an answer, a gentle touch returned.
“Sleep a bit more.”
Tears streamed down my face.
From the relief, from that deep reassurance welling up from somewhere far below.
‘Yes….’
This isn’t that place. That person isn’t here.
I’m no longer Sia….
“I’m Camilla.”
Because I’m Camilla.
And this person….
“Rest a while longer.”
Is my Father.
Pat.
Camilla’s eyes gently closed once more.
‘You crazy bastard! Because of someone like you-‘
Pat.
‘Hey! I don’t even want to look at your face, so get out right now!’
Pat.
The painful memories faded away one by one.
Pat.
That gentle touch enveloping my entire body, as if it would protect me from any suffering….
Pat.
My Father’s hand.
* * *
“Camilla?”
Ravi’s face went rigid as if he’d received a shock.
“Is it possible…”
Duke Sorpel continued carefully, worried that even asking such a question might wound Ravi.
“That she ever laid hands on you two.”
That person—Tia, Ravi and Camilla’s biological mother.
‘It hurts… Please don’t hit me. Please….’
A heavy groan escaped Duke Sorpel’s lips as he recalled what he’d just witnessed.
He’d never seen Camilla trembling so violently before, and the shock was immense.
Extreme fear, terror toward another.
When she first entered the Sorpel Household, she’d shown caution and wariness, but nothing to this degree.
“….”
Upon hearing of Camilla’s state, Ravi clenched his fists tightly.
In childhood, he’d occasionally witnessed his mother scolding Camilla harshly.
Mother never let even the smallest mistake slide when it came to Camilla. She punished and scolded her with a severity that seemed almost cruel.
‘…It must have been a wound.’
Though it happened long ago, that didn’t mean the wound had disappeared.
What they called discipline was, in retrospect, nothing short of abuse.
Returning to the age when I was exposed to that harsh care must have reopened old wounds.
‘It’s my fault.’
If only I hadn’t obsessed over such magic….
A soft pat.
“Ah…!”
Ravi, who had been hanging his head low, quickly looked up at the hand gently stroking his shoulder.
“It’s alright.”
“But….”
“Everything will be fine.”
Ravi found himself unable to speak as Duke Sorpel quietly comforted him as though understanding his every emotion.
‘This child must have been wounded too.’
Duke Sorpel had already sensed it to some degree.
That their biological mother treated the two children very differently.
Ravi, watching his mother treat his younger sister coldly, had undoubtedly suffered deep wounds of his own.
‘Sigh.’
Regret washed over me as I realized I hadn’t approached these children sooner, merely waiting for them to come to me first.
A knock.
At that moment, the butler Rube hurried inside with a sound of footsteps.
“My Lord.”
“What is it?”
“A visitor has arrived.”
“A visitor? Who?”
“That is….”
Duke Sorpel’s expression grew puzzled as Rube trailed off uncharacteristically, unable to hide his bewilderment.
But his expression quickly hardened at the answer that followed.
* * *
“…me.”
“Mm… mmm.”
“Sister Camilla.”
Camilla, who had fallen asleep under the influence of medicine, slowly opened her eyes at the familiar voice whispering softly near her ear.
“Sigh.”
Was it because of the pain-relieving medicine? Still, her condition seemed much better than before—
“Sister!”
“….”
…Had her condition improved? Why was she seeing things?
There was no way this person could be here right now.
Camilla lifted her hand and slowly rubbed her blurred eyes.
“Sister… does it hurt a lot?”
At that moment, the voice came again.
“…Daive?”
My voice came out strained, and tears welled up in the eyes of the child standing before me—Daive.
“You said there was nothing wrong with my health last time….”
When we’d spoken not long ago, hadn’t he said his body was perfectly fine, that it was only slightly weakened by magic? So why was he sick now? The boy hiccupped continuously, his words tumbling out.
“Why are you….”
Daive was supposed to be in the Gracia Empire. Why was he here?
As I wore a puzzled expression, Daive wiped his tears and spoke with determination.
“I came to visit.”
“What?”
“I’m on break from school.”
“Break?”
As I repeated the boy’s words in a daze, my eyes gradually regained their light, and soon they became clear.
“Is it really you, Daive?”
“Yes.”
“You came to see me?”
“Yes!”
My widened eyes slowly curved into a gentle smile. Soon after, a faint smile graced my lips.
“Daive.”
“Sister….”
“It really is you, Daive.”
As I raised my hand, Daive quickly grasped it. Looking at his hand, which was so much larger than mine, Daive’s lips parted slightly.
“Sister, your hand is really small.”
…Indeed it was.
“Our Daive has grown so much in such a short time?”
“Sister is incredibly cute.”
“….”
I’ve lived long enough to hear everything from a child.
Camilla released a short sigh and closed her eyes slightly against the encroaching dizziness.
‘But he surely didn’t come alone.’
Did he come with Jainer?
The moment that question arose, a large hand gently enveloped my face.
“Your fever is still high.”
“…!”
Then came a low voice.
My eyes flew open, and my vision caught crimson eyes gazing down at me intently.
“You should rest more.”
It was Duke Escra.
“W… wh….”
Where on earth did this man appear from…?
Camilla stared up at him blankly, unable to form proper words.
“Sleep.”
He spoke softly, his cool hand—soothing the fever’s heat—gently closing her eyes.
“We’ll talk later.”
The man continued holding her hand for some time after, only moving once he confirmed that Camilla had succumbed to the medicine’s pull and drifted into slumber.
“Sleep well, Sister.”
Beyond her fading consciousness, she seemed to hear Daive’s farewell.
Camilla sank back into deep sleep.
* * *
“Miss, please have a bit more.”
“That’s enough. I’m full.”
“Still, I’m so relieved it’s come to this.”
Exactly one month of bedridden illness had passed, and miraculously, the fever vanished without a trace. The searing pain that had felt like my bones were shattering dissolved completely as well.

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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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