A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 27

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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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Count Shaylen’s eyes widened at words he had never anticipated.
Regardless of whether it was true, the very idea of expanding the factory wasn’t a bad one.
Even if Duke Sorpel harbored no such thoughts, it seemed worthwhile to attempt persuading him at least once.
“Have you ever heard this saying?”
“Pardon?”
“That fortune and misfortune always arrive together.”
“Fortune?”
To his bewildered expression, Camilla handed over something she had been holding.
“What is this?”
“Fortune.”
Fortune?
What Camilla presented was a small gift box.
“May I open it?”
“Of course.”
Puzzled as to why she would suddenly give him a gift, he untied the ribbon-bound box.
“….”
Upon seeing the contents, Count Shaylen’s face went rigid. Even Rube, the butler standing beside him, furrowed his brow slightly.
‘A natural reaction, indeed.’
Count Shaylen was forty-nine years old that year. His wife was one year younger, at forty-eight.
The two of them were enviably close—more than twenty years of marriage had passed, yet their affection for one another remained tender and genuine.
But there was one problem that plagued this couple.
‘They had no children.’
As if God himself harbored jealousy, no child had been born to two people whose bond was so extraordinarily strong.
Those around them had suggested adoption, but Count Shaylen had firmly refused.
He lacked confidence in his ability to love a child who did not carry his wife’s blood, and he believed that bringing a child into their home with such reservations would bring misfortune to both the child and themselves.
Instead, he and his wife sponsored several orphanages. Whenever time permitted, he visited them personally to care for the children.
So to this couple, who had desperately longed for a child before finally relinquishing that hope, Camilla presented a gift.
“…Baby shoes.”
Tiny shoes that infants wore.
“Rather cute, aren’t they?”
Count Shaylen stared at Camilla with his mouth firmly shut.
‘Is she mocking me?’
There was no other reason she would give him such a gift.
“Keep them safe.”
“Pardon?”
“You’ll need them soon.”
Watching Count Shaylen’s furrowed brow, Camilla simply smiled and left without another word.
“….”
Count Shaylen’s gaze alternated between the baby shoes in his hand and Camilla’s departing figure, his expression growing increasingly cold.
But a few days later.
“Have you heard? Countess Shaylen is with child!”
“I have. But apparently, it was Miss Camilla who told Count Shaylen first?”
“She gifted baby shoes to Count Shaylen out of the blue, saying he’d need them soon.”
“And they were pink shoes, no less? She might have hinted at the unborn child’s gender. So it’s going to be a daughter, not a son!”
“Well, we can’t be certain.”
A joyous occasion had befallen the Shaylen household, and Camilla’s name began circulating alongside it.
Upon learning of his wife’s pregnancy, Count Shaylen sought out Camilla and thanked her with a face brimming with emotion.
He praised her as though she herself were the one who had gifted them this child.
“Not long ago, Count Bassel brought a new business partner to meet us, and the moment Miss Camilla laid eyes on him, she shook her head disapprovingly. Troubled by this, we investigated, and it turned out the new partner was a swindler.”
“She even predicted the Maidservant’s mother’s passing! She told her to hurry home, and when she arrived, her mother had indeed passed away.”
“And that fire she dreamed about before it happened—surely that was no coincidence?”
“It’s absolutely remarkable!”
“Could our young mistress be receiving divine revelation?”
“Is that really what’s happening?”
“She seems to see far better than the famous fortune tellers in the Capital.”
“Do you know how many people have been hovering around the young mistress lately, begging her to read their fortunes?”
The Sorpel Household was abuzz. Everyone marveled at the mysterious abilities Camilla had recently demonstrated.
One occurrence could be dismissed as coincidence, but a continuous stream of inexplicable phenomena could no longer be ignored.
“Camilla.”
“Yes, Father.”
Duke Sorpel shared the same bewilderment.
“What on earth is happening?”
The difference was that alongside his amazement, he harbored concern.
He worried whether Camilla’s abilities might be causing her mental or physical harm.
“I’m not entirely sure myself.”
Camilla shook her head gently.
“Sometimes I see things in dreams, but other times, merely upon seeing a certain person, strange visions simply surface in my mind.”
“Your health—”
“Yes?”
“You’re not experiencing any pain?”
“No, please don’t worry about that.”
“…Very well.”
Duke Sorpel nodded slowly as he watched Camilla smile reassuringly at him.
Word of Camilla had already spread far and wide; even yesterday, a message had arrived from the Temple.
They wished to investigate whether her precognitive ability might be connected to divine power.
Of course, Duke Sorpel refused their request outright and without hesitation.
“If you experience any irregularities in your body, you must tell me at once.”
“Yes, Father.”
Camilla offered a faint smile before pausing briefly.
“But…”
“Hmm?”
“I’ve been having the same dream repeatedly lately.”
“Repeatedly?”
Duke Sorpel’s expression stiffened slightly at the mention of the same dream occurring multiple times. It was becoming difficult to dismiss her dreams any longer.
“Is it a bad dream?”
“Not at all.”
Camilla set down the teacup she’d been holding and deliberately brightened her expression to reassure Duke Sorpel, who was staring intently at her.
“Let me look into it first, and then I’ll tell you what I find.”
“Look into it?”
“Yes.”
“There’s no danger involved?”
“None whatsoever.”
Camilla closed her mouth after that, clearly having no intention of revealing what the dream was about. Duke Sorpel didn’t press her further on the matter.
‘Well, I’ve laid all the groundwork now.’
Time to search for the divine beast’s egg.
Chapter. In Search of the Divine Beast’s Egg
“Sigh.”
Standing before the Lake, I exhaled a long breath repeatedly.
I was dressed as lightly as possible—wearing only the simple trousers and shirt I donned for sword training as I stood before the water.
I couldn’t very well wade in wearing a flowing skirt, could I?
“I’m not confident about swimming, but…”
I had considerable experience with diving. I’d even trained with professionals.
Underwater filming was needed often enough in commercials, movies, and dramas.
‘Of course, back then safety measures were perfect.’
Safety personnel were always stationed nearby. But now?
I glanced at the two ghosts standing beside me—Hersel and Derin.
Seeing them brimming with excitement rather than worried about me drowning, I could only sigh.
‘Well, let me think positively about this.’
At least I had ghosts to guide me—that was something.
Rather than wandering aimlessly through this vast Lake searching for a divine beast’s egg of unknown location, I was fortunate indeed.
“You’re certain it’s not far, right?”
[Yes, just trust me and follow. It’s not as deep as you might think. We’ll retrieve it in no time.]
Why did Derin’s confident words seem so unreliable today?
Still, having come this far, I had no intention of postponing it to another day.
Recently, rumors had spread that I possessed foresight abilities, and the attention directed toward me had only intensified. It had been incredibly difficult to slip away here without drawing others’ eyes.
Since I’d committed to doing this, I should finish it quickly today.
I warmed up my body lightly and carefully confirmed once more that no one was around.
“Let’s begin.”
[Yes!]
[Be careful.]
Instead of answering, I gave Hersel a light nod, and in that instant, Derin dove swiftly into the water. True to his spectral nature, not a single ripple disturbed the surface.
After watching him for a moment and taking several deep breaths, I too plunged into the water.
Splash!
The water was far colder than I’d anticipated, and I flinched momentarily before opening my eyes to assess the situation.
I spotted Derin drawing near, his expression etched with concern as he gazed at me. I nodded, and only then did he resume moving.
I followed slowly in his wake.
Derin had adjusted his pace to match my swimming ability, so keeping up with him proved manageable.
‘The water is remarkably clear.’
My vision extended far into the distance with perfect clarity.
[We’ve arrived, Miss!]
Just as my breath was beginning to grow labored, Derin’s voice announced that we’d reached our destination.
[This is the Divine Beast’s egg!]
‘That is?’
I was taken aback by what Derin was pointing to. I’d imagined something more like a chicken egg.
‘That’s just a glass marble, isn’t it?’
A small glass sphere, no larger than a baby’s fist, rested on the lake bed.
The murky light filtering down through the water caused its color to shift and shimmer in peculiar ways.
Yet no matter how I looked at it, calling it an egg seemed like a stretch.
[Miss.]
‘Understood.’
Urged on by Derin, I hastily retrieved the egg. My breath was already at its limit, and I couldn’t afford to linger any longer.
But then it happened. My eyes widened as I turned to ascend.
I’d spotted someone swimming toward me at great speed, their face twisted in grim determination.
‘Dona?’
Shocked beyond measure by this unexpected appearance, I forgot we were underwater and stood there slack-jawed.
“…!”
Water rushed into my mouth, snapping me back to awareness, but my breathing was already disrupted and I struggled to hold my breath.
[Miss!]
Derin’s panicked voice reached me, and Dona’s speed accelerated even further.
What happened after that, I couldn’t quite remember clearly.
“…Miss!”
“Ugh….”
“Miss Camilla!”
When I regained consciousness, I was already out of the water.
Dona stood over me, her face deathly pale, calling out to me repeatedly.
“Miss! Are you awake?”
“You… cough!”

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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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