A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 318

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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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After her husband’s death, her business began to crumble. Facing such circumstances, she chose remarriage—wedding the son of a wealthy businessman.
Dotia Merchant Company.
Three years ago, she had remarried the son of Dotia, the owner of a fairly substantial trading enterprise within the Empire.
The problem was that they were commoners.
It was already rare for a widowed noblewoman with children to remarry, but the fact that her new husband was a commoner had set High Society ablaze with gossip for quite some time. Naturally, the discourse tilted toward condemning and vilifying the widow.
‘As if that matters.’
Camilla, predictably, paid little attention to such idle chatter.
She merely regarded those who loudly gossiped about another’s remarriage with disdain.
What, should she let her household crumble and starve herself for the sake of propriety?
‘What about the child?’
Was she supposed to let them starve together? Whether through remarriage or any other means, one must survive. That was simply the reality.
Camilla believed her actions deserved no reproach whatsoever.
Yet in the eyes of others, she appeared to be a thoughtless woman blinded by greed, marrying beneath her station to a lowborn commoner.
‘Why? Father did the same thing.’
Duke Sorpel remarried my mother, who was a commoner, didn’t he? So why do they hold their tongues before a man of power yet hound a mere Baroness without mercy?
It’s the same situation, really. Cowards who dare not speak before those with authority! The hypocrisy of the nobility was utterly laughable.
In any case, Arueme—that was the name she’d heard mentioned in passing back then. But why would someone from that household come here?
“That gentleman is the father-in-law of the Baroness Arueme.”
“Father-in-law?”
“Of the one who remarried.”
“Ah.”
So the middle-aged man who had hurried away moments earlier was the owner of Dotia Merchant Company.
“But why did he come here?”
“He wishes to meet with the Duke and you, Miss.”
“Me?”
“Yes. He says he has business matters to discuss.”
“Hmm.”
Once word spread that I held the exclusive monopoly on supplying all seasonal goods throughout the Gracia Empire, countless individuals had worn a path to the Sorpel Household’s threshold.
‘Rube certainly had his hands full dealing with them for a while.’
Of course, most matters had since been resolved, yet people still occasionally arrived, hoping to have their own trading company’s goods included in the supply contracts.
‘It’s hardly surprising anymore.’
What remained unexpected was that Duke Sorpel refused to meet with them at all.
“His reputation is quite poor.”
“Is that so?”
“There are rumors he engages in many illegal dealings.”
Rumors, nothing more—it was established fact. The investigation had already been completed personally. Duke Sorpel had issued the directive himself.
Regarding any businessman who sought me out, he had ordered a thorough investigation, with instructions to sever ties with any who proved problematic.
“Hmm.”
At Rube’s assessment, I nodded. It was a brief explanation, yet it sufficed entirely.
If Rube had rendered such a judgment, there was no need to pursue the partnership, so I promptly dismissed the matter from my mind.
“Where is Father?”
“He’s in the Screening Room with the two Dukes.”
“The Dukes came again?”
“Yes. In fact, they said to bring you to them immediately once you arrived.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
At the mention that Duke Jebillen and Duke Sefra were looking for her, Camilla’s lips curved into a subtle smile.
She had a good idea of why they wanted to see her.
“Then shall we go fishing?”
“Pardon? Fishing?”
“Yes, fishing.”
“…?”
“The fish are biting, so we need to reel them in.”
Leaving the bewildered Rube behind, Camilla made her way briskly toward the Screening Room where the three Dukes had gathered.
* * *
“So how much? What’s your price?”
Suppressing the instinctive response that nearly escaped—*How much can you offer?*—Camilla slowly raised a single finger toward Duke Jebillen’s question.
“…Ten thousand gold?”
She shook her head.
“A-a hundred thousand gold?!”
“Yes.”
“Why is it so expensive!”
“Because rare things in this world are naturally expensive. Ancient relics like this don’t just circulate freely, do they?”
The reason Duke Jebillen and Duke Sefra had visited Duke Sorpel’s Residence today was to acquire that video device they had recently become so obsessed with.
At first, out of curiosity, they had enjoyed dramas and films alongside Duke Sorpel as he played them, but at some point, the three men’s tastes had diverged completely.
‘Hey! Let’s watch that! Why are we watching this garbage!’
‘In my Screening Room, I watch what I want. If you don’t like it, leave.’
‘…How petty.’
Witnessing this, Camilla had quietly cast her bait.
‘I do have more of those devices.’
‘What? There are more?’
‘Yes. But only two remain, and His Majesty the Emperor has shown interest in them as well.’
‘His Majesty?’
And so the two men who had taken the bait were now biting—right on cue.
“You just gave one to that fellow!”
“Of course—he’s my father. I can’t charge family for something like that.”
“Ugh.”
Faced with Camilla’s resolute answer, Duke Jebillen had nothing more to say.
Meanwhile, Duke Sorpel wore a satisfied expression on his face.
“So family gets it for free? Then I’ll just purchase one later.”
“…Later? What changes later?”
“Soon enough, our house will become family to Camilla.”
“Camilla! Charge that bastard as much as you can!”
Duke Sorpel seized Duke Sefra by the collar and shook him violently. Even amid the chaos, Duke Jebillen’s internal struggle continued.
One hundred thousand gold—it wasn’t money I couldn’t afford to part with, but….
‘…Why does my stomach hurt?’
Strangely, the moment I considered giving money to Camilla, my stomach began to ache dully, and irritation kept threatening to bubble up.
“Tsk.”
Watching Duke Sorpel’s smug face only seemed to twist my frustration tighter.
What has my daughter been up to lately? When I entered her room for the first time in ages, it was plastered with photographs of Camilla….
“Sigh, give me one.”
A heavy sigh escaped me. But what could I do? There were only two left, after all.
Moreover, with the Emperor himself showing interest, the prudent choice was to purchase immediately. If I hesitated and lost out on the item, my stomach would ache even worse.
“Yes. I’ll have it delivered tomorrow.”
Camilla answered his decision with a practiced business smile.
“I’ll take one too.”
“Understood.”
Duke Sefra, still being shaken about by Duke Sorpel’s grip on his collar, also declared his intention to purchase.
‘I just made two hundred thousand gold in one go.’
A substantial sum. Enough to purchase a building.
‘I should buy plenty of gifts to give to Sia’s family.’
What would be nice? I pondered what gifts to bring the next time I visited the Other World.
Thinking of little Lia, who hadn’t even begun to walk, a gentle smile naturally bloomed across my face.
She’ll be bigger by the next time I visit, won’t she? Time flows faster there than here.
“By the way, Camilla.”
“Yes.”
At Duke Sorpel’s call in that moment, I stopped my thoughts and looked up to meet his gaze. Unlike just moments before, his face held no trace of a smile.
“I hear you’ve been searching for someone lately.”
“Ah, Rube told you?”
“He did.”
News travels fast, as expected. When I asked my butler Rube to search for a man, I’d already anticipated this. I hadn’t intended to hide it anyway.
“It’s someone I absolutely must find.”
“Who is it that you’re so determined to find?”
I couldn’t help but worry whether Camilla had become entangled in some incident. I hoped it was needless concern, but….
“A murderer.”
“…What?”
“A murderer who killed a child.”
“…!”
Duke Sorpel’s face hardened with frightening intensity. My concern had been justified.
The same reaction rippled through the other two men present.
The three Dukes, who had been listening to Duke Sorpel and Camilla’s exchange without much concern, felt their eyes sharpen in an instant.
“A murderer who killed children?”
“Hmm, is this connected to the recent disappearances?”
“It’s quite possible.”
The three Dukes quickly pieced together the situation. There had already been reports of children going missing in the Capital with increasing frequency.
Camilla happened to be searching for someone who murdered children, so the connection was inevitable.
“How did you come to know this fact?”
“Purely by chance.”
….
Watching Camilla’s evasive response, Duke Sorpel clicked his tongue lightly.
‘Could it be this time 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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