A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 37

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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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“This is…”
After that, Arsian fell silent for a while. He examined the mana stone from every angle.
When his mana flowed into the mineral, it changed color once more—a brilliant, vivid blue.
‘As I thought!’
A refined mana stone!
It was the exact same color as the mana stone I’d seen when Duke Jebillen had brought medicine to Duke Sorpel before.
“Fascinating.”
After handling the mineral for a while, Arsian offered his assessment.
“The old men will go absolutely mad over this.”
It was almost embarrassing to compare it to any of the finest mana stones currently existing on the continent.
I had never once seen such powerful mana emanating from a mana stone smaller than an adult’s finger.
“That’s the smallest size.”
“What?”
Arsian’s mouth fell open wide. If this was the smallest size…
“There are larger ones?”
“Yes.”
“Hah.”
Arsian gazed at the mana stone in his hand with renewed wonder.
“What do you want?”
“The mine where these mana stones come from belongs to me.”
Camilla placed her hands on her hips and lifted her chin high.
“…”
“…It’s just how it is.”
But soon I had to straighten my posture. I felt embarrassed under Arsian’s vacant stare.
What else do you want me to say? That’s exactly the look he’s giving me.
“I need the power of dark mages. As you just saw, it only responds to a dark mage’s mana. Of course, once refined, white mages can use it too.”
“You want me to connect you with them?”
“Yes!”
He understands what I’m saying better than I expected.
“…I’ll pass it on to that man.”
“Huh?”
That man?
“My father.”
* * *
Thunk.
“What is it.”
“A request.”
“From whom?”
“Some woman.”
Duke Sefra stared at the black mineral that had been thrown onto his desk.
It was not a refined blue mana stone that Arsian had purified, but rather a raw black mana stone that Camilla had newly obtained.
He had simply tossed her the raw stone without bothering with unnecessary explanations, leaving her to judge for herself.
“A low-grade mana stone… hm?”
The man’s previously indifferent expression shifted dramatically. Duke Sefra began examining the mineral intently, his lips pressed firmly together.
“What do you want?”
After a long moment, Duke Sefra’s cold gaze turned toward Arsian. Arsian met his stare with an equally detached expression.
“A deal.”
“Bring her.”
“Tomorrow.”
That was all. Arsian turned on his heel without another word.
Duke Sefra, in turn, offered his son no further attention.
“How much longer must I wait?”
Arsian, whose hand had been resting on the door handle, froze.
“Is there still more waiting to be done?”
Duke Sefra’s expression and tone remained utterly indifferent.
“I’m growing weary of this. I’d appreciate it if you’d finish it quickly.”
Arsian said nothing further, simply closing the door behind him as he left.
Click—!
Only then did Duke Sefra lift his head, gazing toward where Arsian had stood.
He exhaled a short breath, then fixed his attention on the mana stone, which had transformed into a deep blue hue. In that moment, his expression went blank.
“…A woman?”
Come to think of it, this was the first time that boy had done something at someone else’s request, wasn’t it? And it was also the first time he had sought him out without being summoned.
Duke Sefra gazed anew toward the place where Arsian had vanished, his eyes reflecting a fresh curiosity.
* * *
‘It’s more ordinary than I expected?’
With talk of dealing death and commanding darkness, and being described as more isolated than anywhere else, I had honestly been somewhat nervous.
But the Duke Sefra’s Residence, now that I had set foot inside it, was far more ordinary than anticipated.
I had half-expected it to be somewhat dreary and teeming with spirits….
“Welcome.”
The people who dwelt in the mansion were equally ordinary.
Receiving greetings from the servants, Camilla quietly followed behind Arsian.
Shortly after, the two of them arrived at Duke Sefra’s Study.
Bang—!
Arsian opened the door without bothering to knock.
Though somewhat startled by his behavior, Camilla entered without saying a word.
‘Oh.’
A middle-aged man sat at the desk in the Study.
Upon seeing him, Camilla let out a small exclamation of admiration. So this is what Arsian would become in the future.
Black hair, black eyes, and a gaze so cold it seemed devoid of emotion.
The two of them were so strikingly alike that anyone would have recognized them as father and son.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Camilla Sorpel.”
“Unexpected.”
“Pardon?”
Unexpected? What is?
Duke Sefra rose from his seat and muttered those words, leaving Camilla tilting her head in confusion.
“Sit.”
“Yes.”
Duke Sefra offered her a seat and immediately moved to business.
“So you want to make a deal.”
Camilla promptly laid out the terms she’d brought with her.
“I’d like to request refinement and sales. I’ll offer you 10% of the sales revenue.”
Duke Sefra said nothing for a moment as Camilla spoke with a gentle smile.
He then pointed out her situation directly.
“Without a dark mage, it’s just a useless mineral.”
Without my help, it’s nothing but garbage.
It was a rather cold statement, but Camilla continued without hesitation.
“It’s also a mineral that dark mages would desperately covet.”
So what? You don’t need it? Should I just keep it as trash so you can’t use it either?
Either way, I’m the one who owns the mine.
“….”
“….”
With that, Duke Sefra and Camilla stared at each other in silence for a moment.
He gave a short nod as he watched Camilla continue smiling brightly.
“If you promise to give us priority in sales, I’ll accept the deal.”
“Deal!”
“Hmm?”
“I mean, that works for me.”
Since he’s handling the sales anyway, that’s nothing.
I was actually more surprised that he accepted the terms so easily. I’d even been prepared to offer him a larger share of the profits if needed.
Camilla bowed respectfully.
“I’ll prepare a contract and visit you again.”
“Do that.”
The stage I’d thought would be the most difficult had wrapped up far more smoothly than expected.
Camilla let out a silent sigh of relief and smiled brightly.
“However….”
At that moment, Duke Sefra’s voice came again.
“Our black beast seems to keep pestering the young lady.”
‘What?’
Camilla looked at him with slightly bewildered eyes.
‘So there are people who call Shinsu that.’
It was fascinating that people typically regarded Shinsu as precious beings, and some even deified them out of fear.
Returning to the original topic, his words were correct.
A single black wolf sitting at my feet had confidently rested its chin on her knee.
I immediately recognized that this wolf was the Shinsu of the Sefra Family.
From Arsian’s aura, it didn’t appear to be in a summoned state. In other words, it shouldn’t be visible to anyone else’s eyes…?
“Ahaha, well….”
‘Her perception is incredibly sharp.’
I tried my best to act ignorant, but my gaze kept drifting toward the Shinsu once or twice without my realizing it. Duke Sefra caught that immediately.
“I never knew there was anyone outside our family who could see something like this.”
Though it wasn’t in a summoned state, he could fully perceive where his Shinsu was located.
Duke Sefra quietly observed Camilla, toward whom his Shinsu showed interest.
Recently, he had been hearing frequent talk about the young lady of the Sorpel Family.
‘They said she demonstrated precognitive abilities.’
Many people were discussing her because of that incident.
‘Moreover, she even found a Shinsu egg.’
Though it wasn’t yet publicly known, those who needed to know already did.
A Shinsu had returned to the Sorpel Family, and the person who found that egg was none other than Camilla Sorpel.
So when she came to see him today, it was somewhat unexpected. He hadn’t known that the person Arsian was going to bring was her.
Moreover, she seemed able to perceive special beings just like they could.
At first, he thought it might be coincidence, but when he saw Camilla’s gaze directed precisely at where the Shinsu was, he became certain.
“I find it strange too.”
Camilla exhaled softly while looking at Duke Sefra.
“I’m not usually someone who meddles in others’ affairs, so I was planning to just stay quiet and leave today….”
I really don’t have a hobby of interfering in other people’s family matters.
“But this time, I simply couldn’t refrain from asking.”
“Asking what?”
“Why is it?”
Camilla’s gaze didn’t leave Duke Sefra.
More precisely, she couldn’t take her eyes off the being clinging to him.
“Why is that child holding you so tenderly?”
That child. The one tightly embracing Duke Sefra’s neck with eyes that looked ready to cry at any moment.
Sier, what are you doing?
* * *
“Sier.”
[Yes?]
The child, who had been munching on a cookie, looked at him with puzzled eyes as if asking why he was being called.
Arsian had stepped away for a moment. He’d told him to go buy some drinks because he was thirsty, naturally lying that it was for his younger brother Sier to eat, and sent him off.
Sier, whose attention had been on the cookie, didn’t follow his brother and instead stayed right beside him.
“Is it okay if I ask you something?”
A nod.
Camilla observed the child nodding as if inviting her to ask anything, then carefully posed a question she’d been wanting to ask for some time.
“The scars on your back.”
[….]
The child flinched momentarily, ceasing their cookie-eating motion.
I’d never been particularly curious about ghosts’ tragic backstories before.
‘I simply can’t ignore this anymore.’
The child’s tattered, worn clothes revealed wounds beneath—scars visible through the gaps.
A single crimson line ran across their back. Unmistakably the mark of a whip or something similar.
“Did your brother do that to you?”
[No, he didn’t!]
Yes, I know. I believe you.
Camilla nodded at the child’s hurried protest.
Wasn’t this the same being who had immediately rushed off when told there was food to eat?
I couldn’t imagine such a person inflicting those wounds on their younger sibling.
‘He’s not a psychopath. There’s no way.’
The reassurance was merely meant to encourage the hesitant child to speak.
“Then who was it?”
[…Father.]
“Hmm?”
[…It was Father.]
“….”
It was an answer I’d anticipated to some degree. Child abuse perpetrators were always found among those closest, after all.
[My brother….]
Yet the child’s next words deviated far beyond what I had expected.

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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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