A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 49

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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 49: The Bait
Stab!
‘Do others see me that way too?’
Stab, stab!
My fork drove into the cake with increasing force, my hand tensing involuntarily.
It became painfully clear why Professor JB had singled me out for help.
‘He thinks I’m being abused.’
He was clearly convinced that, like the other women he’d killed, I too suffered under Duke Sorpel’s neglect—that my stepfather showed me no love whatsoever.
‘If you ever have concerns or troubles, please come see me. You know I’m here as a counselor for the students, don’t you?’
‘That wasn’t just idle talk back then.’
There was another commonality among the dead women.
They had all sought counseling from Professor JB at some point.
They had shared their long-hidden sorrows with him, deceived by his outward kindness.
“Camilla?”
“Yes?”
“Is something troubling you?”
Duke Sorpel spoke up, noticing how I merely prodded at the cake with my fork rather than eating it.
“Has something unpleasant happened at the Academy, perhaps?”
“No, I was simply lost in thought.”
I shook my head with a forced smile.
“Tell me at once if anything troubles you.”
“Yes, Father.”
I set down my fork and lifted my teacup for a sip.
Then I turned back to Duke Sorpel, who still hadn’t looked away from me.
Did he have something else to say?
“What do you think of this outfit?”
“It looks splendid.”
‘Where is he going?’
Now that I thought about it, Duke Sorpel wasn’t wearing his usual casual attire. He was dressed in formal wear—the kind one would wear for an outing.
“It’s what I’ll wear to the next Imperial Palace meeting.”
The Imperial Palace meeting was scheduled for next week, wasn’t it? Why was he already wearing the outfit he’d planned for then?
“The color suits you wonderfully.”
I concealed my confusion and offered a light compliment.
But Duke Sorpel’s peculiar behavior didn’t end there.
After a brief silence, he suddenly pointed to his left chest and spoke.
“This area seems a bit bare, don’t you think?”
It didn’t look bare to me at all, but if that’s what he felt, there was little I could do about it.
When I nodded lightly in agreement, Duke Sorpel’s face brightened immediately.
“Wouldn’t it look better with some sort of ornament?”
“Yes, I think an accessory would suit it well.”
“Isn’t that right?”
“Yes.”
“A fox is charming, but wouldn’t a tiger be even better?”
…A tiger?
‘Where did this tiger come from all of a sudden?’
Because the family’s Shinsu is a tiger?
‘That would seem rather odd….’
Did Father truly wish to wear a tiger ornament?
As I offered an awkward smile without answering, Duke Sorpel’s gaze drifted subtly to one side.
It was toward Ravi, who was enjoying tea with us.
I followed his line of sight and turned my head without thinking.
‘Oh?’
My eyes widened slightly.
A small ornament was pinned to Ravi’s left chest—the fox brooch I had gifted him not long ago.
‘After all that criticism.’
I couldn’t help but smile. He had seemed so indifferent, claiming there was no particular use for wearing a brooch.
‘Yet here he is.’
Truly a sly fox indeed. Choosing a fox for the brooch had been an excellent decision after all….
‘Hmm?’
Wait a moment.
‘Left ornament?’
Fox? Tiger?
I caught onto something terribly important, and my gaze shifted toward Duke Sorpel.
Only then did I notice that Father was gazing at Ravi’s ornament with unmistakable longing.
‘Surely not….’
Was he asking me to make him one?
“A tiger would be best, wouldn’t it?”
…So he was asking for one.
Under Duke Sorpel’s steady gaze, I offered an awkward smile.
‘Didn’t he dislike ornaments?’
Duke Sorpel, who preferred clean simplicity, would grimace whenever his clothes were laden with trinkets.
He even removed the ones that were already there—so why the sudden change?
“A tiger truly would be….”
…I’d need to go shopping soon.
“An ornament or two on formal attire seems quite appropriate.”
A soft voice reached my ears at that moment. Ludvil—his gaze, too, was fixed upon Ravi.
With an intensity that matched, if not exceeded, Duke Sorpel’s.
“….”
While I’m at it, I’ll buy two.
Witnessing the fierce determination in both their eyes, I resolved to go shopping as quickly as possible.
* * *
“Welcome, Camilla.”
Professor JB’s House was remarkably tidy. While not particularly spacious, it was more than sufficient for a man living alone.
The interior design was equally well-executed—cozy enough that anyone would feel at ease the moment they stepped inside.
“I apologize for asking you to come here on your day off. I suddenly found myself in urgent need of those materials….”
“It’s fine.”
Camilla gave a perfunctory response and settled into the seat he offered.
“It seems it will take some time, so I sent the carriage back in advance.”
“Ah, you did well. I’ll escort you home when you leave.”
At her words, Professor JB broke into a radiant smile. Camilla mirrored it with a gentle one of her own.
“What kind of tea would you prefer?”
“Anything is fine.”
“Please wait a moment.”
As Professor JB headed toward the Kitchen, the smile that had graced Camilla’s face vanished without a trace.
Left alone, she methodically scanned the living room once more.
‘There it is.’
Her gaze settled on a small black box resting on the shelf by the window.
It was an unremarkable black box at first glance. Yet as Camilla’s eyes fixed upon it, her expression grew colder and more penetrating than ever before.
“I hope it suits your taste.”
Moments later, Professor JB returned with a white teacup filled with pale golden tea. Its fragrant aroma quickly permeated the living room.
“The aroma is lovely.”
“The flavor should be quite pleasant as well.”
At her compliment, his eyes crinkled warmly.
Professor JB took the first sip of his tea, and seeing this, Camilla lifted her own cup to her lips.
True to his word, the taste was not unpleasant. Despite the clarity of the liquid’s hue, the flavor was remarkably rich and profound.
One sip, then another….
Clatter!
Slip.
As the teacup emptied, it slipped from her grasp and shattered. Camilla’s body tilted to one side.
Watching her slip into a deep slumber, Professor JB showed neither alarm nor surprise.
He simply finished the tea he had been drinking.
After a brief moment, he rose slowly from his seat and began meticulously cleaning up the broken porcelain.
Once he had returned his own cup to the Kitchen, he came back to where Camilla lay.
“….”
As Professor JB gazed upon the peacefully sleeping Camilla, his expression was suffused with profound sorrow.
“How much you must have suffered all this time.”
His hand caressed her neck before tightening with force, his eyes growing sorrowful as if he might weep at any moment.
“Poor thing… you’ll soon find peace, so do not wor-”
Professor JB’s eyes suddenly widened. The eyes of Camilla, whom he believed had succumbed to the drug, had abruptly opened.

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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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