A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 69

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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 a moment of contemplation, a smile played across her lips once more.
“But what does that matter? What can Laila Hestum do just because she’s close to Camilla? Do you really think ‘that’ Camilla would get her hands dirty with something like this?”
Laughter erupted from various corners of the room in agreement with Meriz’s words.
“You’re worrying too much, Ruhis.”
“Friend or not, she’s basically Camilla’s Maidservant—why is she being so cautious?”
But Ruhis shook his head and spoke carefully.
“I’m saying this because it doesn’t seem like something to dismiss lightly. She’s changed a lot. She’s not the Camilla of before.”
“What?”
“You heard what happened with her during the Hunting Competition, didn’t you? Her reputation isn’t as bad as it used to be—”
“Ruhis.”
At Meriz’s cold voice, Ruhis faltered.
“What are you trying to say? Is Camilla really bothering you that much?”
“That’s not it….”
He had attended the Hunting Competition and received her help. When he was nearly wounded by an enemy’s attack, Camilla had saved him.
The fact that he might end up making an enemy of someone to whom he owed his life felt unsettling.
As Ruhis’s expression darkened, Meriz’s lips curved into a crooked smile.
After a moment of eerie silence, Meriz smiled wickedly and issued an order.
“Ruhis, bring her to me.”
“What?”
“That girl.”
“…!”
“Bring her to that place.”
* * *
‘Sigh.’
Laila exhaled a long breath inwardly. Then she stopped in front of her home.
Slap, slap!
Striking her own cheeks several times, Laila quickly softened her rigid expression. Before long, a bright smile had settled across her face.
“I’m home.”
Laila called out cheerfully as she stepped inside. Though not large, the home had a spacious yard.
In that expansive yard, countless vegetables and fruits grew abundantly. At the sight of them, a genuine smile blossomed across Laila’s face.
No matter how difficult things became, her heart found peace the moment she returned home.
“You’re back?”
“Yes.”
As she opened the door and stepped inside, her mother greeted her warmly as always.
“Oh?”
But her mother wasn’t alone in the home.
“We have a visitor. She said he’s a friend.”
“A friend?”
Before the words had even finished leaving her lips, the man sitting behind her slowly rose from his seat.
“Hello.”
“Uh…”
I recognized the face.
Ruhis, the vice president of the Student Council.
I had seen him a few times going around to deliver Student Council announcements.
“How did you get here…?”
“I have something to discuss with you.”
Ruhis approached me with a gentle smile.
“Do you have a moment to spare?”
“Oh, yes.”
Noticing his gesture toward the doorway suggesting we should talk elsewhere, I nodded in agreement.
“I hope to see you again next time.”
“Of course. It would be nice if you could stay for a meal.”
“No, thank you. The tea was delicious enough.”
He bowed politely and headed outside first. I followed behind him.
“I heard about it.”
“About what?”
Ruhis got straight to the point.
“That school life has been difficult for you lately?”
“What?”
“I heard the other students have been bothering you.”
I couldn’t answer immediately.
If it looked that way to others too… then this really must be harassment, wouldn’t it?
I had told myself over and over that it wasn’t, that it couldn’t be, but truthfully, it had been weighing on me heavily.
As my shoulders drooped, Ruhis spoke in a gentle voice.
“That’s why our Student Council wants to help.”
“Help?”
“Yes, it’s our responsibility to assist with matters like this.”
Everyone’s waiting right now. Would you like to come with me?
At Ruhis’s kind invitation, I finally nodded.
“Come in.”
“This isn’t…”
It wasn’t the Student Council Room. The building that stood before me as I followed Ruhis was grand and imposing.
“It’s the Student Council President’s building. It seemed more comfortable than the Student Council Room.”
“I see.”
I bowed lightly in gratitude for Ruhis’s courtesy as he opened the door, then stepped inside.
Splash!
The moment I crossed the threshold, my mind went blank. Trash and cold water poured down from above.
“Cough!”
“Look at that stupid expression.”
“How is it? Still think this was an accident?”
I slowly lifted my head at the voice coming from nearby. Familiar faces stood before me.
Student Council President Meriz and the Student Council executives.
“Hey, what are you doing right now?”
After a moment of stiffness, I shook off the moisture roughly and asked calmly. My expression had already grown composed.
“Just as expected—quite peculiar.”
“I told you. This target is remarkably insensitive.”
The Student Council executives’ gazes turned toward the one person orchestrating this entire situation—Student Council President Meriz. They were silently asking what to do next.
Meriz, who had been leisurely observing everything with her arms crossed, met my eyes and smiled brightly.
“Shall we head down? We should greet Laila Hestum for making the effort to come all this way.”
She led the snickering Student Council executives down the stairs.
A strange exhilaration flickered across Meriz’s face as she descended.
‘At first, it was simply entertainment.’
A small amusement to break the tedium of daily life. There happened to be an irritating person in her way as well.
But as things progressed, unexpected benefits emerged.
‘The students’ focus becomes centered on me.’
By orchestrating the game, naturally those who enjoyed it followed her lead.
The power that had quietly materialized was intoxicating. The moment the Student Council President fell out of favor, voting and everything else would instantly make them the next plaything—everyone trembled with fear at this realization.
The anxiety of potentially becoming the next target made dissenters disappear from her words.
Simultaneously, a strange sense of unity formed. Watching the targeted children, the students felt a new emotion.
Relief.
A peculiar relief that they weren’t the object of attention.
“Make her kneel first.”
At Meriz’s command, several students approached me.
Thump.
“W-what?”
But my actions were slightly faster than theirs.
I knelt before they could force me to. Then I smiled brightly.
“Sorry. I must have made some mistake, right? I’m not sure what it is, but I’ll apologize. If I can be forgiven by kneeling, then I should.”
Everyone wore expressions of disbelief at the unexpected response. What is she really? Hasn’t she grasped the situation yet?
Meriz was equally bewildered.
“Wow, Laila Hestum, you’re really entertaining.”
At the sight of me staring at her with eyes that showed no fear whatsoever, Meriz clicked her tongue softly.
It wasn’t ignorance. Those eyes clearly revealed an unwavering resolve that irritated her considerably.
“I don’t like your hairstyle.”
If she didn’t like it, she could change it.
“Cut her hair. Make it very short.”
As if accustomed to such tasks, a nearby student quickly retrieved scissors and approached me.
For the first time, my eyes wavered at the sight of the scissors.
“…Why are you all doing this?”
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand the reason.
If there’s a misunderstanding, we can clear it up. Before that, I even apologized in advance for some unknown wrongdoing.
But why? What possible reason could there be for crushing me so thoroughly like this?
“Just because.”
“What?”
“Does there have to be a reason for everything?”
Meriz’s smile deepened once more.
“It’s just a game. Do games need reasons?”
“A… game?”
“Yes, a game.”
What are you doing? Cut it.
Laila squeezed her eyes shut.
It’s fine. Hair grows back. Don’t cry. You promised not to cry so easily.
This much is bearable.
Snip.
I felt the scissors approaching.
“…?”
But as time passed, I didn’t feel my hair being cut.
When Laila slowly lifted her head, her eyes widened.
Another hand had stopped the one holding the scissors.
“You know you’ve crossed the line, right?”
‘You need to get along. Understood?’
That voice, always so warm, just like it had been so long ago.
It was Camilla.
Camilla clicked her tongue repeatedly as she regarded those gathered in one place. Where did they learn such terrible behavior?
“Are you going to keep holding those scissors?”
Clang!
The one who had been frozen by this sudden appearance flinched and involuntarily dropped the scissors.
Only then did Camilla release the hand she had been holding.
“Sigh.”
A short breath escaped her lips.
As expected, Arsian and Petro showed no reaction to this situation whatsoever.
‘I’m glad I assigned Zeno to watch her.’
I had positioned Zeno beside Laila just in case, with instructions to inform me immediately if anything happened.
Sure enough, Zeno had come searching for me urgently just moments ago, saying the Student Council Vice President had taken Laila somewhere.
Upon hearing the approximate address, I immediately recognized it as Meriz’s Building—the very place where the assault videos were being filmed.
Since it was a location already known to those who needed to know, it wasn’t difficult to find.
“Tsk.”
Camilla clicked her tongue softly as she looked at Laila, who was staring at her blankly.
Seeing her drenched and covered in garbage, a sigh naturally escaped me.
Should I have helped her sooner?
Still, I ask one last time.
“Are you really okay?”
She had always insisted not to worry, always proclaimed she was fine with such spirited determination.
“You truly don’t need my help?”
Laila’s eyes, fixed upon me, grew increasingly red-rimmed.
“Help me….”
Finally, tears spilled from her eyes.
At that same moment, my body began to move.
“Help me, Camilla….”
I met the gaze of each person frozen in place since my arrival, one by one.
Then, turning my back to Laila, my crimson eyes fixed upon Student Council President Meriz.
A desolate smile bloomed across my face as I regarded her, her fur bristling with wariness.
Side story. The Princess and the Witch
“Huh?”
I first saw that child when I was six years old.
“Wow, she’s beautiful!”
A child who had recently arrived in our village.
Though her clothes were even more tattered than mine—an orphan’s rags—her face resembled a princess.
“Let’s play together with her too.”
The children playing with me froze at my words.
“No.”
“I don’t want to.”
“I don’t like her.”
“Yeah, I don’t want to play with her.”
The children shook their heads in unison.
“Why? She’s pretty.”
“I don’t know.”
“Just don’t like her.”
“Hmm….”
I looked at the child again. Didn’t she want to play with us too? She kept looking this way, didn’t she?
But the moment our eyes met, she quickly turned her head away.
‘Her eyes are beautiful too.’
That child had particularly beautiful eyes—a brilliant crimson that sparkled like jewels.
After that, I often saw her. She was always watching us play, yet she never approached or spoke to us.
“What’s your name?”
Eventually, I approached her first.
“…Camilla.”
“Wow! That’s a beautiful name too.”
At my words, the child’s mouth fell open blankly, as if she had never heard such a thing before in her life.
“Want to play with me, okay?”
“…Really?”
“Mm-hmm!”
Watching her smile softly, I couldn’t help but marvel again. A child as beautiful as a princess looked even lovelier when she smiled.
And so I gained a new friend.
* * *
“You’re a beggar, aren’t you?”
“No, that’s not—!”
“My mom said so. All orphans are beggars.”
“Yeah. My mom said that too.”
“No! We’re not beggars!”
The children who had played with me just yesterday suddenly began mocking me after hearing something.
“We heard you wear the clothes we threw away.”
“And you stole fruit from our orchard.”
“Isn’t that theft?”
“Yeah. They’re thieves.”
“No! We don’t steal fruit or anything!”
“Thieves~ They’re thieves~”
“We’re not!”
I clenched my fists and rushed at the children.
Thud.
“Ow!”
But being smaller, I was shoved backward and fell to the ground instead.
“Beggars~”
“Thieves~”
“Ugh… ugh…”
Finally, the tears came. It was unfair and it hurt. But the children only mocked me more.
That was when it happened.

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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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