A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 97

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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 97. Those Not in the Registry
“Where is Lania?”
Duke Sorpel, who had come to the Dining Hall for breakfast, opened his mouth with a puzzled expression. Lania’s seat was empty.
“Ah, Lania didn’t come back yesterday.”
“Didn’t come back?”
“I apologize. Father arrived late yesterday, so I wasn’t able to mention it.”
“She stayed out all night?”
“Yes.”
“Then where is she now?”
“She said she met a childhood friend.”
“A friend?”
“Yes, she asked me to tell Father that she’ll be staying at their house for a few days.”
“Hmm.”
“She said she knows their parents very well too.”
“Even so…”
His brow furrowed slightly. No matter how close a friend, spending several days at someone else’s home didn’t sit right with him.
“Lania will handle it well on her own.”
“…Very well.”
After a brief sigh, he finally took his seat.
“Father.”
He paused.
Duke Sorpel’s hand, which had been reaching for a spoon to eat, stopped abruptly.
‘Why…?’
Suddenly, goosebumps spread across his entire body. He was bewildered that he couldn’t understand why he felt this way when Camilla called him.
“Is there something you wanted to say?”
Had he become too sensitive lately because of Lania? He sighed quietly to himself and forced out his words with an air of composure.
“I don’t see Ludvil anywhere.”
“Didn’t you hear?”
Ravi, who was sitting across from Duke Sorpel whose expression had stiffened slightly, answered in his stead.
“He said he was going into training for a few days starting today.”
Ravi’s brow furrowed slightly.
He distinctly remembered hearing Ludvil tell Camilla directly yesterday. Had she already forgotten?
“Did he?”
“Why are you asking?”
“I was just curious since I don’t see him.”
Her eyes widened prettily.
“…Hey.”
“Hmm?”
“Why do you keep grinning like that since earlier?”
Ravi reproached her as he watched her maintain a smile habitually at the corners of her lips.
Of course, I’d always smiled readily enough in Father’s presence, but today the intensity was particularly pronounced.
“I’m just in an unusually good mood today.”
Rather than firing back, watching her smile deepen only made Ravi’s brow furrow again.
Why on earth is she acting like that?
‘She’s just letting it go like this?’
That woman always returned his reproaches with even sharper ones—I’d expected her to protest that smiling wasn’t a crime.
“Everyone, please enjoy your meal.”
Regardless, Camilla lifted her spoon and brought a generous portion of the stew before her to her lips.
Still wearing that radiant smile.
* * *
“Arsian!”
Having finished his sword training and hastily rinsing his hair at the washing area, Arsian turned his head sharply at the familiar voice.
“Here, a towel.”
Camilla smiled as she offered him the towel.
“What are you doing? Your clothes will be soaked.”
“…Yeah.”
Arsian stared at Camilla intently, forgetting even the water dripping down, before finally accepting the towel and drying his wet hair with deliberate slowness.
“It’s really hot today, isn’t it?”
“….”
“Sword training must be exhausting on a day like this.”
“Sigh.”
A long breath escaped his lips.
“Are you very tired?”
“It is tiring.”
“Should I go get you a cold drink?”
Before Arsian could even respond, Camilla left him with a word to wait and dashed off somewhere.
“…Damn.”
Only then did Arsian remove the towel from his head, which had been covering his face, and a rough curse burst from his lips.
His expression was twisted beyond recognition.
“What’s going on?”
For a moment, killing intent threatened to erupt, but Arsian barely suppressed it with a long exhale.
“Arsian.”
Shortly after, as Camilla came running with a drink, he—who had been continuously furrowing his brow—sighed once more and composed his expression.
“Here, drink this.”
What she offered him was fresh fruit juice.
“Yeah.”
He merely pretended to drink the beverage while staring intently at her.
“What did you do yesterday?”
“Yesterday?”
“You left class early without attending everything.”
“Ah… I had some business to attend to.”
“What kind of business?”
“I had to meet someone.”
“Who?”
“Just someone I know.”
“How do you know them? Where did you meet?”
“Huh?”
“…I was just curious.”
Arsian, who had raised his voice without thinking as he pressed the question, let out another long sigh at Camilla’s bewildered expression.
“Well… it’s Petro.”
Upon spotting someone, Camilla rose from her seat and scurried forward eagerly.
Petro, who had just finished his sword training like Arsian, was approaching.
“Petro!”
His eyes widened slightly at her call as he headed toward the washing area. His eyes soon crinkled warmly, and a characteristic gentle smile graced his lips.
“You must be quite warm, aren’t you? Would you care for this? I haven’t taken a sip yet.”
“My, my…”
Petro’s smile deepened.
He alternated his gaze between the beverage extended toward him and the hand offering it before speaking again.
“I should receive compensation.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“For making my heart flutter, even if only briefly.”
“What do you—”
“The price will be rather steep…”
Whoosh! Snip—
“Though it doesn’t seem to be a wig.”
“…!”
Thud.
Camilla dropped the beverage she’d been holding straight to the ground.
Her eyes trembled violently. Petro had drawn his sword in an instant and sliced through her hair cleanly.
The moment was so sudden that she couldn’t even scream.
“Who are you?”
Regardless, Petro’s expression and tone remained utterly composed.
“Why are you impersonating her?”
“W-what are you talking about—”
“She hasn’t called me so affectionately in recent times, so I was momentarily thrilled.”
“Petro, what on earth are you saying…!”
Swish—
Her voice cut off abruptly.
“I’ll ask again. Who are you?”
His sharp blade pointed directly at her throat.
His gentle smile remained unchanged from moments before, yet it sent chills down my spine.
“Hey!”
A voice cut between the two of us—it was Arsian.
“Arsian!”
Tears welled up in Camilla’s eyes. She thought he was coming to help her.
“Petro, he…!”
“You think I’m holding back because I don’t know how to throw a tantrum? I need to find out where that bastard is! The way he’s been setting things up means something’s happened to him!”
But as Arsian continued speaking, her face rapidly hardened.
“Trash that harms others needs to be disposed of. Do I really need to worry about appearances while cleaning up trash?”
“If he doesn’t talk in the end? How am I supposed to find where Camilla is!”
“There are many ways to make someone talk. Torture, for instance. Or torture. Torture works.”
“…Hey.”
This is exactly why I hate that bastard. Arsian clicked his tongue repeatedly.
Others saw him as extremely rational and gentlemanly, but Arsian had known from the moment they first met.
The insane duality hidden behind that smiling face.
He showed no mercy to those he deemed harmful to society. He didn’t hesitate to draw his blade.
‘A madman worse than me.’
At least I rarely kill—I’ll beat someone to the brink of death, but I rarely go all the way.
“W-what are you all saying right now…?”
“Shut your mouth.”
“…!”
“Don’t spout off using that bastard’s voice.”
A ferocious killing intent crashed over us like a wave, as if to tear everything apart.
Leaving Camilla behind as her face drained of color, Arsian fired another question at Petro.
“How did you know it was fake?”
“Don’t smile in front of me anymore. Not lately.”
“You crazy bastard. That’s all? What if it really had been Camilla?”
“It was also strange that you would simply let her come to me without doing anything.”
Petro let out a light laugh.
“Her gait, her eyes, her hand movements… she shared nothing in common with her.”

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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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