A Fortune-telling Princess

“Interesting.”

Even Chris, who was usually so even-keeled, showed his surprise at the unfamiliar machine.

How could something like that produce an image identical to reality? You could drag in any painter on the continent and they still wouldn’t be able to replicate it that precisely.

“Magic really is incredible.”

“Lord Ravi is the incredible one.”

“Agreed. This time, for real.”

Every time she looked at Rio or King, the same thought came to her.

If only she’d had a phone.

On a whim, she’d explained the idea of a camera to Ravi and casually asked if he could make one.

After a long stretch of thinking, he’d told her it seemed possible to extract a single instant like that.

But since it was a concept that didn’t exist here, he’d warned it would take quite a while to apply it properly—and she’d been a little worried.

“Our little fox— I mean, my brother really is talented.”

“Huh? A fox?”

“It’s nothing.”

In the end, Ravi had pulled it off.

Is her brother Ravi actually a genius? It looked completely different from the cameras back in her old world, but who cared?

“People will love this. When do we start producing and selling? Should I get the design from Lord Ravi?”

“Huh?”

“...Huh?”

For a long moment, Camilla and Chris just stared blankly at each other.

It felt like their conversation had slipped off the rails somewhere.

“You didn’t make it to sell?”

...No.

She’d made it just to keep for herself.

She’d asked Ravi because she wanted to preserve more of King’s and the kids’ cute moments. Still, Camilla nodded with an awkward smile.

“Right? If we sell it, it’ll sell well, won’t it?”

“Yes. I think it’s an extremely innovative product.”

“But won’t it be really expensive? The Mana Stones that go into this are no joke. Even if we lower the price as much as we can, the unit itself is going to be on a completely different level.”

“In that case, it would be best to target nobles.”

“Mm... then what about offering only printing?”

“Printing?”

“For commoners, wouldn’t a business that just prints be fine?”

It would be good to operate a separate photo studio for people who couldn’t afford the machine. Printing didn’t cost nearly as much, after all.

“They’ll want to keep images of their families, too.”

For ordinary people who couldn’t hire expensive painters, this machine might actually get an even bigger response.

“I’ll submit a report immediately.”

“Yeah. Please do.”

*****

SLAM!

“Excuse me!”

“This is the place that prints Video Stones, right?”

The Ghost Trading House launched a new business. Across the chain stores that sold Mana Stones, they started an innovative service that printed Video Stones into images.

People went wild over the new invention. Nobles immediately declared their intent to purchase the machines, but with the long production time, very few had actually received one yet.

Instead, the Mana Stone shops that already had machines installed were doing the printing.

“Yes, of course.”

The shop owner greeted the two women who walked in with his usual professional smile.

“.......”

“.......”

Meanwhile, the two women—Laila and Elisha—stared at each other in silence for a moment. In their hands were countless Video Stones.

“Which scenes would you like printed?”

“All of them!”

“All of them!”

The same answer spilled from both mouths at once, and Laila’s and Elisha’s gazes snapped back to each other.

“All of them?”

“Yes! From the first scene to the last!”

“Not a single one left out!”

“Ah... understood.”

Under their blazing eyes, the shop owner wore an awkward smile as he fed Video Stones into the two machines at the same time.

“Huh?”

Then his eyes widened slightly.

“You both filmed the same person.”

“Excuse me?”

“The same person?”

Elisha and Laila hurriedly looked at the video the owner had played. Just as he said, the same person was moving on the screen.

“Camilla?”

“Big Sis Camilla?”

It was Camilla.

“.......”

“.......”

Laila and Elisha’s eyes collided.

But then, immediately, both of their gazes shifted to the other’s video.

“Where did you film this? Oh my gosh! Big Sis is smiling!”

“Th-that—! Is that a bedroom? You filmed her waking up just now?”

After checking each other’s videos, neither of them could take their eyes off the Camilla captured there.

Their gazes met again.

For a moment, they exchanged an unreadable look—then shouted at the owner in unison.

“These videos!”

“Print everything in two copies each!”

*****

“Lady Camilla, I truly enjoyed today.”

“I’m the one who should thank you for inviting me.”

Camilla beamed as she exchanged farewells with a noblewoman.

“Let’s meet again next time.”

“Yes, Lady Yunes.”

A VIP member # Nоvеlight # of the Ghost Trading House.

Camilla had just visited her home to personally deliver the Blue Diamonds bracelet she’d ordered, and she was on her way back.

Normally, Camilla rarely moved in person, but Lady Yunes had deep connections in high society. Building ties with her could only help.

And she’s loaded.

At the promise of seeing her again, Camilla’s smile deepened.

To her, it sounded like I’ll keep stacking VIP points.

Apparently, she planned to buy five of the new, expensive cameras, too.

“Shall I take you back to the estate?”

“No. To the trading house.”

“Understood.”

After climbing into the carriage, Camilla kneaded her stiff shoulders.

Keeping a sales smile plastered on her face had exhausted her more than she’d expected.

Sinking into the carriage, Camilla stared out the window in a hazy daze.

“Hm?”

Her eyes widened slightly.

“Stop for a moment.”

She stopped the carriage. Even after it came to a gentle halt, she stayed silent, staring hard through the window.

What are you doing over there?

She’d spotted someone familiar.

Laura—Angsois’s deceased daughter—was crouched in front of a small house.

But Laura wasn’t alone.

A dog?

A single dog was repeatedly licking her hand.

CLICK.

In the end, Camilla got down from the carriage and headed over. A memory surfaced—something Laura had said to her before.

[Lady Camilla. Do you like puppies?]

So that puppy she’d mentioned must be this one.

Weird. Animals don’t really become ghosts.

Not in the same way, anyway.

She’d almost never seen animal ghosts.

[Lady Camilla!]

Seeing her, Laura waved with a bright smile.

Instead of answering, Camilla quickly checked the surroundings. If someone saw her talking to empty air, she’d get called a lunatic on the spot.

Only after confirming there was no one around besides the coachman waiting at a distance did Camilla speak in a low voice.

“What’s with this dog?”

[I happened to pass by and saw her. I think she lived in this house. She’s here every time.]

Camilla lifted her gaze to examine the house. It didn’t look inhabited. It had that unmistakable emptiness.

[Her name is Nana.]

“Nana? How do you know? You said you’d never seen her before.”

[I asked people around here.]

People around here—she probably meant other ghosts wandering the neighborhood.

[Originally, she belonged to an old woman who lived alone in this house.]

“And now?”

[She got sick, so her son, who lived elsewhere, came and took her with him.]

“And this one?”

[.......]

Laura’s face drooped. Meanwhile, Nana wagged her tail hard, panting like she was thrilled that someone new had noticed her.

[They abandoned her.]

Camilla let out a short sigh, then looked at Nana again.

The dog’s body looked especially thin.

Did she starve to death?

Forgetting, for a moment, all the effort she’d made not to touch ghosts, Camilla unconsciously reached out.

By the time she realized it, Nana was already licking her hand over and over.

As if she’d missed human warmth, Nana kept rubbing her face against Camilla’s hand.

With another short sigh, Camilla gently patted Nana’s head.

Even though there were more than a few people she wanted to stomp into the ground and beat all night, she’d never once laid her own hands on ghosts directly—she’d always had other ghosts do it.

Because she didn’t want ghosts to know she could touch them.

There were, unexpectedly, a lot of ghosts who craved human warmth.

If they found out, how annoying would it get?

Hug me, hold my hand—just imagining it made her head hurt.

[Heh heh!]

But faced with a dog who adored it so openly, she couldn’t help but soften.

“I’ll come again.”

[Huh? Really? But you said you don’t like puppies.]

“...That’s a dog.”

What puppy? That was clearly a full-grown dog.

Leaving Laura standing there with her mouth hanging open and Nana wagging her tail nonstop, Camilla hurried back to the carriage.

*****

“What are you making?”

At Head Chef Gelard’s question, Camilla answered as she sliced top-grade beef.

“Dog food.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m making dog food.”

“D-dog food?”

“Yeah.”

“And that beef right now is....”

Top-grade beef so expensive even ordinary noble houses couldn’t easily buy it—she was giving it to a dog?

“Why? Is it not allowed?”

“N-no.”

I know it’s excessive. But every ingredient in this house is top-tier—what do you want me to do?

“But... you’re seasoning dog food?”

Gelard tilted his head as he watched Camilla salt the meat.

Normally, you didn’t season food for animals. He’d heard it was bad for them.

“That one’s fine.”

It was already dead. Nothing could be “bad for its body” anymore.

If anything, seasoning it might make it taste better.

“Eat the leftovers.”

“...Dog food?”

“If you don’t want to, don’t.”

“Th-then....”

Leaving the chef behind as he agonized over whether to eat the leftover dog food made from premium ingredients, Camilla finished packing the lunchbox and headed for where Nana was.

Nana was still sitting quietly in the tiny front yard like a statue.

[Heh heh!]

Recognizing her, Nana hurried over, wagging her tail hard. Laura seemed to have gone back home; she wasn’t in sight.

Camilla lightly patted Nana’s head as she licked her hand, then set down the lunchbox.

“Eat.”

[ROAR!]

Seeing food for the first time in a long while, Nana barked once at Camilla, then buried her face in the container and started eating happily.

Watching the food turn black and vanish in an instant, Camilla let out a short sigh.

Should I look for him?

The owner of this house—if she asked an information network, she could find them immediately.

“Still... what would I do if I found him?”