A Fortune-telling Princess

Camilla briefly turned her eyes away from Aisla, who was openly sulking at being treated like a ghost.

And you know what?

Xeno and Arena don’t like Aisla much, either.

Not to mention King, a divine beast.

Maybe they each had their own lines they wouldn’t let anyone cross, but the way they kept their distance from each other was no joke.

“Is it really doing you no harm at all?”

At the Duke of Sorpel’s question a moment later, Camilla couldn’t help the faint smile that touched her lips.

How could he be so unwavering?

Whenever something happened to her, his first question was always the same.

Is it hurting you?

Are you all right?

Is it doing something to your body—!

“Yes. If anything, it helps me a lot.”

“Good.”

A short sigh escaped the Duke of Sorpel again.

Even with Camilla’s answer, he didn’t look reassured. His eyes were still full of worry.

Somewhere in his chest, the fear he’d felt the moment he realized his daughter was the Mirror of Truth still remained.

Maybe that trembling would only fade after every last Eva Faith remnant was dealt with.

“I don’t know what they’re saying, but you don’t have to do anything. I’ll handle the Eva Faith one way or another, so you shouldn’t worry at all.”

“But....”

SLIDE.

Camilla’s gaze, which had been about to lift again with more words, drifted down to the table.

“......?”

Because Ludville—who’d been sitting quietly—was holding out a teacup toward her.

I still have tea left. Why are you giving me another one?

“You said someone was here... so I thought I should offer it.”

“...What?”

So you’re seriously holding out tea for a ghost? With that straight face?

[Hm. This human has manners.]

Unlike Camilla, who was dumbfounded, Aisla looked pleased.

No, Aisla. Do you realize you just got treated like a ghost again?

[But what is wrong with that human?]

That human?

Puzzled, Camilla turned her head slightly—then froze, her expression turning blank with disbelief.

Right. What is wrong with him?

Ravi had both fists clenched tight, his eyes shaking as he scanned the room over and over.

Even if a strand of hair swayed in the breeze, he flinched. He seemed to be trying his hardest not to make it obvious, but...

Could you please act like you look for once?

Was he seriously doing that because he was scared of ghosts? With a face sharp enough to use dead spirits as spell ingredients?

Clicking her tongue inwardly, Camilla shook her head a little.

“Anyway—has that idiot still not come back?”

At the Duke of Sorpel’s question, the corner of Camilla’s mouth lifted.

Because she immediately knew who he meant.

“I got word he’ll be back soon.”

Arsian—he, too, had left the capital to deal with the Eva Faith remnants.

Not long ago, he’d found a place where children who’d been meant as sacrifices were gathered, and he said he’d be returning to the capital soon because of the issue of what to do with them.

Sometimes Arsian contacted her first, and sometimes she contacted him first.

Arsian?

That time, she’d contacted him first.

The communication orb hadn’t even vibrated more than a few times before he answered. So she’d naturally assumed he was resting.

“Camilla.”

What are you doing? Are you busy?

“No, not at all.”

Really? Did you eat—

KRAKOOOM!

Aaaah!

Over there! He’s running that way!

...Arsian?

“Yeah, Camilla.”

Are you... working right now?

“It’s fine. You don’t need to worry about it.”

Aaaah! Die!

Quiet. Can’t you see I’m on a call?

KRAKOOOM!

Arsian. Are you sure you’re okay?

“I’m fine.”

...I’m hanging up.

“Why? Why are you hanging up already? Is it because it’s loud?”

All of you, shut up!

The instant the vicious edge in Arsian’s voice dropped, the area around him went quiet. Camilla, feeling it happen through the orb, silently ended the call.

After that, she never contacted him first again.

“Empty-headed idiot. He went to fight—he should focus on the job. Why is he contacting you? Must be nice and leisurely.”

“And you contacted me last time when you went to catch Eva Faith people.”

“That was different. I had something important.”

“...Checking whether I ate was important?”

“Of course! What’s more important than eating?”

“Excuse me?”

That’s not something you get to say when you’re the type to skip meals the moment you {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} start ‘researching.’

Ravi kept picking a fight, apparently unhappy that Camilla smiled when she mentioned Arsian.

“Why are you even friends with someone who has zero social skills?”

“Brother, aren’t you embarrassed saying that?”

You have zero social skills too, Ravi!

Camilla stared at him in silence for a beat—then lifted her gaze and looked steadily at the space behind Ravi’s back.

“W-what. What?”

Ravi twitched, as if a chill had crawled up his spine.

“Where are you looking right now?”

Whether he panicked or not—

“Are you going to keep standing there?”

“W-what?”

“Come over here.”

“W-what are you saying? Behind me—what? What is it? D-don’t tell me—!”

Ignoring Ravi’s flustered, stammering eyes, Camilla shifted her gaze elsewhere.

To the seat beside Ravi.

“Hm... do you like that spot?”

“Gah!”

In the end, he shrieked and jumped to his feet.

[Why is he like that?]

Right? Why is he like that?

I know I’m a good actress, but reacting this easily to a cheap lie like that. Should I be proud?

With a deathly pale face, Ravi plastered himself to Ludville—like a baby koala clinging to its mother.

And yet even then, he didn’t stop darting glances at the empty seat beside him.

Camilla clicked her tongue again and again inside her head.

SLIDE.

At that moment, Ludville—expressionless—quietly moved the teacup.

To the seat beside Ravi.

“.......”

Could someone please come drink that tea for him?

And Ludville is not secretly looking at that teacup with expectant eyes, right?

*****

“I’m genuinely curious.”

Sitting in a café for the first time in a while, enjoying the calm of a cup of coffee, Camilla let out a hollow laugh as she stared at one spot.

“Why is he doing that?”

Where her gaze landed, Dorman was enthusiastically recommending menu items to customers and selling them on desserts.

Camilla blankly watched him for a moment, then turned back to the person seated across from her.

“Are you not going back?”

Havel the reaper was draining the coffee Camilla had bought him in long pulls. At her question, he let out a short sigh inwardly.

“He can’t go back.”

“Why?”

“It’s over.”

“So why?”

He’d sung about wanting to go back to his job nonstop. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

He’d been terrified he’d be punished for it—walking on eggshells, keeping his mouth clamped shut about everything.

So why couldn’t he now?

“He traded it for giving you and Sia Lee a choice.”

“I refused that. And Sia Lee refused too. You said neither of us would do it.”

She’d learned later, but apparently Sia Lee had been given the exact same choice.

And honestly, Camilla had been a little happy when she found out Sia Lee, too, chose not a new life, but to keep her current one.

No matter how wrong that life had been because the souls were switched, if “Sia Lee” vanished from everyone’s memory like she’d never existed from the start... Camilla thought that would have hurt.

Would Sia Lee have felt the same?

If Sia Lee had chosen to give up this life—this life as Camilla—how would it have felt?

Would she have felt nothing, unlike Camilla?

“Then what? He threw away his chance to go back for nothing?”

If that was how it would end, should she have thought more seriously when he offered them new lives?

Not that it would’ve changed the result.

She always complained at Dorman and whined that things were hard, but when he sincerely offered her a new life, the decision came more easily than she expected.

That was when she realized it clearly: she already deeply acknowledged that this place—this life—was her life.

“If you and her had chosen differently...”

“A different choice?”

The new life?

“If we’d chosen it, then what?”

Havel didn’t answer right away. He pressed his lips together, his gaze drifting back to Dorman.

After staring at him in silence for a long moment, Havel finally spoke in a low voice that sounded like he was talking to himself.

“Then he probably wouldn’t be here like this.”