A Fortune-telling Princess

Count Shailon’s eyes widened at the words he had not expected.

Whether or not it was true, the very idea of expanding the factory was not a bad one.

Even if Duke Sorpel had no such intention, it would be good to try persuading him at least once.

“Have you heard this saying?”

“Pardon?”

“That good fortune and misfortune always come together.”

“Good fortune?”

As he looked puzzled, Camilla handed over something she had been holding.

“What ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ is this?”

“Good fortune.”

Good fortune?

What Camilla handed him was a small gift box.

“May I open it?”

“Of course.”

Wondering why she was suddenly giving him a present, he untied the ribboned box.

“...”

Count Shailon’s face went rigid when he saw what was inside. Butler Rube, standing beside him, also faintly knit his brows.

‘An expected reaction.’

Count Shailon was forty-nine this year. His wife was a year younger, forty-eight.

The two were, to anyone’s eyes, enviably close. It had been well over twenty years since they married, and there was still tenderness between them.

But there was one problem the two of them had.

‘They have no child.’

As if the gods were jealous, no child had been born to the couple whose harmony was too good.

People around them had suggested adoption, but Count Shailon refused flatly.

He said he had no confidence he could love a child who did not carry his wife’s blood, and that bringing home a child with such a heart would be misfortune for the child and for them both.

Instead, he and his wife supported several orphanages. Whenever they had time, they personally visited and looked after the children.

To them, who had yearned for a child and at last given up, what Camilla had gifted was—

“...Baby shoes.”

They were the little shoes that infants wear.

“Quite adorable, aren’t they?”

Count Shailon pressed his lips together and looked at Camilla.

‘Are you making fun of me?’

If not, there was no reason to give him such a gift.

“Keep them safe.”

“Pardon?”

“You’ll be needing them soon.”

Camilla only smiled gently at Count Shailon’s furrowed brow, then left without another word.

“...”

Count Shailon glanced back and forth for a moment between the baby shoes in his hand and Camilla’s departing figure, his face growing even colder.

But a few days later—

“Did you hear? The Countess of Shailon is with child!”

“I heard. And the first person to tell them that was Lady Camilla, they say?”

“She supposedly gave the count baby shoes out of the blue. Said he would need them soon.”

“And they say they were pink, too? She may have been hinting at the child’s gender in the womb. So... it won’t be a young master but a young lady!”

“You can’t know that.”

A great celebration came to the Count of Shailon’s house, and Camilla’s name began to be mentioned along with it.

Upon learning of his wife’s pregnancy, Count Shailon sought out Camilla and offered thanks with a face full of emotion.

As if she herself were the one who had gifted them a child, he praised Camilla over and over.

“Not long ago, Viscount Basel brought in a new business partner, and the moment Lady Camilla saw the man, she shook her head. It felt off, so they investigated—and that new partner was a swindler.”

“She also got it right about the Head Maid’s mother passing away! She told her to hurry home, and when she went, her mother had passed.”

“Doesn’t it seem that dream she had about a fire wasn’t a coincidence either?”

“It’s amazing!”

“Isn’t our lady receiving divine revelation or something?”

“Is that really it?”

“She seems better than the famous soothsayers in the capital.”

“Do you know how many people have been hovering near the lady lately? All of them asking her to read their fortunes...”

The ducal house was abuzz. Everyone spilled surprise and admiration over the mysterious ability Camilla had shown recently.

You could wave off one instance as coincidence, but the wonders continued and were no longer easy to ignore.

“Camilla.”

“Yes, Father.”

Duke Sorpel was no different.

“What on earth is going on?”

The only difference was that, in addition to surprise and admiration, he was worried.

He worried that Camilla’s ability might somehow bring harm to her mentally or physically.

“I don’t know either.”

Camilla gently shook her head.

“Sometimes I see it in dreams... but sometimes, just by looking at a particular person, strange scenes come to mind.”

“Your body.”

“Pardon?”

“Is anything hurting?”

“No, don’t worry about that.”

“...All right.”

Watching Camilla smile as if to reassure him, Duke Sorpel slowly nodded.

The talk about Camilla seemed to have already spread everywhere; even the Temple had contacted them yesterday.

They said they wanted to investigate whether her foresight was related to Holy Power.

Of course, Duke Sorpel, without leaving the slightest room, coldly refused their request.

“If anything feels wrong with your body, you must tell me at once.”

“Yes, Father.”

Camilla gave him another faint smile and paused for a moment.

“But...”

“Hm?”

“I’ve been having a dream that keeps repeating lately.”

“Repeating?”

Duke Sorpel’s face faintly hardened at the words that it was not once, but the same dream several times. It was a situation in which it was no longer easy to dismiss her dreams.

“Is it a bad dream?”

“It isn’t.”

Camilla set down the teacup she had been holding and, to reassure Duke Sorpel as he stared fixedly at her, deliberately brightened her expression.

“I’ll check first and then tell you.”

“Check?”

“Yes.” 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

“It isn’t dangerous?”

“Not at all.”

Camilla seemed to have no intention of telling him what the dream was; with that, she closed her mouth. Duke Sorpel likewise did not press her further.

‘All right, the bait is scattered.’

Time to go look for the Guardian’s egg.

Chapter. In Search of the Guardian’s Egg

“Phew.”

Standing before the lake, Camilla let out long breaths one after another.

Her clothing was as light as possible. She stood at the lakeside wearing only the simple pants and shirt used for sword training.

I can’t go in wearing a trailing skirt, can I?

“I’m not confident in swimming...”

She did, however, have a fair bit of experience with diving. She had even learned from a professional.

That was because filming underwater was often needed for commercials, films, and dramas.

‘Of course, back then all the safety measures were perfect.’

There were always safety personnel standing by all around her. But now?

Camilla turned her eyes to the two ghosts standing at her side, Hersel and Derrin.

Watching the two of them, not worried about her drowning but rather brimming with excitement, she could only let out a sigh.

‘Fine, think of it positively.’

At least there were ghosts to guide the way.

It was a relief that she would not be searching blindly for the Guardian’s egg somewhere in this wide lake without even knowing where it was.

“It really isn’t far, right?”

[Yes, just trust me and follow. It isn’t as deep as you might think. You’ll be able to bring it up in no time.]

Why did Derrin’s bold assurance feel so unreliable today?

That said, having come this far, she had no intention of putting it off to another day.

Recently, rumors that she had foresight had spread, and even more attention had turned toward her. It had been very hard to slip away to this place, out of others’ sight.

Since she was going to do it, it would be best to finish quickly today.

Camilla loosened up lightly and checked once more, carefully, that there was no one around.

“Let’s start.”

[Yes!]

[Be careful.]

Instead of answering, she gave Hersel a light nod, and in that moment Derrin darted into the water. True to being a ghost, not a single ripple rose.

She watched for a moment, then after a few long deep breaths, Camilla too leapt into the water.

Splash!

She flinched for a moment at the water being colder than expected, but soon opened her eyes and took in the situation.

Camilla spotted Derrin, who had come near and was looking at her with concern, and she nodded. Only then did Derrin move again.

Camilla followed slowly behind him.

Considering her swimming ability, Derrin kept his speed matched as much as possible, so it was not too hard to follow.

‘The water really is clear.’

Her vision was sharp all the way to the far distance.

[Here, my lady!]

Just as her breath was starting to run short, Derrin thankfully said they had reached the destination.

[This is the Guardian’s egg!]

‘That?’

Camilla looked at the object Derrin pointed to and was a little taken aback. Hearing “egg,” she had imagined something like a hen’s egg.

‘Isn’t that a glass bead?’

A small glass bead the size of a baby’s fist lay on the lakebed.

It was a bit peculiar in that its color shifted moment by moment in the dim light seeping softly down under the lake.

But no matter how she looked at it, it was a stretch to call it an egg.

[My lady.]

‘I know.’

Pressed by Derrin, Camilla hurried to retrieve the egg. Her breath was already up to her throat, and it was hard to stay down here any longer.

It was then. Just as she was about to head back up, Camilla’s eyes flew wide.

She had spotted someone, face taut, swimming fast toward her.

‘Donna?’

So startled by the utterly unexpected appearance, Camilla gaped, forgetting for a moment that she was underwater.

“...!”

Water rushed into her mouth and she snapped back to herself, but her breathing had already faltered and it was hard to hold it.

[My lady!]

She heard Derrin’s panicked voice, and Donna’s speed toward her grew even faster.

What happened after that she did not remember clearly.

“...—y, my lady!”

“Ugh...”

“Lady Camilla!”

When she came to, she was already out of the lake.

Donna was calling her over and over, her face gone pale.

“My lady! Are you awake?”

“You... cough”