A Fortune-telling Princess

Arsian and Petro stepped toward the fake Camilla at the same time, as she kept rolling her eyes around, struggling to grasp what was happening.

“Talk.”

“Where is Camilla right now?”

“I-I... I have no idea what you’re even......!”

SHING—

“Eek!”

The icy, razor-cold touch of steel pressed against her throat. She must have felt the chill straight through her bones—her face went paper-white.

“I’ll ask one last time. Camilla. Where is she?”

“I don’t know! I said I don’t know! What you two are saying! I don’t understand any of it!”

She screamed like she was making one final, desperate struggle.

WHIICK!

“Ghk!”

In the next instant, a hand seized her throat.

“Really don’t know?”

“U-ugh...!”

It was Arsian.

Killing intent thick enough to choke the air flooded the space around them. Petro watched it and let out a short sigh, pulling Arsian back.

“Let’s take her to the Sorpel house first.”

Seeing her shriek and thrash, it didn’t look like this would end cleanly here.

“This doesn’t seem like something we should decide on our own.”

The Sorpel residence might know something. Taking her there first felt like the priority.

“......”

Arsian fell silent for a moment, then flicked his hand lightly.

The three of them were swallowed by light in an instant—and vanished from the spot.

****

“Eeeek!”

“Miss!”

“W-what is this......!”

The people of the Sorpel residence couldn’t hide their shock as Camilla was dragged in with a blade at her throat.

And it made sense.

The one restraining her was Arsian.

And behind him, Petro stood with his sword drawn.

“What do you think you’re doing!”

The first person to come running at the commotion was the butler, Rube. His voice was colder than it had ever been.

“Release her at once.”

Arsian looked at Rube with a hint of interest.

It had been a long time since someone dared to say whatever they pleased to him while he was furious.

“What is all this noise.”

A low voice that seemed to press down on the space itself rang out.

Everyone in the hall held their breath.

“You dare threaten my daughter in my house.”

It was the Duke of Sorpel.

His mere appearance changed the air completely.

A crackling, ice-cold pressure—like frozen needles biting into flesh—filled the hall. No one could open their mouth easily under the force he was releasing.

“Does that look like Camilla to you?”

“What?”

The one who broke that heavy silence was Arsian.

“Father! Please save me!”

Thinking this was her last chance, she shouted in a desperate voice before their exchange could go any longer.

“I don’t know why they’re doing this either, Father... h-hic!”

As “Camilla” wept openly, the Duke of Sorpel’s pressure grew even more violent.

But he couldn’t rush forward.

Camilla, trapped in Arsian’s grip, looked far too precarious.

“Father! What the—!”

Ravi appeared, having heard the news.

“Camilla!”

The moment he saw Camilla caught in Arsian’s hand, his face twisted hard. Had that bastard lost his mind?

“What are you doing to my sister right now!”

“Brother....”

With Ravi’s arrival, her expression turned even more pitiful as she called to him.

“Save me... please....”

Ravi halted mid-step as he was about to run to her.

What is it?

Watching her beg through streaming tears sent a sharp, uncomfortable feeling crashing into him.

He didn’t even know why.

“Could you shut up?”

A familiar voice cut in.

Step.

“Don’t stand there using my face to say that kind of crap to him. It pisses me off.”

“......!”

Everyone’s expressions were identical as they stared at the one slowly approaching, tongue clicking in annoyance.

All of them stood there blankly, mouths hanging open, unable to form words.

“C-Camilla?”

Because another Camilla had appeared.

****

“Why are you here?”

Camilla, who had been locked in the underground space, stared wide-eyed as someone casually opened the door and walked in like it was his own house.

“Then should I just leave?”

It was someone she never expected.

Reaper Habel stood there with his arms crossed, looking at her with indifference.

He even had fake Dennis slung over his shoulder.

“I’m happy to see you, that’s why! Happy to see you!”

Camilla hurriedly stopped Habel as he actually turned to leave.

With Camilla firing off shameless flattering smiles like she was genuinely thrilled, Habel clicked his tongue and immediately untied her from the chair.

His gaze then shifted to Water Ghost Beth, who was still standing there blankly, spirit gone.

“Wait—!”

Camilla jumped up and blocked Habel’s line of sight.

“Don’t tell me you came to take that ghost right now?”

That felt wrong.

Dragging her away like this—seriously?

She had no intention of interfering with a reaper’s work, but Beth still hadn’t even properly grasped what had happened to her child.

“Two birds with one stone.”

“What?”

“I came to collect a debt.”

“A debt?”

“With this, consider my repayment for what you helped with finished.”

He seemed to be referring to the earlier matter where she persuaded the director grandmother.

She’d planned to squeeze out something bigger later... but whatever. Nothing she could do.

“Then what about Beth? Are you taking her right now?”

“Not your business.”

“Let me ask one thing.”

He was right that it wasn’t her place to get involved, but she still wanted to know something.

He was a reaper. Maybe he knew more.

“If it’s something I can answer.”

“What are those things?”

Camilla pointed at the boy collapsed by the underground door. A mindless child-ghost was still attached to him.

“Those not listed in the register.”

“What?”

“Since some time ago, spirits not listed in the register have been appearing one after another.”

If they weren’t listed, it meant they died without fulfilling their ordained lifespan.

That meant a reaper couldn’t find them or take them unless he discovered them with his own eyes first.

“Meanwhile, those listed in the register are vanishing without a trace.”

Habel’s words made Camilla knit her brow repeatedly.

So the spirits of those who should die and those who should live were switched.

One vague puzzle piece clicked into place.

But her mood only got worse.

“So they stole the bodies of people who were living perfectly fine.”

She had kept wondering who the things were that had taken over Rania and this boy’s bodies.

She’d suspected some organization specializing in possession techniques... but it looked more complicated than that.

“Why do those kids have no mind?”

Camilla pointed at the child-ghost clinging to the boy.

“Because their bodies were taken by force. They didn’t die according to their lifespan—so when their spirits were ripped out, their minds got bound to the flesh.”

“Then if we put the spirit back in...?”

If they pulled the fake spirit out of that body and put the real one back?

Her eyes flashed brightly for an instant. Maybe she could save the child and Rania.

“Wouldn’t it work if the real owner went back in?”

“No.”

“Why?”

They weren’t even listed in the register!

Her voice rose on its own. They weren’t dead—just forcibly torn out—so shouldn’t they be able to return?

“The thread between spirit and body is already cut. Their names just aren’t on the register yet. It’s no different from death.”

“Damn it....”

Camilla ground her teeth. What kind of rotten, dogshit situation was this?

Her eyes shifted to Beth. The hope that had briefly lit Beth’s gaze sank back into despair.

“Then what are you going to do with that bastard? You’re not leaving him like this.”

Camilla’s stare hardened as she looked at the boy.

How should she chew up the bastard squatting in that child’s body to feel satisfied?

“True Name.”

“True Name? His real name?”

“Call it.”

“How do you find out that bastard’s real name—”

“I already know it.”

Albro Harrison.

WHOOSH!

[U-ugh... w-what is this?!]

The instant Habel spoke the name, a spirit slid out of the boy’s body.

It was a man in his late seventies.

“That bastard is—”

“Yeah. I’ve been chasing th— him the whole time. He was originally under my jurisdiction.”

Tracking down the listed spirits that had vanished must have been hard.

For the first time, a bleak fury stirred in Habel’s usually indifferent eyes.

[T-this is... what?! No! N-no! Ah, no!!]

The old man screamed after leaving the boy’s body.

Realizing he’d lost his flesh, he bellowed at the top of his lungs, but no one reacted to him.

[You crazy... you insane old man!]

No—there was one.

[Because of something like you! Because of things like you, my son—!]

[Gk—! W-what are you doing?! Aaaagh!!]

It was Beth. She seized the old man’s throat with both hands and poured out all her rage.

Camilla pretended not to see it.

Instead, she sent enthusiastic cheers in her head. Rip out every last hair, please.

Habel seemed to feel the same way. He didn’t even look over.

He practically encouraged Beth—he even shoved a wooden club into her hands.

“So what, then? You didn’t come to help me, you came to catch that? And you’re saying that counts as paying back last time? That’s so cheap—hey, what are you doing?”

Why are you picking the rope up again?

“Sit down.” 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

“Huh?”

“Sit down. I’m going to tie you to the chair again.”

“Who said I called a reaper cheap? Our always-busy Reaper came all the way here in person and even untied me himself. Right? Of course.”

“.......”

Habel stared at her like she’d lost her mind at the speed of her attitude flip.

What? Why? Like this is new for me. I’m not embarrassed at all. Not embarrassed! ...Damn it.

[Where... where is this?]

Then a child’s innocent voice came from behind.

Camilla snapped her head around.

The child-ghost who had been attached to the boy just moments ago was looking around restlessly.

[Dennis.]

Beth froze completely at that voice.

[...Mom?]

Fear had clouded the child in this unfamiliar place, but a smile bloomed bright as day across his face.

[Mom! Did you come to get me?]

Seeing the child run toward her, Beth slowly knelt down on one knee.

[Yeah. I came to get you.]

The child’s smile grew even brighter as he ran—then threw himself into Beth’s arms.

[I’m sorry... I was late. So, so late.]

Beth sobbed as she hugged her child.

A long sigh slipped from Camilla’s mouth ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) as she watched.

It was a good thing, sure, that a mother and child reunited...

but she didn’t know if she could call this “good.”

“Haa.”

She wanted to stomp that insane old bastard into paste right now, but this wasn’t her place.

Habel would handle that old man now.

“I’ll give you one more thing.”

“Hm?”

Habel’s voice came again.

“With this, my repayment for last time is truly finished.”

With a short sigh, he handed her a gift that looked quite useful.