A fortune-telling princess

Lila.

Beautiful. Kind. Good-natured.

She was the only one who approached Camilla, who everyone avoided, to talk to her and offer a smile. But…

Camilla loathed Lila. No, she despised her.

‘I thought it was jealousy.’

Lila and Camilla shared some similarities. Both had lost their parents at a young age and were adopted into other noble families, raised by foster parents.

But the outcomes were drastically different. While not as prominent as the Duke of Sorpel, the baronial couple who adopted Lila cherished and loved her as if she were their own daughter.

Lila grew up to be a cheerful and beautiful lady, constantly surrounded by people. Everyone liked Lila. Even Petro, whom Camilla used to follow around, showed interest in her.

They were in the same situation. Both were raised by foster parents, not their biological ones. So why was Lila different?

Camilla must have been envious to the point of madness at how easily Lila gained the affection Camilla so desperately wanted.

‘But she didn’t want to admit that envy.’

Admitting it would have made her feel even more miserable.

Camilla protected herself by tormenting Lila and saying hurtful things.

The more she did, the more she was shunned. Even knowing this, Camilla couldn’t stop. And in the end…

‘Father!’

‘…….’

‘P-please save me!’

“…Ugh, this is so frustrating.”

Camilla ruffled her hair roughly, haunted by the memories.

Camilla had been denied the love she craved. Meanwhile… Lila had everything.

Overwhelmed by her emotions, Camilla even tried to kidnap and kill Lila but was caught and severely punished.

That was the final straw. After that incident, everyone turned their backs on Camilla.

Even the Duke of Sorpel, who had barely maintained any familial affection for her, completely severed ties.

This included her only blood relative, Ravi.

Ravi’s willingness to involve Camilla in his schemes to kill Ludville without any hesitation was precisely because of this.

Practically isolated, Camilla couldn’t refuse Ravi’s requests, as he was one of the few people who still reached out to her.

Each time, watching her predicament had made her crave something strong to wash away the frustration. She remembered frantically gulping down soda after seeing the mess it created.

“Are you Lady Camilla?”

Camilla stared indifferently at the bright smile of Lila.

‘Now that I think about it, she transferred schools around this time.’

Lila was someone who constantly provoked Camilla, yet she had completely forgotten.

“Um….”

When Camilla didn’t respond, Lila’s expression became cautious. Camilla stepped closer to her.

Swoosh.

And she extended her hand.

Lila, looking slightly dazed, stared at Camilla’s pale and slender hand.

“Are you just going to stay there?”

“Oh!”

Lila finally returned her smile and gently took Camilla’s hand.

“Ugh!”

As Lila tried to stand, her swollen ankle sent sharp pain shooting up, making her stagger. Camilla quickly supported her with her other hand.

“Thank you.”

“If you’re thankful, don’t follow people like him to such places again.”

Isn’t it obvious? Why would you follow someone to such a desolate forest?

“I didn’t follow that person….”

“Then?”

“I followed you, Lady Camilla!”

Camilla’s expression turned incredulous at Lila’s bashful smile. When did I ever meet you for you to follow me?

“I saw you heading into the forest, and I was worried something might happen. It’s dangerous to go alone, you know.”

What a busybody.

“You… know me?”

“Yes! I do!”

You do?

“Everyone talks about Lady Camilla all the time!”

“About me?”

“They talk about what you wore today, what accessories you had, how your hair was styled. Even what you did during class spreads by the afternoon.”

“…….”

“Everyone seems very interested in you.”

Camilla was vaguely aware of the increased attention on her lately. She had started comfortably enjoying the disregard and avoidance from others, so it must have seemed odd to them.

‘I didn’t realize they were discussing even my hairstyle.’

She had overheard rumors that the shops responsible for her attire and accessories had seen a significant increase in sales recently.

“I really wanted to meet you.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“…….”

There was a sparkle in her eyes, one that Camilla found oddly familiar.

‘That look is so familiar.’

That’s how rookie actors looked when meeting her for the first time.

“Camilla.”

At that moment, Ludville slowly approached Camilla. Only then did she turn her attention back to the situation around her.

“Kuhk.”

“Sniff….”

“Ugh….”

The four men were kneeling on the ground, groaning in pain. One was even sobbing.

What happened in that short time?

All of them looked a mess. Some had broken arms or legs, yet none dared to move from their kneeling position. It seemed they believed that was their only chance to survive.

‘When did he get down?’

Even Jude, whom she had tied up in a tree, was kneeling on the ground, groaning.

Looking up, she saw that the branch Jude had been tied to was cleanly cut. It seemed Ludville had cut it. How did he manage to cut something so high up?

“This.”

When Camilla turned to look at Ludville, he extended something toward her.

“Huh?”

It was a bracelet. Her bracelet. But…

“It’s broken.”

It looked like the bracelet, which had shrunk back to its original size, had been forcefully removed. One end was completely severed.

“Sorry.”

Hearing his brief apology, Camilla guessed this was also Ludville’s doing.

How did he manage to break something this sturdy? Ravi had said it could bind even formidable monsters tightly.

“I’ll have to ask Ravi to fix it.”

“Ravi gave it to you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Why? If you have to ask….

“I don’t know.”

Camilla chuckled softly.

“Maybe he just gave it to me because I’m his sister? He’s my brother, after all.”

As she recalled the awkward way Ravi had handed her the bracelet, Camilla’s eyes curved into a delicate smile.

“…….”

Crack!

‘Huh? Crack?’

What was that sound… hey!

Camilla, who was reaching out to take the bracelet back, widened her eyes at the unfamiliar noise that came from Ludville’s hand.

The sparkling bracelet crumbled into fine powder, falling to the ground. Ludville, having loosened his grip, nonchalantly handed her the remnants and said with composure:

“Sorry.”

Camilla stared at him in disbelief as Ludville avoided her gaze, pressing the broken bracelet pieces into her hand.

***

“This is strange….”

Camilla lay in bed, her thoughts tangled and restless as usual.

Her sudden encounter with Lila left her mind in turmoil. Since Lila’s appearance, the atmosphere around Camilla had subtly shifted.

‘Especially Ludville.’

He, who had shown no interest in people, things, or even himself, suddenly displayed a peculiar attachment — and it was toward Lila.

But today, the two of them had behaved unexpectedly. They were distant, avoiding each other’s gazes.

In her previous lives, the two had felt a strong pull toward each other from their first meeting, showing obvious interest.

Others, like Ravi and Petro, soon joined in, creating a chaotic love triangle. But…

‘Was it because they didn’t meet in the designated location?’

Today’s encounter deviated from the original timeline, as Camilla had never before searched for the divine beast’s egg by visiting the Lake of Spirits.

‘They were supposed to meet at the market, right?’

In the original timeline, Lila encountered trouble at the hands of some thugs. Ludville noticed her and stepped in to help, initiating their close bond.

“…I don’t know. I should just sleep.”

Yawning deeply, Camilla tossed and turned for a while before finally sinking into a deep slumber.

It wasn’t long before—

[Hey.]

“Mm, huh….”

The familiar voice woke her from her peaceful sleep. Groggily, she opened her eyes.

[Wake up, will you?]

“Go away….”

[I said, wake up.]

The sharp tone jolted her awake. There, standing beside her bed, was someone — or rather, something. A ghost.

If it had been a ghost she didn’t recognize, she might have dismissed it. She had seen enough spirits appearing unexpectedly in the middle of the night.

“How did you get here?”

But this was a spirit tied to its burial site, and seeing it here was entirely unexpected.

[Hmm. Even I’m not sure.]

It was none other than Hershel, a spirit bound to his own grave.

Camilla couldn’t help but be startled. Hershel, unable to leave his grave due to his binding curse, was now standing right before her.

‘How is this even possible?’

This was a first. She had never seen anything like it before.

[I waited endlessly for news about you, but suddenly today, I felt a lightness in my body.]

…Do ghosts even have weight?

Camilla sighed softly. It seemed the revelation about finding the divine beast’s egg had eased some of Hershel’s burdens.

‘He must be desperate to tell me to retrieve it quickly.’

Urging the ghostly butler Derin daily had evidently not been enough. Hershel must have taken matters into his own hands, breaking free of his spectral bindings to deliver the message in person.

[When will you retrieve the divine beast’s egg?]

“It’s not that simple.”

[You already know the location. What’s so difficult?]

“Sigh.”

Camilla sighed again, bracing herself for the relentless nagging. Now that Hershel had joined Derin, they would likely hound her every day until she acted.

‘Looks like I’ll never sleep peacefully again.’

The exhaustion was already catching up to her.