A fortune-telling princess

Camilla, coughing intermittently, had many things to say but first urgently rummaged through her clothes. Only one thought had crossed her mind the moment her senses returned.

‘Phew.’

Luckily, the egg of the divine beast was still there. She wouldn’t have to dive back into that cursed lake again.

Realizing she was safe, a long sigh of relief escaped her lips, and it finally hit her that she was alive.

I really thought I’d become a water ghost!

Camilla, lying limp on the ground, slowly opened her eyes and stared intently at Donna.

“You, what are you?”

Seriously, who are you?

“Why are you here?”

Camilla was bewildered. Just that morning, Donna had seen her off from the duke’s mansion, and now, suddenly, here she was, at school and diving into the lake after her. No matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn’t make sense of the situation.

“It’s you, my lady! What were you thinking?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Why did you jump into the lake?”

“That’s…”

“Why would you suddenly try to die like that?”

“There seems to be some misunderstanding…”

“This time, if you die, it’s really over!”

“…What?”

This time?

“You won’t be able to go back to the past like before!”

A cold wind suddenly swept over her, chilling her soaked body to the bone.

She couldn’t tell if the shivers running through her were from the wind or Donna’s words, but her face hardened.

“What did you just say?”

“Oh my!”

“Heavens!”

“My lady!”

Upon returning home, Camilla was greeted by startled exclamations from everyone who saw her drenched appearance. She clamped her mouth shut.

She hadn’t even considered changing her clothes before coming back; her head was too full of thoughts.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a large cloak enveloped her. She turned to see Ludville looking at her. Judging by his knightly attire, he had been training.

“Was it those guys again?”

Those guys?

‘Ah.’

He seemed to think she had once again been harassed by Jude and his gang. His gaze turned cold.

Shaking her head, Camilla softly declined and resumed walking. She wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone.

She left everyone behind and fixed her gaze on one person—Donna. Camilla’s eyes commanded her to follow.

[Come.]

[My lady…]

“You two, leave as well.”

Once inside her room, Camilla addressed Hershel and Derin, who had followed her in.

[But…]

“From this moment on, anyone who shows interest in what happens here or eavesdrops will be considered unwelcome by me forever.”

Her cold demeanor made them quickly retreat.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Donna stepped inside.

“My lady…”

“…”

“Let me at least bring you some warm tea…”

“No need.”

Camilla cut her off sharply.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Donna, your maid, my lady…”

“Want to die?”

Don’t play games with me.

Her icy tone made Donna shrink back.

“Answer properly. What did you mean earlier about not being able to go back if I die this time?”

‘You won’t be able to go back to the past like before!’

Camilla replayed Donna’s words and the events at the lake over and over in her head. Finally, she voiced the conclusion she had reached.

“Do you know why I ended up in this world and what’s happening now?”

You know, don’t you?

Donna, who had been hanging her head, finally straightened up. She sighed deeply, then gave a surprising answer.

“Until recently, I was a Soul Manager.”

Camilla’s eyebrows shot up. Donna hastily added,

“Exactly what it sounds like, someone who manages souls.”

Like a grim reaper? Why am I not even shocked? Ugh.

‘This is infuriating.’

Despite hearing the absurd term “Soul Manager,” Camilla felt no surprise, only disgust at her own indifference.

Guess seeing ghosts has ruined my mental health. Wait, until recently?

“So, you’re saying you’re not anymore?”

“Yes.”

Donna’s face grew gloomy.

“I was dismissed.”

“Dismissed?”

“I made a bit of a mistake…”

Donna hesitated, watching Camilla’s reaction as she continued.

“I accidentally switched two souls.”

“What do you mean? You put someone else’s soul in another body?”

“Exactly! You’re so quick to understand!”

While Donna clapped in admiration, Camilla’s face grew colder.

Switched souls? Why does that make me feel uneasy?

“Just like how people need the right clothes to feel comfortable, souls need the right body. If the soul doesn’t fit the body, everything goes wrong.”

Donna paused, cautiously observing Camilla.

“For example, they might be shunned by those around them.”

“Shunned?”

“Even family members struggle to show affection. People instinctively find them repulsive.”

“…”

“It’s like an innate response. A rejection of something different. Everyone avoids and shuns them, except in rare, special cases.”

Avoidance. Rejection.

“So…”

Camilla slowly stood, the cloak on her shoulders slipping to the floor.

“The mismatched soul was me?”

“That’s correct!”

Donna clapped her hands again.

“You and Miss Sia’s souls were switched. Not only are you perceptive, but your judgment is spot on…”

“Shut up.”

“Yes.”

“…”

Camilla was silent for a long time. She felt like she’d been hit over the head repeatedly with a heavy club.

“So…”

All the strange events in her life happened because her soul was switched?

‘It’s all because of you!’

‘Ah, Dad…’

‘Someone like you could never be my daughter!’

Fragments of old memories resurfaced. Her father—if she could even call him that—uttering curses as if they were second nature.

‘Father! Please, save me!’

‘Take her away.’

‘Father!’

And then there was the last image of Camilla she could recall.

“A mistake?”

A mistake, really? Everything Camilla and her counterpart had endured was just because of a mistake?

“Ha! This is just… wow…”

She felt her head spinning from the rising anger.

“Um…”

Donna flinched, taking a cautious step back.

“Why are you taking off your shoes?”

Seeing Camilla remove her heeled shoes and grab them in her hand, Donna’s tone grew even more wary.

“Just because.”

The shoes were exceptionally sharp, and today they looked particularly satisfying. Her grip tightened around them.

“It feels like the right thing to hold.”

Donna, now visibly frightened, took another step back.

“So, this body… it was originally mine?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“And the reason?”

“The reason?”

“If you knew you made a mistake, why didn’t you put the souls back immediately? Why didn’t you fix it sooner?”

Had Donna corrected her mistake right away, none of this would have happened.

“Why the hell not?”

Why had so many years passed before this revelation? Camilla couldn’t understand it.

“Once a soul settles into a body, removing and replacing it isn’t a simple process. Especially when the souls belong to entirely different dimensions.”

Donna sighed, her gaze darting to the shoe still in Camilla’s hand. She discreetly shuffled further back.

“It involves breaking the fundamental laws of both dimensions, which could destabilize their natural order.”

“Then why now?”

“That’s why a condition was necessary.”

“A condition?”

“Both souls had to recognize each other. Naturally.”

“What?”

“Most likely, you have been observing this place for a long time, haven’t you?”

Camilla froze.

The inexplicable visions she had endured for over twenty years—the repeated scenes of another life—suddenly made sense.

‘Wait a minute…’

Recognizing each other?

“Are you saying she was watching me, too?”

“Yes, precisely.”

“…!”

“Just as you’ve been watching her life unfold in your dreams, Miss Camilla has been watching yours in her dreams.”

“Ha…”

The phenomena—the otherworldly visions pulling her into someone else’s life—had been a shared experience all along.

“So, this place… it’s my rightful place?”

“That’s correct.”

“And now I can never return to that other world?”

“Yes.”

“And if I die now, that’s it?”

“Bingo!”

Camilla let out a bitter laugh, a mix of frustration and absurdity washing over her. She felt anger bubbling, but it was tempered by a strange sense of closure.

The realization that she could never return to the other world was suffocating, yet knowing she was back where she truly belonged brought an odd comfort.

“…Wait.”

A sudden thought struck her, making her tense up.

“Are you telling me that the other me also died repeatedly?”

Donna hesitated, but then nodded.

“Yes. Miss Isia has died countless times.”

“…”

“By her father’s hand.”

“…Who?”

“Your father. The one from that world.”

Why was that wretched man being brought up now?

“Ha…”

She hadn’t seen him in years. The last she remembered, he had extorted her for money, failed, and disappeared without a trace.

‘Are you telling me I ultimately died by his hand?’

Not just once, but repeatedly?

“Then doesn’t that mean she could die again?”

It implied that her counterpart was in constant danger.

“Miss Isia is well aware of that.”

Donna shook her head slightly, as if to reassure her.

“Just as you’re doing everything you can to survive in this world, she’s working hard to eliminate the dangers in hers.”

“Well…”

Camilla smirked bitterly.

“She’d better be.”

Her counterpart wasn’t foolish. She’d find a way to prepare herself.