A Fortune-telling Princess [Novel] Chapter 288

“…Who?”

“Younger sister.”

Camilla’s eyes rapidly filled with disbelief as she watched Havel sit in the café and gulp down a glass of iced coffee.

“I’ll ask one more time. Who?”

“His younger sister.”

“How many times are you going to make me say it? Is your comprehension lacking?”

“Are you sure your ability to explain isn’t lacking?”

“What more is there to explain here?”

The reason Camilla kept asking the same question over and over was because she could not believe a word of what Havel had just told her.

“You’re saying that girl is Dorman’s dead younger sister? Does that make any sense?”

The girl Dorman had been stalking—no, staring holes into. The girl who looked to be in her mid-to-late teens was supposedly none other than the younger sister who had died long ago.

The Mirror of Truth.

The one who had been born with that fate and had ultimately died at the hands of the Eva Church followers. Apparently, the soul of that dead younger sister had reincarnated.

“What kind of bullshit is that?”

She had heard otherwise.

‘My younger sister was eventually captured and killed by the Eva Church followers as well. Even her soul ceased to exist, so she could not even be guided by a death god.’

Dorman had definitely said that before. When she had asked if she might be the reincarnation of his dead younger sister, he had said his sister’s soul had ceased to exist and could not even reincarnate.

“So what do you mean, reincarnated?”

How could a soul that had ceased to exist reincarnate?

“Because it had not ceased to exist.”

“What?”

Only after Havel sucked down the rest of his drink through the straw in one long pull did he finally tell her the details.

“The Main God was separately managing Lord Dorman’s younger sister’s soul.”

“The Main God was?”

“Because they were pitiful souls.”

It was not only Dorman’s younger sister. All the souls born as Mirrors of Truth and killed had been personally managed by the Main God.

“Why go that far?”

“To prevent them from being fated to die at the hands of the Eva Church followers again.”

A soul born as the Mirror of Truth and killed was highly likely to be born with that same fate again, even after reincarnation.

The one fortunate thing was that two Mirrors of Truth were never born in the same era.

“So the Main God reincarnated them during times when they would not be born with that fate.”

When a Mirror of Truth had already been born and existed in the world, the Main God had reincarnated the souls being kept, one by one.

“So that’s why Dorman didn’t know either?”

“Yes.”

Since it was a soul the Main God was separately keeping and managing, Dorman could not find it no matter how much he investigated with his status as a senior administrator.

Because of that, Dorman had been certain his sister’s soul had completely ceased to exist.

“How did he find out now?”

“Because all danger from the Eva Church is gone.”

There was no longer any reason for the Main God to separately manage the souls of the Mirrors of Truth who had met such pitiful deaths.

So all the facts had been disclosed, and Havel, who had learned the whereabouts of Dorman’s younger sister, had personally gone and told him.

“Huh.”

After hearing the whole story, Camilla had nothing in particular to say. She could only keep letting out hollow sounds of disbelief.

Dorman had lived all this time thinking his younger sister’s soul had ceased to exist.

Because of that, he had even risked his position as a death god to perform the soul swap in order to protect another Mirror of Truth.

In the end, he had been expelled from that position and had stayed by her side while enduring all kinds of abuse from her.

And now his sister’s soul had reincarnated just fine?

But it would be ridiculous to resent the Main God for that.

The Main God had merely taken measures so that the souls born as Mirrors of Truth would not suffer the same fate again.

“But why is he acting like a stalker?”

If he had met the younger sister he had searched for so desperately, he should go talk to her. Why was he doing that?

“What would you say if a man you had never seen before came to you and said, ‘I am your older brother from your past life’?”

“Lunatic.”

“…….”

At Camilla’s answer, which came out without even a second of hesitation, Havel gave her a flat, deeply unimpressed look.

“Ah… I get it.”

Camilla scratched her cheek under that gaze and finally came to understand Dorman’s behavior to some extent.

True, it would be strange to go up to her out of nowhere and start talking.

“And if Lord Dorman approaches his sister and reveals his identity, he will receive punishment.”

“Punishment?”

“He would be ce… He would receive a very severe punishment.”

“What kind of punishment?”

“That much is none of your business.”

“Hmm.”

A severe punishment.

Would he get dragged away and locked in prison or something?

In that case, his stalker behavior was completely understandable. He would never be able to show himself in front of her.

Still, letting him waste time while radiating that much criminal energy was also a little…

“…….”

Camilla looked over at Arsian, who was helping Lila with work on one side of the café.

A huge batch of café supplies had arrived a little while ago, and when Lila had been struggling alone, Camilla had gone to help. Then Arsian had stepped forward and said he would do it instead.

“You know.”

“……?”

Havel, who had been fiddling with the straw stuck in his empty cup as if he regretted finishing his drink, raised his head at Camilla’s call.

“Don’t you think our shop needs one more part-timer?”

At those words, Havel threw her a gaze full of wariness.

“I am not doing any more part-time cleaning work.”

“I don’t plan to pay you to use you either.”

“What?”

If she made Dorman work without paying Havel, Havel would clean on his own anyway, so why would she bother paying him? Havel was already confirmed as an unpaid part-timer.

“I think it would be good to have one more person to help Lila.”

Camilla smiled brightly and only then took a long sip of the drink in front of her.

*****

“What? Fifteen days’ worth?”

“That’s right. Things are a little difficult this month too.”

“B-but you clearly said you would give me all the overdue pay this month…”

“I want to. But what can I do when circumstances are like this?”

Meari, an employee of Berry Bakery, clenched her fists as she looked at the money the owner handed her.

Six months of wages had already been delayed. But she could not quit. The moment she quit, she would not receive a single coin of the overdue pay.

She knew. Why had she not quit sooner? Why had she stupidly endured it until six months of wages went unpaid?

But the situation had been extremely cunning. It was not that he had refused to pay her for six straight months. He had given her little amounts at a time—fifteen days’ worth, ten days’ worth—and the unpaid wages had kept piling up.

He kept saying he would pay all of it the next month, and as she trusted him and waited, before she knew it, half a year’s wages had been delayed.

‘I’ll make sure you get all of it next month. But you know, right? If you quit now, you won’t receive a single coin.’

‘What?’

‘You signed the contract. If you quit midway, you don’t get paid for the work you’ve done so far.’

‘There wasn’t a clause like that…’

‘Look carefully. It’s written right here.’

It had been her mistake. Because she had urgently needed money, she had not properly read the contract.

When she first started working here, she had thought it was a trustworthy place because, unlike other places, they even wrote an employment contract. Who would have thought that very thing would be used to shackle her?

It was definitely her mistake for not carefully checking the contents written in tiny letters in the middle, so small they were barely visible.

In the end, even on payday today, Meari had not received the overdue wages, let alone a proper full month’s pay.

…Should I just give up?

Half a year’s wages… It was such a waste, but continuing to work like this did not seem right. The more time passed, the greater the damage would become.

But…

Could she find another job right away? The owner here had a far wider network than she had expected.

If he spread bad rumors about her, finding another position would become very difficult.

Slide.

“……!”

Meari, who had been lost in thought, flinched and widened her eyes. Owner Wood’s hand had wrapped around her shoulder.

“I heard. Your mother is very ill, isn’t she?”

Meari’s expression stiffened at the way he pressed close to her with a suggestive smile.

“You need money right away, don’t you? I think I could borrow some from somewhere else for you.”

She had thought his gaze on her was a little strange even on ordinary days, but…

Smack!

“What are you doing right now?”

“What do you mean, what am I doing? I’m offering to help.”

Meari slapped Owner Wood’s hand away with all her strength. But Wood only lifted the corners of his mouth and pressed even closer to her.

“I quit right n—!”

“You’re going to quit? Then it’ll be hard for you to find work from now on. Why are you trying to take the hard road when there’s an easy one right in front of you? I told you, I can get you money without you doing any hard work.”

“…….”

Meari’s eyes gradually sank coldly. Her clenched fists trembled.