A Fortune-telling Princess [Novel] Chapter 289

“If you just quietly do as you’re told—!”

THWACK!

“Ghk!”

But at that moment, a pained groan spilled from Wood’s mouth.

“Wh-what the hell!”

His head spun. Had something just hit him? Wood’s face crumpled, and he hurriedly looked back.

“What an overreaction. You’re not even bleeding.”

“Wh-who the hell are you?”

A woman stood there with a pointed shoe in one hand, wearing a bored expression. Had she just hit him with that shoe? Wood’s expression twisted even further.

“Me? I came to scout someone.”

“What?”

“I heard the employee here was good at her job, so I came to take her.”

The person who strode over to Meari and moved her as far away from Owner Wood as possible was none other than Camilla.

“You think you can take my employee as you please?”

“What employee, when you don’t even pay her?”

“Wh-what? When did I not pay her? I just gave her fifteen days’ worth of pay—!”

“Mister.”

Camilla’s voice dropped a level.

“Are you joking?”

Flinch.

As she lifted one corner of her mouth and stepped closer, Owner Wood unconsciously hurried backward.

Wh-what is this?

Why was his body moving on its own…? What kind of damn kid had eyes that vicious? She looked as if she might pull a knife from her coat and start swinging it at any second.

“I’ll give you ten days.”

“…Ten days?”

“Settle the overdue wages by then.”

“Ha! I’d pay her if I had the money! Do you think I wouldn’t pay if I had it? I’m not that bad a person!”

“Bullshit.”

“Wh-what?”

“You molest an employee young enough to be your daughter, and your mouth still works just fine.”

“Mo-molest? When did I ever do anything like—!”

“Enough.”

As if she had no need to hear more, Camilla cut Owner Wood off and emphasized it again.

“Ten days. No more.”

“…Ha.”

What are you going to do if I say I won’t pay?

Wood snorted and glared hard at Camilla. He also sent a fierce look at Meari, who stood behind her.

“Don’t look, don’t look. Your eyes will rot if you see something like that.”

Camilla covered Meari’s eyes with her hand as if blocking that gaze and led her outside.

“Hey! If you leave like this, you’re giving up your wages! You haven’t forgotten the contract, have you? Don’t even dream of getting hired anywhere el—!”

Whoosh!

Wood, who had been shouting as if throwing a tantrum, flinched again. Camilla, who had been heading outside, had whipped her head back.

Slide.

“……?”

…What was that?

Wood’s eyes widened at Camilla’s behavior as she suddenly stretched her hand forward, then slowly raised her middle finger.

He did not know what that meant, but…

Why… why does it piss me off?

Even as Camilla and Meari leisurely left the shop after that gesture, Wood could say nothing more.

Chapter 4. Meari

Namia.

Today as well, Dorman hid behind a tree and looked toward the bakery. At his younger sister Namia… no, at the woman named Meari, who carried that soul.

After hearing the full truth from Havel, he had gone to find Meari immediately. And then he had watched her. He had been desperately curious about how she was living now.

But…

Wasn’t she living such a hard life? Under a sick single mother, she had already become the head of the household at a young age.

But Dorman could not step forward. Havel had already warned him.

‘It is cessation. If Lord Dorman directly interferes with her life, reveals his identity, and influences her, you will immediately cease to exist.’

Because of that, Dorman could only watch. Secretly paying the treatment costs for her sick mother was the full extent of what he could do.

Even so, just knowing his sister’s soul had reincarnated and was living a new life—just being able to see her again like this—was enough.

So he could not help it. He had promised Camilla he would never slack off again, but today, too, he had come out like this to see his sister.

Lady Camilla was acting a little strange, though.

A few days ago, Camilla’s gaze had been rather odd after she returned from going out.

She kept staring holes into him, and he had been so nervous, wondering if she had found out he had been slacking off.

If his wages were cut again, it would become difficult to help with the treatment costs. He would need to be careful.

‘Should I have a telescope made for you?’

‘Pardon? A telescope?’

‘You could call it a basic item for stalking.’

‘……?’

‘Should I provide a camera too?’

‘……??’

Yet she had said those completely out-of-nowhere things while looking at him with faint pity.

That gaze had only made Dorman shrink even more. Was this some new kind of mental attack? Was she telling him to confess on his own?

Just until today. Really…

Starting tomorrow, he would not slack off.

“Let go of me!”

As Dorman was recalling what had happened a few days earlier, the sudden sound made him quickly lift his head.

The distance made it sound faint, but it was definitely Meari’s voice.

“…….”

Dorman’s expression hardened quickly. He had seen the man called the owner pawing at Meari’s body. The instant Dorman understood what was happening, he tried to run to the shop.

‘You will cease to exist.’

Stop.

At that moment, Havel’s warning voice rose in his mind.

“…….”

If he stepped forward now, even if he did not cease to exist, he would surely face some form of restriction.

Perhaps he would no longer be able to remain in the human world at all…

But Dorman did not hesitate.

So what?

That child was in trouble right now. Even if he ceased to exist, he did not care. He immediately ran toward the shop.

Tap!

“……?”

But at that moment, a hand swiftly caught his arm. Dorman hurriedly turned his head, and his eyes slowly widened.

“…Lady Camilla.”

It was Camilla. Why was she here? Dorman could not hide his surprise.

“I’ll go.”

“Pardon?”

“You stay here.”

“What do you…”

“I have some business at that shop.”

With those words, Camilla strode toward the shop.

And a short while later, leaving the owner yelling his lungs out behind her, Camilla returned to where he was with Meari.

“Ah…”

As Dorman watched Meari draw closer and closer to him, he could not easily open his mouth.

What was he supposed to say? No, was he even allowed to speak to her?

“Say hello.”

“…Pardon?”

Dorman, who had been unable to do anything as if his mind had gone blank, finally snapped back to himself at Camilla’s words.

“She’s an employee who’ll be working with us at the café starting today.”

“……!”

…An employee who would be working with °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° them?

Dorman’s eyes widened again. Meari was… a new employee?

Lady Camilla…

Did she perhaps know everything? Who this girl was?

“Hello. My name is Meari.”

Perhaps some of the details had already been settled while they left the shop together, because Meari did not seem particularly startled by Camilla’s words.

“…….”

Even as he watched Meari bow politely and greet him, Dorman still could not easily speak.

Only after quite a while did he take one step toward her, as if gathering his courage, and slowly hold out his hand.

“I’m… Dorman.”

A faint smile formed on his lips.

*****

“You…”

“Me? What?”

“…….”

Havel, the death god, looked at her with a face that seemed to have a great deal to say. In the end, however, he let out a short sigh and closed his mouth.

His gaze turned to one place. To the woman diligently arranging bread on the display shelves together with the woman named Lila. To Lord Dorman’s younger sister… no, to the woman named Meari, who carried his sister’s soul.

“We were short-handed. So I hired one part-timer.”

“I told you before. If Lord Dorman becomes deeply involved, he will be punished.”

“What are you talking about? Why is Dorman’s name coming up here? I’m talking about hiring a hardworking part-timer because we were short-handed.”

“…….”

At the sight of Camilla tilting her head with an innocent expression, as if she knew nothing at all, Havel gave her an incredulous look.

As if to prove she had once been an actress, her face was brazenly natural.

This time, Havel’s gaze turned to Dorman, who was cleaning one side of the shop while constantly glancing at Meari.

Seeing the joy in him, plain as day, Havel said nothing more.

“She’s a good kid. She works well too.”

Honestly, it was true that Camilla had brought her here for Dorman’s sake, but Meari was more capable than expected, so Camilla thought she had made the right choice bringing her in.

Lila likes her too.

She said Meari was definitely a great help.

After hearing the whole truth from Havel at first, Camilla had asked Butler Luve to look into Meari. She had figured she needed information about the girl first.

And one fact she learned was this.

The owner of the bakery where Meari worked was a piece of shit who would not be satisfying even if she chewed him up and swallowed him.