A Fortune-telling Princess [Novel] Chapter 293

The Gracia Emperor kept glancing at the Duke of Esclara, uneasy beneath that look on his face.

After all, he was the one who had forced the duke into the conference hall when the duke had said he could not attend today because he had other business.

What was he supposed to do, when there was no seeing the man’s face otherwise?

Recently, the duke had barely been coming to the palace at all. When asked why, the Duke of Esclara had given only one answer.

“I promised to spend time with my son.”

“Promised? With whom……?”

“Our daughter.”

“……”

When they first heard that, everyone had let out hollow laughs. They had thought he was joking.

The Gracia Emperor had been no different. No matter how generously one looked at the Duke of Esclara, he was certainly not a family man.

And yet, ever since that day, his visits to the imperial palace had truly decreased, and he could often be seen spending time with Dive, his second son.

People were unable to hide their shock whenever they spotted him together with his son at places like theaters or libraries.

“Have you no opinion, Duke?”

The Gracia Emperor carefully addressed the Duke of Esclara. The duke’s sharp gaze flew straight at him.

“Ahem.”

…And yet, the Duke of Esclara was usually rather lenient toward him.

It seemed he truly disliked having been forcibly called to the imperial palace today.

“It seems a rough conclusion has been reached. May I leave?”

Despite his courteous tone, the Duke of Esclara’s eyes were chilling. The Gracia Emperor’s smile grew even more awkward beneath that gaze.

He really does seem angry, doesn’t he? Was he not simply saying he had urgent business? I thought it was just an excuse because he did not want to come to the palace.

“Do you have something urgent today……?”

SWISH.

Instead of answering the Gracia Emperor’s question, the Duke of Esclara immediately rose from his seat.

“My daughter is arriving today.”

He gave that brief answer as he left the conference hall.

If he says daughter……

At that answer, the Gracia Emperor’s eyes widened slightly.

“Ah.”

Camilla Sorpel. She must have arrived.

“Oh dear……”

Only then did the Gracia Emperor understand why the Duke of Esclara had shown his displeasure throughout the entire meeting.

This was my fault.

Today had been a day when he should not have forced the duke to come.

The Gracia Emperor knew better than anyone that the Duke of Esclara’s affection for Camilla Sorpel, his lost daughter, ran deeper than expected.

“I would like to be formally introduced to your daughter someday. I have seen her when she came as part of the envoy, but never as your daughter. Perhaps an invitation to the palace……”

“That will not happen.”

“Mm? Does that mean she will not come to the Gracia Empire again?”

“She is too precious.”

“……? Too precious? What is?”

“To show off.”

“……”

Recalling the conversation they had shared when the duke first told him he had gained a daughter, the Gracia Emperor quietly shook his head.

At first, he had wondered, Is he joking? But the look in the duke’s eyes had been so serious that he had known he meant it. That was why he had been unable to ask again to see her.

And yet now, she had come here, to the Gracia Empire.

“Hmm.”

If none other than the Duke of Esclara’s daughter had arrived, should he not send some sort of gift?

Looking at the seat where the Duke of Esclara had disappeared from view, the Gracia Emperor wore a faint smile.

*****

CLICK.

“It’s here!”

Dive opened the door wide first and stepped into the room. As he turned back to look at Camilla, his eyes were full of anticipation.

…What is this place?

Following the child into the room, Camilla barely managed to stop herself from turning around and walking right back out.

Wouldn’t a princess’s room in a storybook look exactly like this?

It was extremely pink. And what on earth was that lace around the bed……? Not to mention the enormous ribbons attached to the curtains and every other piece of fabric in sight.

“Dive.”

“Yes!”

“What is this room?”

Had the Duke of Esclara acquired some little daughter without her knowing? If so, the existence of this room would make perfect sense.

Surely……

This was not her room, was it?

“It’s your room, big sis.”

Camilla’s desperate hope shattered into pieces at Dive’s answer.

“…My room?”

…Could he not say it was not? Camilla looked around the room again with weary eyes.

No matter how she looked at it, it was absolutely not to her taste. Duke of Esclara, what in the world had that man been thinking when he made a room like this……!

“I decorated it.”

“Huh?”

“I picked everything in here!”

“…You did?”

“Yes!”

“Looking at it again, it’s nice.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Right. Ribbons were best when they were big. The color was perfect, too. It wasn’t as though only boys liked pink, was it? Girls liked pink too!

Camilla lightly stroked Dive’s head as he smiled brightly. At her touch, the child’s smile deepened even further.

“But why a room all of a sudden?”

“Father said we should make one. He said you might come here and live with us.”

“……”

…She had only come to visit for a little while. To be more precise, she was going to find the jewels and go straight back.

But looking at Dive’s shining eyes, so full of anticipation, she could not bring herself to tell him the truth as it was.

“What about Arsian’s room?”

Camilla looked at Arsian, who was standing by the entrance, waiting for their conversation to end. Only then did he speak for the first time.

“Is it the room next door?”

“No!”

Dive shook his head violently as if Arsian had said something ridiculous.

“Then?”

“…Follow me.”

As he left the room, Dive secretly glared at Arsian where Camilla could not see.

“Then unpack and I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah.”

Even under Dive’s gaze, Arsian simply said goodbye calmly to Camilla and followed the child.

Well, it was not as though this was the first time he had experienced something like this. It was something that happened constantly when he stayed by Camilla’s side.

One might say he had built up a tolerance. There was nothing uncomfortable about one more person being wary of him.

CLICK!

“You can use this room.”

“……”

It was the end room, the farthest possible from Camilla’s. It was very large and clean, but somehow extremely bare.

The room contained only a single bed and a single table.

“If you don’t like it, I can get you a room at an inn nearby……”

“I like it.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah.”

“…Tch.”

Dive kept pouting, apparently having hoped Arsian would show displeasure and get angry.

If he had thrown a fit, Dive had been planning to run straight to his big sis and tell on him!

“Then rest well.”

Expressing with his whole body that Arsian was not welcome, Dive quickly left the room.

“Hmm.”

Arsian roughly set his luggage down to one side, then sat on the bed.

“The bed isn’t bad.”

Then that was enough.

There were only two pieces of furniture, but to him, who disliked clutter, it was actually a satisfying space.

*****

[So then I went into Camilla’s body!]

[My goodness, my goodness! So that was how you met your son in person! I’m so touched!]

[And on top of that……]

[I also had adoptive parents who killed me, and Camilla……]

“……”

What are those two people… no, those two ghosts doing right now?

Camilla looked at the two beings sitting together in one corner, chatting without end. They were Amy the ghost and Sharuah, the duchess ghost.

Why has that woman still not ascended?

What lingering attachment could she still have?

Had they not driven out the nanny who tormented Dive, found the bank vault only she knew about, and handed it all over to the child?

Did she not have no reason left to remain here anymore?

[Our duke is even more handsome now than when he was young!]

…Was she waiting to take her husband with her? Perhaps she would remain like this until he died.

Camilla quietly shook her head as she watched Sharuah, who still had a girlish face, converse with Amy in obvious delight.

[She must be happy to have someone to talk to after so long.]

Xeno, who had come with Camilla, also seemed fascinated by their conversation and could not take its eyes off them easily. Their conversation had not stopped for a full hour already.

[Lady Camilla!]

Only after quite some time, when they seemed to have run out of things to talk about, did Sharuah approach Camilla. Her brightly smiling face was full of joy.

[I’m so happy you came back!]

“……”

Camilla looked at Sharuah with a somewhat uncomfortable expression.

…Why is she so glad?

As Sharuah’s eyes sparkled unusually brightly while looking at her, Camilla subtly took one step back.

She had a feeling. She definitely had a feeling.

[You really came at the perfect time.]

This was exactly that sort of thing, wasn’t it?

[I have something to tell you, Lady Camilla……]

“No.”

[What? No, there is something I absolutely must tell you……]

“I’m not doing it.”

[Th-That is……]

“Please go away.”