A fortune-telling princess

“Why are you here?”

It was Arsion.

“That’s right. Arsion, you’re in the Magic Department too, aren’t you?”

It was then that Camilla realized something—Arsion wasn’t just in the Swordsmanship Department but also a member of the Magic Department.

From what she’d heard, he was dominating the top ranks there as well.

It seemed the gods had given this man everything except a human-like personality.

“Did you come to see me?”

“No.”

“…Then who did you come to see?”

Was it mandatory to meet someone if you came here?

Camilla gave Arsion a look of disbelief before pointing behind her.

“I came to drop her off.”

“Hello, I’m Rania,” Rania said as she approached, offering a cheerful greeting.

“Are you leaving right away?”

The problem was that Arsion completely ignored her existence. He didn’t even glance in her direction.

“If there’s no reason to stay, I’ll go.”

Camilla briefly observed Rania’s stiffened expression, sighed lightly, and turned to leave. It wasn’t her responsibility to manage Rania’s relationships.

“Wait.”

Arsion stopped her abruptly.

“What’s with your hand?”

He’d noticed the handkerchief lightly wrapped around her hand.

“It’s nothing.”

“What kind of ‘nothing’ is it?”

“I just got scratched.”

Earlier, she and Rania had visited the faculty office to complete the enrollment paperwork. During the process, Camilla’s hand was grazed by a stray pen nib Rania had carelessly swung.

Though Rania had been teary-eyed and apologetic at the time, she was back to her radiant self the moment they left the office.

“Let me see.”

“It’s fine.”

“What part of this is fine?”

“It’ll heal on its own with a bit of ointment.”

“One spell and it’s fixed.”

“No thanks.”

“What?”

“I said no.”

“Why not?”

Camilla quickly hid her hand behind her back, making Arsion furrow his brows.

“You’re tired, aren’t you?”

“…What?”

“You just came from a swordsmanship class, didn’t you?”

Arsion was briefly stunned by her words.

“Don’t waste your energy casting magic when you’re already tired.”

With that, she began walking away again. Arsion quickly grabbed her hand, a faint smile playing on his lips.

This girl was really something.

“This much is nothing.”

Before she could protest further, Arsion cast a spell on her hand.

A bright light enveloped the small wound on her hand, healing it instantly.

When he unwrapped the handkerchief, her skin was smooth, with no trace of the injury.

“See? Good as new.”

“Weren’t you just told not to?”

“Either way, it’s done. Thanks. I have class soon, so I’m really leaving now.”

With a wave, Camilla left the scene.

“The Magic Department building is so big and spacious. I’ve been placed in the advanced class—could I ask you to guide me?”

As Camilla disappeared from view, Rania’s voice reached Arsion’s ears.

“……”

For the first time, Arsion’s gaze turned to Rania. When their eyes met, her smile grew even brighter.

“Ah…!”

That was as far as it went. Arsion walked past her without a word, heading into the building.

“Excuse me!”

Rania hurriedly called out to him, but he didn’t stop.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice tinged with desperation. It was her trademark expression—earnest, apologetic.

“Did I say something wrong? I just wanted to get along since you seem close to Camilla…”

Her words trailed on, but Arsion showed no reaction.

As they entered the building, people began noticing them. Their gazes were filled with a mix of curiosity and concern, particularly as they took note of Rania trailing after Arsion.

Everyone knew what kind of person Arsion was.

“You’re Arsion, right? Camilla talks about you all the time—”

“Be quiet.”

“…Pardon?”

“Stop yapping near me. It’s annoying.”

“No, I just…!”

“Damn it. I’ve been keeping quiet lately, and now every worthless pest thinks they can talk to me… Seriously. Hey.”

“……!”

“I’m warning you.”

Arsion’s eyes turned icy in an instant.

“Don’t say my name so casually.”

“S-sorry…”

“I told you to shut up.”

“…!”

The raw pressure radiating from Arsion made Rania’s face go pale.

“You should be thankful you’re living with Camilla. If you weren’t, I’d have already broken one of your arms for saying my name.”

Instinctively, Rania recoiled.

“This is your last warning. I don’t care how well you know her—I’m not putting up with any more.”

With that, Arsion walked away as if nothing had happened.

The people who had been watching shook their heads slightly. They had expected something like this and were more surprised that Rania had escaped unscathed.

“Ha…”

Even after Arsion disappeared, Rania couldn’t move from her spot.

She just stared at the place where he had vanished, frozen in place.

“A picnic?”

“Yes!”

“Out of nowhere?”

“I promised the children we’d go swimming soon.”

When Camilla visited the clubroom, she was greeted by Laila’s sudden suggestion to visit a mountain stream.

“Why is it that every service activity seems to involve kids?”

“Well… Since I grew up in an orphanage, I tend to pay extra attention to children.”

“……”

“I’ll show you other places next time!”

Not that it mattered to Camilla. As long as she earned her participation credits, she didn’t care where they went.

“You could’ve given me a heads-up. I would’ve prepared something.”

It didn’t seem right to go empty-handed when children were involved.

“I’ve already taken care of everything,” Petro said, appearing beside her as if out of nowhere.

“From food to safety measures, I’ve made all the arrangements. All you need to do is join us.”

“…Thanks for the effort.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“…Sure.”

Camilla awkwardly looked away, feeling a bit overwhelmed by him lately.

“……?”

Her eyes met Laila’s, who was staring at her with an unusually pleased expression. Camilla tilted her head in confusion.

Petro had done all the work, so why was Laila looking at her like that?

“Shall we head out, then? The kids must be waiting!”

Excited as ever, Laila led the group out of the clubroom. Camilla followed but paused when she noticed someone else.

“You’re coming too?”

“Why? Shouldn’t I?”

“…Good for you.”

Why did this guy always make everything so intense?

“By the way…”

“What?”

“Are you the type to compliment just anyone?”

“What?”

“Damn… I could’ve prepared something like that, too…”

Camilla sighed, guiding him along as they caught up with the others.

***

“Where’s Camilla?”

“She said she’d be late because of club activities today.”

“Ah, that club.”

Duke Sorpel smiled faintly. He’d been observing many new sides of Camilla lately.

When he first heard she had quit the Swordsmanship Department, he’d felt a pang of disappointment. He’d heard from others at the hunting competition about her remarkable sword skills.

Though he hadn’t believed it at first, the unanimous accounts had left him stunned. For a moment, he’d dared to hope another sword prodigy had emerged alongside Ludville.

His disappointment was brief. He’d always known Camilla wasn’t particularly drawn to swordsmanship.

However, her subsequent actions had surprised him even more.

“Volunteering, of all things.”

It was an unexpected choice. He’d heard she joined the club because a close friend was already a member, but he hadn’t expected her to stick with it.

“I thought she’d get bored quickly.”

Volunteering seemed so unlike her.

Yet, Camilla had continued her activities, even organizing supplies from storage to donate to orphanages.

“If she needs anything, make sure she gets it.”

“Yes, sir.”

As the butler withdrew, Duke Sorpel turned his attention to his dinner companion.

“How are your classes?”

With Ludville and Ravi absent, only Rania was dining with him.

“They’re fun,” Rania replied with a bright smile, clearly pleased by his interest.

“…I see.”

Duke Sorpel felt a twinge of guilt as he returned her smile.

Even now, he couldn’t shake the awkwardness of Rania’s sudden presence. Though he no longer doubted she was his daughter, hearing her call him “Father” still felt

unsettling.

That had to be it—he simply wasn’t used to her yet.

Hoping it would improve with time, he sighed inwardly.

“The food looks wonderful. Please eat.”

“Of course.”

As Duke Sorpel raised his spoon, Rania’s smile grew even brighter.