A fortune-telling princess

“Me!”

The cheerful reply was so sunny that Camilla found it hard to even feel annoyed.

“Sigh.”

Camilla let out a breath as she arrived at the stream not far from the orphanage.

The water was clear, the sunlight streamed in beautifully, and the area was perfect for playing. The stream had both shallow and deep sections, making it ideal for children, and the surrounding flat areas were great for running around.

The problem was…

“Why does it have to be water ghosts?”

Three water ghosts floated in the deeper sections of the stream, their faces poking out of the water and plainly visible to Camilla.

“Is this some kind of suicide hotspot?”

Otherwise, why would there be so many water ghosts? Was this place dangerous, making it unsuitable for the kids?

“Sigh.”

Water ghosts were trickier than other spirits. They were vengeful and often mischievous.

Though not outright evil, they were still spirits capable of causing harm to people. Usually, Camilla would have ignored them, pretending not to notice, but…

“Zeno, Derin.”

[Yes, Miss.]

[They’re bothering you, aren’t they?]

With children around, she couldn’t leave any potential threats unchecked.

“Take care of them.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Zeno and Derin moved swiftly toward the ghosts.

Among spirits, a hierarchy existed. For ghosts trapped underwater, living like wraiths, Zeno and Derin were a terrifying presence. Their skills from their living days translated well into the realm of spirits.

[Aagh! Let me go! This is my place! My territory! What do you care what I do here?!]

Two of the water ghosts fled immediately upon sensing the duo’s approach, but a woman who looked to be in her early thirties resisted with a shrill scream.

Even so, she couldn’t overpower them and was quickly subdued, her arms pinned as she was dragged out of the water and toward the forest.

[Who are you people?! Let me go!]

“Quiet down.”

Camilla approached, careful not to draw too much attention from the others.

[W-what?! You… You can see me?!]

“So what if I can?”

[Impossible! How can a living person see us?!]

“Enough.”

Camilla cut her off sharply.

“If you keep yelling, I’ll summon the Grim Reaper.”

[…!]

“I know one personally. Don’t test me.”

The ghost instantly fell silent, clearly frightened.

“Sorry to take over your space, but I can’t have you messing with the kids.”

[…If I don’t bother the kids, will you let me go?]

“Adults are off-limits, too.”

[…]

“Promise to behave, and I’ll let you go.”

The ghost hesitated, prompting Camilla to add a final warning.

“See that guy over there? The one glaring at you from the forest?”

She pointed toward Arsion, who had been watching the entire scene intently, his gaze sharp and unwavering.

“He can see you too. And trust me, his temperament is far worse than mine. If he catches you, you’re done for.”

[…!]

“I’ve lost count of how many ghosts he’s obliterated.”

The water ghost, glancing nervously toward Arsion, visibly paled—even more than she already was.

[Fine. I’ll behave.]

Camilla signaled to Zeno and Derin to release her. Once free, the ghost sank back into the water with a muttered complaint.

“I’ll be watching.”

[I get it!]

As the ghost disappeared beneath the surface, Arsion approached, his brow furrowed.

“What was that?”

“Water ghost.”

“A water ghost?”

“We’ll need to keep the kids away from that area.”

Though the ghost had promised to behave, Camilla wasn’t entirely convinced. This one seemed more defiant than most and didn’t appear particularly frightened.

[Don’t worry, Miss. I’ll keep a close eye on things.]

[Me too.]

With assurances from Zeno and Derin, Camilla nodded. She trusted them to handle the situation if necessary.

“Kyaa!”

“It’s so cold!”

“Rio! Try over there!”

“Look, a fish!”

Before long, the children were splashing and laughing in the water. The younger ones played in the shallow areas, while the older, more confident swimmers ventured deeper.

Even Laila, Petro, and the other club members joined in, happily playing alongside the kids.

“Aren’t you getting in?” Arsion asked.

“I don’t like water. Especially cold water like that—”

“…”

Drenched, Camilla looked down at herself, then slowly raised her gaze.

“Miss Witch!”

“Come play with us!”

The kids had splashed her deliberately.

“I’m not really into water games—”

…So this is how they wanted to play?

Camilla kicked off her shoes and stepped into the water. Her skirt soaked at the edges, but she didn’t care.

“…You’re all dead.”

“Kyaa!”

What followed was an all-out war.

“You’re really going all out,” Arsion remarked, chuckling softly.

Despite claiming to dislike water, Camilla was now fully immersed in the fun, throwing herself into the water fight with the kids.

***

Barely an hour later, Camilla emerged from the stream, soaked to the bone.

“I told you, I hate cold water,” she grumbled, shivering as her lips turned blue.

Arsion clicked his tongue softly.

“Wait here,” Petro said, hurrying off to find a towel. But Arsion was quicker.

With a small motion of his hand, a warm light enveloped Camilla, evaporating the water from her clothes and hair.

“Wow…”

Camilla blinked, genuinely impressed. For all his flaws, Arsion’s abilities were undeniably useful.

“You really went at it with the kids,” he teased.

“Water fights don’t care about age.”

“Who won?”

“Dammit.”

The kids had ganged up on her, forcing her to surrender.

Still grumbling, Camilla’s frustration only made Arsion and Petro laugh.

“Your hair’s a mess,” Arsion said, reaching out to smooth it down.

“It’s fine,” she replied with a small smile.

“Miss Witch! We won!”

“You surrendered!”

“Next time, be on my team, okay?”

“Mine too!”

The children’s laughter and cheers filled the air, leaving Camilla feeling strangely lighthearted.

“Not bad.”

As she watched the kids waving and shouting for her to play again, she felt something unfamiliar—a warmth she couldn’t quite name.

But the moment was interrupted.

“…Huh?”

[Camilla!]

A figure rushed toward her—it was Ferrol, the ghostly chef.

“Ferrol? Why are you here?”

He hadn’t planned to come, opting to stay at the manor, so his sudden arrival puzzled her.

[Something’s happened at the manor!]

Zeno and Derin approached quickly, alarmed by Ferrol’s panicked tone.

[What’s wrong?]

[The Duke—he’s collapsed!]

***

“It’s poison.”

“That’s impossible!”

House Steward Luve shook his head vigorously at the healer’s words.

If there was one thing the Sorpel family was particularly sensitive to, it was poison. Ever since Lord Hershel died from poisoning long ago, the family had been especially vigilant in guarding against it.

Every piece of tableware was enchanted with poison-detection magic, and all heads of the family were trained from childhood to build resistance by consuming trace amounts of toxins.

So how could they believe it? That the Duke of Sorpel himself had fallen victim to poisoning!

After dining with Rania and sipping tea, he had suddenly collapsed. Though his built-up immunity prevented him from vomiting blood or dying instantly, he had been unconscious for over an hour.

“What type of poison is it?”

“Well…”

“You don’t know?”

“I’m sorry.”

“The poison has no distinctive traits.”

“He is undoubtedly poisoned… but we have no way of identifying the toxin. This is the first time we’ve encountered something like this.”

From the family’s healers to renowned poison experts from the capital, they had summoned everyone they could. Yet, all anyone could do was shake their heads in helplessness.

“Father!”

Ravi and Ludville, who had rushed over after receiving the urgent message, were visibly tense upon hearing the healers’ verdict.

Was there truly no way to save him?

“Excuse me…”

Amid the growing despair, someone quietly spoke. It was Rania.

She was the only one present when the Duke of Sorpel had collapsed.

Clasping her hands tightly and sobbing silently throughout the examination, she finally cried out with determination.

“May I try something?”

“What?”

“You know I’m skilled in healing magic.”

“But…”

“I know a detoxification spell…”

The door suddenly slammed open, and a figure entered the room.

“…Camilla.”

The person gasping for breath was Camilla.

Standing next to her was Arsion, who had used teleportation magic to bring her here from the valley.

“Poison?”

Her question was met with solemn nods.

Camilla strode toward the Duke of Sorpel and opened the box she was carrying.

“What is that?”

“An antidote.”

“What?”

In response to Ravi’s question, Camilla answered matter-of-factly. But the healers’ faces turned pale at her words.

“Wait, Lady Camilla! Administering a random antidote without knowing the specific poison—”

“You mustn’t do that!”

“The poison could spread even faster!”

She knew. She knew exactly how reckless what she was about to do was.