A fortune-telling princess

When Camilla realized Gelrard wasn’t the culprit, she dismissed him from suspicion. His relief at her abilities outweighed any fear, proving his innocence.

“However,” Camilla announced, “today, this little guy will uncover the culprit.”

“What?”

Camilla pulled King out of her pocket and placed him gently on the ground.

[Grrowl…]

The presence of the divine beast made everyone’s eyes widen. Despite his small, kitten-like stature, King’s low growl caused a ripple of unease throughout the group.

“Why…?” Jellard began, confused.

Camilla smirked. “If I use my abilities to point out the culprit, they might deny it. But no one would dare question a divine beast.”

Even in his miniature form, King’s authority was unquestionable. Camilla had cleverly decided to use him as the ultimate truth detector.

“Let’s not forget,” Camilla began, her voice sharp, “the poison came from something Father consumed.”

GelLard’s face darkened as guilt weighed on him again.

“The crucial thing is,” she continued, “King has identified the poison’s scent. If anyone here handled it, King will find them.”

“What?!”

A loud, startled voice echoed through the room. All heads turned toward Baron, the sous chef.

Thirty years old, Baron had been apprenticing under Gellard since he was 19. Among all the kitchen staff, he was the one Gellard trusted the most.

“B-but the healer said the poison had no scent or distinct properties…”

Camilla’s eyes narrowed. “True, it has no scent or taste discernible to humans. But King isn’t human.”

[Growl.]

King began sniffing at everyone one by one, his tiny paws padding across the floor. He approached Gellard first, gave him a quick sniff, then moved on.

Camilla scrutinized the group as King proceeded, carefully observing each person’s reaction. It wasn’t long before one stood out.

Baron.

As King approached, Baron’s trembling became obvious. His sweat beaded, his breathing shallow.

“Ugh…”

In a flash, King leapt toward him, snarling.

[ROAR!]

“Aaaagh!”

Baron screamed, collapsing to the ground as King cornered him. Gasps and murmurs filled the room.

“Brother,” Camilla said calmly, “I think you should interrogate him.”

“Understood.”

Ludville stepped forward, towering over the cowering Baron. Seeing Ludville’s stern gaze, Baron’s face went pale. His lips pressed shut, as if making a final decision.

“Guh… Guh…!”

Suddenly, Baron clutched his throat.

“Ahhh!”

“What’s happening?”

Baron convulsed, blood spurting from his mouth.

“No!”

“Stop it!”

His screams of agony filled the room.

Thud.

“Don’t look.”

Ludville shielded Camilla, pulling her into his arms to block her view.

As Baron’s cries faded, Camilla remained still, trembling slightly in Ludville’s embrace.

***

“Nothing remarkable,” Luve, the house steward and head of the Black Shadow intelligence network, reported. He handed over his investigation notes.

“Before joining the Sorpel estate, Baron worked at a temple. He grew up in an orphanage, with no family ties.”

“Hmm.”

The Duke of Sorpel frowned.

After learning Baron was the culprit behind the poisoning attempt, Luve had used all available resources to investigate his background.

Yet, nothing stood out. Baron had lived a modest life, rising to prominence only because of his culinary talent.

“Strange.”

“Indeed.”

Why would someone so ordinary attempt to assassinate the Duke of Sorpel?

Perhaps he owed someone a debt? Yet, his financial records were clean.

“Camilla uncovered this?”

“Yes,” Luve replied, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “With the help of her divine beast.”

“That peculiar ability of hers…”

“Well, actually…”

Luve’s smile grew slightly wider.

“It was an act.”

“An act?”

“She pretended to know everything. She staged the divine beast’s role to make the culprit nervous and reveal himself.”

In reality, neither Camilla nor King had any information. They had simply played their roles convincingly, leading Baron to panic and expose himself.

“Hah.”

The Duke chuckled briefly, shaking his head. Where had that girl inherited such boldness?

“Where is she now?”

“Lord Arsion escorted her out earlier.”

“Arsion?”

The Duke’s brows furrowed. He had noticed Arsion spending more time around Camilla lately.

“They’re in the same club, apparently.”

“Club?”

The Duke scoffed. “That kid? In a club?”

Luve nodded. “It’s the volunteer club.”

“The volunteer club? Him?”

The Duke laughed in disbelief. Knowing Arsion’s personality, it was almost impossible to imagine him joining a club, let alone one focused on charity.

“And Lord Petro is also a member.”

The Duke fell silent at Luve’s next words.

“What is it with that club?”

***

“You’ve got a talent for healing magic,” Ravi commented.

“Really?!”

“Nothing more for me to teach you in that area.”

“Wow!”

Rania clapped her hands, her face lighting up with joy.

“Ask Father to hire you a tutor. They’ll be better suited to advancing your skills.”

“But…”

“What?”

“I’d prefer to keep learning from you.”

“I just said there’s nothing more for me to teach you.”

“Then teach me something else.”

Ravi sighed, studying her.

She had started seeking him out daily, ever since he gave her a brief magic lesson in response to her gift of a rare magic book.

“This.”

Rania handed Ravi another book, smiling sweetly.

“Another gift?”

“Yes!”

It was an ancient magic tome, one of the few remaining on the continent.

“Where did you…?”

“Remember I told you? A benefactor who thought of me as a daughter left me these treasures.”

Ravi stared at the book, then at Rania.

With a soft sigh, he extended the book back to her.

“Huh?”

“Take it back.”

“What? Why?”

“It’s too much.”

Rania’s confusion morphed into desperation as she clutched the book.

“No, it’s not! I want you to have it!”

“Why?”

Her sweet smile returned.

“Because I want to get closer to you.”

Her words were earnest, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

“You’ve been my greatest support here, Ravi. You reached out to me when I was lost.”

“That’s…”

“Please, let me call you ‘brother.’”

Tears welled in her eyes, and her hands trembled as if pleading for acceptance.

Ravi, however, simply shook his head.

“Not a chance.”

“W-what?”

“Take your book back.”

Without another word, Ravi stood and left the room, leaving Rania frozen in place.

As he walked away, Ravi muttered, almost to himself, “She’s my family.”

His loyalty to Camilla was unshakable.

Meanwhile, Rania’s face paled, her lips quivering as dread took hold.

“What do I do now…?”

She bit her lip, bracing for the consequences of her failure.