Fortune-Telling Lady

Chapter 2

That’s the kind of two-faced behavior that gets us both killed. His efforts would be better spent putting that useless jealousy to rest.

When Camilla and Ravi entered the dining hall, there was one person seated at the table—the mansion’s owner, Duke Sorphel. His son, Ludville, was nowhere to be seen.

Ah, this must be during the rebellion. Based on Ludville’s absence, Camilla could roughly guess what time she was in. The current time was one of great unrest in the western part of the kingdom. To help quell the rebellion, Ludville had left to join the army.

This is when it started. When Ravi’s jealousy of Ludville began to explode. Ludville returned having garnered great success and honor, which in turn, caused Ravi’s sense of inferiority to bubble over.

In that case… Camilla looked at Duke Sorphel and felt a small sense of admiration.

Oh, sir… Can’t you just remarry again? It was said that many noblewomen continued to flirt with him to this day. He was known not just for his character, but also for his handsome looks.

It’s a shame for such a fine man to be single. Camilla and Ravi’s mother married Duke Sorphel, and they’d lived happily together. Unfortunately, it didn’t last. Less than a year after they got married, Camilla’s mother suddenly passed away in a horse-riding accident.

After her death, people naturally assumed that Camilla and Ravi would be expelled from the duke’s family. They assumed there was no reason for the duke to keep them around since they were not blood relatives of his. However, against everyone’s expectations, Duke Sorphel took in the two orphaned children as his own, and Camilla and Ravi grew up under the duke’s protection.

Upon Camilla and Ravi’s entrance into the dining hall, Duke Sorphel put aside his newspaper and reading glasses and turned his gaze to the two of them.

Whoa. His presence is impossible to ignore. When Camilla’s eyes met the duke’s, her body unconsciously stiffened.

“Take her away.”

Camilla recalled his cold voice commanding the knights. His icy gaze fixed on her. How many people had died under that unforgiving glare? Camilla swallowed dryly at the thought. Cold sweat dripped down her back, and her fingertips began to tremble slightly. The moment she saw him, she understood exactly what kind of place she was in and what would happen to her if she kept living her life as she had.

“You’re late,” Duke Sorphel finally said after silently glancing between Camilla and Ravi.

“Well…” Ravi faltered.

“I apologize. We’re late because I overslept,” said Camilla.

Duke Sorphel and Ravi both turned to Camilla. They both looked equally surprised. The two men stared at her in wonder. Was this the same girl who, up until now, could barely raise her head in the presence of Duke Sorphel, never mind speaking to him? The only emotion she had ever displayed in front of the duke was discontent, and she always kept her mouth shut. It was extremely rare for her to look Duke Sorphel in the eye and speak as she just had.

And is she… smiling? Ravi wondered. He shook his head slightly, certain she was still half asleep.

“Sit.”

The duke offered them a seat without another word. As soon as the pair sat down, maids rushed to bring out their food.

Uh-oh. All right, it’s showtime. Camilla concentrated on controlling her facial expression as she looked at Duke Sorphel. She had never felt so fortunate to have been an actress. She had once filmed a scene even while her appendix was bursting and had finished her act with a smile.

This should be about right. Camilla looked at the food in front of her with a bland expression.

Wow, they even eat steak for breakfast here. Steak would be perfect for what Camilla had planned.

It’s even seasoned! She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had seasoned meat because of her diet. She realized she had been staring at her steak, admiring its glossy finish, and hurriedly looked away. Several of the maids giggled as they watched her.

Yeah, go ahead and laugh now. You won’t be laughing after today. Camilla chuckled back as she glanced in the maids’ direction. The maids looked confused, but Camilla turned to look straight ahead. Then she quickly began cutting the steak in front of her.

“Father,” she said.

“Hm?” Duke Sorphel responded.

Camilla carefully cut the meat into neat, bite-sized pieces and gently passed her plate to the duke. “Here, have my steak. I cut it up for you to make it easier to eat.”

Duke Sorphel’s eyes grew even wider than before. Ravi coughed, nearly choking on his food, and quickly set down the glass he had been holding. Wiping his mouth with a handkerchief, he also turned to stare at Camilla. The look on his face seemed to say Has she finally gone crazy?

Duke Sorphel waited a moment before speaking. “All right.” After looking quizzically between Camilla and the plate for a moment, he—fortunately—accepted her offer without suspicion and placed it in front of him. He traded his plate with hers and placed his own steak in front of Camilla.

“Ack!”

“Oh!”

Stifled gasps rang out throughout the dining hall. Camilla could feel the maids tensing in shock, but she quietly ignored their reactions. She pretended not to notice anything out of the ordinary and focused her attention on the food. She took a bite of the new steak in front of her.

Oh… It’s delicious. Maybe steak did taste best in the morning. The meat was extremely tender and had a wonderfully savory flavor.

Soon after, Duke Sorphel placed a piece of steak to his mouth. This was the moment of truth. Camilla waited with bated breath while he chewed. Duke Sorphel chewed quietly for a moment and then put his fork down on his plate. The harsh sound echoed throughout the silent dining room.

Camilla watched the duke, pretending to look puzzled, and then quickly stood up in alarm. “Oh, Father! I’ll eat that instead! You can trade back with me.” Camilla, as if she had just remembered something very important, reached out toward the plate in front of Duke Sorphel, unsure of what to do.

“Wait.”

Duke Sorphel, lightly wiping his mouth with a handkerchief, stopped Camilla’s hand. Her expression wavered as her gaze met the duke’s. Suddenly, tears started to form in her eyes. Before any tears could fall, she lowered her head as if to hide them. She also decided to bite her lip, for some added dramatic effect—she was going for the look of a child caught doing something they knew they were not supposed to do.

I wonder what they did to tamper with the steak today. No one saw the slight smile rising at the corners of Camilla’s lips as she lowered her head.

Did they put too much salt? Did they load it with pepper? Maybe it was both. Perhaps it was even meat that had fallen into a trash can. Almost every member of the staff in the duke’s home hated Camilla. They harassed her in every way they could.

At first, they were cautious, only attacking her in minor ways. They would add just a bit too much salt to her food or add bitter tea leaves to ruin her meals. Camilla had never mentioned the mistreatment to her family. She must have been protecting the last bit of pride she had left.

As she remained silent, however, the harassment increased in severity. The servants became bolder. Some people in this situation would cry in frustration and anger, feeling like the treatment was unfair.

Meanwhile, Duke Sorphel and his family’s gaze toward Camilla grew colder.

“Is she really even a lady if they don’t share a drop of the same blood?”

“That’s what I’m saying! At least Lord Ravi has some talent, but Lady Camilla…”

Idiot. Is that sense of pride going to protect you? They shouldn’t get away with talking about you in that way. They’re nuisances, all of them. Did no one wonder why she picked at her food whenever she ate? It was absurd that no one had taken notice, even though they ate meals together multiple times a day. It was amazing how much time passed like that.

“It would seem this isn’t the first time this has happened,” Duke Sorphel said.

“Oh, that’s not it!” Camilla responded.

Oh, yes, it is! As could be expected of the head of a dukedom, Duke Sorphel understood the situation right away. Camilla shook her head, her stone-faced expression hiding her inner delight. The corners of both her eyes were still red with crocodile tears.

Duke Sorphel was silent for a moment.

“Let’s discuss this later,” he said. He stared at Camilla in silence for another moment, and then stood, directing his attention elsewhere. “I think dealing with them should be my priority.”

He turned to face the maids, and the blood drained from their faces.

* * *

“What? Do you have something to say?” Camilla asked Ravi.

“You couldn’t just eat your food?”

“No, I couldn’t.”

Even though that steak was so delicious. Camilla had walked out of the dining hall with a light heart but stopped in her tracks when she noticed Ravi staring intently at her.

I wonder how they’ll be punished. Camilla’s lips curved slightly as she looked back to the dining hall’s tightly shut door. Duke Sorphel had summoned everyone, from the butler to the chief maid. It was clear that this was a serious matter.

I know that feeling well. The fear of Duke Sorphel.

His determination is like no other. He was ruthless in his punishments, affording no mercy to anyone who dared to hurt him or his family. Even if that person was themselves a part of his family. That is why he was able to execute Camilla and Ravi, who’d attempted to assassinate his eldest son, without hesitation, even though they had been living together as a family for more than ten years.

Camilla turned to look at Ravi with a renewed expression. What was she to do with this man, wandering around, completely oblivious that his death was around the corner? At this point in time, Camilla knew he had not yet gone completely mad with envy. There was still time for him to be saved.

She had at least until that woman showed up. That woman who captured the attention of all the world’s most handsome men. That woman who turned all the other women around her into mere background characters. Ravi’s sense of inferiority always exploded the moment that woman set her sights on Ludville.

Camilla let her thoughts wander for a spell and then shook her head.

What does it matter? I’ll be back in my regular body by that point. Once my real body wakes up, I’ll be able to escape from this one. I feel sorry for the ones who are about to die, but what else can I do? They have no one to blame for their fates but themselves, really.

Camilla approached Ravi and gave him a light pat on the shoulder. She looked at him with pity for a moment. Then she walked right past him. Ravi stood in silence for a moment.

“What was that?”

Why did her small gesture give him such a bad feeling? Ravi watched Camilla while she walked down the hall, a bewildered look on his face.