A fortune-telling princess

“Camilla?”

Merize’s eyes widened slightly, as if surprised.

“Someone is actually close to Lady Camilla? This one’s certainly unusual.”

A smile crept onto her lips again.

“But does it really matter? What could being close to Lady Camilla possibly accomplish?”

“I wouldn’t dismiss it so lightly…”

“What?”

“You heard about Lady Camilla at the recent hunting tournament, didn’t you? Her reputation has been… improving.”

“Luhith.”

Merize’s voice stopped Luhith mid-sentence.

“What’s this? Are you worried about Lady Camilla?”

“It’s not that…”

Luhith trailed off, recalling the tournament. He had been saved by her when an enemy’s attack nearly left him gravely injured.

Owing a life debt to her made him uneasy, especially knowing he might end up on the wrong side of her.

“Luhith, bring her here.”

“What?”

“That girl. Bring her to me.”

“…!”

“You take her there.”

***

Laila sighed deeply to herself as she stopped in front of her house.

She gave her own cheeks a few brisk pats to shake off her troubled expression. By the time she reached the door, her face was lit up with the usual bright smile she wore.

“I’m home!”

She called out cheerfully as she entered the house. It wasn’t large, but the yard was spacious.

The garden was full of thriving vegetables and fruits, and seeing them brought a genuine smile to Laila’s face.

No matter how hard her day was, being home always put her at ease.

“You’re back?”

“Yes, Mother.”

Her mother welcomed her warmly, as always.

“Oh?”

But they weren’t alone.

“We have a guest. He says he’s a friend of yours.”

“A friend?”

Before her mother could finish speaking, a man who had been seated turned around and stood up slowly.

“Hello.”

“Oh…”

She recognized him—Luhith, the vice president of the student council. She had seen him a few times delivering council notices around campus.

“What brings you here…?”

“I needed to talk to you.”

Luhith smiled gently as he approached her.

“Can you spare a moment?”

“Ah, yes.”

He gestured toward the door, indicating they should speak outside, and Laila nodded.

“I’ll visit again soon, ma’am.”

“You’re welcome anytime. Stay for a meal next time.”

“No need, tea was more than enough, thank you.”

Luhith bowed politely and stepped outside, with Laila following close behind.

“I heard something.”

“Heard what?”

Luhith wasted no time getting to the point.

“That school life has been tough for you lately.”

“Excuse me?”

“I heard you’ve been getting bullied.”

Laila hesitated to answer. It

bullying, wasn’t it?

She had tried so hard to convince herself otherwise, but denying it any longer was impossible.

“So the student council wants to help you.”

“Help me?”

“Yes. This kind of thing is exactly what we’re here for.”

Everyone’s waiting—will you come with me?

Faced with Luhith’s kindness, Laila eventually nodded.

***

“Go on in.”

“This is…”

This wasn’t the student council room. The building they had arrived at was much grander.

“It belongs to the student council president. It’s more comfortable than the council room.”

“Oh.”

Luhith opened the door for her with a polite smile. Laila bowed slightly and stepped inside.

The moment she entered, cold water drenched her from head to toe.

“Ugh.”

“Look at that dumb expression.”

“What do you think? Still think it’s an accident?”

Stunned, Laila slowly lifted her head at the sound of familiar voices.

In front of her were the student council president, Merize, and several other council members.

“What’s going on?”

Though momentarily disoriented, Laila wiped at the water dripping from her face and asked calmly. Her expression, surprisingly, remained serene.

“Definitely unusual.”

“I told you, this one’s a bit dense.”

All eyes turned toward Merize, the one clearly orchestrating this.

‘At first, it was just for fun.’

What began as a way to spice up her dull routine had grown into something bigger. She had picked a target who annoyed her and turned it into a game.

But as things escalated, an unexpected benefit emerged.

‘I became the center of attention.’

By leading these games, she gained followers who played along, willingly or not. The unspoken power she had accumulated was intoxicating.

The fear of becoming the next target silenced anyone who might dare to speak out against her.

Seeing the relief on her peers’ faces as they avoided becoming the target themselves only made her bolder.

“Kneel her down first.”

At Merize’s command, a few students moved toward Laila.

“What the—”

But before they could act, Laila voluntarily dropped to her knees. Then she smiled faintly.

“Sorry. I must’ve done something wrong, right? I don’t know what it is, but I apologize. If kneeling will make things right, then I’ll kneel.”

The others stared at her in disbelief.

Was she genuinely oblivious to the situation?

“Hah.”

Merize let out a disbelieving laugh. Laila’s calm eyes, fixed on her, seemed entirely unafraid. It irked her.

“Your hairstyle annoys me.”

If it annoyed her, she’d change it.

“Cut her hair.”

The luscious locks framing Laila’s face were too distracting.

“Cut it really short.”

One of the students grabbed a pair of scissors and approached Laila as though this was routine.

For the first time, Laila’s eyes wavered.

“…Why are you doing this?”

She asked, her voice trembling slightly. She couldn’t understand.

“Just because.”

“What?”

“Does there have to be a reason?”

Merize’s smile grew darker.

“It’s just a game. Do you need a reason to play?”

“A game…?”

“Yes, a game.”

What are you waiting for? Cut it.

Laila squeezed her eyes shut.

This much is fine.

The sound of scissors moving closer reached her ears.

“……?”

But nothing happened. She didn’t feel the sharp snip of scissors against her hair.

Slowly, Laila opened her eyes.

Her gaze landed on another hand gripping the scissors.

“You know you’ve crossed the line, right?”

It was a familiar voice—Camilla.

Clicking her tongue, Camilla scanned the room, her eyes narrowing at the gathered students.

“Are you going to keep holding those scissors?”

The student holding the scissors flinched and dropped them immediately. Only then did Camilla let go of their hand.

Camilla exhaled quietly, her frustration evident.

Neither Arsion nor Petro had intervened in this mess, just as she’d expected.

‘Good thing I had Zeno keep an eye on her.’

She had told Zeno to watch over Laila and alert her immediately if something happened.

Moments earlier, Zeno had come rushing to her, saying Luhith had taken Laila away.

Camilla already knew where they would be. The spot was well-known to anyone familiar with these cruel “games.”

Finding Laila hadn’t been difficult.

Camilla clicked her tongue as she took in the sight of Laila, soaking wet and covered in trash. She couldn’t help but sigh.

Should she have stepped in earlier?

Still, she asked one final time.

“Are you really okay?”

Laila had always insisted she was fine, always brushed off concern with a bright smile.

“Do you still not want my help?”

Laila’s reddening eyes slowly brimmed with tears.

“Help me…”

At last, a tear fell down her cheek.

“Help me, Camilla.”

Just as she had always done.

Just like that time, long ago.