A fortune-telling princess

Beneath the classroom window, someone trudged along. Covered in filthy water and garbage, the figure was none other than the former student council president, Merize.

Even though classes hadn’t ended, she left the academy in a hurry, as she had been doing lately, as if fleeing.

“She’s getting a taste of her own medicine.”

The current target of the students’ ire was none other than Merize. The one who orchestrated it all? Camilla.

‘I used the video crystal to threaten them a bit.’

It hadn’t been difficult for Camilla to find recordings of Merize and the student council members bullying other students.

With the videos in hand, Camilla approached the student council members—excluding Merize—and issued an ultimatum: if they didn’t comply, she would spread the footage.

‘So what?’

‘What crime is it to push around some weaklings?’

It’s not like we killed anyone.’

Initially, the council members dismissed her threats, confident that such videos wouldn’t harm them significantly.

‘I’ll carry this video around for the rest of my life.’

‘What?’

‘I’ll take it to wherever you work, to your wedding, and to every party you attend. I’ll show it to everyone around you, over and over, so no one forgets. I’ll make sure the entire world knows who you really are. Forever.’

That was the end of it.

Her promise to leverage the full power of the Sorpel family to ruin their lives left them pale. They knew all too well the weight of the Sorpel name.

If anyone else had tried the same threat, it wouldn’t have worked. They would have laughed it off, perhaps hurling insults in return.

After all, other victims who had protested in the past were met with nothing but ridicule.

There was no one to help them. Teachers and parents turned a blind eye, unwilling to challenge the influence of the student council members and their families.

Even with undeniable evidence like the videos, victims often hid or fled rather than confront their bullies.

‘Honestly, it was probably the smart choice.’

Without power to back their protests, they would have faced even worse retaliation.

But Camilla’s threats couldn’t be ignored.

To the trembling council members, Camilla made one demand: cut all ties with Merize.

At first, they couldn’t believe that was all she wanted, but Camilla nodded. It was enough.

With Ravi’s help, she edited the videos to show only Merize, obscuring the other council members’ faces and voices.

‘What’s this?’

‘It’s footage of scum doing scummy things.’

‘What?’

‘Blur out everyone except this one girl.’

‘What are you up to now?’

‘Something good.’

‘I’m busy.’

‘Do it, and I’ll get you a top-tier mana stone.’

‘…Fine. What exactly do you need?’

It was simpler than expected, and the final version of the video only featured Merize as the “star.”“Everyone’s out for blood.”

The main perpetrators of Merize’s current torment weren’t the student council or even other students. They were the ones she had bullied.

Those who had once been her victims were now paying her back in kind.

Realizing that Merize had lost the support of the student council, they didn’t miss the chance to strike.

This outcome was predictable. Stripped of her power, Merize was no longer feared. It wasn’t hard to imagine what she would endure next.

“She still comes from a powerful family. Won’t this get resolved soon?”

Laila’s voice was tinged with bitterness as she watched Merize’s retreating figure.

She had learned something valuable: people with wealth and power could easily commit crimes and make them disappear.

“Marquis Gaviel is probably too busy to worry about her right now.”

“Huh?”

“I told you, didn’t I?”

Camilla smirked.

“I have a lot of resources at my disposal.”

Before going after Merize, Camilla had first targeted Marquis Gaviel himself. After all, it was his influence that had allowed Merize to act with such impunity at the academy.

The Gaviel family’s main business was mana stones, and Camilla had just the means to disrupt it. Once that happened, shaking the foundations of his other ventures was child’s play.

She had also approached the parents of the other council members, using similar tactics. Their connections to Marquis Gaviel’s business were too extensive to ignore.

Camilla demanded they sever all ties with the marquis.

“Parents will always think about their children’s future, right?”

“Huh?”

“It’s just something they pretend to care about.”

If Marquis Gaviel’s business were still thriving, would those parents have sided with her? Probably not.

‘That’s how nobles are. They prioritize their family’s interests over their children’s.’

Faced with the marquis’s crumbling business, the other nobles had calculated their options. Supporting him and risking conflict with the Sorpel family? Or cutting ties to avoid trouble?

The answer was obvious.

With Marquis Gaviel’s ventures stalled and his allies deserting him, his household was in chaos.

Camilla hadn’t hidden her role in the video’s distribution, either.

‘Why would I?’

Just as Merize had brazenly sent videos to victims’ parents without fear of repercussions, Camilla had no reason to conceal her actions.

“What’s Merize going to do about it?”

She thought nothing of it, confident in her position.

“What do you think will happen to Merize?”

“Who knows?”

Camilla didn’t care what happened next. She had merely set the stage, just as Merize had done before.

Merize was no longer the student council president, and the council itself had lost its authority. Their days of lording over others were over.

“That’s as far as I go.”

Whether another target emerged or not was no longer her concern. Anything more would be meddling.

This incident, too—if the target hadn’t been Laila, Camilla wouldn’t have interfered at all.

“In any case, there’s nothing left to see here.”

As Merize’s faint silhouette disappeared into the distance, Camilla closed the classroom window firmly.Thud, thud, thud!

“…?”Hearing the sound of someone sprinting toward him, Arison instinctively exuded a menacing aura, a habit born from years of combat.When he saw the approaching figure, however, the hostility vanished instantly, replaced by a look of bewilderment.Smack!A small fist lightly thudded against the top of his head. Startled, he didn’t even attempt to dodge—a rare moment of inaction.“What are you doing?”“Thanks.”“For what?”“For letting me hit you.”The culprit was none other than Camilla.She had come out of nowhere and struck him on the head with surprising casualness. Now, she stood there, completely unfazed by his incredulous gaze.“What was that for?”“I don’t know. Seeing you two just made me mad all of a sudden.”Camilla’s eyes shifted to Petro, who stood beside Arison, laughing softly.Why aren’t you doing anything this time?Her frustration flared anew. In countless lifetimes before she had fully entered this world, those two had always been there to assist Lila.So why not now?She had waited, believing they would step in as usual, but in the end, she had been forced to resolve things herself.“Thanks to you, I’ve been incredibly busy lately,” she muttered.“What are you even talking about?” Arison asked, his confusion growing.“Nothing you need to worry about.”“Nothing? You punched me for no reason, and that’s all you’re going to say?”“I said it’s nothing.”Camilla brushed off his protests with an air of indifference and turned her head away.…!Her eyes met Petro’s, and she froze. As always, he was smiling, but something about his expression felt sharper than usual.“I’m ready for my turn, Lady Camilla,” he said with playful sincerity.“What? No, I don’t want to hit you…”What’s wrong with him lately?Ever since the hunting tournament, Petro’s behavior had shifted. He had dropped the formal “Lady” when addressing her and now frequently made disarming comments that threw her off guard.Why? Since when?“Hey,” Arison interrupted.“What?”“You just said ‘you two,’ didn’t you?”“Yeah, so?”“You said we made you mad.”“And?”“Then why only hit me?”“…”“You should hit him too.”“…Arison.”“What?”“Did you know you’re a lot like Ravi, my brother?”“Was that an insult?”At least he’s perceptive.Camilla averted her gaze, unwilling to elaborate. Unfortunately, her eyes landed on Petro again.He looked utterly dejected, like a puppy abandoned by its owner.Sigh.Camilla let out a small sigh. Why does he look like that just because I said I wouldn’t hit him?He’s definitely acting strange.Shaking her head, Camilla began inching backward. She had no intention of staying around Petro any longer than necessary.Since the hunting tournament, she had been doing her best to avoid him altogether.There’s no good excuse I can come up with!It was only a matter of time before Petro asked her how she had mastered the swordsmanship of the Jayvillan family.What would I even say? That I learned it from a ghost?More accurately, it wasn’t her who had demonstrated the technique but Zeno, who had taken over her body. Still, there was no way to explain it that wouldn’t make her sound insane.“Camilla,” Petro called out urgently, interrupting her retreat.