A fortune-telling princess

‘Well.’

There probably weren’t many female students at this school who could reject Professor JB’s request.

‘If I couldn’t see or know anything, I’d have done the same.’

Those puppy-like, imploring eyes that seemed to beg for help were hard to turn down.

‘But still.’

Could anyone feel that way after seeing this? Camilla shifted her gaze beyond Professor JB, who now looked dejected.

‘One ghost, two ghosts, three ghosts….’

Seven female ghosts in total.

They all had one thing in common: every single one of them was glaring at Professor JB with resentment-filled eyes.

At first, Camilla dismissed it as a simple matter.

Even though most people couldn’t see ghosts, there were occasionally those to whom such beings clung. She assumed Professor JB was just one of those people.

But the ghosts following him were strange. Their appearances in death were eerily consistent. Most striking of all was the look in their eyes—full of resentment, anger, and fear as they gazed at Professor JB.

Fear.

What kind of person inspires fear even in the dead? The simplest explanation was that he had something to do with their deaths.

Still, Camilla initially feigned ignorance. If so many women had died, there would surely be rumors. If murders had occurred, investigations would have been launched.

Besides, if Professor JB had committed the crimes, it likely happened in his vicinity. Camilla thought she’d have heard some news by now.

‘But it’s been too quiet.’

When she first saw Professor JB, there were five ghosts. A few days later, there were six.

‘And this time, there are seven.’

Another one had appeared while he was absent from school, supposedly due to a cold.

By now, there should have been reports of an incident. Yet, there was nothing.

Curious, she subtly inquired with the well-informed Duke Sorpel and Ludville.

“How’s the capital’s security these days?”

“Security?”

“I was wondering if any women had been murdered recently….”

“What?!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Did you see something in a dream again? If you did, don’t get involved!”

Both of them reacted with alarm, much like Ravi would have.

After reassuring them that it was just a baseless rumor, Camilla finally received confirmation: there hadn’t been any such incidents.

‘What is this?’

Why was everything so quiet? So many women had died. Even if their bodies hadn’t been found, there should at least have been missing person reports.

‘Should I just ask them directly?’

She wanted to, but the ghosts wouldn’t leave Professor JB’s side. No matter how she tried to engage, the dead women’s eyes were fixated solely on him.

‘Asking them would be the fastest way.’

She could find out where, when, and how they died and who was responsible.

‘Maybe I’m just mistaken.’

It wasn’t certain that Professor JB was a murderer. Perhaps these women had all coincidentally died by hanging and were following him out of resentment….

‘…Like hell.’

In all her life, Camilla had never seen coincidences like that.

***

“Lady Camilla.”

“….”

“Lady Camilla?”

“Oh, yes. What is it?”

Lost in thought, Camilla snapped back to reality at Professor JB’s concerned gaze.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“Huh?”

“If something is troubling you or if there’s a problem at home, please don’t hesitate to come to me. You know I serve as the students’ counselor, right?”

“I know.”

That was why so many students flocked to him—he was kind and willing to listen to their troubles.

“It’s nothing serious….”

Camilla glanced briefly behind him.

“I lost an earring a while ago.”

“An earring?”

“Yes, a violet pansy earring.”

Her gaze lingered on one of the ghosts—a woman wearing a single violet pansy earring.

Perhaps her words might elicit a reaction.

[…]

But the dead women didn’t seem to hear anything. None of them reacted.

The ghost Camilla had been watching merely continued to stare silently at Professor JB.

“A violet pansy earring?”

“Don’t worry about it. I can always buy another.”

Camilla rose swiftly.

“Is there anything else you’d like to say?”

“No. But I do hope you’ll reconsider my proposal.”

“I’ll think about it.”

With a curt nod, Camilla excused herself, leaving his office.

‘Looks like there’s only one way.’

She sighed softly.

‘Why is he nowhere to be found today?’

Camilla ran through the school, her frustration growing. The person she sought was unusually elusive.

“Lady Camilla.”

A familiar voice called out. She turned to find Petro approaching her with his usual gentle smile.

“Where are you rushing off to?”

“I’m looking for someone.”

“Shall I help you find them?”

“No.”

You can’t find who I’m looking for.

“Are you searching for Arsion?” Petro asked, hesitating slightly.

“No. I’ll be going now.”

“Then who are you looking for so urgently?”

Camilla let out a small sigh, her impatience getting the better of her. On any other day, she would have brushed it off, but today, it grated on her nerves.

“Lord Petro.”

“Just call me Petro.”

His soft smile widened slightly.

‘That smile used to make Camilla’s heart flutter.’

He was the first person who had smiled at her so kindly.

But now, after learning everything from Dorman, she knew the truth about that smile.

It was a lie.

While she had suspected as much, knowing the full story made it certain. The smile she had cherished meant nothing.

“You don’t need to do that anymore.”

“What?”

“There’s no need for you to pretend to be kind to me.”

If he acted this way, it was probably because—

“I’ll acknowledge that you’re a good person. So stop it in front of me.”

Everyone wants to present a certain image of themselves.

Some want to appear kind. Others want to appear smart.

‘He probably wants to be seen as a good person.’

Petro Jabilon, kind to all.

Most people likely saw him that way.

But Camilla found it annoying—how he hovered around her, always offering his help.

“Excuse me now.”

Turning away, she walked off. There was someone she needed to meet urgently.

“….”

Petro stood still, saying nothing as she disappeared from view.

For the first time, his smile was gone.

***

“Damn it.”

He’d always shown up uninvited, but now that she needed him, he was nowhere to be found. Not in the classroom, not at the Spirit Lake—nowhere.

“Where are you?”

[Who?]

A voice she’d been waiting for called out. She turned quickly to see Amy, the ghostly student, standing there with a playful grin.

“Where have you been all day?”

[Why? Missed me?]

“I need your help.”

[Oh?]

“I have a favor to ask.”

No matter how she thought about it, this was the only way. She didn’t want to resort to asking a ghost, but she had no other choice.

[What do you need help with?]

Amy’s expression brightened, delighted to have something to do to break her monotonous routine.

“Come with me.”

Camilla led Amy back toward the school building.

[This place….]

“You know Professor JB, right?”

Camilla brought Amy to the door of Professor JB’s office. Glancing around to ensure no one was nearby, she leaned closer to the ghost and spoke in a low voice.

“You’ve probably noticed, haven’t you?”

Amy knew most of the school’s secrets, so it was likely she was already aware.

“The ghosts around Professor JB.”

[…]

“Have you seen them?”

[Yeah.]

Amy nodded.

“Then ask those women for me.”

[Ask them what?]

“When, where, and how they died. And whether Professor JB was really the one who killed them.”

If Amy could question the ghosts, it would save Camilla the trouble of confronting the professor directly.

“If it’s too hard for you to talk to them, just bring them to me.”

After scanning the area one last time, Camilla turned to Amy.

But the ghost’s expression was unusual. Her playful grin had disappeared, replaced by a more serious look.

“What? Are you scared?”

Camilla asked cautiously, her gaze naturally drifting to Amy’s neck.

The reason she had avoided Amy at first was now coming back to her.

‘Come to think of it….’

Amy’s neck bore a scar. A strange mark, as if it had been abraded by a rope.