A fortune-telling princess

“No, Father.”

Camilla shook her head lightly, her face adorned with a gentle smile.

“The child wanted this too.”

Rio had not returned to the orphanage. Instead, Duke Sephra himself had decided to adopt the boy.

“At first, I thought about keeping him with me…”

But it was Arison who had approached Rio first, asking if he’d like to live in his home.

Others were shocked by the suggestion, but Camilla wasn’t surprised at all.

‘He’s always had a soft spot for kids.’

Especially for Rio.

Though Arison despised people hovering around him, he had never once shown displeasure toward Rio. In fact, he often lingered nearby, subtly looking out for the boy.

‘Kids are far more perceptive than we give them credit for.’

They instinctively know who dislikes them and who genuinely cares. The fact that Rio gravitated toward Arison rather than Petro made it clear.

If Arison had even slightly indicated that he didn’t like Rio, the boy wouldn’t have clung to him so affectionately.

‘Maybe they remind him of each other?’

Rio’s bright, wide-eyed expression did resemble Sier’s a little.

Whatever the case, Rio hadn’t turned down Arison’s outstretched hand.

The bond between them had deepened significantly since the recent ordeal. To Rio, Arison must have seemed like the heroic figure who had saved him.

“Even so, that boy living in

his

house…”

Duke Sorpel’s concern was evident. He couldn’t help but worry about the boy being placed in the care of someone as cold and brusque as Arison.

“Rio will do well there,” Camilla assured him confidently.

The boy was surprisingly sociable.

‘Hehe.’

Camilla chuckled inwardly as she remembered something Arison had said to entice Rio.

‘There’s an empty room at my place.’

At first, she thought he was bragging about having a big house.

Our house has plenty of empty rooms too!

she’d nearly retorted but stopped when she realized what kind of room Arison meant.

‘It used to belong to someone else, but…’

It was his way of saying he would treat Rio like a younger brother.

“He’ll be fine,” she said, her tone filled with certainty.

That single comment was enough to convince her that Arison would take care of the boy better than anyone else.

****

“……”

“……”

The dining hall was eerily quiet, as though no one were there.

Both Duke Sephra and Arison sat at the table, but neither spoke a word.

They didn’t seem uncomfortable with the silence, though—it was a setting they were both well-accustomed to.

The servants stationed nearby mirrored this stillness, moving cautiously so as not to disturb their masters.

Tap, tap, tap!

Suddenly, the sound of small, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor leading to the dining hall.

The steps stopped abruptly just outside the entrance, drawing the attention of both the duke and Arison.

But contrary to their expectations, no one entered.

Peek.

A small head cautiously poked into the room.

“…Oh?”

The child, clearly intending to sneak a look, froze when he realized that every pair of eyes in the room was fixed on him.

“Heh…”

After a brief moment of surprise, Rio broke into a broad smile.

“I’m here to eat!”

Hands clasped neatly in front of him, he gave a polite bow before scampering into the room.

“Take a seat.”

“Yes!”

Responding cheerfully, Rio made his way to a chair. With some effort, he began climbing up onto it. The sight was so endearing that the butler nearby couldn’t help but chuckle as he gently lifted the boy into his seat.

“Thank you!”

The boy’s polite gratitude made the butler smile even wider.

It had been ages—if ever—that this house had echoed with such cheerful, innocent voices.

The servants swiftly laid out the meal. Seeing the array of dishes, Rio’s mouth fell open in delight.

“This looks delicious!”

He clapped his hands together and eagerly picked up a fork. On his plate, the meat had already been cut into bite-sized pieces.

“Uh-oh…”

But there was one problem—the table was too high for him to comfortably reach his food.

“We’ll need to order a proper chair,” the duke remarked calmly.

“Yes, my lord.”

The butler bowed, silently berating himself for overlooking such an obvious detail.

Thud.

“……?”

As the butler moved to assist him, Rio suddenly jumped down from his chair.

The boy ran straight to Duke Sephra.

“Pick me up!”

The servants collectively gasped. The audacity of the child to raise his arms toward the famously cold duke!

“……”

Sephra gazed at the boy, his expression as impassive as ever.

But instead of scolding Rio, the duke leaned down and lifted him effortlessly, setting the boy on his lap.

“Thank you!”

With a much better view of the food, Rio beamed and began eating happily.

The duke’s casual acceptance of Rio’s behavior left the servants dumbfounded.

But the surprises didn’t stop there.

“Ah!”

The boy opened his mouth wide and looked expectantly at the duke.

As though it were the most natural thing in the world, he was silently asking to be fed.

“……”

For a long moment, Duke Sephra simply stared at him.

Finally, he picked up a small piece of meat and gently placed it into Rio’s mouth.

“It’s delicious!”

Rio chewed with enthusiasm, his smile growing even brighter.

“Hey.”

Arison, who had been watching the entire scene with disbelief, finally broke his silence.

“I’m the one who’s spent more time with you.”

He couldn’t understand why Rio was clinging to the duke when Arison had been the one looking after him.

“Sister told me to.”

“Sister? Camilla?”

“Yes!”

Nodding earnestly, Rio repeated what he’d been told.

“She said, ‘Stick close to the strongest person in the house.'”

“…The strongest?”

“Yep! She said life’s easier that way.”

Of course she’d teach him something like that.

“So that’s why you chose him over me?”

“Yes! Sister said he’s the strongest here.”

“……”

Left speechless, Arison opened his mouth to argue but quickly gave up. How could he possibly rebuke a child for following such logic?

Meanwhile, Duke Sephra calmly placed another piece of meat into Rio’s mouth.

“The child is always right.”

“Yep! Sister is always right!”

The two were perfectly in sync.

“…Damn it.”

Arison could only curse under his breath, mindful not to let Rio hear him.

***

Ding!

“Welcome—oh, Camilla!”

Laila, who was busy arranging desserts on display, looked up and greeted her visitor with a bright smile.

“Welcome!”

“How’s work?”

“Great!”

Camilla had come to visit her newly opened dessert café.

“This place is beautiful.”

“Of course it is,” Camilla replied smugly.

She had poured her heart and soul into this project. From the design to the menu, every detail bore her touch.

Especially the interior! Replicating a modern café aesthetic in this world had been no small feat.

“Guests?”

“…Not yet.”

Laila’s face fell slightly.

“Relax. You’re scaring off the ones who haven’t even arrived yet.”

Camilla patted Laila’s shoulder with a reassuring smile.

This café was her second venture after Ghost Trade, and she had immediately thought of Laila to manage it. Laila’s diligence and knack for quick thinking had left a strong impression during their volunteer work.

“These macarons turned out great,” Camilla remarked, admiring the colorful treats on display.

“Yeah, I’m proud of them.”

Camilla felt a swell of satisfaction as she admired the fruits of their labor.

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