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Chapter 4
“Princess, couldn’t you read ours too?”
Two young noble ladies sat in front of me, their chins resting on their hands as they pleaded.
They said they were dying to know when they would meet their fated partners — and who those partners would be.
They must’ve come after hearing the rumors about the couples I’d “predicted.”
Ugh, what a bother.
But really, it’s my own fault.
If I’d been in my right mind, I wouldn’t have been spouting all that nonsense in the first place.
If these rumors keep spreading, I’ll be regretting my big mouth for the rest of my life.
“There’s also a rumor that you’re the apprentice of the reclusive sorcerer, Melvin! Is that true?”
I didn’t want to ruin their bright, hopeful eyes, but I couldn’t help it — I almost laughed.
‘Melvin? You mean Merlin, right? Even the name’s off.’
I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing.
“No, no,” the other lady chimed in. “The princess received a divine oracle! She must be a priestess sent down from the temple after being blessed by the gods!”
Now they were both chatting like a pair of sparrows.
Sorry to disappoint, but I’m just the daughter of a Korean shaman.
Still… I guess there’s no harm in letting them think otherwise.
When I neither denied nor confirmed it, the girls tugged at my skirt impatiently.
“Princess, please! Read ours too!”
Sigh… Pay up first, girls.
I picked my ear lazily and said, “Nothing’s free, you know. Across time and space, the universal rule is — you need this to hear a prophecy.”
I rubbed my fingers together in a circle and winked at them.
They exchanged glances. Then, one of them hesitantly pulled out an embroidered handkerchief from her pouch.
“I made this for the embroidery fair. Please take it, Princess.”
“And I’ll give you this.”
The other lady offered a solid lipstick.
…Really? I’m a princess. Do I look like I’m short on lipsticks?
I shook my head.
“No, no. I like gold. You know — the round kind?”
The two girls burst out laughing.
“Princess, you’re more materialistic than you look! You already have wealth and land — and you still want more?”
I nodded solemnly.
“You know how it is. Once a woman marries, everything — her children, her wealth — belongs to her husband. So you’ve got to save up while you can, stash away a secret fund.”
I said it boldly, though it wasn’t entirely true.
If I read fortunes for a few people, word would spread, and I’d never get a moment’s peace. So maybe it’d be better to have a reputation as a money-hungry princess — might keep them away.
The two ladies clutched their stomachs, laughing uncontrollably.
“Hahaha! But if you announce your secret fund to everyone, it’s not exactly a secret fund anymore!”
“Oh, you’re too clever, Princess!”
The handkerchief girl wiped tears of laughter from her eyes and said,
“Princess, I used to think you were always in a bad mood — I was scared to even talk to you. But you’re so funny!”
Her friend nudged her with an elbow.
“Sophie! You can’t call the princess funny!”
But “Sophie” just ignored her and grinned.
“Now that I’ve talked to you, I regret not doing it sooner.”
Why on earth had Giselle kept everyone at such a distance?
I wondered that myself but shrugged casually.
“Yeah, I regret it too. If I’d started taking presents from you all earlier, I’d have a whole secret fortune by now.”
The girls laughed again, then suddenly grabbed my hands.
“Princess, you did so well breaking up with Sir Adrian. Unrequited love like that isn’t worth it. When we heard you dumped him, we were so relieved! Everyone applauded your courage — we’re all cheering for you!”
“She’s right! Everyone says your decision was amazing!”
Their chirping encouragements left me awkwardly flustered.
“Well, I don’t know about amazing, but… ahem.”
Honestly, who hasn’t suffered a bit of one-sided love?
Maybe that’s why my broken engagement felt so relatable to them.
In the end, pretending to give in, I accepted their gifts — the handkerchief and the lipstick — and told them to go watch the national parade during the upcoming holiday.
I said they’d meet a kind gentleman in blue there — and his friend.
They stayed to ask me a dozen more questions before finally leaving, satisfied.
And I… was once again left alone in boring solitude.
…
…Huh?
Why am I waking up in this dark room?
I scratched my messy hair and sat up in bed.
Then I turned toward the window — it was pitch-black outside.
I gasped.
It had been broad daylight when I was chatting with those noble girls — so how did I end up lying in bed? Why don’t I remember what happened in between?
Uneasy, I hurriedly pulled the bell rope.
Moments later, Lynn came rushing in.
“Princess! You’re awake! How do you feel?”
“What do you mean, how do I feel? What happened?”
Lynn avoided my eyes and fidgeted.
“Well… something did happen. A lot of somethings…”
“What? What do you mean?”
“You don’t remember anything?”
“Of course not! That’s why I’m asking. Spit it out!”
Please tell me it’s nothing major.
I was already bracing myself for disaster, but still — I needed to know how bad it was.
Lynn squeezed her eyes shut and blurted out:
“You… you were flirting with men, Princess!”
“…What?”
What did she just say I did?
“I— I did what—?!”
Lynn peeked at me, gauging my reaction. Seeing my jaw drop, she shuffled closer nervously.
“I tried to stop you, I really did, but…”
“Lynn. Start from the beginning. No summaries. Full version. Fast!”
She swallowed hard and began speaking in one breath.
“So, um… you came out of the greenhouse and went to Prince Lucas’s office. I wondered why you weren’t going to the dining room since it was meal time, so I followed you. Then you suddenly burst open the office door — and inside were the prince’s friends and several knights. And then you started telling them how handsome they were, and… you even whistled at them…”
What?!
I was frozen. “Are you insane? No — I’m insane! Why didn’t you stop me?”
She pouted. “How’s a maid supposed to stop a princess?”
Great. Just great.
Why do I keep losing control like this lately?
I shook my head in despair. “Ahem… and then? What happened next?”
Lynn bit her lip and looked away.
“Then you laughed a lot… told the prince’s friends not to make any plans for the holiday, to go see the parade instead. Prince Lucas got angry — said you’d lost your mind and shamed yourself. And then… you suddenly turned pale and collapsed.”
I screamed, tugging my hair as I paced the room.
Perfect. Just perfect!
If Rosa had seen that, she’d nag me for a hundred years straight. Maybe it’s a blessing she’s not here.
Then another thought hit me.
“How did I end up back in my room?”
Lynn hesitated again. “Sir Adrian carried you back…”
“What? Why him? Where was my brother?!”
When I yelled, she muttered, “The prince hurt his back during sword training…”
“Unbelievable.”
He knew I’d broken off the engagement with Adrian — and he still let him carry me here? My dear “world’s strongest” brother, the man who always told me to rely on him?
Now his back conveniently hurts?
I squeezed my eyes shut, briefly tempted to vanish from existence altogether.
But who could I blame?
I was the one who’d flirted shamelessly with every man in the room, then fainted — right into my ex-fiancé’s arms.
So much for my cool, graceful breakup. How utterly pathetic.
I groaned, clutching my hair again.
“Ugh, I’ve become an ecological disaster species…”
“An… eco… what?” Lynn asked, bewildered.
This can’t go on!
If I keep losing my mind like this, I’ll ruin not only myself but my whole family — the royal family’s dignity, even Father the King’s reputation!
I shook my head and clenched my fists.
“I need a solution. Maybe an exorcism, or a sam-bul fan—ah, no, those are hard to find here. Maybe some iron bells? Or five-direction talismans?”
“E-exorcism? Sam… what? O-bang-gi?” Lynn repeated, nearly in tears.
“There’s… stuff like that,” I muttered, chewing on a nail, deep in thought.
I had to suppress my divine power.
Keep it from flaring up, keep my mind steady.
Maybe if I went up a mountain and prayed, offered some rituals…
Knock, knock.
Someone was knocking on the door.
