I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made

Chapter 32
Thus Saith the Fortune Teller (2)

『 Translator – Divinity 』

Unlike a few days ago when I was rejected and told to meet next time, meeting the princess today wasn’t difficult.

Well, the prince must have given her some kind of heads-up.

“…Welcome.”

Well, I did receive suspicious glances from the princess’s servants on the way in.

It was like they were thinking “How dare you meet with the princess without an appointment?”, but…

Do you want to do this instead? My head hurts thinking about what to do next.

“Please be courteous when meeting with Her Highness. To tell you about the etiquette that must be observed—”

Ah, this is boring from the start. Still, I listened attentively just in case.

If I were a foreigner, they wouldn’t have been this strict, but it feels like there’s much more to say because my nationality is the Unified Korean Empire.

After listening to the suffocating etiquette explanation and reaching the top floor of the residence,

“…Welcome, Mr. Namgung Min.”

“Thank you for your hospitality, Your Highness.”

The princess’s reaction, as if she knew someone would come but didn’t expect it to be me, greeted me.

The princess, who gestured for the servant who guided me here to leave, pointed to the chair opposite her.

“Please have a seat.”

“Yes.”

A room too large for one person. Decorations, luxurious furniture, and chandeliers that seemed to display luxury and extravagance shone brilliantly.

A high-quality carpet was laid on the floor, making it soft, and the chair I was sitting on was also top-notch, neither too soft nor too hard, which was surprising.

This is what royalty is like, huh.

It was a room that made me realize the status of Princess Kim Eun-ha and Prince Kim Seong-il.

“So, you said you have something to say to me?”

“Yes. Didn’t I say I would tell your fortune during the last class, Your Highness?”

“…Yes, you did, you did.”

I brought up the fortune-telling that I never promised, but the princess naturally accepted the conversation without showing any signs of discomfort.

If I just came here, relayed the prince’s message, and left, the people around her might find it suspicious, so my intention to use fortune-telling as an excuse must have been conveyed.

“Are you going to use tarot cards?”

“That is my specialty, but this time, it’s physiognomy.”

“Physiognomy…?”

Physiognomy. Fortune-telling by looking at someone’s appearance.

It was mainly fortune-telling by looking at the face, like I did with that unique-looking senior Dru-something.

By looking at the main points and palaces of the face and dividing the face into three parts – upper, middle, and lower – one could tell the fortune of the future.

Since physiognomy involved a lot of talking from the Fortune Teller, it was easy to convey messages.

“Since you are busy, Your Highness, I cannot speak for long. Shall we just look at your eyes?”

“My eyes?”

“In physiognomy, the eyes are considered the most important. It is said that if the face is worth a thousand nyang, the eyes are worth nine hundred.”

Even if I did physiognomy, it was ultimately an excuse.

It would be better to just talk casually.

“Your Highness’s eyes are… phoenix eyes.”

“Phoenix?”

“They are the best among eyes, even better than dragon eyes, which were often called the emperor’s eyes. They are the eyes of an ambitious person who attracts wealth and fortune even while doing nothing, and obtains whatever they desire.”

“…Ambitious.”

“Indeed.”

Actually, the princess didn’t have phoenix eyes, but what I said wasn’t wrong.

She was truly an ambitious person who could obtain anything. She wouldn’t be the hidden power broker of the imperial family for nothing.

“And phoenix eyes are… also eyes that I admire and want to protect. They are extremely rare.”

“………!”

The princess, who was listening to my physiognomy reading, widened her eyes.

It was the prince’s message and code, ‘What I love and protect’.

Actually, this code wasn’t difficult at all. It was just the Hanja characters written in Korean.

‘Love is 好 (like, love), protect is 衛 (protect, guard).’

So, taking the sounds of the two characters, it became ‘Howi’ (bodyguard). And with ‘naega’ (I) added in front, it became ‘my bodyguard’, which meant the prince’s bodyguard.

‘But how is this a code…?’

Jisu, were you that lazy to come up with a code? Or was this the best you could do?

It’s a code used between the prince and princess, couldn’t you make it more complex and cryptic?

…Even if I lamented like this, there wouldn’t be any problem as long as the message was conveyed properly.

Anyway, I conveyed it naturally, so the princess just had to understand without showing any signs…

“I see.”

“…Your Highness?”

“Yes… so that’s how it is.”

…Um, shouldn’t your reaction be more natural?

The prince’s message of ‘my bodyguard’ meant that there was someone among his bodyguards who was trying to assassinate the princess.

And naturally, there would be the assassin’s accomplice around the princess, the target of the assassination.

Although there was only me and the princess in this room, there would be hidden microphones and cameras everywhere to protect the princess.

But the princess, who was having her fortune told, suddenly makes a serious face and says “So that’s how it is”?

This is a suspicious situation no matter how you look at it.

I have to somehow fix this…!

“Haha, Your Highness. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“…Ah, yes?”

“It’s not because your eyes are phoenix eyes that you’ve reached your current position. Actually, it’s a bit awkward for me to say this as a Fortune Teller, but physiognomy is truly superstition. Please don’t worry.”

“…Ah.”

As if finally coming back to her senses, the princess stopped muttering to herself and looked at me.

Yes, I saved you. Don’t tell me off even if you use your Princess Punch from now on, okay?

“You seem to believe in fortune-telling quite a bit.”

“…Yes. I do. It was such a perfect reading that I got caught up in it.”

It was a bit of an awkward ending, but it was still better than ending with her muttering to herself.

‘It’s time to get going.’

Originally, an audience with the princess wasn’t something that could last long. Unlike a commoner like me with nothing to do, the princess had a lot to do.

It was difficult even with a prior appointment, and this time I just showed up, so this was probably the time limit.

“Your Highness, I think I should be going now. I have things to do afterwards.”

“Is that so? Then it can’t be helped.”

I didn’t have anything to do. I was just saying that because the servant nagged me about etiquette when I came in.

Wouldn’t it be so much easier if we just spoke directly like we did in the mountains? I don’t understand this pointless etiquette.

“I’ll see you in the next class, Your Highness.”

“…Yes.”

Hmm? Wasn’t there a pause at the end?

No. She even smiled and waved, so I must have misheard.

Leaving the top floor and receiving the same suspicious glances from the servant as before, I felt a bit of self-loathing, wondering if this was why I became a messenger, but…

Still, I felt a sense of liberation as I came out of that dazzling space.

‘Shall I take a walk then?’

There was nothing I could do until tomorrow, when I would meet with the prince.

I couldn’t intervene in the ‘princess assassination attempt’ event even in the game. The player got involved in the event after the assassination attempt had already been made.

And even if I moved now, how could I possibly enter the royal residence where the assassination would take place?

I was just going to take a walk and organize my thoughts…

“…Hmm?”

…That’s all I was doing?

What is this?

“………….”

It was a strange feeling.

The back of my neck tingled, and a strange itch and chill ran down my spine.

A sensation as if someone was blatantly staring at me.

Is this how it feels when you realize someone is tailing you?

But…

‘There’s no way I could notice being followed?’

Rain’s tailing, and those people who were good at investigating me,

I couldn’t notice someone tailing me like the protagonist in the game. Perhaps my disastrous physical aptitude played a part in that.

That’s why it felt even stranger.

Normally, I shouldn’t be able to notice being followed. Then…

“……….”

I started walking.

From inside the academy to outside, from outside the academy to the shopping district, from the shopping district to the back alleys.

Only after reaching a secluded and dark place,

Did I truly feel a presence behind me.

“Who are you?”

“………….”

It was a stupid question. Would they answer if I asked who they were?

But I had to buy some time.

‘Liu? Rain? The prince’s side? Or the princess’s side? Or maybe from the assassin’s side…?’

There were too many people who could be tailing me!

I thought I was doing well, but looking at it this way, my interpersonal relationships are a disaster, aren’t they?

This is why I shouldn’t have lived without friends…!

“Even if you’re going to do something, at least let me know why I’m being targeted so I can go peacefully.”

“……….”

And if it was just tailing, they wouldn’t have revealed themselves like this.

This was definitely meant to threaten me. Then the possibilities would narrow down.

‘Liu… she might have ordered them to capture me because of her suspicions from before, and although the possibility is low, Rain might have sent them to test if I’m truly strong.’

Liu and Rain were low possibilities, but it was still possible.

‘The prince? I thought he was just investigating, but could he even kidnap me?’

The prince was also a possibility.

‘The princess? Because she’s suspicious of me? Considering that I made a deal with her as if I knew her secret and even acted as a messenger for the prince, she might think I’m involved?’

The princess was also a possibil… and…

‘Those assassins? It’s possible. Although I managed to smooth things over with the princess, it was awkward, so they might want to kidnap me and find out more…!’

The assassin too… that’s right.

What? It could be anyone? The possibilities aren’t narrowing down at all?

Those guys who were laughing and chatting with me could stab me in the back at any moment?

‘…Life.’

If it weren’t for that unidentified stalker behind me, I would have almost cried.

Still, it’s understandable that they’re suspicious since it’s the first time. If I treat them sincerely, they might become friends someday… maybe.

Perhaps sensing my subtly gloomy mood, the stalker moved.

At the sound of their footsteps, I came to my senses and started thinking.

‘Can I turn around now? Will I get stabbed the moment I do?’

The cards I could play were , , and .

The combination of and was my only means, but even that could only buy time, not subdue the opponent.

It worked against the Saint, but that was because of his skill.

‘But I learned judo in the department. If I ambush them, I might be able to subdue them!’

I wasn’t an expert, but I did attend judo classes to become a police officer.

With the confidence that I could do it, I tried to trip the opponent who was approaching—

“……….”

“Gah!”

—But before I could even extend my leg, I was pinned to the ground.

I couldn’t see them move at all? And why are they so strong?

As I was trying to turn my face to see the opponent who instantly crushed my confidence,

“…What are you doing?”

“What else! Of course I’m trying to see your face… huh?”

Wait a minute.

That voice sounds familiar.

“You’re really… unpredictable. One moment you’re sharp, the next you’re clueless, I can’t understand you.”

“…Your Highness?”

Why are you here?

Someone who has all sorts of guards and servants following her when she leaves her private quarters is walking around alone like this?

“What happened? Did you come all the way here alone?”

“You immediately switched to formal speech after realizing it’s me.”

“Well, a despicable stalker and the noble princess are different, aren’t they?”

“You’re quite eloquent for someone who only noticed the stalker after they made it obvious.”

Ah, that feeling was you giving me a hint.

I thought it was a threat to quietly go to a secluded place.

…Thinking about it, isn’t it the same?

“Let’s get straight to the point. I came here because I have something to say.”

“Before that, could you please untie this? It really hurts—”

“–What is your relationship with the assassins?”

“……….”

Yes, I knew you would ask that.

As I thought earlier, the princess had more than enough reason to be suspicious of me.

A Fortune Teller suddenly approaches and mentions the secret the princess was hiding, and then he comes as a messenger for the prince, so no matter how you look at it, he must be involved with the imperial family.

Naturally, she must be testing me to see if I know anything about the ‘assassins’.

In a way, it was my own fault. I used dangerous information to get the princess’s attention.

But it’s not like I acted without thinking.

“If I tell you here, will you believe me, Your Highness?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re going to summon the anyway, aren’t you? I’ll answer all your questions then.”

Slide.

The princess’s restraints were released. My shoulders really hurt…

I rotated my arms and got up, dusting myself off, and faced the princess, who was looking at me with suspicion in her eyes.

“So, for now, why don’t we join hands for the same goal?”

“…The same goal?”

“What else? To prevent your assassination… and catch the assassins.”

The ‘princess assassination attempt’ was the biggest event before the midterms of the first year.

The entire Romance Academy would be in an uproar, and the player had to gather all sorts of hints and deduce the culprit, making it almost like a detective story.

‘Honestly, it was boring.’

It was novel, but not very fun. The hints were obvious, and you could immediately tell who the culprit was.

But the process was quite frustrating and tedious.

“…Are you saying you know about the assassins?”

“Of course I do.”

So I’m trying to take the easy route.

“Alright. Then for now, everything you know…”

“Who the assassin is, their motive, and who’s behind them.”

“…Excuse me?”

Question one. What’s the fastest way to finish the investigation part?

“I know everything, Your Highness.”

Answer. Know who the culprit is.

It’s easy, right?