I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 57

Crown Prince Kim Sung-il’s election for student council president.

The news spread rapidly among the first-year students.

“…Is that really true?”

“I’m telling you, it’s true! The rumors have already spread like wildfire.”

In just one day, the rumors, which had spread at an unbelievable pace since the day of his decision to run, stirred up the first-year students.

Thanks to that, the first-years realized two things.

“By the way, did you know there’s an election?”

“No? I was shocked when I heard it for the first time. I thought first-years couldn’t vote, but it turns out that’s not true?”

“This academy….”

The first realization was that they only now learned of the existence of the election.

The gossip about the Crown Prince running for student council president made many first-years aware of the election’s existence.

Naturally, information about when, where, and how to vote, as well as who the other candidates were, started circulating, and most opinions leaned toward supporting the Crown Prince.

Some chose to support him because he appeared more approachable than seniors they barely knew, and being fellow first-years helped as well.

“Did you hear about this too?”

“Hear about what?”

“About senior Lily White Rose. You must know her, right?”

“Of course! She’s the senior featured in the admission poster.”

“I heard she ran for student council president as a first-year like the Crown Prince and served two terms perfectly! She’s kind and has a good reputation.”

“That’s true, but it still feels like it’s better for seniors to take on the student council roles….”

The second realization was about the current student council president, Lily White Rose.

As the sitting student council president who appeared in all sorts of promotional materials, including admission posters and academy introduction videos, Lily White Rose was a well-known figure.

However, the majority of students only knew her as a pretty senior and had no real understanding of who she was.

The gossip surrounding the Crown Prince’s candidacy brought up favorable rumors about Lily White Rose, who had (for better or worse) served as president.

Kim Sung-il’s candidacy and the positive rumors about Lily.

All of it spread extraordinarily fast and with clear intent, yet no first-year student seemed to care about that fact.

There was no such thing as ‘first-years.’

“I’ll withdraw my candidacy.”

“…Fast, huh.”

The Crown Prince replied with a somewhat arrogant posture, crossing his legs as he received guests.

Across from him sat Kim Ha-neul, a member of royalty, bowing politely.

“If I had known Your Highness would come out, I wouldn’t have even run.”

“Sounds like you’re asking why I’m running now.”

“I-I absolutely didn’t mean that! I came out to uphold the honor of the Imperial family as a member of the Daehan Empire!”

“…Hmm.”

Although Kim Ha-neul was several years older than Kim Sung-il, she trembled with each word, maintaining her utmost decorum.

The next Emperor of the Daehan Empire and its only legitimate heir, Kim Sung-il,
vs. the sixth daughter of a concubine among over ten others, Kim Ha-neul.

There was no exaggeration in saying their statuses were like heaven and earth.

Even though she was technically royalty herself, as soon as she made a slip of the tongue, the Crown Prince’s aides would glare at her disdainfully.

The Crown Prince quietly placed his cup down after taking a sip of the prepared fine coffee.

“I’m glad you’re quick on the uptake.”

“Thank you for your grace!”

“You understand what you need to do from now on, right?”

“I’ll announce my resignation due to personal issues in three days!”

“Good. It’s right not to leave room for dispute, even nominally.”

The reason for Kim Ha-neul’s announcement of her resignation was simple.

Since the next Emperor, Kim Sung-il, intended to be student council president, she, being another member of the royal family, could not be a competitor.

What if she continued to run? The outcome for a member of royalty who fell out of favor with the next Emperor was all too predictable.

Once the rumors spread and were confirmed as true, it was only natural for Kim Ha-neul to come to visit Kim Sung-il.

Additionally, if she were to resign immediately or fail to properly state her reasons for resignation, it could clearly be seen as the Crown Prince’s pressure, so she needed to take some time before making the announcement.

Indeed, the pressure was right, but to others who understood the situation, it could be seen merely as a matter of enforcing royal discipline.

“Then, go.”

“………Your Highness.”

“I told you to go.”

“I apologize, but I beg you to allow me just one thing!”

Clang.

Kim Ha-neul, who refused to comply with the Crown Prince’s orders, was surrounded by his aides.

With the justification of protecting the Crown Prince, the aides were allowed to carry weapons and aimed various blades and cold weapons at her.

Since she was a member of Daehan Empire royalty, their reaction was more than a tad excessive, just in case someone might aim for the next Emperor.

In truth, the one they needed to be most wary of was Crown Princess Kim Eun-ha.

Since the last assassination threat, Kim Sung-il had directly ordered not to touch the Crown Princess, so his aides were on high alert for other members of royalty.

“Should we restrain her, Your Highness?”

“……No. Let me hear what she has to say.”

“Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness!”

Kim Ha-neul, who refused to leave under the Crown Prince’s orders.

Even under the fierce glares of the aides, something in her eyes burned as she faced the Crown Prince.

What emotions were contained within her?

The Crown Prince didn’t bother trying to find out. He had already heard enough.

“If, hypothetically, you, Your Highness, were to resign… I would like to request permission to run again.”

“Are you saying I should withdraw from the student council election?”

“Of course, that’s a hypothetical. Unlike a mere daughter of a concubine like me, you must have important duties to attend to. Even if the position of student council president might seem like a mere facade, it involves quite a lot of work.”

“Is this your way of worrying for me?”

“Exactly. If that ever happens, I will step in, though I may be weaker, to uphold the honor of the Daehan Imperial family in your stead!”

“Hmm….”

What should he do?

Honestly, the Crown Prince didn’t care much whichever way the outcome went.

That was beyond his dealings with Namgoong Min.

“No, this time, prioritizing Namgoong Min is the right move.”

While the Crown Prince held a large favor toward Namgoong Min, when it came to matters of the royal family, he couldn’t involve personal feelings.

However, the reason he decided to side with Namgoong Min instead of Kim Ha-neul was straightforward.

It was her attitude.

“She’s hiding something.”

Of course, it wasn’t that she was rude for disobeying the Crown Prince’s orders.

What the Crown Prince suspected was Kim Ha-neul’s true intentions.

Her reason for running in the student council election.

“Kim Ha-neul has been living without much issue for the past two years. She is neither a focal point among third-years nor as active as that second-year girl. Yet now she aims for the position of student council president….”

The Crown Prince bore no particular grudge against Kim Ha-neul. There was no political motivation to torment her in such a half-hearted manner.

Yet the information from Namgoong Min led him to question Kim Ha-neul’s intentions.

With Namgoong Min’s advice, the investigation into her “dogs” had already been completed.

“I refuse.”

“Ah… I understand.”

“By the way, I heard you recently picked up a dog.”

“Y-Yes!”

“That much interference would be excessive. Just avoid tarnishing your royalty as much as possible.”

“Understood!”

“Most importantly, don’t let the Rich Tycoon find out. Her position is troublesome, even from the standpoint of the royal family.”

“I’ll keep that in mind!”

“Alright.”

Even after having his desperate plea rejected, Kim Ha-neul left respectfully from the room.

To be honest, it wouldn’t matter if she relied on drug addicts as her subordinates as long as she properly submitted the list and reported her actions.

…But Kim Ha-neul had ulterior motives.

“That recent reshuffle of aides caused complications in the investigation.”

The new aides, while competent, overlooked the surveillance of other members of royalty, having replaced the entire faction.

Coincidentally, Kim Ha-neul had obtained her “dog” during that time.

Had Namgoong Min not informed him, he would have remained unaware of even the dog’s existence.

A mere daughter of a concubine, using an unofficial job holder as her subordinate without reporting it.

Such an act was intolerable for the royal family, who feared a coup d’état from the small number of job holders, and Kim Ha-neul was well aware of that.

Had it not been for the information provided by Namgoong Min, he would have acted much sooner.

“Speaking of which, Eun-ha also helped Namgoong Min once.”

Did she really give bonuses to all the workers at the airport?

It wasn’t a huge sum, so he didn’t care much, but he found it hard to suppress a chuckle.

“Looks like I’m simultaneously dealing with a prince and a princess.”

“Your Highness?”

“Enough. Bring me another cup of coffee.”

“Yes!”

Namgoong Min.

He never expected that just a little over two months after first meeting him—especially with the Fortuneteller—he would feel this much goodwill.

Let alone two members of the royal family.

“Wait, aren’t we all in this together?”

All the students in the Special Class he attended were watching Namgoong Min closely.

When Eun-ha first fussed about needing to recruit him, he thought it was just about that much, but now even Kim Sung-il was in a position to suggest a scout.

“Perhaps he’d be good as Eun-ha’s partner too.”

He might get beaten to a pulp if mentioned in front of Eun-ha.

The Crown Prince privately thought that his sister and Namgoong Min would get along splendidly.

Having a younger sister with a painful past, he at least wanted to let her marry someone she wanted.

…But there was no point in pondering alone.

“Well, this is that.”

The Crown Prince set down his cup.

With that, his dealings with Namgoong Min would come to an end. In four days, once he resigned, it would be completely concluded.

To withdraw just five days after declaring his candidacy might damage his image and authority, but he already had a sufficient reason for resignation, and most importantly, he gained more than he lost.

“Fortunately, I consulted about dating.”

A date with someone he fell for at first sight was a sweet opportunity even for the next Emperor.

*

Honestly, when I first came up with this solution, I thought I was going insane.

Looking back now, it feels indeed insane.

“Is it true that Crown Prince Kim Sung-il likes President Lily?”

“I heard from the Crown Princess that he fell in love at first sight.”

“Oh dear, how poor his taste in women seems….”

Samuel Lipson sighed sincerely.

He also joined the student council just based on Lily’s appearance, but having realized her true nature in just two days, he had much to say to the Crown Prince.

But where there’s gain, there’s loss.

Samuel lamented that one male student’s pure love had been sacrificed for the sake of the student council presidency’s continuity.

“…Anyway, that’s resolved.”

“Now we just have to wait for it to conclude.”

Having heard from the Crown Prince that Kim Ha-neul would announce her resignation the next day, all that remained was simply waiting.

Kim Sung-il would resign as well, citing his training as the next Emperor, leaving only one candidate.

Lily White Rose’s reelection as student council president was therefore ensured.

“Hmm….”

“Senior Samuel?”

“But this is… ultimately just a temporary fix. Next semester, Kim Ha-neul will run again….”

“Well, that’s to be expected.”

As he said, Kim Ha-neul would simply resign to make way for a walking irregular like Crown Prince Kim Sung-il, but she hadn’t given up on her goal of becoming student council president.

However, no matter who became president next semester, it was irrelevant to Namgoong Min.

Rather, what he had gained through this opportunity was crucial information.

‘…Kim Ha-neul.’

That name had never surfaced in the game.

Well, considering that I barely knew even a tenth of the students, I suppose she’s still a member of royalty.

Thinking about how that second-year royalty was at the heart of several major events, the clearly insignificant presence of Kim Ha-neul, also a royal, seemed odd.

Originally, among the third-years, the only name he knew was Lily White Rose; he didn’t know a single other one, and they didn’t appear in the game either.

‘Kim Eun-ha’s past and the existence of the royal Kim Ha-neul.’

The unfolding events were slowly deviating from what the game had proposed.

Were they trying to make it harder to reach the ending?

He held back several curses directed at his younger sister.

“Junior?”

“Ah, no. Just… thinking about family.”

“Indeed, living in this airborne city does make one nostalgic.”

Should I tell Liu about it?

But if I told her about the dog now, she’d definitely charge in headfirst.

Unlike the prince and princess, a mere daughter of a concubine would likely be suppressed by the authority of the Rich Tycoon.

To put it bluntly, if Liu blocked the funds flowing into the Daehan Empire, the royal family would prioritize kicking Kim Ha-neul out.

‘So it’s best to keep it a secret for now.’

After all, the “dog” was under close surveillance from the Crown Prince’s side.

If they catch wind of anything, they’d inform him.

However, he needed to guarantee a date with Lily and consult about dating again, but he deemed it a fair deal.

Glancing towards the distant horizon, he could see the Great Lake shimmering up to the horizon.

Where the largest event of the first semester for first-years would soon unfold.

The Skill Thief was coming soon.

“…Let’s give it a shot.”

With character events altered, he couldn’t relax just because it was a major event.

But, like it or not, being a Fortuneteller meant he had to face it with a smile and composure.

…The wind began to blow.

It was a cool breeze, yet it felt like the calm before the storm to him.

*

“What?!”

“I mean exactly what I said. I, Lucas Arthur… am embarrassingly in love with Lily White Rose.”

“Uh, that…”

“My own whims are exhausting even me, but I beg you, Fortuneteller.”

“What do you mean by begging…?”

“I want to ask about dating…!”

Hey, Lucas, what’s wrong with you?