Since arriving in Garkhain, Rishe has occasionally had tea with Arnold.
His servant, Oliver, asked her, âDespite our advice, His Highness Arnold never takes a break. He seems to stop when Rishe-sama asks him to, so if you donât mind, could you take him out from time to time?â
One day at tea break, Rishe suddenly thought of something and asked Arnold.
âYour Highness, if you donât mind, Iâd like to perform palmistry for you just for fun.â
âââPalmistry?â
Rishe placed her teacup on the saucer and nodded.
âIf you look at the palm of your hand, you will see a variety of lines there. In the eastern continent, they look at these lines and tell your fortune based on them. Itâs called palmistry.â
While waiting for the tea to be prepared and Arnoldâs arrival, Rishe was playing this âpalmistryâ game with the maids.
In that vein, she came up with this idea.
If she could see Arnold Heinâs palm, she would love to observe it.
Arnold, on the other hand, had a subtle look on his face.
ââ¦Divination of the East.â
âEr, this is very popular in my country. Itâs the kind of topic that attracts a lot of attention at womenâs social gatheringsâ¦â
Of course, it was a downright lie. This divination was something she learned during her alchemist life when she was in the eastern continent.
âI donât think fortune telling has any credibility whatsoever.â
âPersonally, Iâm of the view that itâs something to be enjoyed, regardless of its credibility. Then, when youâre not sure what to do, maybe it will nudge you to act.â
ââ¦â¦.â
Well, that may be an idea that Your Highness canât relate toâ¦
Just as Rishe had expected, Arnold raised eyebrows rose higher.
But then he sighed, took off his gloves, and placed them on the table with his right palm facing up.
âHere. Suit yourself.â
âThank you!â
Rishe quickly smiled and examined Arnoldâs palm.
ââ¦Your intellectual line is deep and long. Awesome.â
ââ¦â
âThe same goes for your talent line. You also have good fortune with wealth, and thereâ¦What the heck is this? Iâve never seen a palm with plenty of blessed lines!â
âI donât know. Donât ask meâ¦â
Moreover, Arnoldâs palm showed the so-called âTake over the world phaseâ.
It was a phase that Rishe, who knew what the future held for the next five years, had to pay attention to.
I think this divination is pretty accurate.
Rishe couldnât help but look at her own palm.
The same is true for my palms. Both the left and right life lines are cut off once at about the length of âdying around the age of 20,â but another life line extends from the side where it was cut offâ¦
This was exactly the kind of palmistry that was ideal for Rishe, who has been dying at the age of twenty over and over again.
When she first took notice of palmistry, sheâd been so excited alone. What pained her, however, was how hard it was to tell anyone that she was right.
She was lost in her thoughts when Arnold asked, âAre you done?â
âOh, please wait!â
She stopped him from withdrawing his hand and asked him to show her the base of his pinky finger.
âThis is your marriage line. The more lines you have, the more chances you have of meeting the right person for marriage.â
ââ¦â
At the base of Arnoldâs pinky finger, there was a single, clear line.
âMmm-hmm. Since Your Highness has one, it seems you only have one destined mate.â
ââ¦â
âAh! But donât worry, just because itâs not much doesnât mean itâs bad. See, I have a single marriage line, too.â
ââ¦â
After showing her own hand to Arnold, Rishe went back to analyzing his palm.
âAnd the time for marriage itself seems to be early.â
ââ¦â¦â¦â¦â
âThe position of the line indicates that you will get married in your late teens or around the age of twenty. So, if my palm reading is correct, Your Highnessâ marriage will probably be soon.â
ââ¦â¦â¦â¦â
âThe lines are also long and dark, so it is the phase of someone who has a great love life. So, all in all, Your Highness will soon be united in a great romance with the woman of your dreams! Oh dear?!â
Having said that far, she suddenly registered something strange.
âRishe.â
ââ¦â
And Arnold, who had probably realized it beforehand, looked at her and continued with a straight face.
âItâs you. Youâre my marriage partnerâ¦â
Damn, thatâs rightã¼ã¼ã¼ã¼ã¼ã¼!!
Heat spread to her cheeks at once, embarrassed in every sense of the word.
âUm, n-no, fortune-telling!! This is only fortune-telling!â
ââ¦â
She ridiculously rattled on and on even though she was the object of the said marriage.
She hurried to excuse herself, but Arnold rested his cheek on the armrest.
âI suppose so.â
And then he smirked.
âNow, for one thing, let me read your palm, too.â
âH-huh?â
At Arnoldâs unexpected suggestion, Rishe clasped her hands tightly together.
âW-Why in the world would I show it to you?â
Arnold appeared increasingly amused when saw how flustered Rishe was.
âI believe thatâs how I can tell if your palm reading is correct or not. Iâm supposed to marry you soon, and according to your palmistry, Iâm supposed to get married at my current age. Then again, if itâs a marriage with intense romance with my destined mate, then the party should have the same phase as well as me, right?â
âHuh, thatâsâ¦â
âCome on, give me your hand.â
âNo, absolutely not!!â
Her cheeks were burning, and she hurriedly hid her hands behind her back. There was no way she was going to let Arnold see it now.
Rishe knew very well that her marriage line was as thick and long as Arnoldâs, because she had seen it countless times.
âThey say that palms change, and that fate is not set in stone! Anyway, not now, please, I beg your pardon!!â
Not until the heat on her cheeks has cooled down, but not here.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Rishe felt too embarrassed to let anyone know that she also had matching marriage lines no matter which angle she thought.
âHuh.â
However, perhaps Risheâs reaction was too obvious.
Arnold cleared his throat and laughed in amusement.
âIt canât be helped. If you say so, Iâll let you off for now.â
âOh, thank youâ¦â
âFor now.â
â!!â
His reminder made her shoulders jerk.
Arnold was satisfied, and for a rare moment, picked up his teacup and took a sip.
Risheâs heart was going pit-a-pat, but she heaved a sigh of relief.
She gently moved her hand from behind her back back to her lap, then glanced at the base of her pinky finger and traced that long, clear line with her fingertip.
T/N: Yes, Rishe, youâre made for each otherâ¦the only soul matesâ¦hahahah