The Lady Only Deals With the Real Ones - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The woman stared at me for a long while before asking.

“But… you need power to protect something, don’t you? If my uncle takes it away, it’ll be meaningless.”

“As I mentioned, I can’t sell this for you.”

I cleared my throat.

“But I can hold it as collateral and lend you money, customer.”

“You’ll… keep it for me?”

“No, keep it for you? We don’t provide storage services. We absolutely do not store customers’ valuables.”

I’d play dumb like this no matter who came looking.

Well, with that meaning, I winked naturally.

The woman seemed to understand.

“Then I’ll borrow money using this as collateral. How much can I borrow?”

An intricately crafted ornament that was also a sacred relic, likely a treasure from an influential family.

A jewel that could easily be worth tens of millions of gold.

But the customer before me wouldn’t exchange this jewel no matter how much I offered.

Right now, she was just acting impulsively due to grief.

‘A jewel whose value cannot be measured.’

So what I offered was 1 gold.

Meaning its value couldn’t be measured.

“The term is 3 months, interest rate 10%. Interest accumulates if you exceed the deadline, but given the amount, I won’t charge you interest.”

The woman carefully accepted the 1 gold.

“So please make sure to come back for it. Please.”

The woman’s pale lips curved up slightly as she fingered the 1 gold.

“Yes. I will. Three months… I’ll definitely come back to repay it within that time.”

“Yes. Since it’s collateral, I need to make a record. What’s your name, customer?”

The woman hesitated, but answered in a clearer voice than when she first entered.

“…Lina. My name is Lina.”

“Yes, Lina. See you again.”

“Yes. See you again.”

Watching her retreating figure, I rubbed my stiff neck.

‘She looks about my age at most. To think of threatening a girl like that to extort her inheritance.’

Listening to Lina’s story made me angry as if it were my own situation.

No, how was it different from my situation? It reminded me of my past life when I was helplessly robbed by relatives.

Perhaps I wanted to listen to this woman named Lina’s story because I instinctively knew we were in the same situation.

She seemed just like my past self who desperately needed help.

‘What would it have been like if someone had helped my past self… No, what’s the point of thinking about it now.’

As I was fanning myself to cool my anger while storing the pendant, I spotted a familiar silhouette.

Oh. Isn’t that Hugo?

Hugo with a deeply furrowed brow and a tired-looking aide were approaching. He even had a long sword at his waist.

No matter how I looked at it, he intended to intimidate me.

‘Coming with a sword to threaten a girl, what excellent behavior… But well, I should praise him for coming now.’

Hugo must have chosen nighttime after closing hours after checking whether Grandfather was around or not.

Well, I expected Hugo would come soon. That’s why I commissioned the security magic.

I actually hoped he’d come at night. No particular reason, just didn’t want to startle the customers.

But I was quite pleased that Hugo chose tonight of all nights.

‘You came at just the right time, you bastard.’

Because I’m really pissed off right now.

Crack, crack. I smiled while cracking my stiff neck.

***

Lina, who had been walking the night streets mixed among people in robes, stopped for a moment.

She looked down at her hands.

In one hand was a bundle of tissues, in the other a 1 gold coin.

“There’s no one who would cherish it more than me…”

As she mulled over those words, her steps somehow felt lighter.

Was it because she left the pendant behind, or because she left behind the worries that had been weighing heavily on her heart?

Lina glanced back slightly. The light from the pawnshop visible in the distance was still bright.

It seemed just like a warm farewell from the owner who had seen her off with a bright smile.

‘She helped me. Without even knowing who I was.’

She had cried herself to sleep from her uncle’s threats. When she came to, she found herself on this street.

She couldn’t even remember how she got here.

She must have been so exhausted that she was thinking extreme thoughts like selling it rather than letting someone she hated have it.

But when the pawnshop owner spoke firmly, it was like being doused with cold water and coming to her senses.

‘And yet she didn’t demand anything in return.’

If the owner had quickly taken it and sold it, she could have made enormous money.

But that woman didn’t do that. On top of that, she readily extended a helping hand.

Recalling those clear, bright light purple eyes, Lina repeated her words like a mantra.

“There’s no one who would cherish it more than me. So… I have to protect it. I will protect it.”

Lina headed toward a secluded area.

In the deserted place, she turned the gem of the blue ring on her right ring finger.

『Katarina Freslipe』

Looking alternately at the name engraved on the ring and the distant Imperial Palace, Lina closed her eyes.

It was instantaneous.

Blue light flashed. She disappeared as if swallowed by the light.

***

‘Uncle’s not here, right?’

Even after getting an answer from his aide, Hugo wasn’t reassured and quickly scanned the pawnshop.

It was closing time. If Uncle were here, he’d naturally be counting money, but the counter was empty.

‘Then what about the pink-haired girl?’

She was humming while spraying air freshener. She clearly had no idea he was coming!

He planned to overwhelm her while she was off guard.

Hugo kicked the door vigorously.

Thud! He expected the wooden door to crack.

“Ahhh!”

However, what cracked was him.

Hugo, who was hopping around clutching his shin, met eyes with Elisha holding the air freshener spray.

What are you looking at! Hugo, feeling guilty, flew into a rage.

“You must have put up some security magic! You think you can stop me with something like that? Open the door right now!”

“Huh? Magic?”

Elisha pointed at the door with a puzzled expression.

[PULL]

There was a sticker.

Right next to the [NO SMOKING] sticker.

“They say the word Empire citizens are worst at reading is ‘PULL’…”

Hugo’s face turned red at her muttering as he yanked the door open.

It opened ridiculously easily. The fragrant scent of air freshener wafted through the door crack, making him even more irritated.

‘Damn it!’

Taking the initiative was out the window.

Still, there was some consolation. Seeing that Uncle didn’t come out despite all this commotion, he really wasn’t here.

Moreover, seeing how she asked back “Magic?” Elisha seemed to have no idea what security magic was.

In other words, it meant he could threaten that girl however he pleased.

“Go outside and guard the door. Make sure that girl can’t run away like she did that day.”

Hugo, who had given orders to his aide, sat in a chair with an extremely arrogant posture.

It was an angle where the long sword at his waist was clearly visible.

Just as planned. Elisha’s face turned pale when she saw the sword.

“You know why I’m here, don’t you? You little swindler.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Don’t play dumb! Are you going to pretend you don’t know what you did?”

“I think there’s some misunderstanding. How about having a cup of tea while we talk this through slowly…”

“Shut up! You think I don’t know you’re trying to buy time? Stop lying!”

Elisha, who had been coming out with a tea set, hesitated.

That, that innocent-looking expression. That naive face as if she knew nothing.

But he’d be a complete fool to fall for it again this time.

Besides, bringing out tea as if she had prepared it in advance?

‘Does she think I’d drink something like that?’

Hugo, who had been thinking, smiled wickedly.

“That tea, you drink it first.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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