The Lady Only Deals With the Real Ones - Chapter 147

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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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“Damn it, damn it…!”

Crash—

Crodil panted as he randomly smashed the furniture in his office.

The situation wasn’t going his way at all.

First, with Rosaline imprisoned, creating slush funds became difficult. It was hard to find alternative methods right away.

‘There is one more source of funding, but…’

The second source of funding was in a field that would be very troublesome if exposed to the outside.

Of course, he had a plan in place, but this was a time when he needed to be as cautious as possible.

Security around the Princess’s Palace had also tightened, and Ailren was systematically expelling even the spies he had managed to plant.

‘The most important thing is.’

Katarina was diligently attending noble council meetings and voicing her opinions, causing the moderate nobles to start paying attention to her.

More precisely.

‘The number of people who think of her as the Emperor’s representative has increased!’

When he himself was the Regent King, the Emperor’s representative!

The news that a few remaining spies had delivered—that the Duke had suddenly arrived—was the same.

In fact, he couldn’t believe it even after hearing it.

Why on earth would the Duke of Moro Duchy come? What business brought him to the Imperial Palace this late at night?

And what reason could there possibly be for him to meet with Katarina instead of himself?

But then.

“Is there any reason I should have dealings with Etewirn rather than Presrife?”

“No. Why would there be such a need?”

There was no doubt.

That Katarina was trying to drag a foreign duke into their family dispute.

Could she possibly be planning a marriage alliance?

A chill ran down his spine.

‘What the hell is that bastard Eivor doing!’

Crodil gritted his teeth.

Having only received news that fragments of the Ruby Tablet were discovered at Count Delphia’s dedication ceremony, he had no idea that the Duke was involved in that matter.

But wasn’t this something that bastard Eivor had orchestrated to divert attention anyway?

That’s why he deliberately didn’t interrogate the knights. Eivor would report everything when he returned.

“Eivor!”

Crodil called his name into the empty air.

However, his mage, who usually appeared instantly as if tearing through the air,

“Eivor?”

was nowhere to be seen.

Veins bulged on Crodil’s forehead as he continued calling out with a confused expression.

Could that bastard have possibly betrayed me…?

‘Betrayed me?’

No. That couldn’t be. There was an unbreakable contract, wasn’t there?

He must be busy cleaning up the mess at County of Delphia caused by that bastard’s mischief.

Wasn’t he always someone who acted on his own whims anyway?

Crodil thought like someone who didn’t know that the monster he used as a servant had its own consciousness.

‘When I first met that bastard…’

Cold sweat suddenly broke out.

‘When was it?’

When was the first time he saw Eivor?

He couldn’t remember.

Crodil’s face turned pale.

*

Was it thanks to the advertisement?

For several days, the pawnshop was crowded with people.

The problem was,

“What brings you here today?”

“Uh, well… I came to see if there’s anything to buy…”

“What kind of items are you looking for?”

“Just hairpins or accessories, things like that…”

“Welcome, customer! Please feel free to look around.”

it wasn’t just customers.

I quickly greeted the flustered customer, then whispered to the man who was guarding the pawnshop door like some kind of gatekeeper.

“Sir Patrick, please sit down, I keep telling you.”

“But I have a duty to protect Lady Elisha. I must follow the Captain’s orders.”

“Yes, a duty to protect me! Not a duty to chase away customers! I’m very grateful, but could you please protect me while sitting down?”

“If you insist… I understand.”

The man called Patrick sat down in a chair with a very reluctant expression.

He was a knight sent by Ailren. Think of him as a bodyguard, I suppose.

Large pawnshops often hired security, so it wasn’t particularly unusual.

The problem was.

‘He’s way too obviously a knight!’

He was only wearing plain clothes, but he was blatantly giving off the vibe of ‘I’m currently watching to see if there are any suspicious people.’

On the first day after returning from the Imperial Palace, the person Ailren sent was a muscular Knight.

Seeing Chloe gasp and hide behind me, I sent a telegram to Ailren saying, ‘I’m grateful for the thought, but please send a regular knight instead.’

So Patrick came.

‘I didn’t know that even regular knights who aren’t Knights would have such a strong sense of duty…’

Well, even as a regular knight, he would have been trained by Ailren, so perhaps this situation was inevitable.

I understand his concern for me very well, but no matter how I think about it, this is putting the cart before the horse.

How could other bastards with Ruby Tablets come when they’d be scared off by this?

‘I already asked William if he knows anyone suitable to hire as security.’

So I was planning to temporarily hire security myself and then send Patrick back.

‘Chloe is here, and Emma also reset the security magic several times stronger, so it’s not really a situation where security is that necessary.’

But there’s been no reply yet.

Come to think of it, there was another person who hadn’t contacted me.

Hello, Crescenziano. I have something to discuss with you. Could I visit you at your convenience?

I sent a telegram to Crescenziano.

If Eivor was a dark mage, the person who would know the best countermeasures would probably be him.

Moreover.

‘Thanks to the Cardinal’s hint, I came to my senses and was able to stop Duie. He also came to visit me when I was sick.’

So I sent a telegram to arrange a meeting, partly to express my gratitude, but his reply was somewhat different from usual.

Sorry, Sister. I’ll contact you next time.

Crescenziano seemed somehow dispirited, enough that it could be felt even through the printed text.

Does he have a lot to deal with?

‘Well, I did think he’d be busy since there was that issue with the late Count Delphia’s canonization being canceled.’

Since he wasn’t usually like this, the sense of disconnect felt even greater. I’m a bit worried.

‘If Crescens came by, I could ask about his well-being… Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Crescens.’

I was thinking this while serving customers and seeing them off.

In the distance, I see a familiar figure.

‘Oh, isn’t that Crescens?’

Somehow he seems to appear whenever I’m thinking about him.

I cheerfully waved at him as he walked over.

“Crescens!”

Then Crescens stopped short in the distance.

Why is he doing that?

As I tilted my head in confusion, I heard Chloe’s voice right behind me.

“…Who is that person, Lady Elisha? I mean, Elisha?”

Chloe was diligently practicing changing how she addressed me as promised.

That was cute, but separately from that, I realized my mistake.

“Ah, that’s Crescens, a customer who comes by sometimes and also a temple errand boy. Sorry, I should have explained to Chloe first.”

“No, it’s fine… An errand boy, I see.”

Her tone was somehow puzzling.

“What’s wrong?”

“When I look at that person, I feel a pressure similar to what I feel from holy relics…”

Chloe was somewhat uncomfortable around holy water and holy relics.

Not only did she feel pain when touching them directly, but she would flinch just being near them.

It seems her hand, corrupted by dark magic, instinctively rejects holy power.

‘That’s why I’ve been handling all the holy relics myself.’

“Oh, but it seems to have disappeared now.”

“The pressure disappeared after you felt it?”

“That’s right, maybe I was mistaken…”

Since Crescens stays at the temple, maybe the holy power from holy relics rubbed off on him?

And now it’s gone because he’s been outside?

While I was pondering, Chloe hurriedly stood up.

“Ah, anyway, he’s someone you know, right? Please chat comfortably, I’ll go upstairs and tidy up a bit.”

Just as Chloe left and closed the door to the second floor, Crescens entered.

But somehow…

‘This person who usually acts all noisy, going on about handsome guys and whatnot.’

His expression was hardened.

Did something happen? I was about to speak first when.

“Manager, who was that person just now?”

“That person?”

“The woman who was behind you, looking at me. Who is she?”

Chloe asked about Crescens, and now Crescens is asking about Chloe.

The difference was that Crescens’s tone was much colder and more definitive.

“She’s a new employee I hired. Why?”

“…Employee? Then why did she disappear after seeing me?”

Why is he being so sensitive?

As I thought about it, I furrowed my brow.

‘Since both Crescens and Chloe lived wandering the streets, maybe they know each other in passing?’

I don’t know what the circumstances are, but I thought I should avoid having Chloe encounter Crescens.

“She has other things to do besides serving customers. More importantly, what brings you here? Do you have something to appraise?”

When I deliberately changed the subject, Crescens seemed to realize that his attitude had been quite aggressive.

“No, I was just… passing by.”

From his hesitation, it seems he hadn’t planned to come to the pawnshop?

Whatever the reason, this worked out well.

“Crescens, did something happen to the Cardinal?”

“…Huh?”

Crescens’s eyes widened.

Why is he so surprised?

“He seemed busy, so I was worried. I thought Crescens might know about temple affairs.”

“Um, well… So you’re curious about whether the Cardinal is doing well?”

“Something like that?”

At my answer, the shadow that had been cast over Crescens’s face completely cleared.

“…I thought.”

Crescens, who sat down in a chair as if his tension had been released, muttered quietly.

“I thought Manager would resent the Cardinal.”

“Excuse me…?”

What is he talking about?

If there’s something for me to resent the Cardinal about, could it be.

I was startled and asked in dismay.

“Could it be that the holy water you’ve been giving me was defective or something like that?”

“What?”

What else could he have done wrong to me besides that?

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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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