The Lady Only Deals With the Real Ones - Chapter 168

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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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“Count Airen, I understand your situation. With His Majesty absent, the pressure you must feel as someone responsible for the Empire’s security must be enormous.”

It might seem presumptuous of me to say I understand, but still.

Elisha added this while lowering her eyes.

“Still, please don’t push yourself too hard.”

She was looking at my torn collar.

Elisha wasn’t trying to criticize my methods.

She was trying to understand my unusual behavior, interpreting it as being due to pressure.

And that was incredibly…

“…Lady Elisha.”

“Even when wounds disappear, scars remain. I mean, scars on the heart.”

“…”

“Just as Count Airen strives to guard and protect others, I hope you’ll take care of yourself too.”

It sounded almost too kind.

“I’m sorry if this is presumptuous. But I really wanted to tell you this.”

“…No. Not at all. …Thank you.”

Only then did Elisha’s bright smile shine brilliantly even in the deep of night.

“The holy water must have made it even harder for you. How is your body feeling?”

“I’m fine.”

“Count Airen always says you’re fine, so I can never tell if you really mean it.”

I meant it.

I only had a mild headache. For Ailren, it truly was nothing serious.

“Then! Shall we shake hands?”

It was the moment I saw Elisha’s outstretched hand.

[Does he know that our sister Elisha has been helping her brother so much?]

[Really? He doesn’t seem to know.]

‘No way.’

The fact that these handshakes had started after Elisha brought the mana poisoning treatment from the temple struck me like lightning.

‘Then what His Eminence the Cardinal said…!’

Elisha was the treatment herself.

How that was possible was a secondary concern.

At the same time, Ailren realized.

The reason for his low mood was that holy water no longer hurt when he touched it.

If Elisha found out about this…

‘There would be no more moments like this.’

How base it was to wish for his illness to continue in front of someone trying to heal him.

“Count Airen?”

Ailren squeezed his eyes shut and opened them.

Elisha had helped him without expecting anything in return. She hid the fact that she was the treatment because she knew he would refuse.

In the face of such noble intentions, all he could do was…

“…I’m sorry. I’ll go ahead first.”

Turn away.

Because if he didn’t, he felt like he might pretend not to know and take that hand.

“Please take anything else of mine without hesitation.”

Ailren rubbed his face with dry hands, realizing that wasn’t meant to repay Elisha, but was his own desperate wish.

*

I was watching Ailren walk away when it happened.

“Elisha.”

I turned to see Tesagh approaching.

He was looking at Ailren’s retreating figure with narrowed eyes, then turned his gaze to me.

He looked ready to ask what we had talked about, so I cleared my throat and spoke first.

“Did you find Countess Devin?”

After checking the ruby tablet.

He had asked the knights, but they all said they’d never seen such a person, so Tesagh had gone to search himself, muttering ‘This knight order is useless except for the captain.’

“I searched the entire building but she wasn’t there.”

“Oh, could there be another secret space?”

“I don’t know. We’re not even certain she came to this gambling den in the first place. I should check if Milton has any new information…”

Tesagh frowned, apparently realizing that the receiver connected to Milton would also be broken.

“I’ll have to go there and try.”

“Yes, then…”

I was about to say goodbye when Tesagh cut me off.

“What do you mean ‘yes, then’? Were you planning to go alone?”

“That was my intention?”

“Did you think I would let you go alone?”

“…I thought you would?”

“What exactly do you take me for?”

Tesagh let out a hollow laugh as if incredulous and draped a jacket over my shoulders from somewhere.

I had been wearing clothes soaked with holy water, so I was feeling a bit chilly.

As I touched the fluffy jacket and looked up at him, Tesagh quickly turned his head away.

“It’s better than catching a cold.”

“Doesn’t Your Grace need it more than me? You’re completely soaked.”

“I never catch colds.”

“No, well, you’re wearing a white shirt.”

“So what.”

“It’s completely see-through.”

“…Anyway, it’s late at night with no passersby, so no one will see except you.”

“It’s okay for me to see? Oh, should I think you wanted to show me?”

“Just let it slide.”

When I laughed, Tesagh’s ears turned red as he grumbled.

“May I come to Your Grace’s safe house too? I might be able to help somehow.”

“…Fine.”

Silence hung in the air during our entire journey to the safe house.

It wasn’t uncomfortable, but with gaps in conversation, thoughts filled that space.

‘I thought the voice from the ruby tablet was directed at me.’

Grandfather’s name had suddenly come up.

Could that voice be a fragment from the past?

Like when I saw Grandfather’s younger days when I fainted?

‘I should visit Grandfather soon. I originally planned to go after catching Crodil, but…’

I had recently received a message from the nursing home.

Fortunately, it said Grandfather’s condition had improved greatly.

The Duke’s mage had discovered additional documents and was interpreting them, so I thought it would be good to bring those along too.

‘Hmm, Count Airen’s expression was strange earlier.’

Did he perhaps notice the meaning behind my handshakes?

Come to think of it, his condition improved every time we shook hands, so it would be natural for him to notice.

‘Maybe my handshakes won’t be necessary anymore. The divine relic should be able to cure Count Airen’s mana poisoning too.’

Even though it was all for his sake, I had been lying the entire time, so my conscience pricked me every time we shook hands.

At first it was unavoidable because of the urgency, but now wouldn’t it be okay to explain things to him?

Though I was worried about what Ailren would offer as compensation this time.

‘And… Eloise is.’

I was about to continue that thought when.

“…That, about Devin Viscount. There’s something I haven’t told you yet.”

“Yes?”

Tesagh looked at me with puzzlement as I startled in surprise, then cleared his throat.

“I was hesitating about how to tell you… but since things have turned out this way, I think I should explain.”

An ominous beginning.

My heart sank with a thud.

“Previously, I said I would take responsibility and protect that name.”

“…Yes, you did say that.”

I was staring up blankly at Tesagh, who was unusually hesitant.

“About that, I’ve arranged to adjust his taxes. By about 20%.”

Huh?

“You might think it’s not sufficient compensation. But aside from monetary compensation, I’ve also arranged to manage his reputation separately.”

“Yes?”

“Ah, by reputation I mean. The Devin Marquis Family said they’d be happy as long as the viscount’s name becomes known in any way. So at various events hosted by the Border Guard, Devin Viscount will…”

“Yees?”

“…Why are you reacting like that? Anyway, I was saying that I’ll do my best to track the viscount’s disappearance case to the very end.”

Shaking my head vigorously, I asked again.

“Well, um, I’m grateful but why are you telling me this?”

“Since something like this happened today, I thought you might be worried that the viscount could face disadvantages.”

“Me?”

“You’re, well… considerate. I thought you might have been worried that I was the type of person who, after borrowing someone’s identity, wouldn’t care what happens to others.”

“Me…?”

As we looked at each other with question marks floating above our heads, we simultaneously realized the misunderstanding.

To be precise, I was the only one whose misunderstanding was cleared up.

“Why would I think such a thing!”

“Didn’t you say I was cold and high-handed?”

“I thought that at first, at first! I don’t think that now, I know Duke is actually quite thoughtful.”

I was laughing when.

Tesagh asked quietly.

“…Then why did you ask about Devin Viscount?”

The faint hope I detected in his voice was probably not my imagination.

“Well.”

Starlight poured down behind Tesagh.

Looking at him gazing at me with reddened ears visible even in the dim starlight, I smiled slightly.

Ah. The starlight seems to illuminate my heart clearly too.

“I guess I was concerned. About Duke’s scandal.”

At those words, Tesagh’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down slowly.

After staring at my smile for a while, he turned his head away as he always did.

“There you go again with things you don’t mean…”

But I do mean it.

I suppose it’s the karma of the shepherd girl.

Still, I could smile.

“…Let’s go for now.”

Because even Tesagh’s cheeks were tinged red as he started walking.

I was smiling inwardly when we arrived at the Safe House.

Wondering why it was so noisy, I opened the Door and an elegant-looking Woman burst out and immediately bowed deeply.

“I’m sorry! I’m truly sorry!”

And that person getting beaten on the back by her?

“This damn fool drank tons of champagne at some launching show or whatever, and when she came to, she was at a Hotel next door! That’s why we couldn’t contact her!”

“I’m sorry…”

“She couldn’t apologize properly! I’m truly sorry for the trouble, Duke. Please show mercy…!”

It was Eloise.

In the midst of all this, she saw me and exclaimed ‘Oh!’ with delight.

Half dazed and chuckling, I murmured.

“…Still, I’m glad nothing happened to you…”

Tesagh, who had tried to save a citizen of the Duchy but ended up helping to raid a gambling den in another country like catching a mouse while stepping backward, pressed his forehead.

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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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