The Lady Only Deals With the Real Ones - Chapter 215

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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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Ailren looked around in a daze.

Hadn’t he been fighting in the frozen sanctuary just moments ago?

But what he saw before his eyes now was a vast barley field.

The unripe summer green barley, still carrying the scent of youth, swayed as if welcoming him. His gaze, led by the wind from a small windmill, stopped at one point.

“Ailren.”

There was Elisha, her feet dipped in the stream connected to a small cabin, innocently waving her hand at him.

The summer sunlight shattered on the lips of the girl wearing a straw hat.

“…Lady Elisha.”

“What are you doing over there? Come here.”

Ailren walked as if drawn across the tranquil, peaceful scenery that he had seen somewhere before.

Where had he seen it? Ah, it seemed to be during an inspection.

The small village visible from horseback was so cozy and quiet that it was hard to believe it was near the capital. It seemed like a place removed from all worries.

At that time, Ailren had unconsciously overlapped his own image onto this village before erasing it. This green barley field was too tender for him to lay down the heavy responsibilities bound to his feet. He thought he had no right to melt into this tranquility.

Yet now he was there. In the most beautiful moment he had ever seen,

“The water is really clear. It’s incredibly cool.”

Together with Elisha.

Clear stream water rippled around her ankles as she carefully chose flat stones to step on.

Elisha, who had been gesturing again, smiled coyly when she saw Ailren standing still.

“Aren’t you coming in? We still have a long way to go to our destination anyway. No one would know if you took it easy.”

“…Did you say destination?”

“Yes. We were on our way to appraise the antiques discovered in the Port Savenne region.”

Elisha’s clear voice layered over the sound of flowing water.

“I wonder how many wonderful ceramics there will be? I’m already excited.”

Elisha looked genuinely delighted.

Just as she always did when working at the pawnshop.

Suddenly, a corner of his heart ached sourly. He felt as if he had finally reclaimed something of his own that he hadn’t even known was lost, as if he had returned to the place he had longed and wished for.

“Just as you strive to guard and protect others, I hope you would take care of yourself too.”

Yes, Elisha, who had extended her hand to him, had said such words.

The Elisha before his eyes whispered again.

“You promised to become my personal knight, didn’t you?”

So sweetly.

He wanted to kneel before those tender words. It seemed it would be fine to become as low as the water tickling her ankles.

What had he fought for? For whom had he drawn his sword? All other things felt worthless, and the sensation of only Elisha’s radiant smile and the fresh summer scenery filling his vision felt dizzyingly blissful.

He didn’t want this comfort, this peace to be disturbed. By anyone.

“You can rest a little by my side, Ailren.”

It was the moment he took a step toward Elisha.

Bang—

An explosion was heard.

Ailren, who instinctively turned around, was shocked to see flames and smoke rising from the direction of the Imperial Palace.

“That’s…!”

But Elisha’s voice held him back.

“Look at this. Isn’t it so pretty?”

As if she hadn’t heard or seen anything, Elisha pointed to a wildflower.

When she looked up after plucking wildflowers, there was a flower ring made of woven flowers at her fingertips.

“Shall I put it on you?”

Ailren, who had been speechless for a moment, spoke urgently.

“Lady Elisha, look over there. We must return to the Imperial Palace…”

“The Imperial Palace?”

Ailren’s mouth closed.

Elisha’s eyes were still clear, and her smile was still innocent.

So.

“Is there a need for that?”

It was just as he had wished.

He had wanted to protect her so that no pain or sorrow could reach her, and he had hoped that Elisha would know nothing of complicated matters.

And now before Ailren’s eyes.

Elisha existed exactly as he had wished she could—doing only what she loved.

“There’s no need to go back. Anywhere.”

“…”

“We can just stay here, Ailren.”

Elisha, who had walked across the stream, stood on the green barley field of his dreams.

She said quietly.

“Here, forever.”

With the great flames behind her, wearing the smile he would never forget for the rest of his life.

*

Thud.

The force that had been gripping his body was released in an instant. Tesagh coughed.

Familiar air rushed into his lungs. As he exhaled and raised his head, what he saw was none other than the Moro Duchy.

Tesagh, who had been looking around, clenched his fist tightly. He couldn’t feel anything. Where had the sword he had been holding disappeared to again?

It must be Eivor’s doing. He needed to find a way out.

“Grandfather!”

However, he who had been frantically searching for an exit stopped abruptly at Elisha’s voice.

It was irresistible.

Tesagh, who had been running urgently toward where the voice came from, realized where his steps would stop.

“Grandfather, are you awake? Do you know who I am?”

It was in front of a hospital room.

The thought briefly occurred to him that perhaps Elisha had also been dragged to this unidentifiable place, but it was when he opened the door and faced her.

His thoughts instantly became hazy. With tears brimming in her eyes, not knowing what to do with joy, Elisha was tightly embracing Michele.

This was the moment she had longed for so much. He couldn’t bring himself to rashly interfere with the reunion of grandfather and granddaughter.

This scene was also a moment Tesagh had wished for.

“…Elisha.”

But all of this was not reality. It couldn’t be real.

This warm and sweet moment of relief was all just a lie.

To use Elisha’s earnest heart like this—suppressing the emotions that surged up, Tesagh approached Elisha.

“Duke, look. Grandfather has awakened! Now, now his head doesn’t hurt even when I touch him.”

“Elisha, but…”

“Grandfather, don’t worry about anything. It’s all over. Now we can live happily together.”

Though his heart ached painfully, he had to wake her up.

It was the moment Tesagh was about to carefully place his hand on Elisha’s shoulder.

Michele opened his mouth.

“Elisha?”

“Yes, Grandfather! …Ah.”

Elisha’s body, who had been smiling brightly in joy that her grandfather had finally called her name, stiffened.

“Grand…father?”

“Who is that supposed to be?”

Clang—

The scalpel fell.

“I have no granddaughter.”

Elisha staggered back and clutched her chest.

Fresh red blood flowed between her fingers, then began gushing out in torrents.

“Elisha!”

Tesagh, startled out of his wits, immediately caught Elisha’s body.

Though he knew applying pressure would be meaningless for such a wound, he had to do something.

With trembling hands, he pressed against Elisha’s wound, but the flowing blood showed no signs of stopping. Red blood filled the space between them.

Tesagh spoke with quivering lips.

“Elisha, Elisha. You need to stay conscious. This isn’t real. This, this kind of thing isn’t real…”

Elisha looked down at his hands desperately trying to stop the bleeding with gauze and linen, then struggled to lift her faintly trembling eyelids and gazed at Tesagh.

The fact that those violet eyes were peaceful pierced Tesagh’s heart.

“It’s okay…”

“What’s okay! No, it’s not. This… don’t do this, Elisha.”

“Grandfather is… fine, so if I’m not here… Maybe I, I might have wanted this…”

“Elisha!”

Elisha, who had been blinking drowsily, smiled faintly.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace… I am…”

The pale hand that had been reaching toward Tesagh’s tear-soaked cheek dropped with a thud.

Tesagh, who had frozen, barely managed to open his mouth.

“Elisha.”

But his words couldn’t reach the closed-eyed Elisha.

“Elisha, look at me. Please? Elisha, please.”

Tesagh, who had been calling Elisha’s name repeatedly in the place where her last breath had scattered, stroked her eyes with trembling hands.

But no gaze, no voice, no warmth—nothing came back.

His calls echoed emptily and faded away, leaving behind only the pain that tore his heart to shreds.

“No, Elisha…”

He couldn’t breathe.

What he feared most was unfolding before his eyes in the worst possible way.

Tesagh remained there like the dead for a long while, then raised his head, biting his lips that were so torn there was nowhere left to bite.

“You are…”

With bloodshot eyes, Tesagh faced Michele, who was looking down at him with the indifference of a god or the dimness of night.

Crack.

Tesagh gritted his teeth and gripped the scalpel that had pierced Elisha’s heart.

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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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