The Lady Only Deals With the Real Ones - Chapter 33

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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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Tesagh recalled the moment he handed his business card to Elisha.

Their fingertips had touched, but Tesagh felt nothing unusual.

He had been watching continuously, so even if she had used a magical device, it would have been impossible to attach or detach it in such a short time.

‘There were many security spells at the pawnshop. Did he mistake one of them for the effect of a magical device? But that’s strange. For a Holy Knight Commander to make such a mistake.’

There was one more thing that bothered him.

‘It’s also strange that the business card magical device suddenly broke.’

The reason Tesagh had been able to arrive at the right time was, of course, because of the business card magical device that could pick up sounds from the moment it made contact with Elisha.

However, the sound reception was different from usual.

「…trading holy relics…」

「…forcibly execute…」

Then it cut off abruptly.

The content seemed serious, so he came to check, but fortunately it seemed nothing major had happened.

Far from being shocked, seeing her talk about some sparkling prince, Elisha seemed perfectly fine.

‘It was probably interference caused by the Holy Knight Commander’s holy power.’

That man was wearing a brooch for tracking holy relics. He recognized it at a glance.

However, the Holy Knight Commander’s brooch seemed to detect the aura of holy power itself, not specific holy relics.

Compared to his own that could specifically track only Rugenote, its performance and accuracy were inferior.

This was because the Duchy’s magical engineering was more advanced than the Empire’s.

‘But it was probably a preliminary inspection, not an official investigation. Since he didn’t reveal his name.’

He was probably carrying out secret orders.

‘He withdrew more easily than expected because it would be troublesome if a commotion broke out.’

After thinking, Tesagh reached a conclusion.

‘I should investigate the Holy Knight Commander first.’

***

When I arrived at the guild hall, the general meeting was just about to begin.

Helena, who had been busily giving various instructions, saw me and welcomed me.

“Good to see you, Guild Member Elisha. But why are you so out of breath? Did you run here?”

“I’m so glad to see you too, huff, but please look at this first, Lady Helena!”

I immediately thrust out the telegram.

Helena’s expression turned cold as she read through the telegram with a puzzled look.

“Are you certain? Is this information from a reliable source?”

“Of course!”

Helena, who prioritized the interests of the entire street, would keep the source of information secret.

When I whispered detailed information about the source and what I had heard, Helena drew in a sharp breath.

She climbed onto the platform with a coldly hardened face.

“Everyone, attention! The festival-related agenda scheduled for today is temporarily postponed.”

“What?”

“Why so suddenly? What’s going on?”

“Because a much more urgent matter has arisen! I’ll tell you about it now.”

The guild members listening to Helena’s announcement jumped to their feet.

“What did you say?!”

“No way, such an important matter announced like this?”

“The grace period is so short too, this is basically telling people without family or noble connections to just close their doors!”

“This is really too much! Suddenly changing a licensing system that was working perfectly fine, how can they do this!”

“And Ashen Street gets priority implementation? What did we do so wrong, we’ve just been running honest businesses….”

The guild hall instantly became chaos.

My insides were just as turbulent.

‘Bring out Grandfather who’s hiding, or come beg her. Choose one of the two.’

Looking at the conditions, it became even more certain this was Rosaline’s doing.

This was a scheme to draw out Grandfather.

Excluding my excommunicated grandfather, the only blood relatives or nobles who could vouch for me were Hugo and Rosaline.

Rosaline had nothing to lose.

If I chose neither option, the pawnshop that was a thorn in her side would simply end.

‘Vicious woman!’

I looked at the merchants filling the guild hall.

People denouncing, people feeling dejected, and even people sobbing.

My teeth ground together involuntarily.

‘Taking the entire street hostage just to catch one grandfather?’

That mindset of treating surrounding people like flies for the sake of her goal made me furious.

‘Get a grip. I need to stay calm.’

I clenched my fists tightly as I caught my breath.

Rosaline would be off guard. Never dreaming that I would strike back.

‘But there’s something you don’t know, Rosaline.’

The newspaper articles I had seen before my regression.

Recalling memories of reading and rereading any articles related to Rionet, I left the guild hall.

‘That I can also take your people hostage!’

The place I arrived at was the train station.

“How much for the fastest ticket to Raum Estate?”

***

Raum Marquisate, Eastern Empire.

The maids flinched at the shouting coming from the inner chamber.

“How can it make sense that nothing came out even after turning the entire coniferous forest upside down!”

Rosaline Rionet.

It was the voice of the Marquis’s wife.

“My lady, please calm down….”

“Do I look like I’m in a state to calm down right now!”

What followed was the voice of Nicholas Raum, the Marquis.

His pitifully trembling voice was drowned out by Rosaline’s.

“Right. That’s right. You must have left something out when you drew it.”

“Wh-what do you mean….”

“The replica of 《The Forest of Cologne》, you drew it, Nicholas. Don’t you remember anything? Something you thought wasn’t important so you arbitrarily erased or omitted it to mess with me!”

“My lady, you know that I copied it exactly as it was….”

Crash!

The sound of breaking glass rang out.

“Get out.”

“My lady….”

“I said get out! I’m sick of looking at that stupid face!”

Shortly after, Nicholas trudged out of the room and sighed gloomily.

‘I want to run away.’

But there was nowhere to run.

He had lived only in the mansion for decades without relatives or friends.

At first, even that had been good.

To think that the woman who discovered him when he was nothing but an unknown painter would become his wife. And that woman was the daughter of a ducal family, no less.

Moreover, to think she would even bestow the title of marquis upon him, a poor commoner?

Could there be any greater fortune than this, he had thought.

‘…But.’

Fortune was merely wrapping paper.

After peeling away the pink packaging, what remained was nothing but blackened misfortune.

The pitying gazes of the servants and his own situation with nowhere to go—everything felt heavy and miserable.

“I’ll go to the atelier…”

The only place to escape was that shabby atelier located in a remote corner of the baronetcy.

An old cabin that no one visited except when bringing meals.

The fact that even this single breathing hole belonged to the baronetcy gripped Nicholas’s lungs tightly.

Nicholas opened the door with dragging steps and forced himself to pick up a brush.

“This reproduction needs to be finished by next week, and that one needs to be completed by next month, so there’s no time.”

As he muttered to himself as if brainwashing, dipping paint and moving his brush, his hand suddenly dropped.

A yellow line streaked across. The reproduction was ruined.

Nicholas’s vision blurred.

Surely Rosaline would be angry about missing the deadline. But that wasn’t what he feared.

“Painting isn’t enjoyable anymore…”

What I’ve ruined might not be just my life, perhaps?

He should have been suspicious of fortune. Instead of glittering, glamorous luck, he should have sought modest but joyful happiness.

The Nicholas who was happiest when holding a brush no longer existed.

“Huh, huh…”

“What a wonderful painting.”

Nicholas, who had been sobbing, startled and nearly fell over.

“Wh… what…”

“Oh, I’m sorry. The painting was so beautiful that I couldn’t help myself.”

Nicholas wiped his blurred vision and looked up blankly at the owner of the voice.

It was a young woman with pale pink hair.

Who she was didn’t seem important. Even if she were a ghost, it wouldn’t matter.

It was the first positive comment Nicholas had heard in a very long time.

“This… isn’t my painting. It’s just a reproduction.”

But soon self-mockery washed over him.

What kind of painting could he call his own when all he did was copy others’ work?

That woman probably meant the original was wonderful.

That’s what he thought, but.

“No, I was talking about this.”

What the woman pointed to was a dish.

“How did you paint such a magnificent and wonderful waterfall on this small dish?”

Nicholas had painted on a dish that was chipped and meant to be thrown away.

Naturally, that wasn’t a reproduction.

The moment he took that small painting into his sight.

Nicholas burst into tears like a child.

‘Yes, that’s my painting. When I painted on that dish, I was happy…’

The woman waited quietly until Nicholas stopped crying some time later.

“I’m sorry. You saw me in such an unsightly state.”

“Not at all, Baron Nicholas. It’s fine. Thanks to that, I got more time to admire this wonderful painting.”

Hearing the title ‘Baron’ felt like waking from sleep.

Nicholas asked hesitantly.

“Do you know me?”

“Yes. I do.”

“I’m sorry, but who are you…”

“You wouldn’t know me, Baron. But I think you might know my grandfather.”

Grandfather?

As he blinked, the woman smiled brightly.

“Hello, Baron. My name is Elisha. Duke Michele Fiochedade Rionet sent me.”

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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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