The Lady Only Deals With the Real Ones - Chapter 55

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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 frowned at Bella’s mysterious expression.

“I know what you’re thinking, but that’s not what happened.”

“What do you think I was thinking?”

“Aren’t you thinking that woman swayed me?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

Bella shrugged her shoulders.

“I was thinking that you do have some aspects that resemble your father.”

“I suppose I would. I am his child.”

“Yes, my child. You’re quite something…”

As if his only purpose was to report, Tesagh nodded and tried to turn away.

Bella, who had been watching him intently, spoke up.

“You’re not the only one with something to say.”

“Please speak.”

“I did some investigating on my side too. If you were looking for Rugenote, I focused more on that bastard Eivor.”

Bella clenched her fist tightly.

Tesagh stared at her fist, which had turned white from the force.

“There were several more people who suffered similar damage.”

“According to my investigation, there were two cases.”

“Right. There were two crimes committed by a tall, bespectacled mage with green hair and green eyes.”

Bella gritted her teeth as she recalled Eivor with his long green hair tied back and green eyes gleaming behind his glasses.

Tesagh, who had been thinking, asked.

“So he was using disguises. Like how I use magical tools. But didn’t we issue wanted notices considering the possibility of disguise?”

Both disguise magic and appearance-changing magical tools had limitations.

Constantly casting disguise magic placed a heavy burden on magical power, and transformation magical tools could only change partial elements like color.

But then?

“However, there were as many as five similar crimes committed by an old man.”

“…Did you say an old man?”

“Yes. An old man with green eyes.”

Bella spoke as if spitting out the words.

“He worked as a butler in a manor and embezzled treasures. He worked for months without being caught.”

Bella’s brow furrowed.

“There are two possibilities. Either he has accomplices, or.”

“Eivor’s magic is far more sophisticated than we thought. It’s one of the two, but the latter seems more likely.”

“I think so too. It would be wise to be careful. It means Eivor can disguise himself as anyone.”

Tesagh roughly ran his hand through his hair as he muttered the words “as anyone.”

Bella, watching him, added.

“Of course, he can’t copy a person’s character or personality. So, to avoid being deceived, it would help to have private conversations with people around you. Though I know you’re not good at that sort of thing.”

“I don’t do it.”

“Well, we’ll see about that.”

Bella answered indifferently and leaned against a pillar.

“By the way, why did you come today? Did you really just come to report?”

“I’m also planning to get new magical tools for tracking Rugenote. They said they increased the sensitivity and divided the indicators into 5 levels to make them easier to read.”

“Anything else besides that?”

“I assigned Milton to investigate hospitals to track the pawnshop owner, but there are no results yet. I plan to visit and investigate personally as soon as I return.”

“Nothing else?”

“Nothing.”

“…Are you still going to say you just ‘don’t’ have private conversations, Duke?”

Tesagh raised one eyebrow and bowed his head.

“I’m leaving.”

“Even if you’re busy, contact me from time to time.”

Whether he didn’t hear or pretended not to hear, Tesagh walked away without answering.

That guy, he needs to experience it himself someday, Bella muttered as she emptied all her wine glasses.

Looking at the empty glass and thinking for a moment, Bella pressed the bell.

A nervous aide entered.

“Your Excellency, Guardian of the Nation, did you call for me?”

“Yes. Tell the mages to set up a teleportation magic circle. I think I’ll need to use it soon.”

“Where would you like the destination to be?”

Bella said while pouring more wine.

“Capital of Presripe, the Ashen Street.”

“By, by any chance…”

“Why? Oh, worried I’ll be away from my post for too long? The Duke doesn’t use magic circles so he has to travel back and forth the hard way, but I can make a round trip in as little as five minutes, right?”

Being away from her post wasn’t the problem.

You’re not planning to have a big fight with the Duke in the middle of another country’s capital, are you?

Such fear filled the aide’s eyes. Seeing this, Bella shook her head.

“Would I be going to see the Duke? What’s so pretty about that dark fellow.”

“Then…?”

“I’m curious. About what evidence he used to judge her innocent.”

Bella’s red eyes gleamed eerily as she smiled.

“I’m the type who has to see things with my own eyes to believe them.”

The aide trembled and backed out of the office.

***

“I made it…!”

Finally, Belcato Nursing Home came into view.

Panting from climbing the hill, I collapsed onto the ground.

‘I changed transportation so many times in case I was being followed.’

It was an arduous journey of taking a train, then a carriage, then a boat, then a streetcar, then a train again.

I used fake names for everything and changed clothes along the way.

I didn’t forget to check if there were any passengers whose routes overlapped with mine.

‘Anyway, Hugo and Rosaline must be busy with Nicholas’s matter right now. That’s why I waited for this timing.’

The first man suspected of being someone’s aide was a problem though.

But judging by how clumsy he was, he didn’t seem like a particularly threatening opponent.

After resting for a while, I showed my ID and admission papers to the security guards and passed through the main gate.

They found me suspicious since I was half-sprawled in front of the door, so the verification process was strict, but that was actually good.

‘I chose this nursing home precisely because of such strict security procedures.’

After passing through complex corridors, I arrived at the VIP ward.

Since Grandfather is a VVIP, he’s on the highest floor even within this ward.

When they told me it wasn’t visiting hours yet and to wait, I decided to wait in the waiting room.

‘What should I do, I can’t calm down.’

What if I get so happy seeing Grandfather’s face that I start crying?

I shouldn’t cry. Grandfather would worry.

As I was secretly taking deep breaths, I said “Ah” and approached a staff member.

“I sent some herbs by mail a few days ago, but I brought fresher ones, could I exchange them?”

“Ah, yes, of course. You mean the package you send to the VVIP patient regularly, right? I’ll exchange it for you.”

“Yes, please give me the existing package.”

The staff member took out a package from the herb storage marked [VVIP] and handed it to me.

I had been sending snow lotus roots to the nursing home under a false name, always packaging other things together with them.

Books or magazines that Grandfather enjoyed reading, writing instruments he used frequently, or photographs.

But this package contained something a little different.

I smiled as I rummaged through the bundle of herbs.

‘Grandfather probably hasn’t seen this yet. I can tell him about this today too.’

It was Lina’s emerald pendant.

‘The post office and nursing home do inspect packages, but they only check for poisons or magical spells, not holy power, so this was a method I could use.’

When I had to hide the pendant from Ailren’s eyes, Grandfather was the first person who came to mind.

Because Grandfather was the person I could trust and rely on most.

I couldn’t think of anyone else.

‘The only thing I worried about was whether it might be misdelivered. But the Empire’s post office is famous for being error-free.’

I smiled proudly and carefully repackaged the pendant before putting it in my bag.

‘This was also why I had no choice but to postpone Lina’s invitation. To return the pendant, I had to come to the nursing home.’

Looking at the clock, it was now visiting hours.

But as I was getting up, I paused.

‘The nurses suddenly got busy. What’s going on? Did something happen…?’

One of the nurses who had been looking around spotted me and rushed over to the waiting room.

Oh, surely not.

“You’re the guardian of the VVIP patient, right?”

Surely not.

“I don’t know how to tell you this… It seems visiting won’t be possible today.”

“Why, why not? What… what happened? Is something wrong?”

“The patient is currently unable to wake up…”

Thud.

My heart sank.

“G-Guardian! Guardian!”

When I came to my senses, I was running up the emergency staircase and being caught by security guards.

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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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