The Lady Only Deals With the Real Ones - Chapter 85

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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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It was a rough but warm hand.

 

When the fingers that had been wiping my cheeks moved down below my chin.

 

I hesitated and called out to him as I remained with my face lifted up in Alter’s hand.

 

“Um, Alter?”

 

Alter froze when he heard me call his name.

 

“…Ah.”

 

He hastily withdrew his hand and stepped back with a stiff expression.

 

Just like someone who had only then realized what he had been doing.

 

As I watched Alter avoiding my gaze, Emma’s loud voice drew attention from behind me.

 

“Ahem. Elisha, you know there’s a water fountain back there, right? You should go wash up. You have an event to do later, and you can’t appear looking like that.”

 

“Oh, right! Yes, I’ll be back!”

 

“Mm-hmm, it might have gotten on your clothes too, so check carefully. Take your time, okay?”

 

I ran to the water fountain and looked in my hand mirror.

 

Was it because of the red paint stains?

 

Somehow, my cheeks looked red.

 

*

 

The place where Elisha had disappeared.

 

Tesagh, who was left behind, looked down at his hand stained with red paint.

 

Even he couldn’t explain the reason for his actions.

 

It was just that Elisha’s smile while covered in paint was so bright.

 

Like the smile in the photo on his desk… so radiant without a single flaw.

 

So he found himself smiling along without realizing it. So he moved toward her, so he reached out his hand toward her soft-looking cheek to wipe away the paint.

 

‘Does this even make sense?’

 

He couldn’t understand.

 

Was this also a kind of compassion for someone who was sick?

 

Suddenly his heart felt heavy.

 

As he stood still, he suddenly sensed a presence.

 

“Hey.”

 

The mage named Emma threw him a towel to wipe the paint and gestured with her chin.

 

She was the only mage on this street. The pawnshop’s security magic was probably also her work.

 

Tesagh remembered that she was quite skilled, though not as much as the mages of the ducal residence.

 

Also, she seemed to be on very friendly terms with Elisha.

 

Tesagh tried to review the information he knew as usual, but his thoughts stopped there.

 

“You like Elisha, don’t you?”

 

It was because of Emma’s words as she leaned against the booth with a strange smile.

 

Tesagh, who had momentarily frozen, threw the towel back and said.

 

“I was wondering who taught that woman such nonsense, and it seems it was you.”

 

“This young guy sure talks back quickly. There’s no point in denying it – how many years do you think I’ve lived as a mage specializing in love affairs?”

 

“Do I look like someone who would listen to such baseless talk?”

 

“Why would it be baseless? Really, this guy.”

 

Emma caught the towel Tesagh threw with magic, folded it with a swish, and giggled.

 

Tesagh stood crookedly and said.

 

“If you keep spouting such nonsense, I’m prepared to spread rumors that this booth owner rigs the games.”

 

“Ah… the pea went astray? Right, I used wind magic to help Elisha win. But it didn’t work on Elisha, did it? My magic power flowed backward as if blocked by something – maybe I used too much magic today.”

 

Emma, who had been muttering, shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

 

“Anyway, it failed in the end, I’ve never done that for other customers, and besides, it’s closing time for the booth? Go ahead and spread rumors if you want.”

 

Emma added in a subtle tone.

 

“Though Elisha, who worked hard for this festival, probably wouldn’t be too happy about those rumors.”

 

“…Why did you say such things in the first place?”

 

“Ah, curious about the evidence for my claim? It’s simple.”

 

Emma crossed her arms and smiled slyly.

 

“You called her stupid. To Elisha.”

 

Tesagh was dumbfounded.

 

“I didn’t know that calling someone who acted foolishly ‘stupid’ was a measure of affection. Running a love-related business with that kind of intuition – does it actually make money?”

 

“Puhaha…”

 

As he watched Emma burst into laughter and giggle, she wiped her tears and muttered.

 

“Listen, young friend. Calling someone stupid is an expression of affection. The highest grade at that.”

 

“…What?”

 

“It’s something you only say when someone is so, so cute and lovable that you don’t know what to do with yourself.”

 

Emma even folded her fingers as if doing him a favor while explaining to the bewildered Tesagh.

 

“You don’t call someone who’s actually stupid ‘stupid.’ You’d say things like ‘lacking,’ ‘idiot,’ ‘pathetic’ with contempt. But was there contempt in the way you just said ‘stupid’? Or did you point fingers or harden your expression while saying it?”

 

Emma pointed to Tesagh’s hand, which still had red paint on it.

 

Emma was right.

 

Tesagh hadn’t spoken with contempt, pointed fingers, or hardened his expression.

 

He had just, simply.

 

“…So, so cute and lovable…”

 

As Tesagh squeezed his eyes shut, Emma’s voice reached his ears.

 

“But you’d better put those feelings aside. Our Elisha already has her destined partner.”

 

Tesagh, who opened his eyes, needed time to understand what he had just heard.

 

“…Did you say destined partner?”

 

“That’s right. You could say they’re connected by an inseparable bond of fate. Even watching from the sidelines brought tears to my eyes.”

 

“That woman had… such a person?”

 

“Of course. There are privacy issues with our Elisha, so I can’t tell you the details, but…”

 

Several faces flashed through Tesagh’s mind.

 

Was it the sparkling blonde knight who had made her heart race? Or perhaps that acquaintance with green eyes who had taken her photo?

 

Or maybe it was someone else entirely that Elisha pitied, whom he had heard about through the magic device.

 

“…Why are you telling me this?”

 

“Well, that’s because.”

 

He knew that many people were attracted to Elisha.

 

She had said so herself when they first met, and even just the people he’d encountered today all treated Elisha favorably.

 

But a destined partner – that kind of thing…

 

Tesagh, who was unusually confused, looked up at Emma’s words.

 

“A suspicious guy like you who can’t be seen at all getting close to our Elisha – that seems like something I should prevent.”

 

Emma’s expression, which had been smugly smiling, had turned ice-cold.

 

Emma slowly approached.

 

“I thought it was strange from the beginning. You suddenly appearing on this street was very suspicious. But I really can’t see anything at all. No holy power, no magic power, not even traces of life or aura.”

 

Her gaze, which had been scanning Tesagh, stopped at his clip.

 

“I thought I couldn’t see because tracking magic isn’t my specialty, but now that I’m close, I understand. That’s a pretty well-made magic device, isn’t it? How many layers of concealment magic did you put on it? And what do you have so much to hide that you put this much effort into it?”

 

“Is that any of your business?”

 

“It’s not my business. Well, it’s not my concern either. But would Elisha think the same?”

 

Emma, who had been speaking ominously, suddenly turned around.

 

“There are many people with complicated pasts on this street besides you, so I don’t particularly want to dig into your schemes. But you’d better stay away from my pretty and kind little sister Elisha. This is advice for your sake too.”

 

“I don’t understand why you say it’s for my sake.”

 

“…You have no idea how Michele would deal with you if he saw you… Ugh, I don’t even want to think about it…”

 

Michele – that was Elisha’s grandfather’s name.

 

Emma shook her head and glanced toward the water fountain before waving her hand at Tesagh.

 

“Anyway, let’s keep today’s conversation a secret, okay? Go ahead, if you don’t want to explain to Elisha in detail what we talked about.”

 

In the distance, Elisha’s pink hair was getting closer.

 

Since they were planning to part ways after the pea shooting contest anyway, it wasn’t really a problem.

 

However, even after moving away from the booth, the conversation with Emma continued to linger in his ears.

 

Mixed in with the crowd, Tesagh suddenly looked back.

 

“Sister! Please look at me, there’s nothing left on me now, right?”

 

“There’s still some here at the tip of your chin?”

 

“Ugh, really? Ah, I need to look in the mirror again. But what about Alter?”

 

“Oh, that person is…”

 

It was the moment he saw Elisha mention his name and smile.

 

Emma’s voice echoed loudly.

 

“You like her, don’t you?”

 

Tesagh turned away from her smile very slowly.

 

“…How foolish.”

 

Tesagh, who had been rubbing his heated neck, disappeared into the crowd.

 

Unaware that red paint stains had also spread on him.

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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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