Chapter 26

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: The Princess Only Deals in the Real Thing 33

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

Their fingertips had brushed, but Tessah felt nothing amiss.

He had been watching her closely the whole time, so even if she had used some magical tool, it would have been impossible to attach or remove it in that brief instant.

'The pawnshop had plenty of security spells. Did she mistake one of those for the effect of a magical tool? But that's strange. The Imperial Holy Knight Captain making that kind of error.'

There was one more thing nagging at him.

'The business card magical tool breaking down so suddenly is odd too.'

The reason Tessah had arrived right on time was, of course, the business card magical tool that allowed him to hear sounds the moment it made contact with Elisha.

However, the reception quality had been different from usual.

"......Dealing in holy artifacts......"

"......Forced execution......"

Then it cut off abruptly.

The content sounded serious, but fortunately, when he arrived, nothing major had happened.

Far from being shocked, she was going on about some sparkling prince, so Elisha seemed perfectly fine.

'It must have been interference from the Imperial Holy Knight Captain's holy power.'

That man was wearing a brooch for tracking holy artifacts. Tessah had recognized it at a glance.

However, the knight captain's brooch appeared to detect the aura of holy power itself, rather than specific artifacts.

Compared to his own, which could track only Rugenoht with superior performance and precision, it fell short.

That was because the duchy’s magical engineering was more advanced than the empire’s.

'But since it was preliminary scouting rather than an official investigation, he didn’t reveal his name.'

He was probably carrying out a secret directive.

'He backed off more easily than expected to avoid causing a scene.'

Tessah came to a conclusion as he pondered.

'For now, I need to investigate the Imperial Holy Knight Captain first.'

By the time I arrived at the hall, the general assembly was just about to begin.

Helena, who had been busily giving orders left and right, spotted me and brightened up.

"Nice to see you, Elisha, guild member. But why are you so out of breath? Did you run all the way here?"

"I'm just as happy, huff, to see you, but first look at this, Madam Helena!"

I thrust the document right at her.

Helena's expression turned icy as she puzzled over it and scanned the full text.

"Is this reliable? Did you get it from a trustworthy source?"

"Of course!"

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

I whispered the details about the informant and what I'd heard into her ear, and she gasped.

With her face hardened coldly, she ascended the podium.

"Everyone, listen up! The festival-related agenda scheduled for today is postponed indefinitely."

"What?"

"Why all of a sudden? What's going on?"

"Because something far more urgent has come up! Let me explain now."

The guild members shot to their feet upon hearing Helena's announcement.

"What did you say-?!"

"Announcing something this major out of nowhere like this?"

"The grace period is so short too—this is basically telling people without family or noble connections to just shut down!"

"This is too much! Changing the permit system out of the blue when everything was running fine—where's the justice in that?!"

"And prioritizing Ashen Street on top of it? What did we do wrong? We've just been running our businesses honestly......"

The hall turned into pandemonium in an instant.

My stomach was churning too.

'Either bring out Grandpa, who's hiding away tight, or come beg her yourself. Pick one.'

Looking at the conditions, it was even more obvious this was Rozanne's doing.

This was a scheme to drag out Grandpa.

Barring Grandpa, who had been excommunicated, the only blood relative or noble who could vouch for me was Hugo or Rozanne.

For Rozanne, there was no downside.

If I didn't do either, the thorn-in-her-side pawnshop would be done for anyway.

'Vicious woman!'

I looked at the merchants filling the hall.

People venting their anger, those slumped in despair, even some sobbing.

My teeth ground together involuntarily.

'Holding the whole street hostage just to catch one Grandpa?'

Her mindset—treating bystanders like flies for the sake of her goal—made my blood boil.

'Get a grip. Stay calm.'

I clenched my fists tight as I caught my breath.

Rozanne would be letting her guard down, never dreaming I'd strike back.

'But there's something you don't know, Rozanne.'

The newspaper articles I'd seen before my regression.

Recalling how I'd read and reread any related to the Lionet family, I left the hall.

'That I can hold your people hostage too!'

The place I headed to was the train station.

"How much for the fastest ticket to the Raum territory?"

Imperial Eastern Region, Raum Viscountcy.

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

"You turned the entire coniferous forest upside down and found nothing? Does that make any sense?!"

Rozanne Lionet.

It was the viscountess's voice.

"Madam, please calm down......"

"Do I look like I can calm down right now?!"

Next came the voice of Nicholas Raum, the viscount.

His voice trembled pathetically, but it was drowned out by hers.

"Right. Of course. You're definitely hiding something in your painting."

"Wh-what......"

"The replica of Forest of Colonya—you painted it, Nicholas. Doesn't anything come to mind? Did you arbitrarily erase or omit some unimportant detail to screw me over?!"

"Madam, you know I painted it exactly as......"

Crash!

The sound of a glass shattering rang out.

"Get out."

"Madam......"

"I said get out! I can't stand looking at that stupid face of yours!"

A moment later, Nicholas trudged out of the room and sighed gloomily.

'I want to run away.'

But there was nowhere to go.

He had lived decades confined to this mansion, without relatives or friends.

At first, even that had been fine.

For an unknown painter like him to marry the woman who discovered him—and for her to be a duke's daughter, no less.

On top of that, granting a poor commoner like him a viscountcy?

He had thought there could be no greater fortune.

'......But.'

The fortune had just been gift wrapping.

Once the pink wrapping was peeled away, all that remained was pitch-black misfortune.

The maids' pitying gazes, his own helplessness with nowhere to turn—it was all heavy and miserable.

"The atelier...... I'll head there."

His only escape was the shabby atelier tucked away in a remote corner of the viscount's estate.

A rundown shack no one visited except when bringing meals.

The fact that even this single breathing hole belonged to the viscount's estate twisted Nicholas's gut.

He staggered to the door, forced himself to pick up a brush.

"I have to finish this replica by next week, and that one by next month—no time to waste."

Muttering like he was brainwashing himself, he dipped the brush in paint and moved it—then it slipped from his hand with a clunk.

A yellow streak ruined the canvas. The replica was spoiled.

Nicholas's vision blurred.

Rozanne would surely rage that he missed the deadline again. But that wasn't what scared him.

"Drawing pictures doesn't bring me joy anymore......"

What I'd ruined—was it perhaps my own life?

I should have doubted that fortune. Sought modest but joyful happiness, not glittering luck.

The Nicholas who had been happiest holding a brush was gone now.

"Hic, sob......"

"That's a beautiful painting."

Nicholas jolted and toppled over mid-sob.

"Wh...... What......"

"Oh, sorry. The painting was so good, I couldn't help myself."

Wiping his teary eyes, Nicholas blankly looked up at the voice's owner.

It was a young woman with pale pink hair.

Who she was didn't matter. Even if she was a ghost, he wouldn't have cared.

It was the first positive comment he'd heard in ages.

"This...... isn't my painting. It's just a replica."

But self-deprecation soon flooded back.

Just copying someone else's work—how could it be called his own?

She probably meant the original was impressive.

That's what he thought.

"No, I'm talking about this one."

The woman pointed to a plate.

"How did you fit such a grand, magnificent waterfall onto this tiny plate?"

Nicholas had painted on a plate that was cracked and headed for the trash.

Of course, it wasn't a replica.

The moment he took in that small painting with his eyes.

Nicholas burst into childlike tears.

'Yes, that's my painting. I was happy drawing on that plate......'

The woman waited silently until, much later, Nicholas's sobs subsided.

"Sorry. I showed you an ugly side."

"Not at all, Viscount Nicholas. It's fine. Thanks to you, I got more time to admire this wonderful painting."

Hearing "viscount" snapped him awake like from a dream.

Nicholas stammered.

"Do you know me?"

"Yes. I do."

"Sorry, but who might you be......"

"You wouldn't know me, Viscount. But my grandfather might."

Grandfather?

As he blinked, the woman smiled brightly.

"Hello, Viscount. I'm Elisha. Duke Michele Pioquedaad Lionet sent me."