Chapter 3

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: The Princess Deals Only in the Real Thing 12

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공녀님은 진짜만 취급합니다

12화

The woman stared at me for a long moment before asking,

"But... to protect it, you need power, right? If my uncle takes it away, it's all meaningless."

"As I said, I can't sell it for you."

I cleared my throat.

"But I can hold it here as collateral while you pay me back, miss."

"You mean... you'll keep it for me?"

"No, we're not offering storage services. We absolutely never hold onto customers' valuables."

No matter who came knocking, I'd play it just like this.

With that in mind, I winked at her oh-so-innocently.

The woman seemed to catch my drift.

"Then I'll pawn it for a loan. How much can I get?"

It was an intricately crafted ornament, a holy artifact no less, and likely a treasure from a prominent family—a gem that could easily fetch tens of millions of gold at minimum.

But the customer before me wouldn't trade it for any amount.

Right now, she was just acting on impulse, driven by grief.

'A gem beyond price.'

So that's what I offered her: one gold coin.

As a way of saying it was priceless.

"Three months' term, ten percent interest. If you go past the deadline, interest accrues, but given the amount, I won't charge you any."

The woman took the single gold coin with utmost care.

"So make sure you come back for it. You have to."

A faint smile tugged at the pale corners of her mouth as she toyed with the coin.

"Yeah. I will. Three months... I'll definitely pay it back within that time."

"Yes. Since it's a pawn, we need to log it. May I have your name?"

The woman hesitated, but her voice was clearer than when she'd first walked in.

"...Rina. My name is Rina."

"Got it, Rina. See you again."

"Yeah. See you."

As I watched her retreating figure fade into the distance, I rubbed the stiff nape of my neck.

'She can't be much older than me. Threatening a girl like that just to steal her inheritance.'

Hearing Rina's story had made me furious, like it was my own problem.

Or maybe it wasn't so different. Memories of my past life flooded back—being helplessly stripped of everything by my relatives.

Maybe that's why I'd wanted to hear her out: some gut feeling that we were in the same boat.

She reminded me so much of myself back then, desperate for any help.

'What if someone had stepped in to help me in my past life... Nah, no point dwelling on it now.'

I fanned myself with my hand, still simmering with anger as I stored the pendant away, when I spotted a familiar silhouette somewhere in the distance.

Huh? Isn't that Hugo?

Hugo approached with a scowl on his face, his aide looking utterly exhausted. A long sword hung at his waist.

No matter how you sliced it, he was clearly here to intimidate.

'Coming at a little girl with a sword to bully her into submission. Real classy... But hey, showing up now? I'll give him points for that.'

Hugo must have scoped out whether Grandfather was around and picked nighttime after closing hours.

I'd half-expected him to drop by soon, which was why I'd commissioned those security spells.

I'd even hoped he'd come at night. No real reason—just didn't want to scare off any customers.

But I had to admit, him picking tonight of all nights sat pretty well with me.

'You picked a great time, you bastard.'

Because right now, I was pissed.

Crack, crack. I rolled my stiff neck and grinned.

Blending in among robed figures as she walked the night streets, Rina paused for a moment.

She looked down at her hands.

One clutched a wad of tissue, the other a single gold coin.

"No one will cherish it more than I do..."

Chewing over those words, she felt her steps lighten somehow.

Was it because she'd left the pendant behind in her pouch? Or because she'd left the crushing weight of her worries there too?

Rina glanced back gently. The pawnshop's lights still glowed brightly in the distance.

It felt just like a warm farewell wave from the owner, who had seen her off with a bright smile.

'She helped me. Without even knowing who I am.'

She'd broken down crying from her uncle's threats until exhaustion claimed her. When she came to, she'd found herself on this street.

She couldn't even remember how she'd gotten here.

She must have been that worn out—desperate enough to think she'd rather sell it outright than hand it over to someone she despised.

But the pawnshop owner's firm words had snapped her back to reality like a splash of cold water.

'And she didn't even ask for anything in return.'

The owner could have snatched it up and made a fortune.

But she hadn't. Instead, she'd extended a helping hand without hesitation.

Recalling those clear, bright lilac eyes, Rina repeated her words like a mantra.

"No one will cherish it more than I do. So... I have to protect it. I'll protect it myself."

Rina headed toward a shadowy alley.

In the deserted spot, she twisted the gem on the blue ring adorning her right ring finger.

『Catarina Pressripe』

She glanced between the name engraved on the ring and the distant imperial palace, then closed her eyes.

It happened in an instant.

A blue flash erupted. She vanished, swallowed by the light.

'No uncle, right?'

Even after hearing confirmation from his aide, Hugo quickly scanned the pawnshop anyway, unease gnawing at him.

It was past closing time. If his uncle were here, he'd normally be counting coins at the counter—but it was empty.

'Then the pink-hair?'

She was humming away, spritzing air freshener. No way she suspected I was coming!

He planned to catch her off guard and seize the initiative.

Hugo kicked the door open with gusto.

Thud! He expected the wooden door to splinter.

"Argh!"

But it was him who shattered.

Clutching his shin and hopping on one foot, Hugo locked eyes with Elisha, who held a spray freshener.

What're you staring at?! Feeling preemptively defensive, he exploded.

"Some anti-burglar spell, huh? You think that crap can stop me? Open this door right now!"

"Pardon? A spell?"

Elisha pointed at the door with a puzzled look.

[PULL]

A sticker read.

[NO SMOKING]

Plastered right beside it.

"They say imperials can't read the word 'PULL' the best..."

Hugo's face flushed beet red at her mutter. He yanked the door open.

It swung wide with embarrassing ease. The fragrant whiff of air freshener wafting through only fueled his rage.

'Damn it!'

Seizing the initiative? Yeah, right.

Still, small comfort: amid all this commotion, no uncle emerged, confirming he really wasn't here.

And from her 'A spell?' retort, Elisha clearly had no clue what a security spell even was.

In other words, he could bully this girl however he pleased.

"Go stand guard outside. Make sure that wench doesn't rabbit like last time."

Ordering his aide, Hugo plopped into a chair with exaggerated arrogance.

His long sword at his waist angled perfectly into view.

Just as planned. Elisha's face went pale at the sight of it.

"You know why I'm here, right? You little con artist."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb! Think I don't know what you did?"

"Seems like there's a misunderstanding. Why don't you have some tea and we can talk it over calmly..."

"Shut it! You think I don't see you're stalling? Enough with the lies!"

Elisha faltered, midway through fetching the tea set.

That innocent look. The pure, unknowing expression.

But he'd be a fool to fall for it again.

And whipping out tea like she'd prepared for this?

'You think I'd drink that?'

A vile grin spread across Hugo's face as he thought it over.

"Drink that tea first. You go ahead."