I Won’t Pick Up The T*ash I Threw Away Again - Chapter 187
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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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#187
To think they found that person. This was unexpected good news.
“Who is it? No, more than that, how did you find them?”
“This.”
Countess Cloud made a circle with her thumb and index finger.
“Since they would have given considerable money when making the request, I focused on finding anyone among those who came to Baron Aster’s mansion who suddenly had increased wealth. And we caught one girl.”
“Amazing, Duchess! I never would have thought of such a method!”
“Well, people who have experience with this sort of thing know it well.”
Huh? I think I just heard something strange.
“My guards went to bring that girl here, so she’ll arrive soon. When she comes, we’ll question her thoroughly.”
“Yes. Thank you for helping me.”
“Don’t mention it. Family should help each other, after all.”
“Pardon? …Family?”
“Oh ho ho ho.”
Countess Cloud covered her mouth with her fan and laughed.
“We’re both nobility of the same Empire, so we’re like family. Don’t you think so?”
“I suppose so.”
Something felt strange, but it wasn’t wrong, so I nodded.
“Then would you like to wait inside until then, Duchess? I’ll bring out some warm tea.”
“That sounds good. Oh, and this.”
The Duchess held up a box with pretty patterns drawn on it.
“I saw a nice macaron shop on the way here and bought some. Let’s eat them together.”
“Yes.”
I received the macaron box and handed it to Nes.
“Then please come this way.”
I led the Duchess toward the drawing room.
Quick-witted Sara brought tea before I could even ask.
Nes brought the macarons the Duchess had bought, nicely arranged in a bowl.
I picked up a red macaron from among the colorful ones.
I thought it would be strawberry flavored, and my guess was right.
It even tasted similar to the strawberry candy Kalian had given me.
“His Majesty would like this.”
“Pardon?”
At my words, Countess Cloud looked surprised and opened her eyes wide.
“By any chance, is the His Majesty you’re referring to the same His Majesty I know? My older brother?”
At her rapid words, I nodded somewhat bewildered.
“But His Majesty likes macarons?”
“To be precise, I said he would probably like this strawberry flavor. Since His Majesty likes strawberry candy.”
“Ah, strawberry candy.”
The Duchess’s face momentarily clouded over.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
As if nothing had happened, the Duchess smiled brightly and pushed the bowl of macarons toward me.
“Then eat plenty, Baron.”
“You eat plenty too, Duchess.”
“If I eat any more here, I think I’ll gain weight, so I’m going to stop.”
Weight gain. Suddenly I became worried about my own weight.
When I was at the Williot Duchy, I hired professionals to manage my diet perfectly.
A slim waist, full chest, and slender arms and legs were the trend in social circles.
And because it was Fillen’s preference, I always ate as little as a bird and maintained an underweight condition.
But after leaving the Williot Duchy, I didn’t pay attention to it. I ate recklessly like an unbridled colt.
I ate plenty of sweet foods like candy that easily cause weight gain…
Suddenly imagining myself having gained so much weight that my dresses wouldn’t fit made me lose my appetite completely.
When I put down my fork, the Duchess asked.
“Why aren’t you eating more?”
“I think I need to control my weight a bit too.”
“Oh my, talking about weight control when you’re so thin.”
The Duchess scolded while picking up her teacup.
“Baron, you could gain a bit more weight. So hurry up and eat.”
“But…”
“Being overweight isn’t attractive, but being too thin isn’t attractive either. It’s also bad for your health.”
That’s true.
“Especially since His Majesty prefers women with some flesh rather than thin women, so eat more.”
Why is His Majesty’s preference coming up here…?
Wondering if she had noticed something, I looked at the Duchess.
“Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
“…It’s nothing.”
She doesn’t seem to show any such signs. Am I mistaken?
I moved my fork again and ate the macaron.
If I didn’t worry about gaining weight, the macarons were delicious enough that I’d want to eat to my heart’s content.
While eating macarons and chatting with the Duchess, I heard a knock-knock sound.
Had the Duchess’s guards finally brought the culprit?
“Come in.”
Thinking that, I stood up from my seat, but Sara’s expression was strange.
“What’s wrong, Sara?”
“Well, that is…”
Sara hesitated, then squeezed her eyes shut and said.
“Du-Duke Williot has arrived!”
* * *
The place Andante headed to was a small-scale black market held in the underground plaza of District 10.
Though small, it had everything you could need. Andante walked leisurely among the people and stopped in front of a merchant selling various medicinal herbs.
“Oh, who do we have here.”
The merchant who recognized Andante smiled brightly and extended his hand.
“Isn’t it the young master?”
The merchant didn’t know Andante’s name and only knew he was a noble’s son, so he called him young master.
“I haven’t seen you lately, so I thought something had happened to you, but I guess not.”
“You talk as if you were hoping something had happened to me.”
“Haha, how could that be?”
Andante took out a pouch he had brought from his chest and placed it on the stall.
The merchant who checked inside the pouch opened his eyes wide.
“This is…”
“How much can you offer? There’s hardly any supply these days, so you can pay a high price, right?”
“There’s hardly any supply, but…”
The merchant looked at the contents of the pouch with a very troubled expression, then spoke to Andante.
“With the surveillance being so strict, there isn’t that much demand either. Everyone’s being cautious.”
“But there are still people who come to buy.”
“That’s only a few people. I also have to take on risk, so I’m afraid I can’t offer a high price.”
“Really?”
Andante snatched the pouch from the merchant’s hand without any lingering attachment.
“W-wait a moment!”
As he turned to leave, the merchant startled and grabbed Andante.
“Why are you so impatient? You should listen to what people have to say until the end.”
“Go ahead.”
Andante replied arrogantly.
The merchant glanced around nervously, then showed Andante two fingers.
“Would this much be acceptable?”
“You need to offer more.”
Andante spread two more of the merchant’s fingers.
The merchant groaned and folded one finger back down.
“Then let’s settle on this much.”
“How petty.”
“This is already giving you a lot. It’s twice the usual market price.”
That was true. If he demanded more and the merchant refused to buy, it would be a disaster, so Andante pretended to give in and nodded.
“Fine, do that.”
“Then I’ll go to the central office to get the money, so please watch the stall for a moment.”
The merchant disappeared inside, and Andante sat on the edge of the stall and looked around broadly.
Perhaps because the guards’ surveillance had intensified recently, there were fewer people than before.
As Andante looked around, quite some time had passed but the merchant hadn’t returned, so he tilted his head in confusion.
“Why is he taking so long?”
Usually he came back within 10 minutes, but 30 minutes had already passed.
Had something happened?
He was worried. Not about the merchant, but about the money he was supposed to bring.
Since it would be a disaster if he didn’t bring the money, Andante went inside to look for the merchant.
“…What’s this.”
Then he spotted burly men cleverly blocking the entrances to various branching paths and hesitated.
They didn’t look like simple guards. They had a more intimidating presence.
‘I have a bad feeling about this.’
He had a strong premonition that something bad was about to happen.
Should he retreat for now? He urgently needed money, but it wasn’t more important than his life.
You have to stay alive to have a next chance.
Andante quietly stepped backward toward the entrance.
However, the entrance was already blocked by unidentified men.
One of them looked familiar – he was a Capital Guard.
“Damn.”
His feeling was bad, and now there was an inspection?
Well, the black market was the most active place for drug dealing, so it made sense.
“As if I’d get caught.”
I’ll never get caught. I knew this would happen, so I memorized the secret passage.
Andante headed toward the secret passage he had learned about in advance.
The so-called secret passage wasn’t a proper path but a filthy sewer crawling with rats.
Going through such a place would dirty his entire body, but he didn’t care.
Let’s get out of here quickly. I can’t get caught by them.
As Andante hurried his steps, he was startled and stopped when someone blocked his path.
Silver hair that shone brilliantly even in the dark underground passage was dazzling.
The silver eyes visible beneath held not a trace of emotion.
That made it even more eerie, and Andante trembled.
His body shrank under the intimidating presence the man emanated.
“Andant Tebesa.”
A low, resonant voice quietly echoed through the passage.
“I arrest you on charges of selling Molentze, which is prohibited by the state.”
This one wasn’t a simple Capital Guard but seemed to be an Imperial Palace soldier.
Andante, who had been hesitantly stepping backward, glanced behind him.
Someone was guarding the rear too.
“I surrender.”
Since struggling to escape would only lead to rough treatment, Andante just gave himself up.
Then the man standing behind him let out a hollow laugh.
The silver-haired man also looked at Andante as if he found it absurd.
The man behind Andante asked the silver-haired one.
“Should I arrest him?”
“I’ll do it.”
The silver-haired man approached Andante.
The moment Andante stretched his hands forward, meaning to be taken away.
Thud-!
The man’s fist landed precisely on Andante’s face.
Unable to withstand the strength of a professionally trained soldier, Andante was sent flying.
“Captain!”
The man who had been standing behind Andante called out to the silver-haired man in surprise.
Regardless, the silver-haired man strode up to Andante and kicked him in the stomach.
“Guh, cough!”
Even while coughing from being kicked, Andante tightly grabbed the silver-haired man’s leg.
“I-I surrendered, so why…”
Saliva dripped down Andante’s chin.
“W-why are you hitting me! Y-you should guarantee human rights…!”
“Human rights?”
The silver-haired man, Hilltain, tilted his lips crookedly.
“I didn’t know trash had human rights too.”
“Wh-what… ugh!”
Hilltain grabbed Andante by the hair and lifted him up.
“You have no such thing as human rights.”
Murderous intent appeared in his previously indifferent silver eyes.
Meeting those eyes up close, Andante forgot to breathe and trembled violently.
Hilltain glared at Andante and spoke with emphasis on each word.
“You will suffer more than the victims of your crimes did and rot in the underground prison for the rest of your life.”
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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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