That Piece Of Trash Was Me - Chapter 130

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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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Chapter 130

“Your Grace the Grand Duke.”

“Isn’t that Max?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Max, who was Marquis Aster Frazier’s confidant and chief advisor, bowed his head respectfully.

“The Marquis sent this separately as a founding festival gift for Your Grace.”

“Go throw it away.”

“He said Lady Tulia was so pretty and personally wrapped it…”

“Give it here.”

Grand Duke Assis rose from his seat and received the heavy gift.

Without unwrapping the gift, he praised the packaging for a long while before finally untying the ribbon.

And rarely.

His dark green eyes widened.

“This is…”

Inside the box was a large conch pearl with a mysterious pink hue.

It was flawlessly smooth and had that mysterious pink color. It wasn’t simply an unusual color.

This pink hue…

Suddenly, Grand Duke Assis felt a piercing pain in his chest.

“Your Grace! Your Grace the Grand Duchess! This is terrible! The Grand Duchess is in critical condition!”

That news that had been urgently delivered.

Assis and Rishian, who were together, hurried out and dropped the beautiful bust they had been admiring.

That bust was modeled after Grand Duchess Rishian’s face, an artwork that Grand Duke Assis had secretly commissioned for her birthday.

But the bust that fell to the floor was shattered, and though they later called craftsmen and spent a fortune on repairs, one eye could never be restored.

Because they could no longer obtain a conch pearl that perfectly matched Grand Duchess Rishian’s eye color.

The Grand Duchess’s bust with one empty eye socket remained forever in the family warehouse.

And neither of them ever looked at that bust again.

Because Hyacinthia, their eldest daughter and one of their lives, had passed away just like that.

Because their world had collapsed along with her.

“Here, he also told me to bring you gloves.”

Max quickly pulled out a pair of white gloves from his coat.

Grand Duke Assis clicked his tongue.

“Did that grown man think I’d find this cute? How disgusting.”

Max only smiled.

Despite his words, Grand Duke Assis put on the gloves and carefully held the pearl.

The jewel that would beautifully fill the empty eye socket of that bust that had been vacant for half a lifetime.

‘Rishian.’

Our ending was never bitter or sour.

Our granddaughter eventually made the fruit left by the withered plum blossoms into sweet juice.

“…You would have surely loved the plum juice too.”

Looking at the plum trees filling the distant plains, Grand Duke Assis murmured.

Spring moonlight and spring night breeze.

Sweet and joyful melodies could be heard from the distant Grand Banquet Hall.

Because Tulia loved inviting orchestras to parties, she had invited an orchestra to perform music at this founding festival banquet as well.

Thanks to that, the beautiful performance could be heard even from this distant place.

“What a wonderful founding festival.”

Grand Duke Assis closed his eyes, enjoyed the melody, and smiled with a sigh.

“My, how much I miss her.”

* * *

“You bastard!”

Benjamin, who had been violently kicked in the stomach, gasped for breath. The emaciated boy couldn’t get up at all.

When the First Prince and Second Prince stepped forward angrily to kick him once more, the other princes nearby hurriedly stopped them.

“B-brothers, please stop.”

“That’s right. The ambassadors are still staying at the palace.”

“Father is already furious enough…”

The princes flinched as they were about to kick Benjamin again. Instead, they grabbed Benjamin by the collar and shouted.

“You cunning bastard like a gold digger!”

“You deliberately fell in front of the ambassadors today, didn’t you?! Huh?!”

Earlier today.

Sorsen Royal Palace.

Since it was an important gathering with ambassadors from various countries, the King had all the princes and princesses attend along with the Queen and concubines.

Those in the know were well aware that the King of Sorsen had a weakness for women. And that he had well over ten children as a result.

The princes and princesses greeted the ambassadors in pairs. Prince Benjamin was no exception, of course.

The problem was that Benjamin, who had an inadequate diet but had to follow a harsh schedule, collapsed in front of the ambassadors.

Through Benjamin’s loose pants, his emaciated legs covered in bruises were starkly revealed.

While the other princes cared for by concubines wore formal attire perfectly tailored by servants, Benjamin wore oversized formal wear that a servant had hastily brought the night before the banquet – clothes discarded by other princes.

It was only natural that the ambassadors from various countries fell silent for a moment.

“W-why does the prince look like that! Quickly call the palace physicians!”

The flustered King hurriedly called all sorts of palace physicians and lavished treatment upon him.

“The prince has always been weak and prone to falling.”

Though he made such excuses, anyone with eyes could tell.

That these were clear signs of violence.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Please don’t hit me!”

“Father, I was wrong! I was wrong! Mother! Save me! Waaaaah!”

The humiliated King immediately went to the Harem Palace that night to interrogate the concubines and mercilessly beat the princes who had been violent toward Benjamin.

The princes, beaten until they were bruised, came in a group to beat Benjamin again.

“B-brothers…”

Benjamin barely managed to speak in a hoarse voice.

“Father said he would send palace physicians again later.”

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

At those words, the princes all got chills and hurriedly let go of Benjamin’s collar.

“I-I don’t know anything about this.”

“I-I didn’t hit him. Rather, it was brother who…”

“You coward!”

In the end, they cursed and grabbed each other by the collar, but hurriedly fled, not knowing when the King’s palace physicians might burst in.

“…Hah.”

Benjamin wiped the blood from his lips as he stood up.

“You did well.”

“…Yeah.”

From the wall, a man who had been silently holding his breath appeared.

He was Benjamin’s only court attendant and the only one still ‘alive’ so far.

Benjamin’s court attendant, or more precisely, the servants of his mother Iris, were always dying from poisoning by other concubines, so it had been quite a while since he had any servants to assist him.

This man—Trini—was still alive. The princes who kicked Benjamin around like a ball every day had no idea that Benjamin had a court attendant.

Benjamin looked at Trini treating his scraped knees and stomach and asked.

“Did Mother really send you?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

‘Lies.’

Benjamin muttered to himself.

Trini had come to serve as his court attendant some time after Mother died.

He was different from all the previous court attendants.

The way he kept him alive, watched over him, and cared for him seemed truly like a court attendant, but also like a knight with tremendous martial prowess. You could tell from his trained physique and the occasionally murderous glint in his eyes.

Moreover, from who knows where, he had brought an abundance of expensive medicinal materials that could never be obtained with a mere court attendant’s salary.

He even replenished the medicinal materials regularly.

It had been several months since he started caring for him, but Benjamin knew nothing about the man called Trini.

‘…Still.’

Even if he was someone whose everything was lies.

Compared to that night when Mother died and he was left alone.

He’d rather embrace even those lies.

Because otherwise, the only thing protecting Benjamin’s side was a small, delicate pink tulip breathing through preservation magic.

“Please drink slowly, Your Highness.”

Today too, the herbal medicine Trini brought was bitter. An ordinary child would have cried and made a fuss about not wanting to drink it.

But for Benjamin, who couldn’t eat proper meals, even that was food that could fill his hunger.

One spoonful out of preciousness, two spoonfuls out of sorrow.

As he forced the bitter herbal medicine into his mouth, Benjamin belatedly realized the tears dripping into the bowl.

“…You won’t go anywhere, right?”

Trini nodded.

“Of course not. I was told to protect Your Highness.”

‘Who could it be. That person…’

What reason could there be for showing him such kindness.

What reason could there be for extending a hand to an abandoned boy.

Was it the whim of some wealthy magnate.

Or did they want him to grovel like a dog.

Benjamin had once heard the concubines whispering that he would become a great beauty when he grew up.

If the reason for protecting him now was because they wanted his body when he grew up later.

Then he would gladly sell his soul and body to that person, the noble prince swallowed tears tinged with vulgarity.

* * *

[…Therefore, the bullying from the other princes has definitely decreased, even if just a little. Fortunately, Prince Benjamin has not suffered any permanent disabilities or injuries so far…]

“Seriously, why are all these male leads so pitiful. Always getting beaten up, always.”

Even while grumbling like this.

As I read Trini’s letter, my mood grew increasingly heavy.

‘How bitter must that medicine be, yet he ate it frantically to fill his hunger… that’s just too much…’

Just how much must he have starved since childhood to be like that.

How cruelly must he have been beaten to have yellow bruises all over his body.

As I vividly learned through the letter about Benjamin’s severe abuse that I hadn’t known about, my eyes stung for no reason.

Just as tears welled up without me realizing it.

“…!”

“…!”

I could feel the atmosphere suddenly change and raised my head.

The servants nearby looked at me with terrified eyes before hurriedly bowing their heads.

‘Ugh, seriously.’

Image management is exhausting. So exhausting.

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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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