That Piece Of Trash Was Me - Chapter 166

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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 166

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Ferdinand casually turned his gaze away from those who had stopped breathing.

 

He had grown up enduring abuse in the palace that was like a battlefield, under the Emperor’s tacit approval, and for nearly a year had desperately survived on the killing-filled battlefield, barely able to close his eyes on the hard military barracks bed.

 

So the stiff faces of those fragile nobles gave Ferdinand no emotion or impression whatsoever.

 

In just one year, Ferdinand had become like a tyrant accustomed to defeating enemies and taking spoils of war, walking straight outside with Tulia Frazier in tow.

 

Sophia Frazier, who couldn’t even breathe, along with Aubrey and her relatives, had their faces frozen pale, but none dared to stop the Crown Prince’s steps. The same went for the servants.

 

The Crown Prince who came out through the open entrance looked up once at the sky that had turned gray and inwardly mocked himself.

 

Damn it.

 

What rotten luck.

 

“Guide me.”

 

“Huh? Yes, to where?”

 

The sharp nerves that had been on edge down to his hair tips calmed down a bit the moment he heard that absent-minded voice.

 

Tulia Frazier was absolutely not that kind of personality.

 

The first thing Ferdinand had checked upon returning from the battlefield was the situation in the Imperial Palace, and next was which side the high-ranking nobles were taking.

 

But ridiculously, the noble making the biggest mark in the Imperial Capital recently wasn’t some dignified duke or marquis, but the granddaughter of a Grand Ducal House.

 

The Baektul Salon was indeed raking in tremendous amounts of money, and Tulia Frazier was making countless nobles yearn with her incredible business acumen.

 

The small, cheap handkerchief she had given him in childhood was still with him.

 

This girl had somehow ascended to the Celestial Realm and was receiving everyone’s worship, while he had desperately rolled in blood and mud to protect his position as Crown Prince, finally returning to this place.

 

Though he recognized this difference anew, it wasn’t jealousy or resentment that he felt.

 

Just.

 

Just what should he call it.

 

The thought that it was fortunate their situations weren’t reversed.

 

Such a thought briefly crossed his mind.

 

It was a thought Ferdinand quickly forgot due to the raindrops falling on his cheek.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

‘No, why is he acting like this?’

 

Why is he making me so absent-minded?

 

I could understand his words about taking me as his fiancée.

 

Since he’d been called a monster and a cripple, he might have gotten angry and his head might have snapped.

 

‘No, rather, considering the Crown Prince’s cold nature, even that could be political theater, right?’

 

He surely would have checked the Empress’s situation immediately upon returning to the palace, and could have easily found out that she was trying to pair me with Dave.

 

But.

 

He just dragged me out like this and only said one word to guide him, so I had no idea what I was supposed to do.

 

I don’t know what this Empire’s power holder is saying.

 

And it’s starting to rain on top of that.

 

It was truly a maddening situation.

 

Ferdinand can’t hear when he gets rained on.

 

And very few people knew this fact.

 

If I made a mistake, I could be interrogated too, and in the worst case, I could die.

 

I thought I needed to get away from him as quickly as possible.

 

Ironically, right now I had to stay as close as possible to speak to him.

 

“Where should I guide you?”

 

Thanks to that, my tone came out slightly servile, but what could I do?

 

“Somewhere that doesn’t get rained on.”

 

“You don’t want to go inside, right?”

 

I spoke to him as briefly as possible.

 

Ferdinand stared at me intently before answering.

 

“I don’t want to.”

 

“Alright.”

 

These short, brief words were my own consideration for Ferdinand.

 

Most importantly, I didn’t want to go back inside either.

 

“The garden would be good.”

 

The place I took Ferdinand to was inside the Grand Ducal House’s garden.

 

The Grand Duke Frazier House’s mansion had over fifty gardeners alone.

 

We walked together along the garden path where flowers bloomed luxuriantly.

 

One drop, two drops.

 

The beautiful flowers got wet from the raindrops falling from the sky, and their unique fragrance grew thicker.

 

Roses, lilacs, acacias. Hydrangeas, peonies, and even golden moon flowers.

 

The entire surroundings changed mysteriously like a watercolor painting, and I was briefly immersed in the feeling of walking through a secret garden that no one knew about.

 

That might have been because of the Crown Prince who was obediently following me. He looked like a statue modeled after a god.

 

Klaus and Benjamin suddenly came to mind.

 

Klaus was also skinny, but his characteristically tall height remained the same, and young Benjamin had been even thinner than Ferdinand…

 

‘But now he’s completely grown up. Enough to deserve love and worship from anyone who sees him.’

 

However, Ferdinand alone hadn’t changed at all, like someone granted a different dimension of time and space.

 

Did Ferdinand’s mother, the late Empress Olivia, want this?

 

A beautiful statue that remains eternally stopped…

 

One who receives justified contempt and strange worship from everyone, with cold eyes that show no shock even when his fiancée calls him a monster and wails.

 

We arrived at the pavilion. I took out a handkerchief and held it out to him.

 

“Wipe your face. You got wet from the rain.”

 

If His Highness the Crown Prince catches a cold before the triumph ceremony, the Grand Ducal House will have to take responsibility.

 

Ferdinand didn’t take the handkerchief right away. A moment of hesitation. I spoke again.

 

“Wipe off the rainwater.”

 

I didn’t know why he wasn’t taking it and just staring, so I looked down at the handkerchief too.

 

Why again. It was clearly a fancy and pretty handkerchief that anyone could see a Grand Duke’s granddaughter would use.

 

Just as I was about to ask what he didn’t like about it, Ferdinand took the handkerchief and then.

 

“…?”

 

He wiped my wet cheek.

 

Startled, I froze like stone and only moved my eyes. Ferdinand wiping my cheek was, how should I put it, like brushing the fur of a prized horse…

 

Pat- pat-.

 

In short, somewhat rough, like handling an animal…

 

‘What, what is this…?’

 

“…”

 

I just stood still like an old tree on a hill. As my face became dry, the handkerchief absorbed moisture thoroughly.

 

Only after the handkerchief was half-soaked did he seem satisfied, and then Ferdinand finally brought the handkerchief to his own wet eyes and began wiping.

 

As soon as I came to my senses, I thought.

 

‘What is this guy really thinking?’

 

I absolutely couldn’t understand this guy’s mind.

 

Even if I tried to check his affection level, there was still cooldown time left from checking Benjamin’s affection level just a while ago.

 

Really, isn’t this male lead just not helping with timing at all?

 

He’s already hard to meet…

 

‘Ah. I’ll meet him again at the triumph ceremony anyway.’

 

I’ll check her affection level then.

 

I had absolutely no idea how much affection she had for me.

 

Considering how few times we’d met, it would be normal for her affection level to be low, but then these current ticklish actions didn’t make much sense.

 

If a high affection level came up, that would be its own mystery.

 

‘Damn. I have so much to ask, but how do I organize it into short questions?’

 

It was right after that when a somewhat hoarse voice, perhaps from getting caught in the rain, pierced my ears.

 

“It’s raining heavily.”

 

“Ah. Yes.”

 

“I should head back. I’ll return the handkerchief later.”

 

“Yes? Yes.”

 

I wasn’t particularly surprised by Ferdinand’s sudden words.

 

Since he couldn’t hear properly, he’d naturally want to return quickly.

 

As the actual owner of this Frazier Mansion and the one who had been hosting Ferdinand, it was proper according to Briyang Empire etiquette for me to escort him out.

 

So I tried to follow him to where his carriage would be.

 

“It’s not necessary, so don’t follow me.”

 

“Yes.”

 

I stopped immediately at his words.

 

Thinking that I should place some umbrellas in the pavilion from now on, I quietly watched the boy’s back as he disappeared into the rain.

 

Though he wore the noble Crown Prince’s dress uniform permitted to only one person in the Empire, the rainwater pouring from the sky easily stripped away the silhouette of that thin yet expensive fabric.

 

Like Eros from mythology, I quietly watched Ferdinand’s thin back, which seemed like it would remain a boy forever, and after a while.

 

I blinked when I spotted Adel and a group of maids in the distance, looking around with umbrellas.

 

Adel, who made eye contact with me, hurried over.

 

“Lady Tulia! His Highness the Crown Prince told us to come here. Aren’t you cold?”

 

When did he give orders to the maids again?

 

I was telling Adel, who was wrapping me in a thick towel, that I was fine when I suddenly felt puzzled.

 

Because Adel was smiling. I instinctively realized it was because of the Crown Prince.

 

“Adel.”

 

“Yes, my lady.”

 

“What did His Highness the Crown Prince say?”

 

Adel covered her mouth with her hand and smiled softly.

 

“He said your master looks like a pink mouse soaked in rain, so hurry and run to her.”

 

“…”

 

 

 

Late afternoon the next day.

 

I received a letter from Ferdinand.

 

It was a letter asking me to dance the first dance at the victory banquet. It was completely out of the blue.

 

‘Why does he keep making me flustered?’

 

Most importantly, hadn’t the Empress already claimed the first dance and I promised the second dance to Benjamin?

 

‘Then I’d have to dance the third one. He won’t complain just because I upset an Imperial Family member’s mood, right?’

 

I was a bit worried, but high society is high society. Unless you’re the Emperor, you can’t ignore the order of the dance card.

 

And I can’t forget my loyalty to Benjamin either.

 

‘But really, what if the Crown Prince won’t accept the third slot?’

 

Becoming subtly anxious at the thought that suddenly occurred to me, I examined the contents on the paper in my hand several times.

 

‘I don’t know. Ferdinand isn’t that petty.’

 

It was a letter with a polite refusal written as a reply to send to Ferdinand.

 

And late that night, I chose and chose among the numerous dresses displayed in my bedroom, deciding on one to wear to the victory banquet.

 

“Hey. Don’t wear that one.”

 

Who would have expected to suddenly hear that familiar voice from behind?

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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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