That Piece Of Trash Was Me - Chapter 18
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 18
* * *
‘What kind of paradise is this place?’
I tried hard not to look around like a complete fool as I walked forward.
Have you ever walked on the rippling surface of the sea?
That’s what this enormous room felt like.
The light blue marble floor with flowing wave patterns had edges that interlocked precisely with each other.
Thanks to this, the space looked surreally like a beautiful bedroom built above water.
It was both secluded and luxurious. This bedroom, where I could feel two contradictory impressions at once, had crystal-adorned curtains hanging from the main walls and pillars.
Was that why?
This enormous bedroom with thick curtains covering all the walls felt like a space that had been sleeping for a very long time.
Despite its characteristic opulence.
That’s probably why I got the impression it was a bedroom without an owner.
There wasn’t a single fragile little luxury item.
Instead, there was only a grand piano in heavy tones, a large harp beautifully carved with a golden goddess statue, and a milky white porcelain vase as tall as me, all resting quietly like ruins sleeping in time.
So it was a place where vitality could hardly be found.
Assis Grand Duke Frazier, whose stride was much longer than mine, walked briskly over and pulled a milky tassel hanging on the wall.
Then, with a cheerful sound of “crack,” sunlight brilliantly illuminated the gloomy room.
‘Wow.’
I unconsciously widened my eyes.
Like the office, this place also had one entire wall as a floor-to-ceiling window.
In this world, glass of uniform thickness was quite an expensive luxury item. The more transparent the glass and the larger its size, the more the price skyrocketed.
Perhaps a single pane of glass fitted in that floor-to-ceiling window might be more expensive than those long, thick gold thread damask curtains hanging up to the ceiling.
In modern terms, would this be about the level of the best suite room even in a 5-star hotel?
In this unknown space reeking so much of money, Assis Grand Duke Frazier clasped his hands behind his back and spoke.
“Tulia Frazier.”
His voice sounded ominous, so I quickly answered respectfully.
“Yes, Grandfather.”
For a moment, I felt puzzled.
Until now, I had been constantly prostrating myself like a servile eunuch before Assis Grand Duke Frazier, so I hadn’t noticed, but Assis Frazier’s gaze reflected semi-transparently through the glass window was strange.
I felt a sense of déjà vu.
It was similar to the expression of a stray cat that suddenly stops in front of me and shows affection, even though it’s completely broke without a single treat.
‘But unlike me who was really broke, Assis Grand Duke Frazier has an enormous amount of wealth.’
Even that disappeared quickly as the sunlight shining caused Assis Grand Duke Frazier’s face reflected on the glass window to vanish.
‘Well… it must be my imagination?’
“You have never attended a Frazier Council meeting before.”
Meanwhile, an intimidating voice echoed in my ears.
“How did you know that you could use a proxy vote?”
“I remember reading about family law in the main castle’s library before, Grandfather.”
It was fortunate that I had prepared an excuse in advance just in case.
Since Tulia actually had the personality to regularly visit the main castle library, my alibi was perfect too.
“In the library? How strange.”
However, as if mocking my expectations, Assis Grand Duke Frazier continued.
“I’ve been hearing from Lilius all this time that the books you read in the library are nothing but shallow ancient languages good for showing off in high society and knowledge thinner than paper.”
“…”
‘That crazy bastard has been tattling about even the books Tulia reads? What kind of uncle is this?’
Well, Lilius was indeed very wary of Marquis Frazier, who was the Grand Duke’s eldest son and Tulia’s biological father.
But I wondered if there was any reason for him to torment Tulia, a child already cast out by the Marquis, so gloomily.
I vowed to definitely give Lilius an even hotter revenge.
“…Those books were the majority, yes. But I was also curious about the Frazier family, so I read about it in my spare time.”
“You read in your spare time?”
Assis Grand Duke Frazier turned to look at me and asked.
“Do you know which generation Frazier Grand Duke I am?”
“Yes? The 17th.”
“…When did the Frazier family, originally a ducal house, become elevated to a grand ducal house?”
“Yes? From the 5th generation. Starting with Family Head Solei Frazier.”
“…?”
Assis Grand Duke Frazier stared at me intently and asked again.
“What merit did he achieve to receive the hereditary grand ducal position?”
“As public merit, he greatly defeated the barbarians at the border, and as private merit, he deciphered ancient language and discovered dragon bones in their entirety in the abandoned land.”
“…Where did he discover those dragon bones?”
“Below the lowest western cliff?”
“…”
“…?”
Assis Grand Duke Frazier looked at me with strange eyes.
“Those parts are written in ancient language – when did you learn ancient language?”
‘Oh no, that’s right.’
I was inwardly startled. What I had said so far was naturally information I had acquired while playing .
Since was a game, you sometimes had to answer quizzes correctly to choose benefits that led to good endings.
Thanks to replaying multiple times, I had memorized the answers to most quizzes.
Half of these were written in incomprehensible alien language, which was called ‘ancient language’ within the worldview.
Ancient language was a setting with various interpretations floating around, such as being the script of an already destroyed ancient kingdom, or the script of fallen royalty from a distant continent.
“Unknown characters appeared, so I looked them up in the library.”
Fortunately, all the information I had mentioned was particularly short and simple characters even among ancient languages. So it was something that could somehow be managed through self-study…
Of course, it seems only I thought that way.
“…I’m surprised by you several times today.”
After looking at me with inexplicably melancholy eyes for a moment, Assis Grand Duke Frazier quickly returned to his usual cold expression and opened his mouth.
“Tulia Frazier. Today you arbitrarily overturned the voting results.”
“…”
“Even though your uncles cast approval votes.”
“…”
“Although your father is a marquis, you are clearly lower in hierarchy than your uncles. That is our Frazier family law. What you did now is no different from insubordination.”
“…”
“And in a public setting at that.”
“…”
The heads of great families absolutely cannot tolerate insubordination. That was the same for Assis Grand Duke Frazier too.
It was a fact I knew well too.
Especially, Assis Grand Duke Frazier didn’t like family disputes being revealed in public settings. Well, anyone would be like that.
So I could rather confidently open my mouth.
“I cast the opposing vote precisely because it was insubordination, Grandfather.”
“What?”
“Grandmother is more senior than my uncles.”
Originally, when a fox has no power, it must live by riding on a tiger’s back.
“Does it make sense to arbitrarily dispose of land that an elder cherished and cultivated during her lifetime because of my uncles’ trivial interests? That’s insubordination, not what I did.”
Since I had already become a fox riding on a tiger’s back, I didn’t forget to speak as clearly and distinctly as possible.
“We must uphold Grandmother’s will. The uncles are already people who have much.”
As I’ve said repeatedly, if the uncles were poor, it would be right to try to raise the family by selling the land.
But is it right for people who are already enjoying plenty to just sell off the land that their birth mother personally cultivated for their own trivial advancement?
Huh? Is it right?
‘Especially when that business is going to fail completely?’
In the long run, I’m practically doing an enormous favor for this Frazier Family.
And Assis Grand Duke Frazier…
Chuckled softly.
Though it was a very brief laugh, it was enough to make my eyes sparkle.
Originally, Assis Grand Duke Frazier had such a cold personality that he rarely smiled, earning him the nickname ‘Ice Duke.’
“Your words are not wrong.”
And as if by magic, a gauge appeared above Assis Grand Duke Frazier’s head.
‘That is…’
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————