That Piece Of Trash Was Me - Chapter 72
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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 72
Viscount Lilius, who was smirking, began to directly organize the office himself.
He had to finish before Father returned.
The grandchild that Assis Grand Duke Frazier currently favored most was none other than Tulia Frazier.
He had already prepared excuses for Assis Grand Duke Frazier, who would be furious upon hearing the news.
‘First, I’ll beg for mercy toward blood relatives.’
He also planned to mention the name of the late Grand Duchess, his mother.
“Mother. At times like this, I’m truly grateful you bore me as your youngest son.”
It was a mutter full of sarcasm.
Because the late Grand Duchess had cherished him greatly as her youngest, he too had been able to receive considerable privileges in the Grand Duchy.
Of course, he was well aware that his mother and father hadn’t gotten along very well while she was alive.
However, perhaps out of courtesy for the Grand Duchess who had married in from far away, Assis Grand Duke did ‘specially’ regard the things she had left behind.
“Damn it. Why didn’t Mother leave that land to me, making me get caught up in this mess!”
While pouring out resentment and frantically checking the amounts in various accounts.
Knock knock.
“Damn it! Why do they keep coming! There’s not enough time before I transfer everything to the shell accounts!”
No answer came to his angry shout.
For a moment, Viscount Lilius felt a strange uneasiness and stopped his actions.
Once more, knock knock, the sound of knocking on the door came.
The dignity of maintaining sufficient courtesy even in urgent situations.
While Viscount Lilius gaped with his mouth open, the tightly closed office door opened.
“…!”
Viscount Lilius’s face froze completely.
“Did you say shell accounts?”
A neat but blade-like voice.
The chief advisor who had served by Assis Grand Duke Frazier’s side for decades, Ruk Kelfosher.
He was standing there accompanied by several advisors.
“Viscount Lilius. Did we hear incorrectly?”
“Th, that is….”
“No.”
Ruk Kelfosher smiled politely but coldly. He was the first hand of Assis Grand Duke Frazier, famous for being cold, calculating, and merciless.
For the first time in his life, Viscount Lilius Frazier felt that Ruk Kelfosher’s smile was frightening.
“Tell the rest directly to His Grace the Grand Duke.”
“Fa, Father has already arrived?!”
When exactly?!
Viscount Lilius reflexively turned around.
One side of the office.
Through the glass window that was large enough to take up nearly half the wall, only a beautiful, quiet, and elegant garden spread out.
There wasn’t even a trace of the usual commotion that accompanied the return of Assis Grand Duke Frazier, the master of the castle and king of this Grand Duchy.
No welcoming greetings from dozens or hundreds of servants.
No salutes from knights.
Not even the trumpet sounds that should have rung out loudly.
This meant….
Assis Grand Duke Frazier had intentionally returned to the castle quietly.
Viscount Lilius gulped down dry saliva.
His hands trembled terribly. It felt like all the blood vessels in his body were pounding frantically as if fleeing from poison.
Without realizing it, he tried counting the number of advisors standing behind Ruk Kelfosher, but soon realized it was a meaningless action.
Even he, who had held 25% of the domestic administrative authority for over ten years, couldn’t identify even half of Assis Grand Duke Frazier’s subordinates.
Would my advisors who were hiding assets be safe?!
Would my money be safe?!
Frantically transferring family assets to shell accounts before such a major event was, to put it mildly, theft.
To put it seriously, it was embezzlement.
According to the strict imperial law of the Briyang Empire, even his son Viscount Lilius Frazier was a ‘retainer’ of Assis Grand Duke Frazier.
A retainer’s embezzlement was a grave crime.
Serious enough that he could have his title stripped or, depending on the scale, lose his head!
‘No. That’s not it.’
Perhaps Assis Grand Duke Frazier had just sent Ruk Kelfosher ahead first.
Assis Grand Duke Frazier was strict about his own duties and never skipped his scheduled territory inspections.
No matter how much he favored her, he wasn’t the type to return without finishing his territory inspection just because his granddaughter was injured.
Viscount Lilius pinned his thread-thin hope on Assis Grand Duke Frazier’s ice-cold personality, but.
“These are His Grace the Grand Duke’s orders to bring you.”
His expectations were shattered into pieces.
* * *
The main castle of the Grand Ducal House had a total of twelve meeting rooms.
The meeting rooms, each of different sizes, were opened or closed depending on the importance of the agenda being discussed that day.
The place they were to gather today was a small meeting room.
Though smaller in scale compared to the grand conference room or central conference room, it was decorated much more luxuriously.
It was a place that only opened when discussing ‘very important matters.’
The last time it had opened was several years ago.
In other words, it was also a direct indicator of how seriously Assis Grand Duke Frazier was taking this incident where Tulia was injured.
“Everyone, please be seated.”
Grandfather’s low and solemn voice echoed through the meeting room.
Only the Elders were granted the right to attend this gathering.
They took their seats without making a single sound.
“….”
Houses of Marquis rank and above typically had retainers referred to as ‘Elders.’
While they stood in opposition to Assis Grand Duke Frazier, they worked to guide the Grand Duchy in the right direction.
Commonly, the blue-blooded nobility of kingdoms were divided into ‘noble faction,’ ‘royalist faction,’ and ‘neutral faction.’
Since Frazier was also a Grand Ducal House and the territory itself was originally enormous, it had a similar structure to other kingdoms.
‘The difference is that all nobles are loyal to Grandfather.’
The Elders were no different.
However, the Elders were selected only from nobles who were as old as giant ancient trees and had accumulated unimaginable experience and achievements.
Therefore, even the direct line of Frazier couldn’t simply regard the Elders as mere retainers and found them difficult to deal with.
Thanks to this, the meeting room where all the Elders had gathered was as quiet as death itself.
‘The atmosphere is totally ruined, seriously.’
I was sitting in a seat higher than even the Elders.
‘Since I’m completely the victim.’
And on either side of me sat Lisian and that Leon Frazier guy side by side.
‘Come to think of it, that Leon guy also got hit by an arrow.’
Though I had briefly lost consciousness, unlike me, he recovered quickly and was energetic, so I had momentarily forgotten.
The fact that when Tedrick Frazier shot the arrow, he got hit while protecting me.
Even now, honestly, you couldn’t tell just by looking at his appearance.
That Leon Frazier guy didn’t look like someone who had been hit by that magical arrow.
If it weren’t for the bandages wrapped tightly around one shoulder and his back, not only I but other people might have forgotten as well.
Leon Frazier was also a ‘victim.’
“I’m sure everyone understands how serious today’s matter is without me having to say it.”
While I was momentarily distracted by Leon Frazier’s shoulder, Grandfather’s voice echoed through the room.
It was truly the voice of a predator that made one’s shoulders involuntarily tremble.
“Viscount Lilius Frazier.”
Grandfather looked down at Viscount Lilius.
“If you have something to say, speak.”
Viscount Lilius, who had become incredibly gaunt over the past few days, glared at me with bloodshot eyes.
Then.
“Tulia must have conspired with the Magic Tower.”
He came out with something truly absurd.
“Viscount Lilius!”
There was a voice that shouted back in protest.
“What kind of ridiculous slander is that!”
It was a Senior Mage from the Magic Tower who had been urgently summoned to the Grand Duchy.
‘So they finally brought out a Senior Mage.’
Well, considering their opponent was the Grand Ducal House.
Perhaps they had frantically debated among themselves whether the Tower Master should come.
“Slander? You call it slander?”
At the Senior Mage’s rebuttal, Viscount Lilius became even angrier and shouted.
“If it’s not an error by the Magic Tower, then why would my son and I, who are without fault, shoot Tulia?! Tulia must have joined hands with the Magic Tower to slander us father and son!”
“Pfft.”
Oh no.
I had inadvertently laughed out loud and hurriedly composed my expression.
“What is the meaning of that laughter, Tulia Frazier.”
The one who pointed out my laughter with a heavy and sharp voice was none other than Count Nigela Frazier.
I blinked and answered.
“I apologize, Uncle.”
“….”
“Uncle Lilius told such an unthinkable lie that I inadvertently choked.”
I didn’t laugh, I choked.
It’s a physiological response, what can you do about it.
“Ahem.”
Of course, it was behavior unbecoming of a noble, lacking in dignity.
Perhaps because of my words about an ‘unthinkable lie,’ Count Nigela Frazier couldn’t press the matter further.
“Be careful. This is a solemn occasion.”
“Yes.”
An obedient answer.
The silence was brief.
“I don’t understand what Viscount Lilius is saying.”
Because one of the Elders began to question the fundamental issue.
“Why would Miss Tulia conspire with the Magic Tower?”
“….”
“The young lady has no reason to do such a thing, does she?”
Although Tulia Frazier was certainly a notorious troublemaker in the Grand Duchy’s high society.
She wasn’t bold enough to conspire with the Magic Tower to have herself shot, nor was she that clever, nor did she have strong influence within this Grand Duchy.
In short, she was just a powerless young lady.
‘Somehow it feels like I’m dissing myself as I think about this.’
The Elder shifted his gaze to me and asked.
“Do you have any reason to do such a thing?”
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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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