That Piece Of Trash Was Me - Chapter 95
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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 95
Assis Frazier did not answer immediately. He simply stared at Tulia quietly.
“Yes. I’m upset because of you.”
“Hup.”
Tulia immediately knelt down on the snow-covered ground. No, she almost knelt down.
Assis Frazier blocked her with wind-like speed.
“Those are my clothes. Don’t dirty them.”
“Then I’ll kneel again at the castle!”
“Why do you keep kneeling? No one has ever told you to do so.”
“You said you were upset because of me…”
Tulia trailed off while watching the Grand Duke’s expression.
He knew.
The fact that all of Frazier’s grandchildren feared Assis Grand Duke, himself.
Among them, the twins were relatively strong, but even Lisian and Leon reduced their actions and words in front of him.
He had never thought it was pathetic.
Even his own children feared him, so how could his grandchildren, who were much younger, not fear him?
The old Tulia was the same.
She trembled in fear of Assis. She couldn’t even make proper eye contact.
“Tulia.”
“Yes.”
So that’s why she so easily says she’ll kneel.
“Never kneel to anyone again. Unless you want to upset the head of House Frazier.”
Tulia’s eyes widened.
“How dare I? I’ll absolutely never kneel again.”
The obvious flattery in his granddaughter’s eyes felt strangely endearing. Assis smiled slightly.
“Good.”
After hesitating for a moment, Tulia spoke again.
“But… then how should I apologize to you?”
“Why are you apologizing?”
Grand Duke Assis Frazier shifted his gaze to look at the snowflakes on the plum blossoms.
“I’m upset because I didn’t know that you, as a child, were suffering such abuse.”
“…”
“I just felt overwhelmed thinking that even at this age, there are still so many things I don’t know.”
Yes. The reason his heart felt empty wasn’t because of Tulia.
It was because of his regret about poorly educating his son.
He already knew that his youngest son was full of inferiority complex and ambition.
But he hadn’t thought he would commit such wicked acts behind the scenes.
If Tulia had reported the truth to him just a little later. If she hadn’t overcome her fear.
Would that small, young thing still be alive now?
She might have already frozen to death.
Or she might have really fallen into a wicked path.
A path of darkness that even Grand Duke Assis couldn’t save her from.
So, when you think about it, it wasn’t Assis himself who saved Tulia.
It was Tulia herself.
That’s why Assis couldn’t help but feel proud of this young granddaughter.
Perhaps interpreting his staring gaze somehow, Tulia carefully opened her mouth.
“Grandfather. I have something I’d like to ask.”
“What is it?”
“According to House Frazier’s family law, you don’t receive gifts on your birthday, but…”
Tulia watched his expression and asked.
“You do receive gifts on ‘Foundation Day,’ right?”
Foundation Day.
Just as nations have founding days, noble families of count rank and above also had Foundation Days.
A day to commemorate when the family was established.
Or a day to commemorate when the family received its current title.
Grand Duke Frazier was the latter.
It was one of the traditions of the Briyang Empire.
“According to family law, I do receive gifts from outsiders then. Most of them go into the family’s assets.”
Assis continued with some satisfaction.
What a commendable child.
“How long has it been since you received domestic management rights, and you’ve already studied so diligently.”
‘No. I saw it while playing a game.’
Unaware of Tulia’s inner thoughts, Assis thought that hardworking geniuses like Tulia were indeed the best.
“Grandfather.”
But he was uncharacteristically flustered by Tulia’s next words.
“If you give me these plum trees, I’ll give you a really good gift on Foundation Day too.”
“The plum trees? Are you asking for this land?”
The Statis Plain?
“No, no. Just the plum trees.”
“Are you going to cut down the trees and make sculptures?”
“No? I want the fruit from the plum blossoms.”
“…The fruit?”
Grand Duke Assis couldn’t understand at all.
“The fruit of plum blossoms can’t be eaten, so we throw them all away.”
Only astringent and bitter.
Even if you wait until they ripen enough to become sweet, they rot and fall to the ground, betraying expectations—that was the fruit of plum blossoms.
That’s why not only the Briyang Empire but also the kingdoms of the Spring Continent rarely planted plum blossoms. Cooking methods using the fruit were hardly developed either.
The same was true for the Summer Continent across the sea.
“Our relationship ends like this too, Assis. Do you understand? Like this plum blossom fruit, a result with only bitter and astringent taste is our ending.”
Something that just falls to the ground uselessly and rots away completely.
An ending no one welcomes.
That’s what plum blossom fruit is, Grand Duchess Lisiyan said, comparing it to their relationship.
Perhaps that’s why.
He filled this Statis Plain, which his dead wife had cherished, with plum blossoms and came to look around every winter.
Wondering if she had resented him so bitterly until the very end when she left.
Himself, who used to wander far away in winter under the pretext of territory inspection.
Himself, who used to escape from this castle as if running away for a while.
And yet, he would return again to this Statis Plain full of plum blossoms that she had called ‘our ending’…
As if facing his own uncomfortable reflection.
“No one likes such sour and astringent fruit, Tulia.”
Grand Duke Assis said this while somewhat anticipating the response.
Judging from Tulia’s usual attitude and behavior, this granddaughter would surely ask cautiously.
‘Then don’t you like plum blossom fruit either, Grandfather?’
But it was different from Assis’s expectation.
“No, no.”
Tulia said something completely unexpected.
“I’ll make it into a good gift that Grandfather will like and bring it to you.”
“…Hmm?”
“Just give me the plum fruit. I won’t make a single scratch on the flowers or trees.”
So, was she planning to make good fertilizer from the rotting plum blossoms and give it to him?
Assis didn’t quite understand Tulia’s intentions, but unusually, he didn’t want to ask his granddaughter for clarification.
He wanted to savor the joy of being surprised by her brilliance.
“Alright. I’ll give them to you.”
They would have just fallen to the ground and rotted anyway.
“I’ll be waiting to see what gift you’ll give me.”
His granddaughter’s words, spoken with such sparkling eyes, made him feel a little excited.
And….
Not only his grandchildren, but even his children had never come to view the red plum blossoms with him on this Statis Plain, so he felt a somewhat unfamiliar feeling.
A feeling of pride, one might say.
“Tulia.”
“Yes?”
“Shall I call your father for your birthday?”
Tulia’s pale pink eyelashes fluttered with momentary bewilderment.
“Pardon? But Father never moves from the border.”
“There’s a mandatory summons that only the head of the family can issue.”
“Pardon?”
“With that, even if he’s a commander-in-chief during wartime, if he’s of Frazier’s direct line, he must come to the family head. Family law is strict.”
“…Pardon?”
Tulia’s eyes widened. She looked genuinely shocked.
“It’s fine though? It’s okay, Grandfather…!”
Seeing his granddaughter’s expression that went beyond surprise to ‘why is this grandfather acting like this,’ Assis found himself laughing for some reason.
When had it started?
When had he become able to share such sincere jokes with Tulia, who used to grab and shake the heads of retainers who trembled when they saw him?
“But Grandfather.”
Moreover, Tulia had almost completely lost her previous trembling demeanor.
No, it had completely disappeared.
She even seemed to have the ability to see into his inner thoughts. While nobles always remained uncertain even as they tried to read his mood.
Tulia was like a herbivore with the conviction that Grand Duke Assis Frazier would ‘not harm her.’
No, to call her a herbivore….
A still-growing pink carnivore.
When she got older, she would become a great noble with even greater spirit and presence than himself.
Grand Duke Assis Frazier was good at reading people.
“Isn’t it too cold? Can’t we go to the castle now?”
The bold heart that dared to say what even Ruk couldn’t say was probably unique to this granddaughter before him on this entire continent.
Grand Duke Assis Frazier smiled.
“Shall we go and share some tea together?”
* * *
While sharing hot tea and cocoa with Grandfather, I thought.
‘Actually, this is a method used when trying to see the ending where Coriko inherits the Grand Duke position.’
Plum fruit.
Plum extract.
A conquest method of making and gifting an item that solves indigestion, one of the chronic ailments of elderly people.
It was a method to raise the Grand Duke’s affection level to its maximum.
Since I had already achieved over 90% of the Grand Duke’s affection level, it wasn’t something I absolutely had to do.
‘…Well. Grandfather’s expression while looking at the snow-covered plum blossoms was quite bitter too.’
So perhaps it was an impulsive thought.
I wanted to give him something truly useful made from those plum fruits.
Knock knock.
It was then that the advisor brought an unexpected letter.
“What is it?”
“There’s an urgent message, Your Grace.”
‘Oh? It’s the Imperial seal.’
The orange envelope representing solemnity was covered with gold powder.
Ordinary noble families could only sprinkle pearl powder on their letter paper and envelopes. Only the Imperial Family and a few great nobles could use gold powder.
There was no particular change in Grandfather’s expression as he read the Imperial letter.
Or so I thought.
Thud.
The way he put down the letter after finishing it seemed somewhat angry.
‘What is it?’
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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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