Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 184

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Antonio Geyler surveyed his surroundings.
In the distance, territorial soldiers were rapidly approaching. He could also see residents of the fiefdom in the commercial district across the bridge.
Most importantly, there were people in the slums—hiding in their homes but with ears wide open.

“Your Highness!”

The territorial security captain and administrator approached Antonio. Kale Heniatus handed him a note. It contained the locations of ten houses marked upon it.

“These are the houses where human traffickers are holding people captive.”
“…Thank you, Prince Kale.”

Antonio became certain as he met Kale Heniatus’s unwavering gaze.
This man was not intoxicated in the slightest. He could see that everything had been planned and executed with a clear mind.
Kale Heniatus handed over another document.

“…This seal—”

A single seal was engraved upon the document.
It was the crest of Marquis Krish, one of his vassal families. Antonio’s expression grew grave. Then his eyes caught sight of someone being dragged forward by Vice-Captain Hilsman.

“He is the butler of Marquis Krish’s household.”
“…Prince Kale.”

Antonio called out Kale Heniatus’s name like a whisper. Terrible possibilities were unfolding in his mind—possibilities with a disturbingly high chance of becoming reality.

“Prince Antonio.”

Kale Heniatus drew closer to Antonio. He opened his mouth as he observed the hardened expression on Antonio’s face.

“I lack the skill to speak in roundabout ways.”

For some reason, Antonio’s mouth had gone dry. The seemingly innocent, wine-drinking, pathetic-looking nobleman was no longer before his eyes.
Only Kale Heniatus, renowned as the Crown Prince’s closest confidant, remained.

“I deliberately did not resolve this quietly.”

Kale conveyed his intentions clearly to Antonio and the Geyler Duchy Family.
He had deliberately escalated the matter, revealing its deeper purpose.

Had Kale informed the Geyler Duchy Family in advance, they would have quietly resolved everything themselves.

That would have benefited the Geyler Duchy Family.
They could have concealed that such an incident had occurred in the central city where Gyer Castle stood, and hidden the shameful conduct of their vassal family as well.
But now, internal resolution was impossible.

Why?

Antonio found himself puzzled by Kale’s actions. Had Kale proposed a deal conditional on keeping this matter secret, the Geyler Duchy Family would have had no choice but to accept.

Antonio watched as Kale’s lips slowly parted, as if answering his unspoken question.

Kale had deliberately chosen not to resolve this quietly.
The reason was.

“Because I need the Southwest Region.”

Crown Prince.
The word surfaced in Antonio’s mind. But Kale offered no answer to that unspoken question.

“You must be busy now, so let’s have a proper conversation later.”

Kale passed by Antonio and leisurely made his way back to the Lord’s Castle.
Antonio watched Kale’s retreating figure, aware of the gazes upon them both, before finally turning away with a sigh.

“Several knights—come with me to Marquis Krish’s estate at once!”

For now, Antonio had to address the sudden tempest that had been unleashed.

Kale turned to Ron, who stood quietly beside him.

“Aren’t you coming?”
“No, it appears Prince Antonio is focused on resolving the matter.”

Despite his authoritarianism and rigid notions of nobility, the man has his fundamentals in order.
Kale made his assessment of Antonio while deliberately walking toward the Lord’s Castle at a measured pace, ensuring all eyes remained upon him.

Wouldn’t this prevent further rumors from spreading?

I hoped this incident would dampen the Southwest Region’s ambitions somewhat.
Come spring, the North would be in chaos, so shouldn’t the South remain quiet as well?

The Southeast Region bordered the Wipper Kingdom where General Tunka held sway, so they’d have little attention to spare elsewhere. They’d be on edge, never knowing when Tunka might do something reckless.

‘…That Tunka has been too quiet lately. That’s what troubles me.’

After the war with the Empire, Tunka had gone silent.
It was strange, but I couldn’t help but keep my focus elsewhere.

“I’m hungry.”

My stomach was growling.
My heart’s vitality stirred, and hunger crept in. I quickened my pace.

“Young master, let us prepare a hearty meal for you this evening.”
“Yes, that sounds good. I wish Vicross were here to handle it.”

I was answering Ron’s words offhandedly when I glanced at him at his next remark.

“Young master, I am truly proud of you and impressed by your accomplishments.”

My expression turned strange.
It contrasted sharply with Ron’s gentle face.

I hadn’t forgotten Ron earlier, masked and gleefully strangling the Marquis family’s butler by the throat. It was the most vibrant I’d seen him in recent memory. Anyone watching would have thought he’d been rejuvenated.

A terrifying old man.
I subtly stepped back from Ron and hurried toward the Lord’s Castle in a panic. Ron watched me distance myself, then followed along at a leisurely pace, muttering softly to himself.

“Nothing changes.”

My young master, now a full-grown tiger rather than a puppy, still couldn’t hide his expressions.

Meow.
Meow.

Ron approached quietly, carrying two cats nestled in his arms, and followed behind Kale.

* * *

In the dead of night, Antonio Geyler walked through the corridor and gazed out the window.
The Geyler Duchy and the Lord’s Castle. In that darkened place, many moved about carrying torches. Watching their hurried movements, he recalled his grandmother, Duchess Sonata.

‘Kale Heniatus. And find out what the Crown Prince behind him desires.’

For the first time in a while, he felt the anger etched upon his grandmother’s face.
That anger was directed at himself.

The Krysh Marquis Family.
The information sent by Kale’s escort knight, combined with what they had learned from the sudden raid on the Marquis Family estate, gave the Duke a throbbing headache.

‘Madness.’

A nobleman engaging in slave trafficking.
Though he had not yet obtained detailed records, that alone was a disgrace to the Geyler Duchy. Worse still, the territory’s residents had witnessed this spectacle.

The Royal Court’s forthcoming judgment, the trust of the residents he might lose, the reputation among the nobility.
All of it complicated Antonio’s thoughts.

Yet above all else, the person he now had to meet—Kale Heniatus—was the mountain he must overcome immediately.
Of course, since Kale Heniatus served the Crown Prince’s will, the mountain he truly had to overcome was the Crown Prince himself.

Prince Albert I, the most formidable contender for the throne of the Roan Kingdom. He would not let this matter pass so easily.

‘Kale Heniatus is a nobleman too. He will surely try to seize this incident as leverage against our Duchy.’

Antonio had witnessed countless greedy men masquerading as nobility. All those who had approached him were of such ilk.
That was why he always strove to conduct himself with nobility, never giving them cause to exploit him. And he divided people into categories. It made them easier to handle.

“Mm.”

Antonio cleared his throat briefly before the reception room. At that gesture, Kale’s escort knight bowed his head respectfully.
Antonio gestured toward the door, and Hilsman knocked carefully.

“Your Highness, Prince Antonio has arrived.”

Tell him to come in.

Hearing the voice from beyond the door, Antonio halted his escort knight’s movements and grasped the door handle.

“I’ll let myself in.”

Antonio opened the door himself.
It was the first time he felt nervous entering the reception room of his own residence.

Was this what it felt like to have a weakness exploited?

‘I’m curious what he’ll demand by using this leverage against me.’

What would Kale Heniatus ask of him?
That was what intrigued him.

Of course, he assumed it would ultimately be nothing more than a hunger for power to strengthen the Crown Prince’s position. With that conviction, his stride into the room was steady and unfaltering, as if he had never been nervous at all.

Creak—
As the door opened, he saw Kale Heniatus’s back silhouette gazing out the window.
Antonio, the heir to the Geyler Duchy Family, felt as though he were seeing someone’s back for the first time in ages. Irritation and frustration washed over him.

“Prince Antonio.”

Then Kale called out to him and slowly turned around.
And he asked casually.

“Are the people alright?”

Antonio’s steps into the reception room halted. He stared at Kale, and when Kale realized that Antonio didn’t understand his question, he asked again more clearly.

“Are the kingdom citizens who were kidnapped doing well?”
“…I didn’t expect you to ask something like this.”
“Pardon?”

Rather than answering his question, Kale looked at Antonio—who was muttering to himself—with a disapproving gaze. At that look, Antonio let out a soft chuckle and closed the reception room door behind him.

“We rescued them all safely.”
“That’s a relief.”

Antonio caught a glimpse of Kale drawing a faint smile before erasing it. The sight stirred something peculiar within him.

Was his initial inquiry about the fiefdom’s people merely a stratagem to bring the Geyler Duchy Family to their knees?
Or was it genuine?

‘I’ll know once I hear what he has to say next.’

By listening to Kale Heniatus’s words, everything would become clear.
Antonio was pressed for time and burdened with much to do, yet he maintained his composure. He settled leisurely into the sofa and gestured for Kale to take the seat across from him.

But Kale did not sit opposite him.

“You must be busy with fiefdom matters, so let’s keep this brief.”

Kale had no desire to prolong the conversation unnecessarily.

“As I mentioned, I lack the skill to speak in roundabout ways, so I’ll speak plainly.”
“I’m curious what you intend to say.”

What would he demand?
Antonio reclined against the sofa, yet kept his back rigid and his gaze fixed upon Kale.
Kale withdrew documents from his garments and placed them upon the table.

Thump.

A thick bundle of papers.
Were these his demands?
The thought crossed Antonio’s mind.

“Documents containing circumstances and evidence of the Marquis Krish family’s past commission of child abductions to the Assassination Guild.”

Antonio’s expression hardened.
The slave trade was not the end of it.
There was one more.

Only now did Antonio belatedly realize that Kale Heniatus had possessed two cards all along, and had merely revealed one more.
He could see Kale smiling as he looked at him.

“I did not mention this before the fiefdom’s people. Only I know of it.”

Antonio wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Exhaustion had crashed down upon him in the span of a single day.

“…I lack the skill to dance around words. And I haven’t the time for it.”

He asked Kale Heniatus directly, cutting to the heart of the matter.

“What do you want?”

Thud!

But before an answer came, another document was hurled onto the table. Antonio’s gaze snapped toward it.

“Information on the merchant guild that Marquis Krish used to traffic in slaves.”

Mm.
Antonio swallowed hard.
He had known Kale Heniatus only as someone renowned for righteous deeds, but the man proved far more meticulous than Antonio had imagined. Here was Kale, possessing intelligence the Geyler Duchy Family itself had yet to uncover despite the incident having just erupted. Antonio found himself swept along in his wake.

And at the words that followed, Antonio’s mind went blank.

“It’s a merchant guild from the Empire.”

Antonio closed his eyes.

‘…That madman!’

Curses against Marquis Krish spilled forth unbidden.

It wasn’t enough that he had enslaved the kingdom’s own people—the merchant guild that sold them was an Imperial one. In a world where even the relocation of subjects between fiefdoms was rarely permitted, he had smuggled the kingdom’s citizens across borders to a foreign power.

If this came to light, the Geyler Duchy Family would face catastrophe.

Antonio felt a flash of gratitude toward Kale Heniatus for bringing this to him first. Simultaneously, his breath grew shallow.

A weakness had been found—and found thoroughly.

‘Antonio, nobles are creatures who ultimately draw blades against one another for their own desires. So you must learn to wield a blade as well.’

My grandmother’s words echoed in my mind.
A blade’s edge now pressed against my throat.
That was the situation I found myself in.

“Prince Antonio.”

Antonio’s eyes opened.
Kale Heniatus stood before him.

“Guard the Southwest Gate.”

What?
Words he had never anticipated flowed forth. He could not escape Kale’s gaze as the man leaned against the table, looking down at him.

“Prevent the Empire Trading Company from crossing over recklessly and committing misdeeds in the Roan Kingdom as they did this time.”

Kale’s demand of the Geyler Duchy Family was singular and absolute.

“Not a single vermin from the Empire shall pass through.”

While war raged in the North, the Empire would find no opportunity to threaten the Roan Kingdom.

“As the gatekeepers, the Geyler Duchy Family must guard that gate well.”

Antonio felt a faint tremor run through his fingertips as he met Kale’s unwavering gaze.

“That is my main point.”

Kale’s demand was simply that the Geyler Duchy Family fulfill their rightful duty properly.
Antonio swallowed involuntarily.

It was merely a request to do what was obvious, what any noble should naturally do.
Yet somehow, those words struck Antonio with unexpected weight.

In all his years, he had never encountered a noble who genuinely desired this simple, obvious thing.

Alcohol. Debauchery. Greed.
Various words flickered through his mind and faded. He realized he had misjudged Kale Heniatus.

This man is different. He does not seek power or greed.

He is no counterfeit wearing a noble’s mask.

“…Prince Antonio—”
“And.”

Yet Kale’s words were not finished.

“And, when the kingdom desires it.”

There remained yet what the Crown Prince wished to say.

“Open that door for us.”

The 4 Nations 1 Race Alliance would not leave the Empire untouched.

“This is what we desire.”

And Kale fell silent.

A true noble.
Antonio gazed upon Kale and the words “true nobility” crystallized in his mind. Antonio, who yearned to become a true noble, clenched his empty fist with fierce resolve.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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