Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 3

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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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Chapter 2. We Met

With food laid before me, I couldn’t entertain other thoughts. Yet I couldn’t suppress the exclamation that spilled unbidden from my lips.

“Ah, this is absolutely delicious.”

At the voice that escaped my mouth, the butler Hans faltered. I sat alone at the dining table with Hans standing beside me.

The Heniatus Count Family took breakfast together, but the remaining meals were resolved freely. In truth, everyone’s schedules made it unavoidable.

Who ever said nobility was an easy profession?
Especially if one ventured into administration or politics and received even a single official duty, one had to move according to a rigidly packed schedule.
Count Derth, as the lord, had to attend to his duties and found it difficult to dine together, while my siblings resolved their meals according to their study schedules. The Countess was busy with gatherings of prominent ladies’ wives within the territory, or cultural business matters.

‘Now that I think about it.’

At the sudden thought, I set down the fork in my hand. Hans, who had been watching, tensed with an expression that said *of course*, because he never knew when that fork might fly toward his face.
I sank into thought without sparing Hans a single glance, whether he was tense or not.

‘There were many hidden masters among artists and craftsmen.’

The Roan Kingdom had developed art and architecture quite extensively. Art, particularly sculpture, was especially advanced. This was because the Roan Kingdom itself had abundant marble. Thanks to this, the Heniatus Territory had accumulated considerable wealth as the fifth-largest marble production site.
Moreover, mountains comprised most of the territory. Additionally, despite being located in the northeast of the kingdom, it received excellent sunlight, so we cultivated vineyards scattered throughout the mountainsides. The wine produced here received the finest treatment despite its limited production volume.

Yet my mind was filled with thoughts of ‘strong individuals’ rather than such information. I spent the entire afternoon in the study, skipping even lunch, consumed by these thoughts.

‘Why are there so many masters in this land? This isn’t even a martial arts world.’

Just like in the martial arts world, there were truly many hidden masters living in seclusion. So Kale made a decision.

Let’s not touch anyone.

An ordinary-looking chef was also an expert in extreme poisons, and a person who worked at a tailor shop killed people in the most brutal ways by scattering wire. This land was that kind of place.

“Sigh.”

A deep sigh escaped from Kale’s lips. He had just been in the middle of devising a plan to survive and keep living no matter what situation arose.

“Young master.”

I wanted to sigh again, but the cautious voice made me turn my attention. It was Hans, the deputy butler.

“What is it?”
“Shall I prepare another meal for you, sir?”
“What?”

Hans swallowed his sigh as he watched me furrow my brow and widen my eyes. He’s going to flip the table now. Hans waited for my response while suppressing the sorrow welling up inside him—wondering why the Count had assigned him to be my attendant of all people.
And I responded.

“Why would you remake something this delicious?”
“…Pardon?”

I picked up the knife again and cut into the meat. Dinner was an even more elaborate feast than breakfast. It wasn’t delicious simply because I had never eaten anything like this when I was Kim Rok-soo. It was a refined flavor that suited my palate as well.

This bastard Cale had lived in such a way that anything less than luxury made him uncomfortable. I found that fact quite pleasing. Everyone had naturally procured only premium goods and above for him.

I rolled a piece of steak in my mouth—its exterior perfectly seared, yet juices flowing luxuriously with each bite—and asked Hans without a shred of courtesy.

“Hans, who prepared these dishes?”
“Ah, it was Vicross, the second head chef, sir.”

My appetite vanished instantly.
Vicross. A remarkably neat man and the son of Ron, the head butler—unlike his father, he specialized in the sword rather than assassination. Obsessed with cleanliness, he polished and sharpened his bloodless blade daily, severing the necks of his enemies with clinical precision.

‘…A man specialized in torture, no less.’

Such a man admired Choi Han’s swordsmanship and followed him around. His father Ron made a contract with Choi Han and joined us to help him and support his son. Contrary to appearances, Ron cherished his son terribly.

I stared at the medium-rare steak with its faint rosy hue and swallowed hard several times.

‘I hope that red tint doesn’t become my blood.’

I cut another large piece of steak and held it in my mouth, then spoke to Hans, who was watching me.

“This is absolutely delicious. You’re Ron’s son? I had no idea Vicross was such an excellent cook.”
“…I will convey your words to Chef Vicross. He will be delighted to hear that you praised his cooking, sir.”
“Ah, is that so? Tell him his food has truly spoiled my palate. It was magnificent.”
“…Yes, sir.”

Hans regarded me with a reluctant expression, but I resolved internally: I would not touch Vicross. I needed to make a good impression instead.

I returned to my meal with renewed ease of mind. Once I entangled him with Choi Han and sent him beyond the territory’s borders, everything would be resolved. I had already devised a plan for precisely this.

He cleaned his plate thoroughly at dinner just as he had at breakfast. I rose from my seat with a satisfied smile and turned my gaze toward Hans, who followed behind me.

“Hans, why have you suddenly become my personal attendant?”

At dinner, Hans had explained that his father Derth had sent him, and he would now serve as my dedicated attendant. Though I knew nothing of the Heniatus Count Family’s circumstances after Choi Han’s departure, Hans was the most capable among the junior servants—the one most likely to become a proper butler.
Hans lowered his head slightly as he answered my question.

“The Count heard that you were spending time in the study, even skipping meals. He instructed me to ensure you eat properly, so I have been assigned to handle all matters related to your meals.”

To be precise, Hans had become my meal attendant.

“Is that so? Father went to unnecessary trouble. I would manage fine on my own. Though truthfully, had Hans not come to remind me, I likely would have missed dinner entirely while absorbed in the study.”

I had been far too busy transcribing every opportunity and coincidence from the first five volumes onto paper in Korean to notice the passage of time.
I offered Hans a slight smile as I left the dining hall.

“Hans, I look forward to working with you going forward.”
“Ah, no sir. I will do my utmost to serve you well.”

Hans stammered slightly in his response, but I let it pass. The moment I opened the door, I frowned at the sight of Ron, my attendant, waiting outside.

“Ron, didn’t I tell you to go eat?”

I had told him to leave because I found his face disagreeable. Yet he refused to go, continuing to hover nearby. While I was in the study, he waited outside the door—and how unsettling that had been.

“It is my duty to attend to you, young master.”

Watching Ron smile benevolently, I clicked my tongue in irritation.

“Enough. I don’t need it. Go eat. Why won’t you go eat when I tell you to? Don’t follow me. You know what happens when you test my patience.”

Cale threatened Ron once more with a sharp glance, telling him not to follow, before heading toward the Study. When he glanced back, Ron wore a rigid expression while Hans sighed, both watching him depart.

‘Did I snap at them unnecessarily?’

Frightened by the assassin elder’s stern face, Cale turned his head and entered the Study with hurried steps. The desk was completely bare.
The documents he had written diligently in Korean before dinner had already been consumed by flames. No one in this place understood Korean, but he couldn’t be too careful. He had also made it clear beforehand that no one was to enter the Study without his permission.

‘It doesn’t matter anyway. I remember everything.’

Kim Rok-soo had always possessed an excellent memory for subjects that interested him. Comic books, novels—even years later, he could recall the names and appearances of characters within them. Of course, things he disliked, he remembered with stubborn difficulty.
Cale leaned back against his chair and contemplated what lay ahead.

‘First, I’ll meet Choi Han tomorrow, and after that…’

The corners of his mouth gradually curved upward.

‘I need to acquire a shield.’

Survive without dying. I have no intention of fighting.
For this purpose, the first requirement was defense, the second was healing, the third was speed faster than anyone else, and the fourth was the strength to harm others without suffering myself.
Of course, the absolute priority was to avoid all battlefields and anywhere blood might be spilled.

Cale refined his crude excuse for a plan piece by piece, and as drowsiness washed over him, he slowly closed his eyes. Even as sleep claimed him, he continued thinking.

‘Even if the moment comes when I should be hit, I won’t be.’

An unbreakable shield. As he envisioned that intangible power he would first possess, Cale drifted to sleep. The upturned corners of his mouth never fell. Destiny has no master. Whoever seizes it first becomes its owner.

* * *

An important day. What was necessary to ease tension and perform well? Cale believed it was starting with a hearty breakfast.
He found it odd that since arriving in this world, he seemed to do nothing but eat, but he decided to enjoy it only until today—tomorrow onward, there would be no time for breakfast.

“Ahem, well. I heard you fell asleep in the Study yesterday.”
“It happened that way.”

He answered his father Derth’s question dismissively, focusing entirely on his meal. Not sparing his father a single glance might seem presumptuous, but for a reckless young master, it was appropriate.

Cale finished eating first and rose from his seat. The screech of the chair sliding drew all eyes toward him.

“I’ll be going now.”

It was hardly proper etiquette, but Derth, my father, seemed delighted by my haste. He glanced between the empty plate and me before breaking into a smile.

“Very well. Off you go.”
“Yes.”

My schedule was packed, so I needed to leave quickly. Derth caught my ankle for a moment.

“Do you need pocket money today?”
“…Yes, I do.”

Truly, this household spared no expense. When Derth mentioned that Hans would provide my allowance, I suppressed the smile threatening to break through and left the dining hall without a word of thanks. My gaze briefly crossed with my younger brother Basen’s, but I ignored it and headed for the door. I waved my hand dismissively at Ron, my attendant, who was preparing to follow.
He waved his hand dismissively at Ron, the attendant trying to follow him.

“Ron, I’m leaving. Don’t look for me.”

Don’t look for him. It was a signal that the reckless Kale had left the Count’s Mansion, located behind the lord’s castle, and gone out to Western City to drink. Every time this happened, Ron would smile kindly and see him off, saying, “Have a good time and come back safely.”

“Aren’t you going to the Study today?”

But today, unusually, Ron posed a question. Kale’s expression crumpled sharply.

“…Understood, young master. I shall wait for your return.”
“…Understood, young master. I’ll be waiting.”

At those words, Kale’s frown deepened.

Don’t wait.

Kale beckoned to one of the servants standing at the main entrance of the Count’s mansion, then walked out through the gate with him. Kale still had an angry expression on his face, and the servant, unable to say anything in response to that look, followed behind him.

As they exited the main gate, the entrance to the Count’s Mansion came into view in the distance along with the garden. Only then did Kale let out a sigh and glance back. Through the closing main gate door, Ron could be seen with a hardened expression.

“I’m glad I shook it off.”

It was fortunate that Ron didn’t follow. But that stern face was frightening. He was an assassin, after all. Kale decided that from next time on, she would treat him more kindly and avoid irritating him, and left the Count’s Mansion. Of course, by carriage.

It wasn’t long before we arrived at our destination.

“Young master, is this the correct location?”

The coachman opened the carriage door and posed the question with careful hesitation. His eyes darted nervously toward the shop before him, his face clouded with confusion.

“Yes, this is it.”

I stepped out of the carriage dressed in what others might consider lavish attire, though it was the simplest garment I owned. The moment the carriage bearing the Heniatus Count Family crest had appeared, the surrounding streets had emptied of pedestrians.
I lifted my gaze to read the shop’s sign.

【The Fragrance of Tea with Poetry】

A tea shop that sold tea alongside poetry collections. The three-story building looked immaculately maintained and expensive. Its owner was indeed wealthy—a bastard son of a massive Merchant Guild, wealthier even than I was. Of course, he was someone living in hiding.

‘Around volume three, this man probably heads to the capital and meets Choi Han there. And he swore—weeping—that he would become the master of the Merchant Guild, didn’t he?’

The man who had wept and sworn to Choi Han that he would become the Merchant Guild’s master. I’d only read the early chapters, so I didn’t know if he ultimately succeeded, but as the protagonist’s ally, he probably would.
I wiped cold sweat from my brow and commanded the coachman, who was staring blankly at me.

“Go.”
“Pardon?”
“Do you want me to repeat myself?”
“No, I—should I not accompany you inside?”

I gave a vague response and pushed open the tea shop door.

“I’ll be here for a while.”

A sharp intake of breath came from behind me, but it was quickly drowned out by something brighter and more delicate—a soft chime. The clear, pleasant bell announced my arrival at the tea shop without any harshness.
I stood in the entrance and surveyed the interior. Though it was still early, there were few customers. Everyone who saw me visibly flinched in surprise.
After all, there wasn’t a soul in this territory who didn’t know me—I was the number one target for avoidance among shop owners, notorious for destroying merchandise.

“Welcome.”

Yet the owner here greeted me warmly. I stared intently at the man standing behind the counter, the one who resembled a baby pig.

‘So this is the owner.’

Bilos, the wealthy bastard son. Just as the book described, he had a round face and build that resembled a baby pig. His bright, cheerful smile was genuinely endearing.

‘It looks like a piggy bank.’

I casually pulled out a gold coin and placed it on the counter to place my order.

“I plan to be on the third floor all day today.”

Bilos gazed at me with a smile. I brushed off his stare and pointed toward the bookshelves.

“Anything but bitter tea. And do you have any novels? Not poetry collections?”

Clang. The sound of someone setting down a teacup rang out loudly. I glanced at Bilos, wondering who had placed it down so forcefully. I preferred novels to poetry collections anyway.

“Of course. We have many novels, sir.”
“Good. Then bring me the most captivating book you have along with a cup of tea and send it upstairs.”
“Yes, understood.”

My gold coin dropped onto Bilos’s plump hand. As he reached for the change, I turned away.

“I’ll be drinking more tea later, so keep it.”
“…But that’s far too much.”

One gold coin. A million gelons. The equivalent of a million won in Korean currency—and I finally did what I had truly wanted to do.

“I’m loaded. It’s a tip.”

Flaunting wealth. Bilos had far more money than I did anyway, so what did it matter? Besides, there would be plenty of opportunities to earn more.
I coolly gestured toward the first-floor tables with my chin.

“If it’s too much, just buy a round of tea for everyone here.”

The golden bell. I had wanted to try this at least once. When I mentioned needing a little spending money today, I received three gold coins—three hundred thousand gelons.

“Sir, still—”
“Ugh, enough. Just bring the tea.”

A true rogue. I acted without hesitation like a discourteous customer and headed toward the third floor. I heard murmuring behind me, but there was no need to worry—rumors about rogues were plentiful enough.

“As expected.”

It was early morning, so the third floor was deserted. I took a seat in the furthest corner, nestled against the innermost wall. Then I gazed down at the view beyond the window.

‘This is the right spot.’

The main gate of Western City was most clearly visible from here. I intended to keep watch over Choi Han from this vantage point today.

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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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