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Cale had a dilemma.
After the peaceful meal with Rosalyn and the Black Dragon, Cale got on the carriage to go to a Northeastern nobles' meeting. From the 10 noble families of the Northeastern region, he was about to meet 3 people. They represented the families which had been friendly with the Henituse household for a long time.
Choi Han asked with worry if he could help somehow, but Cale dismissed him. He did not know what to do. Just what kind of scene would he need to cause to really look like trash?
The Northeastern nobles would have seen Cale's behavior in the past. They would also be aware of his reputation. That was why he had to be even more careful, no, he had to be even more chaotic.
"Hmm..."
Cale looked down at his hands. Act like a total bastard? That would be a way to seem like the trash of all trash. He nodded to himself. Yes. Clearly, that was the correct course of action. To survive and live peacefully in this world, he had to uphold his trashy reputation.
'The question is, what can I do to act in a truly terrible manner?'
"Welcome, young master Cale-nim. May I escort you inside?"
Cale casually returned the old butler's greeting at the gate. He did not notice the man's surprised stare, nor whispers following him as he followed the butler.
"Isn't that Young Master Henituse?" A maid said quietly to another.
Everyone heard of Cale, the infamous Trash of the Henituse family. They said he was always drunk, always rude, and always violent. However, this young man looked like none of these things. He was completely somber, he had a polite expression on his face, and possessed a pleasantly calm demeanor. Not to mention he looked gorgeous.
"B-but… he's not drunk?"
"Truly? He looks completely somber! Perhaps his reputation is exaggerated…?"
The maids' imaginations immediately ran wild.
Cale, blissfully unaware of the gossip, entered Count Wheelsman's residence.
Count Wheelsman was neither very strong nor very wealthy. That was why he was able to build a close relationship with the Henituse household. Count Deruth Henituse liked this friendship, as knowing someone so close to the capital was beneficial for him.
Eric Wheelsman was the Count's successor, and from what Hans told Cale, had a good relationship with his predecessor. The information about Eric in the nobles information report described him as a good but a bit uptight person. The other two nobles were Gilbert Chetter and Amiru Ubarr, also successors of their respective families.
Once he met them inside, Cale expression turned into confusion. Eric, Gilbert and Amiru were already waiting for him with big, friendly smiles on their faces. The table set with extremely tasty looking dishes, alongside a couple of bottles of expensive wine.
"Welcome, Cale. You at least still listened to this hyung. Right?" Eric pushed up his glasses after seeing Cale's expression.
'This is odd,' thought Cale. He was seated at the table with the three nobles surrounding him like he was in an interview. But the atmosphere was more of them consoling him rather than interviewing him.
Viscount Ubarr's daughter Amiru spoke up.
"Young master Cale, I heard you don't like annoying formalities."
"That's right, Young master Cale. It is not wrong to find something to be annoying."
They were being very… accommodating towards him? It almost felt as if they were trying to console a child. Cale first responded to their statements, seeing it perfectly in-character for trash.
"Yes, it is annoying."
"Cale. We want to speak with you about something. But we thought it might be best to enjoy our meal first. Right?"
'Seems very reasonable.'
"Eating first sounds wonderful."
The nobles exchanged surprised looks.
"Excellent!" Eric nodded with great enthusiasm. "Then let us eat!"
Cale started eating nonchalantly. The food tasted even better than it looked.
Excellent, indeed. Because Cale had came up with a plan.
He did not know how the previous owner of this body acted with his peers. However, if he acted trash enough, all of his mistakes could be blamed on his bad mood. He just needed to go through a list of simple steps.
Step one: complaining.
"Tch."
Cale twisted his face to make a disgusted expression.
"I-is something wrong, Young Master Cale?" Amiru asked with concern.
"Not enough salt."
Cale reached out for the salt shaker and shook it two times above his food.
'There.' He thought to himself with satisfaction.
He had complained about a perfectly seasoned meal. He was doing very well acting trash.
Meanwhile, the others traded confused looks as Cale focused entirely on the delicious food.
'Is it just me or is he… different?' Amiru's expression said at Eric.
'He is!' Eric nodded, no less confused than her.
'What does that mean? Is it a good sign?' questioned Gilbert's bewildered face.
This was going very well for Cale. Now, it was time for him to make a scene, to solidify his status as a terrible guest.
Step two: insults.
"Lady Amiru." Cale suddenly addressed the noble next to him.
Amiru blinked at the oddly polite way Cale spoke to her.
"What is it?"
"Your dress."
"Yes?"
"It's awful."
Amiru gaped at Cale in surprise.
"H-huh?"
"You should fire whoever made that for you. That design will make it incredibly easy for you to trip and embarrass yourself in public."
It took a moment for her to register what Cale was talking about. The design could make her trip…?
Then she realized what Cale was truly saying. He also noticed how impractical her dress was! She wasn't the only one!
She had always thought her dressmaker overdid it, which was why she preferred more masculine-styled clothing with pants – even though her mother reassured her that she looked very lovely in dresses. But they were just so uncomfortable and difficult to move around with. Not only did Cale notice, but he also gave her advice to change her dressmaker, so she wouldn't humiliate herself in front of the Crown Prince!
Young Master Cale was shockingly perceptive, as it turned out. Not only that, he cared enough to be honest about it and warn her before it was too late. He really cared more than he let people think.
"Is that so...?" Amiru responded, incredibly touched by how much close attention Cale paid to her dressing choices. He really was a friend after all! "Thank you very much, Young Master Cale!"
'What is that supposed to mean??' Cale thought incredulously.
He knew they felt obligated to patronize him due to their diplomatic ties, but to go that far…?
Perhaps he just wasn't trying hard enough. He turned to Gilbert.
Step three: mockery.
"Did you get a new barber by any chance?"
Gilbert's hand automatically shot to his head.
"W-what?" he stuttered. Was there something wrong with his hair?
"Your hair. Is it different?" Cale asked him.
He wouldn't know. Cale had never seen Gilbert before, and the information he got about him didn't mention such a trivial detail.
"No... It's the same."
"Looks different. Makes you seem older."
'You look old,' is what Cale meant. Look at you, so young yet already looking like an old man.
What a terrible bastard he was. Cale was truly proud of his acting.
Gilbert felt his eyes water in surprise. Cale still remembered their old conversation after all!
On that terribly embarrassing event almost three years ago, Gilbert had gotten slightly drunk. He confessed how insecure he was about his face, which made him seem younger than his age. No one respected him because of it, even though he was the heir of his family. His siblings all looked older than him.
'Well, screw those guys!' Cale had told him, drinking wine straight from the bottle. 'You're more mature than all of them combined.'
'He really thinks I look older now…?' Gilbert was unbelievably touched. He hadn't expected Cale to be so thoughtful, now with his current reputation.
"I deeply appreciate the compliment."
Gilbert said, smiling.
'That wasn't a compliment, though...?'
Cale was increasingly confused. Why were they all determined to ignore his antics? How could they pretend he was being nice to them when he was clearly acting like total trash?
Hm. Perhaps it was because he hadn't drunk yet. If he gets "drunk", there would be no way for them to pretend he's a respectable Young Master.
Step four: drinking.
"Give me wine." Cale demanded rudely, reaching out with his hand as if they were his servants.
"Sure thing, Cale."
Eric responded casually, handing him a bottle. Cale poured himself a glass, fully intending to gulp it down in one go for extra obnoxiousness.
However, the moment he tasted the wine, he realized something surprising.
"Is this from the Henituse territory?"
It tasted exactly the same. It was truly a very good wine.
Eric replied cheerfully:
"Yes, we wanted to make you feel more welcome!"
"Besides, wine from the Henituse territory really tastes the best," added Gilbert.
Cale couldn't help but sigh. They were all so nice.
Now he felt bad for acting like trash in front of them. Perhaps his act wasn't entirely necessary? Maybe he could turn it down a bit.
"Hm. You must have went through quite a bit of trouble to get this, on such a short notice."
Eric grasped his heart at the unexpected appreciation from his Dongsaeng.
"Cale, this Hyung of yours is very pleased with how much you have grown over the last few years," he said, smiling brightly.
Amiru and Gilbert agreed with him.
"Indeed, Young Master Cale. You have truly matured."
"Truly! You've become a such a respectable person."
That... wasn't the impression Cale had been going for...?
'What is this?'
One kind comment and they're all decided he's practically reformed? What was wrong with them?! Cale thought in disbelief.
Step five: violence. The last step on his list. Should he throw the empty bottle? Hm, but he didn't want to hit any of these kids... Perhaps he should aim for the window and pretend that he missed?
Eric, seeing how they had managed to put Cale in an excellent mood, decided it was time to present their offer.
"By the way, Cale, we have a proposition. Since you dislike formalities, how about we take care of that for you at the Crown Prince's gathering? All you'll need to do is sit still. You won't need to say anything or do anything. Just be still, and we will take care of everything for you. How does that sound?"
'...Looks like I won't need to throw anything after all.'
"I am very good in sitting still."
"You are...? I mean, yes- you are! Definitely."
Cale started to smirk. He found this development quite interesting.
He may be a troublesome trash, but since they were on the same side, their only possible course of action was to protect him. It was very convenient for him.
He drank another sip, before speaking:
"It's great."
"Isn't it?"
Eric had a bright smile on his face as his glasses reflected the light from the chandelier.
Cale decided to take the three nobles' offer of doing nothing and getting their protection. No effort, all benefits. He liked this plan a lot.
"All you have to do is show up, sit there, and relax," Eric reassured him once again.
"Great. It sounds perfect."
It was a very good offer, just the type Cale liked.
He planned on doing nothing at all. He definitely did not want to get anyone's attention.
Cale activated his Indestructible Shield and realized he was the center of attention for the entire Plaza.
"F***!" he cursed as his Shield took a hit from the double mana bomb explosion.
So much for laying low!
The end.