I Picked Up the Trash Others Threw Away - Chapter 21.1

Chapter 21.1

“We decided to have a one-on-one match, and I would hand over the game if I lost, or win ten times the stakes I had lost so far if I won. I could earn more money than we’ve ever made.”

“That’s amazing. He didn’t seem like a normal player to interfere with the game like that and change the flow. So, how much can you give me?”

His voice, which contained a subtle expectation, was unusually gentle. His soft and sweet tone, as if to seduce a woman, suddenly gave me goosebumps.

How could his attitude change so fast?

Trying to delay my answer, I put a piece of ice in my mouth, bit it, and pouted.

“Hm, still, since you’re the one who kept leading the games and winning, you have all the stakes you’ve earned so far.”

“You’re not going to let me go with just these stakes, right? You’ll have more money to receive this time.”

“Oh my, Hwatu itself is an idea I came up with anyway. I told you the rules and played the game, but you want to take more?”

How dare a man be so shameless? I snorted and turned my head.

The contract marriage with Trish was separate from money transactions. This was a reward to replace my retirement funds and pension.

“When we get married, you’ll naturally be given some of your family funds, and you’ll get a lot of money that’s separate from what you’ve earned from gambling. I think I’ve helped you enough.”

After all, I was the one who brought him luck. Although he didn’t say anything, Trish bit his lips, perhaps unable to deny it.

It would be better not to mention that I was given an offer to be a dealer.

He was already looking at me like a hyena with his eyes glistening at the word stakes, so if he decided to come at me, I would not sponge off Trish. He would sponge off me instead.

“Well, since I have accomplished my goal of making money, I won’t be going to Moonlake for a while. You should be careful too. What if you get caught doing something to a bad person and get in trouble?”

“Unless it’s a low-ranking person or a person with a terrible temper, I can’t do anything recklessly. No one says anything, but I know that all the guests there are nobles.”

“… That means there are also big names there, so you would have to get rid of more than just a noble.”

Many of the casino owners were nobles, not merchants or commoners, though they were probably operating them under pseudonyms to avoid the eyes of the royal family or hiding behind a representative.

I couldn’t rule out the possibility that the owner of Moonlake, Seraph, was also a nobleman.

I didn’t even know if the name he gave me was his real name, so how could I fully trust him?

‘You never know. I may be threatened if I go to him after being tempted by his invitation to be a dealer.’

Then maybe I need an escort knight to fight for me as well?

At just the right time, I could hear the knights training outside the mansion.

“What are the usual criteria for escort knights?”

“Criteria? That’s new. Well, we usually just choose those who can show loyalty. You can tell it just from their eyes or attitude.”

“It’s not difficult for a family with a knightly order to choose an escort knight, but people from poor families like the Delphonies have to hire mercenaries.”

“Well… In that case, I would choose a former royal knight or an aristocratic knight who voluntarily quit. Someone with a solid and clean past, since rumors come out on their own if you try to dig them up.”

In the end, he was saying I had to hire a knight who had dealt with noble families before. Where could I get such a man?

When we posted a recruitment notice for a simple mansion servant, it seemed that anyone who needed money would apply. There was no one who could be particularly recommended.

‘And I don’t know how much it will cost either…’

Shouldn’t I just get married quickly and use a knight of the Malekiah family as my escort knight?

“I can see what you’re thinking.”

“Hey, just one person is fine.”

“My father is the one who controls our military force in the first place, not me. Would he surrender his military power to his sons knowing a rebellion could start anytime?”

“That sounds complicated.”

“That’s the power he’s been protecting. Murder between relatives isn’t that uncommon again, is it?”

People fought for whatever reason such as property inheritance even in modern times. It was even worse in these times, but there was nothing particularly different from now.

“The bigger the plates, the higher the risk… I have to fold everything at this point.”

“Good idea. You’re about to become a member of the Malekiah family, so you can’t keep going in and out of the back alleys every day.”

“Isn’t that the same for you? If you don’t want to hear people say that you still haven’t abandoned your nasty habits, you should behave well.”

“You always have to have the final word.”

Trish clicked his tongue with a displeased face, but I shrugged casually.