Is that empty chest safe?

Or is it a trap?

I don't know about being a trap, but chest's not in your own home are generally not "safe storage".

Why risk it?

The chest isn't safe. The dresser next to it is.

The sack to the left of the chest is safe.

My trap comment was a quote from Captain Akabar, "it's a trap"

It was a joke.

And I don't like hearthfire homes. There are NO options for Necromancer like characters or darker characters. Like for example on of my assassins would love a hearthfire home with the door of the DB. Can't do it no option. How about some flags of the black hand? Nope.

All the houses are to clean and pretty and well lighted. No creepy music. No gothic interior designs. Nothing. So my assassin took it upon himself to live in the Abandoned Shack.

Hjerim in Windhelm has great architecture for a dark character. Even the exterior is great. You have to do a lot of undark things to get it though.

I do good things for a dark house, rofl.

Well the undark things are a matter of perspective for the most part, or a matter of taking out the trash using it for their uses first.