I Won’t Pick Up The T*ash I Threw Away Again - Chapter 104

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

#104

 

Ber looked up at Kalian with slight surprise at his somewhat hasty action.

 

“She’s sleeping right now, so come back later.”

 

Already sleeping when the sun had just set. She must definitely be ill. Ber’s brow furrowed.

 

“What about the palace physician?”

 

“Later.”

 

Kalian answered in an unusually quiet voice, then grabbed Ber’s arm and pulled him along.

 

Ber, who had been dragged away unexpectedly, was finally released in a hallway quite far from Leilah’s room.

 

Kalian handed the soup tray he was holding to Ber.

 

“Drop this off at the kitchen on your way.”

 

Now he’s making me do these kinds of errands too.

 

When Ber let out an obvious sigh, Kalian added,

 

“If you see a maid or servant, you can give it to them instead.”

 

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

 

Right, that’s better than Kalian delivering it himself.

 

If rumors spread that Kalian personally brought soup for Leilah, everyone would whisper that he really had taken Leilah as his mistress.

 

…Even to my eyes, Kalian’s behavior right now looks strange, so how much more so to others.

 

When Ber had been sick before, Kalian had looked after him, but he always had subordinates handle everything.

 

He had never once personally brought soup or worn such a worried expression.

 

Because of this, Kalian’s current behavior looked strange even to Ber’s eyes.

 

It didn’t simply look like a superior taking care of his aide.

 

If that’s the case then…

 

“Your Majesty. You haven’t forgotten your promise to Duke Giltian, have you?”

 

Kalian quietly looked at Ber.

 

“What’s that supposed to mean all of a sudden?”

 

“Nothing, just. I was curious if you remembered it well.”

 

Kalian stared at Ber with unmoving eyes, then lightly pushed his forehead with his index finger.

 

“Stop talking nonsense and go back. Take care of dinner yourself.”

 

“Yes, yes.”

 

Ber rubbed his forehead with his free hand.

 

“Your Majesty should also make sure to eat dinner and not skip it.”

 

“I’ll take care of it myself.”

 

After exchanging perfunctory greetings, Ber withdrew.

 

Kalian stood there blankly until Ber was out of sight, then turned around.

 

The place he headed straight to was Leilah’s room.

 

Kalian stopped in front of Leilah’s room, minimizing his footsteps, and pressed his ear to the door like a thief.

 

Through the thick, soundproof door, he could hear faint crying.

 

‘Is she still crying?’

 

How long has it been? It seems like more than an hour.

 

A long sigh escaped between his parted lips. Kalian rubbed his face roughly and looked up at the air.

 

From Hilltain, who had returned carrying the unconscious Leilah, he knew that she had met Fillen.

 

Hilltain said he couldn’t hear what they talked about, but Kalian could roughly guess.

 

‘They must have talked about the mistress’s child being stillborn.’

 

Because Fillen thinks Leilah orchestrated the death of his mistress’s child.

 

…All the circumstances did point to Leilah too.

 

Kalian couldn’t believe that Leilah had orchestrated such a thing and investigated it several times, but the results didn’t change.

 

However, Kalian still believed that Leilah wouldn’t have done it.

 

Someone must have set a trap for Leilah.

 

It couldn’t have been Fillen, who wanted a child more than anyone.

 

“…That woman?”

 

Fillen’s mistress and the princess of a fallen kingdom.

 

The fundamental cause of Fillen and Leilah’s broken engagement.

 

He had no ill feelings toward a woman he had never seen.

 

There was no reason to have any.

 

“…”

 

But it would be different if she touched my person.

 

If it was a trap set by that woman.

 

If that’s why Leilah is suffering like this, I absolutely won’t let it slide, Kalian vowed as he clenched his fist so tightly that blue veins stood out.

 

“Hic, hic…”

 

The sound of Leilah’s quiet sobbing kept piercing his ears.

 

He wanted to go in right away and comfort her, telling her not to cry, but he was afraid of carelessly interfering and touching her pain even more, so he couldn’t rashly act.

 

The darkness that had fallen in the hallway was as deep as the worry drawn on his face.

 

Kalian leaned his back against the tightly closed door and stood there for a long time.

 

* * *

 

I couldn’t remember when I had fallen asleep again. I must have fallen asleep at some point while crying.

 

I stared blankly at the ornate ceiling that I could never get used to no matter how many times I saw it, then sat up.

 

Outside the window, I could see the bluish atmosphere of early dawn.

 

A whole day had already passed.

 

…It also meant that only 3 days remained of the period Fillen had mentioned.

 

‘Since that woman’s child died, he’s asking me to bear a child instead…’

 

It was ridiculous and absurd that he was now demanding I bear him a child, but the word “instead” bothered me more.

 

The fact that to Fillen, my existence was nothing more than a substitute for Sisly pierced my heart sharply like a thorn.

 

You make me miserable until the very end, Fillen.

 

A sigh escaped naturally. On top of that, Misa’s death…

 

“…”

 

I couldn’t believe all of this had happened in just one day.

 

Just yesterday morning, I had been purely happy about successfully completing the diplomatic mission work and becoming a baron, but that feeling had completely disappeared without a trace.

 

I felt depressed and sad, and my heart stung as if someone was pricking it with a needle.

 

I didn’t want to think about anything, but it kept coming to mind, tormenting me.

 

To the point where breathing felt burdensome.

 

“Whew.”

 

I let out a long sigh and sat up. The blanket I had been covered with slipped down smoothly.

 

In the midst of all this, I had slept properly covered with a blanket.

 

That fact was amusing, so I let out a small laugh and got out of bed.

 

I was very thirsty. I wanted to drink cold water that would clear my head completely.

 

It was too early to call for a maid.

 

If this were my house, I would have gone to the kitchen myself to get water, but this was the Imperial Palace.

 

Wandering around carelessly would be inconsiderate, so I had no choice but to pull the bell cord.

 

Come to think of it, I didn’t have an assigned maid, so who would come?

 

Whoever it is, I should apologize for calling them at such an early hour.

 

Not long after I pulled the bell cord, I heard a knock-knock sound.

 

“Come in.”

 

I naturally thought it would be a maid, but surprisingly, it was Kalian who opened the door and entered.

 

“Your Majesty!”

 

At Kalian’s unexpected appearance, I called out to him in surprise.

 

Ah, but more importantly, what do I look like right now?

 

I could tell without even looking in a mirror. I must look terrible.

 

To show such a state to His Majesty the Emperor. I was flustered and embarrassed.

 

I hurriedly turned around and tidied my disheveled hair and appearance.

 

“Wh-why is Your Majesty here…?”

 

“I heard that you had awakened. I came to check if you were alright.”

 

At such an early dawn?

 

Unable to understand, I looked at him with a bewildered expression.

 

Kalian strode inside and set down the tray he had brought on the table.

 

On the tray were steaming soup, a teapot, and a teacup.

 

There was no way he would have brought it to have breakfast in my room.

 

It was undoubtedly brought for me.

 

I was utterly grateful that His Majesty the Emperor had done such a personal thing for me, a mere aide.

 

“You could have had a maid do it.”

 

When I spoke in a slightly subdued voice, Kalian waved his hand dismissively.

 

“It’s fine. I did it because I wanted to, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

 

“Still…”

 

“I said it’s fine.”

 

He answered firmly as if he wouldn’t listen to any more protests, so I had no choice but to close my mouth.

 

“Rather than that, come here and sit.”

 

I obediently went and sat on the sofa that Kalian pointed to, as he instructed.

 

Kalian personally picked up the teacup and held it out to me.

 

When I hesitantly accepted the teacup, warm heat spread throughout my palm.

 

“It’s medicinal tea. They say it helps calm the mind, so drink it.”

 

Medicinal tea that helps calm the mind, not the body.

 

It meant he knew what kind of ordeal I had gone through.

 

Well, Count Hiltain would have reported it, so of course he would know.

 

I should have asked him to keep this secret too, just like I had asked about Aldor’s matter and the poisoned cookies.

 

At the time, I was too confused to think of making such a request.

 

I wondered how much he actually knew.

 

Surely he didn’t know… everything?

 

‘That can’t be.’

 

If he knew all the facts, he wouldn’t be treating me so calmly.

 

He would have immediately interrogated me about that matter.

 

“Aren’t you going to drink it?”

 

“No. I’ll gratefully drink it.”

 

When I awkwardly drank the tea, the bitter taste characteristic of medicinal tea spread throughout my mouth. It’s more bitter than I thought. My brow furrowed slightly.

 

As soon as I forced myself to empty the teacup and set it down, something entered my mouth.

 

This is… strawberry candy?

 

“After eating something bitter, you have to eat something sweet.”

 

Kalian smiled and set down the bottle containing strawberry candies on the table.

 

Then he pushed the soup bowl toward me.

 

“I told them to make it thin so it wouldn’t burden your stomach. Eat.”

 

“Thank… you.”

 

But don’t you usually eat soup first and then drink medicinal tea?

 

The order seemed a bit strange, but I ate the soup without complaint. Perhaps because it was thin soup, the taste was bland.

 

No, it seemed to taste like strawberries…

 

This wasn’t a taste coming from the soup, but the flavor of the strawberry candy I had eaten earlier remaining in my mouth.

 

Suddenly, I remembered when I met Kalian on the hill in the capital.

 

Back then too, I was crying because of Fillen, and Kalian had comforted me kindly, giving me strawberry candy.

 

Thinking about it again, he really was a kind and good person.

 

To the point where it was hard to believe that he had personally killed his half-brothers and ascended to the throne.

 

“Rest well for a while without doing anything.”

 

At his sudden words, I put down my spoon and looked at him.

 

“Wasn’t work busy?”

 

“It is busy.”

 

But he’s telling me to rest?

 

“If it’s because of my physical condition, I’m fine. I can work.”

 

“Well. From what I can see, you don’t look fine.”

 

He spoke so definitively that I couldn’t lie anymore and closed my mouth.

 

Even if I lied, it wouldn’t work on Kalian who already knew the whole situation.

 

“I don’t have a hobby of working people who are struggling. Even if you work in that state, it won’t turn out properly. So rest well for a while.”

 

“But there’s work to…”

 

“Leilah.”

 

Kalian, who had stepped closer in front of me, bent his upper body to match my eye level.

 

“It’s an imperial command.”

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