I Won’t Pick Up The T*ash I Threw Away Again - Chapter 206

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

#206

The sun felt more welcome than usual because today was the day Fillen would depart for Casiwood.

It was also the day the Stella Kingdom delegation would return to their country.

I arrived at work earlier than usual to prepare to see them off.

Whatever the real circumstances, Fillen was officially volunteering to go to Casiwood for the Empire.

Moreover, since he was a duke and the Empire’s commander-in-chief, Kalian had to personally see him off.

While they were at it, the Stella Kingdom delegation was scheduled to depart at the same time.

“I hope you return safely to your kingdom.”

“We will always wish for infinite glory to grace the Empire.”

While Kalian and the representative of the Stella Kingdom delegation exchanged greetings, Princess Stella looked at Kalian with desperately longing eyes. Her gaze hoped that Kalian would speak to her first.

However, Kalian didn’t speak to Princess Stella, let alone properly look at her.

Once his conversation with the delegation’s representative ended, he turned away without hesitation.

“Your, Your Majesty…!”

Princess Stella, burning with anxiety, called out to Kalian first.

“…”

Only then did Kalian look at Princess Stella.

His eyes were like a blank white canvas, devoid of any emotion. There wasn’t even hatred or annoyance.

“…”

“Princess!”

Shocked by this, Princess Stella collapsed, and her maid hurriedly supported her.

“Are you alright, Princess?”

Princess Stella silently gripped her skirt tightly. Tears slightly welled up in her eyes.

For a princess to show tears on the day of leaving the Empire.

It wouldn’t be good for others to know about this. I quietly stood beside the princess to block people’s gazes.

“Here.”

And I offered Princess Stella a handkerchief.

Princess Stella bit her lips tightly, glared at me, then slapped my hand away.

“…”

The handkerchief fell to the ground. Princess Stella didn’t stop there and stepped on the handkerchief.

“Oh, Princess!”

“Why are you doing this, Princess?”

At the princess’s rather violent behavior, not only her maid but also the Stella delegation panicked and tried to restrain her.

Regardless, Princess Stella glared at me with eyes full of venom.

If looks could kill, she would have stabbed me dozens of times with how fierce her gaze was.

The reason Princess Stella hated me so much was probably because she thought of me as a rival.

Rival. What a ridiculous word. Kalian had never shown her even a shred of interest from the beginning, yet she was deluding herself and considering me a rival, which was absurd.

I wanted to tell her to come to her senses, but she was a princess. She wasn’t someone I could treat carelessly.

That said, I didn’t want to avoid Princess Stella’s gaze as if I had committed some crime, so I met it calmly.

Then sparks flew in Princess Stella’s eyes. Just as she, who had been biting her lips until they might bleed, was about to open her mouth, someone grabbed my arm from behind.

“To reject kindness in such a manner.”

It was Kalian. He moved me behind him and looked down at Princess Stella.

Unlike before, his gaze was tinged with annoyance.

“Princess Stella, is this the etiquette your kingdom teaches?”

At Kalian’s question, Princess Stella closed her slightly opened mouth again and clenched her fists tightly.

Her gaze was fixed on Kalian’s hand holding my arm.

“Princess Stella.”

“…I apologize.”

Princess Stella gave a brief apology, then abruptly climbed into the carriage.

It was clearly a disrespectful attitude. The count, who was the representative of the Stella Kingdom delegation, fidgeted anxiously and hastily made excuses.

“It, it seems the Princess is not feeling well. Please, I beg His Majesty the Emperor to forgive her with a generous heart.”

“She certainly doesn’t look well.”

Kalian replied indifferently.

“If she disappears from my sight quickly, I might be able to forget about it soon.”

“Oh my, we’ve been taking up too much of Your Majesty’s precious time. Then we’ll take our leave now. We will always pray that the Blue Dragon’s protection be with His Majesty the Emperor.”

The delegation quickly bowed and organized their procession.

I was about to pick up the handkerchief that had fallen to the ground when Kalian stopped me.

“There’s no need to pick it up.”

“But…”

“There’s no need to dirty your hands over something like this.”

Kalian spoke so firmly.

While I hesitated, a servant picked up and took care of the handkerchief, so I withdrew my outstretched hand.

Then, feeling someone’s gaze, I turned to the side. It was Fillen.

He was looking at me with a rigidly stiff face. The emotion clearly visible in his golden eyes was anger.

He must be very angry that I’m not going to Casiwood with him.

He really was a selfish and self-centered man to the very end.

Not wanting to unnecessarily engage in a staring contest with Fillen, I turned my head away.

My profile stung as if he was still looking at me, but I ignored it.

Shortly after, the Stella Kingdom delegation and the party going to Casiwood, including Fillen, left the Imperial Palace.

‘Goodbye.’

May this greeting be the last greeting I give to you.

If possible, may we never see each other’s faces again.

If we must inevitably meet, may he have completely shaken off all lingering feelings for me.

May there be no more quarrels with him like before.

Making all sorts of wishes, I completely expelled Fillen from my heart as well.

* * *

They looked affectionate.

Very, extremely, truly like affectionate lovers.

In fact, Kalian and Leilah hadn’t shown any particular behavior while seeing off the Stella Kingdom delegation and Fillen.

But in Fillen’s eyes, everything was irritating. Every small gesture, glance, and tone seemed like displays of affection.

“…”

His irritation soared accordingly. Anger bubbled up from within.

He wanted to scream right then and there, throw whatever he could get his hands on, and cut down everything in sight, but he had to endure it because there were many watching eyes.

Especially considering the Empire’s prestige, he couldn’t show such disgraceful behavior in front of a foreign delegation.

‘…The Empire’s prestige?’

Why should I care about that?

The emperor, who should care most about the Empire’s prestige, was arbitrarily stealing his vassal’s woman.

Just thinking about Kalian made his teeth grind.

If only Kalian weren’t the emperor, he would have immediately challenged him to a duel to bring down that lofty pride and honor.

Given the chance, he could cripple his arms and legs or even kill him.

Fillen hated that Kalian was the emperor, and he hated his own position of having to follow such a man’s orders.

He hated even more being sent away to Casiwood like this.

Fillen gripped the reins so tightly that blue veins bulged.

Contrary to his mood, the weather was good, making the journey to Casiwood smooth. At least on the surface.

“Duke, doesn’t he look like he’s in a bad mood today too?”

“Not just today. He’s been in a low mood since we left the capital.”

Fillen’s attendants whispered among themselves while watching him.

“They said he volunteered to go to Casiwood, but it doesn’t look that way.”

“Of course it’s a lie. There’s no way Duke Williot, a duke and Marshal’s Office minister no less, would voluntarily go to a desolate, war-torn domain like Casiwood.”

“Right. If it were his own domain that would be one thing, but it’s not even that. There’s no need for Duke Williot to go personally. If I were Duke Williot, I would have dispatched another administrator.”

“Are you saying someone forcibly sent Duke Williot to Casiwood? But who on earth?”

When one attendant asked in great surprise, another attendant glanced at Fillen resting under the tree and spoke quietly.

“Who else could it be? There’s only one person in the Empire who could do such a thing to Duke Williot.”

The Emperor, Callian de Chepel Yusbeldya.

The attendants didn’t dare speak that name aloud and shared it through glances.

The attendants’ gazes, which had been stealing glances at Fillen, became fixed like fixtures because Princess Stella approached Fillen.

Fillen, who had been resting with his eyes closed against the tree, also sensed Princess Stella’s presence and opened his eyes.

Princess Stella smiled brightly when their eyes met.

“Hello, Duke Williot.”

“….”

Why is this woman suddenly acting friendly?

If they had even a little acquaintance that would be one thing, but that wasn’t the case either.

The first and last time Fillen had faced Princess Stella and conversed was just before leaving the capital.

Even then, they hadn’t shared any special conversation, just exchanged ceremonial greetings asking for cooperation during the long journey.

They hadn’t exchanged any other words besides that.

It was the same throughout the journey of over a week. When there was something to say, he had attendants relay it or spoke with the count who was the representative of the Stella Kingdom delegation.

So it was absurd for Princess Stella to act friendly and speak to him. He could only think there was something behind it.

Whatever it was, he had no intention of accommodating it.

“The weather is really nice, isn’t it?”

“I suppose so.”

Fillen answered indifferently and stood up. His face was full of annoyance.

At Fillen’s reaction, Princess Stella hesitated for a moment then spoke as if nothing was wrong.

“Oh my. It seems I’ve disturbed the Duke’s rest.”

“Yes.”

When Fillen answered without hesitation, Princess Stella clenched her fists tightly.

She was the sole princess of the current Stella Kingdom, a treasure loved not only by the king but by all the kingdom’s people.

No one had ever treated her with such coldness.

So why did that damned Emperor and this man ignore her so thoroughly?

If he had been a man originally indifferent to women, she might have accepted it, but that wasn’t the case either.

These two men were cold to her but endlessly gentle and tender toward Leilah, that woman.

‘What is so special about that woman…!’

She wasn’t a striking beauty, nor did she have good family background or bloodline.

No matter how she looked at it, there wasn’t a single thing about her that was better than herself, yet the princess couldn’t understand why everyone was so infatuated with Leilah.

The fact that she had lost to such a worthless woman was both miserable and hurt her pride.

She also resented Kalian for not recognizing that choosing her would benefit the Empire as well.

“I’m really sorry. I had no intention of disturbing your rest.”

So what I’m doing is justified.

“Could we talk for a moment?”

Princess Stella asked, hiding her dark intentions behind a bright smile.

“I’d like to make a very important proposal to Duke Williot.”

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