I Won’t Pick Up The T*ash I Threw Away Again - Chapter 215

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#215

The journey to Casiwood went smoothly. The weather was clear, and we didn’t encounter any bandits or monsters.

No one in our party had any problems either.

While traveling to Casiwood in such a harmonious atmosphere, I heard unexpected news from a Crowd Knight.

“The last Wednesday of June is His Majesty’s birthday?”

“Yes. Didn’t you know?”

I had no idea. Not only had Kalian never told me, but if it was the Emperor’s birthday, there should naturally be a grand celebration banquet, yet there had been no signs of such a thing.

This year there’s still time left so that’s understandable, but why wasn’t there a celebration banquet last year?

Curious, I asked Count Art, the Crowd Knight member assigned to guard me.

Count Art smiled awkwardly and answered.

“Well, the last Wednesday of June is His Majesty the Emperor’s birthday, but it’s also the day the former Empress passed away.”

“Ah…”

So that’s why they don’t hold banquets.

Since Kalian thinks of Empress Solia as a mother, no matter if it’s his birthday, he couldn’t possibly smile and have a party on that day.

Still, it’s his birthday, so it would be nice if many people congratulated him.

…I’d also like to congratulate him with my own hands.

‘That would be impossible though.’

By then I’ll be far from the capital, near Casiwood.

The fact that I couldn’t congratulate Kalian’s birthday with my own hands felt heartbreaking.

If I had known in advance, I would have at least left a gift behind.

No wait, I could send a gift even now.

I really wanted to send one. He had remembered my birthday, so I didn’t want to just let this pass.

‘What would be good?’

Giving jewelry or expensive clothes as a gift to Kalian, who is the Emperor, would be meaningless.

No matter how expensive the item I gift him, he would have something even better.

I should give him a gift with sincerity in it.

Naturally, an embroidered handkerchief came to mind.

It’s the most common and sincere gift, but he already had a handkerchief I had embroidered.

Giving him the same thing wouldn’t be very meaningful, so I wanted to give him something different.

What else is there?

What could I give to Kalian?

I leaned my head against the carriage window and thought deeply, but nothing particular came to mind.

It was sad because it meant there was so little I could do for him.

“Are you feeling unwell, Count?”

Sara, who was sitting across from me, asked worriedly. Nes was also looking at me with a very concerned expression.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

My body really was fine. I was just bothered by not being able to celebrate Kalian’s birthday.

To soothe my troubled heart, I looked outside the window.

Count Art, who had just told me about Kalian’s birthday, happened to be passing by in front. I noticed the sword he wore at his waist.

More precisely, it was the cord attached to the end of the sword handle.

Round beads that looked like crystals or gems were hanging in clusters, sparkling beautifully as they reflected the sunlight.

“What is that?”

“What are you referring to?”

When I pointed to the cord attached to the end of Count Art’s sword handle, Sara let out a short exclamation.

“That’s something called bead crafting, Count.”

“Bead crafting? I’ve never heard of it.”

“It’s something a merchant from another continent brought during the founding festival before. As you can see, it sparkles and is pretty, so it quickly became popular.”

Nes also seemed to know about it as she joined the conversation.

“There’s especially a legend that if a woman makes it for a man, their love will never break and last forever, which made it even more popular.”

“You don’t just buy that, you make it yourself?”

“There are both things you can buy and things you can make.”

So that meant I could make something with my own hands and give it to Kalian as a gift.

Good, I’ll make that as his gift.

I had made up my mind, but since it was an item from another continent, I wondered if I could obtain the materials. Fortunately, I was able to get the materials at the next domain.

It was thanks to the explosive popularity of bead crafting within the Empire, just as Sara had explained.

Bead crafting wasn’t as difficult as I thought. You just had to weave special beads called beads onto thread made of special material to create shapes.

Usually people make bracelets or necklaces, but when giving gifts to men, they often make accessories to attach to sword handles.

I should make an accessory too, right?

Since Kalian also uses a sword, he’ll use it well if I make one for him.

I had to make it quickly to send the gift in time for Kalian’s birthday.

What shape would be good to make?

Flowers and such things were cliché, and I wanted to make something that could symbolize Kalian.

‘Then it should be the Blue Dragon after all…’

The problem was that making a Blue Dragon with bead crafting was very difficult. But I didn’t want to make anything else.

‘Ah, should I try making it like a dragon from the Eastern Continent?’

Dragons from the Eastern Continent are long and snake-like, unlike the dragons from the continent I live on.

I could make that with bead crafting, and since it’s not commonly seen, it would be good, so I decided to do that.

* * *

About three weeks had passed since Leilah left for Casiwood.

Kalian frequently communicated with the Crowd Knights to check if there were any problems with their journey.

He desperately wanted to contact Leilah directly, but he was conscious of others watching.

For every ten times he contacted the Crowd Knight members, he would make excuses about work while being mindful of others and barely contact her once.

This secret dating is impossible. I need to quickly change to open dating or something.

…Getting married would be good too.

Kalian grinned as he suddenly imagined Leilah standing beside him in a pure white wedding dress.

“…”

Ber, who was organizing documents nearby and unintentionally saw this, narrowed his eyes like a flounder.

It was clearly the appearance of a man in love.

‘He must be thinking about Count Aster.’

It was a sight he always saw, but it annoyed him every time. Even this was a talent.

Ber was about to tell Kalian to stop smiling and work, but before he could, there was a knock. It was the Head Servant.

“Your Majesty, Count Aster has sent a gift.”

“A gift? From Leilah?”

Rahel placed a small box on the desk. The box, prettily wrapped with a red ribbon, was clearly a gift box.

“It appears to be a birthday gift for Your Majesty.”

Ber, reminded that Kalian’s birthday was approaching soon, said this. Rahel also agreed that it seemed to be the case.

“A birthday gift…”

I wasn’t planning to have a birthday party anyway.

I deliberately didn’t tell her because I was worried Leilah might feel burdened about not being able to celebrate my birthday since she was traveling far away, but how did she find out?

It was surprising, yet sending a gift like this was endearing.

Wanting to look at it alone in secret, Kalian sent Ber and Rahel away and opened the box.

I thought it would be a brooch or something like that, but inside the box was an object I’d never seen before.

Is this a blue snake? Why is there a ring attached to the head part? Where are you supposed to hang this?

It bothered him that Leilah had sent this as a gift, yet he couldn’t figure out what it was for.

He was reluctant to ask Ber, worried he might mock him for not knowing, and was suffering internally when an unexpected savior appeared.

“It’s an accessory made with bead crafting.”

It was Count Montesol.

Bead crafting. I remembered hearing a merchant loudly selling them at a stall when I went out to see the founding festival.

He definitely said it was a unique crafting technique that came from another continent.

“Did you receive it as a gift from the Princess?”

Count Montesol, who had become quite close with me, asked warmly.

“Why do you think that?”

“Well, there’s a superstition that if a woman makes and gives a man an accessory with bead crafting, their love will last forever.”

“Really?”

So there was such a superstition.

There’s no way Leilah wouldn’t have known about that when she sent it.

In other words, it meant she wanted to love me forever.

How could everything she did be so lovable?

Kalian’s lips curved up endlessly toward the sky.

If she had been in front of him, he would have kissed her all over, and it was simply regrettable that he couldn’t.

But why did she make and send a blue snake?

* * *

Before we almost reached Casiwood, the last place we stopped was a huge city called Rahalbah.

Unlike Casiwood, Rahalbah rarely experienced natural disasters like floods, and with almost no monsters nearby, it was considered one of the best domains to live in within the Empire.

Moreover, to the north there was a large river connecting to the sea and other domains, so commerce was greatly developed.

It was safe to say that merchants from the western continent always stopped by Rahalbah.

Especially since it bordered the Kingdom of Stella, merchants from the Kingdom of Stella frequently came.

As one of the three most important commercial cities within the Empire, I had wanted to visit at least once, and now I was finally coming here.

High walls surrounded the city to prevent external invasions. The inspections were also thorough.

Even knowing we were administrators sent from the Imperial Palace, the guards thoroughly inspected us without exception.

Some were displeased with this, but I was very pleased. There was indeed a reason why places with good security were like this.

Previously, Hutton, where there had been diplomatic talks with the Kingdom of Natsha, was also a port city with developed commerce.

Hutton immediately felt like a commercial city upon entering, but Rahalbah didn’t. It seemed like an ordinary city.

Usually commercial cities have bustling streets because of merchants gathered from various countries, but this place had none of that.

There were almost no street vendors, and the streets were clean without a single piece of trash.

How do they manage this? I’d like to learn from this.

I thought I should ask the lord when I met him, and headed toward the lord’s castle.

Soon the carriage arrived at the castle, and I arranged my clothes before getting out.

But Count Hiltain’s expression was strange. The other Crowd Knights were the same.

“Co, Count.”

Sara also grabbed my arm tightly in confusion.

Why are they acting like this?

I turned around in puzzlement.

“Welcome, Leilah.”

Fillen was there.

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