I Won’t Pick Up The T*ash I Threw Away Again - Chapter 233

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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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#233

“Ugh.”

I had only brought the teacup to my lips when the sickeningly sweet fragrance that wafted up made my stomach churn and I dry heaved.

Feeling like everything I had eaten this morning was about to come up, I frantically covered my mouth and dropped the teacup I was holding.

Fortunately it didn’t break, but instead my hands and clothes got soaked.

“Oh my, are you alright?”

Countess Cloud jumped in surprise and wiped the tea stains from my hands and dress hem.

“Ugh.”

I wanted to say I was fine, that I would clean it myself, but I kept dry heaving and couldn’t speak.

Thanks to Sara also rushing over to quickly wipe it clean, fortunately no stains remained on the dress.

Only then did I finally calm down, pressing my still slightly queasy chest and apologizing to the Countess.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. Phew, it’s a good thing it was cold tea, otherwise it could have been serious.”

The Countess smiled gently and patted my back.

“Is your stomach alright?”

“Yes.”

“Your morning sickness is still so severe, what should we do? Have you been examined by the Court Physician?”

I nodded. The Court Physician also knew my morning sickness was severe and had prescribed medicine to calm it, but I hadn’t taken it.

It was because of my anxiety that there might be poison in it.

Since most of the aristocrats, especially Duke Giltian, didn’t welcome my pregnancy, I needed to be careful.

For that reason, I didn’t touch even a glass of water except for food made by Sara and Nes.

But I had drunk the tea the Countess gave me because she was someone I could trust.

…Though I ended up not being able to drink it after all.

I tried to drink it again, but still couldn’t bring it to my lips because of the excessively sweet smell.

I didn’t think I could eat anything else either, so I only drank the water Sara brought.

On the other hand, Countess Cloud enjoyed it deliciously. Seeing how well she ate the cookies she brought, she must like sweet things.

“By the way, it’s been so long since I’ve been here.”

The Countess, who had completely emptied her teacup, smiled as she looked around the forest.

“I used to come here often before.”

“When you were unmarried?”

“Even earlier than that. When I was about Hes’s current age, so when my mother was still alive.”

Countess Cloud’s mother meant Empress Solia.

“That was a long time ago.”

“But I remember it clearly.”

Countess Cloud raised her hand to block the warm sunlight streaming through the leaves.

“I remember happily playing treasure hunt in this forest with Hes and His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Treasure hunt?”

“Yes. Mother would hide objects or notes somewhere in this forest, then give us hints about the location and tell us to find them.”

It must have been quite enjoyable, as Countess Cloud’s eyes curved prettily as she reminisced about the past.

“She always gave vague hints about the location, so we had quite a hard time finding the treasure.”

“The hidden treasure must have been something really good.”

“Not really. It was common accessories or wish coupons and things like that.”

“Wish coupons?”

“For example, skipping classes for the day, things like that.”

To put such things in wish coupons. Empress Solia was someone who understood children’s hearts well.

“Looking back now, they were things we didn’t need to search so hard for, but back then we searched frantically as if we were possessed.”

“It must have been fun.”

“Mm, it was definitely fun. Especially when I found the treasure first and His Majesty the Emperor would frown deeply with a frustrated expression – that was the most fun.”

Countess Cloud, who had been laughing out loud as if just thinking about it was amusing, suddenly furrowed her brow.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, just… I suddenly remembered that we still haven’t found the last treasure Mother hid.”

The Countess touched her teacup with a bitter expression.

“She said the last treasure was very important and we must find it, but we never did.”

“The hint must have been difficult.”

“That’s part of it, and Mother passed away before we could hear the other hints.”

Ah. My heart grew heavy at the sad story.

“I’m sorry.”

“What does Count have to be sorry for? I’m the one who brought up the story.”

When the Countess noticed her teacup was empty and reached for the teapot, I picked it up instead and filled her cup.

“Thank you.”

The Countess took a sip of tea, then continued speaking.

“The treasure Mother hid should still be in that place, so if I get the chance, I’d really like to find it.”

“Could I be of any help?”

“Mm, well. Then would you help me solve the hint?”

“Of course. What’s the hint?”

“‘A blue cave where a weary butterfly with wings soaked by rain can rest.’ That’s the hint about where the treasure is hidden.”

I immediately understood why she said the location hints were vague.

This wasn’t just vague, it was dreamlike. It seemed to use poetic expression, and I couldn’t guess where it might be at all.

“Count doesn’t seem to have any idea where it might be either.”

“I’m sorry. I wanted to be helpful…”

“Ahaha, it’s fine. It’s natural that Count doesn’t know when even I, who’ve done this kind of treasure hunting dozens of times, don’t know.”

The Countess said with a cheerful laugh.

“What I figured out is that the weary butterfly with soaked wings refers to Mother.”

Ah, come to think of it, Solia means butterfly in the ancient language.

“Then the blue cave where the butterfly rests, wouldn’t that be a place where the late Empress often rested?”

“I thought so too, so I checked all the places Mother used to go frequently, but there was no treasure Mother had hidden.”

I was about to ask if perhaps she had found it but didn’t recognize it as the treasure.

“Mother always put treasures in boxes about this size. The outside of the box had Mother’s symbolic crest drawn on it.”

At the following explanation, I swallowed the words I was about to say. If it was something like that, there was no way she wouldn’t have recognized the treasure Empress Solia had hidden.

“It’s difficult.”

“Right? Really, Mother said this treasure was very important and we must find it, but then gave such a difficult hint – what was she thinking?”

The Countess clicked her tongue and checked the time, then frowned.

“The appointment time has already passed by 20 minutes, why isn’t Hes here yet?”

“Could something have happened?”

“If so, he would have sent word, so that’s probably not it.”

I should check. The Countess muttered to herself and stood up.

“Huh?”

But as soon as she stood up, she swayed and sat back down on the ground.

“Countess!”

I panicked and supported the Countess. Her maid who had been waiting nearby and Sara also rushed over urgently.

“Are you alright?”

“I, I have no strength in my body…”

The Countess spoke haltingly with a more panicked expression than mine.

“I have no strength in my body… I can’t move it as I want…”

“What?”

“I, I can’t move as I want…”

Her words were cut off before she could finish. Her pearl powder-dusted eyelashes trembled and her pupils lost focus.

No way. I urgently grabbed her hand. Her hand was abnormally cold and stiff.

‘It’s paralysis poison.’

Since I carried paralysis poison on my self-defense items, I knew well what would happen if someone was affected by paralysis poison.

That meant someone had used paralysis poison on the Duchess, but who on earth would do such a thing, and for what purpose.

I was looking at the Duchess in confusion when I heard a swoosh, the sound of wind being cut.

“Kuk.”

After hearing a death cry, the Duchess’s maid collapsed while spurting blood like a fountain.

Behind her stood a guard holding a blood-stained sword.

* * *

Hes tried to prepare in time and head to the meeting place, but an unexpected problem arose.

“Your Highness the Prince.”

Duke Giltian had come to visit. As soon as Hes saw him, he let out a deep sigh.

“I believe I told you not to visit until I contacted you.”

“You’re going on a picnic with Count Aster?”

An answer completely unrelated to the question came back.

He was angry that Duke Giltian was still ignoring him despite what he had said.

But what made Hes even angrier was that Duke Giltian knew about his schedule that he had never mentioned.

‘The servants must have told him.’

All the servants Hes kept by his side were people Duke Giltian had assigned.

Even his nanny was someone Duke Giltian had appointed.

That meant there wasn’t a single person around him who was truly his.

Realizing this fact made his mouth taste as bitter as if he had chewed bitter herbs.

“As grandfather knows, I have an appointment. So would you please step aside.”

“Do not go, Your Highness.”

Was that a command rather than a request? A bitter laugh escaped him naturally.

“Grandfather seems to often forget that I am a prince. Or do you think your status is higher than mine?”

Though Hes mocked him with a crooked smile, Duke Giltian answered with a nonchalant laugh.

“How could that be? Your Highness is someone who will soon become Emperor.”

The word “soon” bothered him, but he ignored it.

If he brought it up and the conversation dragged on, he would be late for his appointment.

“Let’s talk about it next time.”

So he tried to ignore it and leave.

“Today, the majority of nobles agreed to Your Highness becoming Emperor.”

Duke Giltian brought up an absurd story, catching his ankle.

Hes turned his head so violently it made a whoosh sound and glared at Duke Giltian.

“His Majesty the Emperor is still well, so who decided such a thing on their own authority.”

“His Majesty is not exactly well.”

“Duke Giltian!”

“That position was originally Your Highness’s position to begin with.”

A smile spread across Duke Giltian’s wrinkled face.

“So Your Highness will become Emperor as scheduled.”

“I refuse.”

At the firm answer, Duke Giltian’s expression twisted.

“Are you saying you will not become Emperor?”

“No. I will become Emperor. But not now. As promised before, I will inherit the throne when I come of age.”

Ah, if I say this, will he bring up the baby Leilah is carrying?

He’ll probably nag about how it will be an obstacle to my future.

Just thinking about it was unpleasant, so Hes frowned.

Most importantly, if he didn’t leave soon, he would be late for his appointment.

Then he would get nagged by his sister Esramel too.

And Leilah might mark him as a tardy prince, which he also disliked, so he tried to wrap up the conversation and leave, but Duke Giltian spoke first.

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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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