I Won’t Pick Up The T*ash I Threw Away Again - Chapter 239

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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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#239

For Hes, who should be at the Imperial Palace, to come all the way to the Giltian Duchy.

While this wasn’t the first time it had happened, it wasn’t common either.

Given the timing, it made him even more anxious. He was certain Hes had come with bad news.

Could it be that Kalian had openly told Hes he couldn’t abdicate the throne to him?

And so he had come here in shock.

Though Hes had said countless times that he didn’t want to become Emperor, Duke Giltian didn’t believe those words.

There couldn’t possibly be anyone in this world who didn’t want to become Emperor.

Hadn’t even Kalian, who said he didn’t want to be Emperor, reluctantly accepted when asked to take on the role temporarily?

“Escort him to the drawing room.”

Though Duke Giltian had various anxious thoughts, he swallowed them for now and went to meet Hes.

If Kalian had truly told Hes he wouldn’t abdicate to him, he was prepared to immediately seek out Kalian for a confrontation, but fortunately that wasn’t the case.

Instead, hearing a completely different and unexpected story, Duke Giltian let out a hollow laugh and asked Hes in return.

“Are you telling me to confess?”

“Yes.”

Hes looked at Duke Giltian with a resolute expression and said.

“I want you to confess to His Majesty the Emperor about instigating the attack on my sister and Count Aster in the Western Forest last time.”

“I don’t know why you would think such a thing, but no.”

“No?”

“Yes. I have never instigated such a thing.”

It wasn’t exactly a blatant lie.

Duke Giltian had merely said that the existence of the baby Leilah carried bothered him.

Count Bachelo, who heard this, had his son commit such an act.

So the mastermind behind that incident was Count Bachelo, not Duke Giltian.

“Do you plan to feign ignorance to the end, grandfather?”

Hes clenched his fists that had been neatly placed on his knees and said.

“You could be punished as an attempted murderer of royalty. That would mean death.”

“Since it’s not something I did, I won’t be punished as an attempted murderer of royalty.”

“Grandfather.”

Though Hes raised his voice in frustration at the brazen answer, Duke Giltian didn’t back down to the end.

At this, Hes had no choice but to play his final card.

“If grandfather continues like this, I will renounce my right to the throne.”

Renounce his right to the throne.

At these sudden words, Duke Giltian’s expression hardened.

If Hes voluntarily renounced his right to the throne, his chance of becoming Emperor would completely disappear.

Even if Kalian wanted to abdicate to Hes, he wouldn’t be able to.

In other words, it meant that the tower Duke Giltian had painstakingly built would crumble in an instant.

“Your Highness seems determined to frame me as the culprit of that incident by any means.”

“Because grandfather is the mastermind.”

“How many times must I say no before you’ll believe me.”

When Duke Giltian let out a low sigh and spoke, Hes’s previously resolute eyes wavered.

Duke Giltian didn’t miss this and spoke again.

“I truly have nothing to do with that incident, Your Highness.”

“Then why did you say such things to me that day? Why did you say Count Aster would be safe?”

So that’s what this is about.

Duke Giltian had said those words because he thought the plan would succeed.

But foolishly, the private soldier made a mistake, causing this error.

“…I didn’t order it, but I knew who did.”

When you make a mistake, you must naturally take responsibility.

Though Duke Giltian was laughing inwardly, he outwardly wore an expression of great regret as he spoke.

“It was Count Bachelo’s son.”

* * *

The next day, Count Bachelo’s son confessed that he was the mastermind behind that incident.

He said his target was Esramel, not Leilah and the child in Leilah’s womb.

His excuse was that he had liked Esramel for a long time, but when she wouldn’t accept his feelings, he acted impulsively in a moment of anger.

It was a publicly known fact that Count Bachelo’s son had liked Esramel for a long time.

Moreover, since it was Esramel who was poisoned and Esramel’s maid who was injured, most people except for a few believed his confession.

“So they’re cutting off the tail.”

One of those few was Kalian.

Since Hes had gone to see Duke Giltian, he thought the Duke would make a move, but he never expected him to cut off the tail in this manner.

This made Count Bachelo’s card unusable.

“It was good that I did as Leilah instructed.”

If he had only relied on Count Bachelo’s card, he would never have been able to catch Duke Giltian.

Now, how would Duke Giltian move?

Since Hes had even brought up renouncing his right to the throne, Duke Giltian would surely be anxious and try to pull other tricks.

For example, targeting Leilah and the child again.

“…”

Thinking about this made his irritation surge.

He also felt incredibly foolish for having to wait without being able to do anything until Duke Giltian did something to Leilah.

If it weren’t for Hes, he would have gotten rid of him long ago.

Though Kalian too had received much help from Duke Giltian, that was that and this was this.

Since the Duke had touched the person he loved and their child, he had no intention of backing down.

‘I’ll need to keep eyes on Duke Giltian as well as Leilah.’

He should prepare thoroughly so he could respond immediately if the Duke showed even the slightest suspicious movement.

Still, since there was a possibility Leilah could get hurt, the best thing would be to find a way to eliminate Duke Giltian before that happened.

In a way that would allow Hes to let go of his attachment to Duke Giltian as well.

What kind of method could there be?

Kalian pondered as he headed to the palace where Leilah was.

Leilah was sleeping, leaning against the sofa. When Sara tried to wake her, Kalian raised his hand to stop her.

“You may leave.”

After Sara left, Kalian approached Leilah, who was sleeping peacefully.

Papers were scattered messily on the table and sofa, showing whatever she had been working on so diligently.

Among them were poetry books. Perhaps she was doing prenatal education. Though there seemed to be too many poetry books for that, which was slightly puzzling.

Moreover, the book on Leilah’s lap was a “Cryptography Decoding Manual,” which had nothing to do with prenatal education.

The papers also had incomprehensible words listed on them.

What on earth had she been doing?

As he was carefully examining the papers Leilah had written on, he sensed movement.

“Mmm, Your Majesty?”

Leilah had woken up. Kalian put down the papers he was looking at and sat beside her.

“Did you wake up?”

At his voice, as gentle and warm as the sunlight streaming through the window, a soft smile spread across Leilah’s lips.

“You should have woken me when you arrived.”

“You were sleeping so soundly.”

“I’ve been sleeping too much lately, it’s a problem. What if I become a sleeping bear?”

“You’d still be pretty, so don’t worry.”

“That can’t be true.”

Leilah smiled softly and rested her head on Kalian’s shoulder.

Kalian brushed aside the hair that had fallen over Leilah’s face and asked what he had been curious about.

“You were looking at a strange book. Why were you reading a code deciphering manual?”

“Ah, this.”

Leilah set the book that had been on her lap aside and continued speaking.

“When we went on a picnic to the Western Forest before, I heard an interesting story from Countess Cloud.”

“An interesting story?”

“Treasure hunting.”

“Ah.”

Kalian, who immediately understood what story she meant, laughed.

“You’re trying to find the treasure that the late Empress hid last? That would be difficult.”

“It’s certainly difficult, but it’s not like I have no idea where to look.”

“It’s not the palace the late Empress used to live in.”

That place has already been thoroughly searched.

“I wasn’t thinking of that place either. The Duchess said it wasn’t there too.”

“Then where do you suspect it might be?”

“The Lake with Sleeping Blue Dragon in the Western Forest. I think the Empress’s treasure might be hidden there.”

“If it’s around the lake, I’ve looked around there before, but there was nothing like that.”

“Not around the lake, but inside the lake.”

Her spotlessly clean black eyes reflected Kalian’s surprised face.

“The code is ‘Blue Cave,’ isn’t it? Usually when hiding something in a cave, you hide it inside, not outside.”

That’s true.

“I also think there’s meaning in specifically referring to it as a ‘rain-soaked butterfly.'”

“Hmm, so that refers to water?”

“Yes.”

It would be a lie to say it didn’t feel somewhat forced, but overall it made sense.

Inside the lake was also a place that neither Kalian nor Esramel had searched.

“Alright, let’s go take a look.”

“Are you going right now?”

Not “are we going right now,” but “are you going”?

Kalian’s head tilted.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“It’s not that I won’t go, but that I can’t go. I’m not a member of the Imperial Family.”

“You went before.”

“That was because the Blue Dragon temporarily allowed it to save me.”

More precisely, this child. Leilah embraced her belly.

For reasons unknown, the Blue Dragon truly cherished this child enough to save my life twice.

“You could think of it that way, but in my opinion, the reason you could enter that forest wasn’t because of that.”

“Then what?”

“The child.”

Kalian gently took Leilah’s hand that was embracing her belly.

“It was possible because this child is a member of the Imperial Family. So you, who carries this child, should be able to enter too.”

* * *

I thought it was unlikely, but who would have thought we could really enter.

I looked at the clear lake with slight surprise.

“This child is helping me in many ways.”

“Indeed.”

Kalian smiled and took off his coat.

“Are you planning to enter the lake yourself, Your Majesty?”

“What else? Should I send you in directly?”

“Of course not. I can’t swim.”

“Even if you could swim, I wouldn’t send you.”

When he removed his vest and shirt, his bare skin built with lean muscle was revealed.

There were sword scars here and there, but they weren’t unsightly at all.

“Well then, I’ll be back.”

“Will you really be alright?”

Was I sending him into the dangerous lake because of my careless words?

I worried about what would happen if he took such risks to go in but couldn’t find Empress Solia’s treasure chest.

“I’ll be fine. I’ve received the Blue Dragon’s blessing, so I won’t drown.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Besides, I’m a good swimmer, so don’t worry about anything and just wait.”

If that was the case, there was no reason to stop him further.

“I’ll be back.”

Kalian kissed my cheek and jumped into the lake.

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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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