I Won’t Pick Up The T*ash I Threw Away Again - Chapter 24
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
#24
To treat me like one of the maids she used to order around.
Scorn and bitter laughter burst out simultaneously. My breathing quickened as irritation rose.
Leilah, don’t get excited. If you get excited here, you lose.
I took a deep breath to calm my churning heart, then answered with a bright smile.
“I don’t want to.”
When I firmly refused, Sisly’s eyes widened. Her face showed she hadn’t expected me to refuse.
“Why not?”
Her face clearly looked surprised, but the look in her eyes as she watched me was exactly the same as when Countess Tebesa looked at me.
Eyes filled with various negative emotions like contempt and disdain.
Perhaps that’s why. I could see Countess Tebesa overlapping with Sisly.
The words she had poured out at me came flooding back, and my mood plummeted rapidly.
“…Get out.”
Not knowing isn’t a bad thing.
I could just teach her that she shouldn’t act this way.
If Sisly’s behavior came from pure ignorance like Fillen’s, I could endure it and let it pass.
But if it was pretense disguised as ignorance, I had no intention of tolerating it any longer.
“Stop the act and get out.”
When I pointed at the door with my finger, Sisly tilted her head with an innocent face.
“An act? I don’t understand what Princess Tebesa is saying.”
“Drop the ‘Princess Tebesa’ too.”
I twisted my lips.
“From now on, call me Miss. Miss Helliod, or rather, I should call you Miss Sisly now. The Helliod surname disappeared when your kingdom was destroyed.”
Sisly’s face turned pale white, then flushed red again.
She jumped up from her seat and shouted.
“That doesn’t change the fact that I’m a princess!”
“You were a princess.”
“…!”
When I corrected her words, venom flashed in Sisly’s eyes.
She glared at me as if she would devour me at any moment, but I wasn’t scared at all.
I had met countless people like her while handling the Duke and Duchess’s affairs.
Sisly was on the cute side compared to them.
“You can no longer use the Helliod surname, so now you’re neither a princess nor a noble, but a commoner.”
I got up from my seat and approached the door.
“The reason I still speak politely to you and treat you well is because you’re carrying his child.”
Sisly’s venomous gaze clung to me like a tick.
“I’ll treat you as well as possible until you give birth and leave the manor, so don’t cause trouble and just stay quiet before you go.”
“I’m leaving the manor?”
“Didn’t you hear from Fillen? Fillen said he’d send you away from the manor as soon as you give birth.”
Sisly’s wide eyes trembled as if she couldn’t believe it.
It seemed she hadn’t heard the story from Fillen.
Of course she hadn’t. He hadn’t meant it sincerely.
He had just made it up to reassure me immediately.
Knowing this fact, I pretended not to know and continued speaking.
“I can’t promise to be a good stepmother to that child.”
When I opened the door, I saw Sara waiting outside restlessly.
“But I promise I won’t abuse the child at least.”
I gave Sara a look meaning it was okay, then turned to look at Sisly and said.
“So rest assured, give birth to the child and then leave the manor, Miss Sisly.”
* * *
Unable to contain her anger, Sisly left the room with steps so quick it was hard to believe she was pregnant.
Since her pretense had been exposed, she seemed to have no intention of acting in front of me anymore.
I had expected she wouldn’t have an easygoing personality, but to this extent.
It was horrifying and gave me a headache to think I’d clash with Sisly a lot in the future.
I let out a deep sigh and pressed my forehead.
“Are you alright, Miss?”
Sara asked with a worried face.
Instead of answering, I nodded and pointed to the sofa where Sisly had been sitting.
“Remove that sofa. Change the carpet too.”
Though it was a sudden order, Sara didn’t ask why and bowed politely, saying she would do so.
I asked Sara to clean the room as well, then headed to another room with the box containing the Duke and Duchess’s seals and the documents.
I planned to look at documents in another room while Sara cleaned, but no matter how hard I tried to concentrate on work, I couldn’t focus.
Should I rest a little? It would be better to rest and start again rather than stubbornly holding on.
I lay down on the sofa and closed my eyes briefly to organize my complicated thoughts, but fell asleep before I knew it.
Bang-!
How much time had passed?
I woke up startled by the sound of the door opening violently.
In front of the door stood Fillen, looking furious.
“Why did you do that?”
It was an abstract statement without a subject or object, but I immediately realized it was about That Woman.
I had expected Fillen to come since I got angry at Sisly, but my mouth tasted bitter seeing it match so perfectly.
“Why?”
But I pretended to be completely unaffected, got up from my seat, straightened my back, and faced Fillen’s anger directly as I asked back.
“How can you ask why now? Why did you speak so harshly to her?”
“Harshly? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just told her the facts as they are.”
I slowly closed and opened my eyes, curling my lips up diagonally.
“It’s all true that That Woman is no longer a princess, and that she has to leave the manor after giving birth.”
“Did you have to say such cruel things to a woman who was already shocked from losing her country?”
Fillen’s eyes blazed as he glared at me.
“Don’t you have any consideration? As a fellow woman, as someone who will become a mother in the future, how could you shock a pregnant woman like that!”
My heart pounded at the pouring criticism.
“And telling Sisly about leaving the manor should have been my words to say. Mine, not yours!”
“So did you tell That Woman? That everything I said was true?”
Fillen couldn’t answer.
As expected, he couldn’t say anything.
It would be fortunate if he had just said nothing.
Surely Fillen had coaxed and soothed That Woman, answering that such a thing would never happen.
Though I had expected it, I was so dumbfounded that I let out a small bitter laugh.
“See? Since you couldn’t do it, I just did it for you.”
“…Who are you to do that?”
“I’m your fiancée.”
“Right, my fiancée.”
Fillen twisted his lips.
“Not the Duchess Williot.”
“…!”
“Leilah, you seem to be confused because you’ve lived in the Williot Duchy for over 10 years, but you’re not the Duchess Williot yet.”
His condemning gaze, his pouring words cruelly pierced my heart.
“So don’t even think about getting involved in the manor’s affairs anymore, or having opinions about them.”
I couldn’t look directly at Fillen and lowered my gaze diagonally.
“That’s not your role. You’re still just a Count’s daughter. I hope you’ll realize your place now.”
That’s right. It’s not my role.
I’m not Leilah Williot, I’m Leilah Tebesa.
But what have I been doing his work for all this time?
Why did I dedicate a full 10 years for the Williot Duchy?
“You’ll fill in for what Fillen can’t do. As the Duchess, I’m counting on you to take good care of the Williot Duchy.”
Right, it was for the previous Duke and Duchess.
I did my best for them, who cherished me like their own daughter…
But you don’t acknowledge me.
All because of that kind of woman.
Tears welled up and my vision became blurry. My hands naturally clenched with force.
I bit my lips so hard they bled.
“Did you understand what I said?”
Fillen asked, looking at me coldly.
It was a finishing blow. He stabbed another sharp sword into my already dying heart.
All sorts of negative emotions like regret, lamentation, and despair swirled in my mind.
What remained after they swept through my heart like a storm… was resignation.
After giving up, I wasn’t even angry anymore.
I just felt so sorry for myself for sacrificing everything for the Williot Duchy until now.
I just felt foolish for believing so firmly that I would become the Duchess.
I looked at Fillen with eyes that had already dried of tears.
“I understood.”
“Then…”
“So I won’t do it anymore.”
I’m sorry, Your Grace. Your Grace.
Even though you cherished me so much.
Even though you repeatedly asked me to take good care of the Williot Duchy…
I don’t think I can do it anymore.
I took out the Duke and Duchess’s seals that I had kept in the box and placed them on the table.
“As you said, I’m Leilah Tebesa, so I won’t handle the Williot Duchy’s affairs anymore.”
At my words, Fillen looked at me with bewildered eyes and opened his mouth.
“Were you always such an irresponsible person?”
Irresponsible.
What is this now…
“I’m irresponsible?”
“Aren’t you? Just because you had an argument with me, you’re abandoning your duties?”
“Huh?”
What kind of nonsense is this again.
If confusing people with every word was a talent, it would be a talent.
A completely useless talent.
I swallowed a hollow laugh and glared at Fillen.
Fillen didn’t avoid my gaze and faced it confidently.
“You should speak properly, Fillen.”
I wonder if you can still be confident after hearing this.
“The irresponsible one isn’t me, it’s you.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Did you forget? Whose work this originally was.”
I picked up the documents on the table and waved them in front of Fillen’s eyes.
“Originally, this is work that you, as Duke Williot, should be doing. But because you didn’t do it and abandoned it, I’ve been cleaning up after you all this time.”
“…!”
“So the irresponsible one isn’t me, it’s you, Fillen.”
When I looked at him as if daring him to refute it, Fillen bit his lips tightly.
His confident expression had crumbled long ago.
Fillen hardened his face and glared at me.
As if anyone would be scared of that look.
“The Duchess’s work isn’t your job, but it’s not my job either.”
I snorted and put the documents back down on the table.
“As you said, I’m not the Duchess Williot, I’m Leilah Tebesa. Right?”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————