I Won’t Pick Up The T*ash I Threw Away Again - Chapter 253

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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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#4

[To my beloved friend Leilah Aster.]

[I’m sorry, Leilah. I’ve been too busy to send you a letter. I wanted to, but these damn people keep asking me to do this and that.]

[What makes me angriest is that they wouldn’t let me attend your wedding. When I asked for just one month of vacation to go to my friend’s wedding, they refused until the very end. Bad people!]

[…But this time I definitely got vacation time. Since winter is coming soon there isn’t much work, and when I protested that I’d throw in my resignation letter if they didn’t give me vacation this time, they finally gave it to me. Hmph! They should have done this from the start!]

[I can finally give you the wedding congratulations gift I prepared. I thought about sending it by package, but I felt it would be better to give this kind of thing in person, so I’ve been holding back until now! I can’t wait to give it to you!]

[I also prepared a gift for our cute Leo! It’s adorable lion pajamas! I prepared ones for Leilah and Leilah’s husband too. Family pajamas. Isn’t that really romantic?]

[…Since I’m traveling by ship, there might be slight differences depending on the weather, but I think I’ll arrive in the Empire around mid-December.]

[You’ll show me around again this time, right? I heard that the Empire’s hot springs are so good for the skin, is that really true? I want to try them once!]

[I’ll contact you once more before I go. I really miss you, Leilah.]

[Your friend who truly, truly loves and cherishes you, Diane Andrian.]

* * *

Letters from friends were always welcome.

Since Leilah had been quite disappointed that Diane couldn’t come to the wedding, she was very happy to read the letter saying Diane would come in a month.

However, her joy was brief, as deep wrinkles formed between Leilah’s brows when she checked the schedule densely written on her desk calendar.

Especially in December when Diane was coming, she had the most work to do, including preparations for the New Year festival.

‘Will I be able to clear my schedule?’

If it was just having a simple meal with Diane, that would be possible, but showing Diane around the capital or going to the hot springs she was looking forward to seemed impossible no matter how she looked at it.

‘Still, I have to make time somehow.’

She couldn’t disappoint a friend who was traveling such a long way to see her.

To clear her schedule when Diane came, she had to work diligently from now on. There was no time to rest.

When Leilah came out of the chancellor’s office, her attendants who had been working in front of it also stood up.

“I’m going to the library and document storage room for a bit.”

“If you need any books or documents, please let us know. We’ll bring them to you.”

“It’s fine. I need to look up various things, so it’s more convenient for me to go myself.”

“If that’s what you prefer… If you need us for anything, please call us anytime.”

“I will.”

Leilah left the administrative department and headed straight to the document storage room on the first floor of the outer palace.

There were several people in the document storage room, and one of them looked familiar.

“Viscount Delonde!”

It was Ber Delonde. While Leilah had quit her job as the Emperor’s aide when she became chancellor, Ber was still working as the Emperor’s aide.

As Hes’s aide, not Kalian’s.

Hes had tried to promote Ber from baron to viscount in recognition of the achievements he had accumulated, but numerous nobles opposed it.

Because Ber was a former sex slave.

Although Kalian had burned Ber’s slave contract and elevated his status, the sex slave label continued to follow Ber around.

Ber didn’t want things to become noisy because of him and refused to become a viscount, but Hes wouldn’t back down.

Instead, he threatened the nobles that if they continued to oppose, he would make Ber a count instead of a viscount.

Granting titles was solely the Emperor’s prerogative.

The nobles could voice their opinions, but they had no decision-making power.

When it seemed like Ber might really become a count, the nobles had no choice but to back down.

Thus Ber went from baron to viscount, and when Leilah heard the news, she was happier than anyone and congratulated Ber.

“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

“Yes, I’ve been well. Except for the new guys causing trouble.”

After Leilah quit, Hes had hired several more aides to fill her vacancy and the shortage of manpower.

They must have been people Hes carefully selected, but Ber seemed displeased with them as he grumbled.

“They’re just not used to the work yet, so please look after them well, Viscount Delonde.”

“That’s why I’m being patient. But if they’re still like this later, then I’ll have to cut them without mercy.”

Leilah knew well that even though Ber spoke so harshly, his heart was actually very warm.

“What brings you here?”

“I’m trying to look up some tax reports submitted from various domains.”

“For that, it would be faster to ask the Ministry of Finance for the documents.”

“That would be true if I only needed to look at this year’s. I need to look at previous ones too, and I also want to learn about the domains.”

“Domains? Ah, are you referring to the domain His Majesty the Emperor is granting to you, Countess?”

Leilah’s eyes widened.

“You know about it?”

“You mustn’t forget that I’m His Majesty the Emperor’s aide, Countess.”

Ber smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, His Majesty seemed to want to proceed secretly, but since I’m with him almost all day, I end up knowing everything His Majesty does even if I don’t want to.”

“Ah. That’s a bit embarrassing.”

“What do you have to be embarrassed about, Countess?”

As Ber spoke, he scanned the bookshelf and pulled out a file to hand to Leilah. It was this year’s tax reports from various domains.

“Thank you.”

“Not at all. By the way, have you decided which domain you’ll choose?”

Leilah let out a small sigh and shook her head.

“Not yet. I need to decide quickly and tell His Majesty, but it’s not easy. That’s why I’m trying to look up some materials.”

“Then shall I give you some materials I have? I have something that briefly summarizes the domains owned by the Imperial Court.”

“May I look at it?”

“Of course. It’s just materials that you can find anyway, organized for my convenience. You’re welcome to look at it anytime.”

Even so, he might not want to show others materials he worked hard to organize, but seeing him readily bring it up showed that Ber was indeed kind.

“Thank you, Baron Delonde.”

“Not at all. Then I’ll go back and send you the materials through a court attendant.”

“No. I’ll come get them myself.”

Although there were still documents she needed to find, it was proper etiquette to receive such valuable materials in person.

And since she wanted to visit the aide’s office after a long time, Leilah headed to the aide’s office with Ber.

* * *

Since the inner palace was where the imperial family resided, one needed permission in advance to enter, but Leilah was an exception.

Not because she was the chancellor, but because she was the wife of Kalian, the former emperor.

Although she lived outside the imperial palace with the status of a countess, she was still technically part of the imperial family.

When she opened the familiar door and entered, she saw a familiar scene. The other aides were nowhere to be seen, having gone somewhere.

‘It really has been a long time.’

She had often gone to the Emperor’s office to meet Hes, but this was her first time in the aide’s office since becoming chancellor.

As Leilah briefly indulged in nostalgia while scanning the aide’s office, her gaze suddenly fell on Ber’s desk.

Ber’s desk still had documents piled up like a mountain. The water cup placed beside them looked precarious.

Thinking it would be terrible if the documents collapsed and knocked over the cup, Leilah approached with the intention of just moving the cup.

“Huh?”

Then she saw a letter envelope tucked between the books.

If her eyes and memory weren’t mistaken, the crest stamped in the sealing wax was the Andrian family crest.

‘Could it be a letter Diane sent?’

As far as she knew, Diane was the only person in the Andrian family who could use that crest.

So that letter was definitely sent by Diane.

‘Why did Diane send a letter to Viscount Delonde?’

If it were for diplomatic matters, she would have stamped it with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Imperial Court seal.

But stamping it with the Andrian family crest meant it was a letter sent for personal reasons.

Leilah suddenly remembered that Diane had shown interest in Ber.

Could it be that the two of them…?

“What are you looking at…!”

Ber, who belatedly discovered what Leilah was looking at, startled in shock and shoved the letter envelope between the pages of a book.

“….”

“….”

An awkward silence flowed between Leilah and Ber.

Ber couldn’t look directly at Leilah’s face and kept his head deeply bowed. His earlobe, glimpsed briefly, was red.

Seeing that sight, her suspicion gradually hardened into certainty.

“Baron, you and Diane….”

“We’re nothing to each other!”

She had only mentioned Diane’s name, yet Ber fluttered about and rattled off facts she hadn’t even asked about.

“Count Andrian just sent me a letter saying he had something to ask me. He’s coming to the capital soon and was curious about what would be good, so I replied that hot springs were nice, and then he said he wanted to try the hot springs….”

Unlike his usual self, Ber’s words were also rambling incoherently.

Ber also seemed to realize something was strange after babbling for a while and closed his mouth.

“Baron Delond.”

When Leilah called him, Ber shook his head vigorously and spoke again.

“We really are nothing to each other. We haven’t exchanged letters in a long time either.”

“That means you did exchange them before?”

“….”

Ber, hit right on target, closed his mouth again.

Ber repeatedly clenched and unclenched his hands with his head deeply bowed, as if not knowing what to do, then glanced at Leilah.

Leilah’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“So you did exchange letters with Diane before?”

“….”

“And this time when Diane comes, you promised to meet, right? Are you really sure you’re nothing to each other? After exchanging letters like this?”

Ber’s expression darkened at the barrage of questions.

He ruffled his hair roughly and let out consecutive sighs, then soon dropped his shoulders as if resigned and pleaded with Leilah.

“Please don’t tell His Excellency or the others.”

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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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