I Won’t Pick Up The T*ash I Threw Away Again - Chapter 262

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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

Kalian stubbornly called painters to have Leo’s portrait painted.

The number of painters he called was a whopping 7. It seemed he had called all the famous painters in the capital.

“Can I take one when all the portraits are finished?”

“Oh, me too…”

“No.”

When Kalian refused sharply, Diane quietly lowered her half-raised hand.

“Why not!”

Unlike Diane who gave up immediately, the Duchess protested strongly to Kalian.

“You’re having so many portraits painted, you could give us just one!”

“They’re all painted by different people. The poses are subtly different too. So I need to collect them all.”

“How petty! You already have so many portraits!”

As the Duchess said, he had as many as 39 portraits of Leo in his collection.

Adding the 7 painted today would make it 46.

Since they were all painted on large canvases with nowhere proper to put them, he had cleared out the basement storage and was keeping them there.

“Absolutely not.”

More would accumulate in the future, so it would be fine to share some with those around him, but Kalian stubbornly insisted to the end.

“Fine! I’ll call a painter myself and have them paint Leo’s portrait!”

At Esramel’s declaration of war, Kalian chuckled and crossed his arms.

“Who’s going to give you permission to use my son as a model?”

“Brother, you know you’re really petty, right?”

“Well. I’m not sure about that.”

I was watching them bicker like cats and dogs while sitting on the sofa drinking tea, when Diane quietly sat down next to me.

“Shouldn’t we stop them?”

And she asked in a voice small enough for only me to hear.

“It’s fine. They’re doing this because they get along well.”

“Fighting like that means they get along well?”

“Yes. If they didn’t get along, they wouldn’t even have fights like that. They’d ignore or despise each other.”

“Leilah…”

Diane looked at me with pitying eyes, her eyes moistening.

She seemed to have noticed that it was an answer born from experience.

“It’s okay.”

“But…”

“It’s really okay. Don’t worry about that and try this cookie. The Duchess baked it herself and it’s really delicious.”

“Yes, yes. Please give me some. I’ll eat them all.”

While Diane and I ate cookies and had casual conversation, the argument between Kalian and the Duchess ended.

“Fine! I’m going back!”

In the end, the winner was Kalian.

When the Duchess couldn’t overcome her rising anger and stomped out of the drawing room, Kalian clicked his tongue.

“I don’t know who she takes after to have such a bad personality.”

I think I know.

“It’s just one portrait, you could have just given it to her.”

“It’s just one portrait now.”

When Kalian sat on the sofa across from me, the butler placed a teacup in front of him.

“Later she’ll demand something more excessive. So it’s better to nip it in the bud early.”

“I see.”

I thought that no matter how excessive the Duchess’s demands might be, how excessive could they really be, but since she was his family, I let him do as he wanted.

There wasn’t much I could do about it anyway.

Kalian picked up his teacup and spoke to Diane.

“You witnessed something unpleasant on our first meeting. I apologize.”

“Not at all, Your Majesty. Oh, and thank you for allowing me to stay at the manor.”

“You don’t need to thank me. This manor belongs to Leilah.”

After finishing his tea, Kalian left the drawing room, saying he would give us space to talk comfortably.

“Watching just now, I realized anew that His Majesty really loves Leilah very much.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes, I’m really envious. I want to be loved like that by someone I love too.”

Knowing that person was Count Delonde, I just smiled without saying anything.

As we chatted about various things, night had deepened before we knew it. Diane checked the time and stood up.

“I’d like to talk with Leilah more, but it’s late so I should go to bed now.”

“I can stay up a bit later.”

“But isn’t His Majesty waiting in the bedroom?”

That’s true… I suppose.

“We can continue our unfinished conversation tomorrow, so don’t make me seem like an inconsiderate person and go quickly. I’ll head to the bedroom too.”

“Alright.”

After parting with Diane, I headed straight to the couple’s bedroom.

Although I had a private bedroom, I had only used it once since marrying Kalian.

It was shortly after my maternity leave ended and I had started working as Prime Minister.

Since it was my first time as Prime Minister, I couldn’t adapt to the work immediately and struggled for quite a while.

Because of this, my work kept piling up and I reached a situation where I had to work until dawn.

So I worked until 2 AM and then headed to my private bedroom.

I went to the private bedroom instead of the couple’s bedroom because I didn’t want to wake Kalian who would be sleeping soundly.

He was sensitive to sounds and would wake up if someone rustled even a little next to him.

I slept in the private bedroom with that in mind, but the next morning Kalian was very disappointed and said this:

“Unless it’s an unavoidable situation where you have to stay out overnight, I’d like you to always sleep next to me, Leilah. When I open my eyes in the morning, I want to see your face first.”

After that day, even if I worked until dawn, I always went to the couple’s bedroom when it was time to sleep.

The couple’s bedroom was at the end of the 2nd floor left corridor.

When I entered, Kalian, who had been sitting on the bed playing with Leo, looked at me.

“You’re here.”

“Kyaa-.”

Leo also seemed to welcome me, clenching his cute little hands and reaching them toward me.

When I smiled and reached out my hand, Leo grasped my finger with his small hand.

“He has quite a grip now.”

Before, he would just wrap around my finger, but now I could definitely feel him gripping.

It meant Leo had grown that much.

“Our Leo has grown so much.”

Very pleased by this fact, I picked up Leo and kissed his chubby cheeks that were like a squirrel’s cheek pouches.

Kalian smiled proudly and said.

“If you hold him upright, he tries to stand on his own and puts weight on his legs, but this is nothing.”

“Really?”

“Yes. He’ll start talking soon too.”

The thought of Leo talking made me smile.

“I hope he says ‘mama’ first.”

“I told you ‘papa’ will be first.”

I let out a small laugh at this childish fight that wouldn’t end until Leo started talking.

Secretly hoping I would be the winner of that fight, hoping I could properly beat Kalian just once.

* * *

The sweet three-day vacation ended in an instant.

I still had many things I wanted to show Diane and wished I could take more time off, but there was too much work to do.

It was a busy time with less than a month left until the New Year Festival, so I couldn’t take any more vacation days.

On top of that, I would be taking another vacation next week for the hot springs, so even though I was reluctant, I had to go to work today.

Fortunately, Diane understood without feeling disappointed.

“If Diane needs anything, support her with whatever she asks for.”

“Yes, Count.”

I was giving the butler various instructions so Diane wouldn’t be bored while I was away, when Diane appeared from the other end of the hallway.

“You’re up early.”

“I’ve gotten used to waking up at this time.”

Despite saying that, her half-closed eyes were still heavy with sleep.

“Are you going to work now?”

“Yes. I was just about to leave.”

“Really?”

Diane glanced at the butler. It seemed she had something important to tell me, so I dismissed the butler.

“Do you have something to tell me?”

“Yes, this.”

What Diane carefully held out was a letter envelope.

“Could you deliver this letter to Count Delonde?”

“To Count Delonde?”

“Yes. Oh, of course I know it’s troublesome to ask this when you’re going to work… but I have no one else to ask but Leilah. Please, I’m asking you.”

“Hmm, alright.”

Though there was something that bothered me, the request itself wasn’t difficult, so I readily accepted the letter.

“Thank you, Leilah. Please make sure to deliver it to Count Delonde…”

Diane suddenly trailed off and spun around.

Then she quickly disappeared down the hallway without another word.

Why is she suddenly acting like that?

“My dear.”

I was puzzled, but soon I heard Kalian’s voice from behind me and understood Diane’s reaction.

Kalian naturally embraced me from behind and kissed the top of my head.

“You said you were going to work, so what are you doing here?”

“I was having a brief conversation with Diane.”

“Hmm, really?”

Kalian’s gaze fell on the letter Diane had given me.

“What’s that?”

“It’s nothing.”

The relationship between Count Delonde and Diane was still a secret.

Especially since both of them had earnestly begged me to keep it hidden from Kalian, I quietly tucked the letter into my bag and kissed Kalian’s cheek.

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

Kalian glanced at my bag with a suspicious look, then kissed my cheek.

“Have a good day.”

* * *

As soon as I arrived at work, I received reports from the attendants about what had happened while I was away.

Then, after handling the urgent matters first, I went to the Emperor’s Office to report to the Emperor.

However, the Emperor was still receiving a report from the Minister of Accounting.

“It looks like their discussion is wrapping up, so he should come out soon.”

“Really?”

Then in the meantime, I should deliver Diane’s letter to Count Delonde.

I turned my steps and entered the Aide’s Office right next door.

Count Delonde was alone in the aide’s office. It was perfect timing to hand over the letter.

“Count?”

Count Delonde, who had been sitting at his desk working, saw me and approached.

“What brings you here?”

“This.”

I held out Diane’s letter to Count Delonde.

“Diane asked me to deliver this to you.”

Count Delonde’s expression subtly hardened upon receiving the letter. His face didn’t look welcoming of Diane’s letter.

“…”

Count Delonde stared at Diane’s letter for a moment, then handed it back to me.

“I’m sorry, but please tell Viscount Andrian that I cannot accept the letter.”

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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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