I Won’t Pick Up The T*ash I Threw Away Again - Chapter 271

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

#4

Generally speaking, a honeymoon was meant to be taken intimately by a couple alone—that was the standard and the charm of it.

However, couples with children were an exception.

No matter how many people there were to take care of the child, it couldn’t be comfortable to go off and have fun leaving the child alone.

Kalian also felt uneasy about leaving his young son, who was only 4 years old, alone, so he had planned to take him along.

That would complicate things in various ways, like having to bring someone to take care of Leo, but they were parents before they were a couple, so it couldn’t be helped.

Going together would likely put both Leilah and myself at ease.

“…So we’ll probably be away from home for about 3 weeks, or at most a month. Do you want to come with us?”

Kalian asked Leo while explaining the situation, wanting to hear his opinion.

Actually, asking for Leo’s opinion was largely meant as a backup plan.

If Leilah got angry to the point where it would be difficult to appease her alone, he planned to present the backup of ‘Leo also wanted to go on the trip together’ to calm her down.

But there was something Kalian hadn’t considered.

“No. I’ll stay home.”

It was that Leo was different from other children his age.

He had naturally assumed Leo would want to come along, but he said he’d stay home.

Kalian looked at Leo with slight bewilderment at this completely unexpected answer.

Regardless, Leo was reading a book.

What is he looking at so intently?

Kalian leaned forward slightly to check the book’s title.

[What is Life?]

“…”

What did I just see?

Kalian doubted his own eyes and checked the book title again.

But no matter how many times he checked, the title remained the same.

A 4-year-old child reading a philosophy book that even adults would find difficult.

No matter how mature Leo was compared to his peers, this was impossible.

Kalian crossed his arms and asked.

“Are you reading it while understanding the content?”

Only then did Leo look up, answering with somewhat incredulous eyes.

“Of course I’m reading it while understanding it. When I finish this, I’m going to read the philosophy books by Essai that Mother recommended.”

“…Leilah recommended that to you?”

“Yes. When I asked Mother which philosopher she liked, she recommended a philosopher named Essai.”

“…”

Kalian unconsciously touched his furrowed brow.

He was certain that Leilah never dreamed Leo would read philosophy books and had purely mentioned her favorite philosopher.

Seeing Kalian’s expression, Leo closed his book.

“If you don’t like me reading philosophy books, I’ll stop.”

“…It’s not that I don’t like it.”

Right. It wasn’t that he didn’t like it.

He was just a little bewildered.

Usually, children that age were learning the Imperial language, so they read picture books or fairy tales, but philosophy books.

Of course, since Leilah liked philosophy books, he might have been influenced by that, but this seemed a bit much.

“Father?”

…Well, it probably didn’t matter either way.

Whatever kind of child Leo was, the fact that he was his and Leilah’s precious son wouldn’t change.

“So, the conclusion is you don’t want to go on the trip together?”

Kalian brought the conversation back to its original track after it had briefly derailed due to his confusion.

Leo nodded.

“Why don’t you want to come along?”

“Because it’s a honeymoon.”

Leo answered as if asking why he would ask something so obvious.

“It’s not just any trip, it’s a honeymoon. I don’t want to be the tactless child who intrudes on that.”

Is my son 14 years old instead of 4?

“So please go on your honeymoon intimately, just the two of you, Mother and Father.”

While Kalian was briefly contemplating, Leo continued speaking.

“If you’re worried about leaving me alone, you could leave me with His Majesty the Emperor or my aunt.”

“…”

Kalian suddenly knelt down to Leo’s eye level, grasped both of his son’s shoulders, and asked.

“Leo. How old are you this year?”

“…”

Leo looked at Kalian as if somewhat bewildered, then soon furrowed his eyebrows and asked back.

“Don’t you know your own son’s age?”

“Of course I know.”

“Then why are you asking?”

Because no matter how I look at it, you don’t seem like a 4-year-old.

Both Kalian and Leilah had matured earlier than their peers, but that was in order to survive.

If they had acted like children, they might not have seen tomorrow’s sun, so they had no choice but to become adults early.

But Leo was different.

He didn’t need to cower to survive, nor did he need to watch others’ reactions.

He could act spoiled like a child, so why had he matured so early?

Kalian smiled bitterly, feeling like it was somehow his fault, and patted Leo’s head.

“I’m grateful that you’re thinking of Leilah and me, but you don’t need to think only of us. If you want to go, you can come with us.”

Leo thought for a moment, then parted his small lips.

“The trip is fine, but please grant me one request instead.”

“What request?”

“A sibling.”

His jet-black eyes, which looked exactly like Leilah’s, sparkled innocently.

“Please make me a sibling too.”

“…”

However, Kalian subtly avoided Leo’s gaze.

Since Leo rarely made requests first, he wanted to grant them when possible, but this was difficult.

Because he had no intention of having more children.

More precisely, he didn’t want to make Leilah suffer.

He had vividly witnessed how much she suffered when giving birth to Leo, so there was no way he’d want that.

That’s why he had gently refused even when Leilah subtly brought up talk of a second child, but he never expected to hear the same thing from his son.

“If a sibling is born this time, it will be a little sister.”

Kalian, who had been about to firmly refuse, closed his mouth at the additional words.

Meeting his slightly wavering deep blue eyes, Leo smiled brightly and said.

“A very cute and lovely little sister who looks exactly like Mother.”

Instantly, the image of a cute daughter who looked exactly like Leilah appeared in Kalian’s mind.

Even the scene of that daughter calling him ‘Daddy’ and running to hug him.

“…”

For a moment, Kalian’s expression became serious.

This time, Leo grasped Kalian’s shoulders firmly with his small, chubby hands and asked.

“Father, you want to have a daughter who resembles Mother too, don’t you?”

* * *

The salty sea breeze swept through his dark navy hair.

Kalian stood leaning against the deck railing, gazing down at the nighttime sea that held sparkling stars, and muttered.

“No matter how I think about it, I feel like I’ve been tricked…”

At the time, he had been tempted by the possibility of seeing a pretty daughter who resembled Leilah, so he ended up promising Leo that he would give him a sibling.

He realized belatedly that he had done something ridiculous, but it was already spilled milk.

If he said he couldn’t do it now, Leo would surely be greatly disappointed, and Kalian also wanted to see a daughter who was the spitting image of Leilah.

If a daughter who truly resembled Leilah were born…

“…She would really be pretty.”

“Hm? What would?”

When he heard a familiar voice, Kalian turned around.

The woman he loved most in the world was standing before him.

“Leilah.”

Kalian smiled brightly and spread both arms toward Leilah.

Then Leilah, blushing slightly as if a bit embarrassed, obediently came into Kalian’s embrace.

“Are you done with your work?”

After dinner, Leilah had said there was something she needed to check and spread out books and notes.

Was she going to work even in a place like this?

Kalian was dumbfounded, but since he had committed a sin, he couldn’t say anything.

Instead, he quietly stepped aside so Leilah could concentrate.

Leilah nodded and looked up at Kalian.

“Yes. Because of me, you had to stay outside until such a late hour… I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what? I was out here because I wanted to be.”

Kalian brushed back Leilah’s disheveled hair and asked.

“What kind of work were you doing?”

“Oh, it wasn’t really work. I found out there were some differences from what I had researched, so I was checking on them.”

“What was different?”

“Things like climate, customs, stuff like that. Since we’re going all the way to a foreign country, it would be terrible if problems arose, so I looked into it so we could prepare in advance.”

Leilah had initially thought she was going to the Kingdom of Natsha as a consultant, so it was natural for her to research the Kingdom of Natsha in advance.

But even after learning it was a honeymoon, she continued researching and checking incorrect information.

It was fascinating yet so like her.

Kalian let out a small laugh and pulled Leilah’s waist into his arms.

“My wife has quite a thorough personality.”

Leilah blushed slightly and buried her face in his broad chest.

“Don’t tease me.”

“I’m not teasing, I’m being sincere. I like that personality of yours.”

As if to show that he wasn’t joking but being sincere, Kalian kissed her head countless times.

His lips moved past her round forehead, down her high nose bridge, and came down to around her lips as he whispered in a low voice.

“I love you, Leilah.”

At the sweet confession of love, her long eyelashes trembled.

Leilah smiled, capturing Kalian’s handsome features in her slightly moist eyes.

“I love you too.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————