I Won’t Pick Up The T*ash I Threw Away Again - Chapter 32

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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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#32

Smug? Who? Me?

“I never did that.”

“You just did.”

Fillen rubbed his face dryly and stood up from his seat.

“Let’s stop this pointless conversation here. I have a lot to do.”

Fillen let out a small sigh.

“I’m already busy with just the Duke’s work, but having to handle the Duchess’s duties too makes me so busy I can barely catch my breath.”

Of course he would be. I was the same way.

After working for a long time, I developed tricks that made it a bit easier, but since Fillen is doing it for the first time, it would be even harder for him.

“I haven’t even returned to the domain yet and it’s already like this, so I don’t want to imagine what it’ll be like when I go back to the domain.”

Fillen complained while looking at me. His eyes seemed to want me to say something.

What did he want me to say?

I pondered for a moment before offering an appropriate response.

“It must be very difficult. I’ll cheer you on, so work hard.”

Fillen frowned at my answer. It seemed it wasn’t the response he wanted.

“Is that all you have to say?”

“Then?”

When I looked at him as if to say he should speak up if he had something specific in mind, Fillen waved his hand dismissively.

“Never mind. I’ll be going now. There’s no point talking to a woman as clueless as you—it just tires me out.”

His words, full of thorns, were irritating.

But since continuing to argue with him would only result in my loss, I said nothing and turned away.

* * *

After parting with Leilah and returning to his room, Fillen sat down at his desk with an irritated sigh.

On the desk was a pile of documents he needed to review.

Even though he was working diligently, cutting into his sleep time to go through the papers, they showed no signs of decreasing.

The Duke’s work was at least manageable, but the problem was the Duchess’s duties.

Having to handle the household affairs and manage relationships with high-ranking nobles—tasks that should originally be done by the lady of the house—was starting to disgust him.

So he wanted to hand over at least the Duchess’s duties to Leilah.

But since he had said certain things before, he couldn’t bring himself to speak first and had been hinting at it indirectly.

If Leilah had just said she would help, he was planning to pretend to give in reluctantly, but she said such things instead.

He knew she was clueless about these matters, but he didn’t expect her to be this oblivious.

“What exactly is she good at?”

She had no tact, no charm, and wasn’t particularly pretty either.

He used to think she was good at work, but reviewing the rainy season documents confirmed that wasn’t the case either.

…Well, aside from that part, there didn’t seem to be any particular mistakes.

Leilah’s work efficiency was something even the advisors acknowledged.

So what? She talks back to everything I say and makes a fuss about taking some worthless administrative exam.

“…Really annoying.”

Just thinking about Leilah made his head throb and his chest feel tight.

Wanting some cold water, Fillen told a servant to bring him some.

A little later, it wasn’t a servant but Sisly who brought water with ice floating in it on a tray.

Fillen, who had been mindlessly shuffling through documents, immediately stood up upon seeing Sisly.

He quickly approached and took the tray and cup from Sisly.

“What if you fall doing such menial tasks when your body is already heavy?”

“This much is fine.”

“I’m not fine with it. Never do things like this again.”

“Even after I give birth?”

“Of course.”

Sisly smiled happily at Fillen’s answer.

Fillen first placed the cup and tray on the table, then personally escorted Sisly to the sofa.

Since Sisly had come, he couldn’t just drink water, so Fillen ordered a servant to bring delicious cookies and sweet tea.

“Have some cookies. I’ll just finish what I’m doing and then spend time with you.”

“Are you very busy?”

“A little. It’ll be done soon, so just wait a bit.”

Though he said that, Fillen couldn’t finish even by the time Sisly had finished her tea.

Sisly, tired of playing alone, approached Fillen’s side.

“Shall I help you?”

To hear from Sisly the words he had wanted to hear from Leilah.

The situation was so absurd it made him laugh.

“It’s fine. You haven’t lived in our domain, and you’re not even an imperial citizen, so this isn’t something you can help with.”

“Is that so.”

He had only stated facts, but when Sisly became gloomy, Fillen held her waist and seated her on his lap.

“Why are you so down?”

“Because I’m sad that I can’t be of any help when you’re struggling.”

“How sweet of you.”

Fillen chuckled lightly and gently pinched Sisly’s cheek.

If only Leilah resembled even half of Sisly.

Thinking of her made him sigh again.

While taking a brief break and chatting with Sisly about various things, the butler came with documents, saying it was urgent.

“Bring it here.”

Really, they can’t stand to see me rest even for a moment.

Fillen swallowed his irritation and checked the documents the butler had brought.

Meanwhile, Sisly glanced through the documents on the desk.

As Fillen had said, there was nothing a foreign princess like her could help with.

But this one…

“Fil!”

Sisly picked up one document and smiled brightly.

“I can help you with this one!”

* * *

I didn’t have much luggage to begin with, and since I was planning to return to the capital after just completing the inspection, I didn’t pack much. I only brought a few books.

I had set aside two of them to read during the journey to the domain and was heading to the carriage when I found Fillen standing in front of it.

“Why are you here?”

At my question, Fillen’s eyebrow rose slightly.

“Is there a problem with me being here?”

“I didn’t mean it that way. I was just asking because we’re about to depart but you hadn’t gotten in the carriage yet.”

“I was just about to get in. So please get in as well, Princess.”

Fillen personally opened the carriage door as he spoke.

It was an unfamiliar kindness. I awkwardly climbed into the carriage.

I had just sat down on the seat when I half-rose again as Fillen climbed into the carriage.

Why isn’t he taking the same carriage as Sisly and getting in here instead?

When I looked at him questioningly, Fillen sat down and said,

“I have something to discuss, so please sit down, Princess.”

Ah, so that’s it.

Finally understanding, I sat back down. Soon the carriage started moving with a jolt.

I thought he would just say what he needed to say and get off, but apparently not.

The thought of sitting face to face with him all the way to the domain felt suffocating.

Moreover, it was even more uncomfortable because Fillen wasn’t saying anything and just staring at me intently.

Should I be the one to break the ice first? Just as I was about to open my mouth, thinking that’s what he wanted, Fillen spoke with a serious expression.

“Since I said I would handle it, I tried to take responsibility for it on my own as much as possible.”

I swallowed the words I was about to say and listened carefully to Fillen’s words.

“But there are many other things to do, and this is difficult for me to handle directly in various ways. It doesn’t look good either.”

His words were long, but the point was one thing.

He’s asking for help.

It was a bit annoying that he was asking for help now after speaking so nastily, but what could I do.

Like it or not, he was my fiancé.

I didn’t want to argue over something like this unnecessarily, so I decided to accept.

“What kind of work is it?”

Was it domain business? Or duchy business?

“It’s about our wedding preparations.”

I, who had been trying to gauge which it was, was surprised by Fillen’s following words and opened my eyes wide.

Wedding preparations. I was flustered.

When I remained still with my eyes wide open, Fillen tilted his head.

“Why do you look like that? Don’t you want to marry me?”

I should have said “of course not” naturally, but for a moment, words wouldn’t come out as if a thorn was stuck in my throat.

When I didn’t answer and hesitated, Fillen looked at me with suspicious eyes.

“That can’t be.”

It would be troublesome if Fillen misunderstood for no reason, so I hurriedly opened my mouth.

There was still an uncomfortable feeling lingering somewhere in my heart, but I ignored it.

“I was just a little flustered because it was so sudden.”

“Sudden? I already told you at the party that I was going to marry you.”

He certainly did say that, but at the time, I thought it was just a childish act.

The actions Fillen showed after that were far from what you’d expect from someone who wanted to marry me.

So I had forgotten about it, but he brought it up first.

“I think it would be good to do it before winter comes, so the date would be October, and the location would be at Williot Estate.”

He’s even thought about the date and time.

If surprising people with every word was a talent, it was certainly a talent.

My heart, which had been surprised several times by Fillen’s words, was pounding.

“What do you think?”

“That’s fine.”

October was a bit rushed, but I gladly accepted.

Even if it was uncomfortable with Fillen, I wanted to quickly become Duchess Williot and find stability.

I couldn’t continue to remain in this unstable position as a fiancée.

…That way, I’d also have grounds to object to what Fillen says.

“Then as soon as we return to the domain, we’ll need to get dresses and tailcoats fitted. We’ll need to send out invitations too.”

“Pfft.”

…Why is he laughing?

When I stared at him due to his incomprehensible behavior, Fillen said with a smiling face.

“Leilah, you’re the bride. But you’re saying you’ll prepare the wedding yourself? People would laugh if they knew about this.”

“That’s… true.”

I nodded in agreement with Fillen’s words.

Usually, wedding preparations were customarily done by parents, or by the closest relatives when there were no parents.

There were hardly any cases where the parties getting married prepared it themselves.

“Then who will you ask? You’re not planning to ask Countess Tebesa, are you?”

Someone like her, who was conscious of others’ gazes and liked to show off, would gladly do it, but I didn’t want that.

I’d rather prepare it with my own hands and be laughed at by those around me.

When I asked cautiously, Fillen laughed lightly.

“I’m not that tactless.”

…Was that so?

Well, he also knew that the relationship between me and Countess Tebesa wasn’t good.

He also knew that she was my stepmother.

Anyway, if not Countess Tebesa, then who else was there?

“Then will you ask Mrs. Holst?

Countess Holst. She was the wife of Fillen’s cousin.

Even though they were cousins, they weren’t close and rarely interacted.

During the 10 years I spent at the duchy mansion after getting engaged to Fillen, I could count on one hand the number of times I saw her face.

However, among close relatives, she was the only one I could think of who could prepare the wedding instead.

That’s why I asked, but Fillen shook his head.

If not Mrs. Holst either, then who else was there?

“Sisly.”

I, who had been carefully retracing my memory to see if there was anyone among distant relatives who could help, paused at the name that suddenly came out.

“Sisly said she’d help.”

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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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