I Won’t Pick Up The T*ash I Threw Away Again - Chapter 35

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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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#35

Lord, she called me.

Of course, there were often cases where young children mistook me and called me lord, but hearing such words in front of Fillen left me flustered.

It was even more so because Fillen was looking at me with a rigidly stiff expression.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not the lord.”

I hurriedly explained to the child, worried that Fillen might get the wrong idea.

“The person behind you is the lord.”

I made sure to imprint that Fillen was the lord too.

When the child turned around, Fillen smiled gently as if he had never been stiff.

“No.”

However, the child shook her head vigorously and looked at me again.

“The lord is this person. The lord has been taking care of us all this time.”

“That’s…”

I wondered if this young child would understand if I explained that I had acted as a substitute while Fillen was away.

While I was pondering how to explain it more simply, a woman came running urgently from the distance.

“I’m, I’m sorry!”

The woman embraced the child and hurriedly apologized to me and Fillen.

“This child is still young and doesn’t know anything. If she made any mistake, please be lenient!”

“She didn’t make any mistake.”

It would be better not to mention that she mistook who the lord was.

“Rather, it seems like the child has something she wants us to help with…”

“Stop.”

Fillen cut off my words and suddenly interjected into the conversation.

“Princess must be tired from the inspection, so it would be better to return to the carriage and rest.”

I’m not particularly tired though.

“I, as the lord, will handle the remaining matters.”

It wasn’t my imagination that the word “lord” seemed to be emphasized.

…He must have been quite displeased about being mistaken for not being the lord.

Well, I would have felt the same way. Understanding his feelings completely, I returned to the carriage.

A while later, when Fillen returned, his expression was still not good.

“Did things not go well?”

When I asked out of concern, Fillen turned his head away curtly.

“It’s none of your business.”

It was the opposite situation from earlier.

When we departed, I had avoided conversation with him, but this time he was avoiding conversation with me.

“Fine.”

Not feeling the need to continue the conversation with him, I closed my mouth.

Fillen glanced at me with dissatisfaction once, but I ignored it.

While we engaged in our silent battle, the carriage arrived at our final destination, the riverbank.

“Welcome, Your Grace. Miss.”

The officials who had been waiting greeted us warmly.

After Fillen lightly nodded in acknowledgment of their greeting, he turned to me.

“You must be tired from going around all day, so Princess may rest in the carriage for a while.”

It sounded like he was being considerate of me, but he wasn’t.

He was driving me away with nice-sounding words, worried that I might interfere with domain affairs.

From what I could see, the riverbank repairs seemed to be going well, and there was no reason to stay when he disliked it.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

I obediently accepted his suggestion and climbed back into the carriage.

Thanks to bringing a book in case something like this happened, I was able to spend time without being bored.

By the time I had started from chapter 1 and almost finished chapter 2, Fillen returned.

I closed the book I was reading and asked him with a smile. Since there were no watching eyes, I spoke casually.

“Did it go well?”

“Of course. They did exactly as I instructed.”

Fillen answered with an extremely proud expression.

It seems to have gone very well. I completely shook off the last bit of anxiety that remained.

“Were you reading?”

“Yeah. The management exam isn’t far off.”

At my words, Fillen’s eyebrows tilted slightly.

“I have something to say about our wedding preparations.”

…That topic again.

Since we had to get married, I couldn’t avoid it, but given our previous exchanges on this matter, it wasn’t welcome.

I looked at Fillen with heightened tension.

“Speak.”

“As you said, asking Sisly doesn’t seem good in many ways, so I’m not going to do that.”

How unusual that he listened to what I said.

The moment I loosened the tightly wound string of tension a bit, Fillen spat out another absurd statement.

“So I called Countess Tebesa.”

Countess Tebesa.

It felt like avoiding a demon only to encounter a vicious beast.

Countess Tebesa was better than Sisly, but that didn’t make it good. I disliked both.

Unlike Sisly, Countess Tebesa didn’t threaten my position, so I only thought she was somewhat better.

But to entrust the wedding preparations to Countess Tebesa was absurd.

“Your expression doesn’t look good.”

When I looked at him with a displeased face, Fillen chuckled and leaned back against the seat.

“I did as you wanted and entrusted it to Countess Tebesa, so why are you making that face?”

“…I wanted that?”

“Yes. You said before that you’d rather entrust it to Countess Tebesa than to Sisly.”

I certainly did say that, but I only said it to make it clear that I disliked entrusting it to Sisly.

I didn’t really mean that I wanted to entrust it to Countess Tebesa.

No matter how oblivious Fillen was, he wasn’t such a fool that he couldn’t notice something like this.

I could tell just by looking at his crooked smile.

That he had done this on purpose to mess with me.

What a childish prank this was. It was so absurd that I couldn’t even manage a hollow laugh.

It seemed Fillen wanted me to apologize for that day’s incident and come crawling back.

It was a ridiculous thought. I had not even the slightest intention of moving according to his thoughts.

“Fine.”

That was the last pride remaining to me, who had nothing.

“Let’s entrust it to Countess Tebesa.”

The smoothly raised corner of his mouth returned to its original trajectory and hardened stiffly.

Fillen glared at me with coldly chilled eyes.

As if anyone would be scared of that.

I wasn’t intimidated at all and calmly smiled while meeting his gaze.

“Why are you looking at me like that?

“…Do you really not know why I’m acting this way?”

No. I know very well. I know so well that it’s the problem.

“Yeah. I don’t know.”

“Ha.”

Fillen scoffed and raised his eyebrows. His face was covered with dissatisfaction.

Unable to control his emotions like that, how does he plan to manage social circle life in the future?

“Sisly said something like this before.”

That woman’s story again.

I told him how much I disliked it, so he should stop, but he really had no sense.

Or maybe he just had no consideration for me.

“You’re not oblivious, you’re just pretending to be oblivious.”

“So?”

“Aside from that, don’t you have something to say to me?”

“What? Do you want me to make excuses saying it wasn’t me?”

His silence seemed to confirm that was the right answer.

That fact was even more absurd, so I let out a small laugh.

“If I make excuses saying it wasn’t me, would you believe my words instead of that woman’s?”

“I don’t know about that.”

“Well, I know.”

I firmly denied Fillen’s words.

“The fact that you’re saying such things to me in the first place means you don’t believe my words. Isn’t that right?”

Though I said this, I actually hoped he would say no.

Even if not to the extent of saying he trusted me, I hoped he would at least confirm that he didn’t unconditionally believe that woman’s words.

Thud, bang-!

Fillen cruelly didn’t fulfill my wish and got out of the carriage.

* * *

Since the domain inspection was over, there was no reason to stay in the domain any longer.

“Sara, we’ll leave for the capital as soon as dawn breaks tomorrow, so get ready.”

“Yes, Miss.”

After Sara left to prepare, I was sitting on the couch reading a book when the butler came to see me.

“Miss, are you going to the capital tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

At my answer, the butler made a troubled expression.

Why is he acting like that?

“Is something wrong?”

“Countess Tebesa said she would come tomorrow to prepare for the wedding.”

“The Count… no, mother?”

“Yes. The Duke said he would tell you, but didn’t he say anything?”

I nodded lightly in confirmation. The butler let out a low sigh and spoke respectfully.

“It would be rude to suddenly tell someone who’s coming not to come, and there isn’t much time, so I dare to ask – would it be possible to delay your schedule just a little?”

Hmm, what should I do.

Time wasn’t abundant, but when he spoke so politely, it was difficult to refuse firmly.

Moreover, it wasn’t just any matter but my wedding preparations. It wouldn’t make sense for me, the person involved, to be absent.

Should I listen to what they have to say first and then decide?

“How much would I need to delay the schedule?”

“About two days should be sufficient.”

There were only about two weeks left until the management exam.

Excluding the time to go up to the capital, I had about 10 days of free time.

It should be fine to subtract about two days from that.

After finishing the schedule calculation in my head, I nodded.

“I’ll do that.”

* * *

Ber and the scholars had to work overtime for a whole week preparing for the management exam.

It was all because of Kalian, who was unnecessarily picky.

While not doing it himself, he gave so many instructions like “do this, do that” that they had to endure wanting to overturn everything and leave several times.

If he was going to nitpick that much, the words “then you do it yourself” came to their throats hundreds of times.

Still, they felt good when the results turned out well.

Kalian was also satisfied.

Now that they had finished making all the exam questions, they were about to go home.

“Where are you going?”

Kalian blocked their way. Ber stepped forward on behalf of the confused scholars.

“The work is done, so we’re going home.”

“You can’t go.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I said you can’t go.”

A sinister smile appeared on Kalian’s lips.

“Just in case the exam questions get leaked. So you’ll stay in the Imperial Palace until the management exam is over.”

“Wait, hold on…”

What kind of bullshit is this!

Ber gaped in confusion. The scholars’ reactions weren’t much different.

“I’ll guarantee comfortable beds and delicious meals.”

When Kalian clapped his hands, servants appeared as if they had been waiting and grabbed their arms from both sides.

Ber, whose arms were similarly grabbed by servants, screamed out.

“This is confinement! Confinement!”

“Confinement? What hurtful words you use.”

Kalian smiled brightly.

“I’m worried you might receive bribes from other aristocrats who took the exam, so I’m trying to protect you.”

“We don’t need…”

“I need it.”

When Kalian clapped again, the servants quickly disappeared, dragging the scholars away.

The scholars, who realized Kalian’s resolve was firm, were dragged away quietly, but Ber was different.

“I want to go home!”

Ber’s desperate cry echoed miserably through the hallway.

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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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