I Won’t Pick Up The T*ash I Threw Away Again - Chapter 48

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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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#48

Kalian returned about 30 minutes later.

Kalian didn’t ask me anything, but I felt embarrassed to look at his face for some reason, so I just stared down at my teacup.

“I’ve been thinking this for a while, but Princess seems to like teacups.”

It was a random comment. Not knowing what he meant by such words, I looked at him, and Kalian added,

“There’s a person in front of you, but you keep staring at the teacup, so I was wondering.”

“Ah.”

If Kalian was saying such things, I must have been staring at the teacup quite a lot.

Oh no. I’m not even a young child just learning etiquette, so why do I keep making these basic mistakes?

I politely clasped my hands together and apologized.

“I apologize, Your Majesty.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for.”

Kalian smiled mischievously and stroked his chin.

“It’s my fault.”

“Pardon?”

“Since I’m less attractive than a teacup, you’re not looking at me, right?”

What absurd words.

It seemed like Kalian was having some strange misunderstanding, so I hastily denied it.

“N-no! Your Majesty is sufficiently attractive!”

“I know.”

“…”

He accepted it as if it were so obvious that I was rather flustered. I didn’t know what to say.

When I stared at him blankly, Kalian laughed out loud cheerfully.

“Haha, Princess seems weak to this kind of joke.”

Ah, it was a joke.

I failed to notice that and showed a foolish reaction.

“I see, a jo…”

“Well, I was stating facts though.”

I was at a loss for words again.

“So what brings you here at such an early hour?”

Kalian asked while personally refilling the empty teacup.

“Perhaps you don’t like where you’re staying?”

“No. I really like it. Thank you for lending me such a wonderful manor.”

“Lending, is it.”

Kalian smiled slightly and picked up his teacup.

“Right. I’m glad you like it. Then what’s the matter?”

“Yesterday I heard from Baron Delrond that things are very busy. So I wondered if there was anything I could help with…”

“Are you saying you came to work as an advisor right now?”

When I nodded, Kalian looked at me with bewildered eyes.

“I’m sure I told you to rest for a week and recover from your journey?”

“I’ve recovered sufficiently from the journey.”

“So you’re saying to give you work right now.”

When I nodded, Kalian shrugged his shoulders.

“Princess is a workaholic.”

So he doesn’t like it?

Fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case as Kalian nodded.

“Well, fine. Ber has been whining and it was getting tiresome, so if you’ll help, there’s no reason to refuse.”

“Thank you.”

“I should be the one thanking you. Thanks to Princess, I’ll be able to reduce my workload.”

Kalian’s eyes curved pleasantly.

“Just so you know, once you start, you can’t quit.”

He elegantly picked up his teacup.

“Even if you want to rest later, you won’t be able to rest until the next vacation.”

“That’s fine.”

I preferred working to resting and doing nothing. Only then could I feel that I was truly alive.

I didn’t want to become a completely useless human being.

“Then I’ll start working right away.”

“You’re overflowing with enthusiasm. I hope that enthusiasm lasts long.”

When Kalian put down his teacup and rang the bell on the table, an elderly-looking attendant entered.

“I haven’t even had breakfast yet. Have you eaten, Princess?”

“No. I usually don’t eat breakfast…”

“Then let’s eat breakfast together.”

“Pardon?”

Breakfast alone with the Emperor.

Just thinking about it made my heart pound and my mind go completely blank.

“Rahel, prepare breakfast.”

Before I could mention that I usually don’t eat breakfast, Kalian gave orders to the attendant, Rahel.

I wanted to refuse even now, but I had no proper excuse.

If I had known this would happen, I should have said I already ate breakfast.

After Rahel left, Kalian stood up from his seat.

Since the Emperor had stood up, I couldn’t remain seated, so I hurriedly stood up as well.

Kalian smiled and extended his hand to me.

“Princess is a lady before being an advisor, so I’d like to escort you to the dining room. Would that be alright?”

When he was offering to escort me, I couldn’t say I wouldn’t go now.

“…It would be an honor.”

I forced the corners of my mouth up and gently placed my hand on Kalian’s extended hand.

* * *

Among the etiquette that aristocrats learn, dining etiquette was considered the most important.

If you made a mistake here, it would be irreversible. You’d be branded as an uneducated person. I absolutely couldn’t make a mistake.

I sat in the chair that the attendant pulled out for me, recalling the dining etiquette I had learned when I was too young to remember.

Then I belatedly realized that this seat was right next to Kalian and opened my eyes wide.

It’s not like there were no other seats, so why here of all places?

I was certain that if I ate here, I would definitely get indigestion.

“I’ll take a different seat…”

-Click.

I was about to say I wanted to move to a different seat when I heard the sound of a door opening.

When I unconsciously turned my head, I saw Baron Delrond shuffling in like a zombie.

Whether he had spent the night at the Imperial Palace, he was wearing the same clothes as yesterday and looked disheveled.

His face was gaunt with dark circles that reached down to his nose. His eyes were full of sleepiness.

“Huh.”

Baron Delrond stopped mid-entrance and stared at me intently, then rubbed his eyes.

“I must be seeing things because I didn’t sleep.”

“What nonsense are you suddenly spouting?”

Kalian, seated at the head of the table, asked indifferently.

Ber rubbed his eyes again and then looked at me.

“I’m really seeing things…”

…Could the “thing” Baron Delrond is talking about be referring to me?

Kalian must have thought the same, as he frowned slightly and scolded the baron.

“To call someone who clearly exists before you a phantom.”

“Oh?”

Only then realizing that I was a real person and not an illusion, the baron’s eyes widened.

“Why is Princess Tebesa here…?”

“She came to work, apparently.”

“…Really?”

When Kalian nodded, the baron’s mouth opened wide. His eyes, now free of drowsiness, sparkled like stars.

The baron strode over to where I was and firmly grasped my hand.

“Let’s go to work right away.”

From his expression, it seemed we needed to go immediately, so I half-rose from my seat.

“Sit.”

But only briefly – at Kalian’s command, I pressed my half-raised bottom back onto the chair.

I glanced at Kalian cautiously, but the baron did not.

He looked at Kalian with dissatisfaction and said.

“She came to help with work, so I was going to take her along. Why are you stopping me?”

“Because she needs to eat breakfast first.”

“Ah, right. Breakfast.”

His face, which had been sparkling brightly, became dejected again.

“We’re all doing this to make a living, so we need to eat. Yes, we need to eat to work.”

The baron muttered to himself and sat to Kalian’s left, which was across from me.

Seeing Baron Delrond sit there, it seemed this was his usual spot.

Come to think of it, with such a wide space and so few people, it would look ridiculous to sit spread apart.

Once the baron was seated, the attendants brought out the food.

Soup made with oatmeal, warm freshly-baked bread with butter. A salad with fresh vegetables, tomatoes, and salmon on top.

It was a light meal suitable for breakfast.

“Eat.”

When Kalian began his meal, Baron Delrond also picked up his utensils.

Familiar with such occasions, the baron ate calmly.

“By the way, Princess Alton sent another love letter to His Majesty.”

While doing so, they exchanged conversation unrelated to work.

“Her feelings for His Imperial Majesty were quite passionate.”

“You read the contents on your own again.”

“Should I not read them from now on?”

“No.”

Kalian replied indifferently while drinking water.

“It’s better to dirty your eyes than mine, so continue doing so.”

“Wow, that’s too much. My eyes are precious too.”

Is this… the usual atmosphere for meals?

I had also eaten with assistants a few times when working at the Williot Duchy, but the atmosphere wasn’t this casual.

We maintained strict formality and ate in a rigid atmosphere.

The only conversation throughout the meal was about work.

Eating in such an atmosphere always gave me indigestion.

Not wanting to show such behavior from the first day, I barely ate and just picked at my salad.

“Princess Tebesa, is the meal not to your liking?”

When attention suddenly focused on me, I looked at the baron while holding my fork.

“It’s because you’re talking about useless things.”

At Kalian’s words, Baron Delrond made an aggrieved expression and retorted.

“What did I say that was so wrong?”

Kalian didn’t answer and placed appetizing bread on my plate.

“Eat.”

“How uncharacteristically attentive of you.”

When Baron Delrond spoke as if incredulous, Kalian’s eyes curved languidly.

“You seem envious?”

“As if.”

“Right.”

Kalian picked up two pieces of bread and placed them on Baron Delrond’s plate, answering affectionately.

“If you were envious, you should have said so earlier. I would have taken care of you too.”

Baron Delrond muttered with a face like he’d seen a ghost.

“His Majesty’s voice just now will probably haunt my dreams.”

“A good dream. Make sure to buy a lottery ticket.”

“I should just keep my mouth shut.”

Baron Delrond grumbled and picked up the bread to eat.

I also picked up the bread Kalian had given me.

I wasn’t particularly inclined to eat it, but I couldn’t refuse when the Emperor offered it.

I had picked it up to eat, but when I actually thought about eating it, I sighed involuntarily.

Seeing me hesitate while holding the bread, Baron Delrond said.

“If you don’t want to eat it, you don’t have to.”

Is that… really okay?

I glanced at Kalian cautiously.

Kalian, whose eyes met mine for a moment, nodded.

“I wasn’t forcing you, so if you don’t want to eat it, you don’t have to.”

“…No, I’ll eat it gratefully.”

Though he said it wasn’t forced, I still felt I should eat it, so I tore the bread into small pieces and put it in my mouth.

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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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