I Won’t Pick Up The T*ash I Threw Away Again - Chapter 61

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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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#61

I had eaten with Kalian several times before, but we had never eaten alone together.

Baron Delrond had always been with us, but not today.

Since Baron Delrond hadn’t come to work yet, I ate breakfast alone with Kalian.

The fact that I was alone with him felt burdensome. It was even more burdensome because of what happened last night.

At least it was fortunate that he didn’t ask about yesterday’s incident…

Still, wishing Baron Delrond were here, I picked up some bread while glancing at Kalian’s empty left seat.

Perhaps seeing my gaze, Kalian asked while drinking wine.

“You seem to miss Ber, don’t you?”

“Pardon? No. I don’t.”

“Not really. You’ve been looking at Ber’s seat throughout the meal.”

Had I? I didn’t think I looked that many times.

Feeling unnecessarily embarrassed, I tore at the innocent bread.

Kalian picked up his wine glass and spoke again.

“Is a man like Ber your type?”

…What is he talking about now?

When I looked at him in confusion at his sudden words, Kalian smiled mischievously.

“You were staring at Ber’s seat so longingly, so I thought I’d ask just in case.”

Ah, he’s teasing me.

According to rumors, Kalian rarely smiled, was rough, and had a fierce personality that mercilessly cut down anything that displeased him.

But the Kalian I actually met wasn’t like that. He smiled often, and his personality was quite gentle, all things considered.

He had made several mistakes, yet showed the tolerance to forgive them generously.

Moreover, he was so mischievous that I had fallen for his pranks several times already.

I shouldn’t fall for it this time.

He probably keeps teasing me because I keep falling for it.

I quickly composed my expression and answered calmly.

“If Baron Delrond were my type, would Your Majesty personally play matchmaker?”

“…What?”

Kalian asked as if dumbfounded.

“Are you serious, Leilah? Do you seriously like men like Ber?”

Of course not. Not that Baron Delrond wasn’t my type of man, but to be precise, I didn’t have a type of man.

I had gotten engaged to Fillen and entered the Williot Duchy before such values could form.

Of course, there were men I disliked.

For example…

“Leilah.”

The sound of fingers snapping brought me back to attention.

Oh no. I was lost in other thoughts again.

I was about to hurriedly apologize when Kalian spoke faster.

“Seeing you think so seriously about it, you really do like men like Ber.

…Huh? What is he talking about?

“I’m telling you this for your sake, but give up on Ber. Ber isn’t as good a man as you think.”

Kalian’s misunderstanding continued.

“Unlike his appearance, he has a bad personality and has gloomy aspects too.”

Is that so.

“Not only that, he doesn’t wash well either.”

“He seemed quite neat to me.”

“That’s just his appearance. Inside, he’s completely black.”

Kalian firmly denied it.

“Most importantly, Ber and you don’t suit each other.”

“Am I lacking compared to the Baron?”

Kalian frowned.

“Why is the conversation going that way?”

“Isn’t it?”

“No. Ber is endlessly lacking compared to you.”

By what standard is he saying such things?

I was about to ask out of curiosity when someone knocked and entered.

It was Count Hiltain. Count Hiltain, who made eye contact with me, bowed in greeting.

I also nodded to acknowledge Count Hiltain’s greeting.

Then Kalian looked at me with slight surprise.

Why is he doing that?

“What’s the matter?”

Hiltain approached Kalian and whispered in his ear.

His voice was so quiet that even I, who was nearby, couldn’t hear it.

“Is that so?”

Kalian’s eyes flashed ominously. A cold smile played around his lips.

Seeing that face, his nickname suddenly came to mind.

The Emperor of Slaughter.

…I guess there’s no smoke without fire.

Kalian put down the utensils he was holding.

Rather than placing them on the plate, he set them down neatly beside it, indicating he had finished eating.

When I also put down my utensils, Kalian wiped his mouth with a napkin and said.

“You can eat more if you want.”

“I’m fine.”

It wasn’t just politeness – I was really full.

I had just been pretending to eat because Kalian hadn’t put down his utensils.

“Then I’ll head home now.”

Before going, I should stop by the study to pick up the work I couldn’t finish.

Thinking that, I stood up from my seat, but Kalian waved his hand.

“Wait. I’ll go with you.”

Surely he doesn’t mean he’ll come to the study with me.

“If you’re thinking of taking me home, I can go by myself. If you could just lend me a carriage…”

“I am taking you home, but I’m not going out because of you, so you don’t need to decline so much.”

Kalian smiled slightly.

“Your house is just on the way, so we’re going together.”

So that was the reason.

Embarrassed at having jumped to the wrong conclusion, I lowered my head.

“Then shall we go.”

Kalian stood up from his seat and strode away.

I followed behind him and asked.

“Um, then may I stop by the study before we go?”

“I’ll allow it if you’re gathering your belongings, but not documents.”

I was about to say I needed to go collect documents when I flinched and stopped.

Kalian, who had also stopped, frowned and looked at me.

“It seems you heard my words to rest in vain?”

“N-no, I didn’t.”

“Not really.”

Kalian snorted.

“Otherwise, you wouldn’t dare think of taking documents home when I told you to rest at home.”

“I was planning to work after resting well…”

“Rejected.”

Kalian said firmly and turned around.

“I’ll have the maids bring it. You’re coming out with me right away.”

Kalian turned his body as if he wouldn’t listen to my answer and walked away.

I hurriedly followed behind him.

After waiting outside for a moment, an attendant brought out two ordinary brown horses.

Horses instead of a carriage?

I looked back at Kalian in confusion.

“I apologize, Your Majesty. I still don’t know how to ride.”

“I know.”

Hilltain mounted one of the prepared horses.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“Kyaa!”

Kalian suddenly grabbed my waist and lifted me up onto the horse.

To lift a person up so easily like that.

“It must have been heavy for you.”

When I expressed my admiration, Kalian, who had climbed up behind me, chuckled.

“Heavy? You’re too light. Are you eating properly?”

“I am eating.”

“But to be this light. I can’t believe it.”

Kalian reached forward from behind to grab the horse’s reins.

Because of this, I naturally ended up in his embrace, which made me stiffen slightly in embarrassment.

His body pressed against my back kept drawing my attention.

“I’ll have to order your meals to be prepared with high calories from now on.”

“Then my body will become heavy and it’ll be hard to move around.”

“It’s fine. You can afford to gain some weight.”

Kalian answered nonchalantly and spurred his horse.

Hilltain followed behind Kalian who was riding at a light pace.

When we almost reached the castle gate, Kalian asked me as if he had just remembered.

“Where is your house?”

* * *

“The young lady has already left for work.”

Work when it wasn’t even 8 o’clock yet?

He couldn’t believe it. Fillen frowned and asked the maid whose face was familiar but whose name he didn’t know.

“Has Leilah really already left for work?”

“Yes.”

In fact, she had left for work yesterday and hadn’t returned yet, but Sara lied calmly without batting an eye.

And since Leilah usually left for work at 7 o’clock, it wasn’t a complete lie either.

Having no way of knowing this fact, Fillen let out an irritated sigh and ran his hand through his hair.

He wanted to confirm the truth behind the rumors as soon as possible, but it was frustrating that Leilah wasn’t there.

Should I go to the Imperial Palace right now?

No. Even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to enter the inner palace where Leilah works.

Even a duke needed permission from the imperial family to enter the inner palace where the royals resided.

There’s no choice. I’ll have to wait until Leilah gets off work.

“When does Leilah get off work?”

“I don’t know.”

He had thought she would get off work by 7 o’clock at the latest, but the answer he received was absurd.

“Does that mean there’s no set time for getting off work?”

“I’m not sure about that either. I only know that it’s always different.”

“Then I’ll come back in the evening.”

After informing Sara and leaving the house, Fillen didn’t immediately mount his horse but took a good look around Leilah’s house.

The manor with climbing roses entwined on the outer walls was quite cozy and pretty, but it was too shabby a house for Duke Williot’s fiancée to live in.

‘She’s determined to damage my reputation.’

When I meet Leilah, I’ll have to deal with the house situation first.

No wait, is there a need for that?

She’ll be returning to the domain with me anyway.

Fillen stared at Leilah’s house for a while before mounting his horse.

He had come on horseback instead of by carriage because he was eager to meet Leilah quickly. He hadn’t brought any guards either.

When he turned the corner to head to the duchy mansion.

“This is it.”

A familiar voice came from beyond the alley.

This voice… Leilah?

Fillen unconsciously dismounted and hid behind a wall, looking toward where the voice had come from.

A pair of man and woman were riding on an ordinary brown horse.

The man who had been riding behind dismounted and extended his hand toward the woman.

“Get down.”

That man was Kalian.

“Thank you.”

The woman was Leilah.

Leilah took Kalian’s hand and gracefully dismounted from the horse.

Kalian looked at Leilah with a deliberately stern expression and said.

“I’ll say it once more, absolutely don’t think about working. Today you’re going to rest properly.”

“Yes.”

“You always answer well.”

In his eyes, the atmosphere flowing between Kalian and Leilah was not ordinary.

They didn’t simply look like an emperor and the aide who served him. They seemed to have a deeper relationship.

For example, like lovers…

‘Has she really become the Emperor’s mistress?’

He had never heard of an emperor who would ride on the same horse with a mere aide and escort her all the way home.

Fillen clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh and drew blood without him noticing.

Blood from the torn skin dripped onto the ground.

At that moment, Kalian turned his head to look at the alley where Fillen was hiding.

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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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