I Won’t Pick Up The T*ash I Threw Away Again - Chapter 7
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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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#7
Well, no matter how spacious the house was, it didn’t make sense that we’d never run into each other while living under the same roof.
There was a very high possibility of encountering each other by chance while passing by, just like now.
Blaming my foolish self for forgetting that fact, I looked at the woman standing in front of me.
Sunlight streaming through the window shattered brilliantly over her soft platinum hair.
Below it, her crescent moon-like beautifully curved eyes were captivating.
She must have had dresses tailored, yet she was wearing a simple dress without any special decorations.
For accessories, she only wore a necklace with a blue gem.
Even so, she was incredibly beautiful. So much so that I wouldn’t want to stand side by side with her.
I could suddenly understand why Fillen had fallen for her.
I unconsciously looked at the woman’s swollen belly. Her stomach was much bigger than when I first saw her. It must have been several months along.
Having never seen a pregnant person before, I couldn’t gauge it.
Sensing my gaze, the woman smiled faintly and caressed her belly.
“You can touch it if you want.”
“…I’m fine.”
Unless I had lost my mind, there was no way I would do such a thing.
When I flatly refused, the woman, Sisly, looked disappointed.
“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet.”
Sisly smiled faintly, grasped the hem of her skirt, and lightly bowed her head.
Every time she moved, the blue gem on her necklace swayed conspicuously.
“I’m Sisly Heliod.”
Heliod.
Wasn’t that the royal surname of the Physis Kingdom that the Empire had conquered recently?
If what the woman said was true, it meant she was a princess of the Physis Kingdom.
No, since the Physis Kingdom was gone, “was a princess” would be the correct expression.
In any case, the fact that she was an uncomfortable person to chat and smile with didn’t change.
I wanted to just ignore her and turn around, but it was difficult to ignore someone who was smiling and introducing herself like that.
I can’t help it. I swallowed my irritation and introduced myself.
“…I’m Leilah Tebesa.”
Briefly, like that.
Then Sisly looked at me with wide, blinking eyes as if flustered.
Her face showed she wanted me to do something more.
What was she hoping for? Could she possibly want me to thoughtfully ask about her and the baby’s condition?
If that was it, it was a futile expectation. I had no intention of doing that.
I didn’t wish for anything bad to happen to her and the baby, but I didn’t wish for them to be healthy either.
Having no interest at all would be the accurate expression.
I had introduced myself, so it should be fine to leave now.
Sisly looked like she had more to say, but I didn’t.
And I had no intention of listening to her story either.
So I was about to pass by when Sisly called out to me again.
“Princess Tebesa.”
Like that.
If Sisly were an ordinary royal from a foreign country, there would be no problem with her calling me Princess Tebesa.
But she was royalty from a fallen kingdom.
Was it right for such a person to call me Princess Tebesa?
Usually when a nation falls, royalty and nobles fall to commoner status or even lower.
So it was wrong for Sisly, who had been a princess, to call me Princess Tebesa.
It would be proper to politely call me Miss.
But there were exceptions to everything.
For example, if the kingdom had fallen but the Emperor recognized the legitimacy of that royal family.
Or if her mother was from another country and she inherited her mother’s status.
Given Sisly’s confident attitude, I couldn’t rule out such cases, so I fell into brief contemplation.
Asking directly would be the most certain and fastest way, but it was a sensitive matter, making it difficult to do so.
“Should we treat even a princess from a fallen kingdom like a princess?”
It was Sara who spoke up on my behalf.
I was flustered by Sara’s bold words, but at the same time felt relieved as if a troubling tooth had been pulled.
On the other hand, Sisly frowned slightly. She seemed displeased with what Sara had said.
Judging by her reaction, she seemed to belong to the exceptions.
Right, that’s why she confidently called me Princess Tebesa.
“I’m sorry.”
Since I couldn’t take back words already spoken, it was right to apologize quickly.
“My maid is ignorant about such matters and made a mistake. I’ll go back and scold her severely, so please overlook it just this once. Um…”
To call her Princess Heliod, her kingdom had fallen.
To call her Lady Heliod, she wasn’t a noble of the Empire.
She wasn’t a noble from another country either.
But I couldn’t just call her by name as if she were a maid.
“…Miss Heliod.”
After pondering what to call her, I found an appropriate compromise.
Perhaps not satisfied with my apology, Sisly continued to frown.
But having no intention of apologizing further, I turned around instead of saying more.
I could feel Sisly’s persistent gaze from behind, but I didn’t look back.
Because I didn’t want to continue conversing with her.
There was nothing worth talking about either.
So I ignored Sisly and headed to my room.
I walked quickly in case Sisly tried to stop me again, which made me slightly out of breath.
When I entered the room breathing heavily, Misa, who had been organizing the desk, looked at me with puzzled eyes.
“Miss, was someone chasing you?”
I sat on the sofa without answering.
Noticing that my mood wasn’t very good, Misa asked Sara.
“Did something happen outside?”
“Well…”
“Sara.”
I silenced her by calling Sara’s name.
Misa tactfully realized it was something unpleasant and didn’t pry further.
I leaned back on the sofa as if collapsing and closed my eyes tightly.
Misa observed my mood and then carefully called out to me.
“Um, Miss.”
For Misa to call me despite clearly knowing I was in a bad mood meant there was something important.
“Speak.”
“A little while ago, a letter arrived from Countess Tebesa.”
“…The Countess?”
Count Tebesa was my biological father, but the Countess wasn’t. She was only my legal mother.
Countess Tebesa had accepted me as her daughter to cover up her husband’s mistake, but that was all.
She thoroughly ignored and mistreated me. When she was in a bad mood or something went wrong, she would frequently resort to physical violence.
And yet she acted like a good mother in public, which was disgusting.
The biggest reason I wanted to escape that house somehow was precisely Countess Tebesa.
The second reason was her son and my stepbrother, Andant Tebesa.
Even now, when I closed my eyes, the events of that day came back vividly.
“Leilah, be good?”
The disgustingly thick smell of alcohol and those glinting eyes.
And….
“Miss?”
“Ah, sorry.”
What am I doing?
There’s nothing good that comes from recalling bad memories from the past.
I shook my head lightly to dispel the thoughts.
“You said a letter came from the Countess? Bring it to me.”
Misa quickly brought the letter, then stepped away with Sara.
It was their consideration so I could read the letter comfortably.
I tore open the envelope with a knife and took out the letter inside to read it.
The letter was filled with the usual unnecessary greetings and verbose flowery language, but there was only one main point.
She would visit the Williot Duchy tomorrow.
There was no reason written for why she was coming.
It did say she was coming because she missed me after a long time, but this was a blatant lie written with others’ eyes in mind.
Her wanting to see me?
The claim that the sun would rise from the west tomorrow would be more credible.
What should I do?
I didn’t particularly want to meet her, but I had no valid reason to tell her not to come.
I was also curious about why she was visiting.
As I briefly pondered whether to meet her or not, I looked at Misa.
“Misa, the Countess will be visiting the manor tomorrow.”
“Oh my, the Countess? We should prepare in advance.”
“There’s no need for that.”
“No, Miss. If the Countess is coming, we must prepare thoroughly.”
Misa went outside, saying she needed to prepare quickly.
After sending Sara out as well.
I was handling tasks I hadn’t finished when a maid urgently came looking for me with unexpected news.
“What did you just say?”
“That woman suddenly collapsed!”
That woman referred to Sisly.
She had seemed fine just earlier, yet she collapsed.
Though she wasn’t someone I liked, I was concerned.
It must be because that woman was carrying Fillen’s child.
“The doctor?”
“I heard he just arrived and is examining that woman. His Grace the Duke was also very surprised and rushed over.”
“Is that so?”
If Fillen went, then I didn’t need to go.
I didn’t want to go anyway.
I was continuing my work without concern when the door burst open without even a knock.
“Leilah!”
It was Fillen. He glared at me with a terrifying expression and continued speaking.
“What did you say to Sisly?”
As expected, I was right. I sighed deeply, half in resignation.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Don’t lie.”
Fillen sharply denied my words.
“If you didn’t say something, then why did Sisly collapse after meeting you?”
“That woman said that? That she collapsed from shock because of me?”
“No. Sisly hasn’t regained consciousness yet. The doctor said it was due to psychological shock. And Sisly’s maids testified that you met with Sisly today.”
“So? Did the maids say what I said to that woman?”
Apparently not, as Fillen closed his mouth.
Yet he came rushing over in a fury to vent his anger at me.
It was so absurd that I couldn’t even let out a bitter laugh. I was speechless.
“If anything happens to the child in Sisly’s womb, I won’t let it slide.”
Sparks flew in Fillen’s eyes as he looked at me.
“So be careful from now on, Leilah. Or you don’t know what I might do.”
Fillen made his threat with a fierce expression, then stormed out.
Only after hearing Fillen’s threat did I realize.
That Fillen’s feelings for Sisly were deeper than I had thought.
That I had been foolish to feel reassured that I wouldn’t lose my position as Duchess to Sisly.
That the end of this engagement might be a broken engagement rather than marriage.
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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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