I Won’t Pick Up The T*ash I Threw Away Again - Chapter 74
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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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#74
Baron Delrond stared behind me and said.
“There’s a wasp behind you, Princess.”
A wasp?
“H-how is there a wasp in the Imperial Palace…?”
“I’m not sure about that, but seeing there are several of them, there seems to be a wasp nest nearby.”
So there were that many wasps? I swallowed nervously.
Since a wasp sting could be fatal, I stayed perfectly still while holding my breath.
Baron Delrond was doing the same.
A suffocating tension filled the air.
Since I couldn’t see the wasps from my position, I waited for the Baron to give me a signal.
How long had we been like that?
“You two, what are you doing?”
A voice suddenly interrupted. It was Kalian.
“Well, well.”
Kalian raised the corner of his mouth crookedly and looked at me and Baron Delrond.
“You two, since when have you had that kind of relationship?”
That kind of relationship?
“I don’t intend to interfere whether you two are dating or not, but please refrain from romantic displays in public places.”
R-romantic!
My mouth fell open at the absurd misunderstanding.
Baron Delrond also looked at Kalian as if he found it ridiculous.
“It’s not like that.”
Kalian snorted.
“Not like that? When you’re standing so close together.”
Ah, he misunderstood because of this.
I was about to explain the misunderstanding when Baron Delrond spoke before me.
“This was because of those wasps.”
Only then noticing the wasps, Kalian frowned slightly.
“Why are there wasps inside the Imperial Palace?”
“You should ask the gardener about that, not me.”
“That’s true.”
Kalian flicked his finger. Then I heard the sound of something falling with a thud.
“Thank you.”
Right after that, Baron Delrond briefly expressed his thanks and let me go.
It seemed Kalian had used some special method to drive away the wasps.
“Ber, go find the gardener and tell them to deal with the wasps, and Leilah, I have something to discuss with you, so follow me.”
“Yes.”
I had something I wanted to ask Baron Delrond, but I’d have to ask him next time.
I parted ways with Baron Delrond and followed behind Kalian.
Kalian didn’t say a word the entire way to the study.
“You really have nothing going on, right?”
Then as soon as we entered the study, he suddenly asked.
I understood his words a beat late and shook my head in surprise.
“What? Absolutely not.”
Kalian looked me over with suspicious eyes.
“Really?”
“Really. We were only like that because of the wasps.”
“Right, the wasps. There were wasps there.”
Kalian muttered to himself, then held out a small piece of paper from his desk.
“It’s your pay statement. It includes next month’s as well, so you can take it to the treasurer anytime and they’ll pay you.”
I had been curious about how salary payments would work, so this is how it’s done.
“Thank you.”
I politely received the statement.
I should exchange this later.
It would be terrible if I exchanged it early and then lost it.
“And this report.”
What Kalian picked up was the report about the childcare institution.
“I reviewed it yesterday and have a few questions. Do you have some time?”
Of course I had time. That was partly why I came early.
“Please go ahead and ask.”
I completely forgot about what happened earlier and had an animated discussion with Kalian about the report.
* * *
Even after Leilah left, people continued talking about her.
Especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she had visited, was the most bustling.
“What on earth is that Princess thinking?”
“Exactly. Does she really think she’s the Emperor’s assistant?”
Their mouths moved incessantly, sharing gossip about Leilah.
“But about diplomatic negotiations? What was she trying to report to His Lordship the Marquis?”
At one official’s sudden remark, everyone’s gaze turned to the documents Leilah had left behind.
Dillon was already reading those documents. His face showed no particular interest.
“Chief Assistant, what’s written in the documents?”
“Useless content.”
Dillon tossed the documents to the official without even finishing reading them.
“Throw it away.”
“What? But that Princess asked us to deliver it to His Lordship the Marquis…”
“I just told you, didn’t I? That it’s useless content. If we give something like this to His Lordship the Marquis, he’ll only get angry.”
True enough. The official agreed with Dillon’s words and put the documents into the waste paper collection box.
* * *
After discussing various things about the proposal with Kalian, it was already time to leave.
Kalian clicked his tongue when he checked the time.
“I kept you here too long.”
“Not at all.”
“You need to go to the treasurer’s office too, so let’s stop here.”
I had planned to go to the treasurer’s office later when I returned, but since I needed to stop by the study to gather my things, I agreed.
“How do you feel about leaving the capital soon?”
“Still… it feels surreal.”
Even though I had packed my things, it still didn’t feel real that I had joined the diplomatic envoy.
“An honest answer.”
Kalian smiled and stood up from his seat.
“You can forget everything else, but remember just one thing.”
Something to remember?
“That you’re participating in the diplomatic envoy as the Emperor’s representative.”
Ah, right. I was the Emperor’s representative.
This wasn’t the time to be spacing out in a daze. Suddenly, I felt the weight on both my shoulders.
I steadied my restless heart and nodded.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“That said, you don’t need to be so tense.”
Kalian smiled and patted my shoulder.
“I believe you’ll do well.”
He probably said that to ease my tension, but unfortunately, it made me even more nervous.
If I showed that, Kalian would surely tell me again not to feel burdened, so I forced myself to smile calmly and nodded.
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Before that, there’s one thing I’d like to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Will this work proceed even without me?”
At my words, Kalian looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Do you want the childcare institution project to proceed while you’re away? Then you might not receive credit for it, you know?”
“I understand.”
Usually when a project started, the person who first supervised it received the credit.
So if the project began while I was away, no matter how hard I had prepared, there was a high chance I wouldn’t receive recognition for my efforts.
It would be a lie to say I wasn’t disappointed at all, but I had no intention of being greedy.
I didn’t want children to suffer more because of my greed.
I simply hoped the childcare institution project would be completed as soon as possible so those poor children could be saved quickly.
“So I would be grateful if you could proceed with it.”
* * *
A large diplomatic envoy led by Leilah departed from the Imperial Palace.
After personally seeing them off and returning to the Imperial Palace, Kalian suddenly stopped.
“Hiltain.”
At his call, Hiltain quietly emerged from the shadows.
“Follow Leilah.”
Kalian commanded with his back turned to him.
“Don’t reveal yourself, just quietly protect her.”
Ber, who had come to see Kalian, waited for a moment while Kalian and Hiltain were talking.
“In the envoy, she is essentially me. So anyone who tries to harm her, whether aristocrat or royalty, you may execute immediately.”
“Yes.”
After Hiltain answered that he would do so, he disappeared back into the shadows.
Right after that, Ber approached from behind Kalian and asked.
“Sending Count Hiltain, I see. You must be very worried about Count Tebesa.”
Only then noticing Ber’s arrival, Kalian glanced at him sideways and started walking again.
Ber followed behind him and said.
“If you were that worried, there was a way to not send her.”
“It was her decision.”
“You probably guided her to make that decision.”
If Kalian had just said one word telling her not to go.
No, if he had rejected Duke Giltian’s proposal during the meeting, she wouldn’t have joined the diplomatic envoy.
“But you didn’t do that because you want Count Tebesa to become a Baron as soon as possible, right?”
“Why are you asking when you already know?”
Kalian replied curtly and entered the study.
Ber, who had followed him there, placed the documents he was carrying on the desk.
“Today’s reports end with this. If there’s nothing else you need me to do, I’ll take my leave now.”
The war hero matters were finished, and the diplomatic envoy had departed.
There was still the bereaved families issue, but that had been transferred to the relevant department, so there was nothing for him to do immediately.
So today he should go home and sleep soundly. Maybe take a hot bath too.
“Ber. Proceed with this immediately.”
But Ber’s modest dream was shattered when Kalian handed him documents.
Ber glared at Kalian with dark circles extending down to his chin and protested.
“Your Majesty, I’ve been working all night for two days without even going home.”
“So you’re saying you can’t do it?”
He thought saying this might earn him some mercy. But there was no change in him.
‘Even a demon would be kinder than this man.’
Ber sighed deeply inwardly and took the documents to skim through them.
It was a report about the childcare institution.
“Huh? I thought this was a project Count Tebesa was supposed to proceed with.”
“From today, you’ll proceed with it.”
Ber looked puzzled at the incomprehensible words.
“Then Count Tebesa’s efforts might not be recognized.”
“I know.”
“But you’re telling me to proceed with it?”
“Yes. Leilah wanted it that way.”
At Kalian’s answer, Ber looked at the report in surprise.
He could tell from the first page how much effort Leilah had put in.
But she said I could proceed with this?
“Did Count Tebesa really give permission? Why?”
Ber asked again, finding it hard to believe.
“She said she didn’t want children to suffer because the work was delayed on her account.”
Kalian relayed exactly what he had heard from Leilah.
“So proceed immediately.”
Actually, after checking the documents, he had planned to be a bit defiant and say this could be done later, but hearing those words made it impossible.
Oh well, whatever. I can sleep plenty when I’m dead.
Ber sighed inwardly and answered.
“Understood.”
“You may leave now.”
Ber was about to leave immediately at the dismissal, but something occurred to him and he turned back to Kalian.
“Come to think of it, Your Majesty, it’s been a long time since you’ve been to the Separate Palace, hasn’t it?”
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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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