Don’t Pick Up The Trash Once Thrown Away - Chapter 123

“Of course, so that something like this does not happen again…”

 

“What are you going to do to prevent that?”

 

Kalian cut Leila’s words and asked again as if arguing.

 

Leila stuttered.

 

“Always be careful of my manners…”

 

“Does that mean you weren’t careful of your manners in front of Aldor Hutton?”

 

“…no.”

 

“Then did you give Aldor Hutton any room?”

 

It wasn’t that either. Leila didn’t give Aldor Hutton any room, rather, she pushed him away by putting up walls as much as she could.

 

It’s just that it didn’t work properly, and so, that accident happened.

 

“What else can you do other than that?”

 

Right. What else can I do other than that?

 

Leila, who was losing words, shut her mouth.

 

Kalian continued.

 

“It’s good that you don’t overestimate yourself, lower yourself, and be humble all the time, but Leila, you tend to humble yourself too much.”

 

Kalian stood crookedly with his arms folded, looking at Leila. His blue eyes were full of displeasure.

 

“To be honest, your behavior like that is frustrating. It’s cumbersome and annoying.”

 

“…”

 

“And if there’s something you want to say, you can just say it confidently, what are you so afraid of?”

 

Once his mouth opened, it poured out a series of complaints he had for Leila.

 

“On top of that, you tend to try to solve everything on your own too much. It would have been easier if you had asked me for help with Duke Williot’s matter, but you were risking yourself instead.”

 

There was nothing more to say about this matter as Leila did a great job in solving that, but complaints were still complaints.

 

“I wonder if you don’t trust me.”

 

“N, no!”

 

Her lips, which had been tightly closed like a seashell, opened up at the pouring complaints.

 

“I trust you, Your Majesty!”

 

“If you say you trust me only in words, who will believe you? You have to show it in action.”

 

Her open lips closed again.

 

“It’s good to try to solve things on your own without relying on others. But if it’s something beyond your ability, you need to know how to rely on others. There are so many people around to help you.”

 

Her long eyelashes trembled, and then fell down. Her exposed earlobe was slightly red.

 

“I want you to know that doing that makes people around you more worried.”

 

Leila lowered her head. Her shoulders drooped down.

 

Am I too much? 

 

Only then did Kalian realize that he was too much and checked Leila’s condition.

 

He didn’t know what kind of expression she was making as she lowered her head, but she didn’t look good.

 

Of course, she would. She heard him nagging after all.

 

He didn’t mean to say this in the first place, but when she spoke as if she was the one who did wrong even when she was the victim, he got emotional, and the words just poured out.

 

“…sorry.”

 

Kalian belatedly rectified the situation. He knew it was too late, but it was better than doing nothing.

 

“I didn’t mean to say this… I’m sorry.”

 

Leila looked up.

 

He thought she would look like she was about to cry at any moment or look furious, but unexpectedly, she was smiling lightly.

 

“No. You are right about everything.”

 

For some reason, it felt scarier for her to just admit it than to get angry.

 

He was sorry to look straight into her eyes, so Kalian avoided her gaze.

 

“Not everything is right. There’s something I exaggerated.”

 

He thought this was not enough, so he added.

 

“Saying that it is cumbersome and annoying is an exaggeration. I just thought it was a little annoying a few times.”

 

Doesn’t that mean the same?  

 

Kalian paused, thinking it was strange even if it came out from his own mouth.

 

The gap between his eyebrows sharply narrowed.

 

He was thinking he should relieve Leila’s mood, but he didn’t know what to say.

 

Should I compliment her now?

 

No. That’s too obvious.

 

Kalian’s jaw clenched. He felt this situation was more difficult than the noble conference.

 

Contrary to Kalian’s worries, Leila was not offended at all. Rather, she was grateful that Kalian told her his thoughts and pointed out her problems.

 

Trying to solve things on her own without others’ help was a habit she developed when she was at the Count of Thebesa.

 

Even if she wanted to ask for help, she had no choice but to solve everything on her own because no one would help her. And eventually, she took it as something natural.

 

That’s why she did so, she didn’t know Kalian was thinking like that.

 

Well, she would have been the same if she was in his shoes. Leila fully understood Kalian’s feelings.

 

I have to be careful from now on.

 

Leila vowed to herself. She placed her hand on her chest and lowered her head slightly.

 

“Your Majesty, may I go back now?”

 

“…I still have something to say.”

 

Kalian picked up the document on the desk and handed it to her.

 

Leila politely took it with both hands.

 

“This is the document Duke Williot sent to me. He wants to punish the fallen princess.”

 

If it were general spoils, Kalian wouldn’t care about how Philen handled it, but Cecily was the spoil he gave to Philen himself. In addition, since she was a princess of a fallen kingdom, the consent of the emperor, Kalian, was needed to punish her.

 

Kalian wouldn’t tell Leila if that was all, but the problem was that Leila was also the victim of this case.

 

To punish Cecily, Leila’s consent was also needed. If Leila wanted to, the punishment could be increased by a few steps.

 

Leila’s expression darkened as she received the document. Her black eyes carefully read the contents of the document.

 

After reading, Leila sighed and spoke as if to herself.

 

“The Duke demanded the death penalty.”

 

“It’s because she had done such a huge fraud against the Duke. She was also trying to poison Baron Aster.”

 

Clearly, what Cecily had done deserved the death penalty, but even so, she was the woman he once made love with and gave affection to.

 

Philen’s resolute determination to immediately demand the death penalty without any mercy made Kalian click his tongue.

 

Well, if Philen hadn’t demanded the death penalty, he would have done it here.

 

“There is no punishment greater than the death penalty, so it is impossible to increase the level, but it can be added.”

 

For example, 100 flogs before being executed or tortured.

 

“Do you want to add punishment?”

 

Leila thought for a moment, then shook her head.

 

“No.”

 

As expected, she doesn’t want to, huh?

 

The moment Kalian clicked his tongue as if it was a pity.

 

“Rather than adding the punishment, I wish Cecily Heliode would be sentenced to toil punishment instead of death.”

 

“…what?”

 

And then, Leila said an absurd thing.

 

*****

 

The death penalty was the greatest punishment set by the laws of the Empire. Because death took everything away. Everything included pain and suffering.

 

“I don’t want Cecily Heliode to have a peaceful rest with death.”

 

As I remembered what Cecily had done, anger filled me. Especially, the fact that she killed Misa was absolutely unforgivable. I wanted that woman to be in pain as much as I and Misa were.

 

“I want that woman to suffer and toil for the rest of her life. I think the Aobis Coal Mine in the north would be a good place.”

 

Aobis Coal Mine.

 

It was considered the worst place to work because of the bad weather and poor environment and was the place where bad criminals worked.

 

The thought of Cecily going to such a place and suffering seemed to ease my unpleasant feeling a little bit.

 

I want you to suffer there for the rest of your life.

 

“I want it to be it, so… is it possible to change the punishment?”

 

Would Philen follow my suggestion? I was worried.

 

“Pfft.”

 

Kalian, who was silently listening to me, burst into small laughter.

 

Why is he laughing?

 

I stared at him silently with a smile, implying that I didn’t understand.

 

After a while, Kalian stopped laughing and looked down at me, still with a smiling face.

 

“Leila, I didn’t expect you to say that. It’s surprising.”

 

Surpri… sing?

 

“And rather than asking if it’s possible, you should have asked for it.”

 

“Yes?”

 

When I asked what he meant by that, Kalian smiled and took the document I was holding.

 

“You seem to have forgotten who I am.”

 

I couldn’t have forgotten… Ah, I see. That’s what he meant, huh? 

 

Only then did I understand what Kalian was trying to say. I politely put my hands together and lowered my head.

 

“Your Majesty, please change the punishment of Cecily Heliode from death to toil punishment.”

 

I didn’t have the power to change Philen’s decision, but Kalian had it. Because he was an emperor. He had a higher position than Philen.

 

“Haha.”

 

Kalian nodded with a smile as if he was very satisfied.

 

“I should. Of course, I will.”

 

Kalian stood there and wrote something on a piece of paper.

 

Looking at it briefly, I saw he wrote about the punishment to be given to Cecily. Then, I also saw the word ‘Aobis Coal Mine’.

 

He’s really changing it.

 

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting it, but I was very happy that it actually came true.

 

Misa, are you watching?

 

That woman will be punished severely!

 

Kalian stamped the emperor’s seal on the bottom of the paper, put it in an envelope, and rang the bell. Then Rahel came in as if he had been waiting.

 

Kalian held out the envelope to Rahel and said,

 

“Send this to Duke Williot right away.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

Rahel went out with the envelope, and Kalian looked back at me with smiling eyes.

 

“I need to raise the medical standards of the Aobis Coal Mine then.”

 

Why medical standards all of sudden?

 

“Because it would be a big deal if that woman died before she could suffer properly.”

 

Ah, such a deep meaning!

 

Indeed, the Aobis Coal Mine was a place that even men couldn’t endure, so there was no way Cecily, who never did hard work all her life, could endure it.

 

“Please do that.”

 

Cecily, I’m so sorry I can’t see your face that was in pain and suffering.

 

I hope that you will live a long life and suffer more.