I Won’t Pick Up The Trash I Threw Away Again

I thought there would be a talk about the orphanage's name after my surname and Kalian's coercion with reporters, but fortunately, it was quiet. Instead, another disturbing story was heard.

“I heard you're the empress to be.” 

Kalian said, giggling as if he was having fun.

“The people want you to become the empress. Leila, what do you think?”

His eyes looking at me were full of mischievousness.

I knew he'd ask too. 

I sighed inwardly and answered.

“I have already been teased enough, so please stop teasing me.”

"Hmm? Who else is teasing you other than me?”

“Baron Delrond and my servants.”

In particular, Sarah and Ness persistently tormented me. No matter how many times I said no, they didn't listen.

“I don’t know why on earth this rumor is circulating.”

When I said it in a troubled tone, Kalian replied with a smile.

“Because people like to talk. I don’t have an empress or empress (concubine), so they're even more excited about it.”

“Is that so?” 

"Yeah. So there's no need for you to worry about it. If you leave it unresponsive, they'll be tired of it, and it'll calm down by itself.”

"Yes, I understand."

Yeah, it wasn't only a day or two that people talked as they liked. So there's no need to worry about it.

I started reporting again, thinking that I should do my job well.

“The number of people who want to sponsor the childcare project continues to increase.”

I put the list of sponsors down on Kalian's desk.

“It’s too much to accept them all, so we will choose them in moderation.”

After checking the list, Kalian said firmly.

“All nobles below count are excluded. Because the ones below that are drooling over something they can get out of it.”

Drooling over? 

I looked at him, a little bewildered at his unimperial tones.

Kalian then looked at the other documents I had brought as if he didn't feel my gaze.

All of them were documents related to the childcare project.

“The number of children entering the orphanage has increased in just a few days, huh?”

"Yes. Not only children brought from the temples but also children who were wandering on the streets gathered at the orphanage. And…”

I let out a small sigh and continued. 

“The number of parents abandoning their children is also increasing, one after another.”    

It was hard for them to raise a child because they were so poor that they thought it was better for their child to be raised at the orphanage than to raise them themselves, etc. And so, they left their child in front of the orphanage for various reasons.  

"What should we do?" 

“What should we do? Well, we should send them all back. Because those children are not eligible to enter the orphanage.”

Only children under 16 without parents were allowed to enter the orphanage. Children that were abandoned by their parents were definitely not eligible for admission because their parents were still alive. So, as Kalian said, it was right to send them all back, but it wasn't as easy as it sounded. 

First of all, it wasn't easy to find who the parents who abandoned their children were, and… 

“Even if we send them back, there are cases where they will abandon them again.”

It was hard to abandon them the first time, but it was easy the second time.

“Even so, send them back.”     

Kalian's opinion stood firm like a tree rooted in the ground.

“We can punish those who do the same thing over and over again. I think flogging them 10 times will be okay. If they keep repeating it, we can increase it by 5 more each time.”

Flog?

“That is too much, Your Majesty.”

I said, flustered.

“If they commit a crime, they deserve to be punished, but there are people who have no choice but to commit it even if they don't want to.”

In this case… for example, the parents were too poor to raise their children.

“I wish you could consider their circumstances.”

“If you consider all those circumstances, you can’t establish a system, Leila.”

That's… right.

“And having children is their choice.”

Kalian smiled bitterly. 

“They shouldn't have given birth to a child if they can't take the responsibility."

It was heartless, but it wasn't wrong.

I also hated parents who gave birth to children without responsibility and neglected and abused them.

However…

“Still, I don’t think it’s good to give everyone a big punishment like flogging.”

Kalian stared at me. I looked straight into his eyes and continued slowly. 

“Most parents who leave their children in front of the orphanage are low-income families who cannot support them. It’s not that they really want to abandon their child.”

Will punishing such people and bringing their abandoned children back into their arms solve the problem? 

No, it will never work out. Rather, it will only build up defiance and dissatisfaction.

“So, rather than punishing, I think we need to solve the fundamental problem.”

“Fundamental problem…”

Kalian leaned against the backrest and crossed his legs.

“In short, you want to provide an environment where children can be raised.”

"Yes."

“Do you have anything in mind?”

“No, not yet…”

I couldn't believe I brought it up, yet didn't think of anything. 

How could I be this irresponsible?

“I apologize.”

“It's not something you need to apologize for.”

Kalian thought for a moment and then nodded.

"Alright. I'll discuss this with the relevant department.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

"No. Opinions are always welcome.”

When he finished saying that, knocks were heard. 

"Come in."

It was Rahel who opened the door and came in.

“What’s the matter?”

“Duchess Cloud is here.”

Ah, is it already lunchtime?

Today, Kalian was scheduled to have lunch with Duchess Cloud.

"Okay."

When Kalian stood up, Rahel picked up his coat and handed it to him.

“Then I’ll get going now. Let’s talk about the rest later.”

Kalian took the coat and said to me,

“You should go eat lunch too.”

"Yes."

"I'll check if you had lunch when I get back."

"Yes… yes?"

Realizing belatedly that his words were strange, I raised the end of my words. Then Kalian drew a smile on his expressionless face.

“You seem to have answered mechanically without thinking.”

“N, no. I listened to everything carefully.”

"Really?"

The smile on Kalian's lips turned mischievous.

“What did I say?”

“Your Majesty said that we should talk about the rest later, and you told me to make sure to have lunch.”

“You forgot one thing.”

“…you said you would check if I had lunch.” 

I thought this was a joke. Did he mean it?

As I looked into his eyes and said that, Kalian smiled and patted my head.

“I’ll be sure to check it, so make sure you eat well. Don’t starve yourself like last time.”

Then he went out of the room. 

Alone in the emperor's office, I touched the part he patted me.

This wasn't the first time he patted my head, but it felt awkward and strange as if it was the first time.

In the first place, it was strange for a boss to pat his aide's head.

Will he pat Baron Delrond's head too? Or Sir Hiltine's, or Rahel's, or other servants or maids'?

“…”   

Suddenly, I felt pain like someone was poking my heart with a needle. I put my hands up to my chest and squeezed it.

“Do you really have no intention of bringing in an empress?”

Amid a quiet meal, Kalian's hand stopped at the words that came out of nowhere.

Kalian put down his fork and looked at Esramel.

Esramel's hair was a very bright blue. It was like looking at a clear sky without a single cloud. It was the same with her eyes. It meant that she was the descendant of the legal wife of the Imperial family. 

If she was born from the empress (concubine) or was an illegitimate child like Kalian, she would have blue hair that was close to black. 

Being born from an empress didn't mean that the blood of the Imperial family was thick, but strangely enough, only being born from an empress had such bright hair and eyes.

“Why are you suddenly talking about it?”

“It's not sudden, Your Majesty. People around have been talking about it.”

She's right. Just yesterday, Rahel hinted to him to bring in an empress. However, no one spoke as openly as Esramel. It's because when Kalian ascended to the throne, he had officially declared that he wouldn't bring in an empress until the country was stabilized.

“Do you not remember what I said when I took the throne?”

“Of course, I remember. That's why I'm telling you to bring in an empress.”

Esramel expressed her opinion calmly.

“The Empire needs a wise empress who will take care of the housekeeping for Your Majesty, who is busy with outside affairs.”

“If that’s the case, my aides are doing a great job.”

“Yes, but they're just aides. In fact, they can’t do important things like New Year’s Day or the founding day.”

She came here determined, huh? 

Kalian clicked his tongue and drank wine.

He had a hunch that the time had come for the words to come out, but he never thought Esramel would be the one who broke the ice. 

Also, it didn't seem like it was because she was just too tired to prepare for New Year's Day.

“Other nobles must have pushed you, huh?”

Esramel smiled silently and picked up her glass of water. 

It was right.

As expected.

Kalian sighed deeply. 

“Who pushed you? Duke Cloud? Ah, that nerd couldn't have done that.”

Duke Cloud had no interest in what was going on in the world. All he was interested in was magic.

Then there's only one person left.

“Looks like it was Duke Huddlen who pushed you.”

Esramel, who quietly took a sip of water, put down the glass and asked Kalian.

"Why don't you think it is Duke Giltian, who did it, Your Majesty?"

The Duke of Huddlen and the Duke of Giltian were noble families that produced many empresses.

If it's not the empress's seat, they would struggle to get the first empress (concubine)'s seat.

It was like that when it was the previous emperor, and it was like that when it was the two previous emperors and also the three previous emperors before. 

“And why do you think Duke Giltian sat still this time?”