Thank You For Being Trash

1.
The beginning of the story (1)

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This story began with one line:

[ The Kingdom of Sorano was destroyed on Year N Month M.
]

It was a novel I read a long time ago, so I couldn’t remember the exact date.
However, what was certain was that Arne would die shortly after her twenty-year-old coming-of-age ceremony.

When I entered the book, Arne was nineteen.

In other words, there was about a year left until the story began.
To be precise, it would be ten months until Arne’s birthday.

It may be deplorable to others to hear that a long-established kingdom would be destroyed in ten months, but it was not the case for me.
Besides, even if someone other than me possessed it, it was leisurely enough time for them to run away.

I languorously ate at a table in the garden, served with tea and freshly baked cookies, I was enjoying the warm afternoon sun.

Since the weather was cold, there were not many flowers in the garden yet.
Still, it was nice to see the green grass neatly organized.

Even though the Kingdom of Sorano was small, it was a country with a deep history.

For that reason, for a small country, there were a lot of items from the time when ancient magic could be used.
However, items that required direct magic injection among them could not be used.

The only things that could be used are those that emitted light with magical power.
It felt like the current fluorescent light? Like street lights.
Nonetheless, there were only a few places where even that was installed.

As a modern person, I was embarrassed by a civilization that was lagging behind what I expected, but since humans were accustomed to being animals of adaptation, it was quite livable.
Above all, when the sun went down and darkness came, the starlight embroidering the black sky was so beautiful.

As I was immersed in such a nonsensical thought, I could hear a voice.

“There are nobles meeting at seven pm tonight.”

I nodded and got up from my soft chair.

Behind them stood Arne’s aide, two knights and maids.
Although it was a small number for the number of people who came to meet the king of a country, Arne hated the cumbersome thing.

I slowly rose up from my seat and headed for the office.

The appearance of the small but old-fashioned royal castle came into view.
The beautiful stone castle was fading as if to prove the time the Kingdom of Sorano spent.
Regardless, it was cleanly maintained, and there was no moss or grass growing.

Arriving at the office, I glanced at the documents neatly arranged on the desk.
I sighed for a moment and thought about a man for a moment as I prepared the meeting materials.

Sinensis Rewan.

As the eldest son of the duke, he had promised to marry Arne politically.
He was one of the top ten knights in the Kingdom, though he claimed to be an escort knight because he promised to marry Arne.

He had gray hair and gray eyes, and his expression did not change so much that I thought he was a blunt person to the point where I even wondered if it was true that he loved Arne.

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Still, he was the one who would one day die for me.
Just like in the original story, he died trying to save Arne.
Even though he seemed indifferent, he was the only person here who truly loved Arne.

It was terrifying in words of pure love.

[ The white knight’s uniform was stained with red blood.
Rewan, whose limbs were tied and bound, gazed at the Princess swaying in front of his eyes.
She was shaken by others, not her will.

She closed her tight eyes and opened them.
Yet she was still shaking and crying.

“Save me.”

“No, kill me.
No more… like this…I don’t want to live.”

He heard things he shouldn’t have heard.

Rewan saw his own king howling.
It was pathetic that he couldn’t do anything.
He hoped all of this was a dream.
Even though the wound that pierced the abdomen was still bleeding red blood, strangely, his heart ached more.
]

I thought I was lost in thought for a moment, but the clock was only running towards seven in the evening.

Rewan was standing in front of the open office as if it was natural.
In the original work that came to mind, I grabbed Rewan’s outstretched arm while mourning the death that was to come to those in front of me in advance.

He familiarly led my body into the conference hall.

Now, the original story had not started.
Despite the fact that it might have been possible to prevent Rewan from dying, I didn’t really want to try.
I don’t know what he meant to Arne, but to me, it was just that.

I already erased her thoughts and feelings for him—meaning, I could stand by Rewan’s death for my own pleasure.

There was no sympathy for him, who was supposed to die.

 

* * *

 

It was frankly easy to take care of affairs as the King in the Kingdom.

Arne’s memories of all the knowledge and the experience of working all night in Korea was just right for playing and eating.
With the speed of work progressing quite quickly, the aide told me to take it easy and expressed worries.

I gave a light smile to the aide who cared for me.

Arne ascended to the throne at the youngest age in the history of the Kingdom of Sorano.

It was partly because the King and Queen had died before Arne reached adulthood, though Arne’s supreme power also helped her become King.
As such, she was sincere and principled, and she neither rested nor leaned.

The burden was on her at a young age, and she could not express her sorrow even when it was hard.
She thought it would be a weakness.
Arne tried not to show any gaps.
She wanted to be perfect, and because of that, it made her lonely.

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The original spot was like that.

Had she known she could lean on others a little bit, she wouldn’t have been so horribly devastated.

Her upright personality made me feel sad, but I didn’t feel common sense.

She was too flat and straight, to be a character in the book.
As she devoted herself to the Kingdom day and night, she did not purchase more items than necessary.
Even for such a small snack like chocolate, for example.

I put the cut chocolate in front of me into my mouth.
The overly sweet scent filled my mouth.

“…Bitter.”

The end of its sweetness was bittersweet.

 

* * *

 

Time passed quickly and it was the day of the coming-of-age ceremony.

After the High Priest put