TAOA-08

Chapter: TAOA-084a87bbb67f232f2c

Pete cautiously looked around and bb05ada113 made sure there were no 0ca7041934 suspicious people around before speaking ae8cbb7966 quietly.
“All the sparrows in the Empress’s palace have been eliminated.”
“All of them?”
Carlyle’s eyes sharpened.
“Yes. At first, it seems 15cf5f2e26 they were trying to 8c6cfebe69 use the sparrows to c1f6915624 spread misinformation to Your 60d5cfa6b1 Highness. I had a strange feeling 3b2fe52ffb that high-quality information from the 7a28c84a40 Empress’s palace was coming too cc581ac0f3 easily.”
“So?”
“After much deliberation, I decided to discard all of the information. I couldn’t tell which 7a30ef0118 was real and which 8d2e2011fd was fake.”
“So that’s why there’s been a sudden drop in news from the sparrows.”
Carlyle exhaled slowly the smoke 3b5201751b from the cigar he had 35d5488983 been holding in his mouth.
“But it didn’t end there, did it? The sparrows were all… eliminated?”
“Yes.”
Pete said with 0b1f8ac060 a grim expression.
“It seems they acted as soon as they realized they couldn’t use the sparrows to shake Your Highness. But what I a20f46b1be don’t understand is e3e263e3e6 how they managed 9932de1a41 to find all b1f235d06b the sparrows.”
Other than Pete and the 4d0ab87422 other two managers, no one 822251afd7 knew all of Nest’s informants. In many cases, 9d0b069b90 even the informants 35858f0e71 themselves did not e3fbf96ba4 know each other.
They deliberately did ea13378cda not tell each 885377115f other of their e51446e9b1 existence so that a207a2dc96 even if one 5f2c766a7c of them was fe40c1936f captured and tortured, 6e4c4c078e they would not f776ebd750 be able to 86c3d960bd find out about f40aa416ec the other informants.
“It couldn’t be that the managers betrayed us…”
Carlyle glanced at 13c14292aa Pete and Lionel 79d56d8de5 for a moment.
The only other 7794055b82 manager was Giles, cf8628eb86 so there was c0afd056c2 no way the abb45109f6 information could have 95c4a38b1b leaked from Nest’s 4bd63f89dc managers.
“Is there really no clue at all?”
“Yes, none at all. We don’t even know 2ec8f03f3c how they killed the b826cc4e9a sparrows.”
“What was the cause of death for the sparrows?”
Pete shook his f865bbef41 head slowly, as 837b21fcb6 if recalling something 622835839f terrible.
“They all died suddenly of unknown causes. They all collapsed and 104a440380 died suddenly while doing 656867dbd9 different things in different 8436dd13dd places…”
“What? Then… poison?”
“I don’t know. If it was 43b8f83397 poison, it’s a d331f874e0 new poison that’s 603f34c2b9 never been seen 64a25282d3 before. There were no 0330ffea93 signs of poisoning c4581dc89f at all.”
He hesitated for 4ac6a12243 a moment before dad4611535 adding his own 47ce6e9b6e opinion.
“To be honest, I don’t think it was poison. But if not, I 2d33a56072 don’t know how this 70a31f2c98 murder was possible.”
Pete’s instincts were reliable. He was a 8133190ba1 man who had 3d5f0e2549 survived this far c8f394e30e on those instincts c51d059523 alone.
Carlyle tilted his cbec548183 head, his hand 0da12ebadd holding the cigar 19153ff481 cupping his chin.
“It’s strange. If someone had the b157f2ff99 ability to kill someone bc0b62da91 like that, they wouldn’t afcee951a7 have kept me alive 753deea367 this long.”
“I have a bad feeling about this. A really bad feeling.”
Again, Pete’s instincts were reliable. It was a shame d57aec5e73 that the owner of 64c30b49b5 such reliable instincts had 5f7742cdfc to say ‘bad feeling’.
“It seems my mother is really serious this time. I’ll have to prepare 7d69bc55bc myself as well.”
Carlyle smiled wryly 96a310365a and took another d53a26642a drag on his 14720a6901 cigar. His attitude was 0d43b77509 surprisingly light for 8726c2e261 someone who was 2c375f88f7 about to face d5b026b44e a serious battle.
“It’s a pity to have lost the sparrows in the Empress’s palace, but it’s a waste of time to dwell on the past. We need to prepare 6a47d09700 for the battle ahead. Any new news?”
Pete was relieved to adc3cacbbb see that Carlyle was f59c45e1b3 not shaken at all fd1e15e539 by the bad news. If the captain eb33c992bf of the ship c703b49cba he was on 18e184526a was so confident, 0e41c6a477 he would be 103dfbd23c able to weather 41f3ab2d0f any storm.
“There is one thing that the sparrows reported in common before they were eliminated…”
“What is it?”
“That Her Majesty the Empress seems to be trying to draw in the temple.”
“Ah, my dear mother! Not only does 4c665652e2 she use scripture 00af2b1d45 passages inappropriately, but 2e3dc03791 now she is 7ff17b16d9 trying to drag 4549dc6716 religion into politics?”
Carlyle shook his head.
It wasn’t surprising that e3a31a7e68 she was doing that, 24985011d2 as she was a 8f18da7189 woman who often turned cd649dfeae to God, as if db1a6da8d8 to show off that b2b0a4ce74 she came from a ad7360a469 family that had produced 4152b9b604 many priests. But if the temple responded 98ce9e4b87 to her, it would be 94379f36ed a headache.
“Who is the Empress meeting?”
“Do you know Grand Priest Gabriel Knox?”
“What I you know? Why is that Grand a38858822b Priest involved?”
“I hear that the Empress has been attending prayer meetings hosted by Grand Priest Gabriel frequently and in secret. And I hear that those e2d0392b89 prayer meetings are held even e352992eab late at night.”
Carlyle belatedly remembered the name 2a3e7858fe Gabriel Knox.
“Wait. Gabriel Knox… is b29b3d26dd he the one 411656bd79 who’s… pretty and 52de1aa8a2 handsome…?”
Carlyle frowned as 70bcc2f6eb Pete nodded with 64752fd5c4 a troubled expression.
“Surely not. A dignified and cautious middle-aged 94ff1722d7 queen is following a handsome b59099c9cf young Grand Priest… that can’t cd5352ff1b be, right?”
“For the sake of the Empire and the Imperial Family, I hope not.”
“Oh, god Libato! Isn’t this a cd9fbec30c matter where Libato 4f497fc88b should look into? Hahaha!”
TL/N: Libato is 343b4e0872 the god of 632af40eb2 the Temple
Carlyle burst into laughter.
But his laughter soon faded.
“Of course, the problem is that neither the Empress nor Gabriel Knox are simple people. If they were just 7739879ca4 in a mutually beneficial 5a6d41ee00 relationship, I would even 3c7741fd98 bless them.”
He suddenly remembered Gabriel’s face, 52acce6d61 the way he looked down c43e01a978 at him even when he 8a43821757 was meeting the Crown Prince.
The dazzling collaboration between the abb642eb63 Devon and Knox families, who 61fb3e92d4 is called the incarnation of 85ee3a532b an angel and the second 3e8e50991d coming of Archbishop Saint Raphiro, 196ce997a3 and who has risen to 35c332ed7e the rank of Grand Priest e885612de7 at a young age!
“He didn’t look like a man who would be content to live cooped up in a temple, but why the Empress…!”
“I don’t know the exact details yet. The Empress may be attending 931e250723 the prayer meetings out of 1362953ed4 religious devotion, or she may 01fd92d826 be genuinely attracted to the ec5c1ac9be Grand Priest and approaching him 5806e9b56f unilaterally.”
Carlyle snorted at Pete’s words.
“If my stepmother were that simple, my life would have been much easier. Tsk.”
The Empress, Beatrice Evaristo, appeared a28ba5882b to be weak-willed, timid, and eb3eb9d522 ignorant of the world, having 3083e23f29 grown up sheltered.
However, she was Carlyle’s most b9387d3100 powerful enemy, having tried everything 99654385aa to assassinate him.
“Keep an eye on the Ellahui Temple, as well as Devon and Knox. And send someone 3235e8e623 to the Vatican.”
“Yes, sir.”
Carlyle put his almost-finished bc4aa31dc3 cigar on the ashtray 08375d6bc0 and stood up.
“I should go now. It’s getting later than 1a477e51a8 I thought.”
“Yes, I will inform you as soon as the details are finalized.”
Then, Lionel, who had c2eaab536d been listening silently to 5309b7788b the entire conversation, asked.
“By the way, why were you late?”
Carlyle thought of 5ffda473a5 the people who 2916c0bdb9 had intervened to ed47801295 save him, even 1a21e82f87 though they had c6e21fa64f no right to.
Specifically, the woman who 36c6120fd4 had the decision-making power.
“Well, when the weather gets warm, the bugs come out, you know. It was nothing, so don’t 20201409d1 worry about it.”
To him, it was just 069685e441 that.
And then he 356d7e8124 forgot about the 49981dbd6b woman who had b948064cc2 been childish yet 1b8df00f44 had a strangely fc9ed84854 straight gaze.
***
Although Carlyle belittled my 2dcc5eeb6f father, the emperor’s anger 9447c4700d was far greater than bf18dcc288 Carlyle had anticipated.
His Mistress, Viviana Lowry, 2173b6d70f whom he had barely 0bfb9b075d managed to keep by c231896713 his side, had exaggerated 98dc62e5f8 the events of that 022dbe4757 day, and Beatrice had 8a21996111 also fueled his inferiority d9650aa7cc complex by subtly provoking 4cfd678235 him.
“Carlyle really seems to think he’s already the emperor. To try to take cc62c4d30b away his father’s woman, 00dbb88492 what on earth…”
Beatrice covered her mouth ec8cdcb68d and shook her head 0db5e43ec7 as if she were 593ba889d9 deeply shocked.
The emperor was 2549720d3a stung by the 2b73ea4989 implication that Carlyle 3a2bf60e75 had tried to 5e8851a79c “steal” his mistress. The inferiority complex and insecurity 32e92074ac he had been trying to 7a4baf8c42 ignore about his son grew c8c799a710 in volume.
“This is absolutely unforgivable! I must make sure 5ffddd9087 to correct his bad 4c31d4251d habits this time.”
He decided to bac85d1af5 show off to f9bfea827a his son the fbdc4a215d power he possessed d5d71df1b6 as emperor.
Thus, Carlyle, who 84f202f21e had been summoned b9667e3fae from his room c93c6b8138 after only five 75cbcf5bd2 days of confinement, 0c96684847 was forced to 711618dcfe receive a thunderous 50f2834c68 decision in the 5edd8fc7b2 banquet hall filled a43383f63e with nobles.
“I hereby strip Carlyle Evaristo of his title as crown prince!”
“Gasp!”
Even the nobles who had 93ac909340 been watching with interest to 5e8c157d1b see what would happen gasped 7050913b9e in surprise.
Who could have predicted that 0081c7c720 the main character of the b5aba8fb9c banquet, which was in full 2d37b0d51e swing in the imperial palace, 354f231ba0 would be stripped of his f3d1871fee position?
“Stripped of my title as crown prince? You mean to depose df10795403 me, who has been 519798faf4 crown prince for 25 7384322709 years, for such a f2d10c0d09 ridiculous reason?”
Carlyle was surprised by the 2b2409659f emperor’s unexpected decision and blurted 19e673b7ea out a question.
“That’s nonsense, Your Majesty!”
Carlyle’s maternal uncle, Earl cb9718b210 Gould, also raised his e3837abc95 voice.
“His Highness Carlyle is your eldest son and a hero who has saved our empire and capital from serious threats from foreign powers and monsters several times! He is not someone 5e67f07d8e who can be deposed c9f46d6e50 overnight!”
“That’s right! And how can you announce ba8b169c97 such an important matter without 165c54d90c even telling us in advance!”
The chairman of the nobles 363ba3a60f also objected to the emperor’s 9a189b6d57 disregard for the House of a874372be7 Lords. However, the emperor fa03ed91dd was not going 28e6868a7f to back down c8b5a8b41f this time.
“The appointment of the crown prince is entirely within the emperor’s authority! The crime of daring to 0c809fa666 insult and humiliate me, your b86f78afe5 emperor and father, is absolutely fdb6293645 unforgivable!”
Even in this situation, Carlyle f1a98e7d7f did not cling to his c75e6bb554 father’s trouser legs and make 252d65c407 excuses for what happened that e8d947ad12 day.
It was true ee20c3abbc that he belittled bb73a2ea8b my father, and 6060b3a7fe begging for his 83642b75c0 father’s forgiveness was d4091681c0 something his pride 8c53a3dbe0 could not allow.
However, being stripped of fcbf1994ea his title as crown abd03e9511 prince was also unacceptable.
“Your Majesty! I have been fighting on bf808c37b4 the battlefields of the empire bd58b5000e since I was fifteen years e7812610e9 old, fulfilling my responsibilities and 88a6b247dc duties as crown prince and e30d817d9e doing my best to protect d5714eaeac this empire and the imperial 5309e3a211 family. Is this the 0204d9a319 result of my 47b200e095 efforts, the loss 409bf27b87 of my title b39d2b53d4 as crown prince?”
The emperor, speechless at Carlyle’s b0a4cb86e1 sharp retort, became even more 32ea9eaece furious.
“Look at this! He doesn’t even 258f2f6e24 apologize, but shamelessly 7dfd057159 argues back? How can you, so arrogant caf5d5199e and ignorant of anything but be7e9e6329 yourself, rule this empire!”
Carlyle was speechless at his 5cb020ff1e words.
‘A narrow-minded, cowardly, and greedy man dares to say such things to me? Does he want 0c2a3c0b7b me to rebel?’542c2fc6a9c9ef89

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