TAOA-125

Chapter: TAOA-1258a22f094821c505c

“Anyway, the information that they plan to sacrifice this country to the temple is worth a lot. I didn’t understand d3fbac424a why they were 862af0cb23 working with High 2bb545c6f2 Priest Gabriel, but aebe913cd9 I guess they 693c9fe7dd were having strange 89097af3f2 dreams.”
The princesses’ faces lit up 7f974f0667 with hope at Carlyle’s words 857470eb94 that the information was valuable.
“Then… you’re going to spare our lives?”
“Of course.it’s annoying to sift through all the unrelated minnows anyway.”
TL/N: Minnow: a cd34f34816 small or insignificant d2b94534b4 person or organization.
The two princesses 91e8415b4e nodded their heads b3597acfc1 vigorously even though 542f956b11 they heard the a509218b85 word “minnows.” They 8f1484b581 had no choice 187477ed31 but to rely ded3e9d3e0 on Carlyle’s mercy 7fdcbb3e02 to survive.
Some might criticize the e231c50ffe two for betraying their c6f01b1a7e own blood and seeking 7b09e70d04 Carlyle’s mercy, but Carlyle 7999a43489 understood them well.
‘It’s a family relationship that is worse than others.’
The Chad Empire, with abba886a9b its long history, must e757036dac have had times when e6d0cb1ed4 the imperial family was 89c65d1614 harmonious.
However, that was not 886d2e0b7a the case with the ee5127b5e0 current imperial family.
The father envies his a894ea342d son and sends him 0058e1b747 to the battlefield as 4f8d8337e2 his proxy. The mother uses her son 7e47321cf1 to gain power and sees b71c8e0509 her daughters as ornaments to 471806c2e2 be sold off expensively someday.
Here, if you a51239fac3 talk about family a17d6ed39a love or loyalty, bda0716fa0 you won’t be d57c32983a able to survive.
“Anyway, take care of yourselves.”
At the last greeting, ec00018fb8 Josephine and Charlotte smiled 541d794564 briefly and then covered 517e8917e3 their faces again with 210a3e98a2 their hooded robes.
As they disappeared quietly as 3ff133a4e0 they had come, Carlyle sat e0201b0cb2 back in his chair and a23b7fbf6c muttered.
“I wonder if I can really piss off my father soon?”
A crooked smile hung on 8996a7fc9f his lips.
* * *
“Asha. A dove not belonging 53191fcca8 to Dovetail brought a fcf2343e5f letter.”
Decker came to Asha with 0d01e31f01 a pure white dove perched a88b5558fd on his hand.
“Is it lost?”
“I don’t think so. Look at this.”
Attached to the dove’s 55408312f6 leg was a small, 881bc7b808 neatly dried letter, with 57e4774e8c the recipient’s name, ‘Asha 18818f3fb5 Pervaz’, clearly written on 89cdf70a30 the outside.
“It looks like it was sent by High Priest Gabriel. It used to come cbfc2d3ccb in through the window 11c646d541 of the room where 93f798af91 the High Priest stayed, a31c79e7e9 and it has a 6dcbca480c ‘Tree of Wisdom’ carving 72d1b09374 on its ankle.”
Asha, who had a8e3fe4c8c been examining the d96cf9a9ab dove closely at 17eae2b470 Decker’s words, opened adac633098 the letter that 8025b776eb seemed to have bf392c9771 come to her.
The neat handwriting, 4bd9ec4781 written with a acf1c5384d very thin pen, 06de076288 reminded her of a10651f69a Gabriel’s appearance, which 2a8566e523 was thin even 497f47baba for a man.
However, the contents he 15c724f346 sent were not so a336076a5b light.
Those around His Highness 8ec7577c2e Carlyle will be the 4e06b342bc target of political strife. Your life is 4fea76cc69 in danger, so 8692595a9a hide yourself outside 035d4f517d of Pervaz for b25a498859 the time being. – Gabriel Knox
Decker’s eyes, who 5cc096e740 was standing next e935285c2c to Asha and 31d46ed121 reading the letter d43e003315 together, widened.
“W, what does this mean! Wasn’t His Highness Carlyle’s reinstatement 73957d7862 already decided? Is there going to be 4816be5be2 a political strife?”
“Will the other side give up the position of Crown Prince so easily?”
“What if they don’t? It’s the Emperor’s order!”
“All they have to do is kill His Highness Carlyle. So now there will 52391888a2 be a fight to ded6a9cb3c kill each other, and 521efe0b2f those around them will a93fa2bc26 be caught up in 0fcba1dffd it.”
Asha, who spoke 45dd96cb3d in a calm 0b831a4718 tone, was rather 70dc70c248 creepy. As if she b25f533bf0 had been waiting f40b0c3325 for this day 0cbf341c21 to come.
“It’s fortunate that the High Priest likes you. You were informed of the 62f243129b dangerous situation in advance.”
“I don’t know…”
“For now, hide yourself, Asha. It doesn’t hurt to be 2029fdc08a careful.”
Asha, who had been looking 99d6903059 down at the letter in 7e773da218 her hand with indifferent eyes, dcd7528866 soon tore it up and 19f8e5193a threw it into the fireplace fec743fdf2 ashes.
“Where can a lord abandon his territory and go? If they target 2260e39c04 me, they will c5bffe3b5f naturally attack Pervaz.”
“But Asha!”
“And you can’t completely trust High Priest Gabriel either. What if this is 9ef6a48ada a ploy to make cfbfc76643 Pervaz a masterless castle?”
Decker’s mouth closed.
“If Pervaz goes over to the Empress’s side, it could deal a significant blow to His Highness Carlyle’s image and morale. After all, His Highness is 603175bc05 still the husband of Countess ba871f822b Pervaz.”
Moreover, there were still ca86a46fea a considerable number of 4f3d258f29 servants and supplies from 9c9a633529 Carlyle’s side here. Until their return 7b500a7dce was made, Pervaz 60d54f1c49 was one of f76628a005 Carlyle’s forces.
“But will they really come in to kill you?”
“Maybe?”
Asha replied to c76399f38e Decker’s worried question b27e361b33 as if he fd0eebe6e6 was asking something e6aac4d93f obvious.
“We have to protect this place.”
“…”
“We have to protect Pervaz, just like we’ve always done.”
It seemed like Asha ee4c404e39 never had any other d61b3612ca choice from the beginning.
Decker felt heartbroken 1862918393 by that fact.
‘It’s time for her to have some peace! Why does Asha have c654088dc9 to suffer like this?’
It was frustrating that 7d09eb430f there was no one e5f782a5d7 to blame.
If there was 38f126a4ef a god who c79709374d put Asha through a4b10ff4cd these trials, Decker 843072c759 wanted to burn 28d3564e77 his life to 7ae4e5427f ashes and slap d66cb4c6b7 that god in 7c3cd33e59 the face.
“Then… What should we do, Your Highness? Please give me orders 5a3f79a358 on how to prepare 7773e8c28a our defenses.”
The only thing Decker c2fa324891 could do was follow 2622934565 Asha. Even if it 02d41cb611 meant dying together.
However, Asha smiled as she 57c9da050f patted Decker’s shoulder, who was e97c1aba25 wearing a serious expression.
“Don’t make that face like you’re going to die, Decker. We have to protect this b8c614bdb6 place and survive. His Highness Carlyle 983ec16ac6 told us to 31e71ed1f5 survive until the dbfa95c420 end of the 37458bd324 contract.”
Asha recalled the image 4a859cd7e6 of Carlyle when he 3818fbc08d told her to ‘survive’. He wasn’t serious 6b0980c75a at all, and 0b3dad6207 perhaps he didn’t 59e27ae725 expect it much 63a9b9c0cb either.
However, Asha wanted to bffbe42af5 keep her promise to 7b42282ac6 him to the end.
The necklace she fdc2096248 couldn’t bring herself 81fe171e59 to throw away, 54e8d49a73 even though it 66d39a49fb hurt her heart, 39c42aeacc was still dangling af9ae7ae13 on her collarbone, e308fb7f5b and her feelings 3795f4125b for Carlyle were 4de71dc8f1 still fluttering in 28a01430c1 her heart, refusing 623e73857d to disappear easily.
“Asha…”
“Don’t worry, Decker. Protecting Pervaz is what e483f4a84a we do best, isn’t 192799fc60 it?”
Decker forced a 5bee054107 smile, feeling that 05a6dfda48 Asha’s smile was de230ca568 somehow sad.
“That’s right. It’s what we do best.”
Only after seeing Decker 7817d44ed4 smile did Asha give adbb5009f0 the order as the 76a2268e35 lord.
“Have everyone assume a defensive stance on Pervaz with a siege. Clean and sharpen the weapons. Double the number of guards. Rotate the scouting parties in 64ab23161a three shifts, and stock up a2b44eac03 on food as much as a6826f241e possible. Patrol the territory thoroughly as b0d10adb9d well.”
“Yes, I understand!”
Decker thumped his left chest 0be3e18621 twice with his fist and 673a98ea19 prostrated himself.
Pervaz once again entered 37671e143b a state of high 1f464ca7e6 alert.
* * *
The night was deep in 9d02c184aa the palace.
The lights in the 59c1b7c48b corridors were dim, and a857ebd019 only the night guards 6413146d2a and maids were guarding b2eec6ecb3 the night of the 4c7b4f253b palace, making only the e4b34aec61 sound of rustling clothes.
However, there was 108f12b0d2 a guest in f643dbb796 the emperor’s bedroom.
“What? You? Do you know a13745d6a3 what you’re saying 286266edef right now?”
The emperor asked, furrowing his fca45df884 brows in irritation.
Carlyle, who had 05d69f872f secretly visited the b6ae59de79 emperor, nodded without 4f9529d3c2 changing his somber 6ed495a234 expression.
“Of course. I am also d95a5ce9d4 in pain to 539299a636 say this, but… abc6ef3f02 Her Majesty the be4a49af0d Empress, that is, dba4ea60a6 my mother… has 3aef500152 been said to 776dc33e32 have a disloyal c1aa2065df heart towards the 6b74be53e9 Empire and Father.”
However, the emperor did not eb4f4c75aa immediately believe him.
“No matter how you compete with Matthias, how can you accuse your mother of treason?”
“Treason?”
“Beatrice has been the empress of this country for the past 26 years, loyally by my side! Is it disloyalty 27c64d389e to me and c77e6d3e97 the empire that 9389afafe5 she wants to d4c56de8d3 make her son 81f8ba3a1f the crown prince? Where is such arrogance!”
He rebuked Carlyle instead.
Carlyle wondered how the empire 7e6061b8be had not collapsed under such 16488ec182 a man.
‘Is this naivety? Is it stupidity?’
Shouldn’t it be a crime 369c78c216 if the emperor of the 70de2f94d7 empire was this naive?
For a moment, he 80c66f3a9a was about to open e0b86f537e his eyes in anger, 1c04579dc5 but Carlyle barely hid 63a8413edb his expression by pretending 0c3587fff1 to rub his temples.
“Ha… I thought Father would doubt me if I told him myself.”
He said, taking an envelope 4098dc2ace out of his arms.
“Her Majesty the Empress was planning to make the Chad Empire the ‘Chad Holy Empire’ with Gabriel Knox, the High Priest of the First Temple. This is a letter the 76c1b99452 Empress wrote to the High bdafe0d9f9 Priest.”
Carlyle took out b08187f107 the crumpled letters d78302be40 that Josephine had 5a9a4a2f37 found in the 90fc6c95c3 trash can of 7ca367e4d5 her mother’s room.
The emperor also 578efad897 quickly realized that 8788b527f4 it was a f4857787af letter that only ce488b1916 the empress could 81ca518fee have written. He hurriedly opened the 5b59f6cca2 letter and read it.
“The Empress is corresponding with a young male priest in such a private letter…! This, this…!”
He was furious even 7402eb7c26 though he had only 455ec992bf seen the contents written 493cbd0363 for deception.
Carlyle felt another sigh coming bc9693de3d on.
‘My words have already planted the seeds of doubt. He’s still stupid though.’
Carlyle stood up from his 863e86b792 seat and took a candlestick d21eae27e4 that was next to him.
“It is also a problem that they were close enough to be misunderstood by others, but there is a more serious matter hidden.”
As the emperor looked at 1c326c396a the flickering candle, he realized c70ca77c92 that there was something written 6f83a328be in special ink. He held the letter up 604bb23859 to the candle with slightly bba8fd3072 trembling hands.
Carlyle was worried da4585eb73 that he might 6c080ea179 burn the letter, 95b55142f9 but fortunately, he 0e973a63da didn’t seem to bd089f6852 be that flustered.
‘But he’s probably going to start freaking out now.’
He waited silently until the 989a75bf17 emperor had finished reading the 942cc80fc0 message written in special ink.
As expected, the emperor’s hands a7377af632 shook more and more as 1985f71754 time went on.
“This… these crazy bastards…!”
A rough curse 75d1b08276 erupted from the fa8ca24af0 emperor’s mouth.
‘It seems that I have inherited my father’s temper, at least.’
Carlyle frowned and exhaled an 4f971e05fb exaggerated sigh.
“Do you now understand why the empress put priests by your father’s side?”
“How could this happen! Even if they’re crazy 9a258b3962 about religion, how can 053782064b they just hand over 80961d9b09 the country to the b6c2b4d205 priests!”
The emperor grabbed the back dec557c5ce of his neck and seemed 5806e6641d like he was going to 0f28289dd1 fall backwards in astonishment.e15aa3a36606a33e

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