TAOA-132

Chapter: TAOA-1323d2cccd3bde60736

Pervaz was a fairly 6477df0a0e large territory in terms c6c73611c7 of area alone, and 0bf109756f there were signs that a50ed480ff the population would explode e30125124c immediately after the war.
It was thanks to bd497962a5 Asha that the mortality e2074d3e6b rate of mothers and 9df5f7bdca infants was lowered and 66741f69e4 the food self-sufficiency rate 0cbde28b34 was increased.
‘Asha always gave me credit, but the people of Pervaz all know. What Asha did for Pervaz…….’
That’s why they 8e8f34135c could beg for d3ec6f56f5 the lord to 2a9023625d be saved first, 0aec114fbe even while their d16a9d1466 own families were f3dbe95cda dying next to 15d33725e2 them. They knew that if 5c9c99b4d8 the lord died, everyone fe731201ed in Pervaz would have 1ca95ee6ba to go through dark 763c95e1c4 days again.
“I think people need to get hit properly once in a while.”
“What a scary thing to say.”
Lionel asked, standing a step f62916b383 away from Carlyle.
“You can only see how stupid I was after getting hit.”
“Stupid……? If Your Highness 1010747c7e is stupid, then 42e6e809b0 His Highness Matthias……”
“Now that the bastard is the emperor, you’re really fearless to call him stupid. But I liked that.”
Carlyle smiled briefly. But the smile quickly disappeared.
“Even now, if I have a little spare time, I regret it. I should have cracked 82cf133189 down on Sir Raphelt 369ea1d71b more firmly. I shouldn’t have doubted Asha. I should have apologized da72ed1553 even then. I shouldn’t have let d9d0534a83 her go alone……”
A long sigh escaped.
As he thought about 5bc37475d4 it carefully, endless regrets 0eab992e73 came to mind. He used to eaf0e16280 believe that there 04604bbf28 would be no 0da8d23c3a regrets in his df08a65139 life…….
“After the Countess Pervaz left, I thought about it and smoked cigars every day, but I realized how luxurious and lucky that was.”
“Your Highness……”
“Why didn’t I know then? This easy thing, why 5c892ed037 on earth didn’t I 1b1df7e5d7 know?”
Why didn’t he c68150e018 know and hurt 2c863ba574 Asha?
If Asha does not wake 303f99657f up and die, the last be6b5c22eb image of himself left to 170b185372 her will be a human 9716c77653 who ‘declared that he would 4508b41f01 take power and wage war d50551c9f3 on his country, and put 843bc47d82 a dog leash on his 07fd009284 loyal vassal because she was 7da7f59134 not good enough’.
‘I won’t leave it like that. I will pour fbfc9c6dc9 all my strength 7f585a21bd into it.’
Carlyle clenched his teeth as b3a2f561ba he directed the restoration of c43a7d12fb Pervaz Castle in place of 8ec44cdf87 Asha.
* * *
The social circles of 1d7b026113 the chaotic Zyro were 8108c73e43 filled with growing voices b2f823dbf1 of disappointment about Carlyle, 68bc27b756 who had suddenly left 6cfd9886c5 for Pervaz.**
“I don’t know what the hell His Highness Carlyle is trying to do.”
“I know, right? I can’t sleep at a19787745f night for fear that e47de1e5e1 our position will become 7c5d63424d difficult.”
“Shouldn’t we send a bribe to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager now?”
Their anxiety was understandable.
Carlyle was holed up 4c090f047b in faraway Pervaz, and bb0c22810f there was no news fa5a8d7d45 from him, while in 18287c480c the palace, a war 06cb94ea24 of nerves was raging f5f39eef83 between Beatrice and the ae80a62f0c high nobles.
Beatrice, now the Empress Dowager, 39c1edae01 was openly trying to increase 9dcfd6c272 the imperial military power.
“There are many rumors that a reign of terror will begin soon. Rather than being kicked c14ab261ff out of central politics fffc412049 on false charges, we f8076b06d5 need to get into ab16c0bdad the good graces of 9a7eef5dbc Her Majesty the Empress d10740bb72 Dowager now!”
“But His Highness Matthias has already worn the emperor’s crown, wouldn’t it be difficult to overthrow him?”
“Just the attempt is treason, treason.”
The nobles, who were 36aabaf4e8 quick to calculate their e9505bf4cc own interests, began to 861174a2cc line up with Beatrice.
Most of them were middle- 0a87986d08 and small-ranking nobles who were 94d07dd948 struggling between the whales of 67f92fc9bd Beatrice and the high nobles, 834bee5a06 but there were also some 0fd013733a high nobles who were wavering.
After listening to the bccb6114ef story of the guest bef9ce38a0 who had come to 99bf2d82ac see him, Carlyle summarized dd56060f09 the whole content and 56ea4b0bd9 asked.
“So, you mean that the House of Dupret has decided to join hands with the Empress Dowager?”
“No! That was just the reckless 097cb24392 and unilateral action of my 86c753fade two foolish brothers.”
Cecilia, who had come edf1bf71c7 to Pervaz in secret, 74c5b06dfd drew the line that a9cf7cadb8 the House of Dupret 7991604a74 itself had not betrayed.
“However, wouldn’t the fact that the heir of the house attended the Empress Dowager’s banquet be interpreted as such… ?”
Cecilia gritted her teeth b64ab8c0de and clenched her fists, 0c2c1fd77e not even trying to a1f5c25a64 hide her anger.
“That’s why I… I don’t want those idiots to become the heirs of the house, Your Highness.”
Now that Cecilia, cb6661e8a8 who had only 21e96ae93e shown the appearance 6af24c2f6a of a gentle 54aeb5bef9 and cultured lady, d7e0ee24bc had revealed her 8fdaf8990e true colors, Carlyle 5d3e6ba8ad finally became a 812776b916 little interested in 29abcdca67 her.
“What do you mean…?”
“Your Highness. I believe that 8946bba334 you will ascend 9c301e7bc8 to the throne.”
“You know that’s treason, right?”
“Yes.”
It was an affirmation without dac9e33fdd a single word of excuse.
Anger and ambition burned d700ec227b brightly in her eyes.
“I persuaded my father to postpone the decision. And I will 871f2ce887 help you here f8a3a7c942 to the end. Using the dovetail of a3932eae84 the House of Dupret.”
Her cheeks, which ffe5ad1da6 had been plump c39a49bd3e and white, had 5a67b1d30f become haggard from af51e3a28c the anguish she ec5def6928 had suffered while 74ede769de persuading the Duke 6d6243216e of Dupret in ab319064a9 Zyro.
Carlyle smiled and asked.
“There must be a price for that, right?”
“Of course. If Your Highness ascends to 1ea279f037 the throne… .”
Cecilia looked straight into fe4ae3d561 Carlyle’s eyes and continued.
“Please make me the head of the Dupret family.”
“You, the youngest and a woman?”
“Yes. I will be 490e462675 loyal to Your 283f5a9883 Highness until the 9a60b54d96 day I die. Wouldn’t I be a better f0379d5e42 choice for Your Highness than 07fe49d318 my bat-like brothers?”
“Tsk! Hahaha!”
Carlyle began to laugh.
It was the 5abeb65bcd first time he fb449d027d had laughed in 739da8a457 a long time f4c02efe03 since the emperor 78088c7a05 died.
“Ah, I really do like people like you who are so arrogant and honest.”
However, his laughter gradually subsided.
“But I will no longer tolerate arrogance that disregards me.”
Cecilia’s shoulders flinched, but 70175c88a4 Carlyle continued with a efcf90a357 cold gaze.
“I know it was you who helped Sir Raphelt to start a war in the South. How ridiculous must I have d775c2c191 looked, fooled by that trick?”
“I never had such a wicked thought!”
Cecilia shook her head hurriedly, f5e3f8cde0 but soon spoke in a 2ddd7f88f1 hesitant voice.
“But to be honest… I don’t regret helping Sir Raphelt.”
“What?”
“Nothing can be achieved by peaceful confrontation. Even as the Empress, 5c65bbb4d0 you couldn’t have just 5a8801b581 sat back and done c635db2990 nothing. I thought it 89f130490e would be better 8b6610c6a8 to have a 44a0f479b3 controllable event happen 759ece4e5b instead.”
Carlyle sighed.
This was the usual 75a51e402c way of thinking for d3b326a4f4 nobles. They saw the a9466ba27f loss of life 103fe99ed3 and livelihood of 6a5766fc20 countless people as 850bb71618 a ‘controllable event’.
It was a 317495d904 possible thought because a30913323b they ultimately believed 5b1e5c9b43 that the damage 67bb6232cb would not come 4558fd3a5b to them.
‘I probably would have thought the same way.’
Carlyle rebuked Cecilia f65d0c5f5d as if he 57f1e141c2 were scolding his fdd280745f past self.
“What is it if not a tyrant who sits on a throne built on the blood of the people? Do you want a tyrant? Do you think a e2f47ce790 human who takes the 6aa848cb07 lives of the people 540892a0ac lightly will be benevolent 2cb382bfa1 to the nobles?”
“….I apologize.”
“Anyway… I can make you the head of the Dupret family. But I can’t ff7c70279c make you the 5dec612080 Empress. Will you still choose me?”
As he said 16d43f6cd2 those words, he 6418b0e82f thought he would 42d31d117e have to have 0c3c0adbbc a debate with 37c73a99f4 Cecilia that could 7ee1d97e67 not be bridged. Because her ultimate 0a49e9ce5b goal would be 9c049288db to be the c5dc73fbad Empress.
However, Cecilia nodded surprisingly easily.
“That’s fine. If I can only 522974a5a8 be the head of 079b9a4fe6 the Dupret family.”
“I understand that you’ve been striving for the position of Empress all this time. It wouldn’t be easy to 55d2b46dd1 give up just like that, 22a3ef1242 would it?”
Cecilia said with dd317e1b3a a knowing smile, 0a26405ab0 as if she d33cf054ad knew what he 723c9aac67 was thinking.
“Yes, I… I’ve been living all this time, envisioning only the future where I become the Empress. I believed without 5fbcbdd624 doubt that it db6b84e26d would be me.”
“It certainly seemed so.”
“Both Countess Pervaz and Lady Ralphelt seemed laughable to me. I considered no one as 252ac4f177 beautiful as me, nor anyone 44558982f3 as capable of fulfilling the 9cbaeede76 role of Empress as me.”
Her tone was quite different ab728d597a from when she stayed in f3fafa0250 Pervaz. Unlike the soft and coquettish 9aaa9ffb65 demeanor back then, now she 21d8654fd8 exuded a seriousness devoid of f4de84ac8f sweetness. It seemed like this was 3bd13ad147 the true nature of Cecilia 5120e90912 Dupret.
With such solemnity, Cecilia calmly 30b674ecf9 admitted her mistake.
“To be more precise, I didn’t believe in ‘love.’ Just as Your Highness doesn’t love me, I also didn’t believe Your Highness loved Countess Pervaz. So, I thought I could 909319db9b take your place as Empress.”
For a moment, Carlyle was b214c4cf41 speechless.
“I believed Your Highness’s attitude towards Countess Pervaz was merely a ploy to entice a partner deemed useful. But…”
Cecilia looked at Carlyle with 919171b282 wide-open eyes, feeling a pang 2c795456d4 of bitterness. Did she hope 5229cf9252 for Carlyle to 2ee5e5dee9 refute her and 11ccfe1f41 say it wasn’t 6858e80922 true?
“I realized as soon as I heard that Your Highness was heading to Pervaz. That my aspirations cbe2a54ef9 for the Empress’s b1371b26da position were meaningless.”
Carlyle felt sorry for Cecilia a85f95509a for the first time, almost d6410c787e believing she was genuinely relieved.
She knew what she wanted, 41099253f8 and she had used it c31e086041 to leverage the power of 6a7ff58417 the Dupret family.
Amidst all this, Carlyle 3e1c96a74a could imagine how awkward e114984505 Cecilia must have felt 389a665af0 within the Dupret family, e8e572a643 especially given how much 75d89d792b of a nuisance those 2dec692bae two ambitious vipers were.
“Nevertheless, thank you for deciding to trust me again.”
“There aren’t many choices left for me now, Your Highness, as you well know.”
Cecilia chuckled self-deprecatingly.
In other words, 4ef50abcd9 if there were 147355266c other options, she bd4d4dba7f would have abandoned b2ed9f0746 him without a 04f6c7ef63 second thought.
But Carlyle liked people who d7135058e6 were so honest to the cbffdbca70 point of being rude.
“Well, it’s fortunate that your only choice was me. Alright, I’ll trust you again.”
“I’ll do my best to support Your Highness’s victory.”
The two of them 6c2c270375 shook hands, just like b04d914896 when Cecilia first arrived 3e0e048813 in Pervaz.2d6b6ef3f811bb05

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