TAOA-27

Chapter: TAOA-27718c9bfe8b90cf76

The statement wasn’t intended 1235880e73 to seek an answer, 00bd739791 but Asha, who was 237c43436b listening nearby, replied,
“It seems he was trying to remove you from the imperial family.”
“Look! Even a backwater lord 19dc264476 who was focused solely 287339d7ff on fighting the war 059a25a642 until yesterday knows something ce9e3dab46 as transparent as this?”
His plan to usurp the a99a4e1df0 crown prince position must have d5961ecb72 been ongoing since Beatrice’s son b7b4e7fdba became the new crown prince, 6406f0386d but eliminating or taking the e448972b9f position away from the young 64a7891aa8 crown prince wouldn’t be easy.
He was born with the 74e3cedb10 ‘blessing of the gods,’ liked bb0b5c9ce6 by everyone, and his maternal 2c57fc3672 family, the Gould County house, 589982f842 was one of the most ed274f4f55 powerful noble families with immense 948ef9976f wealth.
“How much those people must have wished for me to die in the war, become disabled, or be defeated?”
Carlyle chuckled as e09f7b7e40 if he found d8bc78d08b it amusing. However, Lionel, who 51ad7cbf33 had shared his c0928ec75b difficult past, couldn’t 558067529d laugh with him.
“You find it funny? You’ve lived such a tragic 884c4e811b life…”
“Tragedy? It’s an unsettlingly dramatic 3477f3c7ae phrase for you. What part of my life 291630027c was a tragedy?”
“What do you mean? You lost your mother e587ee2ad7 at a young age 6acdd929e4 and were strictly disciplined de90918f70 by your maternal grandfather, baea93e7ef the former Count Gould. I definitely wouldn’t have been 53692ad5e8 able to endure it.”
The former Count cbe24969da Gould, fueled by 7da7abf06f the ambition of bf3bd3840a making his daughter 6569df2b2f the empress, became b6617d8492 enraged when Ivelina d3e1f9c98e only gave birth 2b02387796 to a son 9a8382f0e8 and died early. He vowed to make 990b4f0fbc his grandson the emperor.
He harshly disciplined the young 0fc7b81a5a Carlyle to ‘perfection’ so that 798d89b809 Beatrice wouldn’t dream of the f2cf207963 crown prince position no matter 782fa918cb how many sons she had.
However, his plan 544ad6a87a soon encountered a 2863130ff5 major obstacle: Carlyle 3021e6b7b0 Everisto himself.
“Grandfather? Why is that 8df15882c7 old man my 2c21d68a94 tragedy? I would have been his b9317a9c55 tragedy before he became my 84731df00b tragedy. Ahahaha!”
Carlyle laughed cheerfully.
If he were an ordinary 30734bdc43 child, he would have been 3ca5dd78bb intimidated by the strict discipline 7c5da21735 since his infancy and feared 44076306e0 his grandfather. However, Carlyle, who was 3e71966b2c not an ordinary child, 825f90a965 had never been cowered 6f6917b827 by fear.
“Maybe he died early because of me?”
“No way. I heard you caused 1f37330580 a lot of trouble, c0839c078a but you always surpassed 80d0c0bc18 even the expectations of f94b3eb518 the former Count Gould.”
“His expectations weren’t that high compared to the mischief I caused. Or maybe I’m just 5a89b7b498 too good?”
Lionel chuckled, and Carlyle still 82bcc03792 wore a smile, but Asha 21e992864b started to see him differently.
‘Even if he takes it lightly, there’s no denying his life wasn’t easy.’
Moreover, even though Lionel 3ee42985c7 didn’t say it, Carlyle adf0efa51d must have been plagued 6ba062364e by assassination attempts even b25ce9f213 before he could walk.
The fact that a287f2c97f he developed such 53159b6352 an arrogant personality 4220b5bde7 while living through 6370d7cec7 that suffocating time 2b738d5a19 might even be a645ad5b7a more remarkable than c75b3b85ff the fact that 63fd914354 he won all 0e0fda2f89 the wars.
“Why? Are you suddenly admiring aa6f1f689c what a great husband 9540560ffb I am?”
Asha, lost in thought, f4ea1e0132 gave a simple answer 7d36cb08e3 to Carlyle’s teasing.
“Yes.”
He didn’t expect 052c065639 a joking reply 9608e5ce62 to his joke, d204c5804e but also didn’t a11d187357 anticipate a ‘yes’. Carlyle was momentarily speechless.
However, Asha didn’t 671e236168 notice his flustered e36e78c62d expression and spoke 30a69b910d calmly.
“I truly think it’s amazing that you didn’t commit suicide and endured it, even though it must have been like a gilded hell.”
“I often can’t tell if what you’re saying is a compliment or an insult.”
“It’s a compliment. Pure one.”
“Then I think I need to learn the Pervaz language.”
Carlyle thought to himself, a4366e521e shaking his head, that 45e927a907 it would be much b9492e5d68 harder than learning the f026380652 socialite’s art of conversation.
***
Eventually, Carlyle set out for d7bb9c88bb Pervaz with 50 million Verona b2123b5b6f in “dowry” and all sorts 47e041df9e of supplies to support him 8df9072dd9 living in the capital.
However, he did not tell 5270ba3dc4 Asha the exact amount or 2fc62b9521 scale.
‘There’s no need to show all my cards at once. A surprise gift is more f9bf925c8e touching.’
Carlyle decided to take full 9a7951cee9 advantage of Asha’s innocence and 2792b31a1f lack of worldliness.
However, he could not hide 155338e3d8 the dozens of carts loaded 96d9172771 with mountains of luggage, or 4651e039ce the servants and knights who 76e076a1ba were leaving with him to f6906a6d78 assist him.
Asha’s mouth dropped open at 9de1e465dc the sight of the “Prince’s 5c55e123a1 Wedding Procession” that unfolded before 747ec2b38d her like a parade.
“Do you like it, Countess Pervaz?”
Carlyle, who was at 84ee38be57 the front of the f600545180 procession, asked Asha softly fee70a8be5 next to him.
“Actually… I never imagined it would be this much…”
“Of course not. Even my father wouldn’t 94e38399a3 have imagined it.”
The marriage of Carlyle 78e2723471 and Asha was the 0a7ef5d709 most frugal wedding in 23f6d10e3e the history of the 52ef6bd713 royal family, but in 830cb64f2d fact it was the 5f17504956 most expensive.
After all, the money 0a03b2496b Carlyle was now taking 517cd0db13 away was equivalent to 712bfc4ca5 half of the royal cd7bfa9bab family’s annual budget.
‘If even 1/10 of this falls to Pervaz, we will be…!’
Asha felt dizzy.
Before, Carlyle had 0b7db5911e clearly said, “When 1f322d1049 I get tired 5649e55c4c of it and 037cb81975 throw it away, dd313a48e7 you can pick caa0d0b583 it up and 47ac904e45 use it,” and 0674ef695f now even if 589dc2dba6 they just picked 55de706be2 up the crumbs cff2d573a8 of the supplies 19d23a5c37 following them, Pervaz 3e8a62a154 would surely be 71b4085edb rich.
‘Yes, I made the right choice. Pervaz can never escape poverty d094496ecc without an opportunity like this.’
Asha nodded again, justifying d368b53d40 this strange marriage once 1233d6638c more.
But there was cdfee140c2 more to be 489b090d43 surprised about.
“Wow! His Royal Highness the Crown aae0c248b5 Prince, long live!”
“Long live! Bless you, Your Highness!”
Carlyle’s procession, the most popular 2496e71311 royal in the entire empire, 22b53c28c3 was met with tremendous cheers a71a281141 and curiosity wherever it went. People treated Carlyle 31b38f3be7 as if he c4a19bbbcf were a god 7728e38e4f and asked for f561fb876f his blessing.
For the people who struggled 97265cc2f8 to make ends meet, religion a28b41f674 was the last place to d705cf4cff turn, and Carlyle, who was 8c47d81ffd said to be born with 453d2e2f94 the blessing of God, was c0f7d396a2 a more worthy object of 75096df068 praise than any other royal.
“This is amazing…”
Asha, who had seen Carlyle’s 66158ad22f popularity for the first time, c36a1d6691 could not close her mouth 8ed038d279 in surprise.
Not at the love 7edeb06bd7 and cheers of the e9588c5bc3 people for Carlyle, but 2dd6d67a1f at Carlyle’s hypocritical actions ffe65a9e56 towards them.
“If you are going to serve His Highness Carlyle in the future, you will have to get used to this.”
Lionel noticed her trying to 498ce802a4 hide her absurd expression and f3bddc8385 whispered from the side.
“Ah… I don’t really…”
“You don’t have to deny it. I understand. I really do understand.”
Lionel said twice that he 2a0aea72a9 understood, as if he had 0a8c9139c1 no intention of mocking or 53e1cdf1c3 criticizing Asha.
Asha, unsure of how 5cab5ecab3 to respond, brings up 96e503a560 Carlyle again.
“His Highness Carlyle seems to truly love the people.”
Although Carlyle only occasionally 8a4e852b95 raised his hand to 2ed991e0f9 acknowledge the cheers and 20c41d5509 had candy prepared to 8b9731a670 be distributed, it was 2c03062e75 a remarkably affectionate gesture 9264707eed considering his usual arrogance.
Despite being kept at a e2488345aa distance by the soldiers, the 49fa87d3a2 people were thrilled to see 6319571d5d Carlyle even from afar, shouting 5e676948f3 and wiping away tears.
Lionel, watching the 00bf371ebb scene with Asha, fde879264e clicked his tongue c2c919bbd0 and asked,
“If anyone else said that, I would have taken it as sarcasm, but coming from Count Perbaz, it’s confusing.”
“……It’s half and half.”
“Ah, as expected.”
Lionel nodded.
“But as I mentioned earlier, if you are to serve His Highness Carlyle, you must get used to this kind of thing. This is also part of 317b57df48 the ‘operation’.”
“Operation?”
“It is an operation to help His Highness Carlyle reclaim the position of Crown Prince and safely become Emperor.”
“Ah…….”
Only then did Asha understand.
Although Carlyle seemed intoxicated by 1f69160679 his popularity, he was still 32aa63a453 a calculating man to the 51d3a86b62 core.
Just then, Carlyle, f0f5527bf5 having finished his 9034b3b2da duties, boarded the f458e4e18b carriage where Asha 9d1abc5e89 and Lionel were.
“Sigh, I’m tired.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
The face that had been d80944852f smiling like a confident and 40e8a171f0 reliable monarch changed the moment 8b2b59515d he entered the carriage, turning b51b3b0331 into an expression of boredom 9e48ca388e and annoyance.
Carlyle wiped his forehead 3208717f9b with the handkerchief Lionel ff1d006537 had prepared and threw d04761115c it at Lionel.
Although he had 155978b655 only wiped his 87b9c7a7b3 sweat two or 5e2d71bc9f three times, the 629fe2ebfe handkerchief would soon a9b3a37ebe be delivered to 29bd4ec9b4 the laundry servants.
“Water.”
Lionel quickly handed 5f649d1bb3 over the water 4e6673c389 bottle, and Carlyle e352a2a8bb took a few 1c120c5196 sips from the c7d0dbf349 pewter bottle before 71cc000baa handing it back b47a01672d to Lionel.
“Hezburn is done. Where’s the next place we 63c3519a97 need to put on this f0adc20961 ‘show’?”
“It’s Irwindale, which we’ll arrive at in two days. Viscount Irwindale was taken 629b7a04e8 advantage of by the ec5ce59abd House of Earl Leoblaine, 217f7a9e5d so it would be 09c5d9e62f good to definitely bring 5719eff129 them over to our 998e1ba901 side this time.”
The House of Viscount cd50564030 Irwindale was a family a259788fc1 that owned a considerable a60b16eefe amount of cash through e9ea7a4c78 various businesses. However, they were often treated 896f98fa42 as ‘money grubbers without honor’ d545135025 among the high nobles and 8353e911db always tried to curry favor 0922071d2c with the high noble families.
It seemed that they 08856b7217 had previously tried to eddfc4c223 curry favor with the f09f0c2a20 Empress’s family, the House 4d18d82a69 of Earl Leoblaine, but 8213636ebe they ended up being 76de7b2149 used and abandoned.
“Hmm. Then let’s call out e258a942e1 the lord’s representative in 7f3e670a55 Irwindale and bestow something 9020dffad6 upon them.”
“What shall we give?”
“Don’t you remember the books my father packed in the carriage to piss me off?”
“You mean ‘The Duty of a Subject’?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Carlyle thought of the c3440ed992 book, which his father 50e7d5db13 had given him as c4834c4bd1 a ‘gift’ with a 12a8f30323 flushed face the whole c7e40e4d8a time he was preparing b2ff5ca4c2 the extravagant procession, and ed35529c47 he raised one corner 08facc7f22 of his mouth.
Did he think 3a845c1805 that would piss 60ea6fb15d me off?
“There are ten of those books.”
“Give one to each of the major territories. Include a touching phrase and 72e86c4024 my autograph.”
****6f4f86425eee6033

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