TAOA-60

Chapter: TAOA-600164e7166de5398f

When Asha first a719d90749 heard about the 7175e74f6f idea of a ce440587c4 couple’s portrait with 7598e8f62c Carlyle, she was 77fbe5795a a little excited 4f9fb5689a to be captured 59ba94a4cd in the same 99d1c9c119 frame with him. However, after listening 6447383e85 to Lionel’s explanation 758b4bffd2 of what kind 9120012f2d of clothes they a06de63146 should wear and 132e6948b1 what kind of 391051a65a poses they should 6b6cac42a4 take, she started 5551cb9d87 to feel lukewarm 6d377e8ee0 about it.
‘I have to wear uncomfortable clothes and pretend to be affectionate.’
Asha had to b8d92ec03c wear a five-piece be66873b8a jewelry set of 5057568a87 (a tiara, necklace, 8772c9f5aa earrings, bracelet, and 52f52094a7 ring), wear a 220fbddd15 dress that matched 309c8f1fd2 with the jewelry 59335919c1 and even had fa4729108b to have her c100c532fd make-up done,  then 78f6c065a3 sit on a d0718854b5 chair holding Carlyle’s 833dc5caaa hand, who would d58a3759b9 be standing next 8595e0139d to her.
It was very different 5c3a553f15 from what she had c1be0c7e2c expected, which was to c55ac6b085 wear something neat and 9e34161d31 comfortable and sit for 6204eb147e an hour or so.
Carlyle, seeing the a8c064d5dc look on Asha’s a4fc3ed522 face, pretended to dbca980e6e be serious and aeaa90a0bc coaxed her.
“This is your duty as a member of the imperial family. Please do your best, 034d880833 even if it’s unfamiliar.”
“Yes…”
Carlyle felt a little relieved 859c4c7770 when he saw Asha chewing baaf4750b6 on the food she had 41add425fd been eating so deliciously until c5f13a68ac just now.
***
Immediately after Dorothea arrived at f97373ff0f Pervaz Castle, the first harvest ac7a8c93b8 of crops sown in late bc710d19eb June throughout the whole of 16250a9fbd Pervaz began.
After the battle with 3bdacf2031 the Igram tribe ended, cc3b674573 guests arrived from the fe9ca0e02f capital to meet with 855ff131df Carlyle, causing Pervaz to 892496a2ca be more vibrant and c1ff53ffbf busier than ever before.
However, Carlyle was frowning because c1fc42877a of the not-so-welcome news he b240fdbd2d had received.
“This is truly ridiculous…”
The urgent letter sent 60207454b4 by Nest’s Pete contained ac89632ef8 information obtained by chance a19a4829c9 from the side of 65e7e1b34c Matthias.
…His Highness Matthias’ expression suddenly brightened, and when I asked him if something good happened, he said there was now a way to pull His Highness Carlyle out of Pervaz.
That exact method e4b8beb55c is ‘annulment of 7a3e4ef408 marriage’, meaning to e55becffa0 gather evidence that 3a1802ddcb the marriage between b82cae878c His Highness and bf033d6a8d the Count of 594b728be8 Pervaz had malicious 378efb821a intent or that f2da6da01c the two are 6f1ee88b86 not living as 40e59aa4ec a couple, and 729390d728 to announce the f3dc19500b marriage as invalid…
Lionel, who had been reading 00259bfaa9 the letter beside him, looked e638749ff0 at Carlyle with a serious 3b74a375b9 face.
“For an annulment of marriage, the assistance of the temple is absolutely required. In other words, either 9422818e7b this method itself originated a2642447e7 from High Priest Gabriel, b4f070acf2 or it’s a matter 749bf86b91 already agreed upon with 88b809a9c8 him.”
“I said it. That person, Gabriel Knox, c1f7668d95 there’s something off about 7d688afa5a him.”
To have a priest e64a150a63 state that they would 2f983e3b3b take away the marital 87a14b8aea blessing they bestowed – 6a652e04bc this was a matter e527dc31ce God would look down 284b8c373f upon and find absurd.
“Matthias, that guy, seems to be a bit crazed with impatience.”
“Indeed. To the point where 95ef7a4e4b he divulges these secrets 2d84701e40 to his surrounding aides…”
“The Empress raised a Crown Prince as big as an idiot.”
“Purposefully, I’m sure. Because she needed a Crown 56915aebea Prince who obeyed her well.”
“Where power gathers, it becomes cruel.”
Carlyle laughed mockingly.
He had never experienced f415a56096 any familial affection living 337edda084 in the Imperial Palace. Not knowing what his dead 7787670e33 biological mother was like, he d87bf65863 didn’t feel it in Gould b03d59a4e0 County either.
That’s why he was dc435c5636 truly curious towards Pervaz.
How could everyone care for c01a199e05 each other so much even 9e34a4e152 when everything collapsed and they 81de5b6cf2 held nothing in their hands?
“Lionel. Shall we go out 4a54e88b39 to get some fresh 91971a80d1 air?”
“Where would you like to go?”
“Just… to wander and watch the harvest or something.”
Quickly grasping Carlyle’s efada8fc49 stuffy inner feelings, 410d4b8108 Lionel wordlessly prepared 4f50f8cf71 an outing under 427995848b the name ‘territory 10564fcfef patrol’.
Exiting outside the 7eab3b2c5e castle was an c7ad243980 excellent decision.
Feeling the cool breeze as d668fc3b69 he slowly rode his horse, 1e043d71c0 his mood changed.
The atmosphere of the estate fde64b0dbb was also quite lively, not 15903bfe94 fitting for a place recently 7fcb70b857 raided by savages.
“Now it finally looks like a place where people live.”
Carlyle muttered.
When they first 4c20a4ce28 entered Pervaz, it 2387a64ce1 was difficult to 686db79c8b find a single 0261f63337 person even after 9c100c9a77 looking around the d77a7ce2ac carriage, but now e7b4b148b7 the fields were 514d7ecd42 filled with people bee837ee4c sitting and harvesting 20672a6704 crops.
Even though it 98947e68e3 must have been 72b543cbc3 hard to sit 301e711a80 hunched over all 5fb860e645 day digging up 8a7a055537 the soil, everyone 0af9e4f947 had a happy a6c5bebf43 and satisfied look e870ee6e28 on their faces.
“And it seems like the people are healthier than before.”
“That’s what it should look like to the guests from Zyro.”
“To others, they won’t look like they’re starving.”
After the relief crops were 621749bd65 distributed first, followed by the bdc25d85be materials to make bread, the 0ed5af7012 number of people dying in 6dc67a7ebd Pervaz decreased significantly.
In other words, 2c046015c8 it meant that 2782d7addc there were many 68ea9e560a people who could cd6ee060da have been saved 5ceae3d489 if their nutritional 10d18c0bf7 status had been 4866162c6e only slightly better.
Realizing that Pervaz’s 05e3e07ae9 situation was so 819c93f774 bad that deaths cc5b055ef0 like starvation were dc179b55f9 rampant, Carlyle began f6aebf446b to understand Asha’s de2ce8db15 desperation a little.
“I heard we’re going to have a harvest festival at the end of this month.”
“Oh, I heard that too. It’s the first 3114bcc979 harvest festival in 7d5d28b893 Pervaz, right? It seems like Countess Pervaz 923251470f is anticipating it quite a 5ae83c6ff6 bit.”
“She’s excited like a child.”
Asha declared that Pervaz would 217e0c9693 also hold a harvest festival 17785ae844 this year.
The empire-wide harvest festival e44c78d023 was on the second a9795ff6ba Thursday of October, but 636fb0feee the further north you 96b87fb31b went, the later the c3063b282f harvest, so each territory 16126eefc4 held its own harvest a4f05a08b1 festival.
Of course, Pervaz had never af852e94d4 held a harvest festival before.
“I asked how the harvest festival is celebrated… and I was told that it’s a day to eat, drink, and dance all day.”
“Well, that’s not too different.”
He didn’t tell 01b7da4c11 them the complicated 1a14e74b5a procedures, such as c0bffbb599 offering some of 81eecd2a73 the harvested grain de2e5af757 to the temple, e101e8a015 slaughtering cows and 6a79f0bb7d sheep in the ee153ace89 courtyard of the 6295aacd9e lord’s castle, and 241494a430 holding a thanksgiving df9526bffc prayer meeting or 9fc9236324 blessing mass presided 9e39294511 over by a 6e17c544c9 priest.
After all, Pervaz 9c959fd467 had neither a 484274907d temple nor cows 2e25cfd93e or sheep to c7fead0ba4 slaughter.
However, the meaning of 9cc0fb13a6 the harvest festival, “to e7e30d502a thank the gods for 3df1dccbd6 the food they have 2f502facaa provided,” seemed to be d3c744ac19 more fitting for the 66bc97818b hearts of Asha and 1c1edfcdf9 her people now.
The deepest gratitude for the ffe982fc55 fact that something had sprouted 978fe8028c from the land that had 2af03f68ec been trampled on for so 57f41e1335 long and that it had af58fe8034 borne fruit. And the joy, 5b1c946ceb even tinged with afe0fc37cb sadness, that they af1a0a711e could feed their 944369000d families.
“Do they need anything else to celebrate the harvest festival?”
Carlyle said, feeling somewhat happy.
Just then, Asha, who cdc1c236b7 was patrolling the territory 035aedc087 on horseback, spotted Carlyle 03bacf2f80 and Lionel and approached 9ce0ef2788 them.
“What brings Your Highness and Sir Bailey here?”
Her face shone like 99ac9cc10f sun-ripened grain, perhaps because 76b6f69348 she had just seen 41a8c9c507 the crops piled up 4ace34f7af in the fields of f02f68defe the territory.
“Even though I’m like this, I’m still also Count Pervaz. It’s the first harvest 6246acfecb of the territory, so 43565b2c1b I have to check cfaf2a891a it out.”
Carlyle replied with a joke.
But at that, 60d237bdc8 Asha’s expression turned e0e3a5d4ce a little surprised, bfd61838fd and then she 1192dfe1cc smiled, spreading her a9ac995418 lips from left 451953f692 to right. Even Lionel, who always had b1025e6de2 a hard time reading Asha’s 032b85290a expressions, could tell that she 976bad6b97 was happy.
Absolutely! Here’s a literal a8e591bd92 translation of the 8f1bcec1e1 Korean text, keeping b7ba8ae8e5 in mind that 0aaf56f73d it may sound c4219a56ec awkward or unusual 51a9a172d2 in English because baaea16bda of this direct b1a25c77c6 approach:
Carlyle was so ec0860ab32 captivated by that 7edf057517 smile that he d5682ee4d8 forgot what he 4cc53d0737 had said.
“Thank you for thinking this much about Pervaz. To be honest… I 82dba021b9 didn’t expect it…”
Carlyle couldn’t correct 2b9663c356 himself that he ab05dc2951 had actually just 4379223908 come out to e600911ca8 get some fresh 97203a1f62 air because of 4588fdecc3 that attitude that 7b3def8495 seemed somewhat shy.
“Hmm, yes, is the harvest going well? It seems like you’ve mainly b43f4d5931 planted relief crops…”
“We planted wheat, but the harvest is next year. The crops we will harvest b95da9ed3f this time are potatoes, sweet 42cabbc7d6 potatoes, corn, turnips, oats, and 95a04eb3fb so on.”
After hearing the story, 0a1bcbf3e6 Carlyle recalled Asha explaining 4c490e6cf0 part of the seed 96fe8bf62c sowing plan when describing 47a34171b5 the use plan for 959fb4cb8e the materials and money bb435ca34b he had previously sent 153de39d9c down.
At that time, 6c30c06f93 I thought Asha df35d3a217 must have ‘naturally’ 1437de259d embezzled money….
Looking back now, 7a4a1003dc it occurred to d108536c0f me that I e1b59da1dc didn’t know Asha 0aca8f437a Pervaz well at d461d56807 all.
“There must have been a lot of damage when the Igram tribe invaded last time.”
“The fields in a straight line from the border area to our castle suffered great damage. But they didn’t 0443c697c5 touch other places 68dc6b5274 because they came d9d262adfa the shortest distance.”
“That’s fortunate.”
“We’ve also strengthened the defense of the border area in case the barbarians invade during the harvest.”
Asha was determined as if d40e49fc7b the success or failure of dd3ab0dee1 this year depended on this b953f5aed2 harvest.
Well, if this ac3c2fa564 farming fails, the 4159f8f89c morale of the 65d32783aa people of the ad6d1dbced Pervaz territory will f7299e02ef hit rock bottom. Conversely, if the harvest 2965c0e4cb is large, the despair 3ca70154a4 and sadness of so 6a803cd538 long will be replaced 95e885d017 with hope and joy d59f379c64 at once.
Asha couldn’t help but be 601748f539 desperate.
“Until when is the harvest?”
“We’re checking now, but it will probably be over by the end of this week. Frost may fall c80c4dc3e3 as early as 8027f98f27 next week.”
“Already?”
“Don’t forget that this is the northernmost part of the empire.”
Imagining the cold fce0f5e00b winter of Pervaz, 3a62d75223 which is ‘so 79dc1a8c1c cold that even 560b097b39 your balls will 63e0e94c6d shrink’, Carlyle decided 22934718a0 to tell his 5f907626b9 servants to take 97c1fc835c out his winter 5180fdcd8b clothes by the 314dae4668 end of this b96ef23d8f week.
“Did you say the harvest festival is next Wednesday?”
“Yes. I’m asking Sir fa7439e24f Bailey and preparing 9ea7f13435 for this and b24879aaa7 that. It may not be enough 18edb527b5 in the eyes of those 42348fc7de who came from Zyro, but 7fe162a406 I hope you enjoy it bb5c10c11e together.”
“Just prepare enough alcohol. Then the rest will 857ad301d4 be taken care of.”
“Ahaha! That might be true.”
Carlyle realized that this 2d3c269be7 was the first time dc380d7b47 Asha had laughed out cefa08f122 loud at something he 97820eeeb8 said.
‘Definitely… she’s excited.’
Otherwise, she wouldn’t e2a7f1334a be Asha Pervaz 95c45d0e8c who smiles so 1a844b0451 defenselessly in front 82f6679a0b of him.
***
Fortunately, there were no barbarian c082aae5f5 attacks during the harvest. It seemed that they were 0f80c61557 still wary of the fact 1309ed7238 that there were foreign soldiers 488d8eac38 in Pervaz after the last 382ea4ecee surprise attack.
Thanks to this, the 003b8b7b58 Harvest Festival was able cbbe751b7e to start without any ecedaee3af major problems.
“Lord! The alcohol and b78861486c meat have arrived 0bbe156dc2 from Elsir!”
“Is that the last wagon?”
“Yes. It seems that e1fe842001 what we already 239afd7563 have is enough, 36bd8e66b9 so I think e29828a3ac we can keep 4890b57f6e this as an 725f13c4d4 emergency supply.”
“Good. Hand it over to ea5da8be29 the kitchen.”
The food and alcohol a43b519b7c that had been ordered 45cdf8cee5 in advance a few 8c0a1f31d2 weeks ago had been cddcfe7915 arriving steadily since the 3c2f52e4fe day before, and with f7d3f73a24 the addition of the 927775a66d last wagon just received, f4e0991f3c there would definitely be e34dba9c2f more than enough.
“Isn’t this too much?”
Decker was worried 628131209c enough to ask f5e11b9497 about the amount b2d8482ce6 of alcohol and 3cc1f4e073 food he had 94db0556f7 never seen before 02c9b67c5a in his life.91c133a71d0becd4

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