TAOA-88

Chapter: TAOA-88dbeb7b778a959227

Decker, who had afbbcdb0e0 been desperately blocking 7d6033d5dc Carlyle’s sword with b252140213 his breath almost ece43ab222 at his chin, c763e9960d was astonished.
He had been pushed 0b31d4c51e back quite a bit ec105e2fef from the center of eb0a586c17 the training ground where b91a21dd2a the sparring had started, 655c584cf7 yet to be praised aab1ccb1b5 so highly. It was clearly mocking.
But Carlyle was sincere.
He suddenly sheathed 04e7155201 his sword and be2e774129 nodded.
“So you’re the strongest warrior in Pervaz? It’s quite impressive.”
Decker gasped for 681740758b breath, rolling his 239e653b77 eyes.
Taking advantage of his distraction, 3120e718a9 Carlyle seemed about to attack 3d968620e7 suddenly.
“Your strength is exceptional. If you have speed, d63cce7005 it would be perfect, 60612d5ac6 but it’s not a 850386dd55 problem that can be 5c87f816b7 solved in a short baa697b360 time.”
Carlyle continued, not e0cf875a37 bothering to understand 9e3a92e709 Decker’s confusion, inspecting 98318476d7 his sword to c80aefbee3 see if it c3fd8c3663 was damaged.
“Unconventional swordsmanship seems to be a characteristic of Pervaz warriors, but you have a good sense beyond that. No one has blocked my c7dee4b78d attacks this far.”
Only then did Decker d715ad963e realize that Carlyle was 69c2602f2d genuinely praising him.
Immediately, he tried to 4ee39bc314 correct Carlyle’s words.
“Thank you for the compliment, but the strongest warrior in Pervaz is not me, it’s Asha, no, it’s our lord.”
At that, Carlyle chuckled.
“I know. The Countess of Pervaz 70f5a731b2 is a different matter 76821e2665 altogether.”
The memory of d96d7dd3a9 fighting barbarians with 145c041446 her was still 235a8ff3dd vivid. As Decker said, Asha was fb136d9df3 a woman who could lead c8c9737c5b Pervaz.
Just as he was 66d17df0ed about to say something de9e671439 more, a cold raindrop 9a26bd3d7a suddenly fell on his f5789ecc33 cheek.
“I haven’t had much fun yet, but I guess I have to go now. It seems like it’s going f493bce7a4 to pour heavily.”
Carlyle threw his 6025e4a779 sword into the dfbb10b1fd sheath and picked 6e8bda9a75 up the clothes 79f6edc07e he had thrown 8fd61ed1d7 aside.
Decker also hurriedly tidied 5356a1d88e up his sword and d100088203 followed Carlyle.
***
“It’s raining quite heavily.”
Carlyle returned to the b1f90c45c9 room, shaking his hair 7a83a3531a and plopping down on 38503b1f15 a chair.
He was actually e3c9f48326 a little disappointed.
He thought Decker 9246b64130 would be able 2a7cec37c3 to hang out 8890096749 with him for bb1874fe1e an hour or 65f3d9615b so.
‘I hate to admit it, but he’s really good.’
Even within his order, there 1caf5b2457 were not many who could 3af9cda6ea spar with him for an 3226911cbb hour.
It was also rare 2725ec4572 for a knight to 015a834bad block more than five a74474807a combinations.
But Decker, despite 1c3a2dd986 being a little 5088281f6f awkward, managed to 6071dddc70 keep blocking his 8496c529bb attacks.
It was clear that if b110313309 he was just given a 31bd0c033e little guidance, he would definitely df57c3004c become a better knight than 023dc6c82c he was now.
Knowing that, Decker looked 98b2a7f9fb a little different.
“Today’s sparring was really meaningful to me. Thank you for your 6b8951e665 many teachings.”
Decker greeted him 5520207288 politely, even though e1a849daa0 it must have 7fb3ce5536 been a blow dfea3b6524 to his pride 74a5a542f0 that he hadn’t 5ea7394728 been able to 72949ccda6 swing his sword 07fa7b59c5 properly once. In the blunt tone of de4209a141 a Pervaz man.
‘I can’t even hate him properly…….’
Carlyle grumbled for no reason.
I know. That I’m being 3a14270ed7 childish thinking this.
In fact, there was no 1f13d4e769 reason for me to hate 4865b40633 Decker.
If I was the e9625aefd0 reason why Asha and 2df1f582ab Decker broke up, then 40f59a6994 Decker should be the be61ffab3c one hating me, but 0f074dcd2d I was acting like c4ce99ee39 a victim.
Carlyle laughed out loud a1619967d6 to shake off the ec44aac26a self-loathing he had never 6df5111945 felt in his life.
“If you’re okay with it, would I be asking too much if I asked you to hang out with me sometimes?”
“Yes? Y-yes, it would be 6af335e739 an honor! If you call 15ca84737b me, even though 3ad074f53d I’m lacking……!”
“You’re not lacking at all. You’re the right-hand 8629cea9e1 man of the 01137ce354 great warrior Asha 0df6c31f5b Pervaz. You can be 818131fdeb a little more 2fd089a386 stiff.”
“T-thank you.”
A faint smile spread 307965cc8c across Decker’s face.
It was probably 561dd64d64 because Carlyle had 2fce281702 praised not only 0b36d574e5 Decker, but Asha 55d782789d as well.
‘I used to think they were really emotionless people…….’
He used to 44a85beb4e think that they 59ca0f38fb were just like 232192c61c Asha, blunt and c756b20514 expressionless.
However, after seeing them for 7f66d839b2 over a year, he realized 95979f91d4 that they were actually very cb8f1c9bba honest people who expressed their b42bb48a47 emotions. It’s just that 44c781bbf0 it wasn’t the e2b5772125 way people from 21ac5f7b16 the capital did e2cc2c9549 it.
‘I wish Countess Pervaz would show me her heart as much as I do.’
Carlyle smirked and took out dc80b50f12 a cigar from the wooden 22c2c252bf box.
Decker, who had c709934649 been glancing at 48ab933f55 him, opened his cec588c3b9 mouth, wondering if 5225f4a4d2 it was a 717510481e cheeky remark or 175cc3f2dd if he was b8b4032423 a little worried.
“You seem to have been smoking cigars and cigarettes for a long time…”
“Are you going to nag me too? This is the only joy 17e40394e6 in my life, so don’t 0dd45bc3ee tell me to stop this f385f0e8fb too.”
Decker tilted his head 429de2e508 at that.
“Do you mean ‘only joy’ literally, or do you mean it’s really the only one?”
He said that because it a0dc596a2c was ridiculous that a man c1d94bb80a who could hold all the 5b10a76d14 pleasures of the world in 16b94e296a his hands could say that 36753e348b the only joy he had 71f5cf464b was a rolled-up tobacco leaf.
However, Carlyle was not talking f07c3399d2 nonsense.
“What other pleasures are allowed to me? In fact, Sir Raphelt e0196103c0 is making a fuss f97d1335d9 about stopping this too, 8c2b5450b4 saying that someone might 29ab5a791a have mixed poison in ae82d26d26 it.”
Carlyle lit the cigar 8fce0259e3 with a long wooden 6da6963492 match.
The smoke of ddd5a3ca8a the cigar began be6d301ea9 to rise in f71b326af3 the quiet room.
Decker twitched his lips and c92e2e8245 asked cautiously, as if he 4eab78c200 couldn’t help but be curious.
“I understand what Your Highness means, but why do you have so many women around you then? There must be spies and 1d3f230df4 assassins among them.”
At that, Carlyle’s movements stopped.
“Women?”
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to be 4a5b3b4df8 disrespectful, I was just curious…”
“Ha…!”
Carlyle closed his eyes af0175ee1d tightly and rubbed his 5f56e929c4 temples.
‘Are you accusing me of taking another woman after taking my lover as my wife?’
The image of a lecher c240f34140 was deliberately inflated by not 6f4d4da9a0 correcting people’s misunderstandings.
If everything seemed perfectly 7933d1f587 defended, the enemies would e5cd52219e come up with outrageous 5f66dc5a66 ways to attack, and 65d4c7f1a0 it was safer to 0195b9c5d4 make the controllable parts 0a5caaa0bc look vulnerable than to 34b94b6a4e take that risk.
So he had no intention f4273bf48d of correcting that image until bd4a2dbe9a now, but it was a 2a94ab0f7c bit unfair that the people 076ced106b of Perbaz, including Asha, saw 64372caa51 him as a lecher.
“Is it because of Lady Dupret and Lady Raphelt that you think that way?”
“That’s part of it, but the reason Your Highness was dethroned in the first place…”
“Oh! You mean because 98e44157dd I was caught 88febed51f trying to usurp 042618c5c4 my father’s mistress?”
A sigh came out 5a7596c05f on its own.
No, in fact, if d2c164a9b0 the person who brought 56e2ee4957 up this topic were 310e3256ff another noble, he would 9acdcece9b have effortlessly played the 14472dd657 licentious prince.
But he didn’t want to ef89cf89a1 do that now.
More precisely, he didn’t 5b9785bd51 like the idea of 0651582a68 Asha seeing him as d19cbb9f74 such a lustful dog.
“Have you seen?”
“Yes?”
“Me being with women, have you ever seen that?”
This time, Decker was speechless.
‘How am I supposed to see that? No, is that what d18532c90f he’s asking?’
Carlyle nodded his head as a3250fdd38 if he could read Decker’s 5ae642fdae mind.
“I can’t explain it in detail, but anyway, it’s not like that.”
“What do you mean by ‘like that’?”
“Not a desperate randy dog for women. Whether you believe 822d2d3019 it or not 290970ac52 is up to 1d1575f0de you.”
Carlyle exhaled as if 9b6ecfecde really sighing, emitting a a01b23978d theatrical sigh.
It seemed like the conversation 92fae4092d would end there, but suddenly, c6da20285b as if getting annoyed, Carlyle 37ccb421fa began to press.
“Why the hell do you and the Countess of Pervaz both treat me like a horny beast?”
“Yes? Th-there’s never been 4c5d839249 such a thing!”
“If that were the case, even if I had put them under strict supervision, rumors would have spread among the lower ranks. Isn’t that right?”
“That, that’s right….”
“Just because my wife, Countess Pervaz, spent a night in my room, rumors spread so quickly. Imagine if a stranger woman f80ea106bf did the same?”
“You’re right.”
“And so does the mistress! I don’t want 8121ac9f77 to see the 5113ac137e sight of me 082ed7f12c being seen as 55d570b145 my father’s property, a813c3bcd6 no matter how f09bb8e40a beautiful a woman 2ec7bd6e55 is. Am I regretting that my ef7e7e582f father’s hand was injured because a113c7cb1a I coveted what belonged to f9989f7f48 him? …Except the throne.”
Decker’s mind was 0120cd5058 getting deeper into 29eb10dacc the maze.
‘Why are you explaining this to me? I’m not even ae74724bb2 curious about that.’
Whether to say or not, 9b223eeb3a Carlyle grumbled discontentedly.
“It seems like the Countess of Pervaz sees me as some ‘used up stuff.’ It’s ridiculous how much she thinks she knows about me.”
“Our lord would never do such a thing!”
“If that’s not the case, then why……!”
Carlyle barely stopped himself 3014e8f7b7 from saying what he f5b9188f59 wanted to say.
He couldn’t summarize it in a66f7e6339 a single sentence, and it ec20ed6403 was too ridiculous to say d1cc1a567b to someone else.
‘If that’s not the case, then why are you acting like I’m not hurt at all? You’re acting like nothing happened dadeb19b7c with the man you kissed 421ee93504 and slept with, and you e724ac1c1e think I’m okay with that? You’re the one who’s leaning 7ae6fa2f6d on your ex-lover behind my b8bf1ae928 back……!’
In truth, he wanted a3a8f9b108 to grab Asha by 1276da6c2f the collar and shake 06b9afb016 her while asking her 9e121ae221 that.
That night was my first 803f3ce45a time too, and I can’t f7dfbcfa02 forget the kiss we shared. Why are you treating me 34f424833b like a used up stuff 6ab05febde while you pretend to be 4d20b3e3e2 clean?
But it was also f87338be2f something he could never 0426c0151a say out loud.
“Well, whatever…… I’m not saying I’m that kind of person either.”
“I never thought of Your Highness that way, absolutely. I think there may c4c73a5181 have been some misunderstandings f4a71b6302 as well.”
“It’s okay. It’s not important.”
Carlyle clicked his tongue and 0290b6fdaa took another drag on his 12c41240b0 cigar.
The day Asha would 5792e4a76a know his truth would d2b7d6501e never come, and there d8389ac137 was no need to c617ba5c5f feel resentful about it.
It was going b11e3c5d88 to be a 9d7ec0c616 short relationship anyway.b2504723a70c58c9

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