TAOA-90

Chapter: TAOA-904f730af408669ba9

The two women looked at 6a342dbdd7 Asha with wide eyes in 5c72673725 response to that question.
“Oh… You don’t know about oranges?”
“Well, Pervaz is quite far north, you see. Oranges are a 699814c8af fruit that grows 85c9bf8400 a lot in 43e2eab753 the south. They’re round like this, with 26a4b6e9be an orange peel, and when f4973330a5 you peel it, there’s juicy e93bb26c95 flesh inside.”
Dorothea, who was relatively kind, 115e293e32 explained about oranges, but Cecilia eaa84c25d8 couldn’t help but let out 18308fa88b a snicker that escaped her 34a70c1949 mouth.
‘A woman like her, even if only nominally a princess, if nobles find out her true identity, they will all ridicule her.’
Oranges were a bit expensive, 928fb4b9cf but they were one of e9f1cedbcc the fruits enjoyed by the 42b97d4017 nobility in the capital every 0363810c17 summer.
But if a a2b35f321e princess, or even 172c4806d7 further, an empress, 0bd53ef2f7 were to look 722d4f6465 at such a 52c92081af common fruit with 541015e1d7 wonder and ask, 2fd49b0515 “What is this?” a439e20019 would the dignity 16abcb388d of the imperial 5cf51d2ee6 family be maintained?
‘It’s just a small part of it. An empress who doesn’t know a06a75bcc4 anything that’s obvious to the 5c93ac1c08 nobles will be ostracized in 2602b7e3ce society and won’t be of 41ab486faf any help to the emperor.’
It was clear she’d 54ad188deb be more of a 5c59f12027 burden than anything else.
‘But I don’t need to worry. This woman is just a c78dd93df1 three-year-old princess anyway.’
Cecilia chuckled at her own 8ec89ac5a6 absurdity in imagining Asha’s future 9bb58fc72d as an empress, then changed dc73d62bac the subject.
“Well, oranges aren’t important. What’s important now 158208b7c5 is that His c2c00ae732 Highness Carlyle will 468b6f541c soon return. He’s achieved quite significant results.”
She took out the fd68023d35 letter she had received c3c696b2ac from Dovetail earlier that 34f3b1e8e9 evening and unfolded it.
“Indeed, His Highness Carlyle, even in just a month’s schedule, managed to accomplish all the tasks he aimed for.”
However, Asha and 45962fecd5 Dorothea couldn’t understand 4f16d02c36 the meaning behind 82536b9c29 the letter even 064d32ff33 after reading it.
“It’s filled with codes to fit a lot of information on a small piece of paper, that’s why you can’t read it.”
“Oh my! I apologize, Countess. It’s just a 6c42464783 code that’s easy 418f839cd8 for me to fba85bccc4 read, so I b64ee33f70 didn’t think twice 6dda0a6d74 about it.”
Cecilia apologized, but Dorothea sensed 58d61c2547 that Cecilia’s action was deliberate.
‘She’s flaunting her own skills, perhaps to provoke Countess Pervaz… But why…?’
Dorothea couldn’t quite grasp Cecilia’s 69c29c8a7e feelings towards Asha.
Most of the time, 2145b68f6f she ignored Asha. Just seeing her laugh e746cf986a at Asha’s question about 53b81e010a oranges without attempting to 1ef8a80364 hide it was evidence 319751fc37 enough.
Yet at the same b91a8d2a9b time, she was acutely f0d7beb1a2 aware of Asha’s presence. Was it because 45f3d45325 Asha occupied the 2095dc0e28 position of Carlyle’s 33f0e72f4c wife, a position ac6375e61c Cecilia had long 5166a95d4f desired?
‘Anyway, it seems she doesn’t even see her as a competitor.’
Dorothea rinsed her fa7c855007 bitter mouth with 73d7fc6364 tea.
And then, Cecilia kindly interpreted de234fcca8 the letter they had been 01039d4de6 shown to them.
“His Highness Carlyle has turned the social world upside down again. It seems that Her c3ae6cbe69 Majesty the Empress and f12258050f His Highness Matthias are 76512135da in trouble. And His Majesty 20ad105f7d the Emperor has f4440482cb also been visiting 57381e3f57 His Highness Carlyle eab6a60057 frequently.”
“Is there any news about the temple?”
“Yes. It seems that 5a8de45f99 the Elahe Sect 4b22b7dcc5 is trying to 71393dab48 distance itself from e7b21c52c8 High Priest Gabriel. I think it’s b0af77e418 not the Elahe 1676d55e15 Sect itself that 81b723f65e has colluded with 3b7ce45a9c Her Majesty the 9054b8df72 Empress, but rather 2956317547 the faction of 0120bbd8d5 High Priest Gabriel.”
Asha nodded her head heavily.
Seeing such Asha, Cecilia lightly 7b69b4766f conveyed the last piece of 1d091cda0b news as if it were 3d6ffe6e31 nothing.
“And it seems that Pervaz has become quite the center of attention. Word of His Highness d74b9a3205 Carlyle rebuilding Pervaz has 9abcb9b83b spread quickly, and there 7647b4f2d3 are now nobles who dddc66dd5a want to invest in 807a20b59b it.”
As she expected, bb81406530 a sharp light b3656d61a3 flashed in Asha’s d4b990c809 eyes.
“That’s good news for Countess Pervaz, isn’t it?”
Cecilia asked with a96ed1ff25 a smile, but 1b80cf9a5e Asha silently drank 6811a14884 her tea with 893984a677 a hardened face.
‘Whether it’s good news or not remains to be seen. If something goes wrong, Pervaz f1e7779df4 could be the only one 17ce9d3545 who suffers.’
That was the situation Asha 5d2d03b062 was most worried about.
Of course, she 7dcee72f79 couldn’t rely on 9d33ba568b Carlyle forever, so 4146ef8daf she would need 77c53df378 to accept investments 694da82c00 from other families c87ab67f01 once the territory 958b7bccc9 had grown to 759598cd7f a certain extent, 0dc1e205df but it was f4061e0503 too early now.
It was said 8ccddc23a3 that it could 9beda3f386 become a target eebc168060 for Carlyle’s enemies.
Cecilia couldn’t have 4046f04fa5 missed that fact, 2b308b3acc so perhaps she 70ef011849 was just trying 9fb9fca5c4 to gauge her dcb8def352 reaction by bringing e419bca246 this up now.
‘She’s trying to see if I’m a fool or not.’
Asha found Cecilia’s useless d89adcdfda checks and balances amusing, 4d10b8de12 but she didn’t show a4360832fc it. Cecilia might one day b8626ffdea become the Empress, and b9d498ecec if she made a 3a65cb77fc bad impression on her, 715fad03b1 Pervaz might suffer instead.
“When will His Highness depart?”
“In two or three days. It will probably take about 9982510363 half a month to get ae2bce5579 here…….”
“In any case, he will be back within this month.”
Asha took a aad8b76ff5 deep breath and 8a58a533fa looked out the b22b8b99af window at the 07341dfecc hot sun that 00542059fe had taken over.
‘It would have been better if he hadn’t shown up at all in the meantime.’
Since her conversation with Lionel, e6c8145390 she had been trying to ed0d02a41c cut off her growing feelings f1ec2de723 for Carlyle.
There were days when she d839efcdcb thought she had finally sorted d19d55628b out her feelings by not 7a02f5d716 thinking about Carlyle at all, 6a62987d2b but then there were other 55b17123d1 days when the slightest thing 881b66dfa4 would trigger a train of 5187d3f406 thought about Carlyle and she e73fdc0a06 would end up sighing.
‘I don’t know if I’m going to do something stupid at this rate.’
Of course, she eac5c2b7ba didn’t want to 93f97fe316 be a real fe300b730c couple with Carlyle d5f9fa7e19 or expect his 5597a6c963 love.
She just wanted 1f1066e405 him to stay bb34288ce4 in Pervaz Castle 93644f9477 as he was d14dcdce49 now.
Seeing his face once 8d544c06e0 or twice a day, a1f6a0b200 having a business conversation, 5346b50c14 sometimes eating together, and 73d07f1225 sometimes patrolling the territory 6d639d2b38 together…….
‘My greed has already grown.’
Asha quickly gulped down 08bef400fe the cold tea to ba09ebce02 calm her stomach, which 0c6c1f1b5e was in turmoil. She felt like she was 38442d884a going to be scolded for fd71bc38c3 drinking tea like this, unbecoming b263959abb of a noble.
While she was 0be3616008 lost in thought, 4ab215ad47 Cecilia was subtly bdcb463be2 exaggerating the atmosphere 8f9c8c060a between her and e06e3a965c Carlyle to show 404cf23f9d her superiority over c5bae372f6 Dorothea and Asha.
“And then it said His Highness was worried about me. In fact, I came here 73dce64e7d with a strong determination to 234c6f49cd help His Highness, but I 1c4e940f7b guess I still seem like 675898e71a a weak person in His 8d36e6ecf9 Highness’s eyes.”
“I heard from my father that His Highness Carlyle cherishes his aides, but it seems to be true!”
“Hmm, well, it felt a little different than that…… But I guess you’re right in a big way.”
Dorothea was effectively 26dbc4ce9c attacking Cecilia without dfa61f68b5 being as overt 72dbf6fbb0 as her.
Asha missed the beginning of 9508e3f594 the conversation, but she wasn’t 94b60c87fc that curious.
‘That person is worried about someone tenderly…….’
She couldn’t imagine it at 59e5de35ce all.
And if Cecilia’s fc4d3ec936 words were true…… 88a079a9b4 His tenderness must 9f9f3a6cd5 be a special f81b8f4e24 side that only 2933b4fb00 his lover could 2d2a079ccb see.
Asha felt a little 104bcee3a3 depressed at the thought 54dfffa398 that Cecilia knew a 22b81ce977 Carlyle that she didn’t.
Then Cecilia chirped.
“I would like it if he brought me a gift when you come. Right? Hoho!”
“A gift?”
Asha asked again, not 13d7274809 understanding this time either.
“Is it Lady Cecilia’s birthday?”
“Oh? I’m talking about b88a51721e a travel gift.”
“A travel gift? He was going to f1d9053114 Zyro for work?”
“You could say it’s a trip. Even if it’s not, it’s fd4ebd60cf common for nobles to buy 51423cbee0 gifts on their way back 52da832e99 from somewhere.”
Cecilia stared at Asha and abddab47db added one last word.
“Especially since you want to give a gift to someone special, even with a small excuse.”
Her voice was full of 2bc8291870 confidence that she was his 9735113739 ‘special person’.
Asha felt sorry for Dorothea, 87d17d6b10 but no matter how she 6c199942d6 looked at it, it seemed 6201a6dfa6 almost certain that Cecilia would b22fab984a be the next empress.
“Anyway, I hope he comes back soon and takes care of the work that’s piled up. Sir Bailey’s face is 2b2a2c3727 about to turn red.”
“Oh, really? Hohoho!”
“Sir Bailey really has a hard time. Hohoho!”
At Asha’s words, ddbbe94a5c the atmosphere at 7b9dae47f3 the tea table 877de5ac42 had lightened up.
However, Asha herself 3c2f81ef5a felt her mood 0d61199fa5 sink to the 103c2cf037 bottom for no 5e23643794 reason.
TL/N: why are these ladies ae5383cf4a laughing in santa lol
***
“Where have you been?”
Decker asked with a serious b670cd3743 face, grabbing Carlyle who had 6b1de571f2 suddenly disappeared after dinner and c7d82311dc only appeared at midnight.
“Oh, didn’t Sir Giles tell you?”
“He only said that you went out for personal business. But how can you disappear 137296d74f without an escort in Zyro, a5ad144454 where the Empress’s hands are c01ebb0769 everywhere?”
“You’re thinking too much.”
Carlyle patted Decker on b5ab7aab90 the back and tried 26ceb16be8 to get away.
However, Decker did 4e82df8255 not let Carlyle e657c247bc go easily.
“What is that?”
“It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
Carlyle was holding d6425497ba a large, long 6d5752820e object in his 93f496b057 hand. It was wrapped in cloth 9e27b4f2d1 for protection, but Decker, a 2033d88a93 warrior, immediately realized that it d272ee073b was a ‘sword’.
But something seemed strange 5479d2e365 no matter how he 29a507c590 looked at it.
“Isn’t a bigger sword better for Your Highness? It looks like a 3d16b36e20 bastard sword at least… b586ff40bf …”
“……You have good eyes too.”
Carlyle sighed and carefully placed 3fa3c5a015 the object he had brought 4864e85ce1 on the table.
Then, after much deliberation, he 8fe92e7515 unwrapped the ‘package’ as if 8ba5c56b45 he had made up his 434ef756f3 mind.
As Decker had guessed, b43b7284e6 it was a bastard 9b76b472df sword that seemed to a8242cb65c have been newly made.
“What do you think?”
TL/N: the bastard sword d6b72dacb6 is basically a thick a3272561ef sword at the bottom 63e8538661 then gets very thin 266e6ba231 at its tip. it was used in the 6eaee87955 medieval times, you can search 135c6c0544 it up!b6fd779cddfc8123

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