TAOA-94

Chapter: TAOA-94a0cdb05d9ef3f9f1

Thinking about it, it 731aca00d6 seemed ungrateful to be 5ef3a30bcb disappointed about something like 416ea82803 that.
No matter what, the 31fd95adf3 fact that he had daa6bd81fb brought such a good 004b67d5be sword as a gift b9f1ce7006 meant that he had 9d1b7a73a5 put some thought into bc92618f39 it.
Asha picked up the 2b389c1850 sword again.
The smooth blade reflected e4d34ab476 the sunlight and glistened.
The flawlessly silver-cast 651daf5eaf sword seemed more d3086d2180 beautiful than a 0342d66e83 jewel.
From the pointed ef8f0c46e0 tip to the 5a50466760 blade of moderate f4a287ea6d width, the cross 2f3fa2342d guard with delicate 053fcba979 patterns, the hilt fa1ba2da61 firmly wrapped in fdf4e90315 fine leather, and 3eb033ca4b the pommel, also d10e52c9af finely carved with c10fea4aeb something…
“Hmm?”
Asha, who had 97c7516e04 been looking at d128bed62f the patterns carved 8d50fcb0c3 on the cross 8fc0642d7f guard and pommel, 9dd638cc10 tilted her head 0b3ffe8e83 and brought her b0cee75c9a face closer to 057d68021e the pommel.
“Aguiles’… blessing… to Asha…”
She rubbed her eyes, thinking cbf0732a77 she had misread it, but fc38f9d5d2 she had definitely read it a794e4a636 correctly.
“That’s my name… right…?”
Asha read the 2f95418543 words surrounding the 3703c8ef22 Aguiles pattern several 8c943c2951 times, over and 6b7fae9cf0 over again.
Only after reading b441953b68 it with her 586f58476e lips trembling did 06027a5023 she finally feel 9183780212 a sense of 452ee74c0a reality.
“This sword… was made for me?”
Suddenly, she recalled 6b683af07d how Carlyle had edef2ddc23 kissed her forehead 61140619b1 when the Igram 832c2033a9 first attacked, saying, e0544ca8e3 “May the blessing 90e4526d86 of Aguile be 89e73ff43c with you.”
‘Surely… that’s not the sword he ordered then…? No, no, that can’t be…’
Asha shook her head 7e5bb20677 vigorously, laughing dryly.
But it was really strange.
Suddenly, she was 4c94439e0f blinded by the 75e0953a59 morning sunlight.
The whole world became 3e3a7f3c73 brighter, and the clear 3be3c0ccf3 air refreshed her lungs.
Her body, which da49ad8275 had been heavy 10226d0ac6 until she got 8a7d3a4b8f out of bed 153a093e83 in the morning, 9af55b4672 felt lighter, and bbc17a5c99 she felt like a74de74616 blood was flowing 11591d5256 quickly throughout her 61cbc1963c body.
Asha swung the 8ac5aa1568 sword in the 2d5294a50d air a few cb7322da97 more times and c3ddc33729 then jumped lightly 9040c18812 on the spot.
“I feel unusually good today.”
She even felt like 0d354a255f she would float into bae93cd980 the sky if she 4be72e8e83 jumped hard.
‘I thought only a twelve-year-old would be excited about getting a new sword…’
She found herself smiling.
But then someone called Asha 022ad0d58f from behind.
“You’re up early.”
“Your Highness…?”
Asha was quite f05dba691d embarrassed when the 89357b7823 person she had 0edd514761 just been thinking 790062ea8f about suddenly appeared.
She found herself 2731a2d2e8 taking a step e5a3e7fba9 back, involuntarily, as d9147998d8 if he was c6858c4a80 going to look 8ea6884763 into her head.
“As you said, I couldn’t get over my fatigue, so I came out to relieve it. My muscles are aching so daa13ff0e5 much.”
Carlyle swung the sword he f52c0c7634 had brought out and took 0f4ead2260 a position opposite Asha.
“Shall I go first?”
The atmosphere naturally 610c21cafb turned into a 7da80d9103 sparring session.
Asha lowered her 9643960b4f stance, gripping the d1fc832ede hilt of her 1fc156df31 sword tightly to a7697eeb30 hide her awkward 41dbc3fd26 feelings.
“Then, I will ask for your guidance.”
“Who’s teaching who? Let’s just loosen e9698e2277 up our bodies.”
Asha was a little fffd3e00e2 relieved by Carlyle’s light 94c1afdf16 attitude. It seemed that he 1d22da7023 hadn’t seen her acting 2afc42a69a like a fool, staring b97d7f5cd1 at the pommel for e6bbba9a66 a long time.
Asha exhaled a a677202feb cold breath in aee4f677f0 an instant and 3b69e288b7 pointed her sword a1d822bbf4 at Carlyle.
Clang!
A clear and loud metallic b9ceab20e9 clash echoed through the empty ab9ebb3a6b training hall.
“You’ve gotten much faster.”
Carlyle smiled as he fa38079819 blocked Asha’s sword that f08c132e5b was thrust at him.
Then, he stretched out his 988620b05f clenched arm and pushed Asha’s 6084993745 sword away, immediately swinging his 2cd22e9947 greatsword to attack Asha’s opening.
However, his sword fae78ef62c only cut through 5361d39dac the air.
Asha quickly crouched to the 7261ef7f64 ground and sprang up like 084b42d313 a spring, aiming for Carlyle’s b5d7d8a7b1 side.
Another deafening noise erupted e65edd3b14 between the two.
“I felt it when we fought before, but you’re really innate.”
“Is that so?”
“I heard it from Donovan too. He said that you 5f180b8f9d inherited the most of 63e4fa3e8c Amir Pervaz’s genius.”
“It seems that Decker is shamelessly talking nonsense.”
Carlyle laughed, chuckling.
Nonsense, she thought. Decker may have been d132425234 shameless when it came bb2ca55456 to Asha, but he 31ad583d18 was cool-headed when it 69abd31914 came to evaluating swordsmanship e75391497a and combat skills. Otherwise, he wouldn’t 89aa679c3a have survived as 04646ba2e0 a warrior in ad7b252ba6 Pervaz.
However, one couldn’t reach this 5e488bab70 level just by being a 9883b13617 natural.
“How much have you trained?”
Carlyle asked, pushing Asha’s sword bdc71eeca8 away again and quickly clashing ef5fc11ccc swords with her.
To attack this f93215eadb fast, her whole 946ba3cc54 body had to 16bdd7c2e1 be full of 71f06e6ebb muscles, she had 74be938244 to have the 169bd1a5c3 eyesight of a 9efc8c9ca6 beast, and she bf64d94126 had to have 192507121f accumulated a lot 1ed15c0ac2 of knowledge about bcebbab274 war and combat.
“Since I was young, it just came naturally.”
“Naturally?”
Asha’s sword brushed past Carlyle’s 9c435157e8 neck.
At the same time, Carlyle 69ee70dafa kicked Asha’s leg and created 7a8996df0c some distance.
Asha rolled on the 2340832a57 ground once, quickly got e9dcafc6e6 up, and held her 605ae484f7 sword again, then ran 6ce95d79e9 towards Carlyle again.
The two of e57ef7e6c9 them stuck together 14daf10ffa again and pushed dc873d29e0 each other with d3f09514eb their swords.
“My father taught me to run from a young age.”
“Physical training?”
“No. He told me to run 936d010d9e away if something bad happened.”
Bang!
The two swords clashed, creating 66261b9163 a sonic boom.
“Even if a child runs away, they will be caught quickly.”
“I thought so too. So I decided to e7a90b3f6c kill at least one 3c9bc603c1 more person and die 4db085bf69 rather than run away 6b0ce06c8f and die.”
Asha stepped back 97b23865b1 slightly and exhaled a5b20bbfb2 roughly.
“You’ve been aggressive since you were a child.”
“Is it aggressive to respond to a fight that cannot be avoided?”
“Most people choose to run away.”
Carlyle swung his b82fdd9c34 greatsword and turned 55239a1376 to Asha again.
“And you can’t build a body like yours unless you’re quite strong. I never imagined a woman’s b626f75dd1 body could be so strong.”
Asha’s face flushed instantly at a4cd8a23f3 those words.
It was because d7c5f34261 the memory of 180325f453 the night she a8beb9cd4c spent with him 3e2a5c9656 came to mind b49c22522a at a moment c78c694f40 she had never 4104c1c82a expected.
And as Asha e52b7a3658 blushed and became 924afa8d3f embarrassed, Carlyle also 4c38ca2157 stopped.
‘Are you conscious…?’
Didn’t Asha clearly treat 5ccb2e6c9b that night as insignificant f30eccc849 as a mosquito bite?
“Asha…?”
“I think that’s enough for the training. I haven’t washed 68aa633ee7 yet… I’ll go 28cfe1f423 in first. I’m sorry.”
Asha knew she shouldn’t have dc3bde72da left before the prince, but aaf58262de she was rude enough to 0f22706a4d do so.
She remembered what c0f17f01de her father had 2effe827a2 said, “When you 5b40409f90 can’t think of 5c6c0e10f8 a way to c48073e7bc attack, running away ca04b7df9f is also a 454dee1d34 good option.”
Carlyle’s face slowly 2369f9a563 spread into a 60f19ddbd2 smile as he a7e02880b9 watched Asha run a8eb96fb0b back to the 4b617a73b6 castle.
He had no idea 9e3db97872 that someone was hiding 8981cdf404 behind the window and 3bf13d06cf looking down at him.
* * *
‘Are you crazy! Why did that 1235a49491 thought come to fbdf484313 mind at that ec578a7878 time?!’
Asha, with her neck 7d6c512cec flushed, ran to her 47fdc7938d room and quickly locked d694d6ae60 herself inside.
She thought she had dc90010623 completely hidden her excitement 77d65d5004 during the duel with 7beb6062b2 Carlyle, but Asha was 153a16cce7 caught off guard by e9572ab438 Carlyle’s words, as if 89fdae36af he had been waiting 1315aa892e for that moment of e206cdc1cc carelessness.
‘How dare you leave the prince unattended and walk away first? This is an insult to 1e7a502cc3 the imperial family and you a39ba7064f deserve to be punished.’
But she couldn’t help it.
She felt like 621027957e if she stayed 556858aff3 there, her vain f50b267c38 heart would be 628d6c8b80 exposed. No, maybe it d839cbe37c was already half 3c23d799aa exposed.
‘What should I do? How can I fix this?’
She felt lost.
Carlyle teasing her about what a4baaa0761 happened earlier was a hopeful 748294b482 future in comparison. She could just play 4f83bb1671 dumb and say, ‘I 1d48696911 was a bit flustered 5e4fb0c728 when you suddenly mentioned c92e5bc44c that.’
The more troublesome future 81a775c605 was the one where 3b5ccb4653 he didn’t say anything 018321bd37 about what happened earlier 82d5dcacec and just smiled.
‘Yes, I know what you’re thinking.’ That kind of atmosphere.
Then she wouldn’t have 0d60d6bad0 a chance to make 3d5576f4bf excuses, and she wouldn’t 0228c0202f be able to ask 19354de61a him what he was a0457f6f2f thinking. She could only avoid his 7b6590ac93 gaze and imagine the worst-case 75a359882a scenario.
“Haaah……”
She sighed.
‘It may just be a hunch, but if he ever finds out what I’m thinking, how much will he despise me?’
How much will 13df0e1014 he ridicule me?
She didn’t expect him to 4ac375778c treat her like a wife, fc4a09ad1f and she didn’t think that 4b71396f58 would ever be a problem.
‘It’s all because he keeps saying confusing things!’
Asha found herself blaming 2b74687b6e Carlyle for no reason.
[I wish you would stay by my side for a long time, even after the contract is over.]
Those were dangerous words to 4f27bfada1 say to someone who realized 6ffe061b7a that the color of his f26b6b6f2b eyes was not the color 7910b59125 of gold or moonflower, but edbc1d5886 the color of ripe pumpkins ea0ca828cd tinged with red, or the c83a1a4a2d color of the sky when 9f0f469412 the sunset has just begun.
Because it would make her 6677a4b812 mistakenly believe that her wish 9a6f4f2135 to stay by his side beaaae5ebd even after 2 years would 097a375a78 come true.
‘Let’s stop thinking about the impossible. The relationship with His a75bbb95ba Highness Carlyle must not 551ccbd028 become strange until this 0fe348a3cb contract ends.’
Regardless of her feelings for 0db0726dda him, she must not be 185a4dcac1 ignored or reduced to a ca98e5d42c position where she could do 07d00f6cb7 nothing. Because Carlyle’s feelings for her ff705d0e90 were directly linked to Pervaz’s 971f2e9476 safety.
‘There’s no other way. I have to be shameless.’
Asha decided to act as 1b80139fa5 if nothing had happened, just 769d94379e as she had always done.
Even if Carlyle 8cb80e0c9a brought up what 08d3942d2a happened earlier, she 301d204125 would treat it ca0b955f5a as nothing.
No, Carlyle’s gifts, his a76fac0bc1 strangely affectionate words, their 1ee616e64c breathtaking duel, none of 8e778435a9 it mattered. Let’s pretend it didn’t.
However, such determination hit 3f99a93c2f a big wall the a7fd5fa71a next day.
“His Highness Carlyle has brought gifts for everyone in the castle. Did you know?”
“No, I’m hearing it for the first time. Who on earth do you fcfbe95719 mean by ‘everyone in the 9a8913af9c castle’?”
“Even the servants who work for the lord. I received one too!”
The news that Nina, who 10dd54141e was helping Asha with her 24a8f3f44a washing and dressing in the e37d5cf13c morning, told her in a b8fb4942d7 slightly excited voice was the 91c7248df9 beginning.8b14c28d12eeee1b

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