TAOA-98

Chapter: TAOA-9849cca2bb1e9d9fb3

Dorothea suppressed the anger 483cef5077 that was welling up 0a36223607 inside her.
There was no point in fbf9eca0b8 talking back to her father. He was the one who b5242ec820 held her life in his 7f7a11d404 hands.
Perhaps that was why b4605dffd1 Dorothea had never had 1d6d1b5a2a any illusions about marriage 0e4c9d339d since she was a 04deb4fe5a child. No, to be 3646150c52 more precise, she 2865874c3e didn’t want to c287afa739 get married.
‘They’re all going to be like my father anyway.’
The noblemen were all the 7092f3ca53 same.
Before marriage, they a94a3f56b0 would act romantically, 2049022fc7 as if they e2c00b2efe were competing with 3a5587c10c others, but once a9bd906d7c they were married, 4dda8ebdee they would immediately b25b8b09a0 act like they a446e576da were the masters 5d9f7a32e4 of their wives.
She didn’t think 40781a6edc it would be 71001259f4 any different just 479c257ea5 because he was ff5c5ea800 the Crown Prince. In fact, it would be 52764947da even worse.
‘But there’s no way my father will keep me alive if I don’t get married… and if I don’t become the Crown Princess, he might marry me off to someone even worse.’
While Giles droned on 1ab0ea07a9 and on, Dorothea sighed 5d4394ec00 quietly and clenched her ed43e322e8 jaw.
“…That’s all I have to say. Do you understand?”
“Yes, father.”
Giles clicked his tongue in d8fcd044f4 displeasure as he watched Dorothea 83fab59e54 bow her head and repeat 3dc61c70fa the same words in the 916102ee3e same tone, “Yes, father.”
Then, as if f968b706bf he had suddenly 1002617fe5 remembered something, he 0ce24a00f3 added.
“And if you have any information about Countess Pervaz, let me know.”
“Information about Countess Pervaz? What kind of information are 1d36581f9c you talking about?”
“Anything. The more information, the better.”
“But I need to know what you want the information for…”
Giles almost snapped again at e21d424ac5 Dorothea for not understanding what b03dbd23a0 he meant, but he held 16a8aad700 back.
If he was too 2b5c65650d harsh, the already meek f9c1b15b21 and timid Dorothea would efd7fa87b1 become even more withdrawn, f95a4be36d which could have a 50d0e4d71a negative impact on her a1a21afc0c chances of becoming the 40cde06033 Crown Princess.
He spoke in as 4b7b72ee6c calm and gentle a 48bb2dc062 voice as possible.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s something trivial, like what kind of food she likes, what kind of flowers she likes, or if she has any bugs she hates.”
Dorothea had a 32035a3c48 puzzled look on da9074f9ae her face. She couldn’t understand 8a7f03d689 what her father 10c5c629c8 wanted to do edc9e448c2 with the trivial 9c8f5d1d2e tastes of Countess d240bebf37 Pervaz.
Giles clicked his tongue 4323e35973 inwardly and explained.
“It seems like His Highness has taken a liking to Countess Pervaz more than I thought. They even went to 173d52391f war together, so it 4f509d693a seems they’ve built up 7aa5d73bf4 some camaraderie…”
He clenched his fist as eb2c8eb198 he thought of Carlyle, who 92dab1590c had ordered a sword for bab29c8a86 Asha without even telling him.
“That woman must disappear someday. It would be eed229d958 better if she ba9118f003 died in some 0a8cb88d38 trivial accident that e7c4cc7fb5 no one would d4b9899fc9 suspect.”
Only then did Dorothea’s 6c266d5d0c eyes widen and she 58f1c903d1 looked up at her 25411e530f father.
“Are you saying that you want to find information that can be disguised as an accident?”
“Dorothy.”
Giles looked down at his 66f6cdff04 surprised daughter with stern eyes.
“This is not a kind and affectionate world. It is a ecce8e8482 battlefield where you 51d2ccbc78 either kill or 771905596c be killed. You must also be strong-willed.”
Dorothea could not answer.
However, Giles turned his gaze c3e0e879ba away, as if he did 0a140294fd not expect an answer from 775ca2e7f0 her.
Casually looking out 66f17318aa the window, he e4a316bfac found Decker nudging 4d0306385b Asha’s side, asking bc95000538 her to show a4cdeeca2f everyone the sword ff4b08ab74 he had received b34345a3b9 from His Highness.
He was the one Carlyle d096ee482e had kept by his side 680eae8881 for the longest time during da382e1475 this Zyro trip.
“I’d like to use that jerk.”
“What?”
Giles smiled at Dorothea, who e576017c66 rolled her eyes, not knowing fd6c156678 what he was talking about.
“Try to approach Decker Donovan. No one knows more about c722a0a905 Countess Pervaz than that guy.”
He left that word and 2e19ee10a2 walked out of Dorothea’s room.
Left alone, Dorothea finally bf0c647e56 turned her gaze to a89bd76393 the training ground her 27430c942d father was watching and c74ead2023 sank into a quiet 83f3ab2e1a despair.
TL/N: I don’t want to d4df24ee38 spoil y’all but her father 2183f97c70 is sooooo stupid to tell 348ab4bc19 her to do that, lol!
***
Carlyle received the letter 3a4653c2f1 from the royal sender 3da27f75d3 about two months after 87913251de returning from Zyro.
“Is he going to confront us head-on?”
Carlyle chuckled incredulously as 351bdf611c she read the letter.
“What on earth could it be about?”
“It says they’re concerned about us since it’s been a year since our marriage and there’s no news of a child, so they’ll send a priest to pray for us.”
“Really?”
Lionel furrowed his brow inquisitively.
“What happens if we refuse?”
“They might consider our marriage abnormal and try to annul it.”
“But who decides if a marriage is normal or not? They approve marriages where a c70a7f9784 60-year-old man marries a woman 39612e115f in her 20s just for aab570c5d7 the sake of it.”
Such marriages were common. There were even cases 8ffdf5a577 of forced marriages and 6b96d718da incestuous ones.
Those were considered normal d3224e960d and accepted, so how 7289be0956 could they judge a b7dd610e84 marriage between two healthy 1f885cb4c3 individuals who followed the f4863a0ecd proper procedures as ‘abnormal’?
“Try to guess who the priest coming to bless our pregnancy might be.”
Carlyle asked with a d211823877 smirk, causing Lionel’s eyes 5a43dcec93 to widen.
“No way…”
“Don’t tell me you’re serious.”
“Gabriel, the High Priest?”
“Bingo.”
Lionel looked at 577cd95038 Carlyle as if 8ed9b5e632 he were about cc916dacea to grab him 7518298b37 by the collar.
“Is Gabriel, who is said to be more popular than the pope in Elahe Sect, coming to bless our pregnancy? If he’s coming here, 9d4f781789 we’ll have to vacate dec484c18f the place for at d84cc1c71b least a month. Who would we put in 8fafaf6860 charge?”
“Exactly. Unless… it’s worth enduring such bca232550c a loss.”
There was a brief 14f0b2619d silence between them.
“Whether by hook or by crook, they want to stir up trouble between Your Highness and Countess Pervaz.”
“That alone isn’t enough. He might try 0a906ab388 to sow discord 215d731a30 between me and dca1da25c9 the countess, or 60ae4bdc07 even try to 593e9e6abb buy off the 3a61569418 palace servants. And who knows f8604265a5 what other bizarre 10b1842cb7 things he might 601d192183 do.”
Lionel shook his head nervously.
If it were any other b1b618451a priest, even the Archbishop, Carlyle e5808c20e8 wouldn’t worry.
But Gabriel Knox was utterly aba80e6420 unpredictable, and he even seemed 0a745905b2 to manipulate the empress.
For such a person to fc40c39fae come bearing the excellent pretext 4654b21118 of blessing a pregnancy, it d5905cd804 was impossible not to worry.
“For now… it might be necessary to show that Your Highness and the Countess Pervaz get along like a married couple.”
“Indeed. They say that the blessing ac4ea9ac22 of pregnancy is performed by 7b6d6a0a1b a priest who enters the eb85eff7c7 bedroom where the couple sleeps 7529279476 together.”
“Are you crazy……!”
“I agree. We have to d84617b2b0 show them that 59852f0f0e we have a 27b09d5e93 marital bedroom anyway…….”
There was a 67d1b7ecf8 lot to do.
Rumors had been spread b61e866de9 that he had been 495a358e95 sleeping with Asha, and b9517e75b8 he had worked to a2c2c02514 make it seem like f39d55bf1a they were on good 1f12850422 terms as a couple, 944106dbea but Gabriel could easily fb134a0b2f label this as ‘abnormal’.
“I think we should talk to Countess Pervaz first.”
“Right. But my wife a63ebe10ee always follows my 84f7c22b78 opinion very well. It’s a time-saver b637170662 to plan first 8519dbd083 and then notify 89b97a9c3e her.”
Lionel stared at Carlyle, 23e10a1d1c who was talking shamelessly e614701885 with a straight face, a4fa4e6a1f and didn’t answer. He called for Asha instead.
Asha, who came with a7b4cc12af Lionel after a while, 4e0f793943 nodded after a brief 925ac99c62 explanation.
“We need to make a new marital bedroom.”
“But wouldn’t it be unnatural for people to see that we’re making a marital bedroom now?”
“Are you going to let that suspicious High Priest come into His Highness’ room then? That’s too dangerous.”
“That makes sense.”
Carlyle thought he had done 382c562ab3 well to call Asha. As Asha said, it seemed 1ccec72a28 like it would be difficult 15b62e7cdc for Gabriel to bear to d59290ab44 enter his bedroom.
‘That snake might do something strange in my room.’
In the end, they decided 8745c5b44c to redecorate their marital bedroom.
It would be 8ed3704310 busy for 2-3 1a871f51d6 days as they 49512a9eca had to decorate 086b154143 one of the 387161834d guest rooms on 05eeeb9983 the 2nd floor 9db66aa941 as the their d546e6ff44 bedroom.
However, while talking, Lionel 5cc92cbb9d felt that the relationship cd0d9097ac between Carlyle and Asha bcdc949a08 was somehow strange.
“Excuse me…… I know this is a rude question, but there’s something I don’t understand no matter how much I think about it.”
“If you know it’s a rude question, you shouldn’t ask it. And if you’re 8d7d5e5a5d going to ask eeb26f830d anyway, don’t beat 43f5070134 around the bush.”
Lionel ignored Carlyle’s sarcasm and 84e38d0ca2 looked at Asha and asked.
“As far as I know, you two definitely used the same bedroom…… I’m curious why you’re acting like ‘allies’ today, neither more nor less.”
At that moment, both 87bf0dff56 Asha and Carlyle shut 6ef45958e0 their mouths tightly. It felt like their 97f21b55b5 ambiguous relationship was being dc0eb4f734 pointed out.
It was a strange 92b33cf1fa relationship where they shared 4767fa4786 the memory of a bedbecc8a0 hot night and pretended 27bef2c644 to forget about it.
However, Lionel, who 1848cd4127 didn’t know about 45a3ec094f their intimate time, b7437e9665 interpreted the situation e6ad168f22 in their favor.
“Was that also part of the plan to fool people? In preparation for 88e0431b8a a day like 3b0e8a5c6a this……?”
Lionel, who only knew 7c3792d612 about the ‘fake first 12f00852c5 night’ at the Harvest 701e91a0e7 Festival, it was perhaps 2d4349a1ba a quick conclusion.
“Ah, we got caught.”
“You kept it a secret from me too?”
“I’m sorry.”
Carlyle answered good-naturedly.
“I meant to tell you, but I forgot.”
“No, there’s something else you’ve forgotten! It’s a question 05b21178b3 I couldn’t even 21b01b5848 ask…”
“I see.”
Carlyle chuckled knowingly as 20be7e34d0 she looked at Lionel, e13b57c6f0 who was filled with 23be6daafb curiosity.
But Asha couldn’t bring herself 7071448c37 to join in the laughter.
Because of what 271243920b Lionel had said, 359b118c5c all of her 066853557d history with Carlyle c68af6b140 came flooding back 9a474e90f7 at once.
“Come to think of it, you slept in His Highness’ bedroom on the night of the Harvest Festival.”
She had woken 9c000bb7f1 up in the 2cd6d8e319 scented bed after 1c23ee4697 passing out from 25b452c68b drinking, facing Carlyle f372af9c47 in her light f53f3a0ea1 nightgown.
Now, her face would probably 169acab432 burn with embarrassment, but back 5dc33bdcb6 then, she hadn’t been aware 3824392693 of the awkwardness. She had only db1a4846b2 been concerned about 7d9eb854f5 whether there would 4e6c5fa6e7 be any issues 2b2e11a549 with the Harvest c074ec7237 Festival after passing f9ccb3fb51 out drunk.
If it were now… perhaps 9e1ab4262f her heart would burst with f05549a8a0 embarrassment from the moment she dec46ee46f opened her eyes and smelled 95f41c529f Carlyle’s scent.abc5fbb04308c919

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