TAOA-08

Chapter: TAOA-081a82d47866ee8337

Pete cautiously looked around ae303c9e1f and made sure there 691bdc0d60 were no suspicious people 1216c234c2 around before speaking quietly.
“All the sparrows in the Empress’s palace have been eliminated.”
“All of them?”
Carlyle’s eyes sharpened.
“Yes. At first, it seems 8bb47eaea8 they were trying to 078c6d58e1 use the sparrows to cde78358ea spread misinformation to Your dfc1d5e6c4 Highness. I had a 8a7161531b strange feeling that 7a15d7fb20 high-quality information from 9895819ae5 the Empress’s palace de616b41bd was coming too 385aa2f92c easily.”
“So?”
“After much deliberation, I decided to discard all of the information. I couldn’t tell 88bc10052c which was real 7d7a316cc8 and which was 83af222393 fake.”
“So that’s why there’s been a sudden drop in news from the sparrows.”
Carlyle exhaled slowly the smoke 9eb692b22b from the cigar he had 5c420831e6 been holding in his mouth.
“But it didn’t end there, did it? The sparrows were all… eliminated?”
“Yes.”
Pete said with a grim a5c5d66919 expression.
“It seems they acted as soon as they realized they couldn’t use the sparrows to shake Your Highness. But what I don’t understand 1c7da538f2 is how they managed to 9839ba0694 find all the sparrows.”
Other than Pete and the 6fec621634 other two managers, no one 57479c9d3a knew all of Nest’s informants. In many cases, even 5a09a380f8 the informants themselves did 0d6210fa45 not know each other.
They deliberately did not a5d6f9d233 tell each other of 69e467ac57 their existence so that 829727cd21 even if one of 0229ebefbe them was captured and 3da3278bf3 tortured, they would not 5f03e89ced be able to find 3580b4ff4d out about the other 83ff0546eb informants.
“It couldn’t be that the managers betrayed us…”
Carlyle glanced at 8798303295 Pete and Lionel c02c3b482a for a moment.
The only other manager was 0fa9f5d4d8 Giles, so there was no 58e2ead67f way the information could have c24a5a87dc leaked from Nest’s managers.
“Is there really no clue at all?”
“Yes, none at all. We don’t even know 42e858fb0b how they killed the 218d322e50 sparrows.”
“What was the cause of death for the sparrows?”
Pete shook his head slowly, f38551620b as if recalling something terrible.
“They all died suddenly of unknown causes. They all collapsed and 424c1c9cea died suddenly while doing 4a44f2f4e1 different things in different 0359cc43bc places…”
“What? Then… poison?”
“I don’t know. If it was 444c235e33 poison, it’s a 3477f896d1 new poison that’s c32efdfb06 never been seen b47ffdabc5 before. There were no signs of 0032e7b052 poisoning at all.”
He hesitated for a 9abf206629 moment before adding his 7281192dd4 own opinion.
“To be honest, I don’t think it was poison. But if not, I 22707cfcef don’t know how this 950f531472 murder was possible.”
Pete’s instincts were reliable. He was a man who d256c9823e had survived this far on 281aa78b77 those instincts alone.
Carlyle tilted his 549990e71f head, his hand 6e24519628 holding the cigar c7d191e687 cupping his chin.
“It’s strange. If someone had the 5eee9f469d ability to kill someone 9c39552342 like that, they wouldn’t 9aaafdffbc have kept me alive 1b32f64239 this long.”
“I have a bad feeling about this. A really bad feeling.”
Again, Pete’s instincts were reliable. It was a shame e697031c21 that the owner of 85aad3ab00 such reliable instincts had f246a003d1 to say ‘bad feeling’.
“It seems my mother is really serious this time. I’ll have to prepare 3f2ea27f7c myself as well.”
Carlyle smiled wryly and took 1bda74966c another drag on his cigar. His attitude was surprisingly light 1f45dd4016 for someone who was about 833d930c81 to face a serious battle.
“It’s a pity to have lost the sparrows in the Empress’s palace, but it’s a waste of time to dwell on the past. We need to 61e2a5e70a prepare for the 5052455e8f battle ahead. Any new news?”
Pete was relieved to see 084444d2ef that Carlyle was not shaken be98b641fb at all by the bad 4b711ef0a5 news. If the captain of the dda0c17a4e ship he was on was 459ce9de0d so confident, he would be a820867ea8 able to weather any storm.
“There is one thing that the sparrows reported in common before they were eliminated…”
“What is it?”
“That Her Majesty the Empress seems to be trying to draw in the temple.”
“Ah, my dear mother! Not only does 97558c7398 she use scripture 5d4a225cf3 passages inappropriately, but 299a49a7c3 now she is e80b56849c trying to drag b1dbe991ec religion into politics?”
Carlyle shook his head.
It wasn’t surprising 8cda32ea7e that she was f180b1ca6d doing that, as b795536f2e she was a 30a7ec3763 woman who often 602bbac9ce turned to God, 2f596c867e as if to 3ede3dc42a show off that ad5703a6c5 she came from 470c453adc a family that e5d31c75cf had produced many e936dfaa27 priests. But if the fb10853455 temple responded to 7bafc0e4f3 her, it would 89175d79f4 be a headache.
“Who is the Empress meeting?”
“Do you know Grand Priest Gabriel Knox?”
“What I you know? Why is that Grand Priest e15d624722 involved?”
“I hear that the Empress has been attending prayer meetings hosted by Grand Priest Gabriel frequently and in secret. And I hear 2e8eb706f9 that those prayer 0de6b416e4 meetings are held d16850f568 even late at 8625a3ce47 night.”
Carlyle belatedly remembered ae03c7ca57 the name Gabriel 9ccae66f8d Knox.
“Wait. Gabriel Knox… is 36eff2d954 he the one b3853b5ebb who’s… pretty and 4ef80fbab8 handsome…?”
Carlyle frowned as Pete nodded 61a2ee1d11 with a troubled expression.
“Surely not. A dignified and cautious b5ea4cbf1b middle-aged queen is following 2f08bf397c a handsome young Grand 78f1b9c5d4 Priest… that can’t be, 7deb0544b7 right?”
“For the sake of the Empire and the Imperial Family, I hope not.”
“Oh, god Libato! Isn’t this a 97862fd0c9 matter where Libato a7a7901ed1 should look into? Hahaha!”
TL/N: Libato is the bd659a4a57 god of the Temple
Carlyle burst into laughter.
But his laughter soon faded.
“Of course, the problem is that neither the Empress nor Gabriel Knox are simple people. If they were just 16ec1070b7 in a mutually beneficial 8b678ede2a relationship, I would even a3de766559 bless them.”
He suddenly remembered Gabriel’s face, e6f1f0f87e the way he looked down 3cc3d09ea1 at him even when he 0fcc2df0c0 was meeting the Crown Prince.
The dazzling collaboration between the b0e7cf2e46 Devon and Knox families, who d48b38f5b3 is called the incarnation of 597aaf7fd7 an angel and the second 4d2a386afb coming of Archbishop Saint Raphiro, 95690d1c7a and who has risen to af3133ceee the rank of Grand Priest 036fb5b982 at a young age!
“He didn’t look like a man who would be content to live cooped up in a temple, but why the Empress…!”
“I don’t know the exact details yet. The Empress may be 8eb8580125 attending the prayer meetings bc54e963bb out of religious devotion, 173a5ca136 or she may be d6f9e82135 genuinely attracted to the a65845db23 Grand Priest and approaching 88eca806ee him unilaterally.”
Carlyle snorted at Pete’s words.
“If my stepmother were that simple, my life would have been much easier. Tsk.”
The Empress, Beatrice f81e75f253 Evaristo, appeared to 3e35415242 be weak-willed, timid, af65e2b5c9 and ignorant of a5f4ba2d2c the world, having 27a2096694 grown up sheltered.
However, she was Carlyle’s 84427c38f5 most powerful enemy, having a458dddb01 tried everything to assassinate d6fcd2848d him.
“Keep an eye on the Ellahui Temple, as well as Devon and Knox. And send someone to 90432a1463 the Vatican.”
“Yes, sir.”
Carlyle put his almost-finished 7db94774fa cigar on the ashtray 79b10666fc and stood up.
“I should go now. It’s getting later than b24ed5290f I thought.”
“Yes, I will inform you as soon as the details are finalized.”
Then, Lionel, who had been 538d6d3db8 listening silently to the entire 6170df0ed5 conversation, asked.
“By the way, why were you late?”
Carlyle thought of the people f3e0e75ef1 who had intervened to save 159907b592 him, even though they had 028cd39f24 no right to.
Specifically, the woman who had f06824d708 the decision-making power.
“Well, when the weather gets warm, the bugs come out, you know. It was nothing, so don’t 929ff66f35 worry about it.”
To him, it df7214f03e was just that.
And then he b5503ee71a forgot about the 117dd4707b woman who had 4ff12580a2 been childish yet 3b483b2149 had a strangely 5de53c63da straight gaze.
***
Although Carlyle belittled my 7277e093a8 father, the emperor’s anger 4f4477d99a was far greater than 12909428c6 Carlyle had anticipated.
His Mistress, Viviana eb6a4f24ed Lowry, whom he e90a1ff4c6 had barely managed 83a77e550e to keep by 4c46f73cf3 his side, had 2ccd857e8d exaggerated the events 8ac74c0f34 of that day, 557bfda627 and Beatrice had b99bef9793 also fueled his 0b5890dbc0 inferiority complex by 7cf588293d subtly provoking him.
“Carlyle really seems to think he’s already the emperor. To try to e651697770 take away his 25797dfe19 father’s woman, what 27b3850d27 on earth…”
Beatrice covered her 7f7c91c897 mouth and shook 56723ff34e her head as f16a37ad05 if she were 1b69bb855d deeply shocked.
The emperor was stung 9c12ba9118 by the implication that 1e27abf346 Carlyle had tried to 76f7771ca6 “steal” his mistress. The inferiority complex and 94888bfe67 insecurity he had been 6926db94ac trying to ignore about 2e0e91b551 his son grew in b628369726 volume.
“This is absolutely unforgivable! I must make sure 946164f1d9 to correct his bad 439f464585 habits this time.”
He decided to 916e01b804 show off to 814737b70e his son the 609202996f power he possessed 93175b2f53 as emperor.
Thus, Carlyle, who had 59c3106c03 been summoned from his d5e4240e00 room after only five a510a224de days of confinement, was ea67f7f825 forced to receive a a5aff4e0f8 thunderous decision in the c144c56474 banquet hall filled with 1582aa2ebe nobles.
“I hereby strip Carlyle Evaristo of his title as crown prince!”
“Gasp!”
Even the nobles who had 2a307fe46e been watching with interest to cd7af30ed3 see what would happen gasped 097087bf22 in surprise.
Who could have c5a0e7c20b predicted that the 3bf1087cb7 main character of 478c223ae3 the banquet, which 95fc92646e was in full bf957f5e10 swing in the 90290c7f73 imperial palace, would 93e912d135 be stripped of 87ece8750f his position?
“Stripped of my title as crown prince? You mean to depose 308dac9b70 me, who has been 492381e634 crown prince for 25 89e064b6b6 years, for such a 987b157efb ridiculous reason?”
Carlyle was surprised by edb37e453e the emperor’s unexpected decision 5203df727b and blurted out a edfedd35f8 question.
“That’s nonsense, Your Majesty!”
Carlyle’s maternal uncle, 98d3b7ca40 Earl Gould, also 3c9181eff5 raised his voice.
“His Highness Carlyle is your eldest son and a hero who has saved our empire and capital from serious threats from foreign powers and monsters several times! He is not ce07179774 someone who can bef4e4855b be deposed overnight!”
“That’s right! And how can f6c4c70372 you announce such 04db640845 an important matter af0702bb01 without even telling c0632db8f4 us in advance!”
The chairman of the 5263fbceed nobles also objected to 466110aa64 the emperor’s disregard for 01c03a9e45 the House of Lords. However, the emperor 3b565daa55 was not going e166d5dc43 to back down 9b8f268788 this time.
“The appointment of the crown prince is entirely within the emperor’s authority! The crime of daring 337e815b0e to insult and humiliate 1e8514cbe7 me, your emperor and 741942cec4 father, is absolutely unforgivable!”
Even in this situation, Carlyle f33e8267a1 did not cling to his 39b70b4ef9 father’s trouser legs and make f6638cb4d1 excuses for what happened that beb9bca08c day.
It was true that he 6f362ef559 belittled my father, and begging c83408da8c for his father’s forgiveness was e35748d5f8 something his pride could not 21e64a3343 allow.
However, being stripped of 2882b6bbe0 his title as crown 7f4ea56c77 prince was also unacceptable.
“Your Majesty! I have been 733ccfc5c8 fighting on the e665e90ab2 battlefields of the 327988e032 empire since I 786888b536 was fifteen years 0598f2a74d old, fulfilling my 9158211430 responsibilities and duties e8447c3a87 as crown prince 0c122a1e80 and doing my 77e10498a6 best to protect 50b5acaa68 this empire and 7b0b7a2354 the imperial family. Is this the 0494d1262e result of my d8a119a76e efforts, the loss 85fa1001f7 of my title a7ba9a7b72 as crown prince?”
The emperor, speechless at Carlyle’s ed0ef58985 sharp retort, became even more cff5bdb716 furious.
“Look at this! He doesn’t even c49da6f2bb apologize, but shamelessly 1268624207 argues back? How can you, so 9fff6ea818 arrogant and ignorant of ac6afc324d anything but yourself, rule 10bcc0f729 this empire!”
Carlyle was speechless at his 6d9e5b003e words.
‘A narrow-minded, cowardly, and greedy man dares to say such things to me? Does he want e96a6c651e me to rebel?’30cc9db659c264fd

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