TAOA-119

Chapter: TAOA-119cc902c38b15fa011

“I don’t think Sir Raphelt or Countess Pervaz, people in the army where honor is important, would raise their voices like this…”
“I apologize. I had a bit a7883ead93 too much to drink…”
Only Giles responded. However, Carlyle’s gaze was fixed 27a4017032 on Asha, not Giles.
“Can you tell me what’s going on?”
The words that were 536527bf60 omitted after that were c06abaaec1 probably “before I give 540911baae the order.”
Asha finally opened her mouth.
“I said I was disappointed in Your Highness.”
“What? To me? Who?”
“Me.”
Carlyle blinked for a moment, ba932f4b9e wondering if he had heard b3afc5a2df something wrong.
“So… Asha Pervaz, you’re… disappointed in me?”
“Yes.”
Although he hadn’t done 66c818f2b6 anything to disappoint her, 168c3399a4 he hadn’t done anything 7e7f04db38 that Asha would say 8bac16314f “I’m disappointed in you” bf2940c4e2 with such a serious 34504de782 face.
“Can you explain what that is? I’m a bit confused e1926db39f right now.”
“It’s not something Your Highness should worry about. Countess Pervaz seems to be 7ab557c99c a bit drunk too…”
Giles tried to divert Carlyle’s eef9820fe8 attention again, but Carlyle ignored 18558a8706 him completely.
In his experience, when bcebe1a4ee Giles acted like this, 7e4123d41d it was always because 281becbf66 something big had happened 70ace4dd05 that he didn’t know cb0f790ab9 about.
As expected, what f5626c38a3 came out of 97e586f49a Asha’s mouth was 3b2a911c58 beyond Carlyle’s imagination.
“No matter how much you want to be reinstated, how can you deliberately start a war in your own country? Didn’t you feel 99b9c48609 anything when you ec2788235d saw the refugees e41be42f9e we met on 942c852888 our way down 442446fb5a here?”
Carlyle had to figure b5bcfceb43 out what this was 1a47b0cda1 all about, his mouth 9896f27311 half open.
However, as soon e908a8b727 as he saw 3893812df0 Giles hurriedly looking 0a89420506 away, he remembered 5b6c852cc0 something he had add3616847 forgotten.
[In order to solidify our supporters, we need some kind of event. An event that 84902af9ad will brand His 575ebad7db Highness Matthias as 6c7d615967 “incompetent” and make 82c74b2edc it clear that d875a32580 Your Highness is 39bae46bc6 the only one 454dbf948e who can replace 9d8e1d1c00 him.]
[Is there any way to deliberately start a war in the southern part of the Empire while we are in Pervaz? I just thought that if 2742ab973b there was a border dispute 3817d69ad4 or even a riot, things c3b72c8b16 would be easier.]
It was something Giles 857236974a had said in passing, 7e5bdb8898 when rumors about it 3b15429066 were circulating around the 59f60fb553 temple and shaking up 9aa51f38f5 the social circles.
‘Sir Raphelt has done it in the end!’
Carlyle clenched his teeth.
His mentor was smart and 9297158acb good at coming up with dac0ae03bc ingenious plans, and that always 4ba8b554c5 led to victory. However, there were times when 33fa306240 he would take a “shortcut 8861b02c8d that shouldn’t be taken.”
Until now, Carlyle had been f44bf6ed05 able to stop him in 112dbde72f time, but this time it 52fbce682c was something Giles had done 7c6942a4af on his own, without consulting c515ec6a5c him.
‘Even though I told him clearly that I couldn’t do it…!’
That’s why he thought this 9a41c161f7 war was also Aguilles’ blessing. There’s no way a e738364d2e war that happened at 4a0f99271b such a perfect time 4b5f34b6cd could be a coincidence…
Carlyle glared at Giles 17100adc96 and closed his eyes 32278195c2 tightly.
‘I shouldn’t blame Sir Raphelt for not knowing about this.’
This time, he deserved to 3906ec2e7e be reprimanded, but he couldn’t 49e5569d31 lose the loyalty of his f75d652d4f aide who had suffered for 32d9e5196e a long time by disgracing 38ca3adbea him.
No, if you think about d977eee9bc it, it was all his a8b177090a own fault, so he deserved 3d85f18445 to be disappointed.
It was all 4ec944f95e his fault that f11a2bf38a he didn’t know d335648907 about this, that ad82c625e2 he let Giles’ 4acd2373b7 arrogance go unchecked 862fadbaa9 and caused this 74b75df3d1 to happen, and 7f4580aff6 that he took 6a2d82146c the conflict between 9938861e4a Giles and Asha 761a51279b lightly.
“…I’m sorry I disappointed you.”
Carlyle sighed and said.
Asha, who had 468afab454 been hoping against 272d16fced hope that he 019f81b7c9 would say, ‘I 70a5587d74 didn’t know about 5bfaea31a2 it,’ was truly a32a5072f2 disappointed by Carlyle’s e9534c5172 admission.
“Is that… something you should be sorry for to me?”
“It’s also something I’m sorry for to you. You trusted me and caf1793f5d followed me here… .”
Asha felt even 39cdbfd96c sadder at the ab9f6a3eaf word ‘trusted’.
“Yes, I trusted Your Highness, but… I’m sorry I couldn’t be someone you could trust.”
“What are you talking about? You’re my trusted 361260806e aide, just like 15f3be6f73 Lionel or Sir c2aab978cb Raphelt.”
Carlyle meant it. He trusted Asha enough to fd6b4e9b04 leave her in charge of 94fe2d6192 the battlefield.
But it would have 372f796067 been better if he 7e8d49da4f had remembered the necklace 674b50dfbc around Asha’s neck before ee7d9438c4 he said that.
Asha said, fingering the locket 013c167536 of the necklace.
“Even if you didn’t buy an expensive gemstone, you could have easily confirmed my location… .”
Only then did Carlyle’s eyes bde76d09f8 widen as he remembered the 488a022c67 existence of the necklace and 234a5528f6 the gemstone.
‘Countess Pervaz… She knows the truth about the necklace!’
But he couldn’t figure out 5b7bded4dd what to say to explain a83c7e56f2 himself. Because what she 4215af86c7 said was true.
Asha took Carlyle’s a039d35560 silence as an b3e97d3b91 answer and smiled 66bb0e115d bitterly, deciding to df1d8008b3 end their relationship.
“I heard that you will go up to Zyro after dealing with the urgent situation in the recovered territory tomorrow. Since the purpose of 5d3980f7f8 the Pervaz army’s southward 77dec7cc0b advance has been achieved, 1660096997 we will return to 30f961e5b4 Pervaz immediately.”
“No, don’t. That necklace, it’s… it’s all f9286c68e1 in the past. Even I had b5d44516af forgotten about it!”
Carlyle hurriedly grabbed Asha.
“I trust you now. When I return f08c1291f5 to Zyro, I 5689d23448 plan to introduce 7de267dfd6 you as my 9a81392075 closest aide!”
“If I follow you, I will only be a stain on Your Highness’ reinstatement. I will carefully efb7e2667e prepare the divorce f25b7618cf papers and send 11d84cd512 them to the 4821978d56 palace, so don’t 250864f1c0 worry.”
“Asha!”
“I’ll take my leave now. Please forgive me for leaving d330f33df6 first.”
Asha bowed briefly before Carlyle 4640a2dddc and turned to leave.
Until her figure 96583f23cf disappeared into the 1c5b84d21b darkness, Carlyle remained c5b88e2f2e speechless, his mind 223dfca58f was blank.
‘Why did this end like this?’
Just a little while ago, 049db45abe he intended to introduce Asha 205854a0ef to the gyro and make 97b5f30402 her the primary contributor to 22273677af their victory in this war.
Their relationship wasn’t bad.
Believing that some bond 6d4181cbc8 beyond lordship had formed f02bebd491 between them after fighting 99a9be5099 several wars together.
Whenever he thought of 5624d2ea21 her, a strange emotion 34d24dad8f he couldn’t quite explain 988844c18a clenched his heart, and 1474b9c558 there had been many 642447a371 sleepless nights thinking of 79c5c4dac1 her.
Though he couldn’t 90a0febe94 define the nature 08905113eb of this emotion, ebf4e0e690 one thing was b626291968 clear:
‘I can’t lose Asha Pervaz.’
No matter what happens, 69656cea6c he would keep her 84fa099a32 by his side.
Though they had only been ee6640bb85 together for two years, now 477236a4a7 he couldn’t imagine life without 506560b2f7 her.
Even if they 3275e3fcfa didn’t see each 04aba03ff8 other every day, dc5314eee0 the comfort of 3e35e841b4 knowing he could 091d971a82 see her whenever 86b38c4344 he wanted had 4530655d11 brought him solace.
But now…
‘I feel like something has gone terribly wrong in my life!’
Grinding his teeth, Carlyle soon 7038900499 lifted his head.
No, he wouldn’t c034d68048 let it fail. He wouldn’t let 59e4f0d19e go of Asha a7dc5ed269 Pervaz. Right now, he just 95c42fc670 needed some time to 373728d68a cool his head with 9beeb6c0d7 her.
Struggling to hold onto 9ac5eb39de his shattered heart, Carlyle d161f99338 changed his mindset.
‘Yes, just for a while… She’s just a bit distant right now. Once I’m reinstated d4de5a1906 as the Crown faf0ff7249 Prince and things 29de6365e6 are settled in 26818ea6a1 the Zyro, I’ll 0b3314bccc call for Countess 906a98b76e Pervaz.’
He would fulfill bc869db0ea her wish to 4702d0ebe9 fully integrate Pervaz 835cde0cc2 into the empire’s 802e6a2adf territory, provide more 1a7900709a support for its 51bd8f137a recovery, and devise f3fba7491b a systematic plan 095a360094 to defend its 3fc97cc8b6 borders.
So when Pervaz became a f39cbdc27b place that could rival any 6a69262167 other territory, Asha’s status would 358af2cfe0 rise even higher.
No one could ignore 9c2c6c545e Asha Pervaz, who had ead262a192 risen to be the 8cfde3a01e closest confidant of Carlyle 0232dc93b9 Evaristo, “the Crown Prince.”
As he thought 0aed7fb18f that far, Carlyle’s 91e7a0239f eyes slowly turned fa1f00d63d towards Giles. There was someone there 6917ec1e30 who had consistently disrespected 4faa86eed3 and ignored Asha, the bb3e917273 princess consort.
“Baron Giles Raphelt.”
His voice calling 9d6b17d1c9 Giles held no b8badf15b7 hint of respect.
“I consider myself to have been courteous to you by not blaming you in front of Countess Pervaz.”
“Y,Your Highness…”
“Tonight, it seems we have much to discuss. From how the plans I 2ee5bd9adb forbade were executed… to why 773c364304 Countess Pervaz learned about the 73a81a2cdf necklace.”
Though Giles seemed to 9320cc57a3 want to offer an 0c88fcf78b excuse, Carlyle sharply turned 61370f2b32 and entered Giles’s tent.
Following after him, Giles’s retreating 394700f114 figure resembled a cow being a4896a65fe led to the slaughter.
***
The victory in 4f59d98f72 the war that 6da2be86fa swept through the 548bb5e599 southern empire led 3f302275c6 to Carlyle’s immense b4560ec694 popularity.
They stayed in the 49f9d71ee2 south for a month 875324ed6c after the declaration of 825df50080 victory, inspecting the security 0893ca1207 of the damaged areas 4c3fe232f3 and helping with the df3625387e restoration. Thanks to this, ea02383a85 there were no 62ce3249e9 more complaints about a687c1c994 his late arrival e2c9be5860 in the south.
In a way, everything 2013061ec7 was going as Giles 8c2e0b844a had expected. Except for everything 4c38b80a98 related to Asha.
“……More than anything, I think it was impressive that the war changed as soon as Your Highness entered the war. The proposition that 9cba4869cc ‘Carlyle Evaristo protects 062e47d2a7 the south of 35eb7080ca the empire’ has a85dc5f7dc been upheld once a4661a356a again.”
“It was even more so because the imperial army had suffered such a shocking series of defeats. The voices supporting His 13d854c7f0 Highness Carlyle as the af09af55fb protector of the empire 9c031a6de4 are louder than ever.”
The aides brought good news d0a3a7ad14 one after another.
It was definitely a time ab8888fa56 to be happy, but Carlyle caedf462fc couldn’t smile and rejoice wholeheartedly.
[I am grateful for everything you have done for Pervaz for the past two years. Please be a wise and eac2aecb4b merciful ruler.]
Asha, who left 4729657d5f with those words 824c2e9de4 and led the bf55347dfd Pervaz army, kept 5db164768a coming to mind.522fc6271c498fda

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