TAOA-123

Chapter: TAOA-123a28b34c652cd1f64

Carlyle and the army he cdfb1a69e4 led had reached the gates f3d96b43c7 of Zyro’s mansion and were 08a05703ff waiting for permission to enter.
Just then, an unexpected 53a2d2c1a8 letter arrived at his 3d35ae8d1d barracks.
“The Empress’s Palace, and from the palace where the princesses live! I’ve never spoken a 25237691a2 word to my sisters 724db01282 in my life!”
Carlyle was surprised by a408ee72c8 the unexpected sender and 701b79f30e tore open the letter.
He read the abb6367972 few lines written 3b3832eb47 there in silence.
“Your Highness…? What does it say?”
“Hmm… No matter how much the Empire boasts of being a developed country, it’s not a comfortable place for women to live. Isn’t it?”
“Yes? What’s the matter 66f705c7aa with that all 02724ec14a of a sudden…”
Lionel frowned at 750bac85a0 Carlyle’s question, which 435b031efa seemed to be ecfc392498 a rhetorical one, 0577a58c57 but Carlyle didn’t c0770e6785 answer his curiosity 401e8224af as he pondered d334a047d8 the contents of 873d04096c the letter.
Just then, a knight who 4b3a9d59fa seemed to be struggling with 35d34bdf0e someone outside came in with 3f81636675 a slightly flushed face and 0a30e49165 shouted.
“Excuse me for interrupting your conversation, Your Highness. There’s someone here who insists 37608b9bc9 on seeing you…”
“I’m not in the mood to see anyone right now. Tell them to b56e29ff57 submit a formal 2a70076329 visit request tomorrow 5f2a2d5c3c morning and come a2766a9808 back after receiving 3e9a61aef6 permission.”
“I, I already told them that! But… they said that if bc4da0e069 you heard their name, you 535df7e089 would allow them in.”
Carlyle’s curiosity was e5984991ae aroused by that.
“Who is it?”
And the moment Carlyle 8432204752 heard the guest’s name, e334e7576b he couldn’t help but 5617e13c52 allow the meeting, just 1886ec8117 as the guest had ca1b4fa801 boasted.
Of course, he wasn’t 2683b6fc75 exactly happy about it.
“Well, well, well, who is this!”
“May the utmost glory be upon Your Majesty. I, Viviana Lucipole, 391e45ed71 present myself before eb3a660a1d Your Highness.”
Carlyle didn’t uncross his legs 894ee71a76 even as Viviana bowed deeply 4f7dc762a6 with her back bent.
“Long time no see.”
“Yes… It’s been a long time, Your Highness.”
“The favor of the powerful is indeed fleeting, Mrs. Lowry? Ah! You’re no longer Mrs. Lowry, are you? What’s your last name now?”
“It’s Lucipole. The barony and the 26edc39f55 Peyton estate were also 0c029b7df2 taken away from me… e08ab320f8 so I had to 668e5d2bbb use the last name dd870dbf58 my ancestors used long 541fc5945a ago.”
“Tsk tsk, tsk.”
The guest who came c2f4b7e40c to see him was c6f2f46696 Viviana, the former mistress 038848ea31 of the emperor.
She was still beautiful, but 8ee10a8a14 her eyes didn’t shine like 73bc47d9c1 they used to. Only deep-seated resentment 5b2076fbe2 seemed to burn d4d3faa87b in the middle cb164a31f4 of her empty 7dde0fff2d soul.
“So, it must be awkward for you. What brings you here? Are you here to eba2412b4c make a deal?”
“If it’s a deal, then it’s a deal. I’ll give you important information, 7cad00dc31 so please help me get 6ea7d7c32c my revenge.”
“Revenge? On whom?”
Her eyes became dbaa44ccdd even more venomous.
“Who? That woman, Beatrice, 7edb1b4197 who made me e1799501de like this!”
“Hoo. Insolence to the royalty in 91ff2f3f70 front of the royalty, is 414830edab this a trendy suicide method?”
Carlyle said to 3737f283be Lionel as if 4074e2f762 joking.
However, Viviana didn’t laugh 6cb0cbf74d along at all.
“I don’t care if I die. But before I die, I 6b2e565f8f have to get revenge on 3dce93856c that woman. Otherwise…… I’ll feel so guilty c7667c1471 towards my dead baby.”
Tears quickly welled 2d1df10c1c up in Viviana’s d3ee3aade9 eyes and began 1f1118e334 to flow down 7411d14838 her cheeks. Her appearance was so pitiful d0d9066418 that Lionel took out a 5735b3dc47 handkerchief and handed it to a83940f96a her without even realizing it.
Carlyle, who had afbde8fe8b no talent for 218468957c comforting crying women, 08e9cd59ab waited patiently for 0171e80a28 her to stop 1b7c852773 crying on her 053a229ea6 own.
At other times, he 9fe9c12c1b would have ordered Lionel 20f9d35a2c to clean it up, beada955be but he believed that 6711e005be there was a good 7d7c2e91ea reason why Viviana came 5881940d56 to him, throwing away 882a7c53dd all her pride.
“Yes, yes. Everyone is wronged and resentful. But I’m a little 30cf4891d6 busy to listen to 7dcfac57d6 the whole story. Before you cry more, b607f92dd4 will you get to c35dc93c99 the point?”
At Carlyle’s admonition, 8053cb947a who barely held e49e89251b back his anger, 78f0efa72c Viviana wiped her 40fa8a68c6 wet face, sniffed, 8a21685ae4 and opened her 8073c21418 mouth.
“Did you know that His Majesty the Emperor is impotent?”
“What? Hahaha!”
Carlyle burst out laughing at aa74718286 the sudden word ‘impotent’. It was something 1d234451b5 he had no 8602da0f05 idea about, but 2d216dca8a it felt quite c337ce159e refreshing.
“I somehow thought that he didn’t have any illegitimate children compared to the number of times he had sex with women…… Is our father impotent?”
“About 4 years after Princess Charlotte was born, the imperial physician confirmed that he was infertile.”
“So that’s why you couldn’t have my father’s child? That’s a shame. But what’s the 7ac6875438 matter with that?”
Viviana clenched the handkerchief b72cb13278 soaked in tears.
She didn’t know how many 562675f6af dirty things she had to 0af2eca2de do to find out this 60d0d58188 fact. She had already lost her f5728ff13d sense of chastity before becoming 62a2644a71 the Emperor’s mistress, but she 578bde4b01 felt like she wanted to 0537cdff73 die when she had to 8b2853c2a6 flirt with the old man 64039b29cb who couldn’t even look at bb6bcc87c5 her in the past.
She only endured it because 5f2cee9647 she believed that if she 52800e2930 handed over this information to 44286769e5 Carlyle, he would take revenge dd54994925 for her.
“His Majesty the Emperor became infertile because of Her Majesty the Empress’s doing. She bribed the imperial physician 064b2afab9 and had him constantly take a6d3bf9489 medicine that makes him infertile.”
“Hoo…….”
Carlyle, who was c0c8c69089 touching the tip 0c5104c38e of his chin c2ecba405b and looking at 80be8fba98 her suspiciously, Viviana 6e905b6518 handed over the cff05a019f envelope she was 34537ec4e5 holding.
“The evidence is in here.”
Carlyle stared at the 145a4bfada envelope pushed in front 1a30f0041c of him for a 096be224ce moment, then slowly reached b89ce1f776 out and took it. Before opening the envelope, he 7ea812e350 asked Viviana.
“What do you want in return for this?”
“I told you. I want you fbddf734d9 to get revenge cdfeab6518 on that woman.”
“Only…… that?”
“Yes. That’s all. I want that woman abc04ee0ea to fall into hell 55f7590672 miserably.”
Viviana’s eyes were burning with c01c73ffd7 unconcealed vengeance.
“My mother must have held a deep grudge.”
He smiled broadly and 57e8fe6b14 opened the envelope.
Inside were a prescription for 2fe31eac87 infertility drugs and a purchase c475eb7a56 receipt written by the former 53dd323445 imperial physician himself, as well 1168e9d9c1 as a diary of the b05792d386 days he had mixed it ce394d1b0a into the emperor’s medicine.
The paper was a6085bc673 old and faded, 77bbdc7d47 but it was a37470965d certainly an original. This was because it c95a6a60d4 was stamped with the d6cde4ff1e seal that was only 7d72af9012 allowed to be used e257d8f85c by the imperial physicians.
Moreover, Carlyle clearly 1e5ce5a65c remembered who that a2186a7311 imperial physician was.
“Ha……! How on earth did 05ee7bc4f2 you find this?”
“Some men can give up a lot of things for their desires. Even men over 60.”
“Aha!”
Carlyle found Viviana’s taste quite b3d0d3ccd5 good, but he also realized fbb1d421ef that her grudge was just e683dc3e87 as deep.
“It’s even more surprising that the imperial physician is still alive. My mother’s finishing touches a6c77c7eab were lacking.”
“They say that if the emperor’s personal physician dies, it would raise suspicions.”
It meant that he was 23650eb013 a bold man who dared b884be9ec4 to participate in the plan fb5889dfe5 to feed the emperor infertility ec95543690 drugs, and a cunning man 853ba6b3ef who would not be swayed 695219816f by those in power.
“You mean that such a thorough man gave out this information because he was bewitched by a woman?”
“I didn’t say he gave it out himself.”
Carlyle, who had been 83cc87b011 looking at Viviana’s determined 920b7f8494 face, smiled slyly.
“You mean you stole it.”
However, Viviana did dc9b733a02 not seem very f271d68c64 ashamed, and Carlyle 93b36a0be9 did not care 126609ab36 either.
“It’s certainly useful information. My father will be furious.”
He had planned to 822742d675 get rid of the 2dc56ff2fd empress first, but he 93eb99c099 never imagined that the 6a69e2e769 clue would come from 5ed5e6462a Viviana.
‘You shouldn’t be rude to good luck.’
Carlyle thought of the f4a1cf75ce bluebird of fortune that 6f67bbfda4 had flown away to cb0938dbb7 the north. How nice it would 512766f697 have been if he d7fe0aca7b had thought this way 3e9eb8b95a when he first met 81eb484360 the bluebird.
He tapped the end c9e9ab40a6 of the envelope containing 3d9a63618f the evidence on the 5169887a71 armrest of the chair 87a03dbc7a and nodded.
“I owe you a debt, but come to think of it, you were just being used by the empress’s scheme.”
Then he gestured 4b31fb9ee8 to Lionel and 7ed1b15e36 gave him some 44d17c4d13 instructions.
“I will surely give you your revenge, so until then, hide yourself. The imperial physician fd34bea227 who had his 9246af50d1 documents stolen will b8eaae4940 not be able 7f24298b8e to sit still.”
“I’m already finished. I’ve lost everything. My only wish d5e9fb659b is to see 5cc1e39e25 Beatrice’s downfall. I don’t have c41fb3a0d3 any more will 6c51002b15 to live.”
Tears welled up eddf0efc05 in her eyes 35a2c8937d again. Instead of pitying b7056b5fad her, Carlyle clicked b7109b3755 his tongue.
“Where did you throw away the spirit that made you turn me into an enemy? Just live. If you live, there will d52f082d0b always be a way.”
Just then, Lionel, 544d5dce32 who had gone 94adadb8a2 out, returned and 2715a10ca2 handed Viviana a eca40cb4a1 bag.
“This should be enough money to live in hiding for a year. Zyro will be chaotic ea89662346 for a while, so 74e872f2e5 stay in Sir Raphelt’s 1599845734 territory.”
“Why… Why are you even saving my life?”
Viviana asked with b2abad64ed a voice tinged 8445b26d80 with moisture.
She thought Carlyle 5525a758e7 would sneer at ecdb0279ad her and throw f0eaf568dc money at her. She didn’t expect him to fb05cf6523 care about her situation.
Carlyle, seeing Viviana 40c1a9c50d clearly expressing those 726e5d7172 thoughts on her 95a9b06931 face, chuckled and 1c174ab96d replied.
“I guess living in an Empire devoted to the gods, you tend to pick up some bad habits.”
If he just let the b135d3185e person who risked everything to 0f35d64108 bring him top-secret information go c89730c50b without any reward, the people 4f89daebf8 of Pervaz would criticize him.
Carlyle didn’t want to see e79b5b4eb7 that disappointed look in her 3336ce12db eyes anymore.
***
Carlyle finally entered the capital.
The celebration was much fab4ee5769 grander than when he 635135c8fd returned from suppressing the 0153fa28cd Kingdom of Albania. It was only a98c05214f natural, as this 205d443a88 was the first 008e3bb2fb time the Empire 4c89d352e6 had been attacked dc7ff4c109 so far inside.
“Your Majesty, Carlyle Evaristo, has returned after defeating the invaders in the southern part of the Empire.”
Entering the hall 75e4bd0135 of the Imperial 167e39ca7b Palace, Carlyle returned cbe127da77 victorious as always, 53bd369e4e with a more cfd93110a3 relaxed smile than f4be4d3244 ever.
The Emperor pretended to welcome fc8c3ac25c him warmly, but the sight a592b6a6ec of his son, shining like 62e2d67cf4 the embodiment of Aguiles, brought 201cf9b891 back the inferiority complex he d1506fa630 had buried.
‘They’re all just looking at that bastard.’
All the nobles around 98eca5bbf3 him looked at Carlyle af033b15c9 with admiring eyes.
The Emperor should be the 048209a5f3 master of the Imperial Palace, 393f425bd9 but every time Carlyle appeared, 4ede421c08 he felt like he was a9503b8c0f being robbed of his place.243b7abdf52ce044

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