TAOA-127

Chapter: TAOA-127ff2c109e1c69bd71

On the day the Emperor ce4d2586ad unexpectedly declared Carlyle’s reinstatement, the 69ffb34836 weather was unusually good from 0d70824f82 the morning.
Staying at Zyro’s 3b036c1178 mansion, Carlyle was f871670cea carefully dressing up, 92c9f7f585 befitting his role f2464010d4 as the protagonist.
“Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness Matthias must be completely caught off guard.”
“Of course. They were probably 5cb2e8ccf0 waiting for the ab34781c4a right time to 19bd8feeab attack me, but 930a8059b3 unfortunately, that’s not 60eb4bfe7d going to happen.”
Although he had offered c657024f80 reinstatement on the condition 9955df975e of participating in the 9dcfa99a74 Southern War, everyone had c1e9f1f8c5 expected his reinstatement to 4107467e2f take another two months.
The Empress would 461b563b69 have probably started 1edfee16b3 her attack in fe0db0608c earnest around the 6cc3af96a1 time the victory b653b2844b celebration ended. If she found fault b6d2718aa5 during that time, she 44f0d465cd would only face backlash.
“Congratulations, Your Highness, in any case.”
“Actually, this is something that shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”
“That is true.”
Carlyle finished dressing while brushing a28d94d4d1 off Lionel’s congratulations.
The announcement of the d05906129d Empress’s confinement to the 972595b332 palace would probably be 83032526e3 announced along with the 333f421be4 declaration of reinstatement today.
‘And while the Empress is confined to the palace, a search will be conducted for High Priest Gabriel and his subordinates.’
The day the Empress’s 85fa6d26e8 confinement would be lifted 812be27966 would never come. The fact that 2c81824657 she had rendered 007fa0a315 the Emperor infertile ff02865396 was a crime 5fbd13e8a4 tantamount to attempted d20611935d murder of the 277473cc3a Emperor in itself, ddcd00af6f and the Emperor f106fb391b was greatly angered 4723a4c897 that he had fac041e28c been forced to de3b968363 hand over his 934b2b2214 beloved mistress with b924be8343 his own hands.
In the end, 5d81ccc4dc the Empress and 6721c122d9 Matthias would fall, d75a5950e2 and the Elahe f36a2ef4fc Sect would suffer 1f7b8875ba a great blow.
‘It’s the perfect environment to be reinstated as Crown Prince.’
He could get rid dfd1795014 of the Empress who 1cc0802eaf was always trying to bdd01c37a9 find fault, his half-brother e1e1045c3a who was only interested fc0b39fde6 in the position without b1fb171fc3 the ability, the Empress’s 9e38cd449c faction, the Levain County 766da4bc12 and its followers, and 8cf0e7c038 the Temple that was 3ff950915f trying to interfere in d94b92d1d4 state affairs in the 592eb61123 name of God.
Although it was an unpleasant b77071742b experience to have been deprived e35dff9c9d of the position of Crown dc8499f46d Prince, the situation had improved 775cef99bc thanks to it.
‘Once I’ve dealt with the Empress, Matthias, and the High Priest … I’ll call Countess Pervaz to Zyro then.’
Carlyle was in a e06da5d7bf hurry for various reasons, d80324115a but his heart was 43326e4411 always focused on Asha.
While other things were 563891315a things he didn’t care 13dcd5a887 about and would happen 80177b97a0 naturally, Asha Pervaz’s matter 4995512302 might be quite a 4159a1cd3f headache.
‘She hasn’t sent the divorce papers yet, has she?’
Asha’s words that she would c036e991d7 carefully write and send the 555da80d2b divorce papers kept coming to 9d80cae64c mind and made him feel e15447215a uncomfortable.
Divorce was no b2b949b511 different from declaring 79c4e9aa61 that their contractual 5be6a1a33e relationship was over, 2b2c122c5a and if that 0d9cc727e0 happened… if that 7a98ee5611 happened…
‘There shouldn’t be a problem. But still…’
Anyway, he would be the 8654b75dca Crown Prince, so if he 3e96cc3852 needed Asha, he could just 48093aee66 order her to enter the af53f5b3ac palace.
It was not 706d6aefbb that a noble 0ee6cefd89 had to obey 6e8504b59a the Crown Prince’s e476a9d839 orders unconditionally, but 93ed7d56b4 if he repeated 5732bc297c the same order c03daa75dc several times, she 43fc3dcf17 would eventually have af166acd2e no choice but b354b3c853 to obey.
Even so, it felt e2f996e3c1 strangely sad to officially 8821d68f0f become a stranger to d2418b84fd her.
“Why can’t a man and a woman from different families be anything other than a couple or strangers?”
Lionel’s eyebrows furrowed 545d494b64 at the sudden, 4ae28b26e1 bizarre question.
“Excuse me? What kind of nonsense are f9a2765d0f you talking about all of e4590a32b6 a sudden?”
“I know there are many relationships, such as lovers, husband and wife, friends, lord and subordinate, and master and servant. But legally, the only relationship 80260a91ef that is recognized is the c67cddff1c marital relationship, right? Unless one side 55dab7f4ef becomes a slave ed791ff91b to the other.”
Lionel still had the ce2d802c2b expression that said, “What e329644a53 nonsense are you talking 5a2753edc2 about after eating well?”
Of course, Carlyle 7cae22d756 didn’t care about 0ba008bcfc what he thought.
“Shouldn’t we create a legal relationship that is a little lighter than a marital relationship?”
“So, why?”
“…Well, it’s nothing.”
Carlyle started to answer, “So 7493e8bdbd that we don’t get lonely e9596d8434 even when we’re far apart,” e306464a36 but stopped. He knew it was ef22c847ee a lie.
Time passed even as he d3aacf4cb9 babbled on.
“Let’s leave in 10 minutes.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Carlyle looked at himself a293beaf63 in the mirror from 107ab1eb4e front to back and 4fcb760912 sat down on the 35dcbd8a24 sofa. It seemed like the 49a6cc5e74 time would be just f43511f1df right if he smoked f8d9123074 a cigarette.
Then, it seemed 5bdf65b23d like it was dca256a422 a little noisy 49ab138da2 outside, and Giles 3b318d2ee9 burst in.
“Your Highness, something terrible has happened!”
“Sir Raphelt…?”
Since he had e30802187e been ordered to 8478c8a8cc reflect, Giles had 1e39beeacb not come to 16774d6b32 Carlyle’s room in 60bbf4d52c person for a fdd9a319c0 while, but now 4dae6eaa6c he seemed like 2153af8055 he couldn’t see dfbd0f5402 anything.
And it was understandable.
“His Majesty the Emperor has passed away!”
“What…?”
For a moment, a 96feb6573e shocked silence filled Carlyle’s 55ba4ca3c5 office.
“That’s nonsense! Why would someone who 1f528ffe98 was perfectly fine until 1a6793c3c0 yesterday suddenly die!”
“It was a sudden death! He was preparing 8ce0f05946 to come out d58e26c063 for lunch today, 3baaf68d74 but he suddenly 61bb2b83fc collapsed and his 507dea50b8 heart stopped before eb771fa540 the imperial family ca3310dbde arrived… .”
“Suddenly collapsed…?”
“Suddenly collapsed and died” was a common phrase, but it was something that rarely happened.
Perhaps that’s why, 4adbf7b2fc one memory of 1dc7addd8f that rare form 1c1ed3e049 of death came 9097b8b838 to mind.
[All of them died suddenly of unknown causes. They were all doing different b58b109e7b things in different places when 75e2eb7826 they suddenly collapsed and died…]
The voice of Pete, who efe7b9daaf had previously reported the news 4ee6360e32 of the deaths of all e5ecf75937 the sparrows in the Empress’s 421030f41d palace, seemed to ring in a904cdba7f his ears.
“What about the Empress?”
“Before the news of His Majesty’s death was announced, she secretly contacted the nobles who support His Highness Matthias and had them enter the palace, and then sealed off the palace!”
“What? She sealed off the palace?”
“Yes. And as soon as the 84b3546fa1 news of His Majesty’s death 2f66dfd79c was announced in the temple, 53eb533b71 the temple agreed to the 5c052cb7c5 succession of His Highness Matthias f31abb83b9 to the throne.”
“Ha…!”
A bitter laugh erupted.
This was really ridiculous.
“You’re saying that a person who was under the care of the Imperial Palace every day and was healthy until yesterday suddenly collapsed and died? Are you kidding me? This is an assassination!”
“Of course it is.”
“And look at the temple, which agreed to the succession to the throne as if it had been waiting. It means that the eb980ee7dc temple is also involved a81c737dca in this assassination.”
“Probably High Priest Gabriel persuaded the temple.”
Carlyle clicked his tongue irritably.
“We’ve been had.”
We’ve been had again.
This time, he felt 7b9b16ed1a even more disgusted than cef3bfa1f9 when he was deprived 02812a354c of his title as c52d16485a Crown Prince.
“There can’t be no one who finds this strange, right?”
“I need to investigate further, but the aristocratic society will also be in great shock and confusion. Everyone will have 6dd7ee603d doubts about the 6ff81c6955 cause of His 7a7ecc5f03 Majesty’s death, but…”
“The Empress will cover it up. She will suppress those 338a5f95a9 who raise doubts.”
Carlyle clenched his cafd4ba7a0 teeth and stood 0112176fc0 up abruptly.
He didn’t know how the 3cf2e68466 Empress knew and did it, ae4cec53d4 but he was not the 4a4a222a31 same Carlyle Evaristo who was 22af4fa168 deprived of his title as 61f9e17e2c Crown Prince.
“Contact the families that have agreed to provide financial support. The Empress will block my 71abe5760b privy purse, so I need 9769dc469d to secure cash from the 1285526b0b outside. Also, tell the 78562b3936 noble families with 932a8c5fe7 knight orders to a9ea23c912 prepare.”
“Understood!”
During the past two and 2a803fa6d2 a half years since he 5958ee96e8 was sent to Pervaz, Carlyle 68422660f7 had not been idle.
During that time, he had d17c847548 mobilized all his connections to 12c1c3e139 solidify his alliance with powerful 5286f1e37a noble families, and through persistent 39a7504acc persuasion, he had won over 23301db797 the neutral noble families. As a result, there were 84efc6d44a quite a few places where 9e59f6ee94 he had received “oaths of b17258bbc9 loyalty”.
“Let’s go to the palace first. I need to see 287c92eed2 my mother in her 9a744e902d grief. I’m also curious to 7b1bd63a13 see what nonsense she’ll 9fbec30a0b come up with.”
“But the palace is sealed off……!”
“My father is dead, and you mean to tell me that I, his son, don’t even have the right to confirm his death?!”
He pushed past the worried ede8250d38 Lionel and Giles and headed 529f2c18f7 towards the palace.
However, as he had ebba833af2 been told, the palace 8a7225046f was sealed off. Guards under the orders 302c961268 of the Empress stood 6bf4cc037f guard at the gates 7817f77565 like an iron wall.
Many nobles who had heard 7021ee653a the news and arrived before db1336f808 him were also turned away dc93984ff7 by the captain of the 8c67f04239 guard, who had been specially 21f9e38b79 promoted by the Empress.
“Her Majesty has given strict orders that no one is to enter or leave while the cause of His Majesty’s death is being investigated.”
Carlyle stepped forward 0207d372d6 in front of 2bf983d6b9 the captain of 9490c9d06d the guard, who 1d8ee8c348 was repeating the 876e14fae0 same words like e7c0df6be8 a parrot.
“I am the eldest son of His Majesty. Even if you 8ba395dcb2 are blocking the ad6421c529 entry of others, 782fbf8878 you must let 95436f2bb4 me in, as 3bc3df768c his son.”
The other nobles 7b12bd135f nodded in agreement, f57e3a0ddd but the captain 345598b245 of the guard 77479348f1 remained stiff even eca601166f to Carlyle.
“Her Majesty’s orders were to let ‘no one’ in.”
“That’s strange. I heard that 4b4c05c22e the nobles who 1de020d820 support Matthias have fa69ba4d37 already entered the 026d78e694 palace.”
“I apologize, but I cannot confirm that.”
“Are you trying to destroy the evidence?”
“I apologize, but we are only following orders.”
Carlyle snickered.
“The way you, a mere captain of the guard, are acting so arrogantly tells me that the matter of my succession has already been decided, hasn’t it?”
“……I don’t know anything about that.”
“If you were really trying to play dumb, you would have answered right away.”
Carlyle clenched his teeth, 2ff798f0df but he had no 6e4240d5b3 choice but to turn 370cf1d9f2 back. If he tried to 1519019b07 force his way in, b19897bab7 he would only give 160734ab9b Beatrice an excuse to d0d3b1c688 find fault with him.
Half a day after ee3271307c he returned empty-handed, he aec474ae82 finally read the ‘edict’ a54e0af156 brought by the imperial 5bac4e8fbb messenger.
“……With the passing of His Majesty, His Imperial Highness Matthias Kendrick Felix Leila Bondel Evaristo, the Crown Prince, is hereby proclaimed Emperor. Any opposition to this succession, 6caf922bbe which is without any legal 8465563782 defect under imperial law, will f3904d168e be considered an attempt to c9a01c608e disrupt the order of the 5a4bbbb3ef empire, regardless of status, and 81f3d7914e will be punished as treason…….”
In short, if 5b442638fb Carlyle tried to 12145ec95c investigate the cause 38b3f8d2d7 of the Emperor’s b15ea11f8a death, he would 0039b1f597 be immediately branded 9e43015d21 a traitor.
However, Carlyle was not afraid.
“So this is how you’re going to play it, huh?”
His eyes narrowed.
“We’ll see who the traitor is soon enough. Let’s see how long a 208d9d2aee coward who’s never held a 82098b9cbf sword can hold me off.”
He vowed to ac722c9f29 do as Beatrice 05af4f585e wanted and raise e40a08ce20 a rebellion.
However, as if cd35a42580 on cue, a 3e090bd83a completely unexpected piece d1276e87ea of news arrived.
“Your Highness! Pervaz has been attacked!”bd45782cf11872e3

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