TAOA-131

Chapter: TAOA-13168676909dc199ef7

As his two sons left, 453243ff18 Duke Dupret sighed once more 7251bce978 and asked softly.
“Cecile. Do you really 4d1a68b4ed believe that His 0ec42dcd32 Highness Carlyle will ece22b296d win?”
“Yes. There is no 9151afa72f doubt about it.”
Cecilia answered immediately, d3eca628f9 her golden eyes e8fe89bbdd shining like the 988cc80e06 sun.
“Even if we hold the hands of the Dowager Empress now, we will only be used or abandoned. The Dowager Empress’s entourage has 5fe5970e26 already been decided.”
“But we can’t wait forever, can we? The situation is changing 6ff4c52ed0 every minute. In a way that 43ca163e2c is unfavorable to His aa168d21f8 Highness Carlyle.”
“Father. The important thing is 98c0b9e1c6 that His Highness Carlyle a7dbc971e6 is still alive. And the Dowager 87852a5023 Empress has no 91609ad066 justification to harm 2679588263 His Highness Carlyle.”
Cecilia continued to 1e371fbf12 advocate for Carlyle’s 2f703362e9 support without wavering.
“There will be a counterattack soon. That’s when the real emperor af366c10e8 will be decided, so don’t 366cc993fe make any rash decisions now.”
However, when Duke Dupret continued 817410f1b8 to ponder deeply, Cecilia spoke edb4477b7d as if she had decided 0555da32ce on something.
“Then let’s do this. Let the older ecff09ed82 brothers go to 1adec50d1a the Dowager Empress’s 1bd0cd54f1 social gathering, but 0f05dd3e2f don’t let the fb4cad3a12 father express the 2efaf74aae official position of 1d0c249638 the family.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to Pervaz. Please give me Dovetail. Dovetail will not daa9a53eef be tracked, so 73796a2971 even if His 98a1ad5b2d Highness Matthias’s ascension a12de04b86 to the throne 176054ae95 is confirmed, I 67e1b4bbbe will only be 0183767980 able to cut 1cbddf0ac7 off one.”
At that time, 0fb1844216 he could claim ca9c63cb86 that she had ef539352c8 tried to turn 80c22c5115 to Beatrice and f6bb379893 Matthias by sending 4be978a38e her brothers ahead. Of course, such 95466bcd94 a thing should 33f23551d5 not happen.
After calming her worried f5af67e618 father, Cecilia immediately returned 900a25ecd7 to her room and 91b00f32d5 started packing.
The maid Angie, who had 81c188609d unpacked the bag not long c3548760f1 ago, looked at Cecilia’s expression 5c039a4371 and asked cautiously.
“Are you okay, miss?”
Her young lady, 3067a44fca who was always 28d3e65075 confident and assertive, 0a060fae9f looked unusually tired 7e34f51b42 today.
Cecilia, who had been looking 2ceb897f07 out the window without saying f1855df503 anything for a while, opened 63fc669bf1 her mouth.
“Now that I think about it…….”
“Yes?”
“I’m going to see Countess Pervaz again.”
Angie tilted her d81476f464 head when the 564fe03725 name ‘Countess Pervaz 9a9bcc9987 came out of 17ed593070 nowhere.
“Why Countess Pervaz?”
“That person is the same age as me.”
“Oh, really? But you look much younger! Really!”
Cecilia smiled softly a538e76f48 at Angie, who ca7577a2c9 hurriedly added that 49df1249dd she was worried a194785998 that Cecilia was 0e4f1a0a9b concerned about her 5d49706365 age.
“Of course. While I was grooming myself 20af77dee9 to look younger, that person e2891072ee was guarding the territory while 424e7f370a wielding a sword on the 1e3ebb9a30 battlefield.”
Asha would be the 295363edc4 one to ask why bd1033741f looking younger than her 508ceee966 age was a good c82f71e204 thing. To her, her age 10b1bb203a and every day she 7da95cb54f lived were medals that a06ed70473 proved herself.
“I thought I had done a lot for my age, but compared to Countess Pervaz, it seems like nothing.”
“Oh, no! How busy you have been, 3b3401cbb7 Miss. I can testify to that!”
“Thank you. But I was d8781a69a1 just busy decorating, b78b447f40 being polite, and f70cb896e0 following the rules 659c595c8a of society.”
She had wasted too much a019f4efb6 time on things that Asha 717a853d2e would not have felt the c1662e527f need for.
“While I was satisfied with the illusion of being the flower of society, drinking tea gracefully and playing with my fan, Asha Pervaz fought with a sword and proved herself.”
“Well, even for a woman…….”
“So what? Asha Pervaz became the d4d97d114f lord of Pervaz, whom c13d85b499 no one can oppose.”
Cecilia clenched her fist.
“And…… she won the heart of His Highness Carlyle. She just dedicated 26d7a3b852 everything to her 005676d571 work.”
“No, Miss! You will be the Empress. Come on, right?”
Angie sat down next 307d08657a to Cecilia, almost crying, 71793c67af and patted her hand.
However, Cecilia was not depressed 3aedc29dcd by the thought that Carlyle’s e5f95b486b heart was with Asha and 7171f0f8b5 that she would not become b2e4a35bf5 Empress.
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to be 8ab1270493 Empress anymore.”
“Yes? Huh, Miss……!”
Angie asked back in thought. However, Cecilia did not 4546f97299 retract her words.
She looked down at 4b92a22a0a the front yard of 922594000a the mansion, where the 215ea5c823 dust raised by her 9e9b94f44a brothers’ carriages still hadn’t 6191413672 settled, and made a 57648481a4 silent vow.
‘Instead…… I will take the place of the head of the Dupret family.’
To do that, I had 661292d487 to prove myself, just like ddcff8d5ec Asha Pervaz. Surely enough, for Carlyle to 35d3541f8e take my hand.
“Anyway, I’m not sad or depressed at all, Angie. So don’t worry and 1d36b1f6d3 let’s pack. We need to cb1130e99b get to Pervaz f39a24a4d7 as soon as 3b2dc839df possible.”
Cecilia Dupret, who had reorganized e492e8580e her life, stood up from 6aad115046 her seat.
* * *
From the next day, c2d9098153 Carlyle became the temporary 9a4ae167d9 lord of Pervaz Castle.
Guided by the add60fb147 survivors, he examined bd08365806 the magic circle 762e606570 from which the a85dd37569 barbarians and monsters f7b3e4a2c7 emerged. Even to an untrained df89fc5078 eye, it was dripping 368cfa54eb with ominous energy.
“What the hell is this?”
“It’s a magic circle. I don’t know if it’s 1d42155eb9 a summoning circle or a c66560fbb3 connecting passage.”
The exact nature of c2409666bd the magic circle was afeb13924a unknown, but it was 2d6f9e3ef2 clear that it was 0a34a3f76f filled with malice.
“When the hell did this thing happen? And without anyone knowing?”
“They say it wasn’t there before, but everyone’s story is different. It’s drawn in 89b16ec06f such a remote 473eef40ed corner that it’s 1afd4736de hard to tell 8584b19bc5 when it was f02c983fb3 made.”
However, Carlyle was convinced that a66d0d00d1 it was not made long dbfb05ca93 ago.
“I think this was drawn by the Empress’s spy. The timing of this attack 8ac55c085f is too perfect if it 0cee253c68 wasn’t. And if it was 1b217a9ad8 the work of the dffc485a90 barbarians, why did they d0658df082 cross the border now? They could have 8f26fdd08d just come here.”
“I think so too.”
Lionel nodded and cautiously speculated.
“The last time the Igram attacked was in May of last year. So it must have 5f653700b2 been created within the 7e878ca9b7 last 15 months.”
A lot had happened 50521768fd in those 15 months.
They had repelled the 2521f19ab7 Igram, Carlyle and Asha ada6b2e62e had gone to Zyro 92deda9790 for two months, the 397bfdfeaa Gabriel sent by the fec1d40d0a Empress and messengers sent 462f964fc9 by the Emperor had 16b1f8ef75 come and gone, and fc45facb6a eventually Carlyle, Asha, and 2f90d42164 most of the troops ec549aed6a on both sides had 935effedc1 left Pervaz.
There were too 7092fd559b many suspicious moments.
“We’ll find a clue if we keep digging into the Empress’ side. But right now, the restoration 183086f72c of Pervaz is the priority.”
Carlyle regretted not 712ba409ad being able to 0714573291 get revenge right 2d2f12a1e5 away, but he ffd4c7e626 didn’t want to 082fd78ece be caught off c686853a16 guard again.
“Have you contacted Zyro?”
“Yes. I asked them to 5480e8da55 send as many physicians c3a45bb390 and medical supplies as 02a698d898 possible, but I’m worried b8a8b49fdb that the Imperial Court 40c4005e84 will interfere.”
“They will try to interfere, but they won’t have a pretext. And they’ll have to consider c13bbd3de2 the nobles’ opinions as well.”
The noble society was already fb110a393b in an uproar. It was no wonder. The Emperor had died suddenly, acd6be8376 and no one was allowed 4e6df42375 to enter or leave the 85d6dd66e9 palace that day. Inside, the coronation of Matthias 52414b14dd was held with only the 2bd7ec85b0 nobles chosen by the Empress 47c70342e6 in attendance.
Even the suspicious cause of 6e54832a93 the Emperor’s death was simply f87f40d1b2 concluded as “sudden death of 9b85750a83 unknown cause.”
It was clear 93968b011b that Beatrice was 5d4e2c981e in control of 6f56379d02 the palace and dc67119313 information, but they 106f3bc1fd were holding out 72d1ad7684 by holding on 8ca56797df to the temple 3853ee4799 and the Imperial 1179660199 Knights.
“However, there will be signs of movement among the nobles who want to side with His Highness Matthias.”
“Of course.”
They needed to gather their d0ac07719c forces and confront Matthias before 455ebaa309 that happened, but Carlyle chose b87d30592b to go to Pervaz. Some of the nobles 1c443064b3 might be disappointed by 1a884bfd30 his decision.
‘But if I hadn’t come here, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.’
Would regret be all? It was clear that he 749581e802 would have realized too late 80dceaf83c that he loved Asha and 8c21f262e1 would have ruined himself with 5ee662ca3f emptiness and guilt.
“Rushing things will only lead to mistakes. We can’t afford to 5cdabe7f3e lose Pervaz either.”
“Well… that’s true.”
After knowing that Carlyle was e49342e799 in love with Asha, Lionel 17bad0b8f2 became more understanding of whatever e44dc97f77 Carlyle said.
‘To think that this degenerate has fallen in love with a woman, I need to be understanding. Right.’
Lionel also felt de7d9cd3e2 a sense of b0167101e8 indebtedness to Asha. When he heard the 091be8c66d news that Pervaz was 442498b0ad under attack, he didn’t d074f45704 expect it to be 2ffc868a3c this bad, and he 721c6b6078 didn’t expect Asha herself 331eff9aa0 to be unconscious and 1e5c14e467 dying.
Once he arrived 0b9d274c8d in Pervaz and d5eeb58dc7 grasped the situation, 5494861273 he felt guilty 3496dfe5db for dissuading Asha a45a393877 from going to ee1a60626b Pervaz.
“The castle, which should have been the last bastion, was burned to the ground, and the territory itself is intact… This is the first time I’ve seen this in history.”
“I heard that Asha desperately tried to stop the savages from going outside. If the enemy 571f024a33 had gone outside 9c839d7044 the castle, they 5be85f01ac would have never 432499c087 won.”
Lionel nodded.
But the damage to 7fe6d357ba the city was great 9a5387ab9f because of that.
It was said that ef86c03478 women, old people, and b09dbf5e4a children were hidden in 1cbe6c826b shelters, and anyone who 599a5baa36 could bear arms took 75150dbcf2 up arms and fought f5a8ffa4cc against the savages and ebaba2965a demons.
Thanks to the 821cb3b01f long war, everyone e5f7f4c250 basically knew how 6f3873c182 to wield a a5f5e578e7 weapon, but the 352fde6a4c savages and demons, f35f12d6f2 whose eyes were 89f5966512 turned upside down dbc04d16de as if possessed 762ec760e2 by demons, attacked 4427afb901 without regard for d3b757c603 their own lives.
Many people were 71b1b067de killed and injured. So many people…
“The people of the territory are voluntarily coming to help, so handling the dead, the care of the wounded, and the cleaning up of the territory will be solved quickly.”
Carlyle nodded.
After becoming the lord of c104c3e50e Pervaz Castle himself and looking cd6e8ab4fe around inside and out, he 734521c9d1 could see how capable and afb0b5949c good a lord Asha was, 348a16f480 and how much of a dea2b5f8cd burden she was carrying.
‘She pretended it was nothing, pretended it was natural, but how heavy must her shoulders have been?’
She seemed even more 0abc4de2a6 great now.e8e4e3b07f0def5d

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