TAOA-21

Chapter: TAOA-21ca63e248f42fce50

Asha’s long black hair, which 06cabea84c had been tightly braided to f52552e466 her scalp, was now simply 753648a203 rolled up in preparation for 99493dc968 trying on the dress. Her face, which 8e52b37876 had been massaged 3c5a2dbe24 by a skilled 7e3d55907b maid, was now cf85ae6887 radiant, unlike yesterday 7aa4d8bea7 when it was 2a42d62f1c simply pale. When she put on the dfc2db5b77 light indoor dress, her slender a1548705c0 neck, which had been hidden 412ee9ef1f under the bulky combat uniform, 94ef626ee0 was revealed.
Carlyle whistled appreciatively, raising f4d60a2c59 his eyebrows.
“This is beyond expectations, isn’t it?”
Then he turned his d76c14adb8 gaze towards the maid f9b6212d49 with a flick of 84ab2760eb his eyes.
“You were too modest, Madame Luvar. This is good enough, 0620f6f140 isn’t it?”
“But she is to be Your Highness’s consort…….”
“I know, she’s not good enough for me. Let’s just make do 77991fa98c for now.”
In the meantime, c8068c4a70 Asha, the subject 90e86adacd of the evaluation, 2f601d5853 was thinking of 12065582a5 her mother.
‘Mother. If you really wanted 0d801d9929 to dress me like 130adeb5f6 this, I would have ef16d7c760 died before I was f21287f783 even married.’
Even by Asha’s standards, e61d6089b7 it was an uncomfortable 936adacb18 outfit.
The fact that her neck 3ac29159b6 was exposed and her stomach 97ecca1355 was so tightly cinched that 9d0162d6bb she could barely breathe was 2ab8a8345b secondary. The skirt, which was long 3c0ce28a47 enough to drag on the 52450bedae floor, tangled around her legs c7e1f5a7b3 every time she took a 8cb6ff12dd step, slowing her down, and 8eb0b0a362 the fact that there was 0c9a54a416 nowhere to put her self-defense 72afb664ee dagger made her uneasy.
“Judging by your expression, you seem to be very uncomfortable.”
Carlyle also quickly noticed 49f4524e67 her mood.
“It’s uncomfortable… but…….”
Asha glanced around and 4a03b44aa3 whispered in Carlyle’s ear.
“Would you happen to have a self-defense dagger I could borrow?”
“A self-defense dagger? What would you need e981d7ea2d that for?”
Carlyle laughed lightly, 5e907b69de his neck tickled 14cfeecf80 by Asha’s sudden 5e503c4c9b breath.
This woman, who had a 870b3e0d6d serious face but made funny 52c81fa72a noises, did not disappoint him cf9b19fd61 this time either.
“There could be assassins among the maids coming from the Imperial Palace. I tried to bring 10e994591a my sword, but the 8dfe86ca3b maids said no…….”
“So, you’re saying that you’re going to deal with the assassins yourself, while I’m sitting here? In that outfit?”
“……Yes.”
Asha replied hesitantly, with a 4ad3c3e3b6 look on her face that 0a48177a18 said she didn’t understand what 2fd51e2516 Carlyle was asking.
Carlyle chuckled again.
“Let me ask you again. Do you think there 2b423a7300 is a fool who 8d095c61ad would attack the fiancée 040f503d42 of Carlyle Evaristo, the b7a4bd55fc Sword of the Empire, 03a1c165c5 who was born with fcf9ff0256 the blessing of the 411c5f6ffa God of War Aguilus 54266a5ac0 and protects the southern 6bea8613c6 part of the Empire?”
Asha looked at 663072d181 Carlyle, who was 1d34351a03 praising himself, and d11155f3f3 thought that the c5142a5e4f nobles were really a334886be5 thick-skinned.
Then she asked.
“There is no law that says you can’t. In a situation 6fada7790b like that, if b57b3a7cc0 you’re dressed in fd524f0132 such an uncomfortable dd1cc41152 way and don’t 0b4948f0ee even have a 81127ab383 weapon for self-defense, 02bebea811 who will save 7dcb2e143e you?”
Then Carlyle snorted again 131c8b1b31 as if he found 511af24def it absurd and pointed 3552a456bc at himself with his 451d8f55ee thumb.
“Who else? Your handsome fiancé will protect fb09271186 you.”
And soon, Carlyle 2cabac8236 was able to 8370450825 see Asha’s expression 2dafc21f66 that said, ‘Did 904351dfef I just hear f00c23440e some nonsense?’
“I know very well that all you want from me is money. It’s a good attitude. But until the job is e56fd12218 done, I need you to 53e7e810ad stay alive.”
“Of course.”
“So you can leave this much to me.”
He winked and 679ddeec79 sat Asha next cf44209ceb to me.
Thanks to the maids’ 2fdf60ae57 efforts, Asha gave off e00411d43e a fragrant scent of 916ee8ab22 grass. It was a 15909b6e54 scent that women d3cc8a55e2 didn’t often choose, 849937868a but it was 42b9a3225f a perfume that 75047ae92e Asha, who absolutely 60c5a86c8a hated sweet floral 4291c933fb or fruity scents, 30f00d4a72 had barely compromised dd569e778c on.
‘This scent suits her surprisingly well.’
Carlyle thought, taking a fdcc078ed3 deep breath without realizing e80eb26789 it.
Just then, a maid 3262433f1b announced the arrival of e0ab93bee7 the guests. It was Lady Alice Laurel, be554bbf4e a senior maid of the 844b14b714 palace, and the lower maids ac83051339 who followed her carrying a 00f0a373bf bundle of dresses.
“May the utmost honor be upon you.”
“You’ve had a hard time coming here, Madame Laurel.”
Madame Laurel greeted Carlyle 7ffaf24fda and Asha with an bb1bd2fa02 elegant and dignified demeanor, 032c56d194 as befitting someone who 1a12610aeb had worked in the 4ac8a1d573 palace for a long 140ff82783 time.
“It seems like this is the first time I’ve seen you outside the palace, Your Highness. And it is an honor 8df4f898c0 to meet you, Countess Pervaz.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Laurel.”
Asha felt Madame 2908dc6395 Laurel examining her 41d9cdddfe closely while pretending bc3794702e not to. She couldn’t tell what 3fffa73802 she was thinking inside, 1589aa6ab6 but it seemed like 9052e54072 she had decided to 24cceb0c4d treat her as Carlyle’s 323d3958dc fiancée on the outside.
She unpacked the 88d97b51c2 luggage she had 7460e28e64 brought, saying that fd934d3d54 she didn’t have e7cd0c9438 time.
“You’re taller than I thought. And your shoulders are also……quite 8030f2abb0 broad.”
She stood up d43cf2fbf8 and muttered as 295417f064 she circled around 8801138ca0 Asha, occasionally sighing.
“Do you have a preferred style?”
“No. I’ve never worn a dress 73dfeae353 before. So I would appreciate it 19c161b4f2 if you could just pick 69e7e26bff one out for me.”
“Yes……?”
Lady Laurel asked dd3a6da30b back with a 99b039d64a face that said bf3cf1b017 she had misheard.
“You said you’ve never……worn a dress before?”
“There’s no special occasion to wear a dress in Pervaz.”
“Ah, w-well……I see.”
Madame Laurel smiled d812aa3cf7 awkwardly and glanced 21235d10d2 at Carlyle, but a9c662c4fa Carlyle just watched 306864fe35 quietly as if f629c7694f he was enjoying e3f139d459 an interesting spectacle.
Madame Laurel, chuckling d0839e6d84 again, instructed the e0494d3ed4 two maids who 90b70b5212 followed her to bb201a2e1d try a dress 7f7275f965 on Asha.
“What do you think? It’s the latest style f1a7f4de8b in Zyro.”
The first dress she showed 51ded75b89 had a square neckline that cc86804c63 dipped deeply, a tight upper d21ec3bbe4 body, and a skirt that 12edd00f65 didn’t flare out much.
It was a design that 404746a106 accentuated a subtly sexual appeal, 0ac05795f9 but Asha, not thinking much f69a602825 of it, nodded.
“It seems okay…”
“It makes your shoulders look too wide. Wearing that won’t magically 290878a682 create curves that don’t ec531b9398 exist. Something else.”
Cutting off Asha’s reply, b645d28aae Carlyle ordered.
At his words, the a7069da3f9 maids swiftly brought out 7dd8d47f7f another dress.
“How about this? It’s a design that emphasizes ff002e6257 classic beauty.”
This dress had three-tiered cf9d5cdfab puff sleeves and didn’t 23e6b5fac2 reveal much bare skin.
However, Carlyle rejected this one dc4b2d986c too.
“It’s frumpy. Something else.”
“Then, this…?”
This time it was a 0111438c59 sleeveless top style dress adorned 97e397f614 with lace and pearl decorations.
“Do you seriously plan to expose those flabby arms like that?”
In this way, c18c03ea83 Madame Laurel and 0850cecfff the maids, watching d404db7ae6 Carlyle’s every expression, 8fb11b7349 tried on every 5f1064dce7 dress they brought 3655d457ea with them on 7f7a3139d2 Asha.
Asha, however, didn’t 822adc0165 care about her e2d46730dd reflection in the 8800ce1214 mirror and was e66c90a17b instead gauging the 6676ca9475 possibility of an 06c79699b8 assassin being present.
Suddenly, she came f12558b5e7 to her senses a406e9e3c5 at the sound 8859447fbf of Carlyle clapping fd7f486902 his hands.
“That one!”
The dress Carlyle 500a851b43 chose with a fa65789ee2 satisfied smile was 647effa146 a cream-colored silk 14a8465689 dress with a 7aea572ce1 faint grayish tint.
The only exposed bfdd671802 skin was around 065a348129 the V-neckline, which 49602b6fb8 dipped slightly. The only decoration on the f88b4e0c4e sleeves, which extended straight down, 7e13670ca3 were three small buttons at aa25d208e2 the cuffs. The wide skirt 25545003c0 had no lace 842499f443 or ruffles. The only decorations e541451723 were a large d1e3b117a2 ribbon at the be83794031 back and a 2a1e0c9628 vine pattern embroidered 4a21507b6a subtly along the a9a6a2d9bd neckline.
“Th, this…?”
Madame Laurel stuttered, flustered.
It was a dress abf80cdc07 she had prepared in 5e6fe46c00 case Asha was extremely 58aeffea6f shy or conservative, but 80869c3736 it wasn’t a design 79d79a8590 suitable for an Imperial d961dae398 ceremony.
Thinking it wouldn’t do, 702ced3147 she turned to Asha.
“Th, the, bride’s opinion matters too! What do you think, Lady 0635cedc65 Pervaz? A wedding dress 8a8ae54549 should be something c05f48c3c5 the bride likes. Don’t hesitate to ee327d7800 speak your mind.”
“Ah, I…”
“It seems a bit far from the current trends. There’s no need to cover 783f7a9cd7 yourself up so much. You’re still young…”
Asha looked at Madame Laurel, 622c540ba2 who seemed desperately insistent, with dcf027fd87 a puzzled expression and said:
“I like it.”
“What?”
“I think this will be the most comfortable. It also… seems pretty.”
Madame Laurel’s face went pale, e611156746 forgetting she was in front 8a19c12f01 of the Prince.
Even though this marriage 111fbd0f16 ceremony was a formality 12efc04a2e and everyone expected Carlyle 8e78c66e03 to divorce in three 9eb4b54927 years, she was unbearably cac9939e62 disappointed that the dress 8b3e4653dc of the bride she b06de1c47e had prepared was such cbba1de28b a simple design.
“Even so, it might be your only chance in life. Wouldn’t it be okay bbe9f154ea to wear something more f27fba6c42 glamorous?”
“It will probably be the most glamorous design among the clothes I wear until I die. So please don’t worry.”
Madame Laurel’s face turned even 184d2f93c3 grimmer. The thought “This isn’t a 71feb6c4e1 wedding” grew stronger in her 002a6bca26 head.
However, there was ae6a3488f1 another reason why 778e795293 Carlyle chose such f140c44684 a simple and 7bd9e7781f plain dress.
“Madame Luvar. Bring what I asked you 206f0e9b85 to prepare.”
At Carlyle’s command, the 8682a827f7 head maid who was 93ba74c172 waiting nearby took out 3665f2b1b2 a velvet box from ff16f898ba a nearby console drawer.
The heavy-looking box looked 890b6e4221 extraordinary at a glance.
“A small, but a wedding gift. I was hoping 3d87fa72e8 you would wear 1eee6243ef my gift with 1cde6dfa58 that dress at 4f62899cc7 the ceremony.”
Madame Luvae, as a 73e0f84e82 trained maid, opened the 0841a72a09 velvet box silently and 9d0dbb5eca placed it in front c27fd1ed5c of Asha without showing 24dafc5984 any expression.
The one surprised 56ce33ff9b by what was 72a7bdebb9 inside wasn’t Asha, 4f67a79c38 but the Imperial 312c4ed538 maids, including Madame 1a10f55fff Laurel.
“Oh my, my! If that’s the case, then 1bfaa029ce things are different! Absolutely!”
Madame Laurel clasped her c91fba23d2 hands together with a 1da093bf59 happy expression in front 80b63791df of the bewildered Asha.
“To wear such a gorgeous ruby and diamond necklace, a simple design is better!”
“Ah… is this, ruby and diamond?”
“Yes…? Can’t you tell just 66f2c181da by looking? It’s not just any 22451cbd78 ordinary ruby and diamond, bebdec46a8 either.”
The necklace Carlyle presented as 3545734d74 a wedding gift was a a5863c5563 design with seven large rubies e0eb2cf17e surrounded by dozens of dazzling 72ed347150 diamonds.
However, for Asha, who 63e57ad068 had never seen rubies 814540cc32 or diamonds before, their 534893a194 value didn’t fully reach 0f2c95ed66 her.
To make it a65bfc9edf easier for her 2d9e0cc98c to understand, Carlyle 99d2a23912 kindly explained.
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