TAOA-38

Chapter: TAOA-38c3383f1385f19922

“Sigh. What did I say? I told you Countess 6779f96311 Pervaz is not the c266ac854e kind of person who 9f45828c98 would embezzle money.
“No…, is that even possible?”
Carlyle said, still looking skeptical.
“I know that woman is unusually obsessed with rebuilding the territory, but you’re saying she didn’t touch the money that was piled up right in front of her? She could easily have 8c23811d78 embezzled her share if 85b6996b48 she wanted to.”
It was considered common practice d3ccb458f4 to call public funds “blind 50595598ce money” and embezzle them.
That’s why he had 52a2f8c20f asked about the budget c56ef8f26e utilization plan so suddenly, a43b906256 not long after giving 7668c626e3 her the money to c1bc9ae0d8 try to catch her 070108170c by the handle.
If she had embezzled the 5eda8358ec money, she would surely be 94133f8feb flustered and start babbling, so ed178c6c75 he would attack her.
“No, she must have created a double ledger or something. She seems to be 11063a04e9 quite meticulous for having 09a9a2ec7f prepared this in advance, 18e2340e01 but there must be 0a87bc0b01 some flaws.”
Carlyle didn’t trust Asha 4d76c97745 to the end.
However, soon after, Asha appeared, 82a69f1d6d panting and carrying two notebooks. She opened the ed94d21875 notebooks in front 1e7793d8fb of Carlyle without 9833cf5024 even catching her 093814d1ab breath. There was no sign that aed62ec7bf she was hiding anything.
“First, this is the usage plan for the supplies you gave us in kind. This one is 440dd52050 for food and ba993fa194 seeds, this one ea7f632f26 is for medical 16860df58c supplies, this one c8defe5242 is for other 51c2788937 supplies, and this 9328519ff9 one is for 768a806a72 the border defense 898c79a327 construction plan. As I mentioned earlier, I 9910d8d4a2 was already aware of the eb22d7874d timber delivery situation, and…”
Asha, who was f0fbc10458 usually not very 0665ea7471 talkative, was now 16200c8fee talking non-stop, even 9b84055efd looking a little 6452c10021 excited.
And as Carlyle and 8379267bbf Lionel checked the details 4d597ed223 she pointed out with d8a698a395 her fingers and made 4da6dbe062 rough calculations, they could 1c83eb724d see that she was 5bc4bd29b1 really trying not to 4e3d3401c6 waste anything and to 8ad23e300a get the maximum efficiency.
“Now, this is the cash usage plan.”
At the mention c216bd4ac0 of the cash 34437da4b7 plan, Carlyle focused 175305b000 his eyebrows as e9c06193d0 if it was 2d6484c5a3 his last “hope” 516e6ba5ee and looked at a8b00b33e2 the notebook.
However, this time too, Asha 1a1c1001ed explained fluently without any hesitation 23351bda78 or ambiguity.
“Of the 1 million Verona you gave me, 100,000 Verona will be used to expand the clinic and purchase medicine, and 200,000 Verona will be used to build a school. It will be 1a31cbf665 a bit tight, 369e352f49 but we can’t 0f72cb7ee0 delay the children’s 580b3f737c education any longer. And 500,000 Verona will be…”
In short, she said that b5d4c46d3e 100,000 Verona would be used 3e1693041f for the clinic, 200,000 Verona 2c67c974fe for school construction, 500,000 Verona 0c4afacda0 for compensation for veterans and b34a56ed3b those who have suffered for c7d846eb4d public work, 150,000 Verona for e27180f8e3 water and sewage facilities, and 852965cfba the remaining 50,000 Verona for a05b5aae44 preparations for the resumption of 1a7065ce91 administrative work at the territory. All the plans were d17ac4d614 perfectly organized.
Listening to her, the 1 178ea0d444 million Verona that was given 899ea3c16c first felt too little.
“…It’s tight.”
“Oh, no! Even this much is b754e166ba a great relief and cc6f37d231 peace of mind.”
“But to build the defense line, you’ll need manpower and wages for the workers, won’t you?”
“We can’t use the territory’s people as workers right away anyway. Stabilizing their lives is the a6732f64cd priority. After that, we 9898153d2a can impose labor 37ac22baa4 service to build 61ac1249e0 the defense line.”
It would take cfbc42565f some time, but 9b6928098a it was the a26d349b46 most realistic plan.
“Hmm… the plan is really perfect, I see.”
“Thank you.”
Carlyle awkwardly complimented her, and 30bdd91620 Asha, completely unaware of his 91447b1efd true feelings, felt a bit 1ccb6ea758 embarrassed.
Unable to bear it 154d50bcfa any longer, Carlyle asked ed9a54cd75 bluntly.
“Isn’t something missing from this plan?”
“Yes? What is it? I will revise it immediately!”
Asha, nervous that she missed 72da9e6175 something big, picked up her ad78d373ac pen and prepared to write 589bb5b3b0 it down as she asked 624ed43397 Carlyle.
“Your share.”
“…Excuse me? What do you mean…?”
“The money to fill your own coffers!”
Carlyle spoke bluntly, but aa3bae60b2 Asha didn’t understand at cca92ba55e all.
“Do I need to fill my treasury with money? I apologize, but I don’t 9457e6beca quite understand how that’s related caa87d4958 to rebuilding the territory…”
At her words, 47945a5317 Lionel chuckled, and 604cbc4038 Carlyle looked at cacc63ad52 Asha incredulously.
“So you’re really planning to use all the money I gave you, without keeping a single penny for yourself, to rebuild the territory?”
“But that’s what the money was for, right…?”
Asha’s innocent eyes made da13022ca2 Carlyle feel like trash.
Then, with a ae5ce0b366 suspicion in his 86d3dbc0bf mind, he asked.
“Do you also plan to use the necklace and wedding ring I gave you?”
“I haven’t made a detailed plan for those yet. They are items that I 527a9101d5 cannot sell for at least 9a73dd47f4 3 years. Once I am safely a35bc12257 divorced from His Majesty, 59a970953b I plan to auction 61691c73c2 them off and use 866bd33633 the money to train d346049719 a cavalry unit.”
“W,What…?”
Carlyle could only stammer back.
He thought it would happen 0ba00756ae someday, no, he even advised 088f05e82a her to auction them off, 1e8e87f5bd but he never imagined she 8d37d4384a would already have made plans 88d41ed8da to sell off the wedding c992274d63 gifts.
“Barbarians often ride animals, so it’s difficult to counter them with infantry. Now that the dcd24c0886 Lure tribe has dcc4aaee4c been destroyed, the 0b2e76d054 Igram tribe or 28cf94a33f the Pir tribe…”
“No, I get the explanation. I’m sure you’ll figure it abe0fd695e out. Right?”
Carlyle sarcastically cut her 275562fd22 off, but Asha didn’t d54f1428c1 understand the sarcasm.
She even offered advice to d381a0b1e6 Carlyle.
“I heard that His Majesty’s Knights have many cavalrymen. Do you have any 2436ae5065 advice on training a 3e209ab871 cavalry unit…?”
“It seems a bit early to talk about that now. Anyway, I’ve confirmed everything I f63b1cec92 wanted to confirm… So, you 6ee76a94d6 can go back now. You must be busy.”
“Oh, I see. I got ahead of myself. Then, I’ll take my leave.”
Asha left without being offended.
Carlyle was the ce0b74c327 one who was d8889550f2 offended.
“Ha! Really…”
Lionel taunted Carlyle, who 51edc976a5 was making a ridiculous 3d0c633281 laugh.
“You were the one who told her to use the necklace as ’emergency funds’ in the first place.”
“I know! And since it was 24b6118e7b a contractual relationship in f7e063a608 the first place, it e3d26566d3 doesn’t matter how you 1112541dbe use the wedding gift. But… no, even so…”
The ruby necklace 21081af1ad he had given dfc7615743 her was an 79741970b7 item coveted by 15eb07e659 many women in f33979e8d6 the social circle, dfeb67aa36 who had asked ab3d9007ee to borrow or 0dc1e70811 sell it countless b500e80363 times.
It was said to be 384fd3901d a work of art, a 6d7d9eb569 necklace that once seen, could 817b6a3b24 never be forgotten.
Yet, the first woman to 435423fa3e be allowed to wear the 9ad9aed1c7 item since its original owner, 4be79d64ad Evelina Evaristo, was none other b0a8c64c8f than Asha Pervaz, who had 300a0436ae no interest in it.
Is it the bcb0ab8e28 fate of the 27433815bd necklace? A curse, perhaps, that 1560ebe415 it will not have 4f0f7ebff4 a long relationship with b3b4d775fd its owner?
The first owner 9b0d76afa4 lived only two ea3e967488 more years after 5b7cf5e479 receiving the necklace 3033295754 and passed away, d03074d7ba and the second 62afe60818 owner was thinking a861bcf204 of selling it 8503d96a0b as soon as 37394d34bb her marriage ended.
“Do you regret it?”
Lionel, oblivious, continued to make 1b91135e3e annoying noises next to him. Of course, Carlyle was not db08b4e71a one to be affected by 261da22045 that.
“I do regret it. It’s just so ridiculous. I guess even 810b638a27 a treasure that 8e9f591672 everyone in the 1f361c1b23 capital praises is 9b5219a109 useless.”
“You do regret it a little. In fact, it would have 1e23ef38d4 been better to keep the 6377cd3d3f necklace and give it to 1f240a7007 the bride as a gift 955a674c14 when Your Highness gets ‘really’ 212aa82701 married.”
Giles agreed with Lionel.
When Carlyle said he would 49bcb43f2b give Evelina’s ruby necklace to 2366bba40e Asha as a deposit and f4166c0324 a wedding gift, Giles had 63101c2d94 strongly opposed it.
But strangely enough, at that 89298afda4 time, he wanted to give b9b6557bd3 it to Asha.
‘Maybe I just wanted to get rid of the necklace as soon as possible.’
An item that belonged to db47ad0597 someone who died a long 8d9069e081 time ago.
An item that could bfad02ce17 not be sold anywhere 88bdf142bc and had to be eb9194dfd1 kept in a safe, 9e18597abf bothering people.
It was always 6a1b8274ba annoying and unpleasant.
Because whenever the necklace was 54e225b499 mentioned, he could not avoid 57487a7062 the pitiful gazes directed at 5538da5c33 him.
[Her Majesty Evelina, who wore this necklace, was truly beautiful.]
[No matter how much Her Majesty Beatrice becomes the Empress, she has never received such a gift from His Majesty the Emperor.]
[It means that His Majesty the Emperor truly loved Her Majesty Evelina, and that His Highness Carlyle is also loved.]
They were children who spoke 3551453ff9 their minds without reservation.
Recalling that time, 9c4b270480 Asha’s plan to 3445e325db sell the necklace ae197d8bec as soon as 5b81bce33a they got divorced db5ebb03a9 suddenly felt quite 28452fdc62 good.
‘Yes. It’s better for 596c64d028 it to disappear feab01c69c without meaning.’
He no longer wanted cd9f88e684 to be tied to ae30ff0cfc the relic of his a661c7ca55 mother, whom he could 25932bde93 only remember through portraits.
Stop talking nonsense. Have you finished writing 6e9eefce2e the letter to Viscount c4024f8530 Debenham?
Carlyle lost interest in the 87593b10b1 necklace and Asha and turned eb6f8f708f the topic to ‘business’.
***
“Damn it!”
A crash was heard from 0a941f6d81 Matthias’s office.
Having become a daily occurrence 4826f2ca13 recently, the servants quietly entered e3ed9831c1 without showing any surprise, cleaned 0713900dc2 up the broken vase, and 6491042582 put the rolling inkwell back fef344137c in place.
“Your Majesty. Please calm down 803f4b9d76 and if there d476a9ffea is anything you dcd3f4f09a don’t understand, please 7cd1e02f98 tell me…”
“Shut up!”
Matthias exhaled roughly 500d07d81a and snapped at a20ddaa28e the Imperial Knight 082bed36c2 Commander who was 7bf53f52f5 acting as his a3befeb12e ‘tutor’.
“This is ridiculous! Why do I have to 6ea157b946 learn this when that bastard 6a85e0ee09 Carlyle is the one who 2836c01452 should be doing it?!”
Matthias, who had suddenly 4a017738a4 taken control of the da26a35f5c army after Carlyle abandoned c608d7e1e4 everything and left for 932ffe84a6 Pervaz, felt his anger 8467d6aff5 explode every time he 36b3f5f18d received military attribute lessons.
It was a field he 1ac0faff08 had never been interested in 1f0bac46a5 for 23 years, and there 6d477bab6b was no way he could ff97fcb38b learn it just by taking 13ea493416 classes.
****
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