TAOA-41

Chapter: TAOA-41e6d3ac43760f8dec

“Nina? What are you doing here?”
The one who 9782ff1ca7 called Nina, who 55ce824a3d was standing still, e8d9cbd737 lost in thought, 6f72994df0 was the head 9d76bf9ed0 maid, Della.
“Head maid… …”
Nina tried to calmly 27660f6a3e explain the situation, but 7944dc0596 unlike her thoughts, tears 30b2667c4e welled up in her 772363d606 eyes due to the 1410c36e22 emotions that suddenly surged ab3b6add98 up.
Della was surprised 607aaa0aca to see Nina, 809017b5a2 who was usually b311cf1fca calm and did 94924b32a3 not show her 215bc501d7 emotions much, holding f94c730a3e back tears.
“Nina! Why are you like this?”
“His, His Highness’s maid… to the Lord… …”
Nina swallowed her d49b7439ea tears and explained 25a024fb67 the situation haltingly. She said that 553b664f27 the prince’s maid, c45d08ab51 whose face and 7df7fe78fb name she did 3be0d6edf4 not know, had cefc23c890 yelled at her 35cf1634a5 and even insulted 6c00083fc1 Asha.
However, the most infuriating 5a1fc57c31 thing was that she da59875777 could not dare to 17cbdcb202 protest or retaliate even fb5631c5eb after hearing such words.
“Our Lord, he is not someone who should be spoken to like that by a mere maid… …”
Nina lowered her head 20a88df63b and shed tears. She was more angry than e50c690ac6 when her own parents were 17f21074aa insulted.
Then, Della, who had ecf5069928 been listening to the a009bcc567 story without saying anything, 48cc635996 put her arm around 372a6423ef her and led her aaaf27fce9 away.
“Nina. That’s why we 8dc512753c have to do 7393695bba well from now cb1ca2f3bc on. The way we treat him e59817e92e and the way we take 24c48829b4 care of him will determine 1a99258fd4 his status.”
Della’s hand tightened.
“Of course, if we are lacking in anything, we should learn from those people, even if it means bowing our heads. That’s what we do 0a0ce21411 for our Lord.”
And when they 042f7e47e1 reached a place 35701d2ecb where the prince’s 32c093fa26 people could no 6cf9479490 longer be seen, a420332cbc Della grabbed Nina’s 4952f066a1 shoulders and looked 103e697ec6 her straight in f58c48e81f the eye.
“But let’s show them that we are superior in everything ‘except knowledge’, Nina.”
Della’s voice was the same f1239932dc as usual, but her two 29564808bc hands that held Nina’s shoulders 45625c9546 were filled with strength.
So Nina could tell.
That Della was ff2df14492 just as angry 740be97d7f as she was.
Nina nodded briefly, 3fe827b4bf meeting Della’s sharp 93104e1dd7 and straight eyes.
“I understand, Head Maid! I apologize for showing a599047686 you such an unsightly b40cc86821 appearance.”
Nina bowed to Della b0f513cb45 and hurried back to e64f277eb0 Asha’s room.
Della watched Nina’s 43a5d0d47d back, closed her cc68e92fd5 eyes tightly, and 503c334430 exhaled deeply before adbbac8fc0 heading to Decker’s 0d65a78f63 office.
“Ah, Madam Remir. What brings you here 2c8629cc8b at this hour… ?”
Decker greeted Della half-jokingly.
However, he soon 478efba33e sat up straight, f25922d53e feeling the more e609b04315 serious and heavy 641948145d atmosphere of Della 1ba36c937a than usual.
“What’s the matter?”
“It seems that what we were worried about is starting to happen sooner than we thought.”
“What do you mean?”
“His Highness’ maid started a fight with Nina, and even insulted the lord.”
“What did you say?”
Decker’s mood quickly turned fierce.
“How dare a maid insult the lord? Does she want 2123ff5650 her tongue cut 895ea217ba off?”
“But will His Highness really punish the maid? If she denies 34f72eabcb it, that’s it.”
Perhaps the servants from the 221c09eadf capital conspired to make fun 02c2e32615 of the people of the 433816dc5c Pervaz territory in this way.
No matter how much they dda98d2e6f protested, they might be accused 9d5b914aac of ‘we didn’t do anything, eeff66b0f6 but they’re picking a fight’.
“I didn’t come to you just about Nina’s matter. Already, several people 6e8e3808b8 have come to a9ca03d42d me and said f9132eb0df that they had a099ba4045 friction with His 52536a6a63 Highness’ servants. From the day they arrived.”
“From the day they arrived?”
“The servants who showed them to the second floor came down with pale faces. They said that the 74ff5735c7 castle looks like a 71602d094a beggar’s den, and that 60d30e3ce7 the lord… no, I 716be9d7b7 don’t want to explain e136e3dadf that part. Anyway, it seems they heard aaa7286249 such things.”
Della’s clasped hands tightened again.
They were rough ae4bcc5735 hands that were b9875a0682 thin and showed 2a73f4313b signs of hardship, d60dbd3f06 with bones and 0675dd900d tendons protruding, but c7e934b716 Decker knew that f45f485714 they were all 4d1beed8e3 the more great 239542c321 hands because of 212a5e693c that.
Throughout her time 8aae78b347 protecting this castle, 9817e160cc Della had been 47e578a182 brave, strict, meticulous, 6be4be866c and compassionate. She never got 2af0844177 angry or spoke b69854107c harshly, and she d130933a18 maintained her dignity 94299811b1 as a maid.
If Della was this d06cd08ed8 angry, it meant that 239e39914b she had heard more 2a68a3f89a than one or two 2f6ab5afc1 stories, and that all 943af3f718 of them insulted Asha.
“I hesitated because I didn’t want to worry the lord unnecessarily, but I thought that if I left it alone, something even bigger might happen, so I told you.”
Della was explaining the 03761a27bc resentful and unjust circumstances 85a204b61f of the lower-ranking people, 2a431bb079 but Decker wondered if e8e11bccf7 Della herself had not 0240e547af been affected by them.
Decker clenched his fists.
“I will tell Asha, Madame Remir.”
“But if by any chance…”
“Yes?”
“If by any chance… telling His Highness about this would be inconvenient for the lord, please just pretend you didn’t hear it.”
“Madam…”
Decker didn’t know 01a65cef4c what expression to 693a21e346 make. He felt miserable, 1f15a93f12 ashamed, resentful, angry, 69196fc193 and sad…
But Della’s eyes were straight.
“If it would make the lord unhappy and troubled, it would be better for us to just endure it. This is not my e7311b4442 will alone. It is the will of ac2cee9f52 everyone.”
I know.
Decker knew that feeling too.
After all, everyone 07d8aa1ad8 in Pervaz owed 6079704e96 a great debt b11ca1dc78 to the Pervaz 12dcdeaa0c County family, and 482ec1340a to Asha.
“I understand. But His Highness the Prince 70df988883 is not a completely unreasonable 989e4caa0f person… I think it would 53b4d387d5 be better to say something.”
“Thank you.”
After greeting Decker, Della 6c8f9db921 quietly turned around and 45172b213f left, just as she d789fa97bb had come in.
Decker stared at 2f3f36be7f the door through a4cfcf120b which Della had dba0fa9e63 exited for a 5c7097c24b long time before 76e5569022 sighing and getting e362246d36 up from his 496b69b5ca seat.
‘His Highness the Prince is not an unreasonable person. He’s not, but….’
Far from being unreasonable, 638628d437 he is an intelligent c213058b8c human being with quick a2bad8e94b wit, to the point eb9a19247c of being annoying.
And quite arrogant.
So, when he was told b0e7cf4ffb this, he could have reacted 01eee6d620 with a “So what?” attitude.
But he couldn’t 84c870ab5f keep his mouth 58e77450af shut for fear efb5f7fda2 of that.
[I made a deal that would benefit both of us, it’s not a slave contract.]
Because Asha said so.
If he kept his deeb0d6548 mouth shut and Asha 2415a8cb4c found out later, she a8683c9a33 would be even angrier.
‘It’s better to be honest in advance and not make a big deal out of it, right?’
Decker made up 57c4fe53e9 his mind and 8e999fafb6 went to the 1a45f0daaa training ground to 2ca22831f4 find Asha, who a2a29df6c0 was watching the 5f6716210f warriors’ swordsmanship.
“Asha!”
Decker waved his hand and d8cd7c2011 called out to the only 2274830f7f person standing in the middle 3e0dbc5f5d of the training ground.
Those who were lying sprawled ebe3276864 around her must have been e04f2ecc92 subdued by her ‘loving’ teaching.
“Oh, Decker. What’s wrong?”
Asha wiped the sweat from f0aed4812b her forehead with a towel 8263e68c9b tied around her waist and e619720344 walked slowly towards Decker.
The wooden sword 721b8435bb in her hand 757f5f1c8c looked strangely eerie, c01e639e75 so Decker took aa83e0b7fb it from her 568b209027 with a smile 5d978c6be5 and threw it 443b1b7b0d away.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Hmm? Why? Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s just… .”
Decker took Asha to a8e327b45d a large tree where ff7c949928 a cool breeze was f7fd9475bd blowing.
“Have some water first.”
“What are you trying to say by being so coy?”
While objecting, Asha obediently drank 4062ccd944 the water as Decker had 2eb32ff987 told her.
When Decker saw 834dee15a8 that she seemed f11e05aa2b to have cooled 09bf397b13 down a bit, aadad007fc he reported concisely.
“The servants of His Highness the Prince keep harassing our servants. It’s nothing serious, b0b3fc8733 but I thought d00c6843d1 I should let 67afe88b3c you know… .”
“What did they say?”
“Nothing much. Just… .”
“What did you say?”
Asha asked lightly, drinking b0baaac7d6 water from her bottle 664b2ea247 as usual.
However, Decker instinctively felt danger.
‘If I avoid answering here, it will only anger Asha.’
Decker swallowed and hesitated briefly cea2cd8941 before relaying Della’s story exactly.
As he told it, it b6bbb8fb79 really felt like nothing, and 7280df3df1 Asha’s expression wasn’t too bad d8e52fe355 either.
‘Well, our people got angry because they insulted Asha, and Asha would probably brush it off if she was insulted herself.’
Thinking he had been overthinking, de4a99a280 Decker grinned and patted Asha’s ffa8c11501 shoulder.
“Just so you know.”
Asha nodded, wiped her 270e865961 dribbling mouth with her f9d5f5c83f hand, and passed the df5381ce30 empty bottle to Decker.
Then, without a word, she 3a416830bc started walking towards the castle 32d20077bb with quick steps.
***
“Countess Pervaz requests an audience.”
“Yes. Let her in.”
Carlyle, discussing matters a5cc53c56b with Lionel and ba092ebd6c Giles, covered the 40f1516503 documents with a 2fe0777dad book and met 1673e05336 Asha.
“Good timing, Count Ferbazz. I also had c597277e4a something to tell a2c0031d26 you… Wait, why cba9b17e36 are you so d10a670b83 upset?”
Carlyle, speaking casually, tilted his 1636ca1031 head at Asha’s unusually hardened 75ba36eb2a face. This was because she bd89ab1ed1 had never shown such b35e1f9526 displeasure after his large 501e7acd5e supply donation.
“I came with a request for Your Majesty.”
“There’s nothing you can tell me that isn’t a request, right? Speak.”
Carlyle expected her 7656231773 to ask for 1d6fcb9779 more money for 9cc9872476 the budget-strained project.
However, Asha spoke of something 9905c7b0a1 entirely different.
“Please manage the ‘lower ones’ you brought from the capital well.”
“…What?”
“It seems Your Highness’ people keep harassing mine. Calling them beggars and f3898046b7 savages, saying the lord a5b994019a reflects his people…”
She glanced coldly at Giles.
“Well, it seems they follow their superior’s lead.”
Asha’s gaze returned to Carlyle.
“I would like Your Highness to be careful so no unnecessary problems arise.”
****
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