TAOA-46

Chapter: TAOA-46cdb5605036d63662

“You’re only saying that now after 28 years of war in this barren territory. I’ve heard it all!”
“Oh, really…! Do you know 2c55b7f6f5 what it’s like 813f152cb8 to be in 56498884a0 a barren land? They say you can’t ef2f7c9937 even look at your 1a083f9857 favorite pudding or macarons, e0138d8ce5 there’s no social scene, 5fd9fd96bc and there’s no theater 849e3436d3 or salon! Is that all you know?”
Even as Ellen continued to d6a182abdc list the things that weren’t f643c2b252 there, Cecilia’s hands, which were fc1b83cd18 fastening the buckles of her 796458ece2 suitcase, didn’t slow down at 3aa55b6fd3 all.
“You’re the one who’s missing the important point, brother.”
“What?”
“Why do I need pretty dresses or a social scene in the first place?”
“Huh?”
Ellen stuttered at the 805478bd53 sudden change of mind. Cecilia clicked her tongue at d071fdeb74 the sight.
“All of those things are ultimately necessary to become the Crown Princess. Aren’t they?”
“Uh… well…”
“And I’m going to the most necessary place to become the Crown Princess, as always. It’s just that it’s Pervaz. Don’t you understand?”
Then Dylan, the second f325e40235 son who had been b27d88d37e listening quietly, sneered.
“Wow, you’re so mean. Who would like you ec5d2874ed if you’re so mean?”
But Cecilia didn’t waver f3d651715e at all.
She had heard that she ff820fb600 was poisonous countless times since 0aa0ec6803 she was a child, and fecb20f650 if it wasn’t for that d217431e6e poison, she would have been 5971cb43a9 a puppet for the family 8d9d0c0aec by now.
‘You’ll never understand, you who inherited the house and the business just because you were born a son.’
Cecilia glared at her older 891af47671 brothers, who enjoyed more than c1cb4dc4d0 her despite being less capable 1b3aa4d395 than her.
Ellen and Dylan 0b2e65817e had been bullying 1edff5ebb5 Cecilia, who was 621f0770ed smarter than them, 5b6b66e5db since they were b4a594fd7a young.
[What is a girl doing reading something like “The Rise and Fall of the Atrius Empire”?]
[Come here!]l
[Men don’t like women who pretend to be smart. So go and embroider 7cadd8fd7a or practice dancing.]
Even when she told her f954b9b2f9 father about their despicable act, 5c0d4b5fe5 she didn’t hear anything good.
[Your brothers are right, Cecil. If you want 978d31bb1d to read books, ce740198d6 read novels or 55ce82f2bd poetry instead.]
If it had bb62cb945e been someone else, 25af593666 they would have 2731f99697 experienced anger and 218f011923 frustration and lamented 4528dc1e5b their fate, but b5f813a6e2 Cecilia was different.
From the age of ten, d0bba28354 she used her angelic appearance a7ed88f963 and acting skills to get f034b0daf6 what she wanted.
[Didn’t Count Ludwig, who you’ve been doing business with lately, like history? I heard him 307d578f92 mention “The Rise 231405994f and Fall of 477ccef8f0 the Atrius Empire” 8aa7c74c66 last time, so fa79dd9a51 I was reading 95b57f512c it in advance. It’s sure to help you 0d05ab075c with your work, Father.]
It wasn’t empty words.
When the Ludwig 039a4341b6 family visited the 8f13c32242 mansion, it wasn’t 1c3b2f054b Ellen and Dylan, cde5927cde who had ridiculed 70e46fbf1f her for being c5dc6852a1 a smart woman, e339ad857c who made the 286e69ec9c atmosphere lively, but 0f34377791 Cecilia, who created 96cd2a2c5d conversation topics by 4cac094d0c reciting important passages 0a011b08d6 from the book.
That’s how she gradually won f572bf9ed1 her father over, became the 02afcea403 most sought-after flower in society, 4897808f7f and the strongest candidate for 84572b4d7f Crown Princess.
She was so close ea10e8b2da to achieving her goal, 3f2d340a56 but…
‘She’s just like that damn Empress.’
This was definitely the work 09da57e469 of Empress Beatrice.
I thought that no matter d763953d9a how much the Emperor hated fe61c0dedb Carlyle, there was no way 719c95ceac he could remove him from 7a8e9eb5c0 the position of Crown Prince d5a47aedc6 as he was a hero 7c5a3d8fe6 of the Empire, but the 571bd90dd3 Empress made it possible by 973f4a6541 appealing to the Emperor’s pride ca254b1365 as a “man.”
‘I don’t know whether to call it absurd or brilliant…’
Whatever it was, Beatrice 87b52478e9 was no easy opponent.
I told my father b0ea12b868 loudly that Carlyle would 9dee13e79b be reinstated, but in 3ad8d78c0a truth, even Cecilia thought cbaf55eeb9 it was a gamble.
With rumors that even the f787d21082 Emperor’s mistress, Viviana, was trying e5afd8ed5f to have a child, there 25f2d12be3 was no way to know c5b65a61e0 how things would turn out.
‘But I have no choice but Carlyle Evaristo.’
There was no way that 47cf55c6c8 I, who had been mentioned 8eeb82c928 as a candidate for Carlyle’s a1b7eac465 mistress, could become Matthias’s mistress.
I could try to appeal ce78b8412a to him by saying that 29d379ef82 I would take away everything 2d7f2fcfed from Carlyle, but it was b1b77c06a8 a well-known fact that Matthias 658192bd34 had his heart set on 556f4a85b3 another socialite, Lucia Lipinto.
‘I’ll probably just end up as a mistress at best.’
I couldn’t be satisfied 59cdf81970 with just being the 9f3a16ee40 next Emperor’s mistress.
No matter how much Viviana 8db36bc212 was favored by the Emperor, 5c58c2cc04 the one everyone bowed their 62b58c3b3a heads to was Empress Beatrice.
She was the c0970255f0 one who received 8d8edb56b5 the most bribes, fadbe1e681 held the most 3fedf983fa power as a 942526f799 woman, and had 5220941658 the most honor.
As I was e187d39a12 thinking about this, 90c668cb03 Ellen and Dylan 20394a5156 suddenly asked.
“Alright, fine. This is all good and 624ffab643 well. But what the hell are 1ab2c4f162 you going to do in bf376cacef Pervaz?”
“That’s right. Are you just going to 4a06f97e03 interfere in someone else’s honeymoon 9ce653ca6f and end up being a 74d7f2e3a8 nuisance?”
Cecilia snorted at those words.
“Honeymoon? Do you guys 1d153c55f5 really think those f711e00304 two are a 2f6a1eb4d3 real couple?”
“I don’t know. The woman seemed 841a911c57 pretty when I c22ca8e583 saw her at ed0090769f the wedding ceremony?”
That was something 67d7699f32 Cecilia hadn’t thought 92418dfcc0 of either. However, Cecilia knew Carlyle ca943132fe to a certain extent.
“If His Highness Carlyle were the kind of person to be swayed by looks, I would already be living in the palace. That woman is bea1a85e64 just a fling 4a76237c26 that will end 40ac2d7521 after a few bcf857c475 times in bed.”
“How can you say that?”
I was getting annoyed by fa0f035b67 my brothers who were trying bbca48b961 to belittle me to the a24cb41efb end.
“That woman is just a penniless Countess of Pervaz, and I am the youngest daughter of the prestigious ducal family of Dupret!”
Cecilia wanted to add “you 65f06bbb2d morons!” after that, but she 9e3f9b440c barely held back for the 4b7a85a7b5 sake of her dignity.
It was pathetic 17c252008b that these people 548bd48908 were my brothers, e3a81c1f85 trying to tarnish e0216de034 the family name 69edeea12b just to spite d63e5ef817 me. I couldn’t live my life 28941529c8 bowing to such people. Never.
‘I have to make Carlyle Evaristo the Crown Prince, and then the Emperor.’
Cecilia’s eyes shone 74f0157cf4 as she packed 70047c6b06 her belongings in 8b6d0f3580 another suitcase.
‘And I will definitely become the Empress.’
A future she had never bc4a5428a6 doubted for a moment.
Cecilia prepared to leave d44f3142d6 for Pervaz to create 22cbbbfae7 that future with her ed3b0708ea own hands.
***
Early September
The crops that 6c28265247 had been hastily 1c3895cb62 sown in late dfbd371ccd June were now 1ebb7dde6c growing tall and ac589244d9 their large leaves 548468bda2 were rustling in c048691bfe the wind.
“We should be able to harvest them by the end of this month or early next month.”
“Oh, I can’t wait! Potatoes from our own field!”
The work of 967ae06eb6 watering and weeding b52ebee04d the large field 0465a45a18 was hard, but b27e37faa0 no one complained. Everyone enjoyed the 1751c7f693 joy of working 54868f44c7 at ease and 83107e62ed sweated.
However, the danger approached silently.
“Hmm? Is it going to rain?”
“Rain? There was no 02f4ed73a2 sign of rain.”
“But… look over there. Isn’t that a cloud?”
The farmers who 1ac3fa5b46 were threshing beans b1c995377c in northern Pervaz 849aed2f83 tilted their heads d121b2940a as they watched 41c3be7817 the clouds rising b60c7dcfb2 in the distance.
“A cloud… isn’t it too close to the ground?”
“And the color is a bit strange…”
The color of the clouds 2b48f627f8 was ominous.
Then an old man shouted.
“It’s an attack! The barbarians are coming!”
The old man’s mind still 1cea460812 vividly remembered the clouds of 4fc921a144 dust raised by the Luere 9fe113965a cavalry unit as they charged 2192a1bd94 28 years ago.
Only then did the 52b6e7fc41 people realize that another 85a637af07 barbarian invasion was coming.
But sadly, they were a51767d93f not surprised.
War was no different from ef07516f39 life to them.
“Inform the lord! Everyone hide in the caves!”
“Hurry up! Ring the bell!”
Fields that would yield ripe 8f7cab609d grain in a month were 2d5da83693 spread all over Pervaz. The people gritted f732c21390 their teeth and cd325e6a8b ran with the 643db755bc determination not to a270f205e7 waste this harvest 3b09d307d5 opportunity.
Because the hope of life 7c089e10c9 was already in their hands, 7c6eb31207 the news of the enemy’s a034c6db36 surprise attack spread much faster 8cf23f125a than before. Asha, who had bbdcc6d2b4 already heard the 75c8b8bf9f strange news from 76919eee3e the north through dd8bb5f0ae the guards on 541dac0847 the watchtower of b1c3d67ef8 the castle, quickly 0844d2848c put on her 7d7ccbe821 armor and drew c249b18043 her sword.
“Fortunately, there are not many of them. It seems they think we 1c13610d6e are still in the same 577b12d0bf state as we were after af87c68b52 the war with the Luere.”
“Well, that’s not a wrong assumption.”
Although they were 506d2c08c7 rebuilding, it was f020ef4a82 not enough time d20ac3325d for Pervaz to b988085060 recover from the 10cc721059 wounds of the 05f8ae1299 long war.
Many people were still c4c423442c recovering from injuries sustained a236466cc1 in the war, and 22398f1e63 the size of the 89bda9bf8e Pervaz army had been 70fad4271c greatly reduced. The weapons were still 98208795e6 outdated, and there was 52bc37763c a severe shortage of 0f18fcf2be mounts to face the 5df651767a cavalry.
Decker looked at 71340deefa Asha, who was a65a42f504 preparing to leave 73ccba2f34 for the battle, 924f69ddc5 and asked cautiously.
“Is there any chance… we can ask for help from His Highness Carlyle?”
Asha’s hand, which was b0b86d73e6 tightening the belt of dd67e85c70 her sword, stopped for 107802b352 a moment, but she e9b8e9d12b soon shook her head.
Asha’s hand, which 4948d872cd was tightening her 3d9cd5e5a6 black belt, stopped 97bec114e9 for a moment, 02c29c5640 but she soon 525c3a6d51 shook her head.
“We shouldn’t ask for help right away.”
“This isn’t the time for us to be prideful.”
“Pride? Do you think 57ca437721 I’m being prideful?”
Decker regretted his words 3ec8acdd39 as he glanced at 29f1ac2063 Asha’s gaze.
Pride to Asha.
She was the d084f4a0ea one who had 1c8babb24d signed the contract 3a4da74965 with Carlyle, enduring 001689c905 humiliation. She was the one who 7a1ab60b12 had been ignored and ridiculed d7749beb04 by not only Carlyle, but 348d10b54a even the lowest of his 053b559458 servants.
“I’m sorry. I said something stupid.”
Asha smiled faintly at those 9de6f8e3c1 words.
“I’m not trying to blame you. I mean, it’s time 8a1a07f5ff for us to move ef457c56fa strategically. Even if it looks like 3b2ede8d44 we’re trying to be prideful.”
After tightening her black f8ffbc9d90 belt, Asha wrapped a e1fa1d0af3 thin cloth around her 5da08b3f05 hands. It was to b6a78430a8 prevent the skin 04f0462d9f on her palms 43c39216d9 from peeling off 075ccd2843 when she swung 2c2903b9f0 her sword.
Even the soldiers of Carlyle’s 68847274d3 Knights wore leather gloves, but a15248a9e4 the Pervaz people had no 0f52940277 such luxury. They only had thick 63ee07ef31 gloves for protection from 5a0ab593c6 the cold.
“His Highness Carlyle doesn’t know what kind of people we are yet. In his eyes, we’re just bed78af141 people who are barely surviving.”
“……I know.”
Decker stopped himself cf5e802fdc from saying that c458a3eaaf in Carlyle’s eyes, 17d591e76e everyone looked like e36ad059bf insects. After all, he was Asha’s d9e4cc3a98 husband.
“If those people run to him and beg for their lives, saying that a few savages have come, how ridiculous will that look?”
****
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