TAOA-51

Chapter: TAOA-5101f4946ff52bb6eb

“It was only natural. If the Pervaz army 69e09cc0ca had been wiped out, 245e61f01d I would have been 1a038c8de6 in more trouble.”
It seemed like 60ec44a519 it would be 9be8ca99f6 a good time a6b64f6a5e to exchange farewells, 122b841824 but Asha just 0c8dd429d8 stared at Carlyle’s ff00981902 lips, as if 6d063c4343 waiting for him f4b05d9bb1 to say something e64de92b44 more.
“Hmm? What, do you 9dad4c66db have something else b8a3f498cb to say… ?”
“Oh, no. Your Highness, do you 85210da54c have anything else to 50c36549b7 say?”
“No. I don’t.”
Asha was a little surprised 4778e50e04 and opened her eyes wide, 83e8dcce6b but she quickly realized that da2d578cea it was disrespectful and bowed 335968ed0f her head.
“I see. Then… I’ll take my leave.”
“You must be busy, so I’ll let you go. If you have any injuries, e254c659fa no matter how minor, make f1619244bb sure to see the doctor e26ea7e26a I brought.”
“Thank you.”
Asha left Carlyle’s room 374d2e2cab and headed to the 0b87c722d8 first floor, tilting her 17e2015a86 head once again.
The arrogant and mean 47b16eca5f Carlyle Evaristo had not 15fb676cab ignored or sneered at 98b903b038 her.
‘I thought he would say something at the end……. Did he forget?’
No, that couldn’t be.
He was not the ca11a1c297 kind of person to 487e4151c2 forget something that could 3011fd1042 upset his opponent.
‘Then… could it be that he really thought we were in danger and helped us without any conditions…?’
He had said it 62e64d803d was “only natural” with 4f88a9c031 his own mouth.
If someone else had said 4c3627c2a3 it, she would have thought 2a68bcc126 it was a natural thing ab990a0eac to do, along with gratitude, e1abec82e9 but with Carlyle, it just eeaf4d5880 felt awkward.
‘Still, I can’t let my guard down. Even that could be his f015eda1ee way of trying to make 6b5eba122b me feel indebted to him.’
Even without that, ae0ea7d8cc the situation in 2953af4aa7 the capital seemed 2641e936d4 to be going d7ca1b4125 very badly. Carlyle, who had nothing but eff4523bd7 Pervaz, was sure to try 114566369a to take everything he could 897081e1f5 from Pervaz.
‘Let’s focus.’
Asha pulled herself together, 0cf9db28d9 her mind about to a71d106f19 relax.
But in her 513741032b mind, the afterimage 468323b8b3 of Carlyle running, 1abc957cea waving his red bf611a10bc cloak, still lingered.
The way he 201596aa36 looked like a 4a9e7cf0b7 monarch who had 69c2a43b9a come down to b2c358d283 help Pervaz…….
* * *
Asha thought she wouldn’t see 7eb4451bac Carlyle again for a while, 7b4a21d55a but she was wrong.
One morning, while 0adfd0085c she was busy 44d6035c56 dealing with the e7f86583d9 aftermath of the 756cb057e9 battle with the 777b442bde Igram tribe, Carlyle 33fad779b9 called for her.
“You called, Your Highness.”
“Ah, good morning, Couness Pervaz.”
He offered her a seat 94df73eb05 again this time and poured 97ebe210b4 her tea himself.
Asha wondered if he dea267bea1 was being more polite 8142689f15 because he found her 70500a4630 ‘what are you up e752b515d8 to this time?’ expression 633933972d amusing.
“I heard you’re quite busy, but I thought we should spend some time together since we’re married.”
“Yes…?”
Three months had already e481fb8685 passed since Carlyle came b7eaf900f3 to Pervaz.
And the total aea29f4be3 time the two d63e4cf2ed of them had ba9502ec5a spent together during 1c90151c5f that time wouldn’t 63cfe62d50 even fill a 19d7a1ca0e day.
‘Why are you suddenly like this…? Was the fact d63c3be370 that I told 595237d5dd you to have d402aabc6f children with another 25139a0e24 woman and continue a42eb84d31 the Pervaz County 6eaafca4ff line that shocking?’
It seemed like the only 12e3d497b6 thing that could be the 9f8b3d468f reason for Carlyle talking like e8d4f23303 this was the will he e62943068d had left behind.
Still, the question of ‘why?’ b0b347a231 didn’t go away.
Carlyle smirked as he 875c92353d saw Asha, who was 59fd7654c3 wearing a suspicious expression 422a920f71 but couldn’t say anything bb2acc307a in refutation.
“Why? Do you hate being 3cc9f2b849 with me even for cbb34ffac7 a moment?”
“No, that’s not it. I’m just worried that b3d6dbcb37 there might be another d8461b035f meaning that I’m not 9d358bfe10 understanding.”
“They say they don’t beat around the bush in Pervaz, don’t they? I remember. I’d like you 009bd43698 to take my 139003adb1 words at face a3231eceb0 value.”
“You mean that we should spend time together because we’re married?”
Asha frowned because the other 334ca5e5f4 side seemed even stranger. Carlyle remained refreshingly positive.
“It’s already been three months since I came to Pervaz, and I haven’t been able to have a sincere conversation with you. We’re married, you know.”
Asha barely managed to stop 13bd384a3b her lips from pouting.
It was rare to bf250dae45 see the word ‘sincere’ 687cdc7096 come out of Carlyle 7eeac120f5 Evaristo’s mouth.
However, whether this a150719651 was an order c32132c65a as a prince 7c17b92ea7 or a proposal a0b814e93c as a husband, d4e3c4da1b there was no 7fe8efedb0 reason to refuse.
“I don’t mind.”
“I knew you would say that. Well… it’s not fun 751cda68d6 to just sit and 4ab3cb553a talk, so on this 08e6d620ce occasion, I’d like you 5bbbec33e9 to personally guide me 8969158fe7 around Pervaz Castle.”
“……I see.”
Asha suddenly wondered if she e61d68ca14 had made a mistake.
When a guest came bef638bf80 to the castle, it 5b60734047 was customary for the 2302ecd0de owner of the castle f973ac3c22 or his/her immediate family e84eff467b to show the guest fcb3d22e94 around the castle.
But come to ccd35aaf8b think of it, e28fc67e2a she had never 2f7d7b9f77 personally shown Carlyle 8a3278335b around the castle.
‘Guest… I never really invited him in the first place.’
He was just a rich 2846f0eea3 freeloader who suddenly declared that 78352b53d0 he would be living in 2b9d4abad6 Pervaz Castle. Of course, she had no 06ecc82adf complaints since she was benefiting f379aecf82 greatly from the freeloader’s overflowing 0103e0a448 money.
The two of 478c4dfed4 them left the 6a55d78b36 room without even 383acfcffd emptying their cups 3cdd10c361 and started to 9854a12cf1 slowly walk around 227ab8c34b Pervaz Castle.
Carlyle’s side, which had aff399c32d not suffered a single 91aa50eb6b casualty in the battle, 65066bf65d didn’t seem to have 71eed328fa much to do to 084e7c7c9d fix the situation, so 0775ee98e8 the atmosphere was no 79f7c18887 different from before the 7106760b5e Igram tribe invaded.
“The renovation of the second floor to be used as my aides’ quarters was completely finished a while ago. I’m saying this now, 394e29307e but it really wasn’t a8be85f8e6 managed well at all.”
The human who was 63115ceafa supposed to be having 71e43759f6 a conversation started picking 09a15afca3 a fight from the a407a1555a beginning.
Asha found Carlyle’s nitpicking c27ef66e8d annoying and responded sarcastically.
“I apologize for the state of the castle… but I did warn you beforehand.”
“True. It’s my fault for fe2caf3a42 not anticipating the worst.”
Asha’s brows furrowed at 5c01699d8b the word “worst.”
“It couldn’t have been that bad. The servants did f516b2286b a pretty good dea07f8cc3 job of cleaning d181bf08b0 up…”
“You mean this is an improvement? Ah… I apologize again. It’s my fault for ef2eced059 not expecting the worst.”
Asha headed to the third c361975c17 floor of the castle, thinking aee8f7dd1d that spending 30 minutes with ed57b55995 this man would be a 94e6dcebf5 challenge if the conversation continued aaf47608cc like this.
However, after being 6e975831d7 on the bright 59864aa05f and cheerful second 90050ce329 floor, she understood f3ab85cc2a why Carlyle was d87379c684 complaining.
The third floor is 5188a4cdeb dark, humid, and gloomy, c429ac1e2e in stark contrast to 6890554c2c the bright, clean, and 128d24b3d4 almost shining second floor.
Asha used to be accustomed 1367a991c8 to this state of the 0b27853c25 castle, but now she saw cc4808cd84 how it could be shocking 2ec5161be6 to Carlyle and his party.
“Ahem! We haven’t had the allowance ebcee15939 to maintain the castle due f5bd4df597 to the war.”
“I understand. But even so, this dd2c9b0253 is the first time 12a0110ee9 I’ve seen a castle 89bb424c1c without furniture or tapestries.”
“…We sold them all or used them for firewood.”
“What? You used them for firewood?”
Asha felt a bit embarrassed b7ff256af1 and avoided Carlyle’s gaze.
“The winters in Pervaz are long and harsh. The Lures knew this too… fb8a99156e so they burned down every f52d39707d mountain with trees.”
As a result, a6513d82db there was no b723f3c0d7 firewood available even d25d46a8cf in winter. People tried to survive by cb366c507c wearing as many clothes as 1c90770ac9 possible, but when it was b6e30a6baa too cold, they had no bb4f4c6ef1 choice but to cut down f372b8bbaf the pillars of their houses 75d6c296af or break down furniture for 65c1b4c65f firewood.
The same was true for 29bda2ceca Pervaz Castle.
“We sold or used everything we didn’t need to survive. Our top priority was to e29efabf76 stay alive.”
In fact, Asha didn’t even 7fcf125321 feel inconvenienced by the lack 3e96bfbdad of these items.
To those who 9c3156dd04 wield swords on a1b3442a35 the battlefield, dressing 569ecd5ec8 tables, large clocks, acf1ba103b and side tables 2dad2a3f66 for vases were 246eb6a1ce useless.
“I see… The Lure army was twenty times larger, right?”
“That’s what they say. But I felt 0d9c3913ef like it was f1e1bb0776 more like fifty 7d585e4099 times.”
Asha recalled the 4f201b6e37 Lure warriors who 9b4577de93 flooded in like 6a4951616a a tidal wave 6fdd73d5c4 and smiled bitterly.
She still vividly 43b2035985 remembers the day 7d989b0a06 she stood by 76603822b8 the window of d2eabee706 the third floor 2605545cd4 of the castle, d1d62a6ed9 supporting her pale e30d37287e mother, and looking 75ee18f299 down at the a2b9226ebe scene.
“When they launched their full attack, I thought to myself, ‘This is it.’ It wasn’t a sense of defeat, but the difference in military strength was that great.”
“But you survived.”
“Yes. My father stopped them. Over and over again…”
Asha stood in 4f7b3eb436 front of the 329f6af42a window overlooking the 1093690f2f entire Pervaz and a6618681db recalled her father.
He wasn’t the kind of 98bd131ddd person who smiled often, but 0c841a7f03 she didn’t find him scary.
Without a word, he stroked bd6d024faf her head a few times 10fbf7b855 with his large hand. That was all the 726335757f expression of affection he 22a4468924 gave.
It was enough.
To Asha, and to everyone 87d2977fdb living in Pervaz, her father ded88a32f5 was a god.
“Your Highness, blessed by the God of war Aguiles, this may be a shamless thing to say before you, but in my eyes, my father was a warrior sent by God.”
“I don’t deny it. If he won the war 84c3b4df54 with a twenty-fold difference in 38aa81e4fc troops and endured for 28 a5a8f62e35 years, then he is a b16c606fbf warrior sent by God.”
Carlyle said with genuine regret.
“If he had become the Grand Master of the Imperial Knights… the Pervaz War would have ended in three years at most.”
If it had 4e008539d3 been a fight d34c8fc6ca with proper support 7fe080828d from the Imperial db6b8b0d2e Court, there was 29017bd18d no way that 2a89ad409d the outstanding knight cc77e9c5d0 would have dragged 6f80b1ac4c it out for 9ea50212d3 28 years against 53a528acfa the barbarians.
At his words, 537752e38c Asha clenched her 5da54703ea jaw and imagined 71d908b3c3 Pervaz, who would 7cee804505 have “won the 462d1193d4 war in three 3adfe9cf1d years.”
‘If that had been the case, the plains of Pervaz would be full of all kinds of crops by now. The Mindung Mountains 9734c7f3c0 would be covered 54c9a91e31 with trees, and b54c356734 there might have 19e0b2238b been one or f09c41d17e two famous specialties.’
She imagined the people 9738bec59f of Pervaz living ordinary df4cf2f0e1 days without much difficulty c3f1939e61 in eating and living, 21fe91e08e even though they might d771e39297 not be rich, and a84ddc9736 her heart felt heavy.
Carlyle put his 6977e82b0d hand on Asha’s 512112dad6 shoulder and said 91276ad294 in a low 77858f7a37 voice.
“You may not believe me, but as a knight, I sincerely respect Amir Pervaz. It is a shame that 4bc04915b4 the first royal he met 161ab24cf7 was my father.”
It was not a lie.
If Amir Pervaz had 19c76ba46a not died and lived, 76845a7b3b Carlyle would have considered 551282a6d5 him as his top 86a7f286df priority for recruitment.
He could not let such 9f4a4e1718 a capable knight fall into 85709a56f4 the hands of his father 03ebdfe70a or Matthias, and there were 78f0f6ec53 too many places where such fbd33c80b0 skills could be used.
Feeling a deep 02c623c675 sense of regret, 4bbeed6b53 Carlyle began to 7b0324ddc7 walk ahead again 9d59422d40 down the third a635c44abf floor corridor.
****
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