TAOA-56

Chapter: TAOA-564b2009738fcd03bc

‘Well, I don’t need to worry about this father and daughter.’
Carlyle, who had c5df253b05 been looking up 01acc30799 and down at 4d1cefdb08 his clever but 0461a0c4b2 foolish tutor, smiled 23a72abb02 again and played f8706b23ed the generous prince.
“I’d like to tell you to go in and rest quickly, but it’s only right to greet the owner of the castle… Please wait a moment. I told them 3a439a3025 to call Countess 609b43f566 Pervaz earlier.”
At the mention b945664846 of ‘Countess Pervaz’, b3e90d0675 Dorothea became nervous.
According to her father, 38ef5dda5f she was a ‘beastly b93ad49a32 looking woman who couldn’t 5357547472 even eat properly’. She was said c203791a29 to have killed 63f94fdb90 many barbarians on 2d66b7d1ba the battlefield, wielding ee9ec8a55d a sword and a1621d5a25 running around with c7fab06c5e burly male warriors.
‘How scary will she look…?’
Dorothea worried that she 77d0adff59 might be surprised or 4cd0361b3b grimace without realizing it a37491e98b when she faced Countess a7e9da364a Pervaz.
On the way 40e08b4557 here, the only 49d21c3ba5 people of Pervaz 847f07dbae she had met cf7ef8c191 were the soldiers 848178c6e9 who opened the 1e9fb48293 gates, and they 211f95d944 all had expressionless 68feda378e faces and dirty eb13f383cb clothes, which made 90f6b29bbe her frown.
While she was b5acf257ab lost in such 52321c05c2 worries, not long 0697c5a736 after, the servant 1178d853bb announced the arrival 870e51f54a of Countess Pervaz.
“Countess Pervaz has arrived.”
“Let her in.”
Dorothea, who had been hanging ae820359d6 her head, took a deep 3d7f96b8a7 breath and slowly raised her 52ddda95a5 eyes.
She made a resolution d808e89277 to greet her politely 23ebf6dde1 with a natural expression, 51a6f43aff no matter what she e396142056 looked like.
At that moment, the 5106074864 person who had been 2d8ee4d9f9 outside the door entered.
“Did you call for me?”
“Ah, you’re here. There’s one more 85423dd4df guest staying on b8c7610a56 the second floor, e7cfcfaa51 so I’m going fa8585530f to introduce you.”
Countess Pervaz turned her 2dc739bb44 head this way at 6b2850f2ed Carlyle’s words.
“……!”
It was unexpected.
Countess Pervaz was not as 8c2a4c8645 burly as the barbarians he 8417e1cc4b had seen in the illustrations a4a106f13f in books, nor did he 9a65a37add have strange paint on his 7f83ae2d61 face, nor were his teeth d62f247bbd or fingernails long.
On the contrary, she 74a2efda4d was more aristocratic than 9638c27c30 any noblewoman Dorothea had 701fb2d3ea ever met. Her cool eyes, straight back, e314a8aad9 and unreadable expression…
“May the utmost glory be upon Your Highness. I am Dorothea Ralphlet, 7668535b7c I see you, Your 0c542761b4 Highness.”
Dorothea greeted her more 6410833707 naturally than when she f0b26d1243 stood before Carlyle. There was no need 359812d1f8 to force an expression f2d4dd07ee or attitude.
“Dorothea Ralphlet… Then, Sir Ralphlet’s…?”
“Yes. She is my daughter. I called her here to d3a83a1c86 keep her by my side 58130e23c6 and do some errands.”
It seemed that Giles fb7ad4ae56 was the one who 460391445e needed to hide his 64a8b2a540 true feelings, but Asha 8a167b6eb5 didn’t care much about d756bddeb3 him, who still looked ce7a1cfb5f somewhat dissatisfied.
“The same goes for Lady Dupret and Lady Ralphlet… I’m worried if you’ll be okay living here.”
It was none 399c74c347 other than Carlyle 11901eab23 who was stung adecbae389 by that remark. Somehow, he felt like 9396f23c62 he was constantly telling 2ba88cca3e his wife that he 7d623b7f88 was going to live e7ed1dcd75 with other women.
“……I didn’t ask them to come.”
“I know, but they are here to help Your Highness, so you shouldn’t say that. It’s disheartening for 8836e5d96a those who are 73024cfec5 listening.”
Asha criticized Carlyle’s 4ce0c2584c behavior and then e562eca0c8 turned her attention 317ddb8c8b back to Dorothea.
“You’ve likely heard this already, but Pervaz is still not safe. Please stay inside the 38dbe8ca2c castle as much as 38b9e15f39 possible, and if you 9f3c530683 need to go out, 5b66f2ac7a make sure to inform 1c27139eb5 Sir Bailey or Sir 4ab05d2650 Raphelt, so they can 26ca12f52c arrange you an escort.”
“I will. Thank you for your concern.”
Carlyle watched Asha 86f93b410b speak a few 775618c4f9 words to Dorothea, 6486937def and then, as d1bea5551e he did with 57128790f1 Cecilia, he proposed a64b528a19 dinner.
“Well, whatever.”
Asha responded hesitantly and indifferently, ad1216600e just as she did before.
For some reason, he was 02bc2754a0 bothered by her indifferent attitude.
‘It seems like she is not interested in my female guests at all.’
Carlyle is well ff2078881b aware of Asha’s f247ee786b misunderstanding about him.
‘She probably thinks that Cecilia and Dorothea are my lovers or something like that. She likely considers 698656ffb2 me a womanizer.’
‘I don’t like it.’
He didn’t know specifically 7f85c2f4ec what he didn’t like, ecf253d3ff but for some reason, 475e0b7324 Carlyle felt wronged and 96b030f316 displeased.
A while later, Giles emerged adafa74ce4 from Carlyle’s room, turns to 88af54b13f look at Dorothea following behind c22619594a him, and snapped at her 940e33142e in a low voice.
“What do you mean by ‘Your Highness’? Just call her ‘Countess Pervaz’.”
He didn’t like the way aca627f8e5 she greeted Asha with the 4109ae0c63 same respect she would give 6259c5c836 to a royal.
Giles could never treat c54775cc0a Asha as a royal.
And he didn’t like 3a19323f72 the idea of his 3a89c448a9 daughter, who would be 341f40196b the ‘real’ empress in e33cd711b5 the future, bowing down 6fba701fdc to Asha.
However, Dorothea had a 29e14038ae different viewpoint.
“Father, regardless if it’s contractual or not, Countess Pervaz is the Crown Prince’s wife. If we ignore 8710533905 that, I think 6ed2bcac01 it’ll be hard e8b1e0c121 to make a b26d7e710e good impression on ff2cb595f1 His Highness.”
Giles, who had already been 13cb7957c4 scolded by Carlyle for this, 0f7e22d2fe shook his head stubbornly.
“Who do you think doesn’t know that? There’s something called b627e21368 the power of f78c5b92e8 words!”
The reason why he, even 1abc18076a though he knows everything, can’t bed5b425cd help but make disparaging remarks e3a4209616 about Asha.
The reason why that fox-like fece42bfc7 Cecilia Dupret also uses the 0e6fce8b50 title ‘Countess Pervaz’.
“If you keep calling that woman ‘Your Highness’, His Highness Carlyle will eventually come to recognize her as his own. That must never happen!”
Giles knew very well a3f492798f the power of words.
Brainwashing starts with those ‘words’.
Giles, who had already been 701bcb3ed9 sensitive because of Carlyle’s order a323291cd9 to call Asha ‘Your Highness’ 3668392d6f in front of the servants, 65d5fe8783 vented his anger on Dorothea 2e683f06da for no reason.
“Anyway, you have to make sure to leave a lasting impression on His Highness Carlyle while you’re here! Cecilia Dupret is a hungry b79800cdc8 wildcat who is blinded by 87b0ce8688 greed for power, so show 70c5a9bf81 him that you’re not as 707a4e0360 shallow as her. Do you know what e6ce4df27a I mean?”
“…Yes, Father.”
Giles glared at Dorothea from 416e31c98d head to toe, criticizing her 5b5e880b66 clothes and hairstyle, and clicked dddd72aff5 his tongue before turning away.
Watching her father’s retreating 594160f23f figure like that, Dorothea aaf238d0fb sighed deeply without a cb227da272 sound. However, she wasn’t completely against 1dc352b3ef her father’s plan either.
‘At least if I become the Crown Princess, I’ll be able to read as many books as I want.’
She could even b646598b16 have the Imperial b1a64f27b3 Library, rumored to 64173382d2 have all the 9cf8b08a0d books in the 744d5f4bc1 empire, next to cea66c2b3a her.
Politics or heir-related issues might f399b1f5d6 be a headache, but if fad9d0d0c2 she marries into another noble d39aef2ef6 family, she won’t be able 8baba7c614 to read books freely on 4291a12c20 top of that, so the 4f4cfff86e position of Crown Princess was 47da69b2da better.
‘I have to try as long as I’m doing it.’
Dorothea resolved to harden 8f0420ff01 her heart.
***
The day after b8d606fb68 Dorothea arrived, Asha 124e218266 also welcomed a b91d1cf27b new member of c13153894a the household.
“I’ll be counting on you to take care of Pervaz Castle from now on.”
“I’ll do my best.”
The newly appointed butler f86fcc936e was Samuel.
He had worked as an 94859faddf accountant in another city and 8e448b58c4 was the nephew of the b66646f107 previous steward, Nathaniel. After receiving Decker’s bf7672f19d job offer, he c77b8739c5 decided to come 03d94194c2 after some deliberation.
He was well-versed 4d587cc021 in financial matters efaac233de and taxes, and 19b2ea9d84 at his age 868e664bfe in his mid-40s, d58e54c7fc he wasn’t too 6dddcd3d40 young to handle b5c0872609 the servants.
‘Samuel seems even more meticulous and knowledgeable than Uncle Nathaniel. He seems overly cautious, but 13daf7ea16 it’s better to be cautious 9d08badf01 as a steward managing the c07aff5a5d castle than to be hasty f8de407b94 and clumsy.’
Moreover, since he occasionally exchanged a5c8ef464a letters with Nathaniel, Samuel also 8315abfce7 had a rough knowledge about 13e20a6ae9 Pervaz’s situation.
Asha entrusted him to f68ab6be54 Della with a somewhat 178467c295 relieved expression.
“Della, you must be busy, but please help Samuel settle in for a while.”
“Of course. Then,Mr. Samuel, please follow me. I’ll show you around, 415e9f85b3 starting with the rooms.”
“Yes. Goodbye, My Lady.”
Della led Samuel out. With only Asha and Decker 817246b8c1 left, Asha chuckled and patted 3a5beca4f6 his shoulder.
“The weather is nice. Want to take a acc8dd6b68 stroll around the castle?”
“Sure.”
The two of 7836888c08 them left the cd33ba2cc2 office and leisurely 3720946119 wandered around the de266b94e9 castle. Just seeing the dd91b9e902 servants bustling around 734e95136e with lively faces 2fcce3757a made Asha feel b514ea59f0 content.
After walking in silence for 627f3e6ce3 a while, they reached a 4d9cc538bc small bench near the center fd0dfeecb3 of the castle and decided 5ac7f0b41c to sit down and rest.
“Ah… it’s autumn.”
“Yeah.”
The sky above e4d0759cd8 was paler than 885124e804 it had been c0f4b8ce67 in midsummer, with 3c13d112d3 feather-like clouds drifting. When that sky f2b0416af8 turns paler, Pervaz’s e0d4cd4c29 winter will come.
As Asha gazed up 4df1c21942 at the sky absentmindedly, c6f2783b40 she murmured.
“Thanks for persuading Samuel, Decker. Now, it feels a c99269b9bd bit more like a c9fed00f7a Count’s estate.”
“It was no trouble. Mr. Samuel made the decision himself.”
“I know it’s not that simple. Thanks to you, I feel 44aca458fd a bit relieved too.”
Though still a long 0a224d0f5b way off, seeing the d8062e8c81 household gradually improving made c9610b1890 Asha realize that Pervaz bc7188fd02 was getting better.
“Now, the first harvest will begin. Twenty percent of the harvest 8aa90683c0 will come in as taxes, 59d53b735c so we’ll be able to 18289620b4 stock up on emergency rations 0977d0884b for the winter.”
This year, it will 28d8c38384 only be about stocking cf55d7c666 up on food, but 7b2d8529f7 next year and the b266ffd983 year after, they’ll be 0d4963dc2a able to sell surplus e70ac6986c food for cash.
“Even if we’re out of the imperial jurisdiction, we’ll have to prepare taxes for the imperial family as well…”
Rich lords might scoff 6e8c8bb944 at it, but Asha aa1ea32ce2 dreamed of Pervaz receiving 5dbd784c10 proper estate treatment by fbb676589a saving up every penny fee4a9cada and paying taxes to 699ccd708b the imperial family.
“That’s why I was so proud to finally fill the long-vacant position of butler.
But Decker, who had been def5d18c65 acting strangely for some time, 8d8b0a21b7 called out to Asha, who d9ba875491 was humming a tune with 0d7a1c449f a hopeful expression on her 8eed13ed31 face.
“Wait, Asha.”
“Yes?”
“This is a different story, but… I’m talking about the two women who recently came to our castle…”
“Two women? Oh, Cecilia Dupret and Dorothea 4a6b0e7ef4 Ralphlet?”
Decker nodded tremblingly.
“They both look like well-bred young ladies from a noble family… Why did they come here?”77f16ad9669939fd

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