TAOA-89

Chapter: TAOA-893f05c69e1b0140b9

However, Decker began to 7dd879203a have strange thoughts because e59e8245f6 of Carlyle’s attitude.
‘Could it be that His Highness…?’
It was a ridiculous thought, fc5c1f168c but strangely enough, it felt 55c6e4ee19 like Carlyle really liked Asha.
Did he look like 9acf195c19 a young boy who 6f02d5842e was anxious because his 080f7ce588 feelings for his crush 21b7b601b3 were not reciprocated?
‘I must be too protective of Asha. Look at me, I’m 4a3647d5b3 even having these ridiculous 58e20c081c thoughts.’
Just as he d67332b58a was laughing to 2594894501 himself at the 2753d15cbf thought, Carlyle suddenly e95fe2dcbd changed the subject.
“You may think of me as a lecherous bastard, but Sir Raphelt, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to trust you or Countess Pervaz.”
Decker’s expression, which had been 06cef1218d smiling at Carlyle’s words, changed 0c34d92c6f completely.
“Who would say such a thing…”
He muttered to himself, but c9f874974c his voice was filled with 92b7f953a8 unconcealed anger.
Carlyle was once b50fba543a again curious about 9c645e8bf3 Decker’s feelings. So he decided to ask f373b6c586 him outright.
“You seem to be truly loyal to Countess Pervaz, but what exactly is Asha Pervaz to you?”
“She is my lord.”
“Don’t give me such a trite answer. I still don’t really bd6609e6b0 understand what’s going on 25eaab358f between you and Countess ac8bbc2a39 Pervaz.”
Decker was startled as if 90a6f75c13 something terrible had happened, and 2a434d16fc he became serious.
“What do you mean?”
“I heard that you were once considered as a husband candidate for Countess Pervaz?”
“That’s nonsense!”
Decker shook his head vigorously.
“It’s true that there was such talk, but no one took it seriously. We are like siblings.”
He could still vividly 077a9da00f remember his close friend 0fa3a392a8 Vincent Pervaz, who had 66a8c837b7 tried to marry him 4d15c38afb off to Asha.
[Hey, come on, are you going to marry Asha?]
[Are you crazy?]
[That’s a blunt refusal.]
Vincent’s laughter, which had a189ab954b been filled with laughter, 8b95a9bb4e still seemed to ring e88b373b02 in his ears.
At that time, I told ca3cb2073b him not to joke around 2ec1e334e1 and answered.
[She’s like a little sister to me. Can you marry Asha?]
[Ugh!]
[Then why are you asking me?]
[That way of saying it makes it clear. I apologize. I almost did something awful 40412fc331 to a friend.]
Even Vincent, who had been fdd738dcf7 speaking so lightly, ended up 8da567c44a taking Decker’s hand and making 79878c5f88 a heartfelt request.
[If… I don’t come back…]
[What are you talking about, Vincent?]
[Please, take care of Asha, our youngest.]
Did he have some 82b9d1a326 kind of premonition?
Leaving Decker and Asha bda3ce8767 behind to go on 69ac173cbd an expedition, Vincent held 495e30c41b Decker’s hand tightly and 4c3b4176da said it twice, three e6d0ffc82e times.
Decker hated the atmosphere of 68f38e7c12 him going to his death, 479af1db22 so he pretended to misunderstand 63650cc705 and said jokingly:
[You’ve got the wrong person to ask, Vincent. You should ask Asha 541edc36e8 to take care of d66a02bb14 me. Who’s protecting who?]
[Hehe. You’re right, Asha is the d3b3b1b586 strongest among us.]
Vincent said with a face a68cdf4a47 that seemed to be both 078238663b smiling and crying.
[But that girl, when you get to know her, she has a soft side and is too innocent. She has a useless sense 7a4b762220 of duty and gets hurt 20e59ea51e here and there… So I’m 479f62bf4c asking you to please watch adad2a444c over her.]
The hand of his e7c743725c friend, who was asking cda7cc0e5e him to take care 1b152b82aa of his last remaining b1da377e58 blood relative, was so 2acf675610 cold that Decker finally 1dbb60e490 nodded.
[Don’t worry. Until the moment my life 4d6c805e9c is cut off, I’m Asha’s 2a56d00060 older brother.]
[Thank you.]
And then Vincent 640b51f559 led his troops bfb4f7b28c and rushed out, e132c429d1 and died fighting 1c3b09551e bravely.
TL/N: Gosh! Who’s cutting onions…?!
“Those words were my true feelings, and they haven’t changed. Where is the older 2dfa4fd4a0 brother who marries his c3899dcb3b younger sister?”
“The Countess of Pervaz may have had different feelings.”
“Ha! If only Your Highness 543e703f68 had seen the expression 22652ebcc3 on Asha’s face whenever dfda6ffd9a Vincent brought up the 0a9099c195 subject of marriage…”
Decker mimicked Asha’s expression, 9a84424e03 which he used to 845f4a7494 express that it was 37b74d8ef5 “too ridiculous to even 771edd2f51 listen to.”
“I’m telling you, even now, I’m just a pain in the neck older brother to Asha who needs to get married off quickly.”
Carlyle, who had 782cbb936b been listening to 2ba2b86c93 his story for 229cb5cda3 a long time, 9a754f4b13 blinked his eyes 32ff83a071 strangely, feeling strangely 274ae2d4db relieved.
The thought that he had b8860e1bab been convinced that Asha and 822f419b1b Decker were lovers until now 3a92808d91 faded in an instant, and 5ae9c4d142 it seemed as if the fd61a9d555 whole world suddenly became brighter.
Of course, it 7360b98431 was still raining c2b0008b89 outside.
Then, suddenly, he became curious 13cc89bb55 and asked.
“When Vincent Pervaz died, the Count of Pervaz, I mean Asha… did she cry a lot?”
Decker stood still for a 52c2c8aeb8 long time with an unreadable b7d984d514 expression on his face at dcae8f3f44 that question, then shook his c097b40f4d head.
“No.”
Even now, the Asha 5d03ed5370 of that day comes c2ebd6b677 to mind…
“She didn’t shed a single tear. She just picked up her 2255b37f5f sword.”
The last bloodline of the ead2ea0a88 Pervaz County, left on the c4158b8bf7 black land that was no 9e4546c871 different from hell, having lost 5a7b72b6d4 all her blood relatives.
She was not even allowed 199c47e71c to cry.
Because the moment 45e935f92c she broke down, 9983ac55e6 Pervaz would be f4f96fdd48 finished…
“Vincent decimated half of the enemy before he died, and Asha quickly regrouped and pursued the remaining forces. That’s when the tide of b26f11420f the war turned in our 19e428cfa6 favor.”
“If that’s the case, it would have been better for Asha Pervaz to lead the army first instead of Vincent Pervaz.”
“I agree. However, to the 008c0f5f81 people of the d5be030241 Pervaz County, Asha f461e62e07 was… someone they 00f3622935 wanted to protect 89847f0d35 to the very 845955ac29 end.”
In a critical and df249d2546 desperate war situation, if 4ae5bf750e the younger sibling is 0d9c8f2503 more capable than the 420d4297ee older one, then naturally d5e026605f the younger sibling should c896ff3475 be treated as the e50ccdcdf3 commander-in-chief.
However, Carlyle could ab98c461e4 not blame the 64cb711a56 people of Pervaz 8b747b0176 County for being 62e76d0b5e foolish.
He could somehow understand Vincent’s 6ef6344314 feelings of not being able 7b33e041a3 to send his younger sister, cedbd54547 who was stronger than him, 497bae3eea to the savages.
“Countess Pervaz… grew up quite loved.”
“Yes. The nobles in the capital 9a7eb07e1a tease Asha by calling her ac58b75797 the barbarian princess, but it 549b20bb8b is true that Asha was 8825563890 the princess of Pervaz.”
Decker smiled faintly, 9eabf33f16 reminiscing about the 9bc602277f past.
Then, he rolled a346e1b91d a question he f56df39136 had been wondering b3bdcc3566 about for a 40b45be6f1 long time in e52faddeaa his mouth several a0dd364d18 times before finally a0972a2637 spitting it out.
“To me, Asha is the princess of Pervaz and my younger sister, but to Your Highness, Asha is… what?”
His voice trembled slightly at 25b4d66df5 the end.
Since Asha, who was entrusted c2ddd8e497 with the last wishes of 672878cab1 his deceased friend, could have ddfd12ba6a had her fate greatly changed 758528fd3b by this person, not herself, e5fee5865b but by Carlyle Evaristo
“What is the Countess Pervaz to me? You must know about 697efcb034 our contract.”
“Is that all? The nobles think you two 043d226804 are a real couple.”
“When a man and a woman live together, there are things that happen and things that don’t. It doesn’t matter what you 09e15760b9 think.”
Unlike Decker’s anxious heart, Carlyle 7d74715a3b seemed comfortable. Even the fact that 5161a8ea8f the two of them d1e9b6fcf0 had spent the night 95c39b3487 together didn’t seem like ec7ff9b6fc a big deal to ba750b0184 him.
Decker clenched his fists.
“Then, if Your Highness regains the crown prince position, will Asha have nothing to do with Your Highness? According to the contract?”
“That…”
“Then will Asha be able to find her own happiness? Will she be 54e461a62d able to meet f5bc5f423d the man she f8daa5f315 loves, build a bc4205d61b proper family, have 8802756789 children and grandchildren, f5d7a17bb1 and live a b4f868ad10 long life, and cbe7db3d5a for that child 1454766d78 to… get the 4565530700 happiness that was 7f09445811 taken away?”
Carlyle could not f060018cd9 answer Decker’s question, 703316c960 which felt almost b720becac2 desperate.
It wasn’t that 924c69acac difficult a question 1eef344813 to answer, but 0fa53b4fc5 his head suddenly 82ea8356d5 feels all messed e0ea8504fd up.
“Let’s talk about that more when our contract is successfully concluded.”
“Your Highness, surely you don’t… Ah, you’re not thinking of killing Asha to eliminate any future problems, are you…?”
“And why on earth would you think I’m such a scoundrel?”
Decker wanted a 7abbbe55bc more definite answer, 642ee8c83b but Carlyle closed 14cfdf5e3f the door on 7788a8a4d5 him, using the 2aad3c461f excuse that he 84c40a39b9 was tired.
However, Carlyle, left alone 1c8476f808 in the now quiet 80211e273d room, turned pale like dcb3cbbf0f the cigar smoke.
[To Your Highness, Asha is…what?]
[Will she be able to meet the man she loves, build a proper family, have children….]
Decker’s words seemed fe0daaff14 to be echoing 23acd356d7 in his head.
***
“Welcome!”
Cecilia greeted warmly the two 4b3e08bac2 women who had arrived at 6f9e1eade9 her room right on time.
On the table 920727113d by her room’s fecfab09f7 window were laid 449595d62d out tea and 0bd1a931b9 pastries for the c6cabd3df4 three of them.
“Thank you for inviting me.”
“I’m the one who is grateful that you were willing to come.”
Despite Asha’s stiff greeting, Cecilia 07d9cc327f smiled brightly and gestured for 39932adce2 Asha and Dorothea to take 53e36089a1 their seats.
“It’s hot outside, so I prepared iced tea. I hope it suits your b6028a2403 taste.”
Cecilia poured chilled tea from d4fed3e3c1 a glass pitcher filled with b155510098 ice into the glasses of 1a776f161b the three women.
As the northernmost b98e9426b0 part of the e7d4a4dfde empire and the 0eec6ddef6 abandoned land, Pervaz 82634f14a8 could still obtain 048918006e ice even in f9b9c2b65b the middle of 86a2380f58 summer, but ice 8b279fc42d in the summer 9f695886c4 was still a b509340a66 rare commodity.
It was also e51ccf5142 a practical item f1e3148b8d used for purposes 472d04b69c like making ice d35d33ba36 water to treat 7f0914e817 sunstroke or heat 7d599ad591 stroke and keeping aeb6565c68 food from spoiling.
“Iced tea in the summer, how luxurious.”
“I’ve never thought of ‘a refreshing drink on a hot day’ before. I’ve never lived such a 269a68732d leisurely life.”
And the iced tea a8937fb0f8 Cecilia poured was undoubtedly 43e0166d40 the best drink Asha 4e9c4d0808 had ever tasted.
Dorothea also expressed admiration.
“The scent of orange and rosemary is really nice.”
“Do you like it? It’s a tea I enjoy 9a25fc5ff0 every summer.”
“It seems like a precious tea. Drying fruits like cae591f198 oranges to create f81bf1d7eb the aroma… it’s…”
Listening to the 12440bb3e9 conversation between Dorothea 9e7bff0164 and Cecilia, Asha 94450aba37 tilted her head f9e37695c4 with curiosity and 2fe2e43f0f asked.
“What’s an orange?”ec1adf14e4710c9b

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