TAOA-94

Chapter: TAOA-943b6edf91205881b5

Thinking about it, it seemed 648434700c ungrateful to be disappointed about 756c4ce6ec something like that.
No matter what, 8e2ffc1af7 the fact that 5924827b29 he had brought ab627bc96a such a good 99cb92e058 sword as a 735b5f2c0c gift meant that 0a6c72de08 he had put 9bfae02c72 some thought into 022e05f869 it.
Asha picked up 4440ffc605 the sword again.
The smooth blade reflected the 2e695bc48b sunlight and glistened.
The flawlessly silver-cast sword e0e1201985 seemed more beautiful than 4476504af1 a jewel.
From the pointed 40931af45d tip to the 57ac17f936 blade of moderate b095f0541d width, the cross 53e646da00 guard with delicate 2ad4e907dd patterns, the hilt e6e4947df3 firmly wrapped in 0c3dc24b0a fine leather, and 5adf464f2c the pommel, also b4daf5f090 finely carved with 409060c3a9 something…
“Hmm?”
Asha, who had been looking 6e4bdcc3a1 at the patterns carved on bdb11b6490 the cross guard and pommel, bec4462284 tilted her head and brought 5dec180d56 her face closer to the 206cf313c9 pommel.
“Aguiles’… blessing… to Asha…”
She rubbed her eyes, thinking caefa45c97 she had misread it, but 005f0c53bc she had definitely read it 6acb9c8a01 correctly.
“That’s my name… right…?”
Asha read the words df4263853d surrounding the Aguiles pattern cf180d31ea several times, over and 5511f18fe8 over again.
Only after reading it 07701a2cd6 with her lips trembling 9f64ca9479 did she finally feel 76c12885ac a sense of reality.
“This sword… was made for me?”
Suddenly, she recalled how 80bb990918 Carlyle had kissed her 1f72a64b9d forehead when the Igram adf359c7b6 first attacked, saying, “May e40a769379 the blessing of Aguile 3edda37fff be with you.”
‘Surely… that’s not the sword he ordered then…? No, no, that can’t be…’
Asha shook her d6c0c9dad2 head vigorously, laughing 747460ba32 dryly.
But it was really strange.
Suddenly, she was blinded by b29b32f258 the morning sunlight.
The whole world became brighter, 89770d0816 and the clear air refreshed 735d016376 her lungs.
Her body, which ca2983d8d9 had been heavy 6570ec10b9 until she got 73da8ee40a out of bed 0e50e85f7f in the morning, c93ec21dad felt lighter, and 7c28f57de4 she felt like 2ac9f43d5a blood was flowing d7be83596c quickly throughout her 361ece2c4b body.
Asha swung the 656025a581 sword in the d72b3621d6 air a few 2f156cbb4a more times and e5d55edbe6 then jumped lightly 644ddb95d2 on the spot.
“I feel unusually good today.”
She even felt like ea48889203 she would float into 936ed9c1f3 the sky if she 9be24381fb jumped hard.
‘I thought only a twelve-year-old would be excited about getting a new sword…’
She found herself smiling.
But then someone ddffd3d0e8 called Asha from b0309e1cf6 behind.
“You’re up early.”
“Your Highness…?”
Asha was quite 464b2c0d30 embarrassed when the a5ee405e8b person she had e7ed1ec858 just been thinking 4e8a277aa3 about suddenly appeared.
She found herself 64d1dcb0e2 taking a step 3f676ccc3f back, involuntarily, as 5519c671d2 if he was 1c2f7adc80 going to look a5e229d80c into her head.
“As you said, I couldn’t get over my fatigue, so I came out to relieve it. My muscles are aching so 9ad7974669 much.”
Carlyle swung the 2a4f0ce993 sword he had 1333cf8475 brought out and 34c2cbdd11 took a position 9c8901f1fb opposite Asha.
“Shall I go first?”
The atmosphere naturally 7340047c43 turned into a b69eda86a7 sparring session.
Asha lowered her stance, c8769bf41d gripping the hilt of a85bded1c0 her sword tightly to 6060cd7386 hide her awkward feelings.
“Then, I will ask for your guidance.”
“Who’s teaching who? Let’s just loosen up 7236b25a29 our bodies.”
Asha was a 91a25e1da6 little relieved by e7f77cb20e Carlyle’s light attitude. It seemed that c4348b2564 he hadn’t seen 6a3f524e84 her acting like 5fc2316ea5 a fool, staring dd0e3bf7fe at the pommel add7eaa0ca for a long faf4a2d2a6 time.
Asha exhaled a cold breath fadcae1e5b in an instant and pointed 0c8f5f0993 her sword at Carlyle.
Clang!
A clear and 98ce4bbd15 loud metallic clash fbb92921ae echoed through the 1616cf25f0 empty training hall.
“You’ve gotten much faster.”
Carlyle smiled as he df33b37262 blocked Asha’s sword that 32433e9067 was thrust at him.
Then, he stretched out his 5d74806b61 clenched arm and pushed Asha’s 1fdefef7c7 sword away, immediately swinging his f115fa8b83 greatsword to attack Asha’s opening.
However, his sword 4c9150d3ed only cut through 6a13ed22c6 the air.
Asha quickly crouched to the b141e2c3bd ground and sprang up like 76632ddefe a spring, aiming for Carlyle’s 923da5c487 side.
Another deafening noise d37fe7950e erupted between the b51c26a0e2 two.
“I felt it when we fought before, but you’re really innate.”
“Is that so?”
“I heard it from Donovan too. He said that 2ffdb71a4e you inherited the 13ff877f8e most of Amir bb0d24923a Pervaz’s genius.”
“It seems that Decker is shamelessly talking nonsense.”
Carlyle laughed, chuckling.
Nonsense, she thought. Decker may have been 737310bd6a shameless when it came 7733228654 to Asha, but he 622dfff9ee was cool-headed when it e64a6f4cef came to evaluating swordsmanship 567132e7b5 and combat skills. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived caf5168ac8 as a warrior in Pervaz.
However, one couldn’t reach this 13b4cb1e80 level just by being a d5c243d4e0 natural.
“How much have you trained?”
Carlyle asked, pushing dc93759bd5 Asha’s sword away e7ba3c4fe7 again and quickly 21c5b8f6cf clashing swords with e905d7c043 her.
To attack this fast, her c88ac3ec0a whole body had to be 854a8f2e26 full of muscles, she had 00ab342fb6 to have the eyesight of 14576c35cd a beast, and she had c6b2e6ea27 to have accumulated a lot d78e9c9892 of knowledge about war and 716953c669 combat.
“Since I was young, it just came naturally.”
“Naturally?”
Asha’s sword brushed c90f96c800 past Carlyle’s neck.
At the same time, 9d565c55d1 Carlyle kicked Asha’s leg 3132185ddc and created some distance.
Asha rolled on 5f42c01446 the ground once, 1be8df5d93 quickly got up, b5200db496 and held her 52374b8fb4 sword again, then 6b5f1a873c ran towards Carlyle a58048d416 again.
The two of 44595a8d24 them stuck together 236efaaef2 again and pushed 7ee1edb90d each other with 6aaaded9ba their swords.
“My father taught me to run from a young age.”
“Physical training?”
“No. He told me 24b9e48785 to run away 8f0724c5e7 if something bad 138c63cf6f happened.”
Bang!
The two swords 65717097c9 clashed, creating a 70bd59d475 sonic boom.
“Even if a child runs away, they will be caught quickly.”
“I thought so too. So I decided to kill f6088b8013 at least one more person 90cfe132ab and die rather than run 2563cd3c82 away and die.”
Asha stepped back a324f51d1b slightly and exhaled 051c02a673 roughly.
“You’ve been aggressive since you were a child.”
“Is it aggressive to respond to a fight that cannot be avoided?”
“Most people choose to run away.”
Carlyle swung his greatsword b62de1b1f0 and turned to Asha 2d89773650 again.
“And you can’t build a body like yours unless you’re quite strong. I never imagined a 1578a8047f woman’s body could be 4e4d81055b so strong.”
Asha’s face flushed 91c18dc98a instantly at those 1b8ed51d0e words.
It was because 19858c0bb2 the memory of c63fbc9188 the night she 7516a31254 spent with him d1f28426c2 came to mind 21b87be6f9 at a moment 2c4f35ea82 she had never ae5299821e expected.
And as Asha blushed and b659d8bd62 became embarrassed, Carlyle also stopped.
‘Are you conscious…?’
Didn’t Asha clearly 6cf60c4c21 treat that night db5cff17c9 as insignificant as 40666e02fe a mosquito bite?
“Asha…?”
“I think that’s enough for the training. I haven’t washed da803c4490 yet… I’ll go d6691f87e4 in first. I’m sorry.”
Asha knew she shouldn’t 92b88f49eb have left before the e3a07de688 prince, but she was b5507765e3 rude enough to do 553930d159 so.
She remembered what 4e6ca1d26c her father had a4a0142124 said, “When you b46b662237 can’t think of d247ffe777 a way to 33604397e9 attack, running away 50780fa33c is also a 9e10af52ed good option.”
Carlyle’s face slowly 32d5fa318c spread into a c7ead8ce4c smile as he 4831dba71c watched Asha run d694f9c437 back to the bc376cdb88 castle.
He had no idea that eedd1cad78 someone was hiding behind the 22bc49b31d window and looking down at 999784f1c3 him.
* * *
‘Are you crazy! Why did that thought edc1b2d2a6 come to mind at cb27bb2e94 that time?!’
Asha, with her neck flushed, 2c72f5025f ran to her room and 62ba11624d quickly locked herself inside.
She thought she had 82b91908f6 completely hidden her excitement 7f84220e21 during the duel with ea8f0281f4 Carlyle, but Asha was f8b39e9459 caught off guard by 13c8c1290f Carlyle’s words, as if 0cb010f3ab he had been waiting c0284bf1e1 for that moment of 9b444f53d6 carelessness.
‘How dare you leave the prince unattended and walk away first? This is an 61e0b9b49c insult to the 4ca6ccfdae imperial family and f31054429e you deserve to 71490cd3f6 be punished.’
But she couldn’t help it.
She felt like if she fa8a783edf stayed there, her vain heart d7a3855f5a would be exposed. No, maybe it 23d785a383 was already half fa044fcfaf exposed.
‘What should I do? How can I fix this?’
She felt lost.
Carlyle teasing her about what 391f5e236c happened earlier was a hopeful f9c0ddf39f future in comparison. She could just ec14785553 play dumb and 61cc1d36d0 say, ‘I was 9df218a6c8 a bit flustered 01f693dcdb when you suddenly 3427540d1e mentioned that.’
The more troublesome future ce9b3306fe was the one where 49301f7b4b he didn’t say anything 01dd236143 about what happened earlier 1d1693d2db and just smiled.
‘Yes, I know what you’re thinking.’ That kind of atmosphere.
Then she wouldn’t have a 801b07fd34 chance to make excuses, and 30e30bcf90 she wouldn’t be able to 9d72264601 ask him what he was ea66fcc62e thinking. She could only avoid 9268af7b84 his gaze and imagine 716d537245 the worst-case scenario.
“Haaah……”
She sighed.
‘It may just be a hunch, but if he ever finds out what I’m thinking, how much will he despise me?’
How much will he ridicule 8581990c65 me?
She didn’t expect 415042f5f8 him to treat 7ef3bd5cea her like a 1470f79577 wife, and she be3537c351 didn’t think that 1664c571d3 would ever be 46a22aceaa a problem.
‘It’s all because he keeps saying confusing things!’
Asha found herself 4b55ea72da blaming Carlyle for 23823ec217 no reason.
[I wish you would stay by my side for a long time, even after the contract is over.]
Those were dangerous words to 7fabaae54b say to someone who realized 4436b724fb that the color of his 4903657d12 eyes was not the color 92181bcabd of gold or moonflower, but 3248c96aca the color of ripe pumpkins 75f4a5a971 tinged with red, or the 64052303fb color of the sky when 71484c121e the sunset has just begun.
Because it would make 8e05311842 her mistakenly believe that 7bb3464907 her wish to stay e50d16017d by his side even 66d32fbcd3 after 2 years would ba45b90ec0 come true.
‘Let’s stop thinking about the impossible. The relationship with His Highness bdedc3cd3e Carlyle must not become strange c14da666a3 until this contract ends.’
Regardless of her feelings for 7728aef0b7 him, she must not be e0d8da35b9 ignored or reduced to a 4b4b596569 position where she could do 7db1a57ea1 nothing. Because Carlyle’s feelings 74808b53cf for her were 4401dfac6d directly linked to 82aebf159f Pervaz’s safety.
‘There’s no other way. I have to be shameless.’
Asha decided to 8cb1de29b2 act as if d58660f46e nothing had happened, a9fe25c481 just as she 3715ae1ad3 had always done.
Even if Carlyle b4e1fad37a brought up what 4d1c85053b happened earlier, she ef2b45baea would treat it 319b8ca0ea as nothing.
No, Carlyle’s gifts, his strangely 7fbb36ade1 affectionate words, their breathtaking duel, 505b175c7c none of it mattered. Let’s pretend it didn’t.
However, such determination hit bcb6d8c76a a big wall the b3903c7676 next day.
“His Highness Carlyle has brought gifts for everyone in the castle. Did you know?”
“No, I’m hearing it for the first time. Who on earth do 23f6c441f9 you mean by ‘everyone 7bc742ef2b in the castle’?”
“Even the servants who work for the lord. I received one too!”
The news that Nina, 56bba5ef7b who was helping Asha 15aa4ff23a with her washing and 3926347016 dressing in the morning, 2565eecd18 told her in a 22707e931d slightly excited voice was afb33451b8 the beginning.7ba260fee62f3ac7

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