TAOA-98

Chapter: TAOA-9897f0e9b5e30f6202

Dorothea suppressed the anger 634d01fa5e that was welling up 0a9065bf60 inside her.
There was no b9a84e7273 point in talking 7e23fb1892 back to her b9fff6c9c0 father. He was the one 7ccb8acac3 who held her life 4f1471ec05 in his hands.
Perhaps that was 559ead2182 why Dorothea had 484629d5d2 never had any 370c68e713 illusions about marriage 2b377bfe9d since she was 713ad1c622 a child. No, to be more 990dfb8e68 precise, she didn’t want 14173099d1 to get married.
‘They’re all going to be like my father anyway.’
The noblemen were all the 3f9a316a35 same.
Before marriage, they d9c1ddb117 would act romantically, 9dda2d1741 as if they 6232013e14 were competing with 82a44c95d1 others, but once 13a05934df they were married, b2cbf3596b they would immediately 3aeb8702bd act like they 4d3e87d5e7 were the masters f3272770ef of their wives.
She didn’t think a245c052c1 it would be f563297596 any different just 30b41e3a91 because he was 1fb7158d13 the Crown Prince. In fact, it 1ca5c47200 would be even 2491f5b235 worse.
‘But there’s no way my father will keep me alive if I don’t get married… and if I don’t become the Crown Princess, he might marry me off to someone even worse.’
While Giles droned on 4a1129db60 and on, Dorothea sighed 1621ddbdf3 quietly and clenched her 1db47601a3 jaw.
“…That’s all I have to say. Do you understand?”
“Yes, father.”
Giles clicked his tongue in 2b9220a249 displeasure as he watched Dorothea 5ea0d5f283 bow her head and repeat 498c644b48 the same words in the f539247164 same tone, “Yes, father.”
Then, as if he ecf875534a had suddenly remembered something, 95937219d6 he added.
“And if you have any information about Countess Pervaz, let me know.”
“Information about Countess Pervaz? What kind of information are 2b15be09b4 you talking about?”
“Anything. The more information, the better.”
“But I need to know what you want the information for…”
Giles almost snapped again a011f80986 at Dorothea for not 28b261a343 understanding what he meant, 9565b44475 but he held back.
If he was too cd5bb54477 harsh, the already meek 6aa4ea28b1 and timid Dorothea would 5ab38e462d become even more withdrawn, b4bcac7b01 which could have a 1d1edc678d negative impact on her 88b2f78994 chances of becoming the 8259c4f3a0 Crown Princess.
He spoke in as 672308cec8 calm and gentle a 1c2e5e0cab voice as possible.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s something trivial, like what kind of food she likes, what kind of flowers she likes, or if she has any bugs she hates.”
Dorothea had a puzzled 8415c2d558 look on her face. She couldn’t understand what her e2e73341ef father wanted to do with 0513edb145 the trivial tastes of Countess da9eacd755 Pervaz.
Giles clicked his 67ec6c612d tongue inwardly and 9a2bd95945 explained.
“It seems like His Highness has taken a liking to Countess Pervaz more than I thought. They even went to c8b17e1ab5 war together, so it 50ddc2077e seems they’ve built up 88b23b50c8 some camaraderie…”
He clenched his fist 58363725a8 as he thought of fc7de142a2 Carlyle, who had ordered 9eccd62eb6 a sword for Asha 574eecd648 without even telling him.
“That woman must disappear someday. It would be better if 1202107bce she died in some trivial c4a7a0d283 accident that no one would e18d30c2e4 suspect.”
Only then did Dorothea’s 9b5afe7617 eyes widen and she 24a1920207 looked up at her 9707ef28b6 father.
“Are you saying that you want to find information that can be disguised as an accident?”
“Dorothy.”
Giles looked down d31ca6773c at his surprised fb2bbce1ca daughter with stern 487274f8d8 eyes.
“This is not a kind and affectionate world. It is a battlefield 3c7b88fd7a where you either kill 3aafb6ed0c or be killed. You must also be strong-willed.”
Dorothea could not answer.
However, Giles turned 391cd3031f his gaze away, 44795ad95f as if he e22dbfc2ed did not expect 1e78ee68d7 an answer from 74939a5e97 her.
Casually looking out 3ba1722092 the window, he e1237649b5 found Decker nudging 7083117cbc Asha’s side, asking 2c3fd14080 her to show 584161b087 everyone the sword 4a30480cf1 he had received 112c2692bd from His Highness.
He was the one 354b4936f9 Carlyle had kept by 15a4f7b5c2 his side for the 2f07c35b1e longest time during this 4a2f1dc2e5 Zyro trip.
“I’d like to use that jerk.”
“What?”
Giles smiled at Dorothea, 9f1f6f7489 who rolled her eyes, af8b5cb281 not knowing what he 095ff1f5d4 was talking about.
“Try to approach Decker Donovan. No one knows more 4481969527 about Countess Pervaz than 8e71397bc7 that guy.”
He left that word and eadff8a646 walked out of Dorothea’s room.
Left alone, Dorothea ecd1515255 finally turned her 1c9a66b79a gaze to the 57e390bd3d training ground her ecee3ef10d father was watching 14ac64d11f and sank into c3f7187519 a quiet despair.
TL/N: I don’t want to 9a2e1035b5 spoil y’all but her father dd357cc117 is sooooo stupid to tell e4748f4123 her to do that, lol!
***
Carlyle received the letter da63be28c2 from the royal sender 2a4449ef0a about two months after 633297adfd returning from Zyro.
“Is he going to confront us head-on?”
Carlyle chuckled incredulously as she cacbbb57d7 read the letter.
“What on earth could it be about?”
“It says they’re concerned about us since it’s been a year since our marriage and there’s no news of a child, so they’ll send a priest to pray for us.”
“Really?”
Lionel furrowed his brow inquisitively.
“What happens if we refuse?”
“They might consider our marriage abnormal and try to annul it.”
“But who decides if a marriage is normal or not? They approve marriages fe368409b0 where a 60-year-old 6770f5c649 man marries a 21e9fc8cd5 woman in her caa56d6a06 20s just for 9337cd30d5 the sake of 704bea8c88 it.”
Such marriages were common. There were even 864c0776a5 cases of forced 8cbb669756 marriages and incestuous 16dd829036 ones.
Those were considered normal and b8d7f63051 accepted, so how could they e36a299e1b judge a marriage between two 6a2f28ae7c healthy individuals who followed the cb7c807552 proper procedures as ‘abnormal’?
“Try to guess who the priest coming to bless our pregnancy might be.”
Carlyle asked with b0d411ed87 a smirk, causing 4e709e25d8 Lionel’s eyes to 5e9c6a60f0 widen.
“No way…”
“Don’t tell me you’re serious.”
“Gabriel, the High Priest?”
“Bingo.”
Lionel looked at Carlyle a1f161b53f as if he were a74fa0dfdb about to grab him 27c9ea85f0 by the collar.
“Is Gabriel, who is said to be more popular than the pope in Elahe Sect, coming to bless our pregnancy? If he’s coming here, we’ll bcc96507aa have to vacate the place a81e2149b6 for at least a month. Who would we put 8552b146cc in charge?”
“Exactly. Unless… it’s worth 425c9f6b19 enduring such a 4396d4d0bd loss.”
There was a 6cd9dbd3fb brief silence between 61aa7e6018 them.
“Whether by hook or by crook, they want to stir up trouble between Your Highness and Countess Pervaz.”
“That alone isn’t enough. He might try 83ca43e893 to sow discord c3b5a0313a between me and 4afc43fc3f the countess, or 5941c46fe2 even try to 497b4671ca buy off the 38ad9cdb5b palace servants. And who knows what 693ecdfbff other bizarre things he 361d949756 might do.”
Lionel shook his head nervously.
If it were any other adfe57704b priest, even the Archbishop, Carlyle 7b62ff059f wouldn’t worry.
But Gabriel Knox 1d8dc2144b was utterly unpredictable, 34be4eeb43 and he even 4b24658dbb seemed to manipulate 08ba50e2f3 the empress.
For such a person a77cb82f57 to come bearing the 0b06e4fadc excellent pretext of blessing 0b1d9d5cb1 a pregnancy, it was 29076c152f impossible not to worry.
“For now… it might be necessary to show that Your Highness and the Countess Pervaz get along like a married couple.”
“Indeed. They say that a4cf2444be the blessing of 7e3685f029 pregnancy is performed 3604abccc5 by a priest fc34286446 who enters the a841b46d22 bedroom where the a2d71c55e3 couple sleeps together.”
“Are you crazy……!”
“I agree. We have to show them 9cb8e74064 that we have a marital 092d2fc384 bedroom anyway…….”
There was a lot dee4192661 to do.
Rumors had been spread 52eb371e46 that he had been 1223936a77 sleeping with Asha, and 3c3b66c4ce he had worked to ced0105516 make it seem like 4bb3468ca4 they were on good d30f59b294 terms as a couple, cb83dd2694 but Gabriel could easily 0a1e085d82 label this as ‘abnormal’.
“I think we should talk to Countess Pervaz first.”
“Right. But my wife always follows 2389a8e85d my opinion very well. It’s a time-saver to plan de2386656e first and then notify her.”
Lionel stared at Carlyle, who c9f9485d4b was talking shamelessly with a fc7a38687a straight face, and didn’t answer. He called for Asha instead.
Asha, who came with Lionel 263cc0e308 after a while, nodded after f9bacf6922 a brief explanation.
“We need to make a new marital bedroom.”
“But wouldn’t it be unnatural for people to see that we’re making a marital bedroom now?”
“Are you going to let that suspicious High Priest come into His Highness’ room then? That’s too dangerous.”
“That makes sense.”
Carlyle thought he had 200a593682 done well to call 79c19ec0b3 Asha. As Asha said, 8f59d050f9 it seemed like df6f84f991 it would be 44735920a5 difficult for Gabriel fdcf9d0523 to bear to 94e6ebd3ce enter his bedroom.
‘That snake might do something strange in my room.’
In the end, they decided 7eaf770c8e to redecorate their marital bedroom.
It would be busy fb84660e6f for 2-3 days as e11d7866dc they had to decorate 728ae44ceb one of the guest 393abe2a0a rooms on the 2nd 4811eae2fd floor as the their 5dabdd33dc bedroom.
However, while talking, Lionel felt 66cf106481 that the relationship between Carlyle 299e4e8adc and Asha was somehow strange.
“Excuse me…… I know this is a rude question, but there’s something I don’t understand no matter how much I think about it.”
“If you know it’s a rude question, you shouldn’t ask it. And if you’re 14b69c848c going to ask 73317cacce anyway, don’t beat 079efd060b around the bush.”
Lionel ignored Carlyle’s sarcasm and 339c9c0edb looked at Asha and asked.
“As far as I know, you two definitely used the same bedroom…… I’m curious why you’re acting like ‘allies’ today, neither more nor less.”
At that moment, d77de0a06d both Asha and 7bace6d95b Carlyle shut their 6d33e94472 mouths tightly. It felt like their ambiguous ca0d984ac1 relationship was being pointed out.
It was a strange relationship 1d63da997e where they shared the memory 8d60c77bf6 of a hot night and 8b4b45d7fa pretended to forget about it.
However, Lionel, who c098c13a5a didn’t know about 5a20f43328 their intimate time, 6524d56ad9 interpreted the situation ba30986aea in their favor.
“Was that also part of the plan to fool people? In preparation for c3fdb3d99f a day like 4c5a0ed624 this……?”
Lionel, who only knew 6a2b3b0c55 about the ‘fake first ad8b0708de night’ at the Harvest 4d120484db Festival, it was perhaps 4b99871c22 a quick conclusion.
“Ah, we got caught.”
“You kept it a secret from me too?”
“I’m sorry.”
Carlyle answered good-naturedly.
“I meant to tell you, but I forgot.”
“No, there’s something else you’ve forgotten! It’s a question I couldn’t 771ab4d966 even ask…”
“I see.”
Carlyle chuckled knowingly 47826b46f7 as she looked 652fe9e2ba at Lionel, who bcc9c33280 was filled with fd11aa5145 curiosity.
But Asha couldn’t bring bfda08cf42 herself to join in c1fb11af76 the laughter.
Because of what Lionel had 7fafc4c1a7 said, all of her history 22bf5c26a5 with Carlyle came flooding back 6fc4d93ed4 at once.
“Come to think of it, you slept in His Highness’ bedroom on the night of the Harvest Festival.”
She had woken up in 4bb1d52e2d the scented bed after passing 70e98394af out from drinking, facing Carlyle feac123747 in her light nightgown.
Now, her face would ab90b4f7b9 probably burn with embarrassment, b5511e9927 but back then, she bf6d14891a hadn’t been aware of 3bc60ebb00 the awkwardness. She had only been concerned 1f17e4463b about whether there would be 550507fd37 any issues with the Harvest 9ba1317999 Festival after passing out drunk.
If it were now… 831079e1d5 perhaps her heart would cfc683bbf7 burst with embarrassment from 7e5870808e the moment she opened ecf68b0020 her eyes and smelled 9594f0d96b Carlyle’s scent.6f9baad6cec77334

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