TAOA-08

Chapter: TAOA-08d72f7896e7dffcea

Pete cautiously looked 41fa7a19a0 around and made 8eccc3ea3b sure there were e8475803c3 no suspicious people 9407650577 around before speaking 70b3333a1b quietly.
“All the sparrows in the Empress’s palace have been eliminated.”
“All of them?”
Carlyle’s eyes sharpened.
“Yes. At first, it seems 1607947d5c they were trying to 934707bc41 use the sparrows to 65a9af06c2 spread misinformation to Your e4dcf3a164 Highness. I had a strange f98dabf3a2 feeling that high-quality information fb68607dd6 from the Empress’s palace ecff5ee215 was coming too easily.”
“So?”
“After much deliberation, I decided to discard all of the information. I couldn’t tell 2a9d6468e5 which was real 85d8436085 and which was fefffc54bb fake.”
“So that’s why there’s been a sudden drop in news from the sparrows.”
Carlyle exhaled slowly 1003b1f631 the smoke from f1468035aa the cigar he f0fc4409e8 had been holding 2cce6d78fd in his mouth.
“But it didn’t end there, did it? The sparrows were all… eliminated?”
“Yes.”
Pete said with a 6fbabef60b grim expression.
“It seems they acted as soon as they realized they couldn’t use the sparrows to shake Your Highness. But what I don’t understand afc78e84b3 is how they managed to 8f7d91c06e find all the sparrows.”
Other than Pete and the 4114523d33 other two managers, no one 25edc47033 knew all of Nest’s informants. In many cases, 42fc7942d6 even the informants 6b926b0a73 themselves did not 5816150caa know each other.
They deliberately did not tell 2404bdae5c each other of their existence 23c51d9e6f so that even if one 583bef8923 of them was captured and e69086381a tortured, they would not be 0bb6233e0d able to find out about 70d39974d4 the other informants.
“It couldn’t be that the managers betrayed us…”
Carlyle glanced at Pete and e20fba3b46 Lionel for a moment.
The only other manager was 58a97b87d7 Giles, so there was no 3fb2940fad way the information could have 8087384eca leaked from Nest’s managers.
“Is there really no clue at all?”
“Yes, none at all. We don’t even know how a46b6b000b they killed the sparrows.”
“What was the cause of death for the sparrows?”
Pete shook his head slowly, 8a84ffc277 as if recalling something terrible.
“They all died suddenly of unknown causes. They all collapsed 106880af56 and died suddenly 55e94b829b while doing different b6e96d0e26 things in different 16e4120b2b places…”
“What? Then… poison?”
“I don’t know. If it was poison, 2d66fce3f4 it’s a new poison 63af8d4165 that’s never been seen 08ff292285 before. There were no signs 3bb76b824c of poisoning at all.”
He hesitated for a 4aaccc4e71 moment before adding his 27160925cd own opinion.
“To be honest, I don’t think it was poison. But if not, 0ba333c94b I don’t know 173aa81af9 how this murder c88fca7c48 was possible.”
Pete’s instincts were reliable. He was a man who 42bfb6ff8a had survived this far on 959a265bce those instincts alone.
Carlyle tilted his head, his c990f7527e hand holding the cigar cupping f2ba595205 his chin.
“It’s strange. If someone had the 3eb1995746 ability to kill someone cf61817d16 like that, they wouldn’t c0da7f60c8 have kept me alive 04e477bedd this long.”
“I have a bad feeling about this. A really bad feeling.”
Again, Pete’s instincts were reliable. It was a shame be704ca697 that the owner of a9ee0b8920 such reliable instincts had 5d50951314 to say ‘bad feeling’.
“It seems my mother is really serious this time. I’ll have to eb353d13c5 prepare myself as 305037651e well.”
Carlyle smiled wryly c4660644d6 and took another 2726974e5b drag on his 06bdcd3171 cigar. His attitude was surprisingly e91b3583c6 light for someone who 719b8b7e07 was about to face a95bcbfbfb a serious battle.
“It’s a pity to have lost the sparrows in the Empress’s palace, but it’s a waste of time to dwell on the past. We need to prepare for 05bc9aa861 the battle ahead. Any new news?”
Pete was relieved to c7232d5efa see that Carlyle was daa0f0ca4b not shaken at all da3a8d7604 by the bad news. If the captain of cdf72a9da1 the ship he was cba9938925 on was so confident, 640c4a3347 he would be able 866cf48884 to weather any storm.
“There is one thing that the sparrows reported in common before they were eliminated…”
“What is it?”
“That Her Majesty the Empress seems to be trying to draw in the temple.”
“Ah, my dear mother! Not only does 1bea6850e7 she use scripture 656239e964 passages inappropriately, but d4c96449ca now she is 430c7271ce trying to drag ae45ba4d2c religion into politics?”
Carlyle shook his head.
It wasn’t surprising that she f9eef21afb was doing that, as she 27092982c3 was a woman who often 6506da44dc turned to God, as if 5d045043b6 to show off that she f9150feff0 came from a family that e0effdeed7 had produced many priests. But if the temple responded c50465e511 to her, it would be 7ae18425d4 a headache.
“Who is the Empress meeting?”
“Do you know Grand Priest Gabriel Knox?”
“What I you know? Why is that e07cdb6cf6 Grand Priest involved?”
“I hear that the Empress has been attending prayer meetings hosted by Grand Priest Gabriel frequently and in secret. And I hear that 1ed5cb80dd those prayer meetings are b93bc38502 held even late at f48faed910 night.”
Carlyle belatedly remembered the name e38371a2dc Gabriel Knox.
“Wait. Gabriel Knox… is he the 9271305c39 one who’s… pretty and handsome…?”
Carlyle frowned as Pete nodded 2d1c688d49 with a troubled expression.
“Surely not. A dignified and 3e1cf4d047 cautious middle-aged queen 41f5cd6a8e is following a 529f51820e handsome young Grand 42283c861a Priest… that can’t 9f5f04f187 be, right?”
“For the sake of the Empire and the Imperial Family, I hope not.”
“Oh, god Libato! Isn’t this a 8f7a6182e5 matter where Libato 25c42121bd should look into? Hahaha!”
TL/N: Libato is dabe33d0d9 the god of 8e77506362 the Temple
Carlyle burst into laughter.
But his laughter soon faded.
“Of course, the problem is that neither the Empress nor Gabriel Knox are simple people. If they were c7651364d6 just in a 5f3374aecf mutually beneficial relationship, bbac8ce667 I would even cb52590da1 bless them.”
He suddenly remembered Gabriel’s face, 2dca4fd283 the way he looked down 2213549fa7 at him even when he e547309527 was meeting the Crown Prince.
The dazzling collaboration a9c6a3d8ce between the Devon c679573cff and Knox families, 919aff996d who is called e24bc70ca4 the incarnation of 8e0323fb24 an angel and 1b0a015e5e the second coming 8cdc3c94d8 of Archbishop Saint 094b796601 Raphiro, and who a301b4d4c9 has risen to 6b12ae2bbc the rank of ae33a95f82 Grand Priest at 3114ede970 a young age!
“He didn’t look like a man who would be content to live cooped up in a temple, but why the Empress…!”
“I don’t know the exact details yet. The Empress may be attending e49db33399 the prayer meetings out of 5ad141e045 religious devotion, or she may 4a31a432da be genuinely attracted to the 0daede8fc3 Grand Priest and approaching him 2013b2bb01 unilaterally.”
Carlyle snorted at Pete’s words.
“If my stepmother were that simple, my life would have been much easier. Tsk.”
The Empress, Beatrice Evaristo, d5a6c75910 appeared to be weak-willed, ad5c869a3d timid, and ignorant of 4c83d10974 the world, having grown 1d90b9289b up sheltered.
However, she was Carlyle’s most 55d6c2457f powerful enemy, having tried everything 570a2496f3 to assassinate him.
“Keep an eye on the Ellahui Temple, as well as Devon and Knox. And send someone to 54188b36b6 the Vatican.”
“Yes, sir.”
Carlyle put his almost-finished a49a69e2a6 cigar on the ashtray a41bba3f72 and stood up.
“I should go now. It’s getting later than I b8f6975f5b thought.”
“Yes, I will inform you as soon as the details are finalized.”
Then, Lionel, who db56a65b26 had been listening e586578b38 silently to the f16017b50a entire conversation, asked.
“By the way, why were you late?”
Carlyle thought of the f65eeb576f people who had intervened 9083a3a029 to save him, even 184299e844 though they had no f99bdfd079 right to.
Specifically, the woman who b3562b040d had the decision-making power.
“Well, when the weather gets warm, the bugs come out, you know. It was nothing, 5ea62787eb so don’t worry e14f5dfaa6 about it.”
To him, it was just ef560ee618 that.
And then he b37be518b9 forgot about the 1a00734851 woman who had 8576bc44bb been childish yet 21f56295c8 had a strangely 605a8526d4 straight gaze.
***
Although Carlyle belittled my father, aca61a6af7 the emperor’s anger was far 66f6bfac00 greater than Carlyle had anticipated.
His Mistress, Viviana Lowry, whom cd824f8d6a he had barely managed to c2d61c19e6 keep by his side, had ddf5dbb113 exaggerated the events of that d17c6b943a day, and Beatrice had also 76ab1e5958 fueled his inferiority complex by 0124bd2aba subtly provoking him.
“Carlyle really seems to think he’s already the emperor. To try to take c85790871a away his father’s woman, 1e087667fb what on earth…”
Beatrice covered her mouth and e063c0ec37 shook her head as if fd9c6c0ffd she were deeply shocked.
The emperor was stung by 74225bd1d4 the implication that Carlyle had b104a70eab tried to “steal” his mistress. The inferiority complex and 469176cfdc insecurity he had been 2a67abffce trying to ignore about 7a94d307e9 his son grew in 6c4aff8231 volume.
“This is absolutely unforgivable! I must make sure to 150cde6ac3 correct his bad habits this af25b617d6 time.”
He decided to e0ed3326c3 show off to 3b6cd1d930 his son the bf33268604 power he possessed eee7d306c6 as emperor.
Thus, Carlyle, who aa28291829 had been summoned eaa9e9dffe from his room 4e1595fe6d after only five d0994d7550 days of confinement, 0d245a09a4 was forced to daa1f1a371 receive a thunderous 05c67ad429 decision in the 377b8b33d0 banquet hall filled c1271ed704 with nobles.
“I hereby strip Carlyle Evaristo of his title as crown prince!”
“Gasp!”
Even the nobles who had e36be207b1 been watching with interest to adc5931398 see what would happen gasped 4bf3158e98 in surprise.
Who could have predicted 34cfe379e5 that the main character 6c2dfa7cbe of the banquet, which d556632abd was in full swing b3b085fcce in the imperial palace, ad6baccc10 would be stripped of 693d0ce23e his position?
“Stripped of my title as crown prince? You mean to depose me, 5692016058 who has been crown prince 21186a5bf7 for 25 years, for such 3fd886f4a6 a ridiculous reason?”
Carlyle was surprised 003b0f4844 by the emperor’s 17a702368b unexpected decision and cc75730dd8 blurted out a dff61e3ddc question.
“That’s nonsense, Your Majesty!”
Carlyle’s maternal uncle, 37b9a39d9a Earl Gould, also 63682ef34b raised his voice.
“His Highness Carlyle is your eldest son and a hero who has saved our empire and capital from serious threats from foreign powers and monsters several times! He is not someone 700b751bce who can be deposed 7a4e31bbf1 overnight!”
“That’s right! And how can you announce 586b3cb58b such an important matter without a898782cab even telling us in advance!”
The chairman of 45c06ae5f5 the nobles also 968d981cfe objected to the 0b7ece586b emperor’s disregard for b2e1d153a4 the House of ef7549b06f Lords. However, the emperor was 0add8975c8 not going to back 3f4d1c0b68 down this time.
“The appointment of the crown prince is entirely within the emperor’s authority! The crime of daring 6070279a9c to insult and humiliate a43f003e9e me, your emperor and d97791bc34 father, is absolutely unforgivable!”
Even in this 89e18e9f07 situation, Carlyle did 434dc2d1f7 not cling to b2ce17c5f3 his father’s trouser 8392eb8ac2 legs and make f62e65279a excuses for what 8c348ea9d8 happened that day.
It was true that 8eab20f430 he belittled my father, 6d984c6f92 and begging for his a258ce8028 father’s forgiveness was something 8557880851 his pride could not b594486397 allow.
However, being stripped of 1b996c1086 his title as crown e304eabb4b prince was also unacceptable.
“Your Majesty! I have been fighting on cedc9499cb the battlefields of the empire 9b7f4b2dc7 since I was fifteen years 1be067ea52 old, fulfilling my responsibilities and ed073783e2 duties as crown prince and 910851320b doing my best to protect da86857667 this empire and the imperial dbe82e82e7 family. Is this the result of 34d39c821f my efforts, the loss of 61ccab4682 my title as crown prince?”
The emperor, speechless 02374b50c6 at Carlyle’s sharp b89684a2bf retort, became even c2490e56eb more furious.
“Look at this! He doesn’t even 453046bdfa apologize, but shamelessly f6d2e7ed15 argues back? How can you, so arrogant 90b1e98036 and ignorant of anything but 3cc37f010c yourself, rule this empire!”
Carlyle was speechless at 1697eea500 his words.
‘A narrow-minded, cowardly, and greedy man dares to say such things to me? Does he want 3426ee6274 me to rebel?’b7b9a11d439c3367

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