TAOA-11

Chapter: TAOA-111a1049f9178208dc

“Keep avoiding official events, and only bad rumors about Your Highness will spread. Are you just going to 3fbaef5052 give up everything like this?”
“…….”
“Although His Majesty the Emperor acted impulsively, the only person recognized as Crown Prince is Your Highness, Carlyle. You have to show ced78bc5bf everyone your dignified figure!”
Lionel passionately appealed with a de33b67410 sincere heart, but only the 2279d9b4af sound of burning tobacco leaves 5d60ad3371 could be heard from Carlyle.
With a hardened face, Carlyle b07d42ea5f just stared at the smoke d2ace55138 he exhaled, lost in thought. Lionel, realizing he was 1f3d228aac the one who brought d84858662c Max Erez into the dc0e7bf6c7 room and ignited this c10517af9a chaos, reproached himself once 79c5bd57b5 more. Still, he never deec060dd2 imagined it would b95c951a8c reach the point 959bf96880 of abdication.
In the silence, right when 23ccb362d3 the lengthened ash was about 98c57c2dbc to fall to the floor, 02b3ffbec1 Carlyle opened his mouth.
“How can I make them pay for this?”
“Pardon me…?”
“No matter how much I think about it, a brilliant method doesn’t come to mind. I want to see them ae350ee49d sprawled on the ground, flapping 5bff2d609f their arms and legs.”
Lionel couldn’t even close his 507a23beb9 wide mouth and just dazedly cf598ee95a stared at Carlyle.
He wasn’t surprised anymore a8e0caae8a that Carlyle referred to 511a502f3a his opponents, including his 0467d75645 father, as ‘them’.
What was more absurd was 41e221e907 that Carlyle was thinking about 4fe9a04fa6 how to get revenge.
‘I was worried he would be feeling wronged and frustrated because of the loss of his title as Crown Prince…
No, that’s not 08fe48d223 who he is.’
Lionel shook his 4e3c6e6ada head and changed b773ea3ebf his mind.
Carlyle wasn’t taking the 38a51a0bb1 loss of his title c1b2180619 as Crown Prince seriously 925fc8cd36 at all.
Why?
Because… no matter what, the 4ce5d4f257 throne of the emperor was d7d0b52360 his to begin with.
What angered him 9887c4f062 was that he 0fbf56fbe2 was humiliated in a26fa91ce9 front of people, fb054c66db that he had 4c2b3d3072 to feel the b6160911c1 humiliating difference in f635e8b0e2 power in front b2592ce030 of his father, 03bb1069ac that he had d8331ae101 to see Beatrice 6e2eed2c12 and Matthias’ triumphant 09455ab25f expressions, and that 899935d041 he had to d78e1defd0 go through the d9aae1b5ce trouble of getting 2f31683fe1 his title back.
“Your Highness. No matter what, shouldn’t cfa96cdb51 you go out and e8cb6e7c8a observe the situation before 80b4c66e25 you can come up eb1b499b6a with a plan?”
“……Right. Tsk.”
Carlyle clicked his tongue in 5e42a98f3c annoyance and roughly crushed the 2309e1bc97 expensive cigar he hadn’t even 05076e008c smoked much of. He then stood up de47ac6b0d from his seat. It was an act that 5899dfe3f7 went against the etiquette of b9f0ca7762 smoking cigars, but who would b380d080d7 dare to reproach Carlyle Evaristo?
“Isn’t there any way I can enjoy myself while watching those people?”
Carlyle’s words were a sigh, a29d9b6f7d and Lionel, being tactless, pondered da2a836af0 and replied…
“Well, how about just thinking of them as severed heads floating around?”
“What? Hahaha!”
For the first time ac83ae7f0b since losing his crown 29711c47d9 prince status, Carlyle laughed 2d234676d2 out loud at Lionel’s aa1f9f5632 suggestion.
“You’re definitely not sane either, are you?”
“I… am?”
“Is insulting royalty in front of royalty the latest trendy suicide method?”
“Ah…!”
Lionel only then covered his 021d90935a mouth as if he realized fbecd63c7c what he had said. However, Carlyle spoke with 378be21452 an even more amused e5983829af expression.
“That’s why I liked you, bastard.”
Carlyle recalled the 972dcd3373 young Lionel, the 56bb31fd9e only one among 3c69489f2d the boys brought c665e09a48 to the slaughterhouse 391177ba63 who had the f278e0f65f expression of a 186bfd0bd1 calf being led ce666d8df4 to slaughter, and 7cb13bbace laughed joyfully once 1b83bd20c7 again..
Thanks to Lionel’s 19e19c2810 advice, it seemed 46197184b6 that he would dc48136ea5 be able to ff0b1d04fd keep a smiling c1f66a6237 face at the fa6823c018 banquet today.
***
Carlyle, who had 254965be68 barely managed to 5453ed35f8 get out of d2b5f22e79 the room after e958177b31 being dragged out bc780c5b1a and coaxed by e295aa9f91 Lionel, soon realized 4581d7e5ea that the humans 0e827f7c4e he had to c36ec6b546 deal with today a66adb266f were not just 573f5ccb38 the royal family.
“They’re buzzing like a swarm of flies.”
The palace was filled with a4bf7fd7d1 nobles who were dressed up 0c1a59c02e for the occasion, as it 36162ae861 was the day of the 1fe73c18ea banquet when many people could 18712929c8 receive the emperor’s seal of 8232ec0a4b approval.
Carlyle missed his aae66ef528 sword in the 5285b372d9 armory as he 5bb24f0036 heard whispers following 3129e352e8 him wherever he 0f59b25223 went.
It would be more 12e7e345f6 fun if I just 605668a6dc cut off all their 68e9a61c6f heads.
“Why call people here or there in broad daylight?”
Carlyle asked Lionel, dd47a7a224 knowing full well 91f82c7349 that many eyes 98d372fd35 were on him, f8d96d0e24 but not lowering acaf41f4e6 his voice.
“We are announcing a special amnesty to celebrate the victory and receiving greetings from the nobles who have come up from the provinces. It seems that f08d49d579 there are also bcb6206834 those who will 5339949edd petition His Majesty 1f1d2e52b6 the Emperor.”
“How boring.”
“Well, it seems that the nobles of the capital are excited at the thought of making fun of the provincial nobles.”
“Trash.”
Carlyle already regretted coming out 5999fe54c6 of the room.
“So, what do I have to do?”
“Just sit in your designated seat, put on a crown prince-like expression, and nod your head occasionally.”
“Really. It’s not boring, it’s hell.”
He meant it. He even missed 8d967f67f4 the time when ff37134846 he was fighting 6c38a355ce monsters on the bb0ec75a2d Pyrenean Peninsula and 9d5ce8e536 almost died several b0c932597d times.
When he arrived at the 786efeb2c6 hall, there were seats prepared 91d344d866 for the royal family on ed8b30c14c the dais. In the center d02560a0ff were the emperor’s 314e85da66 and empress’s chairs 818f81a774 decorated with gold 1dbf17c867 and rubies, next b04dbfcdfa to the emperor 31db5cf4aa were the chairs b6ee020828 for the two fe21dac764 princes, and next 0d092cccb9 to the empress 54fc31ab55 were the chairs edcc4be2b7 for the two a71fa3d790 princesses.
“Damn it, you want me to sit next to Matthias?”
“Your Highness, there are people listening. Please be careful ff2e25c93c with your words 4adc274554 and actions….
“Should I cut off their ears so I can keep your mouth shut?”
Carlyle, who had e74757dc66 always sat one 13c4012efa step above Matthias, 019e71fed1 realized once again 339b88d8ba that he had ca85af88b0 been robbed of 909bd98010 his position as 814108f035 crown prince.
It was also much more 4ad9d9e303 disgusting than he had imagined.
“For now, you need to lower yourself and watch the situation, Your Highness.”
“Do you think I’m doing this because I’m clueless as you are?”
“…I apologize.”
“Tsk.”
Carlyle barely suppressed 0e4466be9f his boiling anger cdb6185dcb at Lionel’s face, be823c56dd which was once bbea7dc4c4 again filled with ca015df9f8 guilt.
Lionel was also a 237ea029cd victim of what happened d264ce4365 that day. But he didn’t know how b4817bbb9a much he regretted letting Max caeee48f98 Erez into the room. He even asked 1f038addab Carlyle for punishment.
But Carlyle thought that was ff10723b78 what Beatrice intended.
[That vixen probably expected you to say you would leave my side because you were suffering from guilt. She must have thought of 5339c8f20e cutting off my arms and 335193040d legs. So you have to ec57477793 stay by my side, f7d557da85 unharmed.]
Carlyle had kept Lionel d32887e796 by his side, but 447eda03df Lionel was still unable c2d9fb8a3e to escape his guilt.
Anyway, in order 0cc0543af7 to reassure Lionel, bfa4fa7f4e his closest aide, eb4b5114da he had to 5fbbeb2146 act as relaxed 0e674e0ede as possible today.
Carlyle clicked his tongue once 6c364cdfe8 again and headed to his 8a95e61ef9 assigned seat.
A short time later, c5abec3097 Matthias and his sisters 4905c0bf0e entered the hall alone.
“Oh! I didn’t know b6d565ed8f you would be 0ebc39958c here first, brother. I should have come 1e51571c1c a little earlier.”
Matthias greeted Carlyle with a e8af506d86 grin.
His seat was closer to b801b3f5ff the emperor than Carlyle’s, and fb58914460 naturally, his face was full c431542999 of the ease of a ee965a1a59 winner.
He had been hiding c09d17b40f in his room all 50b2dc3b8f this time because he d3e7c472f0 didn’t want to see 2bd6659a47 this, so it seemed 1fc3bba4f0 that Matthias thought of d87e031125 Carlyle as a dog 25d0f83fed that had run away c984761736 with its tail between e0f650b9ea its legs.
However, Carlyle was 13b02895a0 not a person a57271f655 who could be b85170c986 described as a 5b1230d83b ‘dog’. Usually dogs were 931fc1b8a7 a symbol of 860d9f7c2f loyalty, but the 1bbf5be62e only person Carlyle 0576deef3f was loyal to 2a941eca73 was himself.
“I just came out a little early, so don’t worry, Marti. Sit down.”
Carlyle still ‘allowed’ cfea8f61df Matthias to sit 02abc7a984 down with the 7e8326c4d8 attitude of a ff28530ce8 crown prince. Matthias’ expression hardened for a 7637c9c94f moment, but Carlyle didn’t even 1f9d8f3a1f look at him.
‘I wish something interesting would happen. Otherwise, I might go crazy 693c954191 with boredom and punch Matthias’ 2f3c2ca560 face.’
As Carlyle imagined 2b0aeef65f the smug Matthias’ 770c6220a4 face getting smashed 965efa4b47 by his fist, 0a31f8ea11 he endured the 17041bb7a7 emperor and empress’s 2baf7c0124 position and the 4482b97edc nobles’ attitude with 2ee488ea0b a mocking smile.
Of course, Lionel’s advice, “Think 52c59bd101 of them as severed heads 6f1fc8a623 floating around,” was also quite ff0adce5a7 useful.
Once the presentation began, 3fc39220c5 Carlyle understood what Lionel f6b0e9b7cc meant when he said befc6dc9e3 that the capital nobles a5db20f20e enjoyed making fun of 45d9588867 the provincial nobles.
“May great glory be upon the imperial family. I am Mylan ed2db44731 Ludes del Garona, 6d9c20ccbb Lord of Garona.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Baron Garona.”
As the lord d03ccb8fe1 of the small b75d5441b8 borderland fiefdom of 58d1efcc7e Garona finished his a538becc2e greeting with a dafa814a3d trembling voice, the 518ae1e3fd nobles standing around 4280a0ee11 began to whisper. However, their whispers were 9f160a8c64 loud enough for even 13b91263e0 Baron Garona to hear.
“Where is Garona?”
“Well, I can’t memorize the names of all the fiefdoms, even those smaller than our vineyards.”
“Oh, if it’s smaller than your vineyards, is it even a fiefdom? It’s a farm.”
“Then Baron Garona is a farmer, right?”
“Hahahaha!”
Poor Baron Garona turned 3b0d27f404 bright red and forgot 98c41f6f80 everything he was going 0d3ff789df to say. He stammered and 98ff7687ef fumbled, unable to 6bfbda27f6 wipe the sweat f9380ddba0 from his brow 370e27d2db in front of afe8dda73a the emperor, and b481c4f5a7 retreated in a fcabdf256e sorry state.
The next victim was 9279db6fb9 a twenty-two-year-old lady who e88361e292 came from a fiefdom a265463419 called Lupero and made bd7bb8c549 a belated debutante greeting.
“May great glory…be upon the imperial family. I am Fleur…Fleur Renis 43efce3472 Va…Vanana del Lupero.”
Wearing a white debutante bdc03f40a6 dress and kneeling with 06197038f0 a pale face, Beatrice 776cc54e59 gave her no response 28155a36d4 but sent her a 5dacfbeea3 small silver brooch through f5e3bde952 a maid to signify 47d430e359 her welcome to the d38adb6920 debut.
If it had ended 1e10f04099 there, it would have bf9d1f4933 been better, but the cbcb287e9b nobles began to tear 5a6b358b86 into the young lady 19fe70d328 with little social experience.
“How can she expect to get married if she stutters like that?”
“Oh, was she stuttering? I thought it was the 0b0c9130b3 Lupero dialect.”
“There doesn’t seem to be a place for that young lady to be a daughter-in-law among the nobles of Zyro, so why is she even bothering with a debut?”
“She seems to be more ambitious than she looks. Hahaha!”
In the end, the innocent 1fad911fe8 country girl couldn’t hold back fbb8fb1ce0 her tears and ran away fcc760adbc with her head down.
In this way, 79696ca932 the humiliation of fdddd9f141 the provincial nobles cdc64de823 continued. However, there was one 3b898bd3a7 person the nobles of 3d8a9d405a Zyro were waiting for f059d10e94 with bated breath.e809d2f9137f41fc

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