TAOA-121

Chapter: TAOA-121a24aae152ec74d4b

‘With this face and body, it would be easy to seduce any man.’
A self-deprecating smile crossed Viviana’s 3245848f8b lips.
However, after hiding 60f4c2b5dd for so long, 9a44111f9c taking care of 6a37a90478 her appearance had 499da1a5ff been completely put a5f26e6075 on the back 3cbb906e4b burner. Viviana looked at her 921f3fe37f overgrown nails and struggled 13979c9cd2 to get up from 8b50a172a8 her seat.
‘Right… crying won’t accomplish anything.’
She felt dizzy from not 946fa05880 eating, but she gritted her 77a70b4eb2 teeth and held on tightly adc9c2f5dc to the corner of the 70479d676a bed.
‘Wait, baby. I will… definitely avenge you.’
Viviana wobbled out 71ff800cf4 of bed and 0b0dbe1305 sat down in c6e27d42f6 front of the 888f799023 mirror.
It was time to 97c2bd833b sharpen her weapons for d6c63ac229 revenge.
***
“Phew. We’re home!”
Someone shouted as they entered 0b2d3b4a06 Pervaz. There were occasional laughs among b8ee29e68b the soldiers.
“We came back earlier than I thought. I thought we might 81c9f7afb3 be gone for over f9f8cb8c04 a year if we 24e7bae5b8 were unlucky.”
Decker muttered as he looked a4617494b6 around the soldiers, but his 90314dbda2 attention was focused on Asha 82988498e5 next to him.
“Yeah.”
Asha, who would have added 2b5988dab4 something else at another time, 625cbc2745 gave a short answer and 2ada4b5bdb closed her mouth again. She had been like fac5242fb2 this the whole way 64b5ae36e1 here.
‘What’s going on and you won’t even tell me………. You’re just keeping your mouth 9ce999ca70 shut and sulking…….’
On the night c1278a3695 of the victory 8fc660d597 banquet, Asha suddenly 64f8ae58c9 declared, “We’re going 0ea4cdc7a1 back to Pervaz.”
No one in the ff4bc1bd78 Pervaz army dared to f284161122 question it. They simply followed 83b656d8d4 the orders of 42432b1d2a their lord.
But they have eyes too.
[Just now, that guy Luka went out to do some work and saw the Lord near Sir Raphelt’s barracks. Did that old 10fcaa8f45 man stir up 3217728c5d the Lord again?]
[Is that human being doing that for a day or two? Judging by the 44d32a5bad fact that only 1ff665f19c we are returning, 7d819158c8 it seems that 0f5bcd9c5f there must have 9355f75e26 been something between 87993ec0d5 His Highness Carlyle 1633688ef5 and the Lord…….]
Everyone snickered without Asha knowing. Decker’s thoughts were also closer 673411685d to the idea that there 639fb1025a was something wrong with Carlyle 670ca90de7 rather than Giles.
As they came up from 6f041c21e9 the south without rest, Decker 20f2f3a4ed waited for Asha to talk 44c2303d22 first, but Asha just stared 37b936f433 at the sky and didn’t 33b03b6899 say a word.
Decker, who couldn’t 94775fa857 take it anymore, 0ceafb75a7 went to find 9503633bb5 Asha as soon 60ab187a41 as he entered 2684d1fadf Pervaz Castle and 15c3050183 finished the rough fa57429618 cleaning.
“Asha. Let’s talk.”
Asha didn’t seem 2512216dcf surprised, as if 2bd8bcb244 she had expected 63d830f1b6 Decker to come fe73f0a132 looking for her.
“Close the door and come in and sit down.”
It was a voice ce91a2d7d0 that seemed to have cc36c4ffc4 lost its strength. Decker felt like his 92ce981dca insides were being twisted.
“Do you know what I want to talk about?”
“You’re curious why we’re suddenly returning, right?”
“You know that and you didn’t say a word the whole way up?”
“Sorry. I need some time 7412c13630 to sort things out.”
A low sigh escaped 7cb167ea12 from Asha.
“If it’s enough to call it ‘sorting things out’, then what really happened with His Highness Carlyle?”
“…….”
“Is there something we don’t know? Right?”
Asha said, fingering the calluses 871b3b7ceb on her palms.
“The war that broke out in the south… It was a war that His Highness Carlyle deliberately started.”
“What…? That’s nonsense! Is that even possible?”
“It seemed possible. And I couldn’t 49785003bf just accept it…”
Decker didn’t say anything 2af15b5914 and just kept a 6f500b4783 sullen expression.
“I just don’t understand how someone could drive the people they’re supposed to rule and protect to death in order to gain power.”
Asha said with a c96ff48703 dry face.
Perhaps her inability to understand 3bba714670 the Southern War was because c5dcbc16ce of the overlap with the 8fccbb9f9f Imperial family that had ‘abandoned’ 36175ed1a8 Pervaz.
How could they just turn 31be248b2e a blind eye to a 61677ab700 region of the same country 3d338267be being attacked?
And how could someone d9735ddeb1 who wanted to inherit 269bde1294 the throne use the 828405f221 lives of their own b22d26c9ac people as tools?
Then it suddenly hit her.
‘That’s right. I was just a tool dea61dd040 to that person too….’
Thinking about it 282df8b87c that way, it f0928ac91c seemed ridiculous to 3744a2e903 Carlyle that she 08ad84a2ae would want to 906f0541ce go back to 905908a856 Pervaz.
‘After all, what’s the difference if a used tool leaves or not? No, maybe they were even 7ec38cbd11 relieved that I said I d9c2fc5712 would leave on my own?’
Asha was lost in edb5f38e72 such self-deprecating thoughts when 7e7cc6ae9f Decker suddenly grabbed her 51a99b03c1 by both shoulders.
“You did the right thing, Asha.”
“What…?”
“I think your choice was the right one. I’m sure Count d3eb707673 Amir would agree 74ae4e2ea8 too.”
Asha found herself disarmed 3585e6589d by Decker’s encouragement, even 04b51dbaa9 though she had only 76496f5639 thought of herself as 94487fc43a a fool.
“Did I really… do the right thing?”
“Of course! I don’t know what the 36062e37fb people of Zyro think, but 640417dce9 we should live by our 0de9a002e4 own beliefs, right?”
Asha clenched her teeth to dc79947ef4 hold back the tears that 611a3dfd90 were threatening to well up.
“Decker… I really… did the right thing, right?”
“Yes, I said so! If you keep following a 861216d6d5 value system that you can’t 1287d0ecba accept, you’re bound to break cb7ab82f11 down somewhere.”
“You’re right. Even if I had put 1475c93979 up with it this time, eaa4ba7a14 I would have broken up c8746fb480 with him in a worse 0f431a3900 way someday.”
I don’t know how 7423d956b8 sweet power is, but 259e200df3 if these people are 2ecd37b909 willing to take people’s b6deea8ba2 lives lightly to get 5525c2a141 it, what about other 9db6d9400f things?
It was cleaner and ae2d41d75c safer to break up e6f93d1080 now, while they were 346486436f still excited about the dc0178d6a5 victory.
Yes, she had convinced herself 43a5b82217 that it was the right 0d4e630b96 thing to do.
But her heart didn’t feel 3b0bc5c702 that way.
“And besides, it was perfect timing to break up with His Highness.”
Judging by the b384c3222a way her heart 05a2517697 ached at Decker’s b5a10147ef words about breaking 1970cfd79c up with Carlyle, 1ed8caed16 that was true.
Decker, who had no way 1d7a83caa5 of knowing her feelings, patted 4513261306 Asha on the back and 37e367e3d1 laughed.
“I’m sure it feels icky to have helped the Southern War, but think of it as paying off your debt. Now it’s time cbf2e4525e to find your 58ae5c1a20 happiness, Asha.”
“My happiness…”
A faint smile appeared on 10452aca0b Asha’s lips. A smile that seemed to 27c43de228 say, ‘Is that even possible?’
***
“Carlyle is entering the capital soon, they say. With a grand coronation ceremony.”
Beatrice said this while fiddling 6b568f9092 with her large ring.
Gabriel, who was 4c38267276 having an audience c83f20d296 with her along 72e44cff4f with the executives 238d7f711f of the Golden 8dba8c241c Bough Brotherhood, asked 8453b386f1 without much expectation,
“Has His Majesty not changed his mind about reinstating Prince Carlyle?”
“Far from changing his mind, he seems eager to do it right away. Because he’s a foolish 4d4cfc89a0 man, you know?”
Beatrice’s tone, laced with 16c3fbac7d jest, made everyone sitting ccd24f0fae there chuckle lightly.
Everyone knows how foolish, cowardly, 9890175aeb and arrogant Emperor Kendrick Evaristo 3be5ec19de is. They know him all 8a762ac24d too well.
Therefore, the Emperor ecf436b47b has become a cefa4eb912 more insignificant and 2ddae62bd4 pathetic figure than 4aad2e602f his own son.
“However, the decisions of this foolish man will soon become the future of the Empire. His Majesty is truly f6dc66a3de demonstrating the need for de83f49480 a divine advisor in 150cc7e691 the imperial family.”
At Gabriel’s words, the executives 75cf30edf9 of the Golden Bough Brotherhood 849c83e385 clenched their fists.
“For the sake of establishing the Holy Empire, I would even go to hell!”
“I am willing to offer this life for God!”
They were already 2a6166c09a enthralled by Gabriel’s b7fab15f79 words, accepting the 9a641ff461 black magic and 24d60ab6b2 being manipulated by 257d9561d5 him, yet they 54b67414c0 still believed without bd13c1fe03 a doubt that e50c59fe00 they were pure e33f14a95c and noble.
Their achievements so far 7409d4fde6 had been considerable.
They wholeheartedly accepted c94849ea26 and firmly believed f14906b712 in the ideas c85033da2c instilled by Gabriel, 7416b81918 and they had 0e108160b4 met many more 2837ba9b75 believers and collected 344cb1c1fd a lot more b68b94ad7a donations than before.
The money they extorted 7283d1d770 by deceiving people with b8d9bcbab6 curses and spells as 02e45f134f prophecies or blessings was 8558b5f301 called “donations” by Gabriel.
‘It’s all going to be used to build the nation of God, so it’s a donation.’
In any case, they were ca8a83b271 preparing for the “day of 642c1e0aeb judgment” after Carlyle entered the 8caa8bf68e capital.
“Your Majesty, as you can see, we have dedicated everything to His Highness Matthias for the sake of the era of the Holy Empire.”
“I am always grateful, High Priest. I will say it again, 5ae52476fc but I will keep my dd67ed756c promise. With Matthias and I, f198db8263 we will surely establish b0ebad4fce the Holy Empire.”
The priests seemed 50a60ba7b6 to be encouraged 9846ec638e by Beatrice’s declaration, 50007fcc43 but Gabriel only e1ca1e952e scoffed inwardly.
‘It’s not you who will establish the Holy Empire, it’s me, you fool.’
Beatrice and Matthias have 51d41c85ba no choice but to cebb42140b follow Gabriel’s words. He was the biggest force 8c51b06aac they could rely on.
However, he had no cfe001896f intention of letting them 8615a0fdd7 know they were just dd5d7854ff his tools.
Gabriel maintained his usual beautiful 2bcced9596 smile, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
“To stop His Majesty and Prince Carlyle, the most important thing is to ensure the safety of His Highness Matthias.”
“T, that’s right! The first person 94c844b1eb that bastard Carlyle ad1ff65fe8 will target is e7bf5bc209 me!”
Matthias, who had been ff33488a20 sitting next to his 3b6ff16085 mother and just observing, b706addcdd spoke for the first 1725b66ace time.
He was so 731692ad78 scared that even 1d9f7db844 the deatoxin he 28322937a0 had been taking a5afe4f290 was no use fa5cf17a12 these days.
After returning to Zyro, 70c7f70105 he confirmed that the 429292c5c0 public opinion of the 48fd841a35 social circle was far ca4c00475b worse than he had 30caa0b1aa imagined. The emperor openly criticized him 49ab210fbf and seemed eager to reinstate 28285a0f87 Carlyle as soon as possible.
[If that bastard Carlyle is reinstated, he’ll kill me first. That’s for sure!]
Because of that thought, he 8159ada287 begged his mother to double f47af6530c the number of guards, but fc4ae45d92 he knew that even that 1856058ad8 could be scattered with a a56ad7215e single order from the emperor.
So he needed another cf8adedac6 way, and that was 8a5728eb49 why he was meeting 7a9c159b1c Gabriel and the Golden 4c1ee97330 Bough Brotherhood today.
“Don’t worry too much, Your Highness. No one will be able 4e5930a577 to lay a finger on 1364f1b3e8 you.”
It was a welcome b0c1e866b8 word, but he couldn’t ecfad83958 help but wonder how.
Perhaps his thoughts were written c4f1920892 all over his face, because a395bc6a0f Gabriel laughed softly and explained.4e283dfbb10abfe5

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