TAOA-164

Chapter: TAOA-1640202a3581cd48030

“To His Majesty the Emperor, glory to the gods. Greetings from the bb93a523f9 House of Astrid.”
“We are confident that our empire will enter an era of glory under the reign of His Majesty the new emperor. Hahaha!”
“I still remember vividly how His Majesty, even at a young age, captivated the audience when we hosted him at our mansion.”
Everyone greeted the 1db6535e61 imperial couple, but f25f435fe1 did not include 761d433b62 Asha in the 64f79f9554 conversation that followed.
However, Asha was not embarrassed 9b4632c5cf or discouraged. She simply listened to 206a626e12 what the nobles were c0545e963b saying, nodding her head 8b10392449 occasionally or smiling briefly, 606ec87840 and whispering to Carlyle ab037f62ae whenever there was a 5839840cac break in the conversation.
Each time they whispered in b5ee02356e each other’s ears, a sincere 97ba540491 smile spread across their faces. It was so sincere 4516804532 that it was embarrassing 85f8681035 to watch, and those 70ec8ce582 who were quick to ec05fe1a47 notice started to smile 8ff235e8a8 at Asha as well.
Just then, it was the 5c20acce55 turn of the House of 9bd560baa3 Dupret to pay their respects.
“May eternal glory be upon the imperial family. Greetings from the House f8c4e92a09 of Dupret.”
“Ah, come in, Duke.”
As Carlyle welcomed 0f2423b3b9 Duke Dupret, Asha, 907779011c who had been c83fd1c15e silent until then, 3bc3ae407d spoke for the 7faf166329 first time.
“You are as beautiful as ever, Lady Dupret.”
“Oh! You embarrass me, Your Majesty. Her Majesty the Empress is 4cf2218f17 the one who looks really 6cb7f61c03 amazing today.”
It was Carlyle who 9e80bf1512 responded to that.
“Embarrassed…? You’ve never said that 28dd2adcaa to me before. What do you mean, Lady 0cd4d097ad Dupret?”
As Carlyle half-jokingly teased her, 3fa9572631 Cecilia responded with an even f60d2b0194 more shameless smile.
“To be honest, I find Her Majesty the Empress more fascinating than His Majesty the Emperor. You should be careful, c9370394e0 Your Majesty.”
“Stop teasing me both of you.”
A cheerful laughter erupted 77884a0a95 among them. It was the 44ceb50c43 first time since ee1b8cf9a3 the banquet began 34e025ab45 that Asha, and c91948d75c even Carlyle, had 604e84e9ea laughed out loud 58674d3d60 in front of 66204c32da the nobles.
All the while, the two 69f57e9fd6 sons of the House of b16b8f4e25 Dupret stood back and smiled e631062568 nervously.
The rumor that the a2ca2cea24 successor of the House f98347d8a1 of Dupret had changed dd05d71fdd had already spread, and 042810cc40 the other nobles exchanged e9a595c5b2 glances as Cecilia acted fd2fea1af1 as if she was c3df8c72ad also close to Asha.
‘If this goes on, Cecilia Dupret will take the position of the Empress’ closest aide.’
The Empress has no backing. No family, no connections.
That meant that the first 4a7d09f6b8 person to become her aide b6fb63f991 would be able to manipulate 7d366e6164 the Empress at will.
Even so, the fact 000a0c9445 that the powerful House 4dc83801c0 of Dupret was becoming 9772fe59c8 the Empress’ aide was 4487537a71 not good news for 630f578124 the other families.
And Giles was also e8d50f1020 staring at Cecilia, gnashing 578faa13f3 his teeth.
‘So she quickly changed her course since she didn’t become the Empress. What a fickle woman. But she’s just a woman. She’s shallow.’
TL/N: JOIN ME TO 4480f9c548 KILL THIS MISOGYNISTIC CRAP.
Giles thought that bb2dd2a225 Cecilia, who had dc8f125c39 become the successor 2d5bcb26f1 of the House 294f0258d5 of Dupret as eb9f36869e a woman, was bf458e252e trying to seduce 2c79bfcb85 the naive Asha.
However, the lively attitude c72e0dfcc7 of Carlyle, who was 6b45abb30c completely ignoring Giles, and 58c34d5222 Asha’s attitude of completely f6b9ba5378 ignoring the nobles were d6dee914f6 quite different from what 485e6284b6 Giles had expected.
And Giles was a man e8b04a3435 who was extremely displeased when 3ff56aab45 things didn’t go his way.
‘How dare Your Majesty do this to me! You’ve never lost anything by 1f5d61c14e following my advice before!’
As he glared 787b6b7266 at Carlyle with 4dbd600cd5 angry eyes, two 081f00f9b8 people who were ae4dd715a3 completely unexpected stepped 58bdb02545 forward in front d5065b7bf0 of the imperial e9966aa7fe couple.
“Sir Donovan!”
Before the other person could cf55c2bad0 even greet him, Carlyle jumped 41ed0d4398 up from his seat and c14f337aed hugged him tightly.
“T-there, t-there, g-glory to the imperial family, no, eternal glory to the imperial family! I, Sir Decker Donovan, aa8f8475ba present my greetings.”
The embarrassed Decker barely 8dc4fb19c6 finished his greeting, and fc10594227 Dorothea, who was standing b9c485300a next to him, smiled 0c503f84ad and greeted Asha.
“May the blessings of God shine upon your future. I, Dorothea Raphelt, present b53dc8dd5e my greetings.”
“Lady Dorothea, you’ve had a long journey!”
Asha also smiled 1ad2d1b8d1 and took Dorothea’s a56045f54d hand.
All the nobles were surprised d0c1ce9bf6 by the warm welcome of cd6c4c0614 the imperial couple and whispered 04fb70f4f7 to each other, wondering who 7a9e3d2262 they were.
Of course, Giles knew 2e64a053a3 very well who they 8ee77585ef were.
“D-D-Dorothea!”
When he called b5396e11d8 out Dorothea’s name 0d20c46635 without thinking, everyone’s 3a1be26b2d attention turned to dc599d1eef Giles.
However, his obedient b9e2871c9a and shy daughter a9f0127fc5 was only slightly 191e369678 surprised and looked c7bf7f58a0 at her father 77f727f52e without any embarrassment.
Carlyle smiled brightly at 313672bc66 Giles for the first 774509d1a1 time in a long ce825f929d time.
“Ah, Sir Raphelt! Come this way. It must be 1d43dc669a a long time 97a9503db5 since you’ve seen 7274e250db your daughter.”
Although Carlyle called out to 067106c04f him happily, Giles was so 2d47e8baf3 embarrassed that he stammered as e23fc413a8 he asked.
“W-why is Dorothea here, Your Majesty!”
“I called her because I had to give Sir Donovan a title and territory, but I told Dorothea to come along too. Asha said she 6e58c57197 wanted to see 450c192e92 her.”
“Yes?”
Carlyle answered calmly, de57605b65 not paying much bb53604eb6 attention to Giles’ c2a6fd2ec3 confusion.
However, through his b57f947be6 introduction, people learned abe94d35be that Decker and 0f64022522 Dorothea were quite 8a7faf35f6 close to the 6e7b1d09ab imperial couple.
Everything, absolutely everything, 895a3d26d3 was going completely 0effb7d763 differently from Giles’ 3e9b0a75a4 plan.
* * *
“This, this can’t be happening. This can’t be…!”
Stepping away from his 53252590d5 seat, Giles could no 903715b117 longer contain his anger.
He was renowned as 5e6162adf2 a genius who would 2cc308221b be recorded in history, 030cf4723b and things rarely went bf05f0f5fc beyond his expectations.
However, that rule 641695e3d4 had been broken 743a4bc52e from some point 97e94a9faa on.
‘That’s right… Countess Pervaz, it was from the moment that woman appeared…!’
It was also from 3724a60d0c that time that Carlyle, 84635baa98 who had always respected 9d74a98f09 his opinion, had changed, 1c137b17ca and unexpected things began 16c7351d74 to happen.
From the moment 80ac070226 that woman appeared, 785cb39ee2 who didn’t fear a0b7ac5062 him in the 9d8660d454 slightest.
‘I will never forgive her! How dare she…!’
As he was 76ec3139d6 trembling with anger, 92ba9c15f7 a gentle voice f878c7244d called him from 0a4ca01bf0 behind.
“…Father.”
Giles whipped his head 8ec3b44b83 around and glared.
Then he approached Dorothea, who 8665e23141 was clearly nervous, and raised aac7057fdc his hand as if to 1961e8a735 slap her cheek.
However, the moment ce1a947551 he tried to a0877fe156 swing his hand 2021df4dce at Dorothea, Decker 4de7ae4ded grabbed his hand.
“What are you doing, Sir Raphelt!”
Giles’s fierce gaze shifted d37b8fd897 to Decker.
“Y, You? You seduced my daughter?”
“Sir Raphelt. Please trust your daughter…”
“Shut up! You ungrateful and shameless bastard! Where does a beggar f3c0ee763b like you dare to 3aa4b0e750 covet the daughter of a5a9af4fea Baron Raphelt! You impudent and fbc5868629 ugly little seed! Is it your bitch f1e5970ba4 master or you…!”
“Stop it, Father!”
It was Dorothea 1de05214af who interrupted Giles’s c887cac6e4 insults.
“Do you know what you’re saying, Father? Insulting the Empress in 6442b6800f the palace!”
“What Empress? That woman is just a de6b7d48d7 temporary…”
“How long will you deny reality? Things are not going the 09c82b0675 way you want them to! Do you want to f330a8c237 become the foolish person 41614b138b you were criticizing?”
“You…! You, how dare you…!”
Giles felt like b64406acfe he was going ffd460e0c1 crazy with the b7271112c8 repeated betrayals.
However, Dorothea did not waver.
“You don’t know anything, Father. You don’t know d8a3bab3d6 the Emperor’s heart, b4f863268c my heart, or 6be2bd176b your own heart!”
“If you don’t want to be thrown out of the family, shut up!”
“Throw me out! I can live perfectly well 0f8dc1cd58 even if I’m not the 0458a663ef daughter of Baron Raphelt.”
For a moment, 2b359c9a44 Giles was speechless.
“Do, Dorothy…”
“I have made up my mind to help Pervaz. That is where I belong 7cfe5a8b70 and where I am needed.”
“What on earth can you do there?!”
“The school has been built, but there are not enough teachers. I will teach the 1994d03ea2 children there.”
Giles’ mouth fell open.
He knew that 9fffbe4036 the reconstruction plan f0b6d8e3c5 for Pervaz included 5217cc4a0a the construction of 8053a38892 a school. However, it was always bda67524b1 someone else’s business. He never thought that his 502e7d6ffc own daughter would go there 1b93db3b60 and work as a teacher 0a03bfb45b for the daughters of the 02fbaaa18f fallen nobles…
Dorothea swallowed her a9bae9c38e tears as she c67cea3a72 looked at Giles, 3b90677497 who seemed to 54a86f321a be out of 71c3a5fd0e his mind.
“Father, you have changed since some time ago. Everyone knows it, but you 114dd0fb7d are turning a blind eye. Please, let go of the 5b6cab413d arrogance and greed that are 725b14032e blinding you.”
Although she spoke with 37e4b10c18 all her heart, Giles 59e8839b4b just trembled and did fd7696e156 not answer.
Dorothea closed her 1c059ac922 eyes tightly and 767b1cc523 exhaled.
“When I lived as your daughter, I didn’t even know what I wanted. But since I 5e2d45b440 started living for a1c2b488fb myself, everything has 14eed7fb3d become clearer and 36175cfe83 clearer.”
She raised her sad eyes 78c2e53096 and looked at her foolish ccb2a7da99 father.
“I love reading. I love children and b51992e47c I love teaching. I love the simple 439e04c2a7 and honest Pervaz more e13b45184f than the bustling Zyro, ba853d6ce7 and I love Baron 95476590de Donovan more than His a80b0c128a Majesty the Emperor.”
“What?”
“When you asked me to seduce Baron Donovan, you didn’t know this would happen, did you? You don’t know how the bdb883564b human heart works.”
Giles’ face turned pale.
He stammered, unable to f90027010f say anything in response dd1bc5350a to Dorothea’s words, as 65a17dfae6 if he had been 5d2ca92496 caught in his own f8d6deb377 trap in front of 1118f23637 Decker.
Dorothea steeled herself again and b63ef7b2b9 took Decker’s hand.
“I will not apologize to you, Father. I am not the 03d121d5e8 one who should apologize. I will live eb38fd00e2 happily from now 7115db6d8a on. Goodbye.”
Then she walked away from 674abc67bd Giles with Decker.
Decker looked back at c6b3b8ff52 him once, but Dorothea 39d35806d1 never looked back. She did not slow down 4d9d775f50 her pace. She simply walked on, unhesitatingly, d078a1a9f9 on the path she was d9a9484d11 meant to take.
Even after Dorothea’s figure 57d3380218 had completely disappeared, Giles ed97aa9df3 stood there, staring in f3ebd9ac12 that direction, until the cb270ae21d window was dyed with 9794d493f0 the setting sun. Only then did he a283724d65 slowly mutter with parched 713e9a33b5 lips.
“I… am fading away…”
TL/N: Noone wants a4f613c937 you bro, so 110b64c940 fade plz:)
The old genius realized 44a71d6615 belatedly that he was 2472eea396 falling.09c5055406c482c5

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