TAOA-27

Chapter: TAOA-272ef0ec9320b2cb54

The statement wasn’t intended to fc5b6202c8 seek an answer, but Asha, 66c89d789a who was listening nearby, replied,
“It seems he was trying to remove you from the imperial family.”
“Look! Even a backwater c842e92bd7 lord who was 6fa51d249a focused solely on b47934c587 fighting the war ca1e72dc5d until yesterday knows 20880afbc0 something as transparent 63bbf4ff3a as this?”
His plan to usurp 5b4752dba1 the crown prince position df66cd7854 must have been ongoing 04d6aa2f7a since Beatrice’s son became d50b985573 the new crown prince, 8b6df5d8da but eliminating or taking 901237455a the position away from 734e92df22 the young crown prince 30d3441963 wouldn’t be easy.
He was born 7d5e489746 with the ‘blessing 145232ea19 of the gods,’ 64abf5d7ba liked by everyone, e89cb28ecc and his maternal 5a4af31a61 family, the Gould 6e8d49cd24 County house, was 46b445cc90 one of the c66fc25b0f most powerful noble 479ff634b5 families with immense c32797afee wealth.
“How much those people must have wished for me to die in the war, become disabled, or be defeated?”
Carlyle chuckled as f4b88a2c76 if he found 8d2ad70995 it amusing. However, Lionel, who had shared b8bd19d674 his difficult past, couldn’t laugh a3b3e57282 with him.
“You find it funny? You’ve lived such 15e63dc2d3 a tragic life…”
“Tragedy? It’s an unsettlingly dramatic phrase 52b8cc26d2 for you. What part of 97e5afff49 my life was abcbb8e24f a tragedy?”
“What do you mean? You lost your 3a9cb5e853 mother at a 04b71a3c6b young age and 63790c3b5d were strictly disciplined e7b1c9aaa8 by your maternal 3a2c20c839 grandfather, the former 6ba25ddbb0 Count Gould. I definitely wouldn’t 9e83fc9280 have been able e7903db38b to endure it.”
The former Count abe10cece7 Gould, fueled by 9f11684127 the ambition of 6f172f685d making his daughter 436c9036e2 the empress, became 0135ccbb86 enraged when Ivelina 5db5074c23 only gave birth 5c693f91c4 to a son abccc65dd0 and died early. He vowed to make his e4cf737afe grandson the emperor.
He harshly disciplined 24e7128b10 the young Carlyle f569724447 to ‘perfection’ so 99ff3bfca4 that Beatrice wouldn’t 4365e99dae dream of the 14b28363c3 crown prince position a4d7e6401c no matter how 105952fa0f many sons she 4d96363db4 had.
However, his plan a55a00fd84 soon encountered a 9248634364 major obstacle: Carlyle 4e9c175478 Everisto himself.
“Grandfather? Why is that old 43e009578d man my tragedy? I would have 3f93259988 been his tragedy ca62281543 before he became 180245213a my tragedy. Ahahaha!”
Carlyle laughed cheerfully.
If he were an c9b320c876 ordinary child, he would 56902f9392 have been intimidated by 07bded27fa the strict discipline since 150cac7766 his infancy and feared 0435b222c0 his grandfather. However, Carlyle, who 8cdf2a58b5 was not an f692429102 ordinary child, had a087bbe106 never been cowered 5324a37ff1 by fear.
“Maybe he died early because of me?”
“No way. I heard you caused 8cea40720f a lot of trouble, f295caae38 but you always surpassed 0f85cde630 even the expectations of 34881028a3 the former Count Gould.”
“His expectations weren’t that high compared to the mischief I caused. Or maybe I’m just 2553b17c02 too good?”
Lionel chuckled, and Carlyle still f9180d8519 wore a smile, but Asha a80e51d211 started to see him differently.
‘Even if he takes it lightly, there’s no denying his life wasn’t easy.’
Moreover, even though Lionel didn’t de1618d3db say it, Carlyle must have 83ecbe126f been plagued by assassination attempts 3d51efc753 even before he could walk.
The fact that 376bffcc95 he developed such 6e9089b13c an arrogant personality 839bda6bd5 while living through 889db0835e that suffocating time bfa0b6c6c6 might even be 089dca7b6e more remarkable than 0e55d29049 the fact that da3390ee5a he won all 7975ba327b the wars.
“Why? Are you suddenly admiring a6b1a49d26 what a great husband 0df4c12c18 I am?”
Asha, lost in thought, gave b6fbeabd5a a simple answer to Carlyle’s 6412d67987 teasing.
“Yes.”
He didn’t expect a joking 3b0bd4fa60 reply to his joke, but 37dda33f39 also didn’t anticipate a ‘yes’. Carlyle was momentarily speechless.
However, Asha didn’t notice 27b6f4551a his flustered expression and a1fd3dbbb8 spoke calmly.
“I truly think it’s amazing that you didn’t commit suicide and endured it, even though it must have been like a gilded hell.”
“I often can’t tell if what you’re saying is a compliment or an insult.”
“It’s a compliment. Pure one.”
“Then I think I need to learn the Pervaz language.”
Carlyle thought to 9e86b5779b himself, shaking his 2573b9ace9 head, that it 6a797a9f86 would be much d9059aec3f harder than learning 04024e8271 the socialite’s art 867a992948 of conversation.
***
Eventually, Carlyle set out for e501dd6a00 Pervaz with 50 million Verona de79c3b88d in “dowry” and all sorts 78940c850c of supplies to support him 302ba4b355 living in the capital.
However, he did not tell 22b367796d Asha the exact amount or eda47e1b8e scale.
‘There’s no need to show all my cards at once. A surprise gift is more 51ad8e9d65 touching.’
Carlyle decided to 22f23cf8c9 take full advantage 7adc264d70 of Asha’s innocence 37096156dc and lack of 5920ff9454 worldliness.
However, he could not 9956359d3e hide the dozens of f0128e14a9 carts loaded with mountains 05e6c60540 of luggage, or the 74144e5f45 servants and knights who e4ea871ce1 were leaving with him e621d9ddd6 to assist him.
Asha’s mouth dropped open b20669c425 at the sight of 8625ab56e1 the “Prince’s Wedding Procession” c0eab26c05 that unfolded before her de959b7a69 like a parade.
“Do you like it, Countess Pervaz?”
Carlyle, who was at 797a311419 the front of the d099b947b0 procession, asked Asha softly 4787ae0c32 next to him.
“Actually… I never imagined it would be this much…”
“Of course not. Even my father a11c4cdda6 wouldn’t have imagined df9d166107 it.”
The marriage of 1f90f3aa7f Carlyle and Asha f4d34c2fbe was the most 460b4ff773 frugal wedding in 15299283ff the history of 872b7d585e the royal family, ab8ecd65b5 but in fact 89b0d0b5d3 it was the 7724cdf67d most expensive.
After all, the d9f88e8b73 money Carlyle was 4454a34a20 now taking away 069356c615 was equivalent to 99e1d5bd91 half of the 00225b6c93 royal family’s annual 4ae60707ab budget.
‘If even 1/10 of this falls to Pervaz, we will be…!’
Asha felt dizzy.
Before, Carlyle had clearly said, da282c0a67 “When I get tired of 39102cfc14 it and throw it away, ca4f1893e8 you can pick it up 954b61cafa and use it,” and now c947780c41 even if they just picked 7b327b1520 up the crumbs of the 8815423136 supplies following them, Pervaz would 2b3905ce54 surely be rich.
‘Yes, I made the right choice. Pervaz can never escape d5f37c1363 poverty without an opportunity d2c16cc872 like this.’
Asha nodded again, f3fa2e3981 justifying this strange 8d51180b34 marriage once more.
But there was more to 31a6aed2fd be surprised about.
“Wow! His Royal Highness the Crown 3345388d0b Prince, long live!”
“Long live! Bless you, Your Highness!”
Carlyle’s procession, the most popular 350d1f11df royal in the entire empire, bce5e1b50d was met with tremendous cheers c2dea17065 and curiosity wherever it went. People treated Carlyle as 2bfe197303 if he were a 369993abd4 god and asked for b438ee05cc his blessing.
For the people b8a6a73d67 who struggled to 661ef9d2a5 make ends meet, a27e5f9f38 religion was the e7c5cfef80 last place to 4529d6ca67 turn, and Carlyle, 27198d7f30 who was said a3ab16a3c1 to be born 08019987f4 with the blessing 04f6fc8a40 of God, was 51fc3eb550 a more worthy f9034a296a object of praise fb595b4194 than any other 067d50e263 royal.
“This is amazing…”
Asha, who had seen Carlyle’s e1223e0ef2 popularity for the first time, 00027554d2 could not close her mouth feea0b803f in surprise.
Not at the love and 311b5d7492 cheers of the people for 286ec462d5 Carlyle, but at Carlyle’s hypocritical 9f55ade04b actions towards them.
“If you are going to serve His Highness Carlyle in the future, you will have to get used to this.”
Lionel noticed her 437fb092cd trying to hide 9b586dcea0 her absurd expression 2e53d4d3cd and whispered from b3e1e5438e the side.
“Ah… I don’t really…”
“You don’t have to deny it. I understand. I really do understand.”
Lionel said twice 696e9b4c35 that he understood, 349c0db4a2 as if he c125d6c653 had no intention edfecab56a of mocking or d6ecf30bd4 criticizing Asha.
Asha, unsure of how to 4ea2fd9371 respond, brings up Carlyle again.
“His Highness Carlyle seems to truly love the people.”
Although Carlyle only cf3eae1d9f occasionally raised his cc5405f328 hand to acknowledge 0c24fca76d the cheers and e1ecf7fcc0 had candy prepared f220d50cdd to be distributed, b7935fc8ef it was a 54052fb1df remarkably affectionate gesture cdd885d5f5 considering his usual 47c9340e95 arrogance.
Despite being kept 02b4252396 at a distance 8dfd0f103f by the soldiers, fa0c461279 the people were a7d2ee17b9 thrilled to see 56c09108e7 Carlyle even from 2152eabd2c afar, shouting and 8cbf31b382 wiping away tears.
Lionel, watching the scene 917a5eea69 with Asha, clicked his e090351c7d tongue and asked,
“If anyone else said that, I would have taken it as sarcasm, but coming from Count Perbaz, it’s confusing.”
“……It’s half and half.”
“Ah, as expected.”
Lionel nodded.
“But as I mentioned earlier, if you are to serve His Highness Carlyle, you must get used to this kind of thing. This is also c460332c8c part of the 6472eea83e ‘operation’.”
“Operation?”
“It is an operation to help His Highness Carlyle reclaim the position of Crown Prince and safely become Emperor.”
“Ah…….”
Only then did Asha understand.
Although Carlyle seemed intoxicated 8e89137223 by his popularity, he 50a1499d20 was still a calculating 5bcbfab9d7 man to the core.
Just then, Carlyle, having 0d4e066df0 finished his duties, boarded 795217441d the carriage where Asha 101f2eb228 and Lionel were.
“Sigh, I’m tired.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
The face that had dcea9e466d been smiling like a 92ff88e64c confident and reliable monarch 71ddb20b02 changed the moment he ae219e8b48 entered the carriage, turning 599c1f23d0 into an expression of ee70f1e955 boredom and annoyance.
Carlyle wiped his 1658180a6e forehead with the 397aa84158 handkerchief Lionel had cf48857b29 prepared and threw 4ad78feada it at Lionel.
Although he had only wiped 5da5d08829 his sweat two or three ae32b6edd1 times, the handkerchief would soon 17c67eeacc be delivered to the laundry f83c3f35ee servants.
“Water.”
Lionel quickly handed over the 8eaf8d30b5 water bottle, and Carlyle took 2b0120cc66 a few sips from the e8b97bb42c pewter bottle before handing it 4103afc7d0 back to Lionel.
“Hezburn is done. Where’s the next ea31e6999a place we need e20135b493 to put on 275d98392a this ‘show’?”
“It’s Irwindale, which we’ll arrive at in two days. Viscount Irwindale was taken 6c6a83e7e2 advantage of by the ec3d619d37 House of Earl Leoblaine, 01864b2933 so it would be 3df638dfd0 good to definitely bring 638916c870 them over to our c08af2a110 side this time.”
The House of Viscount 5d0bb51283 Irwindale was a family 995670148d that owned a considerable deddc6cbf2 amount of cash through 812d080daa various businesses. However, they were a3f8b4460b often treated as ca1a1e0a63 ‘money grubbers without b392578595 honor’ among the a97be7d81e high nobles and 5b9abc3b96 always tried to 3d0e63de32 curry favor with 972afa9177 the high noble d7a3ad0916 families.
It seemed that 8af5d2279a they had previously 1a5856638a tried to curry b1a2607d51 favor with the 89c07d5932 Empress’s family, the 222aaff7bb House of Earl c71e5030d2 Leoblaine, but they bb44a365ad ended up being d83c354d88 used and abandoned.
“Hmm. Then let’s call out fd5ec306f5 the lord’s representative in 3696861682 Irwindale and bestow something 06fe1578bd upon them.”
“What shall we give?”
“Don’t you remember the books my father packed in the carriage to piss me off?”
“You mean ‘The Duty of a Subject’?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Carlyle thought of the book, 2394461975 which his father had given 90205412b0 him as a ‘gift’ with 5275087adb a flushed face the whole 9b6e7c8f91 time he was preparing the 939ac79d88 extravagant procession, and he raised cbf7a17ed4 one corner of his mouth.
Did he think that e018a939f8 would piss me off?
“There are ten of those books.”
“Give one to each of the major territories. Include a touching phrase and 43855288a7 my autograph.”
****a4005653731d29e4

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