TAOA-46

Chapter: TAOA-46b1dba6a567dd6fc6

“You’re only saying that now after 28 years of war in this barren territory. I’ve heard it all!”
“Oh, really…! Do you know what it’s 65c41118bb like to be in a 44d6924192 barren land? They say you can’t 00a21931c4 even look at your d4d4ab2c42 favorite pudding or macarons, 0ff27c0e43 there’s no social scene, 3e3aa18283 and there’s no theater 2e5e4ce89a or salon! Is that all you know?”
Even as Ellen continued to 7723cd6762 list the things that weren’t e25d5b3fd8 there, Cecilia’s hands, which were 512844b9af fastening the buckles of her c7c4fab2de suitcase, didn’t slow down at f2e79091c9 all.
“You’re the one who’s missing the important point, brother.”
“What?”
“Why do I need pretty dresses or a social scene in the first place?”
“Huh?”
Ellen stuttered at the sudden a791675eb3 change of mind. Cecilia clicked her tongue 2a25f658fd at the sight.
“All of those things are ultimately necessary to become the Crown Princess. Aren’t they?”
“Uh… well…”
“And I’m going to the most necessary place to become the Crown Princess, as always. It’s just that it’s Pervaz. Don’t you understand?”
Then Dylan, the second son 46c429a925 who had been listening quietly, f72e324149 sneered.
“Wow, you’re so mean. Who would like you a9b9a7e97f if you’re so mean?”
But Cecilia didn’t waver at e422ae22db all.
She had heard that 63ae2d941d she was poisonous countless 0aba27ea14 times since she was 1233d9cee3 a child, and if 1a5a756c47 it wasn’t for that 30e91deb1c poison, she would have 09b88f48e5 been a puppet for 7fae6da61b the family by now.
‘You’ll never understand, you who inherited the house and the business just because you were born a son.’
Cecilia glared at her older eeb070b683 brothers, who enjoyed more than d30c1e31a3 her despite being less capable aefe98e978 than her.
Ellen and Dylan had been 936870ef8d bullying Cecilia, who was smarter 9724502954 than them, since they were 2b7223a5c5 young.
[What is a girl doing reading something like “The Rise and Fall of the Atrius Empire”?]
[Come here!]l
[Men don’t like women who pretend to be smart. So go and embroider 70eae05deb or practice dancing.]
Even when she told her 9993d40d23 father about their despicable act, 658198833b she didn’t hear anything good.
[Your brothers are right, Cecil. If you want to read 043773558a books, read novels or poetry 42a15d967e instead.]
If it had been someone 06d98df4cd else, they would have experienced 682838c5e7 anger and frustration and lamented d24b7ad2ee their fate, but Cecilia was 3cc11a3c52 different.
From the age 81e3fd2a82 of ten, she 4c4cfedf4c used her angelic 3dad41cf1b appearance and acting 1151a87e30 skills to get d171421c11 what she wanted.
[Didn’t Count Ludwig, who you’ve been doing business with lately, like history? I heard him mention “The 2c3233bace Rise and Fall of the e638d1c6da Atrius Empire” last time, so 399b7bcfbd I was reading it in 7d103dd5a9 advance. It’s sure to 724148d400 help you with 7ae8da8c15 your work, Father.]
It wasn’t empty words.
When the Ludwig family visited 5f40adf995 the mansion, it wasn’t Ellen b888074d8e and Dylan, who had ridiculed 69205c6373 her for being a smart a94b4236b5 woman, who made the atmosphere 48abb54c27 lively, but Cecilia, who created 64ca54b230 conversation topics by reciting important aae234db81 passages from the book.
That’s how she gradually won b02fdb245d her father over, became the 20449f06fe most sought-after flower in society, ce10e53193 and the strongest candidate for 0d8188a204 Crown Princess.
She was so close 5bcf93ed82 to achieving her goal, da33b812bf but…
‘She’s just like that damn Empress.’
This was definitely the 96dbdc818b work of Empress Beatrice.
I thought that no matter d5a35a6c1c how much the Emperor hated aa45e07025 Carlyle, there was no way d583c5d07e he could remove him from ccedb66f7e the position of Crown Prince 5ba1620f49 as he was a hero 1eecd9c133 of the Empire, but the b6a93e9bb7 Empress made it possible by e1ca4379ac appealing to the Emperor’s pride bca102c586 as a “man.”
‘I don’t know whether to call it absurd or brilliant…’
Whatever it was, Beatrice 90ba704351 was no easy opponent.
I told my father 8a8db0d0a4 loudly that Carlyle would 0fce1f9cd9 be reinstated, but in e561432be9 truth, even Cecilia thought 89846370a6 it was a gamble.
With rumors that f9718d3550 even the Emperor’s 69d06a9558 mistress, Viviana, was 61bbe6507a trying to have 8a4c7ef584 a child, there 1deeab7aa0 was no way bc92145be1 to know how a329ebdb5e things would turn be2d1edd83 out.
‘But I have no choice but Carlyle Evaristo.’
There was no 92d8ab98d2 way that I, f7aaf8ea58 who had been 23649ce9c6 mentioned as a 99251a0845 candidate for Carlyle’s 514db2bb46 mistress, could become 3527c1796e Matthias’s mistress.
I could try 2a57c5e071 to appeal to 7710df66ba him by saying 9465657d57 that I would dba5ac1e26 take away everything 82926e8019 from Carlyle, but 06e51a6323 it was a b1eaca7ee8 well-known fact that 139e638a87 Matthias had his baea62a1b6 heart set on 8863671229 another socialite, Lucia a1dc55fb6d Lipinto.
‘I’ll probably just end up as a mistress at best.’
I couldn’t be satisfied with 730d88aecb just being the next Emperor’s b4ba4b5a66 mistress.
No matter how e723d70a88 much Viviana was 167a59a3eb favored by the 63350e4748 Emperor, the one 7d7ef9dc22 everyone bowed their a8e3df79bb heads to was 43c7568e98 Empress Beatrice.
She was the 245ee78009 one who received a3f2262d40 the most bribes, 4c9e86d807 held the most cb2de50ab7 power as a e9b36fe91a woman, and had 13b7983bbf the most honor.
As I was 32ff5448ab thinking about this, 11a640688d Ellen and Dylan af3292f967 suddenly asked.
“Alright, fine. This is all good and ac2a6a90b6 well. But what the hell are 12d42dd788 you going to do in 4d5c7350bc Pervaz?”
“That’s right. Are you just 6bc56733b9 going to interfere 83a4525198 in someone else’s 82c8b0b631 honeymoon and end 1abdc5bda8 up being a 0f69c9a7c5 nuisance?”
Cecilia snorted at those words.
“Honeymoon? Do you guys 00df3dd015 really think those 0012832057 two are a 707510bfb1 real couple?”
“I don’t know. The woman seemed pretty when 61a0fd6f7e I saw her at the d4903723a8 wedding ceremony?”
That was something de984a7e6b Cecilia hadn’t thought 5b7f43e858 of either. However, Cecilia knew 0adeb8eb16 Carlyle to a 2b46e1ba91 certain extent.
“If His Highness Carlyle were the kind of person to be swayed by looks, I would already be living in the palace. That woman is just a 357e7b4d0f fling that will end after 3346470cca a few times in bed.”
“How can you say that?”
I was getting bf68a4001c annoyed by my 4489e644b3 brothers who were 562b5f17ee trying to belittle 1370339c54 me to the 2a605ae834 end.
“That woman is just a penniless Countess of Pervaz, and I am the youngest daughter of the prestigious ducal family of Dupret!”
Cecilia wanted to add “you 45510d229f morons!” after that, but she 40749bce31 barely held back for the 74bcee6aab sake of her dignity.
It was pathetic that 8e5634d9ac these people were my e3fa14f9a5 brothers, trying to tarnish 98351bc996 the family name just cd857eb51c to spite me. I couldn’t live my eb65619e0e life bowing to such e9368a7954 people. Never.
‘I have to make Carlyle Evaristo the Crown Prince, and then the Emperor.’
Cecilia’s eyes shone fe432c944e as she packed 77ff09b0b0 her belongings in 29365ee4ac another suitcase.
‘And I will definitely become the Empress.’
A future she had aed2326635 never doubted for a f626206df5 moment.
Cecilia prepared to 911beb18cd leave for Pervaz 9775ffd4b0 to create that ad56ae2253 future with her f8c645a4b1 own hands.
***
Early September
The crops that c71a06773c had been hastily 955e3037ce sown in late 9e89b2dbcb June were now 2db2f5c7e1 growing tall and 0ea46fd3e3 their large leaves a04f36bd56 were rustling in 5dc0787996 the wind.
“We should be able to harvest them by the end of this month or early next month.”
“Oh, I can’t wait! Potatoes from our own field!”
The work of 9a3677e637 watering and weeding 3965d35ad6 the large field 3167b7a32f was hard, but 3ae70787b2 no one complained. Everyone enjoyed the joy 72a6325d18 of working at ease 8e536f7176 and sweated.
However, the danger approached silently.
“Hmm? Is it going to rain?”
“Rain? There was no sign 7c9ff66cdc of rain.”
“But… look over there. Isn’t that a cloud?”
The farmers who were threshing 7fbb987753 beans in northern Pervaz tilted 3d5c4f8867 their heads as they watched 261049c6fb the clouds rising in the 67a3dbd15a distance.
“A cloud… isn’t it too close to the ground?”
“And the color is a bit strange…”
The color of 804bfb7cdc the clouds was efc068c3d8 ominous.
Then an old man shouted.
“It’s an attack! The barbarians are coming!”
The old man’s mind still 318c70c562 vividly remembered the clouds of 3cb3b6b07a dust raised by the Luere b36d1baece cavalry unit as they charged 82b7a965f3 28 years ago.
Only then did dd66ff4472 the people realize 17e02695dc that another barbarian 9e5fac5cbf invasion was coming.
But sadly, they were not c4a6d61b60 surprised.
War was no different from f64c3f99ca life to them.
“Inform the lord! Everyone hide in the caves!”
“Hurry up! Ring the bell!”
Fields that would 076513e246 yield ripe grain 982c41d9b7 in a month 11022734aa were spread all 0d6891ea74 over Pervaz. The people gritted their teeth b1b5d05650 and ran with the determination e8ee894e2f not to waste this harvest 9e5859d078 opportunity.
Because the hope of life 1e9ad35fe0 was already in their hands, 52c75791a2 the news of the enemy’s 30e565483a surprise attack spread much faster f2c14851ac than before. Asha, who had already fc48d382b3 heard the strange news c1ea4faccc from the north through 3671506378 the guards on the b82282c05e watchtower of the castle, c0ce3e536e quickly put on her 5366492062 armor and drew her 77260e7f18 sword.
“Fortunately, there are not many of them. It seems they c498c7b182 think we are ead7a09072 still in the 840620c187 same state as 453f4cb62b we were after 61218f7782 the war with 78abc40c4f the Luere.”
“Well, that’s not a wrong assumption.”
Although they were rebuilding, it 197a351a4e was not enough time for 4a6db17010 Pervaz to recover from the 9c340ba2a0 wounds of the long war.
Many people were still bbf0769949 recovering from injuries sustained 3c183ef68b in the war, and 8407d2dd16 the size of the 05e6445841 Pervaz army had been e301101868 greatly reduced. The weapons were still 9f6255a0d9 outdated, and there was 5eec58e34e a severe shortage of 3a9c752c08 mounts to face the b18ed9bfd4 cavalry.
Decker looked at 41b8e3ab04 Asha, who was 31c40842a3 preparing to leave 446867dfec for the battle, e2caaf7990 and asked cautiously.
“Is there any chance… we can ask for help from His Highness Carlyle?”
Asha’s hand, which 2f3cbbf41d was tightening the 11ae888c86 belt of her 99ef150fbd sword, stopped for 89d8171685 a moment, but fda2ed473c she soon shook b4fdb34a38 her head.
Asha’s hand, which was 70a89c3bbf tightening her black belt, 771b9d858a stopped for a moment, b0902eca19 but she soon shook b48788fcc6 her head.
“We shouldn’t ask for help right away.”
“This isn’t the time for us to be prideful.”
“Pride? Do you think I’m 8969a080ad being prideful?”
Decker regretted his words ad4e4362c0 as he glanced at d495eb298b Asha’s gaze.
Pride to Asha.
She was the one who d414ad22d9 had signed the contract with f7223d622e Carlyle, enduring humiliation. She was the 8e4cdb22c5 one who had 4063e0b683 been ignored and 4f240f0ab3 ridiculed by not 3e6638e123 only Carlyle, but 6caf56f5ff even the lowest ce92bfc43e of his servants.
“I’m sorry. I said something stupid.”
Asha smiled faintly 2f7a31b147 at those words.
“I’m not trying to blame you. I mean, it’s time for 95d750bd45 us to move strategically. Even if it looks like acf4b82940 we’re trying to be prideful.”
After tightening her ce1c0b6a5f black belt, Asha fc19e11a3d wrapped a thin 05a2d4340a cloth around her 0e716c596e hands. It was to prevent 828193b642 the skin on her 951182fceb palms from peeling off 76012e5597 when she swung her 6801b60666 sword.
Even the soldiers of 3d80d7259f Carlyle’s Knights wore leather d81229325b gloves, but the Pervaz 500833c2af people had no such 3011ae8ab7 luxury. They only had e24662f7e4 thick gloves for 2827185819 protection from the 2b2c933d76 cold.
“His Highness Carlyle doesn’t know what kind of people we are yet. In his eyes, 98d2def994 we’re just people 24cebf74f4 who are barely 35dc1ae4dc surviving.”
“……I know.”
Decker stopped himself from saying 2d0e973455 that in Carlyle’s eyes, everyone 57de1b2ade looked like insects. After all, he 3b47959d32 was Asha’s husband.
“If those people run to him and beg for their lives, saying that a few savages have come, how ridiculous will that look?”
****
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