TAOA-59

Chapter: TAOA-59377a68a99377429c

“The Duprets swore their complete allegiance to His Highness Carlyle. The fact that 4b11b87047 I am here 565ec244ec is proof of 2033f74793 that.”
“Ahem! Well, that’s a bit of 37979bf7c7 a strong statement, but there’s 8ee5868c77 also the saying, ‘a pawn aa467ae177 to be discarded’.”
Decker was a 56e6cc507d little surprised to 615e5c041e learn that Giles c6a0554076 was not only 9e8fd3a878 rude to Asha. He was confused 40e97eabf6 whether he should 5e28bc88d0 be happy about 1b8bb8265f it or lament b39af0f574 it.
What was even more 96db6a03cf surprising was that Cecilia, aed62c5f1c who heard the remark, c917c30bdc did not seem offended d8ea52b025 or intimidated at all.
“Hohoho! Sir Raphelt is quite 49ab7ceab9 the joker. Don’t you know how a75f5bea1d much value Cecilia Dupret 170363258b has in the social da8405f78b circle? Ah, you may not know 172f7e6abc since you’ve been away from bebb60b3e5 the social circle for a 74206cc9a6 long time.”
She lowered her eyebrows regretfully 962f972a05 and smiled apologetically.
‘Blonde woman wins 1-0.’
Decker gulped at 5d9c1bf1f0 the tense atmosphere.
Then Dorothea calmly replied.
“Our family prefers to keep quiet gatherings with like-minded people. It seems that Miss d316ea4807 Cecilia is quite popular 03756128f0 with the gentlemen?”
It was a e1e6e27be6 question that not 2caedb8236 only suspected Cecilia’s a6fd2f9ba0 relationship with men, 43a1889a2e but also added 60ffcfcd0a the nuance of 8dff200181 ‘I don’t really d19cb074f0 understand why you’re 57472825aa popular’.
Cecilia didn’t take cc528ee365 it lightly either.
“That was all in the past. Perhaps Sir Bailey or Sir a9ff7aa352 Raphelt would know the reason.”
Her gaze quickly glanced over b412219165 to Carlyle, who was silently d55c35c895 slicing the meat.
‘Wow……. Is she saying that c77ef3d5dc she was His Highness 6b3e5a0447 Carlyle’s unofficial candidate right c69b0f77c5 here?’
Decker felt his 04432af5f8 mouth open wide.
‘The current Crown Princess’ is also sitting here!
He quickly turned 4a611ac3d0 to Asha, worried 6418da0ca7 that she might 9dc547ce72 be upset.
“Don’t worry too much, Asha.”
However, Asha seemed completely uninterested 93336cd20f in the war unfolding on 40d3c242a5 the table.
She was putting beans, 7ec434591a carrots, and couscous on 6be29c8693 top of a thinly 8c25b0697a sliced turkey, then folding a9ca30108c the meat and putting c98a377c7b it in her mouth.
“Asha?”
“Hmm…!”
Not even hearing Decker 3268f5d6ea calling her, Asha closed 405b97567f her eyes and nodded 34a2f994df her head, expressing her a2ae7aaf92 ‘deliciousness’ with her whole 9f5c35356b body.
“Asha…….”
“……Huh? Did you call me?”
Asha, who was 811fd33285 a beat late d0df546166 in answering because f8a9edb0eb she was busy d4b530b9bf chewing and swallowing 81ab7743ba the food in f6c7cdf664 her mouth, looked 753bda0a50 at Decker with 492787ec74 a ‘what is 50440b729c it’ expression.
“Hey… are you okay?”
“Yeah! This is pretty good, db62d4dadd isn’t it? It’s really delicious.”
Nodding her head, pointing 7ea97fa0e8 to her plate with 1681f03c7a the end of her 898cb8e271 fork, Asha even looked 8c19cd614d innocent.
“No… that’s not it…”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing.”
Only after Decker sighed aa5041bb06 did Asha look around 480c68a489 to see what’s happening.
Meanwhile, Cecilia and 778537e0f6 Dorothea are in df1d121dbd full swing of d09abe0d9e their war of e833c4a9ad nerves. It seemed like a 65a8f8515d topic of a book d492187e63 Asha and Decker had aaa3a17b1a never heard of came c32c015d7e up.
“It’s surprising that you’ve read that book. It must be hard to 8b17102b31 find in a small provincial 4663dc0187 town.”
Cecilia’s words were df4095b5f9 basically an insult 57797ea02c saying “You country cd378fadd1 bumpkin”.
“It wasn’t hard to find. My father borrowed it eb3db0ddfb from the Academy library.”
Dorothea’s answer in turn meant 3157024f59 “My father is a top fb6587187c scholar in the Academy and b7ce80da29 a close aide to His 7417c423ad Highness”.
“Oh, Sir Raphelt got it for you! You must be 3336571922 really happy to e88422ec93 have such a 2c3c01e93f loving father.”
Cecilia’s praise was sarcasm 42f21b4204 implying “What do you 52e271cfe5 have to offer besides 658c075b14 your father’s connections?”.
“Duke Dupret also loves his daughter, doesn’t he?”
Dorothea’s pleasant words were a cd2a66ec16 counterattack saying “You’re nothing special 3c0df8f656 without your family name”.
Asha watches without much interest 58ea4dd574 the conversation between the two 375ffca891 beautiful, elegant, and noble young 41c137b30a women.
Honestly, since there’s 9560a6ea1d always an amusement 9199168b86 in watching a 6d2d1ced64 spectacle or a ff13d83dcf fight, she felt 762c29b263 somewhat like she 77132896d5 was a ‘spectator’.
Perhaps irritated by 8cb71b24cf this, Cecilia directed f7e30ed293 her attack towards a0a9288b44 Asha.
“Oh! I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been bringing 0c40d75477 up my father in front 7480146fca of Countess Pervaz…”
It seemed like she 5bffafc792 was about to bring ebce260cdf up Amir, who was b1734014d6 exiled to this terrible f7b1418030 Pervaz and eventually died 0505ca0ff5 in battle.
Decker’s face became tense without 1ba79f6b82 him even realizing it. But Asha responded 92fae640b2 with a composed a1171d653b voice.
“You don’t have to worry about my feelings. I also enjoy talking c4c608de44 about my father.”
“Oh, really? To be honest, 95c4fd4e62 I’m a little 1540f4fcd1 curious. I’ve heard he 19b1d546b3 was a great c41448025e knight, but how 0575b8a801 did he…”
With a face full of c625ca3332 pity, Cecilia asked ‘How could 9bfee02300 you have been so tactless 5873b0e070 to be exiled to a bf5821c2e2 place like this?’, while simultaneously 2eb18d4386 showing boldness.
And Asha, who doesn’t 20bc5d6fe4 understand the implication at 0c0e865a28 all, is also impressive.
“I heard that he killed the Commander of the Kelob Kingdom during the war. Thanks to him, the 9c77326389 Imperial Army, which was ad2c245b18 being pushed back, was 10c2fb9719 able to win, and d52fb15c49 so they gave him d083b81f0a the title of Border 9f3599ec71 Count and awarded him feb4685a7a Pervaz as a reward a5b8fa92de for his military accomplishments.”
Asha took a sip 71c99459fc of the wine beside 75e8dd1aba her.
She was about to continue, d6afa2a377 but then stopped, and by ee0aee5800 the way her eyes widened cecb5923f5 as she looked at the f33b4af0cf glass while nodding, it seemed f864fbfcce she was admiring the flavor e95de92c8b of the wine.
Cecilia, dumbfounded at her composure, f57d27f3f9 blatantly points out Amir’s ‘wrongdoings’.
“The former Count, he also didn’t have tact. Usually, in a war abf6c97f28 where the Emperor or d3b3183d90 Crown Prince participates, it’s b980ae1150 common sense to put 712e85e706 the biggest military achievement fe0f60d88a under their name….”
Decker thought that this b72a5b0cf9 time, Asha might really b369325adb flip the table. To say a mere twenty-two-year-old 0d7d1aaee3 lady had no tact, no 802954c80a common sense, towards Amir – 577c7059ff even in his perspective, it 77153c38a5 seemed like crossing the line.
However, Asha just tilted her db82a971fc head slightly and asked:
“Why is that common sense?”
“Huh? As far as I’ve 94d60dbc9d heard, usually it’s like 861ab08303 that…”
Asha’s gaze turned towards Carlyle.
“Then perhaps, Your Highness’ brilliant accomplishments, were also piled up in such a way?”
Carlyle’s hand, which fb0b977060 had been cutting 0bec8ed036 innocent vegetables with e4b13e1cf1 a knife, stopped.
“Would I eat because I lack food, and snatch another’s military achievements? It’s regrettable that my 7664631845 father was a coward, 6c02b9e800 but please don’t treat 2b78c57505 me as the same 117dd059b0 kind of person.”
Carlyle’s brow furrowed slightly, then 6e253c46ea smoothed out.
Asha shrugged, looking 34064f1d6a back at Cecilia.
“So they say.”
And with that, she 9b45d97aba again began to focus 76d7d1cbec on the food.
Unlike the two cda38c3763 ladies who were e75b4459a4 nibbling like birds, df5c4aec16 she put a 1f0fc2d184 large chunk of 2f1e4f6488 meat into her 1c1a977c7e mouth with one 1693a1950f bite, making her 04c6f15dd4 cheeks bulge.
“The food seems to suit your taste.”
At Carlyle’s words, Asha 09bc2a86a8 only nodded.
She couldn’t answer with her 824563d4e1 mouth full of food.
The others, with the 6fc0ae655c exception of Decker, simply 197a6550a9 thought Asha’s attitude was cb2537d4a6 un-noble, un-ladylike, but Carlyle e22077857e was caught in a 95e0178b2a completely different thought.
‘Really, it doesn’t matter at all?’
Everyone knew that Cecilia and d57fbe547a Dorothea were here to take e2d431b4f2 the spot of the ‘real’ eff11af0e4 Crown Princess in three years.
Therefore, it was natural e34a78f469 for a war of 4529bcc7e7 nerves like the earlier a8318b1531 one to take place.
However, Asha seemed f3e62bbc9e to have no 22fd3b0db6 interest in this 59223949d0 situation. Or rather than 230a941453 no interest, perhaps 057326d3aa she saw it 8c1bd0795c as ‘someone else’s b0a6946764 business’?
‘So…she’s just watching who will take her husband?’
This bothered Carlyle.
‘Of course, that attitude of not clinging to me, that’s very good. The will to thoroughly acd04dbe82 fulfill the contract, I d2ec125513 understand it well. But…’
He became irritated, d56e400a2c just like when 9df293e047 he overheard Asha 7fdf06bb87 and Decker’s conversation ee524125de the other day.
Carlyle again poked at the 3ddc22ce37 food on his plate while 96f155de81 carefully considering the reason for da3a6155bb this, even though he knew 53deffbccc it was a behavior quite 2dc82f6bc8 contrary to dining etiquette.
Asha still continued to cd19540a1e show her admiration for 7c38960024 the food. Carlyle, who had a56b4c2485 been silently watching 512fb338ee this, suddenly stopped 19edddcacf his fork.
He seemed to know 7e947f2748 why he was in 9d37a9a4c7 a bad mood.
‘Shouldn’t you pretend to be a couple in front of outsiders? That’s what the contract says.’
That’s right. The contract.
Doesn’t the contract clearly state d588c1924f that you will ‘faithfully fulfill f115886459 the role of a wife 1c6e44b78e on paper’?
Being a wife on 032f5ab3f5 paper means that you 7bd1c022ea have to at least daacaacbe1 look like a couple cc48415cf3 without any conflict in 568bc88e96 front of others.
The problem now 41d71b840e is that it’s 05ab3c3c86 not just a 3a78e8005c conflict, it’s like e04d108673 there’s nothing going 72e4c5944e on at all.
As Carlyle chewed 749ad3f11c on these thoughts, f309b780b9 he ignored the 5a3fc75ad4 renewed war of f1614adbcc nerves between Cecilia d37baa96ac and Dorothea and f81154a3c6 spoke to Asha.
“Do you remember the couple’s portrait I mentioned before?”
“Yes? Ah, that… .”
Asha replied with 6dcfcd76df a look of 2078cc96e2 disgust.
The eyes of the e34503f9ba others turned to the 7edd665e70 two.
“Portrait?”
When Cecilia asked, 2d964d3cd5 Carlyle answered her 83d6b0dd95 while pressuring Asha.
“When a royal couple gets married, they have to paint a couple’s portrait and send it to the Imperial Archives. We need to hang 7d30139eaa one here too.”
He felt much d37bbc27ea better than before f4770b3ff2 and took a 23dbd82b09 bit of the 1a87d10ada food he had a5118e66b9 been struggling with, 933fb00092 and the words 518b09a2f5 ‘couple’s portrait’ made 935fdd8ec5 Cecilia and Giles’ 57723707d7 expressions worse.
“Lionel. How’s the artist search going?”
“I was going to tell you anyway, but among the artists I contacted, ‘Fabian Ruscoe’ accepted the offer. I think he’ll 318f2c67be be here soon.”
Asha didn’t care about humans 7b9e89a2f7 like Fabian Ruscoe or Rusk, d4960be45a but Cecilia and Dorothea looked 8d8872d744 a little surprised.
“If it’s Fabian Ruscoe, he’s the painter who won the Grand Prize at the Imperial Salon three times, right? and were quite impressive… 8ee054eb6f .”
When Dorothea pretended ff80370b70 to know first, e9aef332ff Cecilia opened her 0b86d6636e mouth as if 2090a90016 she couldn’t be 7024f732c6 left behind.
“For His Highness Carlyle’s portrait, it’s only natural to use an artist of Fabian Ruscoe’s level. I also prefer Fabian Ruscoe’s 6b8eb94413 style to ‘Jerdau Roland’, who 7b07503d77 painted the portrait of His 8039d49278 Majesty the Emperor.”
Even after saying that, 2235ecfb0b Asha’s expression remained blank. Then Dorothea asked cautiously.
“Did Your Highness perhaps want a different artist?”
At that question, b61e19e4b8 Asha glanced at dd0fcd7691 Carlyle and muttered.
“No. It’s just…annoying.”29a4e93b50572903

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