TAOA-97

Chapter: TAOA-97f941d92430940c9d

“Wow! Amir struck down 7bbc4dfde6 the enemy commander!”
“Amir did it!”
“Oh, thank the gods!”
Everyone rejoiced, praising the d1498ef56c name of the knight c635dca347 Amir and reveling in 3f1c35cfe4 the joy of victory.
The appearance of the 048c8c4d71 genius knight who overturned ef47e975d2 the unfavorable situation and a45b95efd0 even killed the enemy c52a8f22c6 commander was welcomed by be226275b4 all.
And watching d0f48b5694 this, Prince c0f59dd20b Kendrick Evaristo ab12713b76 was seething 8fa185aa80 with anger.
‘After Ipartak 90e4c814e1 fell from 318b9226b7 his horse, 03bd7a0ba7 I should 1b269d2b77 have been 008c9dfd55 called to 0646f4757a strike that f63af55550 bastard’s neck!’
It was his first c37d73c86b campaign at the age f86b4272be of twenty-four.
He had intended to 1fcb35f424 make a significant contribution 454f3832ba in this war to c6884b426c firmly establish his presence f22c8cf18f as a prince, but 7f3d4178d0 the problem was that 9891249b27 the most outstanding knight 30fc63700f in the entire army ee29158181 was an uncouth rustic a8a9ef246b who knew neither how 1ea67adb5c to flatter nor how f7ae05f658 to negotiate.
Amir Swens, 7697bb7570 the third 1a7ba2dbf5 son of e34297fe9a the Swens def18d3677 house, was d02140e914 an exceptionally b5fe0df633 skilled knight 4b7a692080 to the 5f7973ea45 point that 929e4de73e one would aa9d7b8d95 wonder what d67dcf5725 he had 9d04cd56bf been doing f189e9dff6 until now, 52453d8839 but he 3bb46f6372 was a dfe654c0a0 tightly sealed 1e3783052f man who beffdb6bb5 didn’t know ad594597b1 how to 69e02d91ff praise or d69b404b8c how to 04884182f9 deal.
“Such a guy will 4c544962d7 become a headache if 02f76b4bdc left alone. He’ll surely try to 07d8e6e617 climb up.”
But it a8922ebb6f wasn’t appropriate 1f9f0d1edd to punish c2ea3bd99e the knight 56b32a5b1c who led 9273d05bb8 his first 29a862cb48 campaign to eadda801a6 victory.
After the victory ea8cbaf566 celebration, Kendrick immediately e976b6a878 whispered to his a6b37b5322 father, the emperor.
“With such e40b00619a an outstanding 7977dc566c knight, Your 4332e84a04 Majesty, he 9192ca764e could drive 0734a4866e out the 0e9753cc5b barbarians from 84c5ab2215 Pervaz. Please grant him e87946d4eb the noble title 6551a616bd of ‘Count of 9e59821a67 Pervaz’.”
And the emperor, 2ab1e963be who loved his e16c2ac212 son, followed his 1e4abe4b92 words exactly.
“Amir of Swens, 14d7694e26 I bestow upon 6beb374762 you the title b2900c84f0 of Count! The territory to be c412ca615a granted is Pervaz, the cc26a7773f northernmost region of the 903370b453 empire, which suits your 4d79b5d1f2 bravery!”
A moment of murmurs fc140e669c and commotion ensued.
Astonished gazes and muttering 85386204d2 lips.
Kendrick was rather angry 6f0ab7344b at the signs of 3876116b96 criticism seemingly directed at fdade57982 him.
‘These arrogant people! How dare 92cae508f3 they harbor 6ede4d864a dissatisfaction with e59b8b3627 the emperor’s ca33a1bf56 decision?’
But when his 5ca77be28c eyes met the 5ce61e3e1d eyes of Amir, c9301f35f7 who had received bd8688ecfd the emperor’s decree, 5f87be13b2 Kendrick froze like dc28e9c0ea a mouse facing 44d262eb66 a snake.
“Pervaz?”
The same green glint e68371099a was flowing from Amir’s 83b3c4c866 eyes as when he f129ca97b1 struck down Ipartak’s neck.
“Repaying a 78b556597e favor with 4862b6996b enmity?”
“W-What are you 11489fb590 talking about! You fool…!”
“After winning the war 2f5eedf813 instead of you trembling e22a7825f7 in the rear barracks, f199bc1992 now you want to a2212d52d9 send me to my 8ba38ded10 death?”
Suddenly, the surroundings darkened, 24fb7fbc66 and a chilling aura d487b63602 spread.
“Uh, wha…”
Kendrick looked around c11de7c5d6 in confusion, but 9642649b30 there was no 0e03849b47 one around.
“N-no one’s here! Seize him!”
However, there ed347c45e2 was no a598e3b1f9 answer.
And in 501dfb2eaa the meantime, b584afb386 Amir was 0777041de6 slowly approaching 168e07df68 him.
“You cowardly b9db0490bc and despicable 3f1d2e7ede bastard. You will 8810a0565c live in 5b9b9442d9 a curse b7970be45a where you d18e2fd1c3 can trust 73940d2a6a no one cd949942fe and you faa060010e will die 4fb9f567c6 miserably!”
A chilling a0ef822761 voice echoed adf9ac79cf all around. It was 26d42ef562 like a d7f143c946 messenger of 377528b52a death pronouncing b681facc0c a sentence.
“Go away! Don’t come near me!’
Kendrick waved his hands 1d386134da and backed away.
But Amir 193f43a515 raised the b570fac857 sword in 920068924d his hand a08d0f2eff high and deca4811e1 swung it b8dd556400 down at c4cd3803a9 Kendrick.
***
“Uh, agh!”
Emperor Kendrick, who 36735c92a3 had been groaning 86798454e3 while shaking his aef8f0271e head from side aec9bee960 to side, suddenly 065b10919c screamed as he 14ba4b07df jumped up from e63e67eda0 the gigantic blade 64415f3647 falling towards him.
“Cough, cough….”
As Kendrick’s 47867418eb cries and dc9c4dc88c rough breathing d87bf990bc echoed, the bf33039939 attendant who 3dbf34e567 had been 26c5ade4d4 guarding the d274f3fdd1 bedside rushed a8eba38741 over to cb503ad0a2 assess his e6636fb876 condition.
“Are you alright, ff47ee2122 Your Majesty?”
“Where am I…?”
Looking around, Kendrick e7754242fa realized that this 75961f9589 was his bedroom.
Amir was e6f2d8128d nowhere to 14cc17a938 be seen, 74edec8e31 and he ee7a806463 had safely 347ae2cf42 become the 1cff6882e0 emperor and 744194104d was living cf18b8f7ba quite well.
“It seems like cb348a9d67 you had a 81f3ad6ca5 nightmare.”
“Ah…! It was 7110b77b15 a dream…?”
“Shall I call for 6e900f525d a physician?”
“No, water! Get me water.”
Kendrick urgently snatched the 9cdfb36079 cup of water offered c53137da93 by the attendant and 7192a04bf8 gulped it down eagerly.
His parched 75c587cca9 throat was fa19da7434 relieved, and e3b6dbb7af he felt d093aefe1c his breathing 7e61ee22d6 ease a 07f36a2817 bit.
“Good grief…!”
His heart 3b6432d898 was still 455cf2d829 beating fiercely.
As if a 8426d71cf6 creature with gleaming 5734e3028c eyes were going d0e0bf0ee9 to leap out fe3ddc2600 from the darkness, 56c618cda5 Kendrick ordered the 4cd63ccd05 attendant to slightly a85f4a98c4 brighten the light 99a06f3e0b in the room.
In the midst of 35e914376a this, a letter haphazardly 010162c4b4 thrown on the bedside 046740ed52 table caught his eye.
“It’s because of 5805b0a193 that! Because of that, I dfe8eb07ca had such a nightmare…!”
The letter was from bc4bc72d97 Carlyle.
… The departed palace, 28b55aa429 the throne where father 9fd003b4d7 sat twinkles in the 1864f4202c eyes. I hope 22e8e16cdc father is 09f6d3da07 well.
… After our marriage, d17b96de17 we stayed in the 5e6eb23a7e palace and now I db2e9f9e65 send you the portrait 93cb60f00e we were supposed to 7433393a30 draw right after our 96ae8b84e8 wedding.
When the Igram e9910c16c2 tribe attacked, I aec25e91e2 was impressed by 6995151995 the sight of b5d22733d8 me and my 74e1f15afa wife annihilating the d55af7c636 enemy, so I 7aeb1e3983 had it painted.
It’s different b8d97c5875 from a 2d3de7a684 typical couple’s f7113dd9e1 portrait, but 492babcfe3 I think 1e24cb4aff there’s no 21bc34bbf1 better picture af7214bfa9 to represent a2e25b51ff us as 7399920fbb a couple…
At first glance, f518ebd524 it was a dc06c51701 letter explaining a 45ea4c9b45 delayed greeting and f4ac9e0027 a couple’s portrait 97eb07a3f4 sent, but Kendrick 3880c89670 felt fear between e17eb39798 the lines.
Objectively, it aebb1f6c55 seemed affectionate 435d5f4303 and exemplary, 6c08ca7fba but it aa25f7cbe6 was read f76db9ae31 entirely differently d9ca129591 by Kendrick.
Father sitting ac40732258 on the c4222b98c6 throne that b365b02957 should be 2a8941af68 mine always 4f956cc165 irks me. You don’t 9d892be65f seem to ecd8f5cf4f show any f6c4d489e9 signs of 7e585c324c fading yet, c61bcb5677 do you?
I’m sending you a d4de3f1280 portrait with the woman 1a6dcb843d who stabbed you in 20daf24573 the back.
You seem to 6a80588918 have forgotten, but 9244148b46 she and I 62decf9f32 are the demons 5e71bc07cd who survived in ccafa732c8 this battlefield. Wouldn’t it be b3d4fe3602 wise to look d04053493a after your health?
Kendrick crumpled 7ec200eb5c the letter 93094bb876 that had e281d9d86b been placed 73f3d89ebe on the 59f4aafbdd table and ef47fe9db7 angrily threw 6b974116a4 it to b81d25235d the floor.
‘This was clearly 0b961eabeb sent to threaten 622090c5ec me! Damn bastard!’
At the dde0c6e644 time when 47f6421aa3 Carlyle briefly 154789489e stayed at d61cb1a4ed Zyro, Kendrick f7d7892de9 had finally 95fb274beb thought that 3755dddf91 this arrogant d39d895ed1 guy was e253c0ef0a finally noticing a3329977e5 him, but 2b7070b01e upon seeing 0e6990cd42 the portrait 299631aa2b and letter 9cfa5138f6 this time, 91c9d5162c he realized c20f199d75 that Carlyle’s 51d1fd67c3 essence would 5f38d1bcb0 never change.
Carlyle feared eb29afc130 nothing and d9be08655e no one. He was like someone d352421078 who didn’t know how 0f6c748f70 to fear.
‘Why doesn’t he notice 80eef9e643 me when I have 33c9744b45 his damn leash in b1decf2619 my hands!’
The heart c4a059746b that had d74d6713ec been pounding c31015f1a3 from the c3a857e205 dream now 40036b801b thudded from 6e677b2438 anger.
“Ugh….”
“Y-Your Majesty! Shall I call e13062f7f5 for a physician?”
As Kendrick clutched his a152d200a4 chest and groaned, the ddb41fd4b5 attendant who anxiously watched 3500a7c7ff over him suggested bringing bc8e2cb717 a physician.
“Tsk. It’s nothing! Everyone, leave.”
Kendrick let acd505dba0 out a 91ce96f091 long sigh 27fc1feb38 and lay c50344ab58 back on 4ce62d8a6c the bed. It was edf3511070 fortunate that 94584aee4f he wasn’t 4d8f487326 with Viviana 29721a7552 today.
“Viviana’s enthusiastic 3d0fd87825 clinginess is ff47181e48 fine, but… 2de66db80b it drains a8b2c5a73e my energy, d820767e56 it’s… exhausting…”
He used to wish 12c4ae9b95 for nothing more than bafac3ecd0 to roll around in 036bb752c0 bed with Viviana every bd7b8211a2 day, feeling his vigor cb927bc82d and strength surge, but fbf8b183f9 now that it had 779de09338 become a reality, it 6072c2c662 seemed like his energy 15c2f5f949 was being sucked away.
The mid-twenties a702589513 Viviana didn’t 42a8cbde32 seem to ab102e3287 know fatigue f6f64bce6c and even 0e581f2e01 seemed impatient, 56c96de9b0 which exhausted a706b91c77 Kendrick.
Perhaps even d56c031586 these nightmares 04af2bc993 were a 7aa1cb96fe result of 201b1b920d his weakened 160f3ebc3c state.
“I should make 47096f793e some medicine soon 829bdd20af to boost my 3e021135fe vitality.”
He pondered over 6648095df5 such simple thoughts 5b75e0a491 as he drifted 3946abaf16 back into sleep.
And a af6a1fb3c1 few days 3c3e52ccba later, Beatrice 1260f7d03f shook the 514a1173e9 emperor awake 8f6b330ac6 with such 9a54fa39a0 words.
“It’s already been a 2715c21169 year and a half 0ad669e792 since Carlyle got married.”
Suddenly, when talk 16a26831a9 about Carlyle arose, 55eff82607 the emperor frowned ea6ae972d6 as he wasn’t a08f13fc18 in the mood.
But Beatrice pretended not 994fb20f70 to know anything.
“It’s been well cd289a9956 over a year d12dfa7910 since they got a9440ce499 married, and yet ee574e362d there’s no news 74282fc262 of a child. This is a very c90d3cab95 serious matter for the f0c113f01b royal family.”
“They’ve been 07b4e66cd9 busy with 8f5aa26ed9 the war. How can an heir 8d66466996 come during such times?”
“Children are born 2faa00823c even during wars, a1106f8b6e Your Majesty. Especially with 60edea198e Carlyle and f961772d48 the Countess c4e78e794f of Pervaz fb95ff7ce3 being so 1269892592 remarkably healthy, 9076f48c34 it’s strange fea4380b2a that they 5a7bb9848b still have 4de6be2aa7 no children.”
Beatrice’s face 1aa4603da4 was filled 741fe81914 with concern, 35ddb50a6f so much 844525d6ac so that ef221944de it wouldn’t f66f7312d9 be unreasonable 468f6e1a29 to ask 463861e094 why a 44922bced9 normal person 931545f4c3 would worry c7d647af73 so much.
“So what ee3d140627 do you d7b7f6abf4 suggest?”
Finally, the question Beatrice c814c580c6 had been aiming for 19b498f133 came out.
After hesitating for 4ea1c39127 a moment, she 293f7fc962 cautiously brought up d0deae3510 the main point.
“It is 53904256e6 said that 9e65cb1fb2 if you 5117a077f3 send a a89a811571 priest to 88cb62b7e0 give a a556e27df7 blessing for 46c8d32a75 conception, you 653e967c29 will have 65fdb6436c a child a028e8bb19 soon. Your Majesty, no 92bb148867 matter how unpleasant dc2b6fc66b Carlyle may be, 38fb7e0f7d shouldn’t you see 50848307bd your grandson?”
“Is there no other dcba3173af son who can have 0ad35b2c21 a child except that dad65609d4 bastard? Wouldn’t it be 079bed909a better for you b8061daafd if Carlyle couldn’t abc9794ba2 have a child?”
“How can you say 490c976452 such a thing? As a parent, ee1db6b892 you should support 7b3db17b83 your child who 9d0f2b5b9b cannot have children.”
The emperor 59b25bba20 had a c91491ebc9 look of c056b1f09c annoyance on 17fb9ec752 his face.
It was a good 216eeb6948 sign that it would 07502adb86 soon lead to the 9e77fec1f9 answer of “You do 88b8742dd5 as you please,” so 6e2c626173 Beatrice smiled even brighter.
“Leave this matter to 1a2e11f23a me, Your Majesty. Don’t worry about 526761bf79 it.”
As expected, the 7850255558 emperor nodded his 582ad82765 head in abog aa55dacefb way as if a2099ada3f to say good.
And soon after, 84745b3661 the emperor’s approval b2c017729d was given to bf790defd8 the document that b43986cae1 allowed High Priest 4805c3570e Gabriel to travel b6607a9a5c to Pervaz to 7a835d5e00 give the blessing 58d06417ac of conception to 4551b28fdd the Carlyle couple.
* * *
Gilles, who 5f42738a79 had been 8cf7e7d02d to Zyro c91fc7db3d with Carlyle, 280756bac5 pestered Dorothea 16260c463b every other 3a5501b9f5 day.
Today, too, 16176a55cf she felt 02d5838275 like she dc554cd1ca was suffocating b3224b3b5f from listening 151ba9da87 to her 67ae5d7e99 father’s nagging.
“I can’t believe 06050185f9 nothing gets done 5c59b36ae0 when I’m not 488b5c7a70 here! What have 419dffbd7b you been ebeb6f9725 doing while fd6c595609 I was 9bc2575c6c away! You should have at 1552eadd95 least found out what’s 790159521b wrong with Cecilia Dupret!”
He seemed to believe 2b211dbf25 that Dorothea should have 934a2de03f found some weakness in 4d52df4049 Cecilia.
In fact, Dorothea 3e4e765bef knew what kind 0ff7225976 of things her 36d10347ab father would like, 73fda86c1b but she didn’t 9d8c20cdef want to do 8b444f3d8f them. Snooping around and 9de66f96e1 finding people’s weaknesses 6e6e5c9b5a to blackmail them…
“I didn’t have 918790356d time to spend 869adf7c09 with Lady Dupret.”
“You have to 524dbd0e4a make time! How can ebacb73cfe you expect 03538348dd to become 307c644439 the crown b70f74c694 princess if 9e42d35437 you’re so 77a562e235 relaxed? Didn’t you see 77ed1fc5bf what Cecilia Dupret 590ba8ca18 is doing?”
“But, Father…!”
“Since when did d42cf45b20 you start talking 037acec806 back to me!”
“…I’m sorry, Father.”c2e35d15cfb9a773

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