The Age Of Arrogance

“Hmm. It’s going as expected.”

 

After reading all the letters he received from Cecilia, Giles nodded. Cecilia, who took the letter back, paused for a moment and then admitted it calmly.

 

“To be honest… I was surprised.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I didn’t expect Sir Raphelt to come up with such a plan…”

 

“I was the one who was surprised. I didn’t know that Lady Dupret had the same idea as me.”

 

Cecilia smiled softly.

 

“I was worried because His Highness Carlyle seemed to have suddenly lost his heart. To stand on the emperor’s throne, there are times when you need to be more calculating than your enemies…”

 

“I agree. And it’s probably all because of that Countess of Pervaz, who hasn’t even learned how to eat properly.”

 

Giles clenched his teeth as he recalled Carlyle’s actions, which had gradually changed since meeting Ashiya.

 

The Carlyle, who always reacted positively to his own opinion, had begun to disagree with him from time to time.

 

It was a betrayal that felt like watching a child rebel, and it was disappointing.

 

“But it’s a marriage of convenience that will end anyway.”

 

“It seems that only that woman doesn’t know that. Since His Highness Carlyle is so kind to her, she doesn’t know her place…!”

 

Giles made no effort to hide his displeasure. Cecilia was quite pleased and felt a sense of kinship with him.

 

He soon shook off his emotions and turned his attention to the plan.

 

“Anyway, His Highness Carlyle will become the emperor. It is only right that people like us take care of such dirty work for that day.”

 

“That’s right. Isn’t that why we exist as subjects?”

 

“I didn’t know I would agree with you on this. You surprise me in many ways, Lady Dupret.”

 

TL/N: Dumb and Dumber

 

Giles was sincere.

 

He had only thought of her as a competitor who was fighting his own daughter for the position of empress, but Cecilia was a person who, like him, was willing to put everything on the line for Carlyle’s ascension to the throne.

 

She approached him first, who was an enemy, and told him that she supported the ‘Southern War’ plan, and actively supported communication using Dovetail without Carlyle’s knowledge.

 

“We must prevent His Highness Matthias from becoming emperor. If that incompetent prince becomes emperor, this country will fall into the hands of the Empress. The aftermath is suffocating just to imagine.”

 

Giles nodded vigorously as if to agree with that statement.

 

“Once we confirm His Highness Matthias’ incompetence, public opinion will quickly shift to His Highness Carlyle.”

 

“It seems like it has already shifted. Hoho!”

 

“It’s not certain yet. Her Majesty the Empress is determined, so we can’t let our guard down.”

 

Cecilia nodded and opened the letter again.

 

…As you instructed, I created the atmosphere. Queen Serenis’ gaze changed. After that, it seems that she was sending secret letters to the royal families of neighboring countries. My father also received it…

 

The letter was written in detail by the Prince of the Cadore Principality, who was instructed by Giles.

 

He attended a banquet in the Kingdom of Paleso and spread the rumor that ‘Carlyle Evaristo will not be able to come down to the South’.

 

Serenis, who was already determined to go to the Empire due to the difficult circumstances of her family, seemed to be forming an alliance with the surrounding countries if it wasn’t for Carlyle.

 

“It won’t be long. Duchess Dupret, you should also pack your bags appropriately. We will be returning to Zyro before the first half of next year.”

 

“There will be a lot to do when we get back, right?”

 

“Of course. Once this is over, the Lady and Dorothea will be rivals again.”

 

“No objections.”

 

Cecilia smiled brightly.

 

She had never fought a battle she had lost. So she was confident that she would win this time as well.

 

She thought that for now, she was just using Giles in her plan to make Carlyle the emperor.

 

***

 

“Another year has flown by,”

 

Carlyle muttered while drinking tea in his room three days before New Year’s Day, facing Asha.

 

“Time truly flies.”

 

Asha said in a voice half-lost in reminiscence, accepting Carlyle’s sudden invitation.

 

“It’s busy one way or another, but I still think couples should spend some cozy time together at the end of the year,” he said.

 

“…Yes,”

 

Asha replied, forcing herself to sound emotionless. However, his joke didn’t sound as meaningless as before.

 

“Couple” and “cozy” These words were painful for Asha, who was counting the days until their breakup.

 

But it was fortunate that Carlyle

called her first. She also had a reason to meet him before the end of the year.

 

“There’s something I want to give you before I forget,” she said.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“This…”

 

Asha handed him the gift she had prepared beforehand.

 

“What is this?”

 

“I heard there’s a custom of exchanging gifts at the end of the year. I wanted to try giving you something this year. It’s nothing special, though…”

 

Carlyle received the small leather pouch Asha offered with a surprised look.

 

She emphasized several times that it was “really nothing special” until he opened the pouch.

 

“What is this?”

 

“…It’s a bracelet made of leather.”

 

The moment Carlyle picked up the bracelet, Asha regretted giving him such a gift. He was someone who could afford much more expensive jewelry. Would he even care about a woven leather strap bracelet?

 

“I just… wanted to be the first to participate in the new custom of exchanging gifts in the territory from this year on. It doesn’t have a big meaning, so you can throw it away if you don’t need it…”

 

“It doesn’t have a special meaning?”

 

“Yes. It doesn’t. Absolutely not.”

 

“Every gift has a meaning, Countess. A gift is not about the material itself, but about the meaning behind it.”

 

Carlyle said as he put the bracelet on his wrist.

 

In fact, he never wore accessories. There weren’t many types for men, and he found it uncomfortable to have something hanging on his body.

 

The only accessory he was currently wearing was his wedding ring.

 

‘It feels a bit strange that the second accessory is also related to Countess Pervaz!’

 

He gazed approvingly at the bracelet made of twisted shiny leather straps. He had never imagined that he would wear something like this in his life, but surprisingly, it seemed to suit me well.

 

As he was pondering, Asha, who had been standing silently beside him, hesitantly spoke up.

 

“Well then… I’ll consider it a gift wishing Her Highness good health for a long time.”

 

Even though it was a small gesture, she felt like she was speaking to an elderly person on their seventieth birthday.

 

But still, it was fine.

 

‘It’s not like she’s giving a gift with devious intentions, like mine.”

 

Asha still wore the jade necklace he had gifted her last year around her neck. He had never tried tracking her location using the stone yet, but he felt guilty every time he looked at the necklace.

 

So this year, she prepared a simple gift.

 

‘You may have stolen the lead, but I also prepared something.’

 

He took something out of his desk drawer.

 

“It’s nothing special. Even if it’s jewelry, you’ll probably sell it to buy military supplies anyway.”

 

Inside the box he jokingly handed over was the fragrance she occasionally used.

 

“That scent… suits you well.”

 

Asha’s cheeks flushed.

 

In fact, she only used this fragrance when she slept in the same room as Carlyle.

 

“Thank… you.”

 

While thanking him, she had complicated thoughts.

 

She felt embarrassed that he remembered the scent from her body when they shared a bed, and she was curious about why he chose this particular fragrance when he knew she didn’t usually use it. Part of her wondered, ‘Does my body have a bad smell?’

 

But then, Carlyle personally opened the lid of the fragrance bottle and dabbed a little on his finger before leaning in closer to her.

 

“In fact, I had this fragrance custom-made for myself. But since you didn’t like anything else, I never opened the bottle.”

 

At his words, Asha remembered the first time she had ever ‘dressed up’ in Carlyle’s mansion in Zyro.

 

The maids were scrubbing her vigorously when a chambermaid entered the bathroom and asked her to choose her favorite scent from about seven different bottles of fragrance.

 

She refused all of them, saying she would never use something with a headache-inducing scent or floral or fruity scents. The chambermaid sighed, pondered for a moment, then went outside and brought back another bottle of fragrance.

 

[How about this scent?]

 

From the three bottles of perfume she offered, she could smell a decent scent. It was the scent of the forest or the valley, or the scent of the earth after the rain.

 

She chose the scent that made her feel like she was in the middle of a deep forest, and the maid made a strange expression.

 

[I didn’t expect your tastes to be similar in this way.]

 

[Excuse me? What do you mean?]

 

[It’s nothing. I was just told to do whatever the Countess wants…]

 

At that time, she couldn’t understand what the maid said at all, but now she thought she knew. She had intercepted the perfume that Carlyle was supposed to use.

 

“I had no idea.”

 

“I know. If you had known that, you would never have used this perfume.”

 

He pressed the tip of his finger, which was soaked in perfume, on Asha’s neck.

 

He could feel Asha’s pulse at his fingertips.

 

“But I definitely think this scent suits the Countess better than me. Mixed with your body odor… the perfume feels warmer than its original scent.”

 

As Carlyle applied the remaining perfume on his fingers to the ends of Asha’s hair, he lowered his head towards her neck.

 

“It’s strange that the scent of trees and grass that grow in the south suits you, who lives in the north.”