The Age Of Arrogance

“But you can’t avoid this forever, Your Majesty.”

 

“……I know.”

 

“Don’t speculate what Her Majesty the Empress is thinking and have a conversation. If Her Majesty refuses, then you must accept it.”

 

“…….”

 

Of course Carlyle knew that.

 

It was just that he wasn’t ready to accept rejection yet.

 

Of course, as always, Lionel was right.

 

He had to end this situation before he hurt Ashia any more.

 

“If I…… If I find the courage to kill myself and live, I will do it then.”

 

TL/N: He means killing himself emotionally!

 

“Your Majesty!”

 

“It won’t take long. Don’t worry.”

 

Carlyle fumbled with the leather bracelet on his wrist and muttered helplessly.

 

* * *

 

“Hoo……. What on earth is His Majesty thinking?”

 

Having returned empty-handed again today, Asha beat her chest in frustration, unable to understand Carlyle’s intentions.

 

Then, as if to comfort her, a letter arrived from Pervaz.

 

“Did Decker send it?”

 

Asha quickly tore open the envelope. It was a letter summarizing the situation in Pervaz, much like a report.

 

Although it was long enough to have been sent by messenger, Asha found herself wishing it was even longer. And as she read the letter, her mood gradually improved.

 

“It seems Decker is doing well. That’s a relief…….”

 

Decker was doing his best to govern the masterless territory. Carlyle’s help had been a great contribution in this.

 

……The supplies sent by His Majesty the Emperor are being used very effectively. Physicians from Zyro have come and are teaching medicine to some of our citizens, and both the teachers and the students are enthusiastic.

 

Without saying a word to Asha, Carlyle had sent a huge amount of supplies to Pervaz to care for the wounded and help the families of the victims.

 

The city seemed to have recovered quite a bit as well.

 

……All the broken doors have been fixed. And your room has been moved back to the second floor, so don’t be surprised when you come.

 

As for the military…….

 

The military, which had suffered many casualties, had a hard time for a while, but it was recently reported that they had slowly resumed training.

 

In the midst of everything going in a good direction, it seemed that Dorothea Raphelt was the only one who was not looking well.

 

……However, I am a little worried about Miss Dorothea. Sir Raphelt is asking her to come to Zyro, but she is refusing, saying she doesn’t want to go. And she seems to be very scared these days, so she has become very haggard…….

 

Asha felt compassion for Dorothea, understanding her feelings.

 

‘After all, with Duchess Dupret being named Empress, she probably doesn’t want to be pushed into a hopeless fight by her father’s ambition. But what is she going to do in the future?’

 

Asha had always been concerned about Dorothea. She was a very kind and caring person, surprisingly so for someone born to a man like Giles.

 

So when she heard that Dorothea was in trouble, Asha wanted to help her, regardless of her own wishes. But after reading the next page of the letter, it seemed that she didn’t have to worry so much.

 

“Even if I’m not there, Decker seems like he will help her.”

 

Her youngest single brother seemed to be head over heels in love with the calm and gentle Dorothea.

 

……I plan to help Miss Dorothea to the end. If you hear news of something unfortunate happening, please don’t misunderstand. I will not do anything to betray my faith or turn a blind eye to injustice.

 

Asha imagined Decker and Dorothea together and nodded her head vigorously.

 

‘I must accept Miss Dorothea as my new sister-in-law.’

 

There are few men as kind, strong, and respectful of women as Decker. Besides, he likes to read books like Dorothea, and he will soon be granted a decent title and territory by Carlyle. And he may not be bad looking, if you dress him up a bit.

 

‘……Isn’t that it? A noble lady who has lived in the city probably won’t find Decker handsome. Then let’s try to highlight his other strengths…….’

 

Asha mulled over this and took out a piece of paper to write a reply to be sent by a pigeon.

 

Dorothea, do not spare your support for her. You are responsible for her safety. Do not worry about Sir Raphelt making a fuss with me.

 

Asha smiled brightly, feeling good for the first time in a while.

 

Imagining Giles fluttering and hopping over to her after sending a small letter tied to a pigeon’s leg, she was snickering when Cecilia came to see her.

 

Unlike when they were living in the same castle as Pervaz Castle, she was now living in the Dupret Duchy, so it was a long time since they had met in person.

 

“Lady Dupret! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.”

 

“Have you been well, Your Majesty? I will be meeting His Majesty the Emperor with my father in the afternoon, but I came early to see Her Majesty the Empress as well.”

 

Cecilia greeted her superior gracefully, spreading her skirt. Asha was embarrassed and waved her hands.

 

“Why are you suddenly doing this to me? Just do what you used to do.”

 

“What? I can’t do that, Your Majesty. Before, your position was uncertain, but now you are the rightful Empress.”

 

“But this position will soon be Lady Dupret’s anyway, so why…”

 

“What?”

 

This time, Cecilia’s eyes widened.

 

“What do you mean, Your Majesty?”

 

“What do you mean? Isn’t His Majesty going to divorce me soon? Then I know that Lady Dupret will soon be the Empress.”

 

“Who… told you that?”

 

“Well… everyone knows that, don’t they?”

 

Of the two people who were tilting their heads at each other, Cecilia was the first to come to her senses.

 

“Your Majesty, forgive my rudeness, but I would like to ask for confirmation. Have you received His Majesty’s confession…?”

 

“What confession? Are you talking about the Southern War?”

 

“Ah… haha…”

 

Cecilia sighed as if she was laughing.

 

‘You haven’t confessed your feelings yet? I didn’t know you would be so stuffy in this way.’

 

Of course, she could guess the reason for this.

 

Asha Pervaz is not a soft-hearted person who would fall for sweet love talk.

 

‘He seems to be dull in that way.’

 

If it were before, she would have said good riddance and let them suffer a little, but this situation was not good for Cecilia either.

 

Only after Carlyle announced Asha as the official empress would the changes in the status of other nobles be definitively announced.

 

“Your Majesty. That rumor is distorted. I have no intention of becoming Empress.”

 

“Yes? Then who…?”

 

“Who, Your Majesty. Who are you talking about putting me up as Empress when there is already an Empress?”

 

Cecilia smiled at Asha’s bewildered face.

 

“His Majesty the Emperor thinks the same way. He has no intention of taking a wife other than Her Majesty the Empress.”

 

“Ah, no, that can’t be… .”

 

“If you are suspicious, why don’t you arrange a conversation with His Majesty the Emperor? If you don’t talk to each other, misunderstandings will arise and unnecessary conflicts will arise.”

 

“But… .”

 

“Honestly, really, talk to each other with an open mind, without hiding anything. Please. I beg you.”

 

Asha felt even more absurd at the words “please I beg”, but Cecilia was sincere.

 

“The relationship between the two of you needs to be confirmed for many others to be comfortable. Please look down on the lower ones, Your Majesty.”

 

Asha, who felt a pang at those words, could not help but nod her head.

 

“Ah, I understand. There seems to be some misunderstanding, but I will ask His Majesty for a private audience… .”

 

Then she suddenly remembered that she had been asking for a private audience all along, and that Carlyle had been refusing all of them.

 

“……I will ask for one for now. Since His Majesty has been avoiding me lately, I don’t know when we will be able to talk.”

 

“I will also speak to His Majesty. You two must! talk to each other.”

 

Cecilia emphasized “must” several times with a cheerful smile and turned to leave.

 

* * *

 

However, the opportunity for Carlyle and Asha to talk was created not by Cecilia, but by Giles.

 

“Your Majesty! My daughter is being held captive in Pervaz. Isn’t this an overreach of authority by the lord? I ask for your mediation, Your Majesty!”

 

Giles, who had failed to bring Dorothea back, was so angry that he ran straight to Carlyle.

 

The rumor that Dorothea was being held captive had spread quickly, but if it was true, it was indeed an overreach of authority, so Carlyle eventually called Asha in.

 

“It’s good to finally see you, Your Majesty.”

 

At Asha’s greeting, Carlyle felt his heart sink.

 

“Yes. I’ve been so busy lately.”

 

He thought he was confident enough to keep his face up, but at this moment he couldn’t bring himself to smile brazenly.

 

He hurriedly changed the subject.

 

“Sir Raphelt is asking for mediation. It is said that Lady Raphelt is being held captive in Pervaz. Is that true?”

 

“Isn’t ‘captivity’ a word that should be used when someone is forcibly held against their will in Pervaz?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“It’s not captivity. Dorothea herself said she wanted to stay in Pervaz.”

 

Asha took out Decker’s letter, which she had prepared in advance, from her bosom and handed it to Carlyle.

 

“Lady Dorothea is squeezing out all her courage to overcome her father’s oppression. Pervaz is just helping her.”

 

Carlyle frowned irritably as he read the letter carefully.

 

“Sir Raphelt is really…!”

 

“To be honest, I would like to ask about Your Majesty’s true feelings. Sir Giles Raphelt has been acting without regard for rank or position under the pretext of being Your Majesty’s teacher and advisor. I’m sure this is not just my own opinion.”