The statement wasn’t intended to seek an answer, but Asha, who was listening nearby, replied,
“It seems he was trying to remove you from the imperial family.”
“Look! Even a backwater lord who was focused solely on fighting the war until yesterday knows something as transparent as this?”
His plan to usurp the crown prince position must have been ongoing since Beatrice’s son became the new crown prince, but eliminating or taking the position away from the young crown prince wouldn’t be easy.
He was born with the ‘blessing of the gods,’ liked by everyone, and his maternal family, the Gould County house, was one of the most powerful noble families with immense wealth.
“How much those people must have wished for me to die in the war, become disabled, or be defeated?”
Carlyle chuckled as if he found it amusing. However, Lionel, who had shared his difficult past, couldn’t laugh with him.
“You find it funny? You’ve lived such a tragic life…”
“Tragedy? It’s an unsettlingly dramatic phrase for you. What part of my life was a tragedy?”
“What do you mean? You lost your mother at a young age and were strictly disciplined by your maternal grandfather, the former Count Gould. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to endure it.”
The former Count Gould, fueled by the ambition of making his daughter the empress, became enraged when Ivelina only gave birth to a son and died early. He vowed to make his grandson the emperor.
He harshly disciplined the young Carlyle to ‘perfection’ so that Beatrice wouldn’t dream of the crown prince position no matter how many sons she had.
However, his plan soon encountered a major obstacle: Carlyle Everisto himself.
“Grandfather? Why is that old man my tragedy? I would have been his tragedy before he became my tragedy. Ahahaha!”
Carlyle laughed cheerfully.
If he were an ordinary child, he would have been intimidated by the strict discipline since his infancy and feared his grandfather. However, Carlyle, who was not an ordinary child, had never been cowered by fear.
“Maybe he died early because of me?”
“No way. I heard you caused a lot of trouble, but you always surpassed even the expectations of the former Count Gould.”
“His expectations weren’t that high compared to the mischief I caused. Or maybe I’m just too good?”
Lionel chuckled, and Carlyle still wore a smile, but Asha started to see him differently.
‘Even if he takes it lightly, there’s no denying his life wasn’t easy.’
Moreover, even though Lionel didn’t say it, Carlyle must have been plagued by assassination attempts even before he could walk.
The fact that he developed such an arrogant personality while living through that suffocating time might even be more remarkable than the fact that he won all the wars.
“Why? Are you suddenly admiring what a great husband I am?”
Asha, lost in thought, gave a simple answer to Carlyle’s teasing.
“Yes.”
He didn’t expect a joking reply to his joke, but also didn’t anticipate a ‘yes’. Carlyle was momentarily speechless.
However, Asha didn’t notice his flustered expression and spoke calmly.
“I truly think it’s amazing that you didn’t commit suicide and endured it, even though it must have been like a gilded hell.”
“I often can’t tell if what you’re saying is a compliment or an insult.”
“It’s a compliment. Pure one.”
“Then I think I need to learn the Pervaz language.”
Carlyle thought to himself, shaking his head, that it would be much harder than learning the socialite’s art of conversation.
***
Eventually, Carlyle set out for Pervaz with 50 million Verona in “dowry” and all sorts of supplies to support him living in the capital.
However, he did not tell Asha the exact amount or scale.
‘There’s no need to show all my cards at once. A surprise gift is more touching.’
Carlyle decided to take full advantage of Asha’s innocence and lack of worldliness.
However, he could not hide the dozens of carts loaded with mountains of luggage, or the servants and knights who were leaving with him to assist him.
Asha’s mouth dropped open at the sight of the “Prince’s Wedding Procession” that unfolded before her like a parade.
“Do you like it, Countess Pervaz?”
Carlyle, who was at the front of the procession, asked Asha softly next to him.
“Actually… I never imagined it would be this much…”
“Of course not. Even my father wouldn’t have imagined it.”
The marriage of Carlyle and Asha was the most frugal wedding in the history of the royal family, but in fact it was the most expensive.
After all, the money Carlyle was now taking away was equivalent to half of the royal family’s annual budget.
‘If even 1/10 of this falls to Pervaz, we will be…!’
Asha felt dizzy.
Before, Carlyle had clearly said, “When I get tired of it and throw it away, you can pick it up and use it,” and now even if they just picked up the crumbs of the supplies following them, Pervaz would surely be rich.
‘Yes, I made the right choice. Pervaz can never escape poverty without an opportunity like this.’
Asha nodded again, justifying this strange marriage once more.
But there was more to be surprised about.
“Wow! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, long live!”
“Long live! Bless you, Your Highness!”
Carlyle’s procession, the most popular royal in the entire empire, was met with tremendous cheers and curiosity wherever it went. People treated Carlyle as if he were a god and asked for his blessing.
For the people who struggled to make ends meet, religion was the last place to turn, and Carlyle, who was said to be born with the blessing of God, was a more worthy object of praise than any other royal.
“This is amazing…”
Asha, who had seen Carlyle’s popularity for the first time, could not close her mouth in surprise.
Not at the love and cheers of the people for Carlyle, but at Carlyle’s hypocritical actions towards them.
“If you are going to serve His Highness Carlyle in the future, you will have to get used to this.”
Lionel noticed her trying to hide her absurd expression and whispered from the side.
“Ah… I don’t really…”
“You don’t have to deny it. I understand. I really do understand.”
Lionel said twice that he understood, as if he had no intention of mocking or criticizing Asha.
Asha, unsure of how to respond, brings up Carlyle again.
“His Highness Carlyle seems to truly love the people.”
Although Carlyle only occasionally raised his hand to acknowledge the cheers and had candy prepared to be distributed, it was a remarkably affectionate gesture considering his usual arrogance.
Despite being kept at a distance by the soldiers, the people were thrilled to see Carlyle even from afar, shouting and wiping away tears.
Lionel, watching the scene with Asha, clicked his tongue and asked,
“If anyone else said that, I would have taken it as sarcasm, but coming from Count Perbaz, it’s confusing.”
“……It’s half and half.”
“Ah, as expected.”
Lionel nodded.
“But as I mentioned earlier, if you are to serve His Highness Carlyle, you must get used to this kind of thing. This is also part of the ‘operation’.”
“Operation?”
“It is an operation to help His Highness Carlyle reclaim the position of Crown Prince and safely become Emperor.”
“Ah…….”
Only then did Asha understand.
Although Carlyle seemed intoxicated by his popularity, he was still a calculating man to the core.
Just then, Carlyle, having finished his duties, boarded the carriage where Asha and Lionel were.
“Sigh, I’m tired.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
The face that had been smiling like a confident and reliable monarch changed the moment he entered the carriage, turning into an expression of boredom and annoyance.
Carlyle wiped his forehead with the handkerchief Lionel had prepared and threw it at Lionel.
Although he had only wiped his sweat two or three times, the handkerchief would soon be delivered to the laundry servants.
“Water.”
Lionel quickly handed over the water bottle, and Carlyle took a few sips from the pewter bottle before handing it back to Lionel.
“Hezburn is done. Where’s the next place we need to put on this ‘show’?”
“It’s Irwindale, which we’ll arrive at in two days. Viscount Irwindale was taken advantage of by the House of Earl Leoblaine, so it would be good to definitely bring them over to our side this time.”
The House of Viscount Irwindale was a family that owned a considerable amount of cash through various businesses. However, they were often treated as ‘money grubbers without honor’ among the high nobles and always tried to curry favor with the high noble families.
It seemed that they had previously tried to curry favor with the Empress’s family, the House of Earl Leoblaine, but they ended up being used and abandoned.
“Hmm. Then let’s call out the lord’s representative in Irwindale and bestow something upon them.”
“What shall we give?”
“Don’t you remember the books my father packed in the carriage to piss me off?”
“You mean ‘The Duty of a Subject’?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Carlyle thought of the book, which his father had given him as a ‘gift’ with a flushed face the whole time he was preparing the extravagant procession, and he raised one corner of his mouth.
Did he think that would piss me off?
“There are ten of those books.”
“Give one to each of the major territories. Include a touching phrase and my autograph.”
****
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