The Age Of Arrogance

The two women looked at Asha with wide eyes in response to that question.

 

“Oh… You don’t know about oranges?”

 

“Well, Pervaz is quite far north, you see. Oranges are a fruit that grows a lot in the south. They’re round like this, with an orange peel, and when you peel it, there’s juicy flesh inside.”

 

Dorothea, who was relatively kind, explained about oranges, but Cecilia couldn’t help but let out a snicker that escaped her mouth.

 

‘A woman like her, even if only nominally a princess, if nobles find out her true identity, they will all ridicule her.’

 

Oranges were a bit expensive, but they were one of the fruits enjoyed by the nobility in the capital every summer.

 

But if a princess, or even further, an empress, were to look at such a common fruit with wonder and ask, “What is this?” would the dignity of the imperial family be maintained?

 

‘It’s just a small part of it. An empress who doesn’t know anything that’s obvious to the nobles will be ostracized in society and won’t be of any help to the emperor.’

 

It was clear she’d be more of a burden than anything else.

 

‘But I don’t need to worry. This woman is just a three-year-old princess anyway.’

 

Cecilia chuckled at her own absurdity in imagining Asha’s future as an empress, then changed the subject.

 

“Well, oranges aren’t important. What’s important now is that His Highness Carlyle will soon return. He’s achieved quite significant results.”

 

She took out the letter she had received from Dovetail earlier that evening and unfolded it.

 

“Indeed, His Highness Carlyle, even in just a month’s schedule, managed to accomplish all the tasks he aimed for.”

 

However, Asha and Dorothea couldn’t understand the meaning behind the letter even after reading it.

 

“It’s filled with codes to fit a lot of information on a small piece of paper, that’s why you can’t read it.”

 

“Oh my! I apologize, Countess. It’s just a code that’s easy for me to read, so I didn’t think twice about it.”

 

Cecilia apologized, but Dorothea sensed that Cecilia’s action was deliberate.

 

‘She’s flaunting her own skills, perhaps to provoke Countess Pervaz… But why…?’

 

Dorothea couldn’t quite grasp Cecilia’s feelings towards Asha.

 

Most of the time, she ignored Asha. Just seeing her laugh at Asha’s question about oranges without attempting to hide it was evidence enough.

 

Yet at the same time, she was acutely aware of Asha’s presence. Was it because Asha occupied the position of Carlyle’s wife, a position Cecilia had long desired?

 

‘Anyway, it seems she doesn’t even see her as a competitor.’

 

Dorothea rinsed her bitter mouth with tea.

 

And then, Cecilia kindly interpreted the letter they had been shown to them.

 

“His Highness Carlyle has turned the social world upside down again. It seems that Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness Matthias are in trouble. And His Majesty the Emperor has also been visiting His Highness Carlyle frequently.”

 

“Is there any news about the temple?”

 

“Yes. It seems that the Elahe Sect is trying to distance itself from High Priest Gabriel. I think it’s not the Elahe Sect itself that has colluded with Her Majesty the Empress, but rather the faction of High Priest Gabriel.”

 

Asha nodded her head heavily.

 

Seeing such Asha, Cecilia lightly conveyed the last piece of news as if it were nothing.

 

“And it seems that Pervaz has become quite the center of attention. Word of His Highness Carlyle rebuilding Pervaz has spread quickly, and there are now nobles who want to invest in it.”

 

As she expected, a sharp light flashed in Asha’s eyes.

 

“That’s good news for Countess Pervaz, isn’t it?”

 

Cecilia asked with a smile, but Asha silently drank her tea with a hardened face.

 

‘Whether it’s good news or not remains to be seen. If something goes wrong, Pervaz could be the only one who suffers.’

 

That was the situation Asha was most worried about.

 

Of course, she couldn’t rely on Carlyle forever, so she would need to accept investments from other families once the territory had grown to a certain extent, but it was too early now.

 

It was said that it could become a target for Carlyle’s enemies.

 

Cecilia couldn’t have missed that fact, so perhaps she was just trying to gauge her reaction by bringing this up now.

 

‘She’s trying to see if I’m a fool or not.’

 

Asha found Cecilia’s useless checks and balances amusing, but she didn’t show it. Cecilia might one day become the Empress, and if she made a bad impression on her, Pervaz might suffer instead.

 

“When will His Highness depart?”

 

“In two or three days. It will probably take about half a month to get here…….”

 

“In any case, he will be back within this month.”

 

Asha took a deep breath and looked out the window at the hot sun that had taken over.

 

‘It would have been better if he hadn’t shown up at all in the meantime.’

 

Since her conversation with Lionel, she had been trying to cut off her growing feelings for Carlyle.

 

There were days when she thought she had finally sorted out her feelings by not thinking about Carlyle at all, but then there were other days when the slightest thing would trigger a train of thought about Carlyle and she would end up sighing.

 

‘I don’t know if I’m going to do something stupid at this rate.’

 

Of course, she didn’t want to be a real couple with Carlyle or expect his love.

 

She just wanted him to stay in Pervaz Castle as he was now.

 

Seeing his face once or twice a day, having a business conversation, sometimes eating together, and sometimes patrolling the territory together…….

 

‘My greed has already grown.’

 

Asha quickly gulped down the cold tea to calm her stomach, which was in turmoil. She felt like she was going to be scolded for drinking tea like this, unbecoming of a noble.

 

While she was lost in thought, Cecilia was subtly exaggerating the atmosphere between her and Carlyle to show her superiority over Dorothea and Asha.

 

“And then it said His Highness was worried about me. In fact, I came here with a strong determination to help His Highness, but I guess I still seem like a weak person in His Highness’s eyes.”

 

“I heard from my father that His Highness Carlyle cherishes his aides, but it seems to be true!”

 

“Hmm, well, it felt a little different than that…… But I guess you’re right in a big way.”

 

Dorothea was effectively attacking Cecilia without being as overt as her.

 

Asha missed the beginning of the conversation, but she wasn’t that curious.

 

‘That person is worried about someone tenderly…….’

 

She couldn’t imagine it at all.

 

And if Cecilia’s words were true…… His tenderness must be a special side that only his lover could see.

 

Asha felt a little depressed at the thought that Cecilia knew a Carlyle that she didn’t.

 

Then Cecilia chirped.

 

“I would like it if he brought me a gift when you come. Right? Hoho!”

 

“A gift?”

 

Asha asked again, not understanding this time either.

 

“Is it Lady Cecilia’s birthday?”

 

“Oh? I’m talking about a travel gift.”

 

“A travel gift? He was going to Zyro for work?”

 

“You could say it’s a trip. Even if it’s not, it’s common for nobles to buy gifts on their way back from somewhere.”

 

Cecilia stared at Asha and added one last word.

 

“Especially since you want to give a gift to someone special, even with a small excuse.”

 

Her voice was full of confidence that she was his ‘special person’.

 

Asha felt sorry for Dorothea, but no matter how she looked at it, it seemed almost certain that Cecilia would be the next empress.

 

“Anyway, I hope he comes back soon and takes care of the work that’s piled up. Sir Bailey’s face is about to turn red.”

 

“Oh, really? Hohoho!”

 

“Sir Bailey really has a hard time. Hohoho!”

 

At Asha’s words, the atmosphere at the tea table had lightened up.

 

However, Asha herself felt her mood sink to the bottom for no reason.

 

TL/N: why are these ladies laughing in santa lol

 

***

 

“Where have you been?”

 

Decker asked with a serious face, grabbing Carlyle who had suddenly disappeared after dinner and only appeared at midnight.

 

“Oh, didn’t Sir Giles tell you?”

 

“He only said that you went out for personal business. But how can you disappear without an escort in Zyro, where the Empress’s hands are everywhere?”

 

“You’re thinking too much.”

 

Carlyle patted Decker on the back and tried to get away.

 

However, Decker did not let Carlyle go easily.

 

“What is that?”

 

“It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

 

Carlyle was holding a large, long object in his hand. It was wrapped in cloth for protection, but Decker, a warrior, immediately realized that it was a ‘sword’.

 

But something seemed strange no matter how he looked at it.

 

“Isn’t a bigger sword better for Your Highness? It looks like a bastard sword at least… …”

 

“……You have good eyes too.”

 

Carlyle sighed and carefully placed the object he had brought on the table.

 

Then, after much deliberation, he unwrapped the ‘package’ as if he had made up his mind.

 

As Decker had guessed, it was a bastard sword that seemed to have been newly made.

 

“What do you think?”

 

TL/N: the bastard sword is basically a thick sword at the bottom then gets very thin at its tip. it was used in the medieval times, you can search it up!