Carlyle declared that he would only take the marriage vows in the imperial palace and then leave for Pervaz.
[The wedding will take place after I reclaim the position of Crown Prince.]
Everyone nodded at Carlyle's decision, as there was a big difference in the scale and prestige between a prince's wedding and a crown prince's wedding. They had no doubt that Carlyle would reclaim the position of Crown Prince.
In any case, even though the wedding ceremony was omitted, it was still a marriage, so the imperial family had to prepare a suitable load for Carlyle, who was in the ambiguous position of "possibly a prince or possibly a crown prince."
"I pretended to be poor and righteous in front of the royal treasury officials, but I still managed to extract quite a bit. My father will be angry when he sees the list."
Carlyle proudly told Asha about how he had squeezed out his father's fortune. However, Asha had no idea how much he had actually squeezed out, so it was difficult for her to agree with him.
However, she hoped that he had squeezed out as much as possible.
"To be clear, Your Highness, you will need to procure everything you need here, no matter how small or trivial it may seem."
"Are you even stingy enough to lend me a needle?"
Carlyle grumbled, but Asha still replied with a serious face.
"No, literally, there is nothing in Pervaz. We can lend you a needle, but it will be of much lower quality than what the imperial family uses."
"Don't worry. I've already written down everything, even the smallest things. If I get tired of using them, I'll just throw them away and you can pick them up and use them."
"Thank you."
Carlyle was a little embarrassed when Asha thanked him sincerely, as he had only said it as a joke to see her flustered.
Just then, Giles arrived as promised. Carlyle introduced Giles to Asha while still sitting cross-legged.
"This is Baron Giles Raphelt, my closest aide, along with Lionel Bailey, whom you met last time. He is my longtime mentor and also my tutor, whom my enemies would most like to get rid of."
At Carlyle's introduction, Asha stood up and greeted the middle-aged man with a cold look on his face, extending her hand.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Asha Amir del Pervaz, Lord of Pervaz."
However, Giles only frowned slightly and glanced down at Asha's outstretched hand, not taking it.
"Giles Raphelt."
After briefly introducing himself, Giles passed by Asha, who still had her hand outstretched, and sat down in the chair next to Carlyle.
"I really couldn't imagine that this would happen. I would like to compliment you on catching me off guard, but to be honest, Miss Asha, you were really reckless."
Giles even clicked his tongue in disapproval.
"If His Highness Carlyle had not rescued you, the title of the Countess of Pervaz would have been returned to the imperial family. Where on earth were you thinking...."
"Sir Rapelt."
Carlyle nudged Giles, who had been berating Asha for a while.
"It seems that the Countess of Pervaz is getting upset."
Carlyle's expression was light, so Giles turned to Asha with an indifferent look.
Asha's back, still looking down at the hand that Giles had ignored, made Giles flinch.
Asha didn't frown, scream, or glare at Giles, but a chilling aura emanated from her back.
It wasn't murderous, but it was cold enough to be a warning to be careful.
However, Giles ignored the warning.
"The guest is seated, so what are you doing standing there? Was there no place to learn manners in Pervaz?"
Only then did Asha slowly turn around.
"Baron Raphelt."
Giles, who was mostly called 'Sir Raphelt' thanks to his special status as the Crown Prince's tutor, frowned immediately.
However, Asha ignored his displeasure.
"This is my first time in the capital, so I don't know, but where do you learn the manners to call a Countess a 'Miss'?
Her face showed no displeasure, anger, or mockery. No, no emotion was felt at all.
"Pft!"
It was Carlyle's laughter that broke the silence.
"Aha! You got served, Sir Raphelt."
"Are you laughing now? That ignorant, beastly woman insulted me! Me, His Highness's tutor!"
Giles glared at Carlyle with a face flushed with embarrassment and anger, but Carlyle did not side with him.
"Sir Raphelt. You were my teacher, of course. But the Countess of Pervaz is officially my fiancée."
Carlyle said lightly, patting Giles on the shoulder.
"Wouldn't it be better for both of us if you watch your attitude in the future?"
Carlyle was smiling, but his eyes were as cold as ice. At that moment, Giles realized that he had made a mistake.
He had thought of Asha as insignificant because Carlyle had also said that he would "get rid of her if she was annoying", but no matter what, treating Asha, who was officially Carlyle's fiancée, was tantamount to ignoring Carlyle's authority.
'I made a mistake trying to put the country girl in her place.'
Giles clicked his tongue inwardly, but bowed his head respectfully.
"I apologize. With the unexpected events and His Highness's safety at stake, my nerves must have been on edge."
Giles also apologized to Asha, adding a reasonable excuse.
"It is true that it is a relationship on paper, but it is also true that the Countess of Pervaz will be the wife of His Highness Carlyle. I apologize for my rudeness."
What Asha had pointed out was that he, as a Baron, had ignored her status as a Countess, but Giles was only apologizing for speaking carelessly to Asha, who was Carlyle's fiancée.
'Everyone here only listens to what they want to hear and only says what they want to say.'
Furthermore, the fact that he used the expression "His Highness's wife" instead of the perfectly good word "crown princess" was clear in its intent. It meant that he would never accept Asha as Carlyle's "real wife".
Asha didn't want to be called a princess either, but she couldn't help but feel disdain from another "arrogant Zyro jerk."
However, she had no intention of dragging this issue out.
"I will accept the apology."
"My fiancée is a magnanimous person."
Asha sat down across from Carlyle as if nothing had happened and leaned back, and Carlyle jokingly tried to calm the atmosphere.
Giles also started talking in a much more polite tone than before.
"In order to get on the same boat, we need to share a goal. In that sense, I'm asking you this. How much do you know about His Highness Carlyle, Countess Pervaz?"
"I know that he is the Crown Prince who has been designated since birth and is the best knight in the Empire, known as the 'Sword that Protects the Southern Empire'."
Everyone in the Empire knew that, but Giles spoke in an excited tone as he praised Carlyle.
"That's right. His Highness was born with the blessing of Aguileus, the god of war and victory, and from a young age he showed a genius for swordsmanship, spearmanship, and all kinds of combat techniques."
"You mean… you mean… a real, divine blessing…?"
Asha asked again, confused about whether Giles' words were a figure of speech or the real thing.
She wondered if Giles would be offended, but he looked rather elated, as if he had been asked the question he had been waiting for.
"I mean a real divine blessing. It came down as an oracle from the temple, and His Highness Carlyle has shown that the oracle is true as he has grown."
Giles suddenly clenched his fists and fumed.
"At the age of fifteen, His Highness Carlyle led the army in place of His Majesty the Emperor and commanded the war. Since then, he has traveled to many battlefields and protected the peace of the Empire. He has fulfilled his responsibilities and duties as the Crown Prince! How can he talk about stripping him of his title as Crown Prince?"
Asha wondered for a moment if Giles was Carlyle's real father.
In contrast to the Emperor, who had looked at his son with disgust, Giles was more outraged by this situation than Carlyle himself.
Carlyle, on the other hand, had been in a relaxed and cheerful mood ever since Asha chose him as her marriage partner.
"Really, Sir. This could be an opportunity for a comeback."
"Now that this has happened, we have to make it so. And that's what I'm going to do."
Giles' eyes shone sharply.
Asha felt like she had unknowingly inserted herself into a group of people who were planning something big.
But soon, Giles turned his gaze to Asha.
"The role of Countess Pervaz is also important."
"I understand that I am only to be a wife in name, as an excuse for His Highness Carlyle to stay in Pervaz."
"That's exactly why the role of 'wife in name' is important. You didn't think you were going to receive all that supplies without doing anything, did you?"
For the first time, Asha's eyes sharpened at Giles' provocation.
"I'm still in disbelief that I'm being compensated in this way for winning the war against the Lure Tribe."
"You can ask His Majesty the Emperor about that."
When Giles snapped at Asha again, Carlyle intervened.
"Actually, I understand Countess Pervaz's feelings about that. Both I and Countess Pervaz have been working hard for the country, and then the Emperor hit us in the back of the head."
Asha almost nodded her head, but she barely managed to stop herself.
No matter what, Carlyle wouldn't like to see someone other than him belittling the Emperor.
"So, I plan to give Pervaz generous support as a token of our appreciation for fulfilling our imperial duties. However."