However, Carlyle did not spend much time on negative reviews.
"So, where are you going to give me?"
He seemed determined to improve the situation as soon as possible, rather than dwelling on the grim reality.
Only then did Asha come to her senses.
"I will give you the entire second floor. It will be enough space for you, Your Highness, your entourage, and even guests. There are also rooms that can be used as a reception room or a meeting room."
"Isn't the second floor usually where the lord's family lives? Where will you stay if you give it all to me?"
Asha felt a slight sense of relief that Carlyle seemed to understand the meaning of offering the second floor.
"I can stay on the first floor. Don't worry…"
"It doesn't matter where you stay, but I'd like you to be able to get to me within 10 minutes, no matter how late it is. I will be calling for you quite often at first."
"…10 minutes will be enough."
"Good. Lionel! Tell them to move the luggage since she's giving us the entire second floor."
Asha watched Carlyle and his men start moving in with a bitter taste in her mouth.
'What did I expect?'
Even she found the thought ridiculous.
Someone who had been treated with deference since birth shouldn't be grateful for this small amount of consideration, right? Or maybe he wouldn't even recognize it as consideration.
Asha turned away from Carlyle and his men and watched them for a moment longer.
Behind her, Decker and the others she missed were standing guard.
"Everyone…"
Their eyes were filled with concern for Asha.
Thinking that she would refuse any kindness from those who couldn't recognize her feelings, Asha turned to her people.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"It seems His Highness the Crown Prince is not very pleased," Hector muttered, reading the situation.
"I know," Asha sighed.
"It's not our concern anymore. They'll figure things out on their own."
Decker, noticing her apologetic and uncomfortable mood, changed the subject.
"I've prepared a room for you on the first floor. The maids and these guys put a lot of thought into it, so do you want to go see it now?"
"Do I really need a separate room?"
"The war is over now, so you should be treated properly as a lord. It may not be as good as the room you were staying in at His Highness the Crown Prince's mansion, but it's much better than the room you were staying in before."
Decker put his arm around Asha's shoulder and led her away.
Her soldiers followed behind, joking and laughing among themselves. Asha laughed out loud for the first time in a long time.
Unaware that Carlyle was watching her quietly.
***
"Hahaha!"
Entering her newly prepared room, Asha burst into laughter.
Her previous room had exposed stone walls on all sides, and the floor was covered with tatami mats so worn out that their original color couldn't be distinguished. There was only one bed and sofa, both descended through generations in Pervaz Castle.
Even then, the sofa was used more for hanging clothes or cloaks than its intended purpose, and the bedding was still stained with dirt since it hadn't been properly cleaned.
Still, she had no complaints.
Far from it, while others considered sleeping huddled on the cold stone floor normal, she felt she had enjoyed great luxury sleeping on a soft bed, considering herself a noble.
But it seemed others had different thoughts.
"What's this, exactly?"
Asha asked, barely containing her laughter.
The bed in her room was the same old one, but someone had added long poles around and a canopy on top.
"D-Do you not like it?"
Bastian stammered as he asked.
"Was this your doing? Can you explain what this is supposed to be?"
"Well… um… I tried to make it similar to the bed used by the lord in the prince's mansion…"
"Hahaha!"
She knew it.
Since they had never seen such a bed in Pervaz, it must have been the work of one of those who had accompanied her to the capital.
"So why did you decide to copy that bed?"
"Well, um… it just seemed… noble-like…"
"Sigh, Bastian. You're good at useless crafts. You imitated something you've hardly ever seen."
Asha chuckled again, touching the bedpost that she had carved something into, thinking that he had done a pretty good job.
Even though she was smiling, she felt a pang in her heart as she felt Bastian's concern for her.
'I guess I must have looked really different to those guys.'
The title of Count of the Empire was a position so high that it was impossible for ordinary commoners to meet, and even the warriors of Pervaz, who did not know much about the aristocratic system, knew that much.
However, after going to the capital and seeing things for herself, she realized that the standard of living of the "lord", who had such a high status, was actually quite poor.
And to think that she had returned with the Crown Prince, no, the former Crown Prince Carlisle Evaristo, who was clearly at the top of the nobility of that luxurious capital....
'It must be because of what His Highness Carlyle said to me in the capital.'
He would always find occasions to belittle Asha and Pervaz.
He would use vulgar language and even stare them up and down, criticizing their appearance.
How did the rest of the group feel, having to watch this silently?
"Thank you, Basti. Thanks to you, I got to sleep in a luxurious bed that I never thought I would have."
"Do you… like it?"
"Of course! It's a bit strange, but…"
Asha chuckled and pulled back the canopy. The bedding was laundered with lye and sun-dried, making it the whitest she had ever seen. The flattened pillows were refilled with new cotton, making them appear quite plump.
"You must have been busy cleaning and fixing the castle, but you even took care of my bed?"
"You suffered the most. Now get some sleep."
"I'll sleep soundly when I'm dead."
"Don't even joke about dying. People dying is enough already."
Decker shuddered, and Asha nodded with a bitter smile.
'It was true. Death in Pervaz was so easy and common, it was almost boring.'
There's no need to bring up that boring thing as a joke.
Asha turned her head to change the subject.
"I'm so grateful to be living in a room with flowers. Thank you for your hard work, Della."
The bed was the most surprising thing, but the room was much more comfortable than before.
A neatly polished sofa, a carpet cleaned enough to reveal the pattern, a table with drawers and a chair with a cloth cushion, and even a vase of wildflowers…
Among them, the flowers were a symbol of the end of the war in pervaz.
"There are many shortcomings, but I am grateful for your satisfaction."
The maid, with streaks of gray in her dark hair, replied without a smile, but politely.
Asha often called Della Remir, the maid who had lost her husband and son during the war but never lost her composure, "the Iron Lady" and trusted her.
"Mrs. Remir, you've really worked hard. It's been over five years since Mr. Nathaniel passed away, and the butler's position has been vacant."
"Well, Della has been doing the butler's job all this time, so…"
Decker and Asha exchanged apologetic glances with Della, who simply nodded.
The jobs of a butler and a maid were completely different, but since the former butler Nathaniel had died, there were no resources to hire a new one, so Della had been doing the butler's work as well.
"I am ashamed to be praised for doing my job half-heartedly. However, now that the war is over, it seems right to hire a proper butler."
Asha nodded at Della's suggestion.
"Of course. I've been sorry and grateful to Della all this time. I'll look for a butler as soon as possible."
"The rumor that His Highness Carlyle has come to Pervaz from our territory must have spread by now, so we should be able to find someone."
Decker's statement carried weight.
If Carlyle hadn't come, it would have been difficult to find a new butler. Who would want to take on the job of a butler in a dying territory with a lot of work to do?
Anyway, Asha asked Decker, who also served as her aide, to find a new butler.
Then Della stepped forward again, cautiously.
"Until now, you have been doing even the trivial tasks yourself, but from now on, you should have a dedicated maid."
"Huh? A dedicated maid?"
"Yes. After all, there are many eyes watching you now."
Asha recalled the servants under Carlyle who had always looked down on her.
She didn't mind doing the little things herself, but if that made Pervaz look bad, it was a different story.
"Do you have any recommendations for a maid?"
"I've already chosen one. Nina! Come in."
Della didn't seem to be going to let Asha refuse, and had already kept the dedicated maid waiting outside.
The maid who quietly entered the room was a well-dressed young woman who looked about Asha's age.
"Greetings. My name is Nina Colon."
Her slightly wavy light brown hair, fair northern skin, clear brown eyes, and oval face made her look ordinary at first glance.
However, Asha, with her keen eye, noticed that she wasn't flustered or intimidated standing before her lord.