"It was only natural. If the Pervaz army had been wiped out, I would have been in more trouble."
It seemed like it would be a good time to exchange farewells, but Asha just stared at Carlyle's lips, as if waiting for him to say something more.
"Hmm? What, do you have something else to say… ?"
"Oh, no. Your Highness, do you have anything else to say?"
"No. I don't."
Asha was a little surprised and opened her eyes wide, but she quickly realized that it was disrespectful and bowed her head.
"I see. Then… I'll take my leave."
"You must be busy, so I'll let you go. If you have any injuries, no matter how minor, make sure to see the doctor I brought."
"Thank you."
Asha left Carlyle's room and headed to the first floor, tilting her head once again.
The arrogant and mean Carlyle Evaristo had not ignored or sneered at her.
'I thought he would say something at the end.... Did he forget?'
No, that couldn't be.
He was not the kind of person to forget something that could upset his opponent.
'Then… could it be that he really thought we were in danger and helped us without any conditions…?'
He had said it was "only natural" with his own mouth.
If someone else had said it, she would have thought it was a natural thing to do, along with gratitude, but with Carlyle, it just felt awkward.
'Still, I can't let my guard down. Even that could be his way of trying to make me feel indebted to him.'
Even without that, the situation in the capital seemed to be going very badly. Carlyle, who had nothing but Pervaz, was sure to try to take everything he could from Pervaz.
'Let's focus.'
Asha pulled herself together, her mind about to relax.
But in her mind, the afterimage of Carlyle running, waving his red cloak, still lingered.
The way he looked like a monarch who had come down to help Pervaz....
* * *
Asha thought she wouldn't see Carlyle again for a while, but she was wrong.
One morning, while she was busy dealing with the aftermath of the battle with the Igram tribe, Carlyle called for her.
"You called, Your Highness."
"Ah, good morning, Couness Pervaz."
He offered her a seat again this time and poured her tea himself.
Asha wondered if he was being more polite because he found her 'what are you up to this time?' expression amusing.
"I heard you're quite busy, but I thought we should spend some time together since we're married."
"Yes…?"
Three months had already passed since Carlyle came to Pervaz.
And the total time the two of them had spent together during that time wouldn't even fill a day.
'Why are you suddenly like this…? Was the fact that I told you to have children with another woman and continue the Pervaz County line that shocking?'
It seemed like the only thing that could be the reason for Carlyle talking like this was the will he had left behind.
Still, the question of 'why?' didn't go away.
Carlyle smirked as he saw Asha, who was wearing a suspicious expression but couldn't say anything in refutation.
"Why? Do you hate being with me even for a moment?"
"No, that's not it. I'm just worried that there might be another meaning that I'm not understanding."
"They say they don't beat around the bush in Pervaz, don't they? I remember. I'd like you to take my words at face value."
"You mean that we should spend time together because we're married?"
Asha frowned because the other side seemed even stranger. Carlyle remained refreshingly positive.
"It's already been three months since I came to Pervaz, and I haven't been able to have a sincere conversation with you. We're married, you know."
Asha barely managed to stop her lips from pouting.
It was rare to see the word 'sincere' come out of Carlyle Evaristo's mouth.
However, whether this was an order as a prince or a proposal as a husband, there was no reason to refuse.
"I don't mind."
"I knew you would say that. Well… it's not fun to just sit and talk, so on this occasion, I'd like you to personally guide me around Pervaz Castle."
"...I see."
Asha suddenly wondered if she had made a mistake.
When a guest came to the castle, it was customary for the owner of the castle or his/her immediate family to show the guest around the castle.
But come to think of it, she had never personally shown Carlyle around the castle.
'Guest… I never really invited him in the first place.'
He was just a rich freeloader who suddenly declared that he would be living in Pervaz Castle. Of course, she had no complaints since she was benefiting greatly from the freeloader's overflowing money.
The two of them left the room without even emptying their cups and started to slowly walk around Pervaz Castle.
Carlyle's side, which had not suffered a single casualty in the battle, didn't seem to have much to do to fix the situation, so the atmosphere was no different from before the Igram tribe invaded.
"The renovation of the second floor to be used as my aides' quarters was completely finished a while ago. I'm saying this now, but it really wasn't managed well at all."
The human who was supposed to be having a conversation started picking a fight from the beginning.
Asha found Carlyle's nitpicking annoying and responded sarcastically.
"I apologize for the state of the castle… but I did warn you beforehand."
"True. It's my fault for not anticipating the worst."
Asha's brows furrowed at the word "worst."
"It couldn't have been that bad. The servants did a pretty good job of cleaning up…"
"You mean this is an improvement? Ah… I apologize again. It's my fault for not expecting the worst."
Asha headed to the third floor of the castle, thinking that spending 30 minutes with this man would be a challenge if the conversation continued like this.
However, after being on the bright and cheerful second floor, she understood why Carlyle was complaining.
The third floor is dark, humid, and gloomy, in stark contrast to the bright, clean, and almost shining second floor.
Asha used to be accustomed to this state of the castle, but now she saw how it could be shocking to Carlyle and his party.
"Ahem! We haven't had the allowance to maintain the castle due to the war."
"I understand. But even so, this is the first time I've seen a castle without furniture or tapestries."
"…We sold them all or used them for firewood."
"What? You used them for firewood?"
Asha felt a bit embarrassed and avoided Carlyle's gaze.
"The winters in Pervaz are long and harsh. The Lures knew this too… so they burned down every mountain with trees."
As a result, there was no firewood available even in winter. People tried to survive by wearing as many clothes as possible, but when it was too cold, they had no choice but to cut down the pillars of their houses or break down furniture for firewood.
The same was true for Pervaz Castle.
"We sold or used everything we didn't need to survive. Our top priority was to stay alive."
In fact, Asha didn't even feel inconvenienced by the lack of these items.
To those who wield swords on the battlefield, dressing tables, large clocks, and side tables for vases were useless.
"I see… The Lure army was twenty times larger, right?"
"That's what they say. But I felt like it was more like fifty times."
Asha recalled the Lure warriors who flooded in like a tidal wave and smiled bitterly.
She still vividly remembers the day she stood by the window of the third floor of the castle, supporting her pale mother, and looking down at the scene.
"When they launched their full attack, I thought to myself, 'This is it.' It wasn't a sense of defeat, but the difference in military strength was that great."
"But you survived."
"Yes. My father stopped them. Over and over again…"
Asha stood in front of the window overlooking the entire Pervaz and recalled her father.
He wasn't the kind of person who smiled often, but she didn't find him scary.
Without a word, he stroked her head a few times with his large hand. That was all the expression of affection he gave.
It was enough.
To Asha, and to everyone living in Pervaz, her father was a god.
"Your Highness, blessed by the God of war Aguiles, this may be a shamless thing to say before you, but in my eyes, my father was a warrior sent by God."
"I don't deny it. If he won the war with a twenty-fold difference in troops and endured for 28 years, then he is a warrior sent by God."
Carlyle said with genuine regret.
"If he had become the Grand Master of the Imperial Knights… the Pervaz War would have ended in three years at most."
If it had been a fight with proper support from the Imperial Court, there was no way that the outstanding knight would have dragged it out for 28 years against the barbarians.
At his words, Asha clenched her jaw and imagined Pervaz, who would have "won the war in three years."
'If that had been the case, the plains of Pervaz would be full of all kinds of crops by now. The Mindung Mountains would be covered with trees, and there might have been one or two famous specialties.'
She imagined the people of Pervaz living ordinary days without much difficulty in eating and living, even though they might not be rich, and her heart felt heavy.
Carlyle put his hand on Asha's shoulder and said in a low voice.
"You may not believe me, but as a knight, I sincerely respect Amir Pervaz. It is a shame that the first royal he met was my father."
It was not a lie.
If Amir Pervaz had not died and lived, Carlyle would have considered him as his top priority for recruitment.
He could not let such a capable knight fall into the hands of his father or Matthias, and there were too many places where such skills could be used.
Feeling a deep sense of regret, Carlyle began to walk ahead again down the third floor corridor.