"Why? Did you fall for one? Which side?"
Asha looked at Decker with eyes sparking interest, but he, as if not feeling it worth an answer, sighed deeply and shook his head.
"That's not it, both of them ended up staying in rooms close to His Highness Carlyle's room… Don't you feel concerned?"
"Huh? Why would I feel concerned?"
"He's still your husband! Even if it's just on paper."
At that, Asha burst into laughter as if Decker's words were absurd.
"What nonsense is this all of a sudden? The important word in the phrase 'husband on paper' isn't 'husband' but 'on paper'. You still don't get it?"
"No, but still…"
Decker sighed deeply and then asked.
"So why did both of them come here?"
"Well, they say to help His Highness Carlyle… in my eyes, it just looks like they're competing for the position of Crown Princess in 3 years."
At the phrase 'Crown Princess in 3 years', Decker's eyes widened.
"What? Then… are they His Highness Carlyle's lovers?"
"Doesn't it seem similar?"
"But considering the servants' eyes, for him to keep lovers other than his wife within the castle is a bit…"
"His Highness Carlyle is someone so fond of women that he'd even covet his father's mistress, how stifled he must have been all this time."
Recalling why Carlyle was stripped of his title as Crown Prince and makes a displeased expression.
At his disgruntled expression, Asha gave a warning mixed with an old woman's concern.
"Remember what His Highness Carlyle asked of me? That I 'not to care with whatever I do in Pervaz'."
"Hmm…"
"Don't, for my sake, do anything strange in front of His Highness. That's a breach of contract."
"I hated that contract from the start."
"It's thanks to that contract that Pervaz is living this much."
Asha chuckled at Decker, who seemed full of complaints but couldn't express them.
"I knew from the start that he would bring in women. I knew he wouldn't be satisfied with just one."
Remembering a strange woman she saw before sitting in Carlyle's room, Asha became slightly curious about how many more Carlyle would bring in after Cecilia and Dorothea.
"Isn't it a little unfair? His Highness Carlyle can freely bring in other women, but you…"
"What about me? Should I go play with other men too?"
"Ah, no! I never meant that you should do that!"
Pervaz is somewhat conservative, and to cheat is something that should be very shameful.
That's because, on top of the influence of war, the most valued thing in Pervaz is 'faith'.
"His Highness Carlyle said that he was diligently fulfilling the contract. So I have to keep my promise, too. Not caring about whatever he does in Pervaz. It's not a difficult thing to do."
"Sigh.... Yes, that's right. But...."
"What again?"
Decker said, looking at Asha with a pitiful gaze.
"What are you going to do after divorcing His Highness Carlyle? You need to find your own happiness and live, Asha."
For Decker, Asha was like a younger sister he'd watched since she was in diapers.
He sincerely hoped that Asha could build a warm family and live her life receiving the love she had been deprived of all this time.
However, Asha seemed to have no thoughts on this yet.
"Worry about yourself, brother. You're twenty-six years old and haven't even held a woman's hand yet?"
"Hey! If I put my mind to it...!"
"Yes, yes. Good luck with that."
Asha got up from her seat, teasing Decker as if she had returned to her childhood. Decker also followed Asha with a face mixed with dissatisfaction and worry.
A little later, one shadow fell from behind a nearby pillar.
"What…? Someone so fond of women that he'd even covet his father's mistress?"
It was Carlyle, who had accidentally seen Asha and Decker and secretly followed them here.
He was curious about where Asha and Decker were going together alone and followed them like a joke, but he felt like he'd been slapped in the face and let out a vain laugh.
However, that smile gradually hardened.
'Why do I feel so bad? It's been like this since a while ago….'
When he introduced Cecilia or Dorothea to Asha, he didn't feel very good either.
To be precise, it was after Asha saw them and showed an indifferent expression.
In fact, he couldn't clearly explain what his current mood was like. It was definitely not good, but he couldn't figure out in what way it was bad.
Is it anger, resentment, disappointment, or injustice…?
'She knows I'm a womanizer, and it's not like I didn't make her think that way, so there's no reason to feel wronged.'
That was certain. The fact that Asha knew he was a womanizer didn't make him particularly angry or wronged.
Then, isn't there really anything that makes him feel bad about what she said?
Carlyle leaned against the pillar and thought deeply.
Then suddenly, he recalled the one thing that Asha said that was most strongly etched in his mind.
[So I have to keep my promise, too. Not caring about whatever he does in Pervaz. It's not a difficult thing to do anyway.]
Unknowingly, his hand clenched in response to those words.
'You're saying you'll diligently fulfill our contract. So what's my problem?'
Carlyle felt strangely restless. It was the first time he couldn't clearly define his emotions. The desire to quickly resolve this unpleasantness kept him wandering around the spot.
He folded his arms and tapped his biceps, then finally came up with a hypothesis.
'Was it because Asha Pervaz spoke as if she was sitting above me?'
Thinking about it carefully, it seemed plausible.
[The important word in the phrase 'husband on paper' isn't 'husband' but 'on paper'.]
[His Highness Carlyle is someone so fond of women that he'd even covet his father's mistress, how stifled he must have been all this time.]
[I knew from the start that he would bring in women. I knew he wouldn't be satisfied with just one.]
Recalling Asha's words one by one, it was as if she knew him inside and out.
'Yes, that's what's annoying.'
Who is she to act like she knows everything?
No, wait. In the first place, it was me who gave her limited and distorted information, so shouldn't I be happy that she's mistaken?
No, no. Even so, the ignorant lord of a backwater village shouldn't be so arrogant as to act like he knows everything about the Crown Prince.
"Ugh."
His head was getting complicated again.
Carlyle rubbed his temples, which felt like they were buzzing, and shook his head.
'What a mess I've gotten myself into by following her here. Lionel would laugh at me if he saw me.'
He decided to stop this foolish act and return to his office. But as he sighed and turned around, Carlyle's head turned towards the well.
His gaze landed on the bench where Asha and Decker had been sitting.
[Worry about yourself, brother!]
Asha's face, laughing as she teased Decker, came to mind.
The face that never seemed to relax in front of him was full of smiles in front of Decker Donovan.
'Are they really… not related in any way?'
They were once mentioned as potential marriage partners, but could they really have no feelings for each other?
'I'll have to keep a closer eye on Decker Donovan.'
He chewed on that thought and turned his back on the bench completely.
***
"A low-rank monster has appeared in the southern part of the empire."
Naturally, the Imperial Knights planned to go with Matthias to eliminate the monster, but because of Matthias' desperate excuses and the Empress's strong opposition, it was decided that only the Knights would go.
That incident tightened the noose around the already anxious Matthias' neck.
"Mother! We have to bring that Carlyle bastard here somehow!"
"Matti, calm down."
"Do I look calm right now? Mother can be so relaxed because you'll be sitting comfortably in the Imperial Palace!"
For the first time in his life, he shouted loudly at his mother. That's how terrified he was.
"If I die, what do you think will happen to Mother? Not only will that Carlyle bastard become the Crown Prince, but Mother will have to live for the rest of your life under his thumb! No, that's not it. He might even think of killing you."
He even trembled his hands as he spoke to his mother in a threatening tone.
"Mother, figure something out! I'm going to die of anxiety!"
As Matthias screamed and ranted, Beatrice ordered a servant to bring a glass of Brandy Alexander.
TL/N: Brandy Alexander is an Alcoholic creamy cocktail, U can search it up!
"Matti, drink this first. I'm worried you'll suffocate."
Beatrice handed Matthias a cocktail laced with a potion and sleeping pills that she had received from a close aide earlier.
Thanks to drinking the soft and sweet liquor in one gulp, warmth gradually returned to Matthias' cold fingertips.
"Doesn't this mother know your heart? I'll do anything to stop you from being dragged to the battlefield."
"Really? Really, mother?"
"Of course. So rest well today."
After being comforted by his mother for a long time, Matthias returned to his room and fell into a deep sleep.
However, Beatrice couldn't rest comfortably.
"Send word to High Priest Gabriel."
She made an appointment to meet with Gabriel and headed straight to the temple.
And a couple of hours later, Beatrice met Gabriel in a small prayer room at the temple.
"Welcome, High Priest."
"May God's blessings be upon Your Majesty. I see Your Majesty, the Empress."
The perfectly soundproof prayer room was the perfect place for a secret meeting.