Asha's back shivered at the feeling of Carlyle's breath on her neck. She had to say something to break this tension.
"I feel like I received too much compared to what I gave…"
"Gifts are not about weighing their value."
Carlyle, who had been enjoying the scent coming from Asha, looked up and smiled. He raised the hand with the bracelet on it and showed it to Asha.
"That's enough. If you thought of me while weaving this."
At the sound of his voice close by, Asha wanted to take a closer look at his vocal cords moving. She wondered how a human voice could be so attractive.
Asha asked impulsively.
"Did Your Highness also think of me when you prepared this perfume as a gift?"
At that, Carlyle's eyes narrowed slightly.
"When you order a custom-made perfume, you can also name it. You know that, right?"
"Ah… no."
"What do you think the name of this perfume should be?"
Asha suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe and couldn't answer.
Carlyle looked into Asha's eyes and whispered.
"Asha."
That was the end of it.
Carlyle put the closed perfume bottle back in the box and handed it to Asha.
Looking down at the perfume bottle, she saw that the metal charm attached to the neck of the bottle was indeed engraved with the word 'Asha'.
"You couldn't help but think of me, could you?"
His smiling face was guilty.
A man who bewitched people so carelessly deserved to be thrown into the dungeon.
Asha nodded her head, thinking such useless thoughts.
"Thank you again."
"The meaning of the gift is… 'Remember me'."
"…Yes?"
"You will remember me every time you use this perfume. Right?"
It was true. So should she accept this perfume with gratitude, or should she feel like it was a curse?
Asha couldn't smile along with Carlyle.
***
About two months after the new year, the excitement of the new year had subsided and the cold of midwinter had also gradually subsided.
One day, just when I thought I would be able to see the spring flowers that bloom the earliest, the war broke out.
"We declare war on the arrogant empire!"
The coalition of southern kingdoms led by the Kingdom of Palesso crossed the southern border.
As if they had vowed to reclaim what had been taken from them, they attacked in the direction of plundering the empire's goods and resources.
It was no wonder that the lives of the southern imperial people became miserable.
"Your Majesty! I beg you to send your brave army to defeat the enemies."
The petition for dispatch, signed jointly by the nobles of the southern territory, detailed the extent of the damage so far.
It was clear that the damage amount would be increasing in real time even now.
'I thought that if I just pressed down on Albania, the rest would collapse on their own, but what is this!'
Since he thought that he only had to deal with Albania, he had no qualms about stripping Carlyle of the title of Crown Prince.
However, the situation was going in a completely unexpected direction.
'Damn it. I guess I have to send Matthias at least.'
The emperor had no intention of going out to war himself.
"Call Matthias! Form a suppression force!"
If the south is sacked, tax revenue will decrease. At this rate, inflation will skyrocket, the value of the currency will fall, and it will be difficult for the nobles to do business.
And it was clear that the arrows of blame would be directed at the current emperor, Kendrick Evaristo.
"Mother! W, what do I do! They're telling me to go to war! I'm the commander-in-chief of the suppression force!"
Matthias, who received the emperor's order to go out to war, panicked and ran to Beatrice and shouted.
Beatrice was just as confused.
'War out of the blue?'
This was something that was not at all in the calculations.
Although Carlyle was an eyesore, she was relieved that he had completely pacified the south. Thanks to that, she felt comfortable even after kicking him out.
After he won the war against Albania, the atmosphere of the southern kingdoms, which she confirmed through spies, was desperate.
[They are terrified of the empire. There is a widespread sense of defeat that the empire cannot be defeated no matter what they do.]
It hasn't even been two years since I received that report, and yet they are already invading the empire!
'What am I going to do with this?'
Of all times, he couldn't even borrow Gabriel's wisdom. He had returned from Pervaz and had gone on a pilgrimage to the holy land again after entering the 'week of penance'. I didn't even know where he was now.
"You promised you wouldn't let me go to war!"
Matthias before her eyes stomped his feet as if he was about to burst into tears.
However, Beatrice could not keep her promise to him.
When she made that promise, the war Beatrice had in mind was at most a small riot or a subjugation of monsters.
It was easy to keep Matthias out of such a war. It was not a big war, so there was no problem putting a knight commander in charge of the overall command.
However, the current situation where the southern kingdoms had united and invaded was a large-scale war.
'There's no way His Majesty the Emperor will give up on the personal expedition.'
In the past, emperors who were given the title of 'Great King' did not hesitate to go on personal expeditions, and thanks to the many emperors who were excellent in martial arts, the Chad Empire had boasted a solid national defense since its early days.
Although it was not a legal obligation for the emperor or the crown prince to go on a personal expedition, the current emperor, who was full of pride and vanity, insisted on going on a personal expedition. It was said to be a personal expedition, but he sent his sons instead.
Beatrice, biting her lip, organized the situation in her head.
'There's nothing to be afraid of. The Imperial Knights are the same as always. Even if it's a personal expedition, there's no need for the emperor or the crown prince to take up arms and fight themselves.'
Beatrice, who had never witnessed a war firsthand, thought simply.
Even if Matthias had no military knowledge, he would be able to win the war by hiding far from the front lines.
"Calm down, Matti. It's an unexpected turn of events, but you won't be in any danger."
"I, really?"
"Yes. In fact, it's a good thing."
"It's a good thing!"
Beatrice stroked Matthias's shoulders, who was about to go crazy with anxiety.
"Let's make the expedition ceremony as splendid as possible. Show them the majestic appearance of the crown prince."
"What do you mean…? Are you telling me to go to the South for real?"
"Hohoho."
Beatrice laughed happily.
"If you just slip away from Zyro, how will the nobles of the capital know where you are?"
"Ah...!"
"Even if they do find out, it doesn't matter. Anyway, the emperor or the crown prince who has gone on an expedition has to do the tactical command, so it doesn't matter if they are a little away from the battlefield."
Even at those words, Matthias still looked at his mother with a long face, but with anxious eyes.
"Is that really true?"
"Of course! I'm saying you can just go and recuperate far from the front lines. The knights will take care of stopping the southern kingdoms."
Beatrice gently stroked Matthias's still pale cheek.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."
Only then did Matthias let out a sigh of relief.
"So you're saying that I just need to look presentable at the parade?"
"That's right, that's right! You understood perfectly."
"I see. I can do that much!"
Matthias, who lived a life of acting in front of the emperor and the nobles, found it easy to pretend to be victorious and boastful at the parade.
His confident demeanor was enough to change the atmosphere of the social circles.
Beatrice also took this opportunity to hold a grand parade and sent off the knights who wanted to rise through the ranks to the battlefield.
However, the situation in the south was far different from what they thought.
* * *
"Your Highness! The Apeltos stronghold has fallen! You must designate either Daphenon or Line as the next stronghold immediately!"
"What? Apeltos has already fallen?"
Matthias, who had set up camp far from the southern front and thought he could just sit back and watch, found himself in a desperate situation not long after unpacking his bags in the barracks.
The speed at which the front line was moving north was faster than he had imagined.
"C, call Sir Rodham! Quick!"
Matthias called over the knight commander who had been his military instructor and discussed everything with him. In reality, this war was being fought under the command of the knight commander, Liert Rodham.
"You're asking me to designate either Dafphenon or Lige as the stronghold, but which one would be better?"
"Your Highness. Not Daphenon and Lige, but Daphenon and Line...."
"Whatever!"
The knight commander, who had been listening to Matthias and his aide from the front, clenched his jaw.
Matthias didn't even think to consider anything himself. No, he couldn't. He didn't know anything about war or military strategy.
The knight commander, who was also familiar with Carlyle, was just as scared and confused.
'His Highness Carlyle would lead from the front lines and Sir Raphelt would come up with the strategies, so we just had to follow them....'
His hands were shaking as he was about to make a decision that could result in countless casualties and property damage.
'Why do I, who am not even a royal, have to make such a decision?!'
At the same time, he thought of Carlyle, who always gave orders with confidence.
Did he also endure such fear?
Or did the blessing of Aguiles take away even such fear?
'If only we could bring back His Highness Carlyle...!'