"I don't think Sir Raphelt or Countess Pervaz, people in the army where honor is important, would raise their voices like this…"
"I apologize. I had a bit too much to drink…"
Only Giles responded. However, Carlyle's gaze was fixed on Asha, not Giles.
"Can you tell me what's going on?"
The words that were omitted after that were probably "before I give the order."
Asha finally opened her mouth.
"I said I was disappointed in Your Highness."
"What? To me? Who?"
"Me."
Carlyle blinked for a moment, wondering if he had heard something wrong.
"So… Asha Pervaz, you're… disappointed in me?"
"Yes."
Although he hadn't done anything to disappoint her, he hadn't done anything that Asha would say "I'm disappointed in you" with such a serious face.
"Can you explain what that is? I'm a bit confused right now."
"It's not something Your Highness should worry about. Countess Pervaz seems to be a bit drunk too…"
Giles tried to divert Carlyle's attention again, but Carlyle ignored him completely.
In his experience, when Giles acted like this, it was always because something big had happened that he didn't know about.
As expected, what came out of Asha's mouth was beyond Carlyle's imagination.
"No matter how much you want to be reinstated, how can you deliberately start a war in your own country? Didn't you feel anything when you saw the refugees we met on our way down here?"
Carlyle had to figure out what this was all about, his mouth half open.
However, as soon as he saw Giles hurriedly looking away, he remembered something he had forgotten.
[In order to solidify our supporters, we need some kind of event. An event that will brand His Highness Matthias as "incompetent" and make it clear that Your Highness is the only one who can replace him.]
[Is there any way to deliberately start a war in the southern part of the Empire while we are in Pervaz? I just thought that if there was a border dispute or even a riot, things would be easier.]
It was something Giles had said in passing, when rumors about it were circulating around the temple and shaking up the social circles.
'Sir Raphelt has done it in the end!'
Carlyle clenched his teeth.
His mentor was smart and good at coming up with ingenious plans, and that always led to victory. However, there were times when he would take a "shortcut that shouldn't be taken."
Until now, Carlyle had been able to stop him in time, but this time it was something Giles had done on his own, without consulting him.
'Even though I told him clearly that I couldn't do it…!'
That's why he thought this war was also Aguilles' blessing. There's no way a war that happened at such a perfect time could be a coincidence…
Carlyle glared at Giles and closed his eyes tightly.
'I shouldn't blame Sir Raphelt for not knowing about this.'
This time, he deserved to be reprimanded, but he couldn't lose the loyalty of his aide who had suffered for a long time by disgracing him.
No, if you think about it, it was all his own fault, so he deserved to be disappointed.
It was all his fault that he didn't know about this, that he let Giles' arrogance go unchecked and caused this to happen, and that he took the conflict between Giles and Asha lightly.
"…I'm sorry I disappointed you."
Carlyle sighed and said.
Asha, who had been hoping against hope that he would say, 'I didn't know about it,' was truly disappointed by Carlyle's admission.
"Is that… something you should be sorry for to me?"
"It's also something I'm sorry for to you. You trusted me and followed me here… ."
Asha felt even sadder at the word 'trusted'.
"Yes, I trusted Your Highness, but… I'm sorry I couldn't be someone you could trust."
"What are you talking about? You're my trusted aide, just like Lionel or Sir Raphelt."
Carlyle meant it. He trusted Asha enough to leave her in charge of the battlefield.
But it would have been better if he had remembered the necklace around Asha's neck before he said that.
Asha said, fingering the locket of the necklace.
"Even if you didn't buy an expensive gemstone, you could have easily confirmed my location… ."
Only then did Carlyle's eyes widen as he remembered the existence of the necklace and the gemstone.
'Countess Pervaz… She knows the truth about the necklace!'
But he couldn't figure out what to say to explain himself. Because what she said was true.
Asha took Carlyle's silence as an answer and smiled bitterly, deciding to end their relationship.
"I heard that you will go up to Zyro after dealing with the urgent situation in the recovered territory tomorrow. Since the purpose of the Pervaz army's southward advance has been achieved, we will return to Pervaz immediately."
"No, don't. That necklace, it's… it's all in the past. Even I had forgotten about it!"
Carlyle hurriedly grabbed Asha.
"I trust you now. When I return to Zyro, I plan to introduce you as my closest aide!"
"If I follow you, I will only be a stain on Your Highness' reinstatement. I will carefully prepare the divorce papers and send them to the palace, so don't worry."
"Asha!"
"I'll take my leave now. Please forgive me for leaving first."
Asha bowed briefly before Carlyle and turned to leave.
Until her figure disappeared into the darkness, Carlyle remained speechless, his mind was blank.
'Why did this end like this?'
Just a little while ago, he intended to introduce Asha to the gyro and make her the primary contributor to their victory in this war.
Their relationship wasn't bad.
Believing that some bond beyond lordship had formed between them after fighting several wars together.
Whenever he thought of her, a strange emotion he couldn't quite explain clenched his heart, and there had been many sleepless nights thinking of her.
Though he couldn't define the nature of this emotion, one thing was clear:
'I can't lose Asha Pervaz.'
No matter what happens, he would keep her by his side.
Though they had only been together for two years, now he couldn't imagine life without her.
Even if they didn't see each other every day, the comfort of knowing he could see her whenever he wanted had brought him solace.
But now…
'I feel like something has gone terribly wrong in my life!'
Grinding his teeth, Carlyle soon lifted his head.
No, he wouldn't let it fail. He wouldn't let go of Asha Pervaz. Right now, he just needed some time to cool his head with her.
Struggling to hold onto his shattered heart, Carlyle changed his mindset.
'Yes, just for a while… She's just a bit distant right now. Once I'm reinstated as the Crown Prince and things are settled in the Zyro, I'll call for Countess Pervaz.'
He would fulfill her wish to fully integrate Pervaz into the empire's territory, provide more support for its recovery, and devise a systematic plan to defend its borders.
So when Pervaz became a place that could rival any other territory, Asha's status would rise even higher.
No one could ignore Asha Pervaz, who had risen to be the closest confidant of Carlyle Evaristo, "the Crown Prince."
As he thought that far, Carlyle's eyes slowly turned towards Giles. There was someone there who had consistently disrespected and ignored Asha, the princess consort.
"Baron Giles Raphelt."
His voice calling Giles held no hint of respect.
"I consider myself to have been courteous to you by not blaming you in front of Countess Pervaz."
"Y,Your Highness…"
"Tonight, it seems we have much to discuss. From how the plans I forbade were executed… to why Countess Pervaz learned about the necklace."
Though Giles seemed to want to offer an excuse, Carlyle sharply turned and entered Giles's tent.
Following after him, Giles's retreating figure resembled a cow being led to the slaughter.
***
The victory in the war that swept through the southern empire led to Carlyle's immense popularity.
They stayed in the south for a month after the declaration of victory, inspecting the security of the damaged areas and helping with the restoration. Thanks to this, there were no more complaints about his late arrival in the south.
In a way, everything was going as Giles had expected. Except for everything related to Asha.
"...More than anything, I think it was impressive that the war changed as soon as Your Highness entered the war. The proposition that 'Carlyle Evaristo protects the south of the empire' has been upheld once again."
"It was even more so because the imperial army had suffered such a shocking series of defeats. The voices supporting His Highness Carlyle as the protector of the empire are louder than ever."
The aides brought good news one after another.
It was definitely a time to be happy, but Carlyle couldn't smile and rejoice wholeheartedly.
[I am grateful for everything you have done for Pervaz for the past two years. Please be a wise and merciful ruler.]
Asha, who left with those words and led the Pervaz army, kept coming to mind.