"Anyway, the information that they plan to sacrifice this country to the temple is worth a lot. I didn't understand why they were working with High Priest Gabriel, but I guess they were having strange dreams."
The princesses' faces lit up with hope at Carlyle's words that the information was valuable.
"Then… you're going to spare our lives?"
"Of course.it's annoying to sift through all the unrelated minnows anyway."
TL/N: Minnow: a small or insignificant person or organization.
The two princesses nodded their heads vigorously even though they heard the word "minnows." They had no choice but to rely on Carlyle's mercy to survive.
Some might criticize the two for betraying their own blood and seeking Carlyle's mercy, but Carlyle understood them well.
'It's a family relationship that is worse than others.'
The Chad Empire, with its long history, must have had times when the imperial family was harmonious.
However, that was not the case with the current imperial family.
The father envies his son and sends him to the battlefield as his proxy. The mother uses her son to gain power and sees her daughters as ornaments to be sold off expensively someday.
Here, if you talk about family love or loyalty, you won't be able to survive.
"Anyway, take care of yourselves."
At the last greeting, Josephine and Charlotte smiled briefly and then covered their faces again with their hooded robes.
As they disappeared quietly as they had come, Carlyle sat back in his chair and muttered.
"I wonder if I can really piss off my father soon?"
A crooked smile hung on his lips.
* * *
"Asha. A dove not belonging to Dovetail brought a letter."
Decker came to Asha with a pure white dove perched on his hand.
"Is it lost?"
"I don't think so. Look at this."
Attached to the dove's leg was a small, neatly dried letter, with the recipient's name, 'Asha Pervaz', clearly written on the outside.
"It looks like it was sent by High Priest Gabriel. It used to come in through the window of the room where the High Priest stayed, and it has a 'Tree of Wisdom' carving on its ankle."
Asha, who had been examining the dove closely at Decker's words, opened the letter that seemed to have come to her.
The neat handwriting, written with a very thin pen, reminded her of Gabriel's appearance, which was thin even for a man.
However, the contents he sent were not so light.
Those around His Highness Carlyle will be the target of political strife. Your life is in danger, so hide yourself outside of Pervaz for the time being. – Gabriel Knox
Decker's eyes, who was standing next to Asha and reading the letter together, widened.
"W, what does this mean! Wasn't His Highness Carlyle's reinstatement already decided? Is there going to be a political strife?"
"Will the other side give up the position of Crown Prince so easily?"
"What if they don't? It's the Emperor's order!"
"All they have to do is kill His Highness Carlyle. So now there will be a fight to kill each other, and those around them will be caught up in it."
Asha, who spoke in a calm tone, was rather creepy. As if she had been waiting for this day to come.
"It's fortunate that the High Priest likes you. You were informed of the dangerous situation in advance."
"I don't know…"
"For now, hide yourself, Asha. It doesn't hurt to be careful."
Asha, who had been looking down at the letter in her hand with indifferent eyes, soon tore it up and threw it into the fireplace ashes.
"Where can a lord abandon his territory and go? If they target me, they will naturally attack Pervaz."
"But Asha!"
"And you can't completely trust High Priest Gabriel either. What if this is a ploy to make Pervaz a masterless castle?"
Decker's mouth closed.
"If Pervaz goes over to the Empress's side, it could deal a significant blow to His Highness Carlyle's image and morale. After all, His Highness is still the husband of Countess Pervaz."
Moreover, there were still a considerable number of servants and supplies from Carlyle's side here. Until their return was made, Pervaz was one of Carlyle's forces.
"But will they really come in to kill you?"
"Maybe?"
Asha replied to Decker's worried question as if he was asking something obvious.
"We have to protect this place."
"…"
"We have to protect Pervaz, just like we've always done."
It seemed like Asha never had any other choice from the beginning.
Decker felt heartbroken by that fact.
'It's time for her to have some peace! Why does Asha have to suffer like this?'
It was frustrating that there was no one to blame.
If there was a god who put Asha through these trials, Decker wanted to burn his life to ashes and slap that god in the face.
"Then… What should we do, Your Highness? Please give me orders on how to prepare our defenses."
The only thing Decker could do was follow Asha. Even if it meant dying together.
However, Asha smiled as she patted Decker's shoulder, who was wearing a serious expression.
"Don't make that face like you're going to die, Decker. We have to protect this place and survive. His Highness Carlyle told us to survive until the end of the contract."
Asha recalled the image of Carlyle when he told her to 'survive'. He wasn't serious at all, and perhaps he didn't expect it much either.
However, Asha wanted to keep her promise to him to the end.
The necklace she couldn't bring herself to throw away, even though it hurt her heart, was still dangling on her collarbone, and her feelings for Carlyle were still fluttering in her heart, refusing to disappear easily.
"Asha…"
"Don't worry, Decker. Protecting Pervaz is what we do best, isn't it?"
Decker forced a smile, feeling that Asha's smile was somehow sad.
"That's right. It's what we do best."
Only after seeing Decker smile did Asha give the order as the lord.
"Have everyone assume a defensive stance on Pervaz with a siege. Clean and sharpen the weapons. Double the number of guards. Rotate the scouting parties in three shifts, and stock up on food as much as possible. Patrol the territory thoroughly as well."
"Yes, I understand!"
Decker thumped his left chest twice with his fist and prostrated himself.
Pervaz once again entered a state of high alert.
* * *
The night was deep in the palace.
The lights in the corridors were dim, and only the night guards and maids were guarding the night of the palace, making only the sound of rustling clothes.
However, there was a guest in the emperor's bedroom.
"What? You? Do you know what you're saying right now?"
The emperor asked, furrowing his brows in irritation.
Carlyle, who had secretly visited the emperor, nodded without changing his somber expression.
"Of course. I am also in pain to say this, but… Her Majesty the Empress, that is, my mother… has been said to have a disloyal heart towards the Empire and Father."
However, the emperor did not immediately believe him.
"No matter how you compete with Matthias, how can you accuse your mother of treason?"
"Treason?"
"Beatrice has been the empress of this country for the past 26 years, loyally by my side! Is it disloyalty to me and the empire that she wants to make her son the crown prince? Where is such arrogance!"
He rebuked Carlyle instead.
Carlyle wondered how the empire had not collapsed under such a man.
'Is this naivety? Is it stupidity?'
Shouldn't it be a crime if the emperor of the empire was this naive?
For a moment, he was about to open his eyes in anger, but Carlyle barely hid his expression by pretending to rub his temples.
"Ha… I thought Father would doubt me if I told him myself."
He said, taking an envelope out of his arms.
"Her Majesty the Empress was planning to make the Chad Empire the 'Chad Holy Empire' with Gabriel Knox, the High Priest of the First Temple. This is a letter the Empress wrote to the High Priest."
Carlyle took out the crumpled letters that Josephine had found in the trash can of her mother's room.
The emperor also quickly realized that it was a letter that only the empress could have written. He hurriedly opened the letter and read it.
"The Empress is corresponding with a young male priest in such a private letter…! This, this…!"
He was furious even though he had only seen the contents written for deception.
Carlyle felt another sigh coming on.
'My words have already planted the seeds of doubt. He's still stupid though.'
Carlyle stood up from his seat and took a candlestick that was next to him.
"It is also a problem that they were close enough to be misunderstood by others, but there is a more serious matter hidden."
As the emperor looked at the flickering candle, he realized that there was something written in special ink. He held the letter up to the candle with slightly trembling hands.
Carlyle was worried that he might burn the letter, but fortunately, he didn't seem to be that flustered.
'But he's probably going to start freaking out now.'
He waited silently until the emperor had finished reading the message written in special ink.
As expected, the emperor's hands shook more and more as time went on.
"This… these crazy bastards…!"
A rough curse erupted from the emperor's mouth.
'It seems that I have inherited my father's temper, at least.'
Carlyle frowned and exhaled an exaggerated sigh.
"Do you now understand why the empress put priests by your father's side?"
"How could this happen! Even if they're crazy about religion, how can they just hand over the country to the priests!"
The emperor grabbed the back of his neck and seemed like he was going to fall backwards in astonishment.