Carlyle sat down next to Asha.
Although the cause of one's unconsciousness and life-threatening condition was said to be some kind of savage magic, there were no signs of injury on her exposed body.
There were many bruises, and there were also a few wounds that were bleeding even though they were bandaged, not to mention small cuts.
When they fought the war together, he thought it was natural to get such wounds, but when he actually saw it with his own eyes, he was breathless.
"The doctor is..."
"The nurse from the infirmary came and went, but she said that she couldn't find a way with her own medical knowledge..."
Carlyle closed his eyes tightly.
It was his fault for not leaving a doctor in Pervaz. Thinking that she would return to Zyro after pacifying the South, he took all the important personnel with him.
'Even though I knew that the medical knowledge of the nurses here was lacking...'
It was irresponsible.
It was selfish.
He was short-sighted.
He realized that he had fallen into a pit of karma that he had dug himself.
"Your Highness! I heard that you won the war in the South. Then you must have been reinstated... Can't you please bring the doctor from the Imperial Palace, just once... just once?"
Nina knelt down and begged, tears streaming down her face.
Carlyle had never felt so helpless as he did now.
"It doesn't seem like the news has reached here yet..."
He was already at a loss for how to deal with their disappointment.
"The Emperor has passed away."
"Yes?"
"And Matthias has crowned himself Emperor with the coffin that my mother gave him."
"Then...!"
"Yes. That means I'm the number one target for the Imperial family right now."
"What, what are we going to do!"
Nina burst into tears again and buried her face in her hands. Della, who had guided him here, staggered and barely stood up, leaning against the wall.
It seemed that he had realized that what he had believed to be his last hope was an even greater despair.
However, seeing such an attitude, Carlyle clenched his fists and made up his mind.
"Don't cry like the world is ending. I've never imagined a future where I wouldn't become emperor."
He took a deep breath and asked Nina and Della a few questions.
"Is the black smoke the Countess Pervaz was talking about correct? Is there anyone else besides the Countess who was right?"
"I don't know. It was so chaotic and there were so many dead… …"
"What happened to the savages?"
"Baron Donovan killed them."
Carlyle's hand shook.
"Sir Donovan? Sir Donovan is nowhere to be seen either… …"
"Baron Donovan is also seriously injured and is being treated in another room. Most of the warriors are either dead or seriously injured."
"How many people died in the end?"
"The deaths of ordinary servants and the people of the territory are rather few. Lord Pervaz's army desperately held back the enemies… … sob… …"
Among the dead were some that Carlyle remembered.
Hector, who looked like a monster but was innocent, and Luka, who seemed to have a light attitude but was said to be one of the best warriors in Pervaz's army, including a few warriors who first helped the Knights of Haven in the battle against the Igram people… …
"Hector and Luka… … are dead… …"
It felt strange.
I thought they would be the names that would always protect Asha's side, but the fact that they would no longer be seen… …
No, Asha was in danger now, so it was ridiculous to be talking about that.
"Della. Nina. Step away for a moment."
As Carlyle gave the order in a low voice, Della and Nina wiped away their tears and quietly went outside.
Left alone with Asha, Carlyle looked at her and slowly took her hand. It was still early autumn outside, but Asha's hands were too cold.
"Asha… …"
Of course, there was no answer.
"I'm sorry. It's all my fault."
Originally, he was not going to send Asha to Pervaz alone. No, he was not going to let the war in the south happen.
He shouldn't have just left Giles, who was ignoring Asha, and he should have sent much more medical personnel to Pervaz.
In the end, it was all caused by his own arrogance.
"I… … I didn't think I would lose. I know. I was arrogant and stupid. I know now."
But there was something even more stupid than that.
"And I...."
Something like regret went down his throat.
"I didn't know you had become such a precious person to me."
From the moment he heard the news of the attack on Pervaz, only Asha was on his mind.
The thought that 'she's an excellent warrior, so she can't die' gradually changed to 'please just stay alive' as he rode north.
[I know you don't like being asked twice. I will accept the punishment, but I need to explain to the knights as well. Your Highness, why are you going to Pervaz so urgently?]
Lionel asked, prepared.
Several plausible answers came to Carlyle's mind, but they all disappeared. Because none of them were true.
He didn't want to lie and pretend in this situation.
Carlyle stared blankly into the air before finally uttering a word that was like a declaration.
[Because my wife is in Pervaz...]
The look on Lionel's face when he heard that answer was probably something he would never forget until he died.
A frozen expression with all the holes in his face opened as wide as possible, like someone who had just realized a tremendous truth.
'It was quite funny.'
Of course he didn't laugh.
Anyway, at that moment, Carlyle realized his own heart, which he had pretended not to know.
He loved his wife.
He loved the indifferent, strong, righteous, and beautiful Asha Pervaz.
[When the hell...!]
To Lionel's stupid question, Carlyle searched his memory distantly.
Well. Was it when they destroyed the Igram tribe together? Or was it when they first made love? No, maybe it was when she saved him from the back alley and offered him a handshake.
It didn't matter when it was. Like it doesn't make sense to ask when clothes that are hit by drizzle got wet.
"Countess. I can't lose you. There are many things I need to apologize for, and many things I need to do. Don't you feel wronged too? You should slap me once and call me a bastard."
A sad smile appeared on Carlyle's lips.
"So get up, Asha. Please...."
He slowly got up from his seat and pressed his lips to Asha's pale and bloodless lips.
Her lips, which had been hot and sweet, were cold and unresponsive, but Carlyle warmed her lips with his own, filled with the desire for her to please wake up.
* * *
"Father, then we shall be on our way."
"..."
Duke Dupret sighed, unable to say either yes or no as he watched his sons leave for the banquet hosted by Beatrice.
Cecilia's heart sank as she watched her father from the side.
She never thought that something they had prepared for so long would crumble like this. How could the emperor have died at such a time…?
'The Empress must have had him assassinated.'
There was no other explanation.
The death of Kendrick Evaristo was one thing, but the bigger problem was that Carlyle had suddenly left for Pervaz. With the situation calling for the immediate mobilization of troops to attack the Imperial Palace, what was he doing going to Pervaz…?
As a result, the nobles who had supported Carlyle were thrown into a state of great confusion.
Some of them were in a hurry to switch sides to Beatrice and Matthias, while others insisted that 'there was no way Carlyle Evaristo would back down like this' and maintained their previous position.
Even within the Dupret family, opinions were divided.
[Father! If we just sit back and do nothing, something terrible will happen!]
[That's right! How much longer are you going to put up with Cecile's nonsense?]
Cecilia's two older brothers were the ones who insisted that they should show their favor to Beatrice right now.
They were disappointed and resentful that their father was more lenient with Cecilia's opinion that they should support Carlyle to the end.
They even went so far as to criticize Cecilia as 'a frivolous, ignorant, and conceited fool.'
[You need to come to your senses, Cecile! Where is there a young lady who hasn't even been engaged by your age?]
[She's done for, brother. She still thinks she's the belle of the ball, with her nose up in the air…]
Her brothers clicked their tongues at her and acted as if they had won a great victory. This was despite the fact that the crisis facing the family had not improved in the least.
They had even obtained invitations to the Empress' banquet by bribing acquaintances after aligning themselves with Beatrice.
Cecilia tried to stop them, but they wouldn't listen to her.
'The sons of the Dupret family have no pride, buying invitations to a banquet…! This is an insult to the name of the family!'
Cecilia gritted her teeth.
What kind of family was the Dupret family? It had a long tradition and had produced many talented people. Thanks to the family's solid business, they never ran out of gold, and there was not a single place in the Chad where the name of the Dupret family was ignored.
'That was until now.'
However, if she left the family to her brothers, it was clear that they would end up nothing more than puppets of Beatrice's purse and eventually fall into ruin. She could not just stand by and watch such a future unfold.