Decker's answer didn't come right away, unlike before.
"112 dead, almost all the rest injured. The number of casualties could increase. There were many casualties on their side as well, as ordinary servants fought alongside the knights and soldiers."
Asha closed her eyes tightly.
Every battle resulted in deaths. It always pained her heart, but this time it was especially worse.
It wasn't long ago that she had told him that their hardships were over and that they would live happily from now on.
"Is the restoration still ongoing? I was also unconscious, and you were seriously injured."
"No. His Highness Carlyle has been working hard on the restoration, barely sleeping. Most of it is already finished."
"His Highness Carlyle… ?"
Asha asked back, as if she hadn't expected it at all.
"Why are you so surprised? His Highness Carlyle is still your husband. It's only natural for the husband to assume authority when the Countess of Pervaz is in critical condition."
"Yes, that's… true, but…"
"I know why you're surprised. In fact, it was surprising that His Highness came here as soon as he heard the news of Pervaz."
That news was also new to Asha.
"You said he came here as soon as he heard the news of Pervaz? He didn't come here to seek refuge after His Highness Matthias ascended to the throne?"
"The Emperor passed away, and the Empress immediately closed the palace and enthroned His Highness Matthias. In that situation, it would have been more advantageous to gather his forces and quickly attack."
"I guess so… because there were more forces supporting His Highness Carlyle."
"His Highness was at a disadvantage coming to Pervaz. As time goes by, more people will side with His Highness Matthias."
Asha closed her mouth for a moment and organized her complicated thoughts.
At first, she didn't believe Gabriel's words that Carlyle had 'run away' to Pervaz. Carlyle was not the kind of person who would run away, even out of pride.
However, she couldn't imagine that Carlyle would abandon everything important to him and come running for Pervaz.
'Why on earth…?'
Wasn't the position of Emperor the goal of his life, something he had to achieve at all costs? That goal didn't belong to Carlyle alone. Too many people were already involved.
'Was Pervaz that important to His Highness Carlyle?'
It was true that Carlyle's name had been cast over Pervaz since he restored it and won the battle against the Igram tribe, but no matter how much she thought about it, it was doubtful that it was important enough to do this much.
Decker, oblivious to Asha's confusion, smiled warmly and patted her shoulder.
"Anyway, just focus on recovering your health. That's the most important thing."
"But there must be a lot of things to take care of…? His Highness Carlyle doesn't know our internal affairs in detail."
"That's right. That's why he asked about everything in detail."
Decker was also surprised by Carlyle's dedication.
It was already a lot of work to identify the deceased, arrange their funerals, treat the injured, clean the blood and filth from the castle, and repair the broken and damaged items.
But Carlyle went around the castle and checked even the smallest damages, and quickly procured physicians and medicine from Zyro.
Above all, he honored the dead as heroes. Thanks to this, the survivors who lost their families and friends were greatly comforted and felt proud of defending Pervaz.
"That's why the atmosphere in the castle is good now. It's even better now that you're awake."
"I see…"
"Oh, right. His Majesty Carlyle has been guarding your bedside every day. Be sure to thank him for that later."
"What?"
Asha was once again embarrassed. Carlyle had been guarding my bedside!
However, Decker didn't notice her embarrassment and confusion and got up from his seat.
"You must be tired. I've been sitting here too long. I'll go now. Rest."
"Oh, okay."
Asha, who couldn't ask Decker for more details, saw him off and sat there blankly, burying her face in her hands.
"Sigh… What the hell does he want me to do…"
She thought that the old Carlyle, who only spoke arrogantly and sarcastically, was much easier to deal with.
After Decker left, there was another person who visited Asha's room.
Knock, knock. The knock, which sounded like a metronome, was a bit too firm to be Nina's.
"Come in."
The person who opened the door at her permission was surprisingly Cecilia.
"Lady Dupret…?"
"I heard you were finally awake. Are you feeling well enough for a visit?"
"Of course. Please come in."
Asha was surprised but welcomed her nonetheless. Of course, Gabriel's words came to mind for a moment.
[Cecilia Dupret is already staying in this castle. I'm sure there was a deal made in exchange for the position of Empress.]
Gabriel had said it as if it was something terribly wrong, but since it was something she had expected from the beginning, there was no reason to be disappointed or upset.
Asha calmed her mind.
"I heard you were badly injured. The barbarians used some kind of magic…"
"Yes. I should have been more careful until the very end."
"Who could have predicted that? It's a miracle you're alive."
Cecilia's sigh of relief and words of good fortune did not seem to be hypocritical. There was no hint of mockery either.
'What's going on?'
As if she had sensed Asha's doubts, Cecilia hesitated and then spoke as if in confession.
"I really wanted you to wake up. I have something to apologize for."
Asha frowned slightly.
What on earth had happened during the month she had been lying down? Everyone she met kept saying they were sorry.
"What do you have to apologize for, Lady Dupret?"
"You know…"
She smiled shyly.
"I was… quite rude to you."
"Yes? You?"
"Are you pretending you don't know, or do you really not care?"
The way she playfully rolled her eyes was beautiful even to another woman.
However, Cecilia's smile soon faded.
"I'll confess. As you probably know, I thought I was going to be His Highness Carlyle's wife."
Asha still didn't quite understand what Cecilia was talking about. Not only her, but everyone else would have thought the same, and she must have come here to be Carlyle's wife.
"I apologize for my behavior, but I had no choice. I did what I had to do to avoid being used as a decoration or a bargaining chip for my family."
"No one would think of you that way, Lady Dupret."
Cecilia smiled faintly at Asha's words of comfort.
"Thank you for saying that. But unfortunately, if I hadn't become His Highness Carlyle's wife, I would have been forced to marry a man I didn't want, according to my father and brothers' decision."
"That won't happen. His Highness Carlyle will…"
"Of course it won't happen. His Highness Carlyle will become the emperor, and then I will be the successor to the Dupret duchy."
Asha blinked her eyes in confusion at Cecilia's words.
'Can an empress also be the successor to a duchy?'
But Cecilia didn't answer Asha's question.
"Anyway… I wanted to apologize to the Countess for my previous behavior. I deliberately ignored and ridiculed you, and that was wrong of me."
"No, it's okay. It's in the past… But I am curious. Why did you do it?"
From Asha's point of view, she was a nobody.
But Cecilia's answer was beyond Asha's imagination.
"I… envied you. You are free to make your own decisions and take action, unlike me."
"What? You envied me?"
"Yes. I didn't realize it at the time, but now I think it was jealousy."
Asha was speechless. Jealousy was something that beautiful and perfect women like Cecilia felt.
But Cecilia was sincere.
"You may not know this, but no woman in the empire can live as freely as the Countess, not even the empress."
"But that's not something that was given to me as a reward, is it?"
"I know. It's the result of a tragic event. But humans are naturally inclined to covet what they can't have."
It was true. Cecilia, who seemed to have everything to others, envied what Asha had.
She envied Asha for inheriting the title of the Count as a woman, for not being intimidated in the slightest by the charismatic Carlyle, for being stronger than anyone else, and for being loved by Carlyle.
She was jealous of Asha for having everything she could never have, and tried to belittle her. She resented Asha's existence, which made her reflect on her own shortcomings.
'But not anymore. I will win my own future with my own strength, and then we will be closer to comrades than enemies.'
Lost in thought, Cecilia belatedly realized that her words might have sounded rude, and hurriedly added.
"Oh, of course, you are not that kind of person. And I have decided to stop coveting what is not mine."
Her smiling face looked different from before. She seemed relieved, and lonely at the same time…