Timid and Shy - Chapter 2

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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2.

Sophia planned to remain in the Capital for two months. One month would be devoted to preparing for her debutante ball, and the other to accepting invitations into society.
‘What could possibly happen in two months? I’ll slip away to the Capital unnoticed and slip back to Ariel just as quietly.’
This was the worst scenario Sophia could imagine—vanishing without a trace, with no one the wiser.
‘That would be enough.’
The next morning, Sophia prepared to leave immediately after breakfast. She needed to visit the Phiné House to pay her respects and deliver the gifts that Eli and the Ariel household had sent.
After that, she intended to take a walk through Downtown and see the sights, so she put on her old, well-worn Worn Flats whose creases had settled long ago.
“Just browsing the shops in Downtown should lift my spirits.”
For Sophia, this was her first time in the Capital, so she had even taken a list of shops and landmarks worth visiting from Eli. Surely Helen Phiné would offer her guidance as well.
Despite her aunt’s coldness, Sophia found herself looking forward to visiting the Phiné House and exploring Downtown.
As she was finishing her preparations, there came a knock at the door. The maid from yesterday delivered word that the Duchess wished to see Sophia.
‘At last I’ll meet the famous Wiscom Duchess.’
Sophia decided she would now approach her aunt as the Wiscom Duchess rather than simply as family.
Sophia took a steadying breath as she set out to meet the Duchess.
‘The person I’m about to meet is the Wiscom Duchess. I’ll conduct myself with perfect propriety.’
Sophia went to meet the Duchess.

***

The Wiscom Duchess was not at all what Sophia had imagined. She had expected her to be a beauty resembling her mother, given her famous romantic tales.
Sophia’s mother had possessed golden hair and blue eyes, looking like a beauty stepped from the pages of mythology.
‘They said she was like a goddess. Like an angel, even.’
Alex had inherited her beauty entirely, and unfortunately, Sophia had taken more after her father.
Her father, Baron Ariel, was a kind and good man, though his features were unremarkable. This was something Sophia had always regretted—why had only her brother inherited their mother’s looks? And yet Sophia was the one who needed beauty most.
Compared to her mother, the Wiscom Duchess appeared ordinary. Yet her overall impression was unmistakably that of a refined lady of the Capital.
She carried herself with an upright posture, wore a neat Dress, and her carefully groomed hair bore only a single small ornament. She gave the impression of a dignified and intelligent woman.
Sophia bowed to the Wiscom Duchess and begged her pardon.
“I beg your forgiveness for my attire. Today I have plans to visit my aunt at the Phiné House and take in some sightseeing.”
She was merely apologizing for her traveling clothes. Yet when the Duchess’s gaze lingered on Sophia’s worn shoes, it felt as though she were apologizing for her own shabbiness.
The Wiscom Duchess withdrew her gaze from the shoes and spoke.
“I should have spoken with you yesterday, but my mind has been consumed with debutante preparations, and I’ve been remiss. Tell me—have you brought your debutante preparations with you, or do you need to arrange them now?”
“I thought it best to purchase the Dress and Jewelry here in the Capital, so I didn’t bring them. Is there anything else I should prepare? I confess I don’t know much about the debutante ball.”
The Wiscom Duchess looked Sophia over and smiled.
“For your hair and makeup on the day of your debut, I’ve already hired someone, so you can have the same person do yours as Isabel’s. As for your Dress—where are you thinking of ordering it? Isabel has already had hers prepared, though the seamstress will likely need to make several more visits. Why don’t you have yours fitted there as well? From what I’ve seen, their work is quite skillful.”
“I was planning to simply purchase a ready-made Dress. A custom gown seems far too expensive.”
The Wiscom Duchess spoke in a gentle, concerned tone.
“But it’s only a debutante ball once in a lifetime. If you economize on the Dress, you’ll regret it later. How about this—let me give you a custom Dress as a gift for my niece. I can finally give you all the gifts I haven’t been able to give you until now, all at once.”
“Since it’s only once, I don’t wish to spend so much. I understand your concern, but my circumstances truly don’t allow it. Your presenting me for my debutante alongside Isabel is more than gift enough. I’m truly grateful for the invitation—Wiscom Duchess.”
The Wiscom Duchess did not correct Sophia’s formal use of “Wiscom Duchess” with each sentence. She regarded Sophia with quiet reflection.
‘After leaving her alone all day, she’s found her place well enough. It’s fortunate she’s perceptive, at least.’
The Wiscom Duchess sighed before speaking.
“Very well, I understand. You may handle the Dress and Jewelry as you see fit. In return, I won’t burden you with any extra trouble over the debutante. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Nothing. I will do my utmost to cause no trouble to you or the Wiscom Duke.”
“Your manner isn’t like Alex’s, yet your actions are identical. Why do you conduct yourself like a stranger? Even if we’ve only just met, I’m still your aunt, am I not? It’s unnecessary to be so stiffly formal, even if we’re not particularly close.”
Sophia smiled as she spoke.
“I hope you’ll forgive me. I simply wish to cause as little burden as possible. I’m more grateful than words can express that you’re opening your home for my debutante at such a crucial time for me. I don’t wish to impose further. And my father did ask this of me.”
“Ah, so Baron Ariel did have words for you. Your mother was the same way. She never sought my help, and even when I offered it, she was never pleased. You’re all cut from the same cloth.”
Sophia said nothing as the Wiscom Duchess spoke of her mother with a distant expression. Sophia sensed that the Duchess’s longing for her mother was not as deep as all that.
‘Perhaps I’m reading too much into yesterday’s events.’
The Wiscom Duchess straightened herself and spoke once more.
“You must dine with the Duke this evening, so be sure to return before sundown. And—you should pay more attention to your attire. Whatever standards they keep in Ariel, in the Duke’s household one must dress properly, even among intimate company.”
“Understood, Wiscom Duchess.”
Sophia’s face flushed as she answered. Her traveling clothes were the finest outfit she owned.
She did have a Dress prepared for the dinner, but remembering the way the Duchess had looked her over, she doubted this evening’s gown would fare any better in her eyes.
‘The fact that she never corrected me even once when I called her Wiscom Duchess shows she has no real warmth for me as an aunt.’
As Sophia had suspected, the Duchess had no intention of growing close to Sophia or to Ariel. She seemed to have no other business with her.
Her words about allowing Sophia to live freely in the household struck Sophia’s ears not as an invitation to be at ease, but as a suggestion to maintain distance between them.
‘What on earth did she want with me?’
Sophia’s unease deepened.
‘Will I come to regret defying Father and seeking out Wiscom?’
At least she had one small mercy: John, the administrator, was too occupied with work at the Administrative Building to properly monitor her life in the Duke’s residence.
‘If I can just handle Jack right, we’ll manage to hide whatever happens in the residence. Two months. I only need to get through two months.’

***

Her meeting with an aunt she’d never seen before ended as soon as the tea had cooled. Sophia departed for Phiné House at once.
The Wiscom Duke’s family lived in the 2nd District, close to the Imperial Palace. Phiné House, by contrast, stood in the 3rd District, near the bustling commercial heart. In the Capital, each district housed a different class of people.
Without a title, no amount of wealth could purchase property in the 2nd or 3rd Districts. It was an unspoken law that only nobility could dwell there.
Even when commoners bought houses in these districts, they rented them to aristocrats. Despite the intermarriage between nobles and commoners that had blurred some boundaries, the class barrier remained formidable.
Indeed, the very fact of cross-class contact made many hypersensitive to such matters. The wealthy and educated—those called the bourgeoisie—drew particular wariness from the nobility.
Sophia’s new relations, Phiné House, were the very picture of such a bourgeois family.
As the carriage drew closer to Phiné House, the sound of horses and crowds grew louder, filling the streets with clamor. Jack, sitting beside the Coachman, let forth a continuous stream of admiration and astonishment.
He even kept praising the Coachman’s skill. The Coachman, meanwhile, said nothing. Jack spoke again.
“I’ve never seen roads this crowded before—my nerves are completely shot. It’s amazing how you handle the carriage like this.”
Sophia, annoyed by Jack’s endless chatter, called out toward the window opening to the driver’s seat.
“Stop your whining. Keep quiet—you’re distracting the driver.”
Jack answered her rebuke.
“You don’t know what it’s like from the driver’s seat, miss. Even though I’m not holding the reins, my palms are soaked with sweat. These people crossing in front of a moving carriage don’t seem frightened at all, and there’s no shortage of them. And horses cutting in without warning—that would never happen in Ariel.”
Sophia turned to the Coachman.
“If you find it distracting, you can tell him to be quiet. If you leave him alone, he’ll chatter the whole day.”
Jack’s voice dropped.
“Don’t say that, miss. Father lectured me endlessly before he left for the Administrative Building this morning.”
Sophia said to Jack.
“And yet you’re still at it? Jack, eyes forward and mouth shut. Observing is fine—just do it quietly. Be amazed in silence.”
“Yes, miss.”
She could almost see his shoulders slump with dejection. Truth be told, Jack did need to speak less. The one thing Sophia and John had agreed upon was that they would keep conversation to a minimum while staying at the Duke’s residence.
John didn’t trust the people in Wiscom’s household. Having traveled to the Capital frequently, he knew Wiscom well and remained constantly on guard. Sophia had resolved to follow his judgment as much as possible.
They had to be careful not only of the Wiscom Duke and his family, but of the hired staff as well. The servants of a powerful house like Wiscom were far more dangerous than those of a noble family without influence.
They possessed power and wore their arrogance accordingly. Conflict with them could lead to unpleasant consequences.
To prepare for any contingency, the three had promised to guard their tongues within Wiscom’s walls. And Jack was the one most likely to break that vow.
His nature was, charitably speaking, personable and good with people; less charitably, he had a loose tongue. Yet his ears were equally open, and Sophia relied on him to bring her news of most happenings in Ariel Castle and the surrounding town.
Perhaps she could even use Jack’s character to her advantage—gathering intelligence about Wiscom’s household.
‘But I don’t yet know what to listen for, what to worry about. I can’t rashly direct Jack without understanding the situation.’

***

They arrived at Phiné House an hour after departing from the Wiscom residence. The closer they drew to Downtown, the more the streets filled with carriages and horses, making the journey longer than expected.
Phiné House stood among a row of townhouses—the largest and most immaculate of them all. The carriage halted before the grand entrance staircase. The moment it stopped, the doors of Phiné House opened, and Phiné Lady, Helen, and Sol emerged to welcome Sophia.
The one most delighted to see Sophia was Helen, Eli’s younger sister. Helen was two years younger than Sophia. During her stay at Ariel residence for the wedding, the two had grown close.
Sol, now thirteen, offered Sophia a proper greeting. Helen, eighteen, embraced Sophia instead, speaking with open enthusiasm.
“How long are you staying? You really ought to remain for at least six months to truly enjoy the Capital.”
Sophia embraced Helen in return.
“Two months at most.”
Phiné Lady greeted Sophia warmly, then ushered the two of them toward the house.
“Young ladies, why are you standing about on this dusty street? Come inside at once. Come along now.”
For the first time since her journey, Sophia felt as though she were truly visiting family.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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