Timid and Shy - Chapter 20

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

20.

Baron Ariel watched Philip’s retreating figure fade into the distance, his eyes following them as he spoke.
“This display of authority before that young man—it may well be the last act I perform as Ariel’s lord.”
John said nothing, only watching the Baron’s profile. The resolve he glimpsed there only deepened his unease.
The following dawn, John set out for the Capital with his son Jack in tow. They rode hard without respite, their pace relentless. When Jack had first learned they would ride horseback rather than travel by carriage, he’d been thrilled—but the grueling forced march soon wore him down to exhaustion.
Three days later, when they reached the Capital, Jack’s face had grown hollow as a skull.
“I thought we were hurrying when we came with Miss Sophia, but this time there’s truly no mercy in it at all.”
“Did you think conducting business would be comfortable? We don’t have time for complaints. Keep moving.”
They passed through the city gates first, then bypassed the Administrative Building where John usually went, heading deeper into the city instead. John was making for the Imperial Palace.
Though the structures were similar, the palace gates differed markedly from the Administrative Building entrance—where lines formed early each day. Here, there were no queues, only a contingent of palace guards standing watch. Even John, who had worked as an administrator for years, found his hands trembling as he approached; his entries into the palace were rare enough to count on one hand.
Jack, by contrast, was too exhausted and weary to manage even the luxury of nervousness.
The procedure for entering the palace proved far more meticulous than simply presenting oneself at the Administrative Building. After a thorough body search, John surrendered the Baron’s credential and the document intended for the Emperor.
Unlike the clerks at the Administrative Building, the palace scribe accepted the credentials from John with deliberate courtesy.
The imperial clerk examined the document John had presented, and his eyes narrowed. He immediately sent it to the Emperor’s office by urgent dispatch.

***

The moment the Emperor entered his office, what met his eyes was a Territory Resignation Document. Baron Ariel was renouncing his fief.
The Emperor let the resignation papers fall onto his desk with a soft thud and exhaled deeply. Then he sat in silence for a long while, lost in thought.
Unlike the frenetic activity of the Administrative Building, the Emperor’s workspace was tranquil. Even as John and Jack waited in the corridor, the few figures who passed moved without a sound, their footsteps making no disturbance.
The work conducted in the Emperor’s office concerned high nobility—matters the administrative staff struggled to manage. Most involved matters of noble succession or territorial disputes.
A formal document bearing Baron Ariel’s seal.
Though elegantly rendered on parchment, it was ultimately a resignation letter. The Emperor sat with it for some time before summoning Caliburn, his chief chamberlain.
“Bring Robert. He keeps close enough to understand how matters unfold. And arrange a meeting with the one who brought this resignation. I need to know precisely why Baron Ariel is taking this step.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The elderly attendant bowed and gestured. The door opened, and the chamberlain departed with measured steps. His silver hair flowed as he walked, and his bearing was no less imposing than the Emperor’s own. Such was fitting—he was a veteran of the imperial court, having served since the reign of the previous Emperor.
John, who had been waiting in the corridor, straightened immediately when the Emperor’s chamberlain appeared. Caliburn led John to his private quarters, and John left Jack to wait in the corridor before following the chamberlain inside.
Jack, who had been waiting for what felt like forever, finally saw his father again as evening fell. He had dozed off on the corridor sofa, snoring softly.
John gave Jack a light tap to wake him, regarded him with exasperation, and then departed the palace.
John spoke as they walked.
“I doubt anyone else sleeping within the palace walls would snore so shamelessly. The Emperor himself sits mere steps away.”
“I didn’t mean to. I was so exhausted. I nearly collapsed, Father—collapsed!”
John refrained from further reproach at his son’s excuse. Truth be told, John himself was on the brink of collapse. The anxiety had left him no room to rest, making the journey extraordinarily taxing. By the time his meeting with the Emperor’s chamberlain ended, even John felt bile rising in his throat.
They checked into a modest inn, took a light supper to quiet their stomachs, and fell directly into bed.
Within ten seconds of lying down, both of them were snoring in unison.

***

Four days had passed, yet John remained in the Capital, still waiting. His lips had grown parched with anxiety, but unlike at the Administrative Building, he could neither wait outside the doors nor attempt to hurry matters along.
Jack, meanwhile, was delighted to spend time in the Capital with his father, meeting his old friends and visiting various shops. For Jack, the waiting period was nothing short of a holiday.
Seeing his young son so gleeful and buoyant, John felt compelled to offer a cautionary word.
“I’m not sure how much longer I can remain an administrator.”
“Because of the coercion from House of Wiscom, isn’t it?”
John’s eyes widened in surprise at this, and Jack continued.
“People in the city already know. And there are plenty of the Baron’s subjects outside the gates too. There’s been much talk about how Baron Ariel sent away Wiscom’s son. Miss Sophia is quite concerned about it. She sent someone directly to Umbrel.”
“What?”
“I suspect even the Baron knows by now. Miss Sophia said she was certain that Philip Wiscom came to Ariel to ask Robert to mediate between him and the Baron. She said Robert needs to know. She argued this isn’t a matter between Ariel and Wiscom—it’s an affair between Robert and House of Wiscom, with Ariel caught in the middle. She said Wiscom has someone else to contend with.”
“Miss Sophia said that?”
“Yes. She insisted it was something Umbrel needed to know.”
“Do you think she said that because she already knew the Baron had sent the resignation?”
“What? Did he really send it?”
“What do you mean ‘what’?”
“Miss Sophia moved the moment she learned that the Baron had expelled Philip Wiscom at the city gates. She was in such a hurry, saying he might have to leave the territory. I didn’t think it was possible—I assumed the Baron would never give up his fief. I thought she was mistaken, and I figured she was just using it as an excuse to show interest in Prince Robert and send people out.”
“Hmm?”
“I thought maybe she’d been reading too many romance novels lately and was getting the urge to fall in love herself, you know.”
John was startled equally by his son’s foolishness and by Miss Sophia’s acumen. In John’s estimation, Sophia’s political instinct and insight surpassed even Alex’s.
Seeing the disappointment in his father’s eyes, Jack quickly scrambled to defend himself.
“I’m not just guessing at this — the truth is, when Miss Sophia was staying at House of Wiscom, she…….”
“What about her? Don’t hold back. What happened to her this time?”
Jack waved his hands as he spoke.
“It’s not that she suffered anything. Miss Sophia asked the servants of House of Wiscom to spread word in secret that she seemed to have taken a fancy to Prince Robert. So I just repeated what Miss Sophia told them to a few people. That’s why I thought she had her heart set on Prince Robert. When I brought the news this time, I figured things in the Capital weren’t over yet.”
John couldn’t fathom what Sophia was trying to accomplish with such behavior. Despite Jack’s explanation, he couldn’t bring himself to believe that Miss Sophia held Prince Robert in any special regard.
John hesitated over whether to tell the Baron about this. Jack continued to follow, watching his father’s expression.
‘Should I confess to Miss Sophia? I should. It’ll come out anyway.’

***

Two days after Baron Ariel’s Territory Resignation Document fell into the Emperor’s hands, Prince Robert entered the palace with long strides. Only Maeve accompanied him. Caliburn greeted Prince Robert with surprise and spoke.
“However much the occasion calls for it, you mustn’t wander about alone. Beyond the dignity of the Prince, your safety is the foremost concern.”
“Your concern is appreciated, Caliburn. Where is the Emperor?”
“Still in his office.”
Robert walked to the office door, took a deep breath, and entered.
Caliburn fixed his gaze on Maeve, who remained outside the door.
“Junior rank or not, she is a secretary. For the Prince to move about alone like that? Do you have your wits about you?”
Maeve spoke rapidly, her eyes wide with apprehension.
“Prince Robert wanted to move quickly and without anyone knowing, so that’s how it came to be. When we descend to Umbrel, we’ll bring more people. I’m truly sorry. Even if the Prince insisted, I should have stopped him. But how could I stop the Prince? Can you stop him, Chief Caliburn? Do you have a way to bend his will when he’s being stubborn, or something like that?”
Caliburn waved his hand dismissively.
“That’s enough. Do you really think you could follow through if I told you? Go find Bianca.”
“Yes.”
Maeve dashed toward the Prince’s quarters. Caliburn clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“I’ve struggled with that stubbornness all these years and haven’t managed to break it once. Tsk, tsk. If there were a way, I’d use it.”
Caliburn gazed at the office door and shook his head.
The Emperor gazed out the window even as Prince Robert offered his greeting, his back turned to the Prince. “Wiscom’s strength has wavered. That should work in your favor,” the Emperor said.
“Perhaps. But we ought to settle Baron Ariel’s matter first.”
“What’s to settle? Call in the Duke of Wiscom and give him a stern talking-to. Whether or not Baron Ariel was prepared, we cannot accept his leaving Ariel now. You’ve only just returned from Umbrel. The omens are not favorable.”
“Simply rejecting Baron Ariel’s Territory Resignation won’t suffice. We must commend him on this occasion and grant him Budget and Military Authority. Wiscom is one thing, but we must also show our southern neighbors, Saturn, that we are marshaling our strength at the border.”
“Yes, quite so. It may also serve as an opportunity to strengthen your hold on Umbrel.”
“Ariel comes first. I shall move slowly. There is House of Wiscom to attend to, and I should like to remain in the Capital for a time. I’ll leave a trusted hand in Umbrel. Baron Ariel will do all he can to aid the territory while I’m away.”
“I’ve heard Baron Ariel doesn’t care for you.”
Prince Robert was startled by the Emperor’s intelligence but kept his expression neutral. “He dislikes me, but he hasn’t hesitated in aiding Umbrel’s restoration. He’s the sort to keep public duty and private feeling separate. There’s real pride in his family’s generations of guardianship over the border. He has done his utmost to hold back any breach in Umbrel’s defenses until now. Even without me, he’s not the sort to slack in his work.”
“True enough. Finding such a man these days is hard enough. The Baron suits Ariel well. Both Ariel and Umbrel must make good use of this opportunity.”
“Once word of this spreads and we grant Budget and Military Authority to Ariel, Wiscom will have suffered humiliation. Neither Gareth nor Cressida will interfere. And I won’t disappoint Baron Ariel.”
“And you? Are you truly confident?”
“No matter what comes, Umbrel will remain my foundation. I will never neglect the work of strengthening that foundation.”
“Very well. But do you hold no hope of reconciling with Wiscom? Cressida’s scheming seems to have jolted Wiscom awake.”
“If I approach Wiscom now, I’ll only cement the bond between Cressida and Gareth and needlessly make Gareth my enemy. I’ll wait. It’s better to watch and see what Wiscom does with Cressida and Gareth.”
“Then why come to the Capital at all?”
“Because Cressida will summon Frederick to the Capital. The Empress will do everything in her power to prevent me from making my presence felt in the Capital without Frederick at my side.”
“Are you afraid of Frederick gaining merit in the south?”
“No. I fear that Cressida will stir up needless conflict for Frederick’s sake. The unrest in both north and south troubles me. I don’t like this situation.”
Only then did the Emperor turn to face Prince Robert. The corners of his mouth were raised. He made no effort to hide his approval of the answer.

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