Timid and Shy - Chapter 22

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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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22.

Baron Ariel looked around at everyone and spoke.
“I’ve given this considerable thought over the years. Just because we’ve protected Ariel for generations doesn’t mean we must continue to do so forever. I haven’t said this aloud, but now that I have grandchildren, my worries have only deepened.”
The Baron gazed warmly at Ellie and Alex.
“If it comes to leaving Ariel, so be it. Don’t push yourselves beyond your limits. Above all, your family must be healthy and at peace. I have no intention of burdening Alex and my grandchildren with a dead weight, so cast aside any notion that I’ll exhaust myself trying to hold on.”
Baron Ariel turned his gaze toward Sophia and John as well.
“If external pressures and attacks come our way, it will be the people of the territory who suffer most. If Wiscom threatens us, yielding might be the right choice for both the territory’s people and our family. We’ve managed this time, but there’s no guarantee about the next. I’m telling you this now, as a precaution.”
At the Baron’s words, John’s expression darkened. Though he had served Baron Ariel for many years, he had never before heard him speak of abandoning Ariel.
Alex and Ellie held each other’s hands. Wiscom would certainly seek revenge someday. And when that day came, it would likely fall to Alex and his family to face it. Their silence now made sense.
Sophia regarded the Baron steadily. Her father was aging. He was choosing family over the burden of holding the frontier, over pride itself.
‘Ariel, guardian of the Titannia Goddess.’
Sophia loved Ariel, cradled as it was by Titannia Mountain and the Titannia Mountain Range. She had always treasured the name, given to her after her mother’s ancestor—the one her mother had so admired and loved. But truly, it was because her mother had given her this name that Sophia loved Ariel all the more.
Sophia could not bear to abandon Ariel. Like the Baron, she too placed family first. Yet the family Sophia held in her heart extended far beyond those in this study. Until the end came, she would do everything in her power.
‘As long as my name is Sophia of Ariel, I will never abandon this place.’
John looked anxiously around the Baron’s family, until his gaze settled on Sophia. While Alex wore an expression of relief, Sophia’s face showed deep anguish.
John found himself trusting Sophia more than Alex. Alex, now a father, would naturally shy away from danger. John understood, yet he felt a pang of disappointment.
John had faith in Sophia’s devotion to Ariel and in her ability to read a situation. He made a silent vow: whenever Sophia asked for help, he would answer without hesitation.

***

Maeve pressed her hands to her head and spoke.
“Why are you doing this to me? Your Highness Robert? I’m merely a secretary—a junior one at that. And now you’re asking me to look after Umbreel? Why? Why?”
Robert replied in a tone of perfect calm, starkly at odds with Maeve’s distress.
“Because you’re competent, obviously. For a mere junior secretary, you’ve accomplished quite a bit. A promotion is only fitting.”
“But that’s not the issue… You were insisting that Umbreel was your favorite place, and now you’re handing it to me? What about you, Your Highness?”
“I’m going to the Capital. There are people I need to see.”
“What? So you’ve truly made up your mind?”
“I’m uneasy about what Frederick and Cressida might do. It’s not so much a decision as it is an unavoidable step for the Empire’s sake.”
“Never mind all that—does the Emperor support you, Your Highness? Or is he merely turning a blind eye? If it’s the latter, what happens to your future if things go wrong? The Empress and Cressida certainly have no intention of letting you live.”
“Even if I were to grovel before them, they wouldn’t spare my life anyway.”
Maeve opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. When she finally did speak, her voice was hollow.
“We’re critically short of administrative personnel. And I can’t employ them all using the territory’s budget. There’s no money, Your Highness. Please, take some people and funds with you when you go.”
“Don’t worry about that, Maeve. I’m not so foolish as to leave empty-handed. Everything major is a joint operation with Ariel anyway, so you just follow Baron Ariel’s orders. And if anyone questions you, tell them the Baron ordered it, tell them the Prince commanded it. I won’t burden a mere secretary with the responsibility.”
Maeve’s expression improved somewhat, though her unease remained evident.
“By working jointly with Ariel, does that mean you’ve truly broken with Wiscom?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then what?”
“Ariel is a neighboring territory in the Border Region, so naturally we share interests. Since I’m still unfamiliar with territorial affairs, it makes sense to follow a neighboring lord’s lead. There’s nothing more to it than that.”
“Does Ariel know this?”
“He likely does. Whether our relations are good or not, I can’t protect Ariel forever, can I? He must find his own way. Still, I intend to extend some goodwill. After all, thanks to them, the Emperor has shown me favor as well.”
“Well… I suppose I must trust that Ariel knows what he’s doing. But isn’t it dangerous? Couldn’t Cressida resort to extreme methods against you?”
As Maeve spoke, she made a subtle cutting motion across her throat. Robert let out a low chuckle.
“If she did that, it would be the fastest way for Cressida to make an enemy of the Emperor. The Emperor will certainly want to eliminate Cressida—though I’m not so sure about Frederick. If Cressida and the Empress were stupid enough to try, then all the better for me.”
“But… what good is it to be dead…?”
Maeve trailed off and fell silent. Robert continued.
“The Emperor didn’t assign me a knight’s guard for nothing. It won’t be easy to kill me. I’ll stay vigilant as well. I’m no longer a helpless child.”
“I’m glad to hear that at least, but please be careful. And please, come back from the Capital quickly—or summon me there instead. I truly miss Sara. Michael sent word that a strange man has appeared near her…”
Robert paid little attention to Maeve’s tearful pleas, focusing instead on composing a letter to Ariel. He needed to make clear that they shouldn’t place too much hope in him.
As Robert wrote, something suddenly occurred to him, and he spoke.
“Search the archives for any remaining Ancient Documents or Ancient Maps, and have them all sent to Ariel.”
Maeve shot him a sideways look but halfheartedly rose to summon someone to the archives, grumbling as she did.
“One way or another, you’re favoring Sophia of Ariel far too much. At this rate, you’ll have moved the entire archive to Ariel. How is any of this not taking sides…?”
Days later, when Sophia saw the heap of Ancient Documents and Ancient Maps that Robert had sent, she smiled.
‘Robert is… rather generous after all.’
Sophia found herself reconsidering her initial impression of Robert’s arrival at Umbreel.
‘Even as a Debutante, not everything was so terrible. At least I came to know Robert. That much is a blessing. Really.’
Sophia’s heart was slowly warming to Robert’s gift.

***

The moment Robert’s departure for the Capital was decided, the estate stirred into urgent motion. Before heading north, the prince methodically drafted a priority list of tasks and set about completing them.
Robert first made another inspection tour of Umbreel’s fortifications, border outposts, and defensive installations. There had been considerable improvement, yet gaps remained vast and numerous.
Robert longed desperately to see Umbreel’s circumstances mend. And Baron Ariel’s cooperation proved invaluable.
At last, the news Ariel had been waiting for arrived—welcome indeed. The Emperor’s gift did not disappoint him. With it came the authority to establish a Knight Order in Ariel, along with a substantial appropriation.
It was a sum the administrative division had never seen before. John spoke to Baron Ariel.
“There are times, it seems, when one must play a bold hand.”
Baron Ariel’s face brightened. He at once began securing instructors to drill the soldiers and selecting a training ground. It was, in effect, placing military authority directly into his hands.
At first, Baron Ariel had been bewildered by the magnitude of the gift. In a personal letter from the Emperor, there was mention that the rank of Border Count would be reserved for later consideration.
When word came that Umbreel would receive not military authority but a substantial contingent of administrative personnel, Baron Ariel grasped at once that Ariel itself was little more than a screen for Umbreel’s benefit. Yet he was delighted nonetheless.
‘From commanding two hundred guards to founding a Knight Order……’
For Baron Ariel, the sentiment ran deep. As a border domain, he had always resented the absence of a Knight Order—he lacked even the proper trappings. This opportunity could not be squandered.
With fresh vitality flowing through the castle, Sophia could set aside her worries for a time. Until recently, many of the estate’s people had been anxious about what upheaval might come. Baseless rumors had circulated freely.
Once the Emperor’s envoy arrived and word of the imperial gift spread, the rumors vanished. Watching Baron Ariel’s face brighten for the first time in ages, Sophia’s own spirits lifted.
Robert sent a detailed letter explaining the circumstances. He indicated how long he would remain in the Capital and politely requested Baron Ariel’s continued cooperation.
Ariel and Umbreel were allies in all but name. And they must content themselves with that. Though Robert’s tone had been gracious, his letter made clear that his intentions extended no further than territorial cooperation.
Establishing the Knight Order would take time. Finding knights willing to come to such a remote place was difficult, and Ariel, being mountainous, suffered a scarcity of horses and skilled riders.
The pretext of Knight Order preparations would allow him to expand the soldier ranks substantially and increase officers accordingly. By assigning leaders to dual roles within the Order while gradually strengthening the foundation, the work could be accomplished.
Excess soldiers that Ariel could not accommodate would be transferred to Umbreel’s border region. Internally, it was understood that Ariel bore responsibility for Umbreel’s forces; outwardly, it would be announced that Umbreel’s soldiers were being returned.
Umbreel would receive mostly administrative personnel. Among those dispatched would be a significant number of operatives from intelligence collection and analysis.
Yet within Umbreel’s domain, trouble still smoldered. And there would certainly be traps laid for Robert himself. The gravest danger to Umbreel remained internal.
Umbreel planned to concentrate on rooting out internal enemies with Ariel’s support. Maeve continued to grumble even as she rejoiced that her available personnel were to increase substantially.
But she did not cease her complaints until Robert departed for the Capital.
‘If I show too much cheer or appear content, I might never escape Umbreel. Absolutely not.’

***

Sophia looked up from the Ancient Map that Robert had sent, which she had been studying in a corner of the baron’s study.
Baron Ariel hummed to himself as he turned over documents. Sophia smiled at him and spoke.
“I think I’ll need to wander through the Titannia Mountain Range again.”
Baron Ariel glanced up from his papers and replied.
“I thought the time had come for you to speak of it. You’ve been poring over that Ancient Map for quite some while now. Have you discovered something of interest?”
“I think we might find traces of an old temple. And while we’re there, I’d like to collect some medicinal herbs and plants for the hothouse.”
“Be sure to take Jack with you. He’s likely been worn down by John’s demands—the moment you mention Titannia, he’ll follow without hesitation.”
Sophia laughed and replied.
“Yes, Father. I hope we receive the blessings of the Titannia Goddess and discover good medicinal herbs.”
“The temple?”
“Well, that too.”
The baron smiled and spoke.
“I hope you find treasure.”
“So do I, Father.”
Baron Ariel looked down at his documents, then paused thoughtfully and spoke.
“John mentioned that while you were in the Capital, you set Jack on some task. It was……”
Sophia sighed before answering.
“Oh—it was just a petty scheme, really. I let it be known that I had feelings for Robert, thinking that if Isabel heard it, she might look upon him more favorably or try to draw close to him again. You know how people value what they’ve discarded once someone else treasures it. But it seems Isabel didn’t care in the slightest, even hearing that someone like me fancied him. It was a failed plot.”
“I see.”
Baron Ariel’s face eased, and he resumed his humming as he processed documents. With funds now available, he could finally approve matters he had postponed.
The baron’s humming continued as he worked. Sophia bent her head once more over the Ancient Map.
It was a map of the Titannia Mountain Range, easily five hundred years old.
‘I hope it proves useful……’
Sophia’s desires were not immodest.
‘If only I could find a gift from the goddess and strike it rich……’

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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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