Timid and Shy - Chapter 51

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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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51.

Isabel shook her head, watching Philip practically vibrate with murderous intent. Her voice took on a tone of regret.
“I wish Sophia and the Empress would clash. But Sophia wouldn’t have the spine for it. Mother is…….”
Philip’s glare made her hurry to change the subject.
“Frederick isn’t making any moves. He doesn’t seem interested in leaving the Emperor’s tutelage either. I’m thinking of telling him that the whole scandal was Robert’s doing.”
At the mention of Frederick, Philip let out a low, bitter laugh.
“Frederick looks thoughtless, but he’s stubborn. The best outcome for us would be if the Emperor discovers that Cressida got rid of Robert and Sophia, and throws her out. Wouldn’t that be perfect?”
“If things worked out that way, it would certainly be convenient.”
Philip rose to his feet as he spoke.
“I’ll tell Father that we’ve informed Frederick the scandal came from Robert. You should ask Grandmother to help with the matter concerning Mother.”
After Philip left, Isabel sat down at her desk and wrote a brief note.
‘Brother’s problem has come to light and it distresses me so. What should I do? It’s a matter that arose because of the resentment toward me. Everything is because of me. It seems like Prince Robert has even orchestrated this.’
Isabel read over what she’d written, then rolled the note tightly. It would pass through the hands of a few trusted people and reach Frederick by day’s end.

***

Frederick slammed his desk hard after reading Isabel’s note. He too had seen the scandalous article about Philip. It seemed clear that Robert was behind it.
Yet Isabel was bearing guilt over the article about Philip. Frederick rose and paced the room before stepping outside.
The Empress was delighted to receive a visit from her son after so long—though it was obvious he’d come running because of the Wiscom affair.
Frederick sat across from the Empress and spoke.
“Robert must be the one who exposed Philip’s scandal, the petty wretch. All this spite just because some woman rejected him.”
The Empress poured tea and set it before Frederick. He didn’t even glance at it as he continued.
“Will you truly do nothing, Mother? You’ll simply stand by and watch Wiscom suffer like this?”
The Empress took a graceful sip of her tea before responding.
“What would you have me do? Kill Robert? Or announce an engagement between you and Isabel today?”
“I’m not a child, Mother. I’m not whimpering for you to do what I cannot. I’m under self-imposed seclusion—I’m powerless to act, am I not?”
“Then end your seclusion. The Countess and I have both told you this more than once. Has the Emperor threatened you somehow?”
Frederick hesitated and could not answer. The young prince looked down at the tea, then rose to leave.
“I seem to have come at the wrong time.”
Shortly after Frederick departed, the Empress set down her teacup with a harsh clink.
“Foolish boy. So besotted with a woman he can’t even see who stands with him.”
Frederick had no desire to end his seclusion yet. There was his promise to the Emperor, but more than that, he lacked confidence in himself.
‘I’m not ready. I have no idea what to do or how to do it. If I step forward now, Uncle and Grandfather will just dictate my every move again. I need more time.’
Even as frustration ate at him, Frederick would not consider returning to his old ways.
Somehow his uncle had discovered the maidservant Frederick had tried to cultivate as an informant and taken her away. Neither his uncle nor his grandfather said a word to him about it. That silence terrified Frederick more than anything.
It felt like they were saying: ‘No matter what you do, nothing will change.’
Frederick could finally see his situation with cold clarity. There was almost nothing he could do with his own hands.
He had lived his entire life within the fences others had built for him, lacking nothing and always comfortable. It was only through meeting Isabel that he’d finally realized how deeply he’d been trained to obedience.
The thought of Robert receiving a domain and already acting as its lord made Frederick briefly consider fleeing to some suitable territory of his own.
‘But even if the Emperor granted me a domain, could I truly escape Cressida’s oversight?’
Frederick returned to his palace with heavy steps. He knew as well as anyone that every thought spinning through his mind would be nearly impossible to realize.

***

The Empress felt relief hearing that Frederick had quietly returned to his palace. She’d worried he might have confronted Robert and come to blows.
That Frederick had at least shown some restraint reassured her, yet at the same time left her deeply uneasy.
The Empress now understood that Frederick would never listen to her again. Even if his love for Isabel faded, he would not return to what he had been.
The Empress concluded there was only one way forward: to bring Isabel Wiscom under her control. Her voice was weary as she spoke.
“Bring the Countess Cressida to me.”
“Yes, Majesty.”
The Empress’s messenger hurried once more to the Countess’s residence.

***

Sophia regarded the stack of newspapers and magazines that Helen brought in armfuls with visible exhaustion. After Helen set them on the table with effort, she spoke.
“I’ve collected all that I could find. It does seem that Prince Robert’s popularity has risen considerably—he appears quite frequently in the press now. Though I wouldn’t call it a good thing at the moment.”
Sophia scanned the large bold headlines. The words “Ambition. Greed. And Conspiracy.” caught her eye.
“I was thinking I might look into some articles before entering the Imperial Palace, but there’s far too much. All these exposés about the Duke’s suitor and the prince pouring out at once. It’s blindingly obvious someone orchestrated this deliberately.”
Helen turned a page or two of the magazine as she spoke.
“Most people are too busy pointing fingers at Prince Robert’s dark intentions rather than considering that kind of orchestration. Some articles are even speculating he did all this because he couldn’t let go of his feelings for Isabel. They still think the character in The Language of White Roses is identical to Prince Robert. The image that barely improved through Sophia’s novel and the betrothal seems to have reverted entirely. It might even be worse now.”
“It won’t be Wiscom, then. It must be Prince Frederick’s side, as expected?”
“Are you planning to ask the Emperor to stop it?”
Sophia believed the Emperor wouldn’t concern himself with it. Still, she had questions for him.
By her reckoning, it was more likely the elder statesmen and traditionalists who would rise up, rather than the Emperor himself. The current situation—exposés of a suitor’s private life and political accusations against a prince—would bewilder the elder statesmen as well.
And they would use that opportunity to attack the ascendant bourgeoisie. They would say this is what comes of nurturing the bourgeoisie.
They would know full well that someone had put their hand to this, that the articles reeked of manipulation, yet they would clearly exploit this incident to counter and obstruct the Emperor’s interest in the bourgeoisie.
‘If it’s Prince Frederick’s side, then the Empress? Did Cressida devise the plan? Cornering Prince Robert, breaking Wiscom’s ambitions, and on top of that crafting leverage for the traditionalists to pressure the Emperor? That would be impressive.’
Sophia found herself marveling anew at how different the political powers of the Capital were. She skimmed through the articles roughly. Most followed the same tone.
They said Prince Robert had exposed Philip Wiscom’s homosexual relations to weaken Prince Frederick’s support base.
“Prince Robert looks like a vicious villain. Philip Wiscom comes across almost as a martyr. It makes no sense. Wiscom a martyr? He’s clearly making no counterattack on purpose. His first priority is to break Prince Robert’s momentum.”
Sophia sighed as she spoke.
“The methods Wiscom and Cressida use with the press are too sordid. The way they manipulate public opinion.”
Helen nodded in agreement.
“A friend of mine mentioned it. More people are pressuring the press to run articles about this and that lately. People are catching on to how things work now. Just as much, they want to exploit it themselves.”
Sophia found herself agreeing. Had she not herself followed in their footsteps? She had tried to change public opinion through a novel and attempted to improve both Prince Robert’s image and her own through various event articles.
“Misdeeds really don’t end with one act. They keep rippling outward.”

***

The Emperor had summoned Sophia to the Orchid Chamber in the Greenhouse. After Sophia bowed and took her seat, the Emperor spoke first.
“I hear you’ve been taking quite an unusual interest in orchids lately.”
Sophia answered with an awkward smile.
“I saw an orchid with vibrant coloring somewhere and became curious whether I could obtain one. I’d like to cultivate it myself.”
“And did you get an answer?”
Sophia spoke.
“I thought they were imported from Nethunia, but apparently not. I’m told the orchids with abundant blooms and vibrant colors are cultivated in the Greenhouse on Saturn, and only small quantities make their way into the Empire.”
“So you sent someone to Oberon?”
Sophia looked at the Emperor with startled eyes.
“Don’t be surprised. I was merely curious why you suddenly took interest in Oberon’s harbor.”
“All the plants that come from Saturn’s Greenhouse are consumed within Saturn itself. Colonel Sion told me so. They’re expensive, and domestic demand is high, so nothing crosses the border. The things that come into Uranos must all be items that individuals purchased directly from Saturn as personal gifts.”
The Emperor looked at Sophia as if to say she should continue, and Sophia swallowed hard.
She had no intention of voicing her suspicions to the Emperor already. Truth be told, Sophia herself had harbored regret—had she acted too hastily, jumping to conclusions and taking action?
Yet she could not hide the facts either. Sophia would soon be annulling her betrothal and returning to Ariel; the greatest yield she could gain from the Emperor was his trust. Sophia spoke.
“Not long ago, I saw an exotic orchid at the Wiscom Estate. Its color, the size of its blooms—at a glance it looked expensive. The staff at the Orchid Chamber itself were unfamiliar with such orchids. I was told that if such a thing existed, it would be merchandise from Saturn’s Greenhouse. I learned that the most precious and beautiful flowers come from Saturn’s Greenhouse.”
“So you suspected Oberon?”
“If it came from Saturn, I thought Oberon’s harbor would be the only entry point. And I reasoned that the only person who would send such an expensive plant to a Duke in the Capital would be the Lord of Oberon. Even if the Wiscom Ducal House placed an order, it would have to go through the Lord of Oberon. Items of such a personal nature.”
Sophia, seeing the Emperor listen intently to her words, felt tension rise and swallowed once before continuing.
“So I wondered: what connection exists between Oberon and Wiscom? And why neither I nor Prince Robert knew of any bond between the two houses? I thought perhaps there was a reason they needed to keep it hidden from others. Out of this small suspicion, I sent someone to Oberon’s harbor to observe the ships coming from Saturn and watch the Lord of Oberon. I recognize now that I acted hastily.”
“So you mean to abandon the matter?”
“I will stop once I’ve confirmed my suspicions were groundless.”
The Emperor smiled slightly, then promptly shifted to another topic. Sophia exhaled a breath of relief.
The Emperor asked in a leisurely tone.
“I wonder how Pina fares. She’s been avoiding my invitations. I’ve received several letters of refusal, quite elaborate ones at that. I was growing concerned she might feel overly burdened.”
“Pina worries it might affect her business. Of course, she’s steeled herself in her own way because of my betrothal, but she says dining with Your Majesty would be crossing that line. No matter how much she insists otherwise, it will appear to others that something is afoot.”
“A cautious person. She has a longer-term perspective than the nobles I know. That’s precisely why I wished to meet her.”
The Emperor looked at Sophia, and Sophia met his gaze. The Emperor spoke with a gentle expression.
“I thought you might have something to ask of me. There must be things you wish to say.”
“I have nothing to ask. But I do have a question.”

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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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