Timid and Shy - Chapter 56

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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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56.

Parma’s nature would not allow her to let this pass. She never left unpunished anyone who took what was hers—the broken betrothal notwithstanding.
The moment Parma arrived at the Gareis Estate in the Capital, she sought out the Duke of Gareis. He greeted his daughter, still dressed in travel clothes, and asked her this:
“How are you?”
“Naturally delighted. It’s a chance to strike Wiscom from behind.”
Parma was suffused with energy for the first time in ages. The Duke of Gareis nodded approvingly. Unlike when she had descended to her territory swallowing her humiliation and resigned to her fate, today she radiated vitality—and this pleased him.
“That’s the spirit of House Gareis.”
Within three days of arriving in the Capital, Parma attended a tea party and sent out invitations of her own. She announced her presence and made a show of her influence.
Meanwhile, Isabel found herself uncertain whether to welcome or fear Parma’s arrival. She suspected Parma had come to finally pick the fight she’d been waiting for.
Isabel had no intention of being bested by Parma. But she had no wish to engage in verbal sparring or an exchange of insults—to become a spectacle for the court’s amusement.
‘I won’t lower myself to Parma’s level to fight her. Not for someone like that.’
Isabel sought assistance from Baroness Cressida before attending the gathering. Just as the baroness had once stood for Parma, she would now serve as Isabel’s shield.
If Isabel lost face, how could she maintain her dignity in court thereafter?
Yet when Parma encountered Isabel Wiscom at parties or gatherings, she did not provoke her. Those who had anticipated a confrontation were left disappointed.
Each time Isabel and Parma crossed paths, the room filled with tension—and with expectation. Many still hoped for an entertaining spectacle.
But Parma greeted Isabel coldly, maintaining propriety. Some said she had matured; others that she had finally accepted reality. Either way, Parma had changed.
Isabel did not believe Parma had changed at all.
‘Her fiery temperament cooled overnight? Impossible.’
Parma walked past the whispering crowds, thinking to herself:
‘Does she think I’ll meekly dance to Wiscom’s tune?’

***

The Former Duchess of Wiscom sat in the Duke of Wiscom’s office. The duke spoke first:
“Now that Parma has returned, shouldn’t the Duchess take her place again? I cannot trust Baroness Cressida.”
“Hmph! The fact that you constantly call your own wife the Duchess suggests you wish she would remember her duty.”
“Father always called Mother the Duchess as well. It was an expression of respect and affection—or so I remember. I merely follow his example, however inadequately.”
The Former Duchess let out a scornful laugh before speaking:
“Your words are smooth enough. Baroness Cressida is unreliable, certainly. Should the Empress stir her again, there’s no telling what she might do. It would be better to remove Baroness Cressida entirely. Send her to Saturn.”
The Duke of Wiscom accepted this. He waited for the Former Duchess to continue, and she did:
“Still, we won’t destroy our own daughter. Do as you see fit.”
The Duke of Wiscom smiled with evident relief and said:
“It appears House Gareis and Prince Robert will eventually join hands. Parma’s arrival suggests as much.”
The Former Duchess replied:
“Cressida should have acted. Instead of sabotaging our grandson, she should have attended to Robert and the Duke of Gareis. She might have spread rumors that Robert prefers men, or something. As a countess, her judgment leaves much to be desired—all shortsightedness and petty gain. A warning seems necessary for her to understand.”
“I hope Cressida’s execution matches her ambition, but… I’ll arrange an opportunity.”
As a result, the Duchess of Wiscom was at last released from confinement. She had lived in the same house yet entirely separated from her family. Now, after so long, the Duchess sat again in the duke’s office.
The Duchess looked at her husband and spoke:
“From the moment I heard Sophia had returned to Ariel, I knew Parma would come back to the Capital. The betrothal will soon be dissolved.”
The Duke of Wiscom took his wife’s hand and spoke tenderly:
“Parma Gareis has remained quiet. She doesn’t seem inclined to quarrel any further. At last we can remove Baroness Cressida.”
The Duchess nodded quietly. Yet she harbored no intention of letting Baroness Cressida depart so easily.
The Duchess set down her teacup and scoffed.
“Parma hasn’t truly changed. She’s merely pretending. If the Duke of Gareis suddenly became kind to us, wouldn’t you feel uneasy, or would you believe he’d reformed?”
“Of course he’d have some scheme in mind.”
“Where did Parma’s fiery nature come from? People don’t simply transform overnight. Unless she has a different plan altogether.”
“Another betrothal? With Prince Robert?”
“Sophia returned to Ariel, and Robert made no objection. From the start, this was meant to buy time—to make Parma accept the betrothal to Robert. I’m certain of it.”
“But the Emperor himself congratulated them on the betrothal.”
“Is the Emperor someone so easily trusted? He has his own designs. The betrothal celebration was merely a ploy to draw the bourgeoisie into the palace. The Empress was played by the Emperor and Robert.”
“That’s possible. Will you meet with the Empress?”
“Would the Empress consent to meet someone like me?”
The Duchess’s voice was thick with bitterness. It was Baroness Cressida who had led the effort to push her from society, but it was the Empress who had orchestrated it from behind.
“Baroness Cressida and Mother will meet soon. Why not join the occasion? Eventually, such a meeting must be arranged.”
“Very well. It will be interesting to witness Mother’s abilities again after so long.”
“You should look forward to it. Conversations with Baroness Cressida are never dull.”
“So lifting my confinement was in case I might soon meet the Empress.”
The Duke of Wiscom spoke.
“Either way, you’ve admitted that I’m necessary.”
The Duchess of Wiscom smiled sweetly and nodded, but her thoughts ran otherwise.
‘Damned old fool.’

***

The fountain in the Imperial Garden spouted water with vigor. Upon a table set beneath the shade of trees lay a teacup and dessert arranged like a still life. Yet no one touched them.
Four ladies sat at the table, but silence hung heavy. When the Empress, unable to bear it any longer, began to speak, Cressida placed her hand under the table and grasped the Empress’s own.
The Empress caught her breath and fiddled with her teacup while gazing at the fountain. The Former Duchess of Wiscom, observing the Empress’s awkwardness, lifted the corners of her lips ever so slightly.
Taking pleasure in the Empress’s discomfort, the Former Duchess of Wiscom opened her mouth.
“It has been quite some time since I’ve seen Your Majesty, and I must say—nothing has changed about you at all. In this old woman’s eyes, you are exactly as you were when you were but a child. How adorable you were then…….”
Hearing the Former Duchess’s words, Cressida cast her eyes askance and spoke.
“Surely you’ve aged considerably. And now that Her Majesty has a grown son, to call her childish—I wonder if, feeling lonely as you do, you spend your days dwelling only on the past.”
The Former Duchess spoke.
“Indeed. I cannot tell you how lonely it is. I’ve retired to my domain and spend my time staring at fruit trees. My grandsons climb them so recklessly. In the old days, I was always occupied with the ladies and the tedious affairs of the Capital. But now my only concern is whether the children will fall from the branches. Yet I do envy how busy you keep yourself, Countess.”
Watching the Former Duchess smile at the Empress, the Duchess of Wiscom pressed her lips firmly together.
Those who knew spoke of how the elderly Countess Cressida visited the Empress’s chambers every night.
Seeing the Duchess of Wiscom suppressing her laughter, the Empress spoke coldly.
“Is the Duchess of Wiscom faring well these days? I’ve scarcely seen you, and old stories keep surfacing, and your son’s affairs have been troublesome, have they not? I understand the desire to avoid people. Still, I worried when you didn’t appear.”
The Duchess of Wiscom laughed openly and spoke.
“There are times when one wishes not to see people. Prince Frederick has had such periods as well. My husband and I have been recalling old times often lately. Even as the years have passed, those memories remain vivid, do they not, Your Majesty?”
The Empress began to laugh derisively and nod in agreement, but hesitated. It was precisely during the clamor of the Duke and Duchess’s courtship and marriage that Robert’s mother had vanished.
‘That wretched woman disappeared pregnant. And every nobleman knew of it.’
Seeing the Empress’s complexion change, the Former Duchess laughed with satisfaction and spoke.
“I took no pleasure in it then. You cannot imagine the distress I endured. The Countess knows as well. Were we not both suffering the greatest anguish at that very time?”
Both Cressida and the Empress bore troubled expressions. The Empress lifted her chin with hauteur and spoke.
“What is your purpose in visiting the Imperial Palace today? Surely it is not merely to see it again after so long?”
The Duchess of Wiscom spoke gently.
“Your Majesty’s remarks about the past have caused me to stray from my purpose.”
The Former Duchess chimed in.
“You grow older with each passing year, Your Majesty. In age, one tends to dredge up old matters and dwell upon them for hours. Time is the conqueror of all. That is why I have retired.”
The Empress spoke in a sharp voice.
“If you have retired, why are you here?”
Cressida patted the back of the Empress’s hand and spoke in a tender voice.
“Perhaps it concerns Isabel. And the arrival of Miss Gareis here in the Capital once again.”
The Former Duchess spoke.
“Precisely. Parma has returned to the Capital. And now Prince Robert goes about daily meeting with nobles and the bourgeoisie—how can one help but worry?”
The Empress spoke.
“Wiscom might have done more than merely express concern.”
The Former Duchess gave a significant look to the Duchess, but she remained silent. The Former Duchess sighed in resignation and opened her mouth.
“You well know how the Duke of Gareis regards Prince Frederick and Wiscom. But what if Parma were to marry Prince Robert? Could Prince Frederick ascend the throne? We must reconsider what we have taken for granted.”
The Empress glared at the Former Duchess in response to her bluntness. Cressida laughed with even greater ease and spoke.
“You seem anxious.”
The Former Duchess spoke.
“Yes. We are anxious. Isabel and Frederick are not yet betrothed, but…. Perhaps Wiscom need not feel this unease or worry. Yet as Prince Robert’s standing grows more solid each day, our anxiety deepens. I’m not the only one troubled by this. Have not fewer people begun to ally themselves with Your Majesty and Prince Frederick than before?”
The Empress spoke in a trembling voice.
“Then what is it that Wiscom wishes to say?”
The Former Duchess spoke.
“That you and the House of Cressida exert your influence. Then perhaps this unease will fade. Urge the Emperor to hasten Prince Robert’s marriage. He already has a betrothed—what purpose is served by delay? It would be better still to summon his betrothed to the Capital.”
The Former Duchess now addressed herself to Cressida.
“Prince Frederick must also make greater effort. At present, does he do anything more than put in an appearance at Imperial functions? He must meet people more diligently. He must show everyone that he surpasses Prince Robert.”
Cressida nodded and spoke.
“There is merit to your words. Let me consider it. Thank you for making the difficult journey here today. Well then…….”
As the Countess rose to leave, the Former Duchess spoke gently.
“There is one more thing I wish to ask of Cressida in particular.”

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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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