Timid and Shy - Chapter 67

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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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67.

Parma met Sophia’s gaze and spoke.
“Now that Robert and I have come, are you ready to abandon Oberon?”
Sophia turned to face Parma. The corners of Parma’s mouth lifted in an easy smile.
“I knew from the moment you accepted Oberon’s invitation—before Robert’s betrothal was even dissolved. Robert clearly understood that Ariel came with different intentions. So, what have you achieved?”
Sophia answered frankly. For her, Parma was not an adversary to be checked, but an ally from whom cooperation must be sought.
“Nothing. It seems Oberon is more hesitant than I expected. They appear to have made their preparations, but they show no sign of actually moving.”
“If they’re hesitating, isn’t the whole endeavor nearly doomed to fail?”
“Perhaps. But even if we can’t achieve our objective, we can still inflict sufficient damage. Especially in ventures bound to fail anyway.”
Parma nodded in agreement.
“True. There are those who’ll rush in ready to die together even if success is impossible. If Oberon comes at us like that, it could prove quite dangerous.”
Helen’s excitement faded quickly. Her expectation of two women jousting for position with Robert between them proved mistaken. The two spoke of Oberon’s schemes, and the reception room grew warm with accord.
Helen remained seated, still turning her gaze about.
‘There’s got to be more to it.’
Sophia spoke.
“When does Lord Gareis arrive? He’s not bringing an army, is he?”
“Moving troops would be delicate at this stage. No crime has been exposed yet, nothing has been done—there’s no cause for an army. My brother’s visit alone is perfectly adequate.”
‘If worse comes to worst, we’ll need military force. Yet she says Lord Gareis’s retinue is enough. Impressive. I wish Ariel could develop such judgment.’
Parma turned her attention to Helen.
“Your name is Helen Pina, is it not? I’ve heard that most bourgeoisie send their children to school. Are you still a student?”
Helen answered.
“Yes. I graduate next summer.”
“What is your school like? I’m told regular schools have a freer atmosphere than the Academy.”
“That’s certainly true. Many students leave to marry or inherit family businesses, so the curriculum isn’t rigidly structured. If a student wants to study something deeply, they transfer to the Academy anyway, so most of us take things at a leisurely pace.”
Parma asked, curiosity evident in her expression.
“Do many students transfer to the Academy?”
“Rarely. The Academy’s standards and grades are quite demanding. Conversely, we occasionally see people leave the Academy to come to our school.”
“Why? Graduating from the Academy brings no small advantage.”
“They went with that expectation but couldn’t adapt. Sometimes they hit the wall of social rank; sometimes they crack under the pressure. The Academy has so much riding on it—your grades and connections determine the whole course of your life.”
Sophia reflected that rumor was indeed unreliable. Watching Parma deftly steer conversation to include Helen, who’d been edged out, Sophia began to wonder if the unflattering stories about Parma circulating in Wiscom were deliberately spread.
Parma Gareis found both of them comfortable to be with. Helen Pina, though clearly awed by her noble station, carried conversation well and spoke gracefully when prompted.
Sophia and Helen even recommended to Parma that she visit the Porcelain Room and the Tapestry Room.
When Sophia smiled faintly, Parma asked.
“Why?”
“When Lord Oberon showed us around, he wouldn’t let Helen and me get close to the objects. I suspect he might let you touch them.”
Helen laughed in agreement.
“Whether he thought we’d steal them or assumed we couldn’t comprehend them—probably both, honestly.”

***

The three women’s tea gatherings continued throughout Parma’s stay in Oberon. After Helen and Sophia told her of Lord Oberon’s estate tour, Parma began asking him to show her around whenever she grew restless.
Lord Oberon obliged each time, conducting her through the halls. Yet Parma ignored his counsel, wandering where she wished and opening doors as she pleased.
Sophia and Helen found it amusing but struggled to conceal their delight as they trailed behind. Lord Oberon cast appealing glances toward them, but each time they averted their eyes from his.
Some rooms proved far more magnificent than on the first tour, and the estate’s layout proved every bit as labyrinthine as first described.
Few servants patrolled the complex halls or stood guard; only those attending Parma and Lord Oberon were present.
In the reception room, sipping tea, Parma voiced her doubts.
“Oberon is certainly hiding something. More than that—they’re practically announcing it.”
Sophia said.
“Oberon was simply too greedy. They should have been content ruling this prosperous territory. Judging by the furnishings alone, they lived quite well.”
“It’s too late for such realizations now. Lord Gareis is taking his time arriving. We’ve postponed the welcome banquet because of him……”
Each mention Parma made of Lord Gareis followed this pattern.
Curious, Sophia questioned her repeatedly, but Parma always replied the same way.
“Direct observation is fastest. You’ll understand once you see him.”
Watching Parma’s firm silence on the subject of Lord Gareis, Sophia felt a flutter of doubt. She wondered if Parma was avoiding the topic because she thought Sophia harbored personal interest in him.
Sophia focused on the advantages Lord Gareis’s arrival might bring. Drawing him to Ariel would be ideal. Even if Oberon failed, Saturn’s response remained uncertain, so Ariel’s defenses needed strengthening.
‘If Lord Gareis goes to Ariel, much of my anxiety would ease.’

***

Those who heard that Gareis would arrive soon had all picked up one or two rumors about him, and they waited eagerly for his appearance.
Four days later, Gareis finally arrived in Oberon—everyone except the Oberon family had been waiting. The Oberon Baron Regent stood before the entrance, contemplating as he awaited Gareis’s arrival.
‘Why would House Gareis send not just their Young Noblewoman, but Gareis himself to Oberon?’
The Oberon Baron Regent was convinced their plan had already been exposed. Which was why the Regent questioned the Duke’s decision to send all his children to Oberon, where danger seemed inevitable.
The Oberon Baron Regent’s conclusion was that House Gareis meant to use Oberon to help Prince Robert accumulate merit.
Wasn’t eliminating Oberon—which had secret dealings with Saturn and conspired in treason—the greatest merit Prince Robert could earn in the race for succession?
After much deliberation, the Oberon Baron decided to use the opportunity with all the house’s heirs gathered in Oberon, taking them hostage and launching an attack. The Oberon Baron Regent remained skeptical.
How could one know how many men Gareis might bring with him? The Oberon Baron swore that Gareis would absolutely not bring an army, but his words held no foundation.
As the Oberon Baron Regent watched the situation unfold, he began to think their plan to conquer Ariel would be difficult to succeed.
In contrast to the Oberon Baron Regent’s sense of resignation, the Oberon Baron was watching for an opportunity. If he pushed all responsibility onto the Regent and the Baron himself, claiming ignorance, couldn’t he escape?
‘If Philip Wiscom comes, couldn’t I borrow his strength? Surely he’ll help me for old times’ sake. At least, I hope so.’
While the two brothers brooded over different thoughts, Gareis and his party arrived. To the Oberon Baron Regent’s ears, the approaching hoofbeats sounded like thunder.
Exhaustion clung thickly to the faces of Gareis and his companions, as if speaking of their long journey. Just as everyone was dismounting, a carriage roughly shouldered its way through the horses.
The carriage’s sudden intrusion threw the inner courtyard into chaos. There was a commotion of curses, people remounting, and scrambling out of the way. Gareis calmed his horse and stood to the side, quietly observing the carriage.
Unexpectedly, the carriage’s owner was Philip Wiscom. People stared at Philip Wiscom as he descended with astonished faces. Philip Wiscom confirmed that no one except the Oberon family knew of his visit, and he broke into a pleased smile.
Philip greeted Robert, the Oberon Baron Regent, and the Oberon Baron as if Gareis and his companions were invisible to him.
Parma, Sophia, and Helen watched from behind.
In that moment, the same thought bloomed in Sophia and Helen’s minds.
‘Her ex-boyfriend!’
Philip surveyed the people gathered at the Oberon estate and let out an admiring remark.
“Oberon has become the center of society without my knowing. I suppose I should now call it the pearl of the north.”
Watching Philip Wiscom’s appearance, Sophia concluded he must already know of Oberon’s plans. At the Wiscom Estate, she had seen the unusual orchid and investigated its origin, suspecting an exchange between the two houses.
Though the connection between Wiscom and Oberon appeared stickier than Sophia had thought.
‘So it was Oberon. It was I who told Wiscom that I hadn’t made my debut…. From then on—or even before—Oberon must have been well-informed about Ariel.’
Sophia came to suspect the debutante incident had started in Oberon.
‘Oberon. They really are a damned lot.’
Philip Wiscom saw Sophia’s expression and exaggerated his surprise. He spoke.
“Cousin! Anyone watching would think I’m your enemy. It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other—is this all the greeting I get?”
Sophia quickly changed her expression and replied.
“Cousin! Philip, I’m sorry. I only just realized how intimate Oberon and Wiscom are. I was startled. You really are quite close with Oberon.”
As Sophia looked back and forth between the Oberon Baron and Philip Wiscom, everyone followed her gaze. No one spoke it aloud, but the meaning was clear enough.
Philip Wiscom continued to smile while staring intently at Sophia. The Oberon Baron also wore an awkward smile.
Gareis watched this scene with amusement from atop his horse.
On the other hand, Sophia found herself wondering if Oberon would truly act when Gareis, Wiscom, and even Prince Robert had all gathered.
‘If Oberon doesn’t commit the deed, they’ll move first to erase evidence. And then accusations and investigations of Oberon will come from the Capital…. What will happen?’
After a lengthy investigation period, a trial would occur, and during that time, the Emperor would send someone to manage the Territory, and so Oberon would naturally fall into the Emperor’s hands.
The way Prince Robert moved actively made it certain.
‘With Gareis mobilized too, it’s clear. They mean to swallow Oberon. If Prince Robert claims management of the Oberon port during the investigation period, the Emperor might accept it. And after that, they’ll bring up using port revenues for border defense.’
Sophia envied Prince Robert. The difference in connections he could mobilize was stark. She had brought Gunter and Helen, but Prince Robert had brought the Gareis siblings—along with formidable attendants.
The Oberon Baron Regent, noticing that Gareis remained on horseback and waited, quickly finished his greeting with Philip.
Once Philip Wiscom’s greeting was complete and everyone looked toward Gareis, only then did Gareis leap down from his horse. The fluttering cloak and the sound of his boots striking the stone ground captured everyone’s attention all at once.
Sophia caught the sound of a derisive laugh from Parma Gareis.

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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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