Timid and Shy - Chapter 68

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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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68.

Sophia studied Parma. When she spoke, Parma’s voice carried a note of resignation.
“Ariel would understand. She must have heard that I have an older brother. Can you imagine how mortifying it is to have an older brother who thrives on this kind of attention from people?”
Sophia suppressed her smile as she watched Gareis. He beamed at the gathered company. When his eyes landed on Parma, he winked.
Parma waved a dismissive hand, making her disdain clear. But Gareis, unbothered by her rebuff, simply smiled and nodded in response.
Gareis began his greetings with Robert first. This time, Philip Wiscom stepped aside, watching him with a twisted smile.
Sophia had assumed Gareis would inherit both the temperament and appearance of his father, the Duke of Gareis. She’d heard that Parma had inherited the Duke’s personality outright, so she’d reasoned his son would bear an even stronger resemblance. Yet Gareis was proving her expectations wrong.
His black hair and dark eyes matched Ariel’s. His sheer bulk did echo his father the Duke—yet he seemed younger, more vibrant, more imposing.
Mounted on a black horse and wrapped in a black coat, his presence was undeniably striking. He was a man who knew how to wield his own appearance as a weapon.
He clearly understood the power of his own image.
‘Is he like Frederick in the way he exploits his looks and employs exaggerated gestures to capture people’s attention?’
Parma’s reticence about Gareis seemed born of embarrassment. While he held the greeting party in conversation, his entourage behind them had surrounded the carriage—the same group that had looked so startled moments before.
Gareis seemed aware of what his companions were doing. Or perhaps he was deliberately drawing attention to make their work easier.
‘He might be more cunning than he appears.’
Not everyone was immune to Gareis’s theatrical charm. Pina gazed at him with undisguised admiration—and at the horse he’d ridden in on.
The animal was magnificent: entirely black, with a mane that shone like polished obsidian. As Pina stepped closer to the horse, she spoke.
“Is this the Black Warhorse that bears Gareis’s name?”
At Pina’s question, Gareis abandoned his conversation with Oberon’s Eldest Son and walked over to her. The young man stood frozen, unable to follow.
Gareis spoke with evident pride.
“Exactly—the Black Warhorse. With my size, you need more than an ordinary horse to bear the weight and maintain speed. I’ve trained him myself since he was a colt. His name is Shadow.”
“How splendid! All your horses are black, aren’t they?”
“True, but only a few deserve the name Warhorse. You can’t buy that kind of horse with money. But that doesn’t make the others inferior.”
Ariel finally spoke up.
“Enough talk. Let’s go inside. Are you planning to greet people all day?”
Gareis turned back to Oberon’s Eldest Son.
“My apologies for the rudeness. When someone compliments my horse, I can’t help but respond. Shall we go in now? Everyone, please—it’s cold out here. My companions, escort them to their rooms. And see that the horses are properly groomed and fed.”
Pina followed the horses rather than the people. Before she left, she stole a glance at Parma. Helen shook her head at the sight.
Sophia found it remarkable how Gareis led his entire entourage inside as though he owned the place, while Parma’s expression grew increasingly sour with each of his gestures. Philip Wiscom was clearly irrelevant now.
Helen leaned close to Sophia and whispered.
“I thought the Gareis household was simply strict, since the young noblewoman of Gareis rarely speaks about her brother. But now I see—she actually dislikes his personality. Notice how she frowned the entire time before finally snapping at him?”
Sophia nodded in agreement.
“The Gareis family are all remarkably individualistic. Nothing like the rumors suggested.”
“I know. Isn’t Gareis impressive? A man who built his reputation on martial prowess in a ducal house—I expected him to be cold and arrogant. Yet here he is, commanding a crowd like this. Quite impressive, actually.”
While the gathering buzzed with excitement at Gareis’s arrival, Robert lost yet another chance to speak with Sophia alone.
To make matters worse, Sophia had barely spared him a glance; she was too busy laughing at Gareis’s antics. It seemed to be the most she’d laughed since he’d met her.
Robert found Gareis’s imposing personality and commanding presence unexpected—though perhaps not as much as Sophia’s reaction seemed to be.
‘Does she prefer men like that?’
For the first time, it occurred to Robert that Sophia’s tastes might lie far from his own expectations. And there was this unexpected Gareis.
Robert realized he would need to reconsider his approach to Gareis. It promised to be a long night of calculation.

***

Castle Oberon was overflowing with distinguished guests. The castle’s meager staff scurried about in a flurry of activity.
In Parma’s reception room, Gareis sat with a weary expression.
Parma spoke.
“Any new information?”
“Oberon? Nothing. Though I did hear gossip about you and Robert—your betrothal’s supposedly already settled. Yet Father says something different. He told me to guard only you, and to leave Robert to fend for himself. Says real ability means surviving on your own merits.”
Parma smiled as she replied.
“Robert said he wanted the marriage to happen and asked Father to support his abilities. At first Father seemed amenable enough, but when the betrothal rumors spread, he changed his mind again.”
“So that’s what happened. And you wanted to observe Robert yourself anyway, didn’t you? Then do as you see fit. The rumors will fade soon enough. So, what’s your assessment of Robert?”
“He has ability, but his personality is dry. No real character to speak of. Always busy.”
“So—not much of a man, then. But as a future emperor, he seems adequate. He’d have to work hard to be worse than Frederick.”
“Frederick?”
“I was investigating the disputes in the southern territories. If the north grows restless, the south might follow suit and flare up as well. But calling it a dispute seems generous—it barely qualifies as village squabbling. In the Cressida Territory, Frederick spent most of his time hunting, and his hunting grounds were a good half-day’s ride away from the actual disputed areas.”
Gareis’s derisive laugh echoed through the spacious room. He spoke.
“Meanwhile, he makes Cressida inflate the story, acting as though he takes the dispute gravely. Trying to pass off that nonsense as his achievement—it’s pathetic. If he deliberately stirred up the conflict for his own reputation, it’s even more contemptible.”
Parma snorted softly and spoke.
“You should have figured it out long ago and talked me out of it.”
“I thought you wanted to become Empress. If you were Empress, I figured the realm wouldn’t fall apart even if the Emperor turned out to be a fool.”
“The South poses no problems. Is that why you arrived late?”
“No. I was in the Capital, gauging the movements of Cressida, Wiscom, and a few other houses. If something happens in Oberon, there might be forces trying to cover it up, after all. So I looked into it first, then came to Oberon. And I made sure word spread that I was heading there.”
“Ah!”
Parma disliked her brother’s appetite for drawing people’s eyes, but she deeply admired how meticulously he analyzed situations and managed details.
Just then, word arrived that Prince Robert had come looking for both Parma and Gareis. Parma spoke.
“It seems he deliberately timed it to find us together. More shrewd than I expected.”
Gareis spoke.
“Is that so? This will be a good chance for me to see what sort of man Prince Robert truly is.”
Prince Robert entered the Reception Room, his weary face masked by a smile.
After exchanging brief courtesies, Prince Robert addressed Gareis.
“Saturn’s movements remain unchanged. The Titan Knights from Enceladus are reportedly moving toward the Titania Mountain Range under the pretext of Military Training.”
“The Titan Knights?”
A light of satisfaction clearly flickered across Gareis’s eyes. Parma spoke.
“Why are you pleased? If the Titan Knights get involved, doesn’t that make things worse for Ariel? You were just saying something about their renown causing disputes, weren’t you?”
“This is different. Think about the Titan Knights’ reputation. Everyone in Uranos knows the Titan Knights. And we—House Gareis—would be the ones to defeat them. The spoils would be considerable.”
“What?”
“The lions who conquered the Titan Knights. Magnificent, isn’t it?”
Parma spoke while looking at Prince Robert.
“The moment you see Gareis, you bring news of the Titan Knights. Feels like you’re using him.”
Prince Robert replied.
“I certainly hoped to catch Gareis’s attention. But Saturn mobilizing an entire knightly order—that exceeded our expectations. Ariel is preparing a force too, but it’s only in preparation, so for practical purposes, we should consider them as having none.”
Prince Robert spoke without concealing his intentions.
“The Titan Knights’ Commander may very well take the field against Uranos as Supreme Commander. In such circumstances, Ariel and Umbriel would both find reassurance in Gareis’s aid. The very fact that Gareis stands firm in Ariel might itself be enough to check Saturn’s assault.”
An excited Gareis shot up and spoke in a loud voice, his tone ambiguous as to whom he was addressing.
“Excellent. Splendid. And if they mean to cross the Titania Mountain Range, only a handful will make it through. They won’t be able to ride horses—that much is certain. This works well. We can achieve great results with minimal forces.”
Parma glanced briefly at Prince Robert’s face. Prince Robert, as if giving it little weight, addressed the crux of the matter.
“The crucial question is when Oberon will move.”
Gareis fell into thought, murmuring as he spoke.
“Oberon must have already realized the plan has failed. So then…”
Parma spoke.
“According to Sophia, it seems those who were going to flee have already done so. Families have been evacuated, and the Harbor is overflowing with people. She says they’ll move soon. She’s heard the roads are under surveillance to prevent Oberon from relocating people.”
Gareis cried out as if to exclaim.
“Of course—a man must defend his own house. Ariel! Do you have the will to help?”
Sophia observed Prince Robert’s reaction once more, noting that he seemed little troubled by Gareis’s rudeness.
‘That’s a relief.’
Considering Gareis’s temperament, Parma thought Prince Robert was far safer than Prince Frederick.
‘No one likes subordinates who draw more attention than their master and occasionally forget their manners.’
It was precisely why House Gareis kept Gareis confined to his Domain rather than in the Capital.

***

At that same moment, Baron Oberon stood gazing down into the inner courtyard through a gap in the curtains. The courtyard lay in disarray from carriages and luggage.
Baron Oberon released the curtain he had been gripping with trembling hands, his gesture irritable.
“Damn them all! They swarm here thinking they can stop us? Do they think we’ll cower before their gaze and do nothing?”
Oberon’s Eldest Son spoke.
“Of course we must be cautious. We need to think carefully. If we err…”
Baron Oberon laughed bitterly as he spoke.
“Look at them gathering! They already know. Do they really think this is all about that girl Ariel? They’re pretending ignorance because there’s no proof. You think they’ll forgive us if we do nothing?”
“The plan was to rescue Ariel when she fell into crisis from Saturn’s assault, and to rule Ariel in place of the dead Ariel’s Lord and family. With Prince Robert and Gareis here, this plan cannot possibly succeed. Seizing the young noblewoman Ariel as a hostage becomes impossible as well. Father, there is still time.”
“No. I have no time.”
“Father, if you wish to die, die alone. Are you thinking of taking the whole family down with you?”
“When undertaking something this grand, shouldn’t you have resolve to match?”
Oberon’s Eldest Son spoke heatedly.
“Ha! You sent your child away to Saturn’s woman to be taken back to Saturn. My family still remains in Uranos. If this goes wrong, what of my family? Just because we don’t suit your fancy, how can you throw us into the jaws of death?”
Baron Oberon tried to calm his eldest son, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. Oberon’s Eldest Son rejected the gesture and spoke.
“You should never have accepted Saturn’s woman from the start. This is all that woman’s fault for goading you on. It’s all over now. From here on, I’ll handle things myself.”
As Oberon’s Eldest Son tried to leave, his father’s retainer blocked the door.
“I was sent to serve my lord, and you dare block my way?”
The subordinate kept his head bowed as he spoke with conviction.
“If we do nothing, we perish all the same.”

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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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