Timid and Shy - ✿ dusk blossoms ✿

The Saturn delegation withdrew from the reception hall. Sir Enceladus clenched his fists tightly. The ambush had failed as planned.

Since the failure was deliberate, the next plan was already in place. What was needed was Uranus’s complacency and confusion. To achieve that, Sir Enceladus had personally led the delegation.

Nevertheless, Sir Enceladus could not suppress his anger. His face flushed red as he panted, and Sir Dione, observing him, spoke.

“Didn’t we already agree to appear incompetent? What exactly is making you so angry?”

“Compensation for damages? Sure, it’s possible. Money isn’t the issue. Prince Robert must know that we deliberately failed the ambush. But do you know why he insisted on recording our incompetence in Saturn’s documents?”

“What is it?”

“So that when the invasion of Uranus fails, my head will roll in Saturn. Who do you think the King will blame for all these failures? With a document blaming me… it’s clear I’ll bear all the responsibility.”

As if trying to soothe Sir Enceladus’s anger, Sir Dione spoke calmly.

“You were opposed to the invasion of Uranus from the start, weren’t you? The King knows that too.”

“Yes, he does. But he doesn’t like me. By holding me accountable for the failure, the King can keep the Enceladus family in check. Under the pretext of accountability, he might even transfer the Titan Knights under the King’s direct command.”

“Surely not? Nothing has been decided yet. Besides, I don’t think Prince Robert would have calculated all of this.”

Looking at Sir Dione as though he were naive, Sir Enceladus shook his head.

“What if he has? What if he’s analyzed Saturn’s political situation and attacked me today with full awareness?”

“That would make the invasion of Uranus far more difficult. If they’ve understood Saturn’s circumstances, it’s likely they’ve also roughly grasped the scale of Saturn’s forces. What then?”

Sir Enceladus asked gravely, “What about our contact with Wiscombe?”

“Wiscombe has refused. They seem to sense that something is amiss.”

“They’re sharp. As expected of a major family in the capital, they’re sensitive to schemes and conspiracies. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to encounter them under the guise of coincidence. It’s not about how cooperative they are but about how suspicious they are.”

“But why did Philip Wiscombe kill Baron Oberon’s deputy while letting Gallo go?”

“Because he wanted Gallo to kill everyone in Oberon Castle. If things became irreversible, he thought Gallo would lose control. That wasn’t our plan, so it failed.”

Sir Dione spoke with a hint of regret.

“The problem was that Philip Wiscombe killed Baron Oberon’s deputy, causing Gallo to flee. He suspected Gallo too much and overreacted. If things had gone as Philip Wiscombe intended, it wouldn’t have been bad for us. Or do you think he did it deliberately, to scare Gallo?”

“Do you think Philip Wiscombe did it on purpose?”

Sir Dione let out a hollow laugh, as if he didn’t believe his own theory.

“Probably not. He couldn’t have predicted how Gallo would act. He didn’t even know him… But if the plan was to provoke Oberon, why stab the deputy? It doesn’t make sense to me.”

“If you consider Gallo’s claim that the deputy opposed our plan, Philip must have thought Gallo would carry it out instead. He likely removed the deputy thinking he’d obstruct Baron Oberon. Pushed him to act, in other words.”

“I can’t tell if Philip Wiscombe is brilliant or foolish.”

“He’s sharp. But with limited information, he made poor judgments. He must have thought Gallo was aligned with Cressida, not Saturn. In the end, his actions hurt both Wiscombe and us.”

Although Philip Wiscombe had fallen into their trap, Sir Enceladus was frustrated that the plan had ultimately gone awry.

Suddenly, Prince Robert’s voice came from behind them.

“What schemes are you plotting?”

Sir Enceladus’s expression was the most sour Sir Dione had ever seen. To buy time and regain his composure, Sir Enceladus slowly adjusted his attire.

Satisfied with his appearance, he looked at Prince Robert and spoke.

“Schemes, Your Highness? We merely wish to meet some of Uranus’s nobles while we’re here. Families like Wiscombe, Cressida, and Gareth are famous even in Saturn. Could you arrange a meeting?”

Prince Robert responded coldly.

“I’d like to accommodate the delegation’s needs, but under the current circumstances, who would want to meet Saturn’s representatives?”

“Circumstances?”

Prince Robert replied, “There must be plenty of magazines and newspapers in your quarters. I’ve ordered them to be delivered without fail. They’re filled with articles about both of you and Saturn’s ambush. Be sure to check. If there are errors, they can be corrected. But if Uranus’s families contact you separately… well, earning a good reputation might be difficult.”

Sir Enceladus replied regretfully, “What a pity… I was hoping to witness the intellect and spirit of Uranus’s young nobles.”

“That’s simple enough. There’s a party to welcome the delegation soon. Surely Uranus wouldn’t confine you. You are a delegation, after all.”

At Prince Robert’s mocking words, Sir Dione snapped angrily.

“Since you brought it up, let me say this: instruct the magazines and newspapers to be more restrained. I don’t care about my reputation, but publishing articles about the Saturn King’s private life and rumors? Show some courtesy.”

Prince Robert replied.

“I don’t know about Saturn, but on Uranus, freedom of the press is guaranteed. Even a prince like me suffers from attacks by magazines and newspapers. Haven’t you heard? Unfortunately, I don’t think I can help with matters regarding the media.”

At Prince Robert’s clear refusal, Sir Dione, face flushed, retorted,

“Isn’t that just an excuse?”

“You’ll soon find out whether it’s an excuse or the truth. I’ll invite Lord Philip Wiscombe, whom you two are so eager to meet, to the welcome party. I also hope he attends.”

At Robert’s provocation, both Sir Enceladus and Sir Dione silently nodded and boarded the carriage as directed by Prince Robert.

After entering their accommodations, the two examined the magazines and newspapers meticulously provided by Prince Robert. They spent hours reading through the towering pile of articles, realizing just how inundated Robert had been by the press. As he claimed, they confirmed that the prince had indeed suffered considerable harassment from the media.

***

Meanwhile, Philip Wiscombe, a figure whispered among the Saturn delegation, refrained from leaving his residence for a time. The failure of his mission on Oberon made it impossible to dispel suspicions linking him to Saturn.

Though there was no evidence, the mere suspicion was deadly. Upon Philip’s return from Oberon, Duke Wiscombe scolded him furiously.

“There’s still no talk of Parma and Prince Robert being engaged, yet you were accused on Oberon? You could argue that Robert was acting out of personal resentment without evidence. But how long do you think that excuse will last? You knew they were already wary of Oberon, yet you went in blindly without any plan? What about Oberon’s deputy baron?”

Philip replied sullenly,

“I thought controlling Lord Oberon directly would be easier without the deputy baron. Lord Oberon isn’t particularly sharp. But he turned out to be more cowardly than I anticipated… far more of a fool than I expected.”

After sighing, Philip added,

“On the way back to the capital, I gave it some thought. That man, Michael. He wasn’t one of our informants but Saturn’s agent. He must have fed me Robert’s movements deliberately, leading me to Oberon. To do that, he would’ve needed someone close to Prince Robert. That’s not something a low-level administrative staffer could orchestrate.”

Despite Duke Wiscombe’s piercing glare, Philip continued calmly,

“He claimed to be friends with someone in Robert’s office, but further investigation revealed that person had already been transferred to Umbriel. He couldn’t have had direct access to information. So, Michael wasn’t just an ambitious staffer; he was a Saturn spy who intentionally approached us to entrap us.”

The duke, silent for a moment, finally spoke.

“We were deceived? And that bastard?”

“He was already gone by the time I sent someone after him.”

“Damn it!” the duke cursed. “For now, stay put. It’s better not to be seen by anyone.”

Following his father’s orders, Philip remained in the mansion, reflecting on his failure and pondering Robert’s relationship with the Gareth siblings.

“They aren’t engaged, but the Gareth siblings maintain a good relationship with Robert. And now Ariel, using Gareth as leverage, looks down on Wiscombe? That’s unacceptable.”

The Saturn delegation’s sudden arrival and audacious demands extended Philip’s period of isolation. Upon returning from an audience with the delegation, Duke Wiscombe appeared more anxious. Saturn’s brazenness exceeded expectations.

When the delegation’s insolent requests made headlines, anti-Saturn sentiment surged across both the capital and the aristocracy. Duke Wiscombe warned Philip,

“The Saturn delegation seems to have their sights on us. They keep pestering me for meetings. If you run into them, even by chance, you can imagine the accusations they’ll hurl at you. Stay out of sight entirely.”

“Yes, Father.”

From that day onward, Philip confined himself to the mansion, spending his time in the study reflecting on his missteps. He also couldn’t stop thinking about Sophia Ariel, who had boldly challenged him.

“I couldn’t even respond after being used… and she turned it into an attack on me?”

***

Lying on the sofa in the study, Philip opened his eyes at the sound of footsteps. Isabelle entered, looking down at him.

“How does it feel to have messed everything up?”

“It feels awful. Do you really need to ask? What about Prince Frederick? And what has Cressida been doing all this time? I hear everyone’s praising Robert for his actions against the Saturn delegation.”

Isabelle scoffed.

“Frederick’s been sulking all day. Apparently, Robert has changed. Frederick was sneering about how Robert fiercely cornered the Saturn delegation. It must’ve been very unlike him. I heard the surprise attack made him furious… seems it wasn’t just any ordinary ambush.”

Philip’s eyebrows shot up at the news, and Isabelle continued,

“Frederick believes Cressida had a hand in Saturn’s attack on Umbriel. He thinks Robert’s actions weren’t aimed at the delegation but at him. Investigations into the ambush are still ongoing in both Umbriel and the capital, and he’s terrified.”

Philip sat up and made room for Isabelle, who took a seat and began to speak.

“When Prince Frederick scolded Countess Cressida for not doing her job, she reportedly said that it was true she had failed to accomplish what she intended in Umbriel. She also claimed she was too busy trying to prevent further damage. That only made Frederick even more anxious.”

“Seeing how Prince Robert is still alive and well, it’s obvious the plan failed. It seems Cressida also asked Saturn to kill Prince Robert… but could it be that Saturn never intended to kill him? Or is killing Prince Robert just that difficult?”

“Perhaps Saturn simply didn’t want to listen to Cressida,” Isabelle remarked.

Philip found himself torn between satisfaction and anger upon realizing he wasn’t the only one deceived by Saturn.

“Those bastards of Saturn,” he muttered to himself.