The hand holding the teacup trembled. Sophia Ariel set the teacup down, took a deep breath, and exhaled.

“Don’t be intimidated. There’s no need to be nervous. I’m not here to beg. I’m here because I was invited.”

Sophia picked up the teacup again. It still shook, but much less than before.

While waiting, she tried to organize what she would say to the aunt she was meeting for the first time. However, her eyes were busy scanning every corner of the sitting room.

The sunlight pouring in from the large window, the thick, patterned curtains that blocked it, the flowers in the exotic vase, and even the large rose the size of a fist.

Sophia also grew roses in the greenhouse at Ariel estate. But none had flowers as large as these.

“They must be imported roses. I heard you can import flowers from other countries if you’re willing to pay extra. Is that really true?”

Sophia couldn’t tear her eyes away from the expensive and luxurious items in the sitting room.

She had been worrying about how to treat her aunt, whom she had never met before. Yet, at the most crucial moment, her mind was completely occupied not by her aunt, but by the things that surrounded her.

After surveying the beautifully furnished sitting room, Sophia couldn’t help but look at herself.

She glanced at the hand holding the teacup. Her hand didn’t match the delicate, ornate cup.

The sleeves of her dress were neatly mended, but upon closer inspection, the color of the wrist area was slightly different from the rest.

“I thought it looked like new, and I was happy it didn’t show any signs of repair…”

What bothered her the most, however, were her hands. Compared to the teacup, they looked unusually dark and rough.

“They say the ladies in the capital always wear gloves when they go out, don’t they?”

Sophia swallowed her tea in one gulp.

“Stop comparing yourself. How could you wear gloves every time you step out in Ariel? Besides, Wiscombe is one of only two ducal houses in the empire. Of course, they’re wealthy. They probably picked out these teacups with the utmost care.”

Sophia looked around the sitting room once again. Observing it, she sensed a level of wealth that went beyond mere opulence—it was a new kind of grandeur.

A magazine article she had once read came to mind. The article mentioned that noble families hire interior design experts to decorate their homes. Until she entered the Wiscombe duchy’s sitting room, Sophia had found the idea absurd.

“You just place the furniture and decorations in appropriate spots. Paying someone to tell you where to put things? They must have money to burn.”

Now, Sophia realized how foolish that thought had been.

Just as the article had said, the décor was the best way to showcase the owner’s taste and status to visitors. Sophia was now fully experiencing the truth of that statement.

“I get it now. Even I can see just how incredible the Wiscombe duchy is.”

Despite the nervousness of meeting her aunt for the first time, Sophia enjoyed taking in the well-decorated sitting room. But as the wait grew longer, Sophia began to tire. The excitement she had felt on the journey to the capital quickly faded.

With a weary voice, Sophia mumbled softly, “Ah, as I thought… it’s hopeless. Hopeless.”

Like a story from a novel, she had hoped that meeting her wealthy relative might be the turning point that would change her life. But novels were novels, and reality was reality.

She had been waiting in the sitting room for over three hours. Now, instead of feeling excited or nervous about meeting her aunt, Sophia was more curious about why she had been summoned to the capital in the first place. It seemed that her aunt, or rather, the Duchess of Wiscombe, wasn’t eagerly anticipating Sophia’s arrival.

* * *

Margaret, Duchess of Wiscombe.

Sophia’s aunt was the Duchess of Wiscombe. She had married the second son of the previous Duke of Wiscombe.

Though her uncle had been the second son, after his brother’s death, he inherited the title of duke, and her aunt became the duchess.

Her aunt had already been well-known when she married her untitled uncle, but when she became duchess, she became a symbol of Cinderella-like success.

In contrast to her aunt’s rise to prominence and glory, Sophia’s mother had married a baron from Ariel, a cold, impoverished estate on the border with the Kingdom of Saturn. Seven years after giving birth to Sophia, her mother passed away at a young age.

“Your mother was too frail to live in cold, poor Ariel.”

When her mother passed away, not one of her few remaining relatives visited Ariel. Since then, Sophia’s family had lived as though her mother’s side no longer existed.

That was until two months ago. Two months ago, the Duchess of Wiscombe sent a letter to Ariel. The letter proposed that Sophia, who had not yet made her debut, might join the debutante ball that her cousin, Lady Isabelle Wiscombe, was soon to hold.

Sophia’s father, Baron Ariel, and her older brother, Alex, were suspicious of the duchess’s sudden proposal after years of no contact. They thought the Duchess of Wiscombe might have ulterior motives.

To the duchess, Ariel must have been nothing more than poor, insignificant relatives.

Despite knowing this, Sophia accepted the proposal. She felt it was more important to make her debut, even if it meant paying whatever price the Wiscombe family asked for.

“We can’t afford to spend money on something like a debut. Ariel doesn’t have the luxury.”

Both Baron Ariel and Alex opposed the idea, but Sophia was so adamant that they eventually relented and allowed her to join Lady Wiscombe’s debut.

This journey to the capital wasn’t just for Sophia; Ariel’s steward, John Mahler, also accompanied her. Along with him came his son, Jack, who would help with errands. To save on costs, the group consisted of only the three of them.

After dropping Sophia off at the Wiscombe residence, John Mahler rushed to the central administrative building. He had to remain there and negotiate with officials until Ariel’s budget was finalized.

It was uncertain whether that would take a month or two. If they failed to secure the budget, Ariel would be unable to avoid a deficit this year.

Fortunately, three years ago, Alex had married into the Finega merchant family, providing some financial relief for Ariel. Once their economic situation improved slightly, Alex wanted to hold a debut for his younger sister, Sophia.

However, knowing the state of the estate, Sophia had continuously refused. There was only one reason to hold a debut.

Marriage.