Isabelle looked at the duchess coldly and said,

“As long as Prince Frederick is alive, abandoning him will be difficult. This romance was orchestrated by your own brilliant hands, wasn’t it? People are already mocking us just for delaying the engagement—turning our backs on him entirely would be nearly impossible. And after that, who would I even marry? I refuse to settle for just any noble family.”

“We wouldn’t send you off to just any family either. In that case, Prince Frederick is still the better choice. If the emperor chooses Prince Robert as the crown prince, he will naturally want to protect Prince Frederick. That means, at the very least, Robert wouldn’t be able to crush Wiscombe so easily.”

“If Prince Frederick were to become emperor, Prince Robert would surely be killed. Do you really think Robert would let him live? He’s not a fool—Frederick would be a constant threat.”

“The only one who can stop that is the emperor. He’ll find a way to restrain Robert.”

“And you expect me to just sit here and wait for that?”

The duchess sighed in defeat.

“No… that won’t do.”

That was the dilemma. Abandoning Prince Frederick would be a loss for Wiscombe, but going through with the engagement as things stood would also be a disadvantage.

‘If there were still an opportunity… but if Cressida collapses soon, there’s no hope. And there’s no marriage prospect better than the imperial family.’

The duchess thought of Sophia Ariel.

‘There’s still a chance. If Sophia could do it, then so can Isabelle. And since Gareth and Parma have remained silent…’

Since the annulment, Prince Robert had not spoken of any other engagements. Until the war with Saturn was over, there was no way to approach him.

The duchess decided to delay any final decisions and wait for Prince Robert to return to the capital.

‘Beauty alone can’t solve everything, but with Isabelle, it might just work. It’s worth a try.’

Isabelle could tell exactly what the duchess was thinking just by looking at her expression. But Prince Robert wasn’t an easy target.

‘Robert will remember the humiliation Wiscombe put him through. He has no reason to choose us and make an enemy of Gareth.’

Isabelle swallowed a sigh. She had fought desperately to claim what she once believed was the best position, only for it to lose its worth.

No matter what happened—whether she married Prince Frederick or not—Isabelle resolved to make her own decision.

Meanwhile, even in the capital, the sense that the war was nearing its final stages was growing. Rumors were spreading that Sir Gareth had come to the capital under the emperor’s orders to launch an attack on Saturn’s capital.

Judging by the atmosphere, not only was defeat not an option, but people were saying that Saturn would be punished for invading Uranus. Sir Gareth’s deployment was seen as part of that strategy.

Isabelle believed that if Prince Robert emerged as the war hero, Frederick’s situation would become even worse than it already was.

‘And Wiscombe will be no different. Both Gareth’s family and Prince Robert consider us their enemy.’

****

Feeling suffocated, Isabelle sought out Philip. He was spending most of his time in the library.

Philip, lounging on the sofa, looked up at Isabelle and said,

“Did you hear? That oh-so-great Sir Gareth is gaining popularity despite not having fought a single real battle. Gareth and Robert are ridiculously lucky.”

Isabelle replied,

“Sophia and Sir Gareth must have met often in Ariel. Why don’t we spread some rumors? If Sophia Ariel was ambitious enough to get engaged to Robert, she must be an extremely calculating woman. Even if our cousin fails, he won’t lose anything.”

Philip dropped his usual playful tone and spoke seriously.

“We need to keep Ariel in check before they grow too powerful.”

Isabelle scoffed.

“Do you really think Duke Gareth would accept Sophia Ariel?”

“You have no idea how much Gareth despises Wiscombe, do you? I’ve only met his son a few times, but I can tell you this—our meetings were never pleasant. And now, with Ariel involved… Gareth is just waiting for his chance to get back at us.”

Isabelle sighed before adding,

“Frederick seems a little wary of Parma, too. Probably worried about what they might do.”

“What do you think about my theory that we don’t actually know enough about Parma or Stefano? The Gareth’s reactions have been… different from what we expected.”

“What, are you trying to make friends with Gareth now?”

“No. I’m saying we need to reassess the situation. Too much has changed—we need to prepare accordingly.”

“If we’re not careful, people will think we’re planning to attack Gareth.”

“We have nothing better to do right now, so investigating something we’ve been curious about wouldn’t hurt. Gareth isn’t a family that will just disappear overnight. Once the war with Saturn is over, no house will rival Gareth’s power for a long time. Survival will become the priority for us and for Cressida.”

Isabelle hesitated before speaking.

“Mother was testing me, wondering if we could afford to abandon Prince Frederick. What do you think?”

She finally broached the real issue.

Philip answered in a grave tone.

“When the time comes, you will have to let go of Prince Frederick, whether you want to or not. It will depend on how far the Cressida issue spreads. If the Emperor is satisfied with eliminating Cressida’s power, he might aim for the next target. In that case, marrying Prince Frederick wouldn’t be a bad choice.”

However, at the same time, Philip didn’t believe the Emperor would make such a lenient decision. He spoke.

“If Cressida disappears, there is no hope for Prince Frederick. Then, you will have to protect him using Wiscombe’s power. If you think it’s a waste to use Wiscombe’s power for a man you don’t even like, then you shouldn’t marry him.”

Isabelle asked, “What if Prince Robert is put in danger during the battle against Saturn?”

Philip responded with a pitying look.

“Wake up, Isabelle Wiscombe! This war is no longer about stopping an invasion—it has escalated into an attack on Saturn’s capital. They’re all singing that it’s time to punish Saturn. Do you think Prince Robert would make reckless moves in this situation? He wouldn’t put himself in danger, and those around him wouldn’t allow it.”

“What if this is a scheme? Shouldn’t this kind of military information be top secret? Even if it’s the capital, should war strategies be leaking like this? Doesn’t it seem like too many rumors are spreading?”

Philip countered with a question of his own.

“So what are you suggesting? That the war against Saturn is going badly? That, in reality, Uranus is losing? That they’re spreading rumors to keep Cressida from getting any ideas? I may dislike Gareth, but do you really think he would abandon a losing battlefield just to spend time in the capital?”

Isabelle bit her lip. The thoughts she had been considering now seemed impossible. Without another word, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the study.

Philip figured that Isabelle must be just as shaken by the current situation.

‘Why is Prince Robert suddenly becoming so eager…? Wiscombe now has more enemies—Prince Robert, Gareth, and even Ariel. If only things had gone well in Oberon…’

****

The next day, a package arrived for Philip Wiscombe. As he examined the item, he asked,

“What did the messenger look like?”

“He had black hair, black eyes, and was dressed in a neat servant’s uniform, appearing like someone who worked for a noble household. I assumed one of your friends was returning your belongings through a servant.”

Philip flipped over the wrapping paper with his fingertips. There were no distinguishing marks. It was the kind of paper commonly used for packaging—not too cheap, not particularly luxurious—just ordinary.

‘But this dagger… it should be lodged in the back of the Oberon baron’s deputy, not here. Does this mean that man isn’t in Saturn but in Uranus?’

Philip picked up the dagger and examined it closely. It wasn’t just a similar-looking blade—it was undoubtedly the same one he had stabbed into the Oberon baron’s deputy.

He remembered it well because he had meticulously inspected the weapon before, ensuring it had no distinct markings. Moreover, the slightly bent tip indicated it had already been used.

‘Or am I just mistaken?’

He had always worried that the day would come when his crime would resurface before him. Not out of guilt, but because he had never been certain that the cleanup had been flawless.

‘There was a witness.’

Philip narrowed his eyes at the dagger and said, “It looks like someone sent this to threaten me. If anyone brings a package or letter to me in the future, make sure to detain them immediately. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

Once his subordinate left, Philip thought back to that man. After Philip had killed the Oberon baron’s deputy, the man had killed the Oberon baron himself and then disappeared. He hadn’t done anything Philip had expected him to.

“Damn Saturn scum. They failed to assassinate Prince Robert even after teaming up with Cressida. They didn’t act in Oberon either—they just ran away. Useless from beginning to end. They probably intended to use both Wiscombe and Cressida all along. Serves them right. Both Saturn and us.”

No matter how he looked at it, Uranus didn’t seem likely to lose the war against Saturn. Saturn couldn’t even manage to cross the Titania Mountains.

That meant that whatever the man’s intentions were in sending the dagger, it couldn’t be anything good for Wiscombe. A desperate Saturn must be making one last attempt to drag Wiscombe into the conflict.

Philip stood up. There was no point in worrying about this alone. At times like this, he needed to go see the Duke.

‘It’s not about whether I’ll get scolded. This could determine Wiscombe’s very survival.’

***

After delivering the package to Wiscombe’s estate, Gallo immediately headed for Cressida’s mansion.

“As expected, a family that produced an empress has a different kind of estate.”

Even as he walked along the perimeter of the Cressida estate, he could feel eyes watching him.

‘Security is tight. Even more so than Wiscombe.’

Gallo lowered his head as if nervous and glanced around cautiously. After a long walk, he finally reached the main gate, where several guards were already waiting for him.

Gallo politely greeted the head guard and pulled out a letter from inside his coat.

“This is a letter from Master Philip of Wiscombe. Please deliver it directly to Lord Cressida.”

The head guard examined the envelope and asked, “Why didn’t you deliver it in person?”

Gallo lowered his voice and spoke discreetly.

“The atmosphere in the capital is tense. He instructed me to deliver it quietly, as if it were just an ordinary letter.”

The head guard found Gallo both suspicious and plausible at the same time. The other guards scrutinized him from head to toe. Gallo, playing along, lowered his head even further as if frightened.

The head guard ordered his men to detain Gallo before heading inside the mansion. Lord Cressida, eyeing the letter warily, opened it and began reading.

He bit his lip.

“Who delivered this?”

“We have detained him. Shall we bring him in?”

Lord Cressida thought for a moment before shaking his head. Then, he walked over to his desk, wrote the word ‘No.’ in large letters on the letter, placed it back in the envelope, and returned it.

“Aren’t you going to seal it?”

“There’s no need. Just return it as it is.”

“Understood.”

Gallo took Lord Cressida’s reply, briefly showing the unsealed letter to others as evidence before tucking it into his coat and leaving. Even as he walked away, he could feel the heavy stares clinging to his back.

Seeing the unsealed letter, Gallo let out a bitter smile.

“A rejection, huh… So, you know this is just a provocation? But this is only the beginning. Now that you’ve sided with Saturn, you traitors will never escape.”