After receiving and returning Gallo’s letter, Lord Cressida paced the room, letting out hollow laughter. Countess Cressida sat upright, seemingly focused solely on the teacup in her hands.

Unable to hold back any longer, Lord Cressida burst out in anger.

“They did this on purpose. Wiscombe wants to see us fall.”

Countess Cressida stared intently at her cup as she spoke.

“No. It’s not Wiscombe.”

“How can you be so sure? They dare to raise an army against us, taking advantage of the capital’s vulnerability… Wiscombe is obviously trying to eliminate us entirely. Philip must finally be repaying that favor to that damned knight.”

The countess quietly set her teacup down and gestured toward the chair opposite her. Despite his agitation, Lord Cressida obeyed and dropped into the seat.

As the countess frowned, he adjusted his posture, sitting up straight. She gave a nod of approval.

“You must maintain your dignity at all times. Acting out in anger will get you nowhere. If something enrages you, you simply return the favor. Now, listen carefully—I will tell you why I believe this is not Wiscombe’s doing.”

Lord Cressida clasped his hands together and waited. The countess continued.

“Has Wiscombe ever sent a letter before? And that too, carried by a messenger wearing no insignia, riding no horse, just walking? That’s as good as announcing that suspicious letters are being exchanged with Cressida.”

“But if they came by horse or carriage, they wouldn’t be able to hide their crest. Perhaps they were deliberately concealing their identity—”

The countess responded in a calm voice.

“If they truly wanted to be cautious to the point of hiding their family name, there were far better ways than walking. There are plenty of discreet methods to deliver a message. But walking in broad daylight? The emperor has been watching us for a long time—he surely still is.”

Lord Cressida glared at the window as if expecting the emperor’s spies to be watching. The countess continued in the same composed tone.

“You claim Wiscombe is trying to entrap us, but would they really risk endangering themselves in the process? Wiscombe isn’t foolish. They are shrewd, calculating. And they have no reason to attack us—they, too, do not want Prince Frederick to lose power.”

Lord Cressida asked, “Then who? Who would pull a stunt like this?”

“Saturn! Or the emperor!”

Lord Cressida scowled.

“Those two would certainly benefit from provoking us. The emperor finally has a reason to get rid of us, and Saturn wants us to raise an army. Saturn hopes we will march on Uranus’ capital so that Uranus won’t march on theirs. But I thought all of Saturn’s spies had already been driven out. Unless…”

“They must have left at least a few behind. They’re at war with Uranus—they need to know what’s happening in the capital. Or, as you suspect, the emperor himself is provoking us. It was likely his doing that I was barred from the palace and that word of my conflict with the empress spread.”

Lord Cressida, growing agitated again, shouted,

“And it’s not just the emperor! Frederick has already abandoned us. Wasn’t our plan to use him as a shield if the emperor moved against us? But that ungrateful wretch turned his back on us first!”

Even the countess found a bitter taste in her mouth. She hadn’t expected her grandson to distance himself so quickly. It was understandable why the empress was furious with both the emperor and Prince Frederick. But the more she lashed out, the more Cressida’s hopes were being eroded.

With a resolute voice, the countess declared,

“I must meet with Prince Frederick.”

Lord Cressida sighed.

“Frederick refuses to meet me. He meets with everyone—except us.”

“Then we must make him come to us.”

“How?”

The countess gave a weary smile.

“I am old, and my health is failing. Since I cannot see the empress, my sorrow has taken a toll on my body. I fear my time is near, and I long to see my daughter and grandson one last time. Could you deliver that message?”

Lord Cressida smirked.

“That might actually work.”

The countess added,

“Don’t overdo it—no need to appear too grief-stricken. But smiling is out of the question. Simply deliver the message and leave. Do the same when speaking to the empress—just say I am unwell and ask her to bring Frederick with her as soon as possible.”

“Yes, Mother. I understand. You want to show them we no longer have any expectations or hopes for them, don’t you?”

***

At dawn the next day, as soon as the palace gates opened, Lord Cressida went to Prince Frederick’s residence.

As expected, Frederick sent a message through his attendant, saying he had no time due to his lessons.

“No time? At this hour?”

Suppressing his anger, Lord Cressida relayed the countess’s message exactly as she had instructed.

“The Countess of Cressida is unwell. She hopes you will visit her soon.”

Lord Cressida then visited the Empress’s palace. Just as before, he did not wait for the Empress to wake up but simply relayed his message to a lady-in-waiting before leaving the imperial palace.

Lord Cressida had left at dawn and returned to the Cressida estate in the morning. Letting out a sigh, he remarked,

“There was no need to put on an act. I couldn’t see either of them anyway.”

Hearing those words, the Countess of Cressida’s face seemed even more frail. The Cressida estate had already begun refusing all visitors since the previous day.

***

It was obvious to anyone that the Countess of Cressida was feigning illness to secure a meeting with Prince Frederick and the Empress. Even Prince Frederick himself immediately suspected as much upon hearing Lord Cressida’s message.

The Emperor, upon receiving the report, chose to remain silent and wait.

Caliban, on the other hand, grew anxious and asked,

“Are you really planning to let Prince Frederick go to the Cressida estate like this?”

“What other option is there?”

“Isn’t there a chance that Cressida might take Prince Frederick hostage?”

The emperor looked at his old chamberlain with a startled expression.

“Do you truly believe Cressida would go that far?”

“They have already colluded with Saturn. Though they failed, they attempted to assassinate Prince Robert twice. Now they are cornered, and they’ve even gathered an army.”

The Emperor replied,

“Their army remains in Cressida’s domain. Besides, we have our own forces in the capital. If they were to take Prince Frederick hostage now, it would be nothing short of suicide. If they did such a thing, Cressida would be completely wiped out.”

Still unconvinced, Caliban pressed on.

“But what if they abduct Prince Frederick and take him to Cressida?”

The Emperor looked at Caliban with renewed interest and said,

“Sometimes I feel like you care more for my children than I do. Seeing a man as cautious as you worry so much about Prince Frederick makes me wonder.”

“I have served in the imperial palace for nearly sixty years. In all that time, I have always found the imperial children to be pitiable. And as I grow older, that feeling only deepens.”

“The children of the imperial family are not just ordinary sons and daughters.”

“That is precisely why they are even more pitiable. Even Your Majesty does not see your son as just a son, but as a future emperor. That is why you focus on his shortcomings and the dangers he poses. Even in moments when he should be seen simply as a child, you cannot allow yourself to do so. I understand the need for vigilance, but has Your Majesty never resented the fact that your father was always an emperor to you, never just a father?”

The Emperor fell silent for a moment, lost in thought, before speaking.

“Only now do I truly understand my father. And yet, I also despise the fact that I am becoming like him. Still, I can’t deny that because I was raised this way, I am at least able to fulfill my duties as emperor. We must be raised this way to bear the burden of our responsibilities.”

Caliban nodded with a sorrowful expression.

“That is true. And that is why I must remind Your Majesty that these princes are also your own flesh and blood. So that you will not regret it later. It is always difficult to be both an emperor to all and a father to your own.”

The Emperor nodded at Caliban’s words. This was precisely why he could never allow the aging chamberlain to retire. Caliban had a way of pointing out things the Emperor might otherwise overlook. His insights came from decades of serving successive emperors. Moreover, he possessed the courage to speak freely without hesitation.

With a sigh of regret, the Emperor said,

“I wonder how the next emperor will rule without you by his side.”

“The younger generation has its flaws, but Prince Robert’s close associates, like Vian or Mav, show some promise.”

“They may be capable administrators, but will any of them be able to remind the emperor of moments when he need not act as an emperor? That is something only experience can teach. When you served the first emperor, did you do the same for him?”

Caliban replied,

“I was not the chamberlain to the first emperor. I merely observed from the sidelines as someone else served him. In fact, the first emperor often worried about me. He once told me that I seemed ill-suited for the imperial palace.”

The Emperor chuckled and asked,

“Do you still see Vian often?”

“It would be too dangerous for me or anyone from the First Prince’s household to meet frequently.”

“I suppose so. It’s a shame. I regret that you and I are at the end of this era together. I know how much you’ve endured, and that you deserve to rest. But I can’t express how reassuring it is to have you here. Without you, I would have made even more mistakes. As it is, I already have many regrets.”

“If Your Majesty values my advice so highly, then perhaps you should actually listen to me more often. To shower me with such empty praise while ignoring my counsel—it’s rather embarrassing for me.”

At Caliban’s grumbling, the Emperor laughed and said,

“If Prince Frederick and the Empress decide to visit the Cressida estate, increase the number of guards. If anyone asks, say it’s due to the current political climate.”

“Yes, understood.”

This time, Caliban obeyed without further protest.

***

Despite feeling exhausted from meeting people day after day, Prince Frederick found a sense of fulfillment. He had learned many things he hadn’t known before. The difference between hearing rumors passed through Lord Cressida and the Count and actually meeting people in person to speak with them was something he was beginning to understand.

When he returned to his chambers with a weary face, his attendant was waiting for him, holding a note. The attendant spoke hesitantly.

“The Empress visited again and left this note. She also ordered that the servant whom you sent to turn away Lord Cressida be found. Even after being told that it was by your command, she refused to listen.”

Prince Frederick spoke with a weary expression.

“What does it say?”

The attendant replied,

“It is the same as before. The Countess of Cressida is in poor health, and she asks that you visit her.”

To Prince Frederick, the actions of both the Empress and Lord Cressida did not seem to be out of genuine concern for the Countess’s condition. Rather, it felt like a demonstration aimed at him.

‘Are they trying to provoke my guilt again?’

Observing Frederick’s expression, the attendant cautiously spoke.

“Perhaps it would be best to head to the Cressida estate now….”

Frederick responded coldly,

“That is not for you to decide!”

With a single gesture from the prince, the attendant was dismissed. Frederick was becoming increasingly accustomed to firing people.

He had long realized that everyone around him, to some extent, was receiving money from Cressida. Even his own attendants and subordinates were indifferent, as the money came from his maternal family, Cressida.

Over time, the payments they received varied depending on the information they provided. The moment they became aware of this, they had effectively become Cressida’s eyes.

The attendant who had just been dismissed was one of them.

‘Do they really think I’ll remain in Cressida’s grasp forever?’

***

A day after receiving the letter, Prince Frederick finally went to see the Empress in the evening. He spoke calmly.

“I plan to visit the Cressida estate tomorrow. Will you come with me? Honestly, I’m a little surprised that you haven’t gone there yet, Mother.”

The empress scoffed.

“There’s nothing surprising about it. You said it yourself—we need to distance ourselves from Cressida.”

“So you’re not planning to go tomorrow? Then I won’t either—”

The Empress abruptly snapped,

“The Countess is your grandmother. With the Count absent, how can you simply turn away?”

“Then why haven’t you gone yet?”

“I was waiting for you. The person the Countess wants to see isn’t me—it’s you.”

With a serious expression, the Empress continued,

“Cressida… They only want to restore the strained relationship with us. How do you expect to become Crown Prince without Cressida’s support? And your grandmother truly isn’t well.”

But Frederick didn’t look the least bit convinced.

The empress spoke in a steady tone.

“Your grandmother is struggling just to come to the palace now. She even blames herself for your current difficulties, believing that Cressida failed in its role. Let’s visit her together tomorrow. It’s just to see your grandmother.”

Frederick felt disappointed that the Empress still treated him like a child. He quickly stood up and said,

“Alright, I’ll go. And I’ll handle dismissing the attendants in my residence myself. That’s not something for you to interfere in.”

The Empress glared at him.

“Even something like that bothers you now?”

Frederick replied,

“It’s not that. I just don’t want to be a prince who can’t even manage his own subordinates. It’s my responsibility. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Holding back her frustration, the empress silently clenched her jaw.

‘So he really intends to break away from Cressida? He’s giving up on being my son and Cressida’s grandson?’

***

The next day, the Empress and Prince Frederick set out for the Cressida estate. Their procession was so grand and extravagant that no one could fail to notice the imperial family’s movements.

The Empress pursed her lips and remarked,

“It’s just a visit to my family’s estate. Does it really need to be this excessive?”

Frederick, looking pleased, responded,

“The Emperor knows that many suspect Cressida, and he’s also aware that word of your recent conflict has spread outside the palace. He said that when we go to the Cressida estate, we should show that the Empress and Prince remain strong. There’s also the political situation to consider.”

The empress scoffed.

‘This is clearly meant as a mockery of Cressida. We should be going quietly to soothe Frederick’s heart, but…’

While the Empress felt anxious, Frederick was in high spirits. Recently, he had been overshadowed by Prince Robert, which had left him feeling depressed. But as he watched the cheering crowds along the procession route, some of that frustration eased.

‘I’m still fine. If this many people still cheer for me, there’s still a chance. I won’t be defeated that easily.’

Amidst the dazzling procession and the roaring cheers of the people, Frederick felt as if he had returned to his former self.