Unlike Sophia, who found peace in Ariel, Prince Robert was spending his days like a soldier preparing for war. Simply wandering around with Sophia was not enough to restore the damages.

The first thing Prince Robert did was sever ties with Philip.

As Sophia had suggested, Robert hoped to reconnect with Isabelle. However, after careful consideration, he knew Wiscombe wouldn’t accept him unless Prince Frederick was completely out of the picture.

Even if Frederick chose Gareth over Wiscombe, neither the Empress nor Cressida would allow Robert to form an alliance with Wiscombe or any other powerful family. The Empress’s control over Robert would last until his death.

“The Empress wants me dead, so her grip won’t loosen until I’m gone.”

Robert reflected on his once-carefree thoughts and attitude.

“I should have known it would come to this.”

Even without Frederick’s interference, the Duke of Wiscombe would have kept Robert close, while simultaneously searching for a better match for Isabelle. The Wiscombe family had the power to do so, and Isabelle was indeed beautiful.

In truth, what mattered more to Robert than Isabelle’s beauty was her connection to Philip Wiscombe. The main reason Robert had so quickly severed ties with Philip was because he genuinely liked him. Philip was arrogant but competent—a friend Robert had considered sincere, which made the events of the debutante even more painful for him.

“I thought he was a great friend, if not for that cunning side… but to be bested by that cunning, what a shame.”

Philip had been the only person Robert felt comfortable befriending. The Wiscombe family’s influence made it difficult for the Empress to interfere, so Robert could remain close without causing harm. Marrying Isabelle and becoming part of the Wiscombe family seemed like a path to a more secure life for Robert.

But that had been a fantasy—Wiscombe had other plans.

When Philip came to apologize, Robert didn’t invite him in but spoke to him from outside the door.

“Philip Wiscombe. Before being my friend, you had duties as a Wiscombe. And as a prince, I, too, have obligations to Uranos that I won’t shy away from. But I can’t simply overlook what happened this time. I treated you as a friend, and I believed I was sincere. But from now on, I can’t regard you as a friend. The next time we meet, it will be as representatives of Uranos and Wiscombe. Farewell, Lord Wiscombe.”

Robert’s tone was firmer than Philip had expected. He went to report the broken friendship to the Duke.

* * *

The Duke of Wiscombe saw Philip in his study, the younger man standing before his desk. The Duke looked more like a commanding officer receiving a report than a father. In truth, it was a report.

The Duke casually remarked, “Prince Robert is more reckless than I thought. Nothing was set in stone; they could have kept things as they were and created another opportunity. From what the Duchess said, I thought he would try again.”

“It seems all he did was drag our cousin around and try to salvage her tarnished reputation. Should I visit Prince Robert once more?” Philip asked.

“There’s no need. Even if he is a prince, there’s no reason for you to lower yourself. Leave him be. If he regrets it, he’ll come back on his own. It would’ve been easier if Frederick had attended the academy instead of Robert. By the way, what’s Frederick up to these days?”

“Frederick? He’s still spending more time at Count Cressida’s than at the palace. He’s avoiding personal contact with Isabelle and hasn’t extended any invitations to her either. It seems the debutante was all about pulling Prince Robert away from us. I think Count Cressida is personally keeping Frederick in check.”

“What a shame. I thought it was a done deal when Frederick seemed so infatuated with Isabelle. But there’s still Lady Gareth’s birthday coming up. We’ll see what happens when Isabelle meets Frederick again. We’ll find out if your sister’s beauty is enough to sway him.”

Philip nodded. At the debutante, Frederick had been completely entranced by Isabelle, unable to take his eyes off her.

“Do you think Frederick will ever free himself from Cressida’s grip?”

“He’s still young. With enough provocation, he might act impulsively. Youngsters do throw tantrums.”

As soon as Philip left the Duke’s office, Isabelle called for him. Over tea in her room, Philip leisurely recounted how he had severed ties with Robert.

Isabelle was silent for a while, clearly surprised. Philip studied her, wondering if she might harbor feelings for Robert.

No matter how much Isabelle claimed otherwise, she was still young, and he couldn’t be entirely certain of her emotions.

“Robert treated her well after all,” he thought.

Isabelle sighed, her voice cold. “I guess my beauty isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Everyone’s always praised it, so I thought it was something extraordinary. But now Robert has cut ties with us, and Frederick hasn’t made any moves either.”

Philip, sensing her pride had been wounded, tried to console her.

“Princes don’t fall for beauty so easily. You wouldn’t pick a prince just because he’s handsome, would you?”

“That’s true. But still, considering all the effort and money I’ve spent on my looks, I’m getting nothing in return. At first, everything seemed to be falling into place, but in the end, I’ve got nothing—not even that fool Frederick.”

“Don’t call him a fool. You might slip up one day.”

“Do you think it’s impossible to repair things with Robert?”

Philip leaned back on the sofa, relaxed. “He won’t come to Wiscombe unless we reach out first. If Frederick chooses Gareth over us, we’ll have to cling to Robert. But I just can’t trust the Empress.”

Isabelle turned to Philip. “Does Robert really have no intention of competing with Frederick? Even as an illegitimate child, he has the right to covet Uranos.”

“Why, do you feel regret? Despite what you’ve said, did you actually like Robert?”

“No. It’s because I think Frederick will cling to me only if Prince Robert doesn’t give up. The idea that he could take what his half-brother desperately wants must be pretty tempting.”

“That’s true. If Prince Robert was truly ambitious, he wouldn’t have cut ties.”

Isabelle said coldly.

“Exactly. I’m disappointed that Robert turned out to be even more useless than expected.”

* * *

Unlike the Wiscombe siblings’ regret, Prince Robert didn’t feel remorse about severing ties with Philip.

He knew that even if he did what the Empress wanted, the checks against him would persist. However, what troubled him was his desire to rely on the Wiscombes and the methods he had used.

Prince Robert thought that as long as he stayed in the capital, it would be hard to escape Cressida’s reach.

‘She’ll constantly find ways to criticize me, using public opinion and her connections. It’ll be a constant nuisance.’

Robert thought it was time to find real work, especially with his graduation from the academy approaching. He needed an excuse to leave the capital entirely.

Looking at the map of the Uranos Empire, his eyes landed on Ariel.

‘The northernmost territory of Uranos. And Sophia Ariel.’

Sophia had returned to Ariel without putting up a fight, even after being used by her aunt, the Duchess of Wiscombe. She had likely never harbored any thoughts of revenge against Wiscombe.

‘It’s hard to endure injustice when you can’t confront your oppressor, especially if it’s your first experience.’

Prince Robert briefly thought of the Empress before shaking his head. He scoffed at himself for feeling pity toward Sophia and then turned his eyes to the territory next to Ariel.

Umbriel.

The space where the lord’s name should have been written was left blank. When Robert traced his finger over Umbriel, Mav, a low-ranking secretary waiting nearby, glanced and spoke.

“Ariel and Umbriel, as you can see, are territories that share a border with the nation of Saturn. While Ariel has been well managed by the Ariel Baron family for generations, Umbriel has had multiple lords and is currently without one.”

“Is it still safe?”

“For now, yes. If you’re referring to the Saturn border, it’s blocked by the Titania Mountains and the mountain range, as you can see. Of course, there should be a border defense force, but… both Umbriel and Ariel are struggling with the costs of maintaining the border defense. Ariel has been carefully managed over the years and has continuously invested in its facilities, receiving subsidies from the central government to sustain the territory. Umbriel’s situation, however, is different.”

“Why? Do they have too many expenses?”

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