Prince Robert’s request was accepted. No one was going to stop someone who deliberately wanted to take on a problematic territory. The administrative office welcomed the decision, and the emperor didn’t hesitate.

Mav had pinned his last hope on Cressida, but that hope was soon dashed. There was no significant interference.

Mav spoke in a weak voice.

“I thought the people of Cressida would stop this, that they could at least block it. Aren’t they supposed to be highly capable and resourceful?”

Prince Robert scoffed and said, “They’d be the first to support my going to Umbriel. They’ll do everything they can to ensure I fail there. Soon enough, you’ll get to see Cressida’s skills and schemes. Mav, there’s no need to be disappointed.”

Mav sighed at Robert’s ominous words.

“You knew all this, yet you still went through with it. Really, Your Highness… do you have to go this far?”

“I don’t feel like staying in the capital for a while. I want some fresh air. Just think of it like a brief study abroad trip. Didn’t you always sing about how much you wanted to study abroad in Netunia as long as there were no conflicts?”

“Netunia is a warm country. The sea is beautiful. Umbriel is in the northern mountains. It’s the complete opposite! Besides, I’ll probably never get to clock out again, so where’s the time to study? Study abroad, my foot.”

Robert laughed but didn’t argue with Mav’s complaints.

‘Such a terrible person.’

Mav cursed Prince Robert countless times in his mind, blaming his superior, Vian, who had conveniently gone on leave.

“Vian probably knew and fled, didn’t he? I’m so jealous he’s vacationing in Netunia.”

After Robert’s request was approved, there was an inspection of the territory and a review of the budget. Even before the official request, there had already been discussions with the staff in the administrative department.

Because of Prince Robert’s status and the serious state of Umbriel, the employees in the land management department easily complied with his demands.

As Robert predicted, the obstruction began with the budget allocation. Funds that had already been promised were withheld. The new directive was to conduct a thorough investigation first before reallocating the budget.

When Robert requested a meeting with the inspector of Umbriel, he was only told that the inspector had already been dispatched.

Despite expecting this, Robert couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. The inspector was likely already planning excuses to reject the budget.

“They’ll probably question whether Umbriel’s defense facilities are really effective in guarding the border.”

However, Robert believed that Umbriel was too important to simply let it go and accept these tricks.

The more he looked into the documents, the more suspicious things appeared. Even though there was no lord, the expenditures remained the same. It was as if someone was manipulating the accounts.

Robert wasn’t sitting idly by either. Two of his subordinates were already investigating Umbriel. Even Vian, who was supposedly on vacation, was already there. Robert had asked them to investigate three things:

Who was currently in control of Umbriel in the absence of a lord? Was the territory really on the verge of bankruptcy due to infrastructure investment? And finally, were there truly no issues at the border?

Prince Robert was particularly suspicious of Saturn.

“Saturn must already be aware of Umbriel’s situation. If they know about the dispute with Netunia, we can’t just rely on the Titania Mountain Range. We need to strengthen the border defenses with Saturn.”

The lord of the territory bordering Netunia to the south was none other than Cressida, which made the entire Uranos Empire uneasy, from top to bottom.

There was worry about how just two subordinates, concealing their identities, could uncover all this information, but they would have to find out as much as they could. After that, Prince Robert himself would have to go to Umbriel.

“If you want to lead, you can’t avoid responsibility.”

Even if he failed, Robert wanted to fail properly. It wasn’t just to avoid the empress’s watchful eye, but because eliminating the border’s instability was a necessity.

***

Before the report from the investigator sent to Umbriel arrived at the administrative office, Robert’s subordinates had already returned to the capital.

After hearing from his chief secretary, Vian, Robert felt more anger than a sigh of relief.

He granted his exhausted subordinates a few days off, with plans to set a date for a supplemental report after their rest.

After sending them away, Robert massaged his temples. The situation was far worse than he had anticipated. Seeing him cradle his head, Mav pouted.

“I told you this would happen.”

Robert meticulously reviewed the report his subordinates had submitted. He could already anticipate how they might try to play tricks, and if they did, it wouldn’t be Prince Robert they’d have to face, but the emperor.

No matter how bold Cressida was, Robert hoped they wouldn’t cross the line because of him. While it was inevitable that Frederick would become emperor, Robert was determined to prevent the downfall of Uranos.

The official report from the investigator finally reached the administrative office. As expected, the investigator concluded that the defensive facilities were unnecessary, given the strategic advantage of the Titania Mountain Range.

Prince Robert scoffed as he read the report.

“Are they seriously suggesting that instead of maintaining the defensive facilities, we should invest in the region’s industries? Is the investigator trying to ruin Uranos, or are they just incompetent?”

Robert wanted to see this investigator’s face in person. He contacted the administrative office to arrange a meeting and planned to invite another guest to join.

“Will they have the nerve to hand me the same report in front of that person?”

***

Posher was in high spirits. If everything went well this time, Count Cressida himself had promised to support his promotion. The count had personally guaranteed it.

And who was Cressida? Not only was he connected to the empress, but also to Frederick, the prince most likely to be the next emperor.

While the terms offered to recruit him had been vague, hearing the promises directly from the count himself put Posher at ease. With Count Cressida’s backing, his success was all but guaranteed.

“The count smiled and told me he’s looking forward to my future. Once Prince Frederick becomes emperor, my days of wandering as an investigator will be over. I’ll be working right beside the emperor.”

Posher fully agreed with Count Cressida’s opinion that Prince Robert was too naïve to understand reality. The prince had only just graduated from the academy, so it was understandable.

Everyone in the administrative office knew how tough things were in Umbriel. Posher sympathized with the count’s view that Robert, driven by a sense of inferiority to his brilliant brother, was simply trying to solve a problem no one else could, all in a bid to win the emperor’s favor. It was a childish endeavor on Robert’s part.

“Just like the papers say, Robert must be scrambling to outshine Frederick.”

How could a prince with such delusions manage a territory properly? It was time he learned a real lesson—this was Cressida’s intent.

Posher was confident in his report. Lord Cressida had even helped revise it to ensure it would satisfy the count. Overwhelmed with gratitude, Posher promised himself never to forget Lord Cressida’s kindness.

He was confident about today’s meeting as well.

“The count himself was satisfied with my report and explanation. Dealing with a prince half the count’s age should be no problem.”

Posher’s confidence soared as he was greeted with polite hospitality by Prince Robert’s attendants and secretary. Sensing how they were trying to gauge his mood, Posher’s confidence swelled even further.

However, his confidence soon began to shrink. The moment Posher entered the office, Prince Robert was glaring at him.

“What a shock!”

Prince Robert was standing by his chair. Even after Posher introduced himself, exchanged pleasantries, and took a seat, the prince continued to glare at him from his standing position.

Posher had expected some resistance to his report but hadn’t anticipated this level of hostility. Was it really so infuriating to not be able to spend the budget as planned?

The seating arrangement suggested that Prince Robert had called in reinforcements.

‘So that’s it. This is just a tantrum thrown by a child who didn’t get their way.’

Posher’s diminished confidence began to return. Although it felt like an eternity waiting under Robert’s intense gaze, it only fed his renewed sense of self-assurance.

If Posher had underestimated Prince Robert just a little less or had been slightly less confident, he would have realized the rudeness of his actions.

Even though bureaucrats in the administrative sector were shown courtesy based on their ranks, a mere investigator couldn’t remain seated while a prince was standing.

However, Posher, having met with Count Cressida and filled with dreams of advancement, was particularly brimming with confidence today. And that led to his downfall.

After a long while, Robert’s “reinforcements” arrived.

It was none other than Emperor Francisco of Uranos.

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