A month after bringing up the idea, Sophia had already begun exporting goods. Even Robert hadn’t expected her to export greenhouse plants as well. With a smile, he remarked,

“Saturn won’t be happy about this.”

Sophia responded confidently.

“The plants Saturn exports are of such high-end varieties that they’re only used as bribes. Just tracking the movement of plants from Saturn’s greenhouses would be enough to figure out who they’re trying to win over. Just like when we found roses and orchids in Wiscombe.”

“That’s fortunate. The fact that Saturn still hasn’t realized we discovered their connection to Oberon through their extravagant greenhouse flowers is a lucky break for us.”

“Ah! So you really are monitoring that trade route.”

Robert nodded as he watched Sophia’s intrigued expression. Unlike social affairs or courtly matters, politics and international relations were what truly captured her interest. He enjoyed discussing policies and politics with her. In fact, he enjoyed every conversation they had. And Sophia, too, found their time together enjoyable.

The only problem was Sophia’s social life.

‘If only she could just focus on ruling Oberon or managing business!’

***

Ever since entering the imperial family, most of Sophia’s duties as Crown Princess involved dealing with people—many of whom either misunderstood or harbored hostility toward her.

Normally, the mere presence of the Crown Princess at a party or gathering would be considered an honor for the host. However, the traditionalists, proud of being part of the oldest and most noble lineage in Uranus, despised Sophia. Everything about her was an affront to their values—her connection to the bourgeois Finega family, her role as the first noble to allow the emperor’s newly appointed land overseers, and her initiative to expand academy admissions for commoners. Sophia was a walking embodiment of everything they detested.

Thus, despite her status as Crown Princess, life in high society was a constant struggle. The one person who truly supported her and provided some relief was Parma.

One day, Parma cautiously advised her,

“This is a long battle. As Crown Princess, you’ll have to coexist with them for the rest of your life. Don’t openly reject them. I understand if you don’t want to go out of your way to win their favor, but outright hostility is a bad idea. It’s best to maintain at least enough courtesy that you can acknowledge each other when necessary. The future is unpredictable.”

Sophia sighed, feeling powerless.

“I don’t even have the strength to reject them. But I can promise this—I won’t attack unless they attack me first.”

Parma smiled.

“They won’t openly attack you either. They’re far too cunning for that.”

Just as Parma had predicted, the wives of powerful and influential families, especially those closely tied to the imperial family, never blatantly ignored Sophia in public.

There were occasional moments of embarrassment or exclusion at gatherings, but those were manageable.

‘Parma is right. These are people I’ll have to deal with for a lifetime. Picking fights over trivial matters will only hurt me in the long run.’

Sophia didn’t consider the social scene her battlefield. She knew she could never be the victor in that arena.

‘Why fight on unfavorable ground? As long as I don’t suffer losses, that’s all that matters.’

She resolved to let minor slights slide, as long as they didn’t cause her any real harm.

‘The traditionalists will hate me no matter what I do, even if I’m kind or reach out first. No point wasting my energy.’

***

Even after making that resolution, Sophia’s social life remained challenging.

At a gathering one day, a young marchioness greeted Sophia and then glanced down at her own dress before commenting,

“A slightly shorter hemline looks much more youthful than one that drags on the floor, don’t you think?”

Sophia looked at her own long dress hem and then at the marchioness’s shorter one before nodding.

“That makes sense. A shorter length is probably more practical for movement.”

The young marchioness suddenly burst into laughter.

“Oh, that was a joke! I just wore higher heels today, so my dress looks shorter than usual. You’re quite amusing, Your Highness.”

At her words, the surrounding ladies laughed conspicuously. Sophia remained calm in the face of their amusement.

These young noblewomen often tested whether she was up-to-date with the capital’s latest fashion trends. Sophia didn’t care if she failed their little quizzes. However, the newspapers loved to feed on such gossip.

The next day, while reading the news, Sophia muttered,

“I didn’t expect them to tear me apart this much.”

There were more than a few articles ridiculing her as unfashionable and unfit for the imperial court. Curious whether this was still Wiscombe’s lingering influence or simply because it made for an entertaining story, Sophia asked Parma about it.

Parma assessed the situation coldly.

“You’re the perfect prey. Your family isn’t powerful enough to stop them.”

Gossip was always a favored pastime. The public’s curiosity and jealousy toward Sophia, the woman who had secured the position of Crown Princess, were quite blatant.

Even when she was officially granted the seal of the Lord of Oberon, newspapers and magazines had made a huge fuss about it for weeks.

Watching the situation unfold, Parma, knowing Sophia’s personality, made an effort to visit her frequently. Showing her unwavering goodwill, Parma said,

“You can use Gareth’s name as a shield if you want. Since it’s about gaining the Crown Princess’s favor, my father wouldn’t say anything against it.”

Sophia replied, “I’m already grateful to Lady Gareth just for making me feel like I’m not alone. If I were to ask for more, it would only make things harder for you. Besides, I doubt the others would accept me just because of that.”

“How about the imperial family? Things must be noisy there too, right?”

“The Empress has completely withdrawn, so all the noblewomen connected to the imperial family want to become her proxy. They assume she would never choose me for that role. Meanwhile, His Majesty has tasked me with defending against them. Honestly, I think life in Oberon would be several times easier.”

“Of course it would. You didn’t even engage in social activities in Oberon. From what I see, you’re still keeping your distance.”

Sophia sighed and said, “I know very well that socializing isn’t my strength. Even the Duchess of Wiscombe failed at it.”

“The Duchess of Wiscombe… well, her situation was unavoidable. But I still think you’ve withdrawn too easily. That’s why they look down on you and mock you.”

Parma stopped herself from bringing up the Duchess of Wiscombe’s ordeal.

‘The Duchess of Wiscombe faced the Empress’s obstruction and scheming… but Sophia’s situation is even worse.’

Unlike before, when a central figure manipulated people and public opinion, now the entire social circle was filled with resentment toward Sophia.

‘There are hardly any people who favor her. And Sophia isn’t even trying to win anyone over. She doesn’t seem interested at all.’

Sophia said, “I suppose that’s why even the women who visit the Empress’s palace ignore me.”

“In what way?”

“Normally, the Empress’s proxy authority is given when she’s unable to fulfill her duties, and she will designate someone to act on her behalf. But it’s obvious she won’t give that authority to me. Instead, she’ll give it to someone who keeps me in check. To them, I’m not a rival but a target—prey. I can tell just by looking at their eyes.”

“The Emperor tasked you with holding off those people? Hmm.”

Sophia seemed more composed than expected. She continued, “Yes. If I fail to hold them off, he plans to summon Isabelle Wiscombe. His Majesty doesn’t want to entrust the Empress’s proxy authority to the imperial family’s relatives. He believes it would be better to assign it to a Crown Princess.”

Sophia agreed with the Emperor’s perspective. If a relative of the imperial family were to take on the Empress’s role, the influence of the imperial elders, which the Emperor had worked hard to eliminate, could resurge.

“The Emperor holds the future of Wiscombe in his hands, so Isabelle would certainly be easier to control.”

Parma quietly sipped her tea and locked eyes with Sophia. Though they didn’t say it out loud, they were thinking the same thing.

‘He’s essentially dumping the Empress’s problem onto Sophia and Crown Prince Robert. The Emperor, as always…’

Realizing that Parma understood, Sophia smoothly shifted the conversation back to the Empress.

“The problem is that even the Empress subtly implies to her visitors that she might hand over her proxy authority to them.”

“Is she waiting for Isabelle? Either way, it’s clear she has no intention of giving it to you.”

“I’m not sure if she’s thinking that far ahead. It might just be that she dislikes me. Still, if Isabelle returns to the capital, it will create a foundation for Prince Frederick to return as well.”

Parma smiled and said, “I heard Isabelle is doing very well in Rosalind. Apparently, Rosalind is overflowing with praise for the Princess’s beauty.”

Sophia smiled back. “She’s the pride of Rosalind. A prince and princess—both young, beautiful, and a couple who overcame many hardships to be together.”

Parma pursed her lips. “They’ve painted his failure to become Crown Prince in the most romantic light.”

Sophia agreed. And the negative public sentiment toward her and Crown Prince Robert certainly worked in favor of Prince Frederick and Isabelle.

‘If Prince Frederick returns to the capital, things will only get worse.’

Parma asked seriously, “Does the Emperor have any plans to relocate the Empress?”

“The Empress refuses to leave. She’s trying to stir up as much trouble as possible among the noblewomen to obstruct the Emperor. And with the traditionalist faction backing her, they argue that, since Cressida is practically annihilated, the Emperor shouldn’t treat the Empress too harshly.”

“But it was treason…”

Sophia scoffed. “Which is exactly why the Empress probably feels like she has nothing left to lose. Prince Frederick, however, might see things differently.”

“‘Don’t be too ruthless toward the Empress, keep her relatives in check, and secure your own position!’ His Majesty has really given you an impossible task, hasn’t he? It seems nearly unachievable.”

Sophia laughed and nodded. That was the reality.

She needed at least one ally within the imperial family’s relatives to have any chance of accomplishing anything.

‘But there isn’t one.’

Parma said, “If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.”

Sophia firmly replied, “Just being able to talk about it like this is enough. I think this is something I have to face and resolve myself.”

A short while later, Sophia began sending people to the Empress’s Palace daily to inquire about the Empress’s well-being. In truth, she had no intention of winning the Empress over or earning her favor.

‘That’s impossible.’

She merely wanted the Empress and the other noblewomen to know that she was monitoring the Empress daily and was aware of everything happening in the Empress’s Palace.

Sophia also summoned the attendants and palace staff who handled the affairs of the Empress’s Palace to receive direct reports. She was willing to endure criticism that she was ignoring or spying on the Empress. To her, securing the Empress’s proxy authority was more important than any personal attacks.

As expected, the traditionalist faction and the noblewomen who visited the Empress’s Palace began openly voicing their discontent and criticism of Sophia.

‘There’s no other way. I have no choice but to sacrifice my reputation.’

Lying in bed with her eyes closed, Sophia listened as Crown Prince Robert spoke to her with a worried expression.

“Aren’t you afraid that this will later interfere with your role as the Empress?”

Sophia shook her head in response to his concern.

“I’m only doing this because I know it will be fine. Even if I’m criticized now, I have no intention of letting the Empress’s budget and authority fall into the hands of the traditionalist faction or Isabelle.”

Even if this wouldn’t silence the social circles’ criticism of her, Sophia had ways to prevent it from escalating into a political attack.

“There will be people who will try to provoke me, but that’s fine. From now on, I’ll fight back. Instead of trying to win over those who dislike me, it’s better to demonstrate my power.”

Robert nodded and lay down beside her, pressing his body close to hers.

“Then, Your Highness, wield your power as much as you please.”

Sophia weakly chuckled and playfully nudged Robert.

‘He’s getting more and more shameless.’

As time passed, just as Sophia had predicted, someone eventually tried to provoke her.

At a tea party, Marchioness Kuyper approached Sophia and spoke with a sharp tone.

“I see you still have time to attend social gatherings. I’ve been hearing that the Crown Princess is too busy keeping the Empress’s Palace under surveillance.”

Sophia responded with a smile.

“What would I be busy with? Surveillance is something my subordinates handle. You still seem quite concerned about the Empress. Well, given the close relationship between House Kuyper and House Cressida, that’s only natural.”

Marchioness Kuyper frowned at Sophia’s pointed remark, which implied a connection between the Kuypers and the traitorous House Cressida.

“What are you suggesting? You ought to be more careful with your words, Your Highness. I don’t know how things were done in the frontier, but this is the capital, and you currently represent the Imperial Family. You should conduct yourself with dignity befitting your status.”

“That’s exactly why I’m taking care of the Empress’s Palace. As you said, I represent the Imperial Family, I trust that you will also conduct yourself with appropriate decorum. Since you’ve spent so much time in the capital, you must know how things work.”

Marchioness Kuyper was momentarily taken aback by Sophia’s boldness. She had expected her to back down, as she had in the past. Just as she was about to snap back, the other noblewomen intervened, stopping her.

The traditionalist faction ladies didn’t want to cause a commotion that might make their continued visits to the Imperial Palace more difficult.

As the flustered Marchioness Kuyper was being pacified by the other ladies, Sophia addressed her with an air of composure.

“The Empress would be disappointed. I’m sure you spoke out of concern for her, yet you flared up just because I mentioned Cressida. What would Her Majesty say if she found out? She’s still working hard to prove Cressida’s innocence, after all.”

Then, turning to the other noblewomen surrounding Marchioness Kuyper, Sophia offered them a gentle smile.

“His Majesty understands that those who visit the Empress’s Palace do so out of past connections, so there’s no need to be overly concerned. I also informed the Crown Prince that I’ve been keeping an eye on things.”

Her words carried a clear warning—if they lingered around the Empress in hopes of securing proxy authority, they might end up earning the disfavor of both the Emperor and the Crown Prince instead.

Sophia wielded the Emperor’s and Crown Prince’s authority without hesitation. Even if this soured the noblewomen’s feelings toward her, she didn’t care.

‘It’s better to hurt their feelings than to back down. Parma was right—I’ve yielded too easily in the past. But this time, I won’t back down.’