After Prince Robert left, Sophia heard that he had visited Ariel. Sophia held no ill will towards him.

However, whether Prince Robert was pushed back or stepped back to Umbriel, it was clear that he was not free from the hands of the Empress and Cressida.

Sophia had no intention of getting particularly close to Prince Robert. It was better for Ariel to stay as distant as possible from imperial affairs.

When asked by the baron if she regretted not meeting Prince Robert, Sophia responded calmly.

“This distance is just right. Just exchanging pleasantries and awkwardly managing a few words.”

Both Baron Ariel and Alex felt a bit relieved. Ellie’s remark that Sophia and Prince Robert had gone on a date had led them to wonder if Sophia might like him.

However, Sophia’s mind was occupied with other matters, not Prince Robert. The debutante was over, and now the only thing left was securing a means for the future—she had to make money.

‘It would be great if the herbs found in the Titania Mountains could be cultivated in large quantities.’

Sophia was contemplating whether to start cultivation in a greenhouse as a trial. Even if mass production wasn’t possible, selling herbs in pots didn’t seem like a bad idea.

‘Since the trend of processing herbs directly hasn’t died out in the capital yet, there might be people who want to grow them themselves.’

But to do that, the greenhouse needed to be expanded. The problem, however, was money.

‘I do have money, but…’

Sophia’s gaze turned towards a crimson velvet pouch.

While she hesitated over whether to touch the gold coins, Robert, without waiting for Sophia’s answer, had already sent a chest to Ariel.

The chest Prince Robert sent mostly contained gardening and practical books, along with old maps and ancient documents from the library in the Umbriel estate.

Hearing that one of the desks in the office was Sophia’s, Robert had inspected it and saw that many old documents were piled up on her desk.

Prince Robert had carefully selected books that he thought Sophia would like. He had heard that Sophia deliberately visited shops and picked books that he would dislike, so he sent ones tailored to her taste.

Sophia opened the boxes stacked at the entrance and inspected the books inside. Alex was suspicious of Prince Robert’s intentions, and so was Baron Ariel.

Baron Ariel thought,

‘Prince Robert seems to care too much about Sophia. What’s his purpose?’

Robert was dangerous. Not only was he dangerous, but the situation surrounding him was perilous, and if Ariel got caught up in it, they wouldn’t have the strength to escape.

It was hard to believe that someone who had grown up under the watchful eyes of the Empress and the Cressida family would extend kindness without any ulterior motive. There had to be a scheme, big or small.

Sophia also agreed with the concerns of the baron and Alex.

Judging by the fact that Prince Robert visited Ariel shortly after his visit to the estate, he must have already realized that Umbriel had received much help from Ariel and would likely continue to do so.

Prince Robert was as smart as Sophia had expected. He had figured out that the quickest way to get close to Baron Ariel was to win Sophia’s favor.

‘If Father harbors any ill feelings towards Prince Robert, it’s probably mostly because of the debutante.’

Seeing Sophia casually accept Robert’s gifts, neither of them said anything. After all, they didn’t have the strength to reject Robert’s goodwill to his face. Neither did Ariel.

Even if they doubted Prince Robert, Ariel couldn’t enforce their will or maintain the desired distance.

Watching Sophia excitedly unpack the books, maps, and old documents, Alex and Baron Ariel couldn’t help but feel a slight improvement in their impression of Prince Robert.

With a cheerful expression, Sophia said,

“We should accept whatever he gives us. He’s always nearby, so it’s impossible to create distance. Might as well take it all.”

Baron Ariel asked,

“Are you okay with this?”

With a sly smile, Sophia replied,

“Father, I’m not okay. Keep helping Prince Robert in public, but treat him coldly in private. That way, we’ll get more of these gifts. Let’s see how much more we can get out of the prince.”

* * *

Meanwhile, while Prince Robert was away from the capital, the Empress quickly moved forward with Frederick’s marriage arrangements. Even from the Empress’s perspective, the possibility of reconnecting the Wiscombe Ducal family with Robert seemed unlikely.

It was already known that Robert had severed ties with Philip. The Empress had investigated further and summoned Philip to confirm it directly.

Finally, the Empress made her decision. Today’s meeting was to prepare for the aftermath. In the room with her were the Empress’s father, Count Cressida, and her younger brother, Lord Cressida. Frederick, the one involved in the marriage, was absent.

The Empress spoke,

“Our business with Wiscombe is done. Since Robert has turned his back on them, Wiscombe will have to make a lot of effort to restore the relationship. But proud Wiscombe isn’t likely to do that easily. I’ve also spoken with Duke Gareth. We’ll announce the engagement to Lady Gareth at her birthday party.”

Lord Cressida nodded in agreement.

“If we secure Gareth, it won’t matter what Robert and Wiscombe do.”

Count Cressida spoke sternly.

“Never handle matters like that. You must deal with everything thoroughly. Finishing the job properly is what’s important.”

In an attempt to soothe Cressida, the Empress responded.

“Father is right. Look at Prince Robert! If he had wrapped things up properly from the start, we wouldn’t have to deal with this trouble now. If only it had been handled well back then.”

‘We’ve been struggling for decades, trying to resolve the issue we missed back then.’

The Empress swallowed her final thought and shot a glance at the Count. Ignoring her look, he continued speaking.

“Didn’t the Duke of Gareth make difficult demands?”

“Yes,” replied Lord Cressida.

“The Duke seems very pleased to have pushed Wiscombe out and secured Frederick instead. On top of that, Frederick is scheduled to perform at Lady Gareth’s birthday party, honoring Lady Parma. We have to ensure that the Duke and his family’s dignity is properly maintained.”

The Empress chimed in.

“After the engagement announcement, it would be best if Gareth blocked Wiscombe.”

Lord Cressida replied.

“The Duke of Gareth… he’s a stiff man but quick on the uptake. I doubt he’ll handle it that way. Ensuring Parma’s dignity is also a delicate task. I worry whether Frederick can deal with Parma’s personality. As long as Parma doesn’t cause problems, Duke Gareth shouldn’t be an issue.”

The Count added.

“As long as we can gain Gareth’s military power, we must bow down for now. Tell Frederick to do whatever Parma wants—whether it’s hunting, war, or anything else. Promise to take him along.”

Lord Cressida, with a worried expression, said, “Frederick is no longer a child who can be appeased with flattery. He might refuse to play along with Parma’s whims.”

“If he’s to become Emperor one day, he’ll absolutely need Gareth’s military strength. If you want to win wars, you must be prepared to pay the price. I’ll handle the persuasion.”

“Yes, Father. I’ll leave that to you. I think I’ve reached the limit of what I can do to appease him.”

The Empress sighed.

“Don’t pressure Frederick into war too much. You must consider the future.”

The Count, confident, replied.

“Neither Gareth nor I are fools. If we both stand firm and say no, Frederick won’t be able to move a single cavalryman as he pleases.”

The Empress, displeased, remarked, “That might only cause him to hold a grudge against you. And what if someone else approaches Frederick? Teach him everything you can, Father. Never forget that we’re trying to create a proper Emperor.”

Count Cressida responded.

“He is my grandson. Don’t you think I know him well? Right now, he’s just an inexperienced youth, so the idea is to guide him carefully. With the Duke of Gareth by our side, there’s nothing to worry about. Rest assured, Your Majesty.”

The Count reassured the Empress gently, and Lord Cressida stayed silent, observing the mood between the two.

As soon as they stepped out of the Empress’s reception room, Lord Cressida lowered his voice and asked the Count, “Do you think the Empress is catching on?”

“And if she does, what of it? I know Frederick better than she does. I raised him. I know his limits. Let the Empress behave as an Empress should and leave the rest to me.”

“The Duke of Gareth won’t be a problem, but Parma is. Do you think Frederick can handle Parma’s temperament? Even the Duke admitted that Parma’s personality is no easy matter. Frederick won’t like her much.”

“Make sure they don’t meet too often. Tell him that it’s better to keep some distance from his fiancée. Distract Frederick with hunting, or some other pastime. Understand? I’ll handle the engagement with Parma; your job is to keep Frederick away from both Parma and politics. Can you do that?”

“Yes, Father. Trust me. For now, Frederick still likes me the best.”

With a proud stride, the Count walked through the palace. The future of the Cressida family looked bright. The future Emperor was in their grasp, and they had weighed the two dukes and chosen one.

Cressida was destined to grow much stronger than it was now. The Count had nothing to fear.

***

Sophia had been busy. The books that Prince Robert sent were of excellent quality. Every day, she sought ways to apply the cases she read about.

She was also desperately searching for profitable plants, not just those that could be grown in greenhouses, but crops that could thrive in Ariel’s environment as well.

Though she had a greenhouse, she longed to grow rare and expensive plants to sell at high prices, but lacked the expertise. She was also reluctant to spend money on costly plants.

She often found herself looking up at the Titania Mountains, wondering if she might be able to collect some promising plants there.

Showing Ellie a list of plant candidates, Sophia said, “I think we should make several trips to the Titania Mountains before the weather gets too hot. Cultivating wild orchids or medicinal herbs might be a good idea.”

“I wouldn’t know much about it, but I’m sure even failures would help build experience and skill,” Ellie replied.

“You’re right. After reading all these books, I’ve realized that my own experiences and experiments have been far too simple and infrequent. I think I need to grow a lot more plants to get the hang of it.”

Ellie handed Sophia a letter from Helen and said, “Helen says she’ll be coming to Ariel soon. There’s a special note in here that she wanted me to give to you. And my brother and mother will be coming along as well.”

“That’s great! But isn’t it a bit early?”

“In the summer, they’re going to the central region. It’s going to be even hotter. It seems Sol and Helen are planning a trip there during their school break.”

Sophia read through the letter Helen had sent. Along with the news of her visit, there was even more surprising information.

It was the announcement of Parma Gareth’s engagement to Prince Frederick. Most of Helen’s letter was filled with details about Frederick’s engagement.

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