The emperor patted Prince Robert’s shoulder and said,

“First, take care of the issues with Umbriel and Ariel, then come back. Soon, I will give you a plausible reason to proceed.”

“Yes. Then I will return to Umbriel immediately.”

“Take the envoy from Ariel with you when you go. No matter how urgent things may be, remember that safety comes first.”

“Understood.”

Robert left the office, and the emperor spoke to Caliban as he entered.

“It’s starting to look convincing.”

“Of course. It must be that way.”

“I’m worried about Frederick. Is he still hunting?”

“Yes. It seems he plans to spend the entire summer at the Cressida estate.”

“If Robert returns to the capital, Frederick will also spend the summer here. Has a tutor for Frederick been arranged yet?”

“It’s not easy to select one, considering the political factions involved. Moreover, there’s the question of how the empress will take it.”

The emperor thought for a moment and said,

“We’ll frame it as a punishment for Frederick. He’ll give us a reason to discipline him soon enough.”

“I will make preparations to carry it out immediately.”

“I know my child is lacking, but I don’t want to give up on him.”

“He’s not a bad person at heart, so with proper guidance, he will improve.”

“Do you think Frederick will accept that guidance?”

Caliban answered cautiously,

“If it weren’t for Cressida’s influence, it might be possible.”

“Yes. But what can we do about Frederick being in their grasp? I wonder if it’s already too late…”

The emperor stayed in his office late into the night, burdened with concerns for his son. Caliban shook his head.

‘He wouldn’t listen when I said it, but now…’

The emperor spoke in a voice full of regret.

“I regret not heeding your advice. But if we hadn’t handed Frederick over to Cressida, do you think Robert would still be alive today? I don’t think so.”

* * *

A week after receiving Baron Ariel’s letter of resignation, Duke Wiscombe sat before the emperor, in an extremely uncomfortable atmosphere.

The emperor spoke to Duke Wiscombe,

“I’m aware that Baron Ariel holds a grudge against Wiscombe. As a father with a daughter, it’s understandable that he wouldn’t be pleased with the mess her debutante ball became, and the fact that the incident became so widely known. Holding a bit of a grudge against Philip doesn’t justify Wiscombe retaliating against Ariel, does it? Aren’t you relatives? Let it go.”

Duke Wiscombe replied,

“They misunderstood. Philip visited Ariel to apologize for the unfortunate events of the debutante, but when Baron Ariel barred him from entering the castle and even closed the gates, Philip lost his temper and…”

The emperor spoke coldly,

“I know Wiscombe’s situation isn’t good these days. Handle things wisely. I don’t know what made you think you could rely on the empress in this, but if things have gone awry, make sure to clean up the mess. Don’t take your frustrations out on the wrong people.”

The emperor, testing the duke, said,

“According to Prince Robert, all of this happened because of him. He’s taken responsibility and pledged to protect Ariel. If anyone lays a hand on Ariel in the future, they will also have to face Prince Robert. If that happens, I will be forced to look closely into the matter. I don’t think Wiscombe really wants that. I don’t want Robert to clash with Wiscombe either. I trust you understand my point. Behave like the Duke Wiscombe I know.”

Duke Wiscombe replied,

“I will act more prudently from now on. The pressure from Cressida has even caused Robert and Philip to sever ties…”

The emperor interrupted Wiscombe’s excuses and said,

“Wiscombe is one of the pillars supporting the empire. Don’t disappoint me further. And leave Ariel alone. I’m asking you. As you know, Ariel is poor. They protect the border on a meager budget. You understand how much they do for the empire, don’t you?”

The emperor spoke in a low voice, filled with warning.

“If Baron Ariel talks about giving up his estate again, your son will have to take responsibility for Ariel. And the costs will be borne by the Wiscombe family. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

The meeting between the emperor and Duke Wiscombe was marked by reprimands and excuses. Before the duke even left the office, the emperor turned his back on him.

The emperor’s attitude toward Duke Wiscombe remained consistently cold. Duke Wiscombe took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

* * *
As soon as Duke Wiscombe arrived at his estate, he sought out the duchess. He recounted to her every detail of his conversation with the emperor, including the emperor’s demeanor and remarks.

After hearing the story, the duchess gently patted the duke’s shoulder and said,

“The emperor probably doesn’t like what Cressida is doing either. It seems he’s disappointed in Wiscombe for being swayed by them. As for Ariel… let’s take some time to think it over. Although Prince Robert is currently siding with Ariel, there’s no way that goodwill will last forever. For now, Prince Robert is a neighbor, but once the situation stabilizes, he’ll return to the capital. The opportunity to correct Ariel’s insolence will come soon enough.”

“Just thinking about how pleased Duke Gareth will be if he finds out about this Ariel business makes my blood boil.”

The duchess gently took his hand and said,

“I’ve told you before, Parma has been too quiet lately. Sooner or later, that temper of her will explode. Parma is Duke Gareth’s weak spot. The empress is clearly worried about Parma clashing with Prince Frederick—that’s why she keeps Frederick away from the capital. If we can get Frederick and Parma to see more of each other, it’s not impossible to find a way. The opportunity will come, Duke.”

“It seems the emperor is also starting to worry about Frederick being too influenced by Cressida. But it’s too late now. If the emperor had acted sooner, Cressida wouldn’t have grown this bold.”

“Exactly. The emperor will likely do whatever it takes to reduce Cressida’s influence over Frederick. If Isabelle succeeds in getting close to Prince Frederick, the first step would be to separate him from Cressida.”

“When is your mother arriving?”

“She’ll be here next week.”

“We must hope Isabelle does well. She has to do better than Philip.”

“We can’t blame Philip for this situation. We had no idea Baron Ariel would react the way he did, did we?”

The duke frowned, looking troubled.

“How dare they challenge Wiscombe over something so trivial… All of this is because of Cressida. Even Gareth must want to get rid of them if he’s thinking about the future. The emperor too, I suspect. They’ve made many enemies. They won’t last much longer.”

“Cressida is indeed too greedy. It’s possible the emperor or Gareth might make the first move. We should probably wait a bit before directly confronting Cressida.”

The duke agreed.

The emperor’s coldness and the looming expenses for Ariel weighed heavily on the duke, leaving him feeling physically unwell. The duchess comforted him, soothing him with soft words of reassurance.

Thanks to her consolation, the duke’s anxiety and anger gradually subsided.

* * *

Baron Ariel made it known to everyone that he had sent a document to the emperor stating his intention to give up his estate. Since then, everyone had anxiously awaited the return of John.

Sophia was not worried that the resignation would be accepted. Her thoughts were focused on what would come next. Even if this matter quietly passed, Wiscombe would wait for the perfect moment to retaliate.

‘The main culprit behind all of this is Philip. He’s the future Duke of Wiscombe. Someone as arrogant as Philip won’t let Ariel go unpunished.’

To prepare for that, they desperately needed Prince Robert’s help. The prince had to secure something from the emperor. Sophia could only hope that Prince Robert understood that helping Ariel meant helping himself.

Ten days later, John returned to Ariel. His and Jack’s expressions were bright as they entered.

In Baron Ariel’s office, Sophia, Alex, and Ellie were present as well. Given the seriousness of the matter, Baron Ariel had gathered everyone to hear it.

Hearing that John had traveled with Prince Robert to Umbriel on the way back, Sophia guessed that things had gone according to plan.

Baron Ariel asked Sophia,

“You informed Prince Robert as soon as Philip left?”

“Yes. Why else would Philip come to Ariel? He wanted to approach Prince Robert through me. Now that things have fallen apart with Isabelle and Prince Frederick, Wiscombe probably wanted to reestablish ties with Prince Robert to keep Cressida in check.”

John, his face filled with emotion, spoke.

“The emperor has rejected your resignation, Baron. He also said he would soon deliver good news to both Umbriel and Ariel, who protect the northern borders. Prince Robert also mentioned that the emperor realizes how neglectful he’s been towards the estates managing the borders. It seems likely that budget support will be on its way soon.”

Sophia said,

“That’s a relief. Prince Robert can’t stay in Umbriel forever. We must receive those benefits and strengthen ourselves quickly. There may not be another chance.”

The baron nodded in agreement. Alex, looking concerned, said,

“Do you think Wiscombe will seek revenge after Prince Robert returns to the capital?”

“Undoubtedly.”

The baron’s answer darkened the mood. It was inevitable. Sophia felt a deep sense of guilt and responsibility for everything. Unable to remain silent, she spoke up first.

“Shouldn’t we try to restore relations with Wiscombe? Maybe we could sound out Prince Robert to see if a reconciliation is possible. If we make the first move and show goodwill toward Wiscombe, it might soften their stance. Prince Robert won’t distance himself from Wiscombe forever.”

Baron Ariel scoffed and replied,

“If Wiscombe restores relations with Prince Robert, they’ll be even more determined to eliminate us. They won’t forget this grudge. They’re the kind of people who would prefer to remove a future threat rather than feel grateful for our help.”

Alex and John nodded in agreement. Sophia sighed.

“This all became so complicated because of me.”

Baron Ariel spoke.

“It’s not your fault. It’s Wiscombe’s. They used you and didn’t even apologize. They threw money at you. If I hadn’t stopped them, they would have used you again. If you must blame someone, blame me. It’s the truth. All of this happened because I couldn’t even afford to host your debutante properly.”

With tears welling up in his eyes, Alex spoke softly.

“You’re right. It’s our fault. Even though you’re the one who’s been hurt the most, Sophia, you’re still blaming yourself.”

Sophia, barely holding back her own tears, asked,

“Why does it always turn out like this?”

The baron, his expression dark, replied,

“Even if you had refused, I should have made sure to host at least a small debutante for you myself. I’ve wronged you, using the affairs of the estate as an excuse. Whatever Wiscombe’s intentions were in targeting your debutante, you were the one hurt the most. If you’re feeling guilty on top of that, you’re making me look like an even worse father.”

Looking at him, Sophia said softly,

“I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention.”

She hadn’t meant it that way at all. Instead, she felt that her own ambitions had dragged Ariel into the tangled affairs of Wiscombe and Prince Robert. Seeing her troubled face, Baron Ariel spoke with anger in his voice.

“This is all Wiscombe’s fault!”

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