“There will be no more place for Robert.”

“Do you think such a bastard could ever dare to stand against our Frederick?”

The meeting between Frederick and Parma was postponed again. Even after Frederick arrived in the capital, he only sent letters and gifts, but did not meet with Parma.

Frederick admitted that Parma was beautiful, but he couldn’t bring himself to like her. Her gaze and demeanor kept bothering him.

Frederick knew well that the Gareth family was essential for him to become emperor. The Gareth family, known as the ‘Lion of the West,’ possessed military power that Wiscombe could not offer. The Gareth family’s strength was something even Cressida could not provide to Frederick.

Frederick swallowed a sigh and recalled his grandfather’s words,

“To become emperor, you must endure at least this much.”

“As long as I become emperor, then…”

—

Parma was full of dissatisfaction with Prince Frederick. She had finally secured Frederick, but she had no chance to meet him.

Right after their engagement, Frederick had left for the Cressida estate, and Parma had no opportunity to show him off.

When Parma sent a letter expressing her desire to visit the Cressida estate, Frederick firmly refused, citing that he couldn’t let his fiancée travel such a long distance. No matter how gently and politely he declined, a refusal was still a refusal.

Parma wanted to announce and boast of her victory to everyone.

“I wanted to link arms with Prince Frederick and flaunt him right in front of that pretentious Isabelle Wiscombe…”

Isabelle had acted as if she had both princes under her control during her debutante, but after Robert broke ties with Philip, Frederick was taken by Parma.

Despite her grand entrance into society, Isabelle had practically disappeared from the scene.

After the news of Frederick and Parma’s engagement, Isabelle had stopped attending social gatherings. While some still believed that Isabelle was just shy, Parma could only scoff. Isabelle was the kind of girl who had even used her relatives to try and seduce Frederick.

“Shy? More like she’s too ashamed to show her face. Or maybe she’s too angry?”

Parma believed that Isabelle’s absence from society was largely due to the Duchess of Wiscombe failing to secure her place in the social circle.

However, rumors had spread that Isabelle Wiscombe’s delicate nature was the reason for her retreat from society, with claims that the Wiscombe family had delayed her debutante to protect her from facing Parma.

Upon hearing this, Parma harbored resentment toward Isabelle and the Wiscombe family, and she made no effort to hide it.

“How dare they use me as an excuse to cover up their weaknesses?”

The Duke of Gareth shared Parma’s feelings and wholeheartedly welcomed the Empress’s proposal. Supporting Prince Frederick was a given, and surpassing the distasteful Duke of Wiscombe was a huge bonus.

Amid all this, Frederick had finally returned to the capital. Parma wanted to meet him immediately, but Frederick had already set their next meeting for Robert’s welcoming ball.

Parma went to her father, the Duke of Gareth, to voice her frustrations.

“What’s the point of having a fiancée if I never see him? What are the Empress and Cressida thinking?”

“What are they thinking? You’ll spend your whole life together after the marriage, so missing a few meetings before then isn’t a big deal. Relax and take it easy. Enjoy this time. Right now, you can spend all your days however you want. Once you become Empress, you’ll have to lead the imperial family, and you won’t have as much time to enjoy yourself. There will come a time when you want to relax but won’t be able to. So, make the most of it now.”

Parma’s expression still showed dissatisfaction. Despite his large frame and rough features, the Duke of Gareth spoke gently.

“When you finally see Prince Frederick at the welcoming ball, won’t you be overjoyed? If you had been seeing him regularly, would you look forward to that day so eagerly? The most beautiful lady will stand beside him at that ball, and Frederick will be the lucky one. Cherish that longing feeling. That time is fleeting.”

Parma agreed with her father. The few meetings they had made their encounters feel more precious and filled with anticipation.

Following the Duke’s advice, Parma began preparing to be the most stunning lady at the welcoming ball. Watching her, the Duke sighed in relief. He shared the same thoughts as the Empress.

“The more they meet, the more problems will arise. Keeping them apart as much as possible is the best solution.”

No one knew Parma’s personality better than the Duke of Gareth. If Frederick ever upset or angered Parma, she would immediately push him aside.

“And Prince Frederick wouldn’t be able to tolerate her either.”

The current situation was ideal. The Duke wanted to secure the marriage alliance with the royal family.

The Duke of Gareth sighed again. He knew that this method was only a temporary solution. But it was what Parma wanted, and it was beneficial for the Gareths as well.

“Once they mature and grow older, their personalities will improve.”

—

Meanwhile, the Wiscombe family was also busy preparing for the welcoming ball, as they had something to gain from it as well.

Since the former Duchess Miranda Wiscombe arrived at the Wiscombe Duke’s estate, there hadn’t been any more tea parties.

The former Duchess found no value in the artistic gatherings that the current Duchess hosted. She scoffed at the notion of feeding and praising some artists just to hear their flattery. It didn’t matter that art and culture were flourishing in the capital.

Though the current Duchess of Wiscombe had a different opinion, she had to respect the former Duchess’s wishes since Miranda had come at her request. The important thing was to motivate Isabelle to act on her own. Isabelle had stubbornly refused to pursue Prince Frederick, deeming it beneath her dignity to seduce an already engaged man.

The former Duchess, with a haughty smile, dismissed Isabelle’s concerns.

“You can worry about dignity later. Let me handle the persuasion.”

That single remark from the former Duchess was all the current Duchess needed.

The former Duchess made her way to Isabelle’s chambers, pulling her granddaughter out of bed and ordering her to dress up. Once Isabelle was neatly dressed, the former Duchess sat straight-backed, facing Isabelle, who stiffened her own posture in protest.

“Mother always told me that breaking off Frederick’s engagement would be a disgraceful act. She constantly reminded me of how undignified it would be…”

“There’s still time to turn things around. An engagement isn’t such a big deal.”

Isabelle was disappointed to hear her grandmother echo the same words as her mother. She replied bitterly.

“I don’t want to lower myself to act like a desperate girl trying to win Frederick’s favor. Worse, I’d be interfering in their relationship. What would people say?”

The former Duchess’s tone turned cold, harsher than Isabelle had ever heard before.

“As a woman, there’s only one way for you to elevate our family—marriage. While I may disdain your mother’s scheming, if you can marry the prince, you must do whatever it takes. It’s time to repay everything you’ve enjoyed so far.”

“Grandmother!”

Ignoring Isabelle’s anger, the former Duchess pressed on.

“Your task isn’t to take Frederick from Parma Gareth. There’s no deep affection between them yet. Your real job is to take him from the Empress and Cressida. Have you considered what will happen if you win Frederick over? This whole situation—our family’s humiliation—only exists because Frederick is in their grasp.”

She took Isabelle’s hand, speaking more softly but with the same forcefulness.

“Isabelle, do you understand? This is something that could shake the empire. If Frederick becomes yours, the story changes. You could have the empire in your hand. And the only way to make the Empress pay for betraying us is through this. This is our chance.”

Isabelle knew her grandmother’s words were full of contradictions. The same grandmother who had once taught her to shun her mother’s manipulations was now pushing her to embrace them.

Holding back tears, Isabelle spoke.

“I hate how other families are looking down on Wiscombe, even if it’s the Empress.”

The former Duchess allowed a faint smile.

“Of course, if you’re a true Wiscombe, that’s how you should feel. If you make yourself visible to Frederick, even if you don’t win him completely, you’ll cause plenty of trouble for the Empress and Cressida.”

Isabelle’s voice was somber.

“But I’d still have to deal with Parma Gareth. She’s unpredictable, and even if it doesn’t come to physical blows, we’ll end up fighting publicly. She’s notorious for being unbothered by bad reputations and doesn’t let a single argument pass.”

The former Duchess’s expression turned severe.

“Are you telling me you’re afraid of Parma Gareth? Do you think Gareth’s family will leave Wiscombe alone if they secure ties to the royal family? Cressida, too, won’t want to hear mockery about being southern farmers or bumpkins. They’ll want to push us out of the central circles, and Gareth will help them. Are you really going to sit back and let that happen, Isabelle Wiscombe?”

One thing was clear to Isabel: if Frederick married Parma, it would spell disaster for the Wiscombe family.

Now that even her grandmother had joined in the persuasion, Isabelle reluctantly began preparing for the upcoming welcoming ball with a heavy heart.

She spent her days convincing herself that her actions were tied to the future of the Wiscombe family and the empire itself.

***

While the capital was buzzing with excitement for Robert’s welcoming ball, Ariel was also filled with energy.

Construction projects were underway throughout the region, and interviews were being held to hire personnel for the knight order. The Ariel estate was bustling, and at that moment, Jack was climbing a mountain with Sophia.

Wiping the sweat constantly dripping from his forehead, Jack still didn’t stop talking.

“We said we needed ten people, but of course, almost fifty showed up. Everyone’s after the money. It’s like a talent show! Everyone’s doing whatever they can to secure a spot. Huff, huff.”

Sophia, struggling with the steep incline, responded with effort.

“Of course. It’s a job with the estate. It guarantees their livelihood for decades.”

“Exactly. If they get hired now, it’s pretty much a lifelong job.”

Following behind them, a large man overheard their conversation and spoke up.

“Is it really such a rare opportunity to have a lifelong job? Isn’t that just how it works when you work for an estate?”

Sophia stopped to wait for the man to catch up and explained.

“Up until now, due to budget issues, Ariel has mostly hired people on an as-needed basis. Right now, out of all the servants at the estate, only about seven are permanent staff. The rest are hired for specific tasks, or they’re paid by the job.”

The man had a large build, and his stature seemed even more imposing due to his clean, formal uniform, which looked out of place in the rugged terrain. This man was Gunther, the imperial auditor who had arrived in Ariel to oversee the budget.

Breathing heavily, Gunther replied.

“Ariel’s situation is worse than I expected,” Gunther remarked.

Though Jack frowned at his words, Sophia nodded calmly. Gunther wiped the sweat from his brow, waiting for her response. Sophia spoke.

“Well… It certainly wasn’t good. We’ve never been free from money worries. Even when we budget for each season, unexpected expenses keep cropping up. Crises continue to arise, and it costs more to deal with them. It’s been a constant struggle.”

“Crises?” Gunther asked.

Jack pointed toward the peak of Titania and chimed in.

“Every season, there’s one disaster or another. People ignore the warnings and climb too high, end up breaking a leg. Others go missing, some accidentally eat poisonous mushrooms. On top of that, there are those who secretly steal herbs from other people’s fields. It’s always something.”

Gunther looked up at the area Jack pointed to and suddenly felt dizzy.

“This is just a ‘back mountain’? Looking up at it makes me feel lightheaded.”

TL NOTE: Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories