Prince Robert and Duke Gareth sat facing each other in the greenhouse of the imperial palace. Gareth’s eyes showed resentment towards Prince Robert, who had insisted on meeting in the hot and humid greenhouse on such a warm day.

With a smile, Prince Robert said, “I thought this would be the place with the fewest people in the palace.”

“Then why suggest meeting in the palace at all if you wanted so much to avoid prying eyes?”

Robert chuckled. “I wanted people to know I was meeting with you, but I didn’t want them to know what we were discussing.”

“Are you saying even your office isn’t secure?”

“If they know I met you in the imperial greenhouse, they’ll assume it was uncovered through surveillance and won’t mention it in front of me. However, if we meet in my office, wouldn’t that create potential trouble for you? Someone might start suspecting Duke Gareth of scheming.”

“You don’t need to concern yourself with such trivialities. I’m not someone with a rat-like heart. It’s unfortunate there are so many in the capital skilled only in trickery and conspiracy.”

“I’m also disappointed about that. Well then, what brings you here today?”

“Have you heard of the novel circulating now?”

Prince Robert sighed and answered, “Ah… yes, I’m aware. So Lady Gareth has finally found out?”

“Yes. We tried to keep it from her as best as we could, but the frenzy around it made it hard to contain.”

“Perhaps it’s for the best. With her position, Lady Gareth should be aware of conspiracies and schemes directed at her. She might even be angrier about being kept in the dark than about the novel itself.”

In truth, Parma intended to handle the novel as discussed with Duke Gareth, but she was merciless toward those who knew about it yet kept silent. Even Duke Gareth had received a stern word from her.

“Perhaps you’re right. As her father, I’d prefer she knew nothing about such matters. Either way, this situation has been upsetting for both Parma and me. Since you, too, have suffered due to the novel, I wanted to meet and see if you had any solutions. If there’s any way I can help, please let me know.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I have no intention of responding.”

“I thought so.”

“They’ve hidden behind a humble publishing house, so we can’t intervene directly. If the novel stops coming out, you or I might become suspects.”

“True, though it doesn’t make it any easier to accept so many copies circulating about a book that poorly portrays my daughter.”

“There is one suggestion I’d like to make. Since you own a few magazines…”

“Publishing another novel won’t do much good. We’ve considered that, of course.”

Robert continued, “Not that—a news article.”

“What do you mean?”

“Isn’t there that Cinderella story about the Duchess of Wiscombe? Now her daughter seems to be following in her mother’s footsteps. They started this with their initials, so they should be prepared to handle an article using initials as well. An ambitious mother and daughter clawing their way into the royal family—it’ll work better than a novel, and it’ll get people talking.”

Duke Gareth replied, “Not a bad idea, though the Wiscombes will certainly claim it’s a slander campaign by our family.”

“Well, it’s not like there’s only one small publisher. If they want to protest, they’ll need to prove it. Or plant some evidence that points to Cressida.”

Duke Gareth said, “I was hoping today’s meeting with Prince Robert would primarily provide a chance to mock Cressida, but I’m leaving with even more. It’s hard to avoid these people, even when I’d rather not engage in their underhanded tactics. I’ll gladly follow your advice.”

“Glad to hear it. Consider it a gift from me. And if you work on slandering Cressida, that’ll be a wonderful gift for me as well.”

“But no matter what, we’re likely to be in-laws…”

Prince Robert cut him off. “Technically, Duke Gareth, your daughter’s in-law is Uranos. She’s marrying Frederick Uranos. It would be good to remember that after the wedding as well.”

Duke Gareth simply nodded and rose to leave. Even if he wanted to speak longer, the greenhouse wasn’t the place.

While Robert cited privacy as his reason for choosing the greenhouse, Gareth suspected it was also to avoid an extended conversation.

After his meeting with Gareth, Prince Robert spoke to Vian. “This idea of a new novel—it’s not bad. Could it be worth a try? If so, we’d need a decent writer. I don’t know artists like Wiscombe does, so it won’t be easy.”

“No matter how sensational or talented the writer, it’d still have little impact compared to the current novel.”

“What if similar novels came pouring out? We have a lot of romance scandals among nobles, don’t we? We could publish them as a series.”

“It wouldn’t reach the level of ‘The Language of White Roses’ but it might help dilute the attention. Some nobles will surely be furious and try to block it.”

“Yes, the problem is finding writers.”

“I’ll see who I can find. Other publishers will want to follow this successful novel’s lead, so it might actually be easier. Surely, we aren’t the only ones with the same idea; we can even spur on some of the other publishers.”

* * *

While the two discussed how they might approach the publishers, Sophia had just finished her novel. Helen read the manuscript, albeit with little expectation.

Writing a book about mythology was one thing, but writing a romance novel was entirely different. Making money off a novel was rarely as simple as it sounded, especially when the manuscript had been completed in less than two months.

Surprisingly, Helen found herself thoroughly engrossed as she read. Upon finishing the last chapter, she remarked,

“Sophia, you really seem to have a knack for this. I might have read more romance novels than you, but I wouldn’t have the confidence to write like this. I actually think this could be published. And here—this ‘Mr. R’ is Prince Robert, right?”

“Yes. He’s fairly easy to recognize, isn’t he?”

“It’s not obvious, but it does remind me of him. So, does he end up with ‘Miss P’ in the end? Or…?”

“It’s an open ending. The idea is that Mr. R, who’s finally gained a good eye for people, recognizes Miss P’s character. Don’t you feel a sense of hope between the two?”

“Personally, I prefer when they’re holding hands at the altar and we see them raising children together, so this feels a bit lacking to me, but it’s not a bad conclusion. If Miss P is who I think she is, this ending might actually make it more intriguing.”

“Right? That’s what I thought, too. So, now we just need to find a publisher.”

“Oh? Why not ask Prince Robert directly?”

“What? I’ve never heard that Prince Robert has any connections to a publisher.”

“No, I mean, Prince Robert could use an image boost, right? The character in your novel is so charming—he’s wounded but overcomes it without showing it, and he longs for warm affection. He might actually consider publishing it himself.”

“I doubt it. He probably doesn’t even know there’s a book about him.”

“I don’t think so. My friend wrote that there’s no one in the capital who doesn’t know. Oh, and I heard some other news, too.”

“Another novel was published?”

“A second volume is already confirmed—they’re even taking pre-orders. But what I meant is that similar novels are starting to pour out. They’re publishing books about scandals involving people everyone knows, turning rumors and stories from the newspapers into books.”

“Really?”

“Apparently, it’s being discussed as a social problem now. More and more people are being hurt, so resentment is growing. And with most of the victims being nobles, some of whom opposed freedom of the press, it’s reached a point where people are wondering why Prince Robert and Duke Gareth are doing nothing.”

“Well, that actually works in our favor. We could publish this while it’s overshadowed. Publishers might even be looking for novels like this now. I suppose I should think of a way to hide my identity.”

“I think I could help with that. One of my friends’ families runs a publishing house. If I pass it along…”

“Isn’t passing it to someone we know the riskiest choice? Anonymous submission might be safer.”

“But if you stay anonymous, you won’t get paid.”

“Oh! That’s the whole point. That’s no good, then.”

After a moment’s thought, Sophia said,

“Maybe I really should try flattering Prince Robert a little? With his influence, he could publish it anonymously and still pay me something.”

“Well, it’s possible, but…”

“What?”

“No, it’s worth a shot if you’re suggesting it. It couldn’t hurt, right?”

“Right. It couldn’t hurt.”

Sophia sent her letter and manuscript to Umbriel. It felt a bit extravagant to send it directly to the palace, and she figured it would eventually reach the prince’s hands if sent through Umbriel. She prepared herself for the possibility of rejection or no response at all.

Sophia was so eager to make money from the novel that she didn’t notice Helen’s skeptical look. Jack had mentioned that Sophia seemed particularly interested in Prince Robert.

However, the novel’s ending paired Robert with Parma Gareth.

‘I can’t read Sophia’s motives. Is it really for political reasons? Or is she doing it because it would bring in more money?’

Even after Sophia explained that connecting Robert to Parma was a move to counterbalance the tragic romance of Frederick and Isabelle, Helen remained uncertain.

‘Did Jack make too much of it? Or is Sophia purposely doing this to move on from Robert?’

When Helen mentioned to Jack that she didn’t think Sophia was interested in Prince Robert, he shook his head. He then began to convince her otherwise.

The two let their imaginations run wild, speculating on what could be happening.

* * *

Sophia didn’t have to wait long. Her letter reached Prince Robert as quickly as any urgent dispatch, as Mav had sent it to the capital via special courier. Prince Robert had ordered that any letter from Sophia Ariel be handled with such urgency. Although Robert valued Sophia’s keen understanding of the situation, Mav interpreted things differently.

She felt that Robert was giving Sophia special treatment, showing an interest that seemed unusual for him. However, Mav was smart enough not to bring this up to the prince.

“Our dear prince may have never been in love, so perhaps he doesn’t know what it’s like to fancy a woman.”

He chuckled at the thought but then grew wistful, thinking of Sarah, whom he hadn’t seen in over three months.

* * *

Upon hearing he’d received an urgent message, Robert hurried back to his office. However, upon opening the letter, he felt deflated.

Sophia’s letter was casual, discussing how things had been, wishing Ariel and Umbriel well, and expressing her hope for a bright future. Only at the end did she get to the main point.

Prince Robert, I’ve completed a novel just for you. It’s similar to the sensational novel but has a different tone. Please consider reading it, or if you’re too busy, have one of your assistants read it and discuss it with them. If you permit publication, I’d be content with anonymity and a small fee.

After reading Sophia’s letter, Robert handed the manuscript over to Vian.

“Read through it, summarize the content, and let me know what kind of reaction it might stir if published.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Vian reluctantly accepted the thick manuscript, suppressing a sigh.