Sophia stifled her delight, giving only a slight cough to seem disinterested. Prince Robert looked at her and spoke.

“First, let me explain the exact situation. It’s true that Duke Gareth extended a hand to me, but he didn’t necessarily need to create a formal engagement. He seemed quite disappointed with Frederick. The issue lies with Count Cressida. If Duke Gareth were to support me immediately after letting go of Frederick, it wouldn’t sit well with Count Cressida.”

“Count Cressida wouldn’t dare to interfere with Duke Gareth unless he was out of his mind. His target would be you, Prince. Isn’t Count Cressida already attacking you as it is?”

“Yes, indeed he is. But the problem is that the nobility is even more unsettled than expected due to Duke Gareth’s involvement. He openly questioned whether Frederick would actually become Emperor. And he said this while arguing with Duke Wiscombe. Later, Duke Gareth apologized to me, saying he was sorry if his slip of the tongue had put me in a difficult position.”

“Was it really just a slip of the tongue? Both Duke Gareth and Duke Wiscombe are suspicious. Wiscombe might have provoked Gareth to make Count Cressida and the Empress feel threatened—perhaps to elevate their own standing. Likewise, Gareth might have intentionally put you in a bind, Prince Robert, to increase his value.”

Prince Robert nodded with a smile. Sophia Ariel was seeing the situation far more clearly than he had anticipated. And all this from Ariel’s perspective. He said, “That’s been on my mind too. It could be a planned act. Quite a few people know that I met with Duke Gareth. Perhaps Duke Wiscombe wanted to stir things up to prevent an alliance between Gareth and me. As for Gareth’s words… they may well have been intentional, whether to test me or to unnerve the Empress.”

Sophia agreed. It was too conveniently timed. Though Wiscombe and Gareth didn’t have the best rapport, they had never openly fought before. They were more likely to growl at each other than actually bite.

Prince Robert smirked wryly. “Ever since, my popularity has spiked. And not without influence from that novel, too.”

Sophia spoke up, curious. “Really? Did it sell that well?”

The prince chuckled knowingly, as if he could read her thoughts. “Didn’t you already receive additional royalties? Thanks to your novel, many young noblewomen see me as some sort of romantic, gentle figure. More are now aligning themselves with me, and even the Emperor seems to be favoring me more than before.”

Pretending not to notice his smile, Sophia replied, “Isn’t that a good thing? If you use this opportunity well, Prince Robert, you may find a good lady to marry. You can even consider her family background and character.”

The prince shook his head. “I have no plans to marry before Frederick’s marriage is settled.”

“Why? All potential matches are already set, aren’t they?”

“If I were to marry first, the obstacles would be overwhelming. Even the mere suggestion of an engagement with Gareth’s side would provoke a response from Count Cressida.”

“Does he even have a harsher strategy left?”

“There’s no need to test him. So, I’ve come up with the idea of a fake engagement.”

Sophia maintained a calm tone, hiding her excitement. “A fake one? With whom? Ah, I see. You’re looking for a lady who’s easygoing, perceptive, and who would agree to break the engagement without hard feelings when the time comes.”

“Didn’t you once tell me? That you had no particular expectations for your debut season and weren’t thinking of marriage.”

Sophia didn’t respond, her eyes instead on the cake Prince Robert had broken apart with his fork. The prince stood, giving her space and time to think as he walked around.

Sophia watched Prince Robert as he looked over the garden. ‘With this, I could secure the title for the frontier and not just settle with that; I should think of what else I can gain.’

Seeing her serious expression, Prince Robert thought, ‘An engagement with a prince would be too much for a baron’s daughter. There was that debutante issue as well, and even if she says she isn’t ambitious… there’s the risk of developing feelings.’

When their eyes met, the prince smiled, trying to appear friendly. Sophia thought to herself, ‘I could get a lot out of this… Yes, I could settle the frontier title and the salt mines all at once, and even secure some extra funds.’

Finally, after making up her mind, Sophia spoke.

“Hmm, so… if I get engaged and then break it off with Your Highness, what will I gain from it?”

At her words of negotiation rather than rejection, Prince Robert’s face brightened.

“For starters, I’ll give you fifty gold coins every month for as long as the engagement lasts. I’ll also cover all the costs of maintaining your dignity as my fiancée. You’ll get to keep all the dresses and accessories as your own. How does that sound?”

Sophia glanced at the Titania Mountains. She had no intention of mentioning the salt mines to the prince. She trusted no one with that information.

Especially not the prince, who was building up his own faction in the capital.

With a smile, she said, “During the engagement period, I would also like the emperor to grant the title of Marquis to my family. Additionally, I need full military support from Umbriel for Ariel.”

“The title should be no issue. But we’re already cooperating on military matters, aren’t we?”

“That cooperation is purely for Saturn’s borders. My main concern is internal. I can’t let my father give up on Ariel. I’m determined to protect Ariel, no matter what, so in the worst-case scenario, I need Umbriel’s forces at our disposal. They must comply.”

“If that were discovered, Ariel and Umbriel could be accused of plotting rebellion.”

“How can you say that? Other territories also make military pacts with neighboring territories to prepare for uprisings.”

“Here, it’s different because it’s a border region, and I am a prince.”

“Then I’ll simply specify that Umbriel’s military aid won’t be requested. Ariel’s help alone will suffice.”

Robert looked at Sophia, impressed by her shrewdness.

“Very well. Shall we consider the contract sealed?”

“No. Let’s make it one hundred gold coins a month. After six months, it increases by ten, and again by ten after another six months.”

“Lady Sophia Ariel. I understand that I’m asking this favor because of my circumstances, but I don’t think your worth is quite that high.”

“That way, the engagement will be shorter. If it drags on, it will undoubtedly be due to Your Highness’s circumstances. I need to be compensated for that. So, you’ll want to hasten the process of granting the marquessate title. If you want a quick breakup, that is. Do you wish for a prolonged fake engagement?”

“No, we should keep it brief. Anything else?”

“This is it for me. How about you, Your Highness?”

“Lady Ariel will need to come to the capital. You’ll have to comply when I ask for your cooperation and participate in various events whenever requested.”

“Do you mean events hosted by the royal family? Or dealing with Lady Wiscombe or Lady Gareth, or perhaps other ladies of standing?”

“Don’t worry about the other ladies. Above all, the engagement must appear genuine. Countless people will be watching, wondering if it’s real or not. Are you still willing to go through with it?”

“It sounds like a good experience. I’ve only ever seen the palace from afar, so getting to enter it sounds like it will make for fond memories.”

“There are excellent gardens and greenhouses there. They’re something to boast about. I’m sure you’ll be pleased. I’ll send you the contract in writing, and once you’ve reviewed it, please return it with your seal.”

After wrapping up her conversation with Prince Robert, Sophia saw him off. She decided to discuss her move to the capital with Finega at a later time.

***

Sophia first went to see Baron Ariel.

“Father.”

“Yes? Did you see Prince Robert off well?”

“Yes. And there’s something I need to tell you.”

When Baron Ariel looked up from his paperwork to face her, Sophia spoke.

“I’m going to be engaged to Prince Robert.”

Baron Ariel was speechless for a moment. Seeing Sophia’s calm demeanor, he knew it wasn’t a joke. After a long silence, he finally spoke.

“Curse that Wiscombe! This is all because of him!”

Looking at her, Baron Ariel asked, “Prince Robert wants to be engaged to you? Did he just propose? To you? Now?”

“Yes.”

“Is that what you want as well? He didn’t force you, did he? Are you doing this unwillingly because of Ariel?”

Sophia gave a wry smile at her father’s response.

“It’s true that I don’t match up to him in many ways, so I understand why you might find it hard to believe. Compared to him, I’m insignificant, not a beauty by any means.”

At her words, Baron Ariel stood up and hugged her, saying, “Sophia, that’s not what I meant. But he’s part of the royal family, a prince.”

“Exactly. So when he proposed, I agreed. I had all but given up on marriage; who would have thought a prince would propose to me? It’s unbelievable.”

Seeing Sophia’s happiness, Baron Ariel couldn’t bring himself to oppose it. Sophia explained her plans.

“Prince Robert has promised to do everything possible to secure your title as a Marquis. He even knows about my circumstances and told me not to worry about anything; he’ll cover all costs. However, I’ll need to go to the capital. There are engagement events, and I must pay my respects to the Empress and Emperor. Can you believe it?”

To be honest, Baron Ariel found it hard to believe. Prince Robert’s popularity was soaring. Although he didn’t yet rival Prince Frederick, many thought that, with Frederick’s engagement broken off, Duke Gareth might throw his support behind Robert.

When considering the development of the salt mines, being a Marquis was indeed better than a mere baron. With the mines, economic independence would be within reach.

If the salt mines opened, Ariel could finally handle the responsibilities of a Marquis—economically, militarily, and administratively.

‘If only the mines would open… Could it be that Prince Robert proposed because he knows about the Ariel salt mines?’ Baron Ariel hesitated before asking.

“Did you mention the salt mines to him? Or did he seem to know about them?”

Sophia understood her father’s suspicion; anyone would question Prince Robert’s sudden proposal.

“I didn’t tell him, and he doesn’t know about them. I won’t say anything until after your title is secured and preparations for developing the mines are complete. It must remain a secret, Father.”

Baron Ariel knew his daughter wasn’t foolish enough to mention the mines to Prince Robert, yet he still had his doubts. He still couldn’t believe the situation.

If Sophia had any romantic interest in Prince Robert, she wouldn’t have been able to refuse his proposal.

‘It doesn’t seem like a fake engagement, seeing how happy Sophia is,’ he thought.

Baron Ariel nodded. “If it’s what you want, I’ll support you. John and I will give it everything we have.”

He decided to send a letter to Finega. If Finega approved, Baron Ariel had no reason to object to Sophia’s staying in the capital.