Caliban felt a sense of satisfaction at the emperor’s astonished expression. He secretly enjoyed being able to surprise the emperor, who was now in his prime.

Caliban, suppressing a smile, said:

“Since the Gareth family has approached Prince Robert, she have no choice but to give up the position of fiancée, so she must seek a new one.”

“That’s truly surprising. Does Prince Robert know about this?”

“Yes.”

“What did he say?”

“He laughed. Instead…”

“Instead?”

“He ordered a thorough investigation and surveillance of Baron Oberon and his family. He said that whatever Lady Sophia Ariel was doing must have another motive and instructed them to begin with an investigation.”

The emperor fell into contemplation. It would be fortunate if Prince Robert’s command was the result of a cool-headed judgment, but sometimes the motivation behind such decisions was rooted in emotion.

Both Prince Robert and the emperor must have their minds tangled. Caliban hoped they would enjoy that feeling. After all, hadn’t he often felt the same way himself?

As the emperor was about to dismiss Caliban, who seemed in good spirits, he stopped him again.

“Do you truly think that Sophia Ariel wants to marry Oberon?”

“Of course not. She must have needed an excuse to approach him. Lady Sophia has already received Gunther’s reports and knows that Ariel’s poverty and past hardships are all because of Oberon.”

“Then?”

“I’m also very curious about what happens next.”

The emperor, pouting slightly, said:

“It seems there’s a problem with your attitude toward this serious matter of Oberon possibly colluding with Saturn to disrupt border defenses.”

Caliban stiffened and replied:

“My apologies. But I’m curious to see how things between Oberon and Ariel will unfold.”

As Caliban left, a faint smile crossed the emperor’s face. He, too, was curious. How would Sophia Ariel deal with Oberon?

At the same time, he worried that his plans for Prince Robert might collapse. The emperor sighed and sat back in his office chair.

“All I can do is wait. Will it be ruined, or…”

****

In Ellie’s drawing room, Marquis Ariel, Alex, Administrator John, Mr. Finega, and Sophia were gathered.

Mrs. Finega and Ellie were in the bedroom caring for the baby. Helen was following Gunther around, engaging in behavior that could be either annoying or romantic, and Sol was diligently learning horseback riding despite the cold.

The group in the drawing room was waiting for Mrs. Finega to bring out the baby when it awoke. They held discussions while the baby slept and took breaks when it woke.

The entire room functioned like a temporary meeting hall. Even Administrator John had no choice but to join the gathering, though he still felt awkward being in the inner quarters.

Marquis Ariel, mindful of the sleeping baby, whispered:

“Given Oberon’s usual greed, I never suspected him. I never thought anyone in my life would covet Ariel.”

Sophia and John nodded in agreement. Alex added:

“It’s probably because he has been persistently scheming for so long.”

Sophia responded in agreement:

“Or maybe it’s because Oberon is so incompetent that we didn’t imagine he could harbor such great ambitions.”

Mr. Finega chuckled quietly. The people of Ariel didn’t consider themselves particularly competent. Despite Oberon’s wealth and decades-long effort to ruin both Ariel and Umbriel, he had failed.

To Mr. Finega, this was a testament to the strength of the Ariel family. But the people of Ariel seemed to attribute it to Oberon’s incompetence.

Mr. Finega cautiously said:

“Wouldn’t it have been better to decline Oberon’s invitation? I worry that Helen and Lady Ariel may be in danger.”

Sophia replied:

“It doesn’t seem like Oberon suspects us yet. Besides, I am Prince Robert’s fiancée. The idea that Oberon would take the prince’s fiancée as a hostage is unthinkable unless he intends to commit treason.”

“Oberon isn’t foolish enough to commit treason. Or maybe… he might be. Who knows what Oberon might do? We only just found out that he tried to seize Ariel. It’s still unsettling.”

Watching her father’s reaction,

“We were considering using Oberon’s port anyway. I also want to see Oberon’s port and meet Baron Oberon and his deputy. Aren’t you curious, Father, about what kind of lunatics covet a place like Ariel?”

Everyone smiled. Marquis Ariel looked at Sophia and said,

“The revelation of the salt mine and my becoming a marquis must have deeply offended Oberon. He must be furious. That’s why I’m worried he might do something even more foolish,” said Alex.

“Surely, he no longer entertains the stupid idea of taking Ariel for himself. Could he really still be that delusional?”

Everyone grew serious again. Given Oberon’s wealth, they couldn’t afford to underestimate him. Yet, the fact that he coveted a place like Ariel made him seem pathetic. It was hard to predict how Oberon might act in this confusing situation.

For now, the justification was on Ariel’s side. Oberon’s ambition had spanned many years, and he had likely committed no small number of crimes in that time.

He had probably paid substantial bribes to central authorities to establish connections. If he had indeed allied with Saturn, it was no trivial matter. Though the emperor’s forces could be mobilized if necessary, it was not the best option.

If central authorities intervened, Oberon’s territory would surely be forfeited to the emperor. Sophia wanted compensation for the hardships Ariel had endured over the decades. She thought the port of Oberon was a fitting price.

Sophia wanted to visit Oberon, assess the situation, and see if Ariel’s strength was enough to claim Oberon’s territory.

Sophia said, “So, what I’m suggesting is this: Even if Oberon’s issues extend to Saturn, we need to handle it ourselves if we want to take his territory.”

Everyone looked at Sophia. She added cautiously, “Not the entire territory — just the port, at least.”

Mr. Finega laughed in disbelief. Alex shook his head and said, “Oberon’s territory consists of the port and just a bit of land around it. Just the port? Taking the whole territory might be less problematic.”

Administrator John said, “Even if the Oberon family disappears, there will be many who covet that port. Umbriel, for instance, would want it. Central authorities might also try to control Oberon, using his collusion with Saturn as a pretext.”

Sophia agreed with them. Desire alone wasn’t enough to claim something — especially something as profitable as Oberon’s port.

Sophia, still holding onto the idea, said, “If trouble arises, we won’t manage it alone. We might need Umbriel’s help. Umbriel would also want compensation from Oberon, and they have just as much justification as we do.”

Marquis Ariel said, “What if we offer Umbriel something else? Oberon currently monopolizes both the taxes from the port and the trade revenues. We could keep one and give the other to them as part of a negotiation.”

Sophia, Alex, and John all nodded in agreement.

Mr. Finega thought to himself, This is what makes them lords and nobles. Is claiming land such a natural thought for them?

He found it fascinating to hear how nobles thought. The Ariel family might seem modest, but they were still nobles.

Mr. Finega summarized his understanding: “So, Ariel would take the port taxes, while trade rights would go to Prince Robert. Both Umbriel and Ariel, as victims, would share the compensation. Prince Robert is likely to cooperate.”

They also discussed plans to defend against Oberon and Saturn. Though military conflicts between territories were forbidden, they still needed to defend themselves if attacked.

They decided to continue recruiting and training forces throughout the winter.

The salt mine was under active development, with salt production already beginning in small quantities. A massive storage facility for the salt was nearly complete.

As progress continued, rumors of the salt mine were gradually spreading throughout the region. This was piquing Oberon’s curiosity and greed, providing a good reason and opportunity for a visit.

Sophia had told her family she would discuss salt trade routes with Oberon, but she hadn’t mentioned the engagement yet.

Marquis Ariel already suspected that Sophia had decided to break off her engagement with Prince Robert. Others, aware of the situation in the capital, also likely guessed that Sophia couldn’t hold her position as Robert’s fiancée for long.

“So Oberon won’t question my engagement proposal.”

Sophia had told Gunther the truth, but not the rest of her family. Now was the time to speak up.

“I’ll leave out the part about the engagement being a contract.”

After glancing toward the bedroom, Sophia said, “I’m considering an engagement with Lord Oberon.”

Everyone fell silent and stared at her.

Sophia explained calmly, “As you know, with Prince Robert rising as the crown prince and Lady Gareth arriving in the capital, it seems unlikely that I can maintain my position. So… I plan to offer Oberon my engagement as bait. It’s better to have more options for ensuring our safety.”

Alex said urgently, “No, you can’t! They might imprison you and force you to marry. I know nobles who ended up in such horrific marriages. You can’t trust Oberon. Don’t do this. You think your status as the prince’s fiancée will protect you, but proposing the engagement yourself is a mistake. Don’t throw away that shield.”

Sophia looked at her father and countered Alex’s argument.

“But I haven’t broken off the engagement yet. I’m still Prince Robert’s fiancée. I’ll have an imperial inspector with me, so they won’t dare force me into marriage. They’ll try to persuade me with sweet words instead.”

Marquis Ariel said, “We still don’t know Oberon well. We only just discovered that they’ve been targeting us with great ambition. How can we guarantee they won’t do something foolish? So far, they’ve proven themselves foolish enough. Perhaps we should decline Oberon’s invitation.”

Sophia replied, “If they try to force me into marriage, it gives us even more justification to take Oberon’s territory.”

Marquis Ariel rose from his seat and shouted,

“Sophia Ariel! Do you realize what you just said?”

Mrs. Finega, startled, rushed out of the bedroom, and the sound of a child crying came from behind the open door. With an apologetic expression, Marquis Ariel apologized to Mrs. Finega and then took Sophia out of the sitting room.

The remaining three sat back down. Mr. Finega spoke.

“It seems Lady Sophia intends to end her engagement with Prince Robert.”

Administrator John said,

“That would probably be for the best. For Prince Robert to aim for the throne, the Gareth family needs to support him. It’s better for both Lady Sophia and Ariel. An engagement with Oberon is undesirable, but I agree with breaking off the engagement with Prince Robert.”

Alex nodded.

“Both Prince Robert and the imperial family are too formidable for us. I don’t want Sophia to suffer by being sent into the imperial court. Even though Sophia likes Prince Robert, the situation is what it is, and it seems she’s willing to let go. In that sense, it’s a relief. But sending Sophia to Oberon? That’s out of the question. No matter how I look at it, Oberon is full of fools. I could never give Sophia to them.”

John agreed deeply with Alex’s words.