Sophia looked at Helen with a surprised expression. Helen lowered her voice even further.

“It seems there was a family that secretly investigated him. Talks of an engagement were underway, but once they discovered that Lord Oberon was inclined toward men, it fell apart. The other party, being a family heir, must have conducted their own inquiry and found out. Before Philip Wiscombe, such stories about nobles were taboo, so there weren’t any rumors.”

Sophia pondered this information.

“Philip’s ex-boyfriend?”

“That’s why I didn’t mention it to you earlier. After Philip Wiscombe’s article, everyone was speculating about who his ex-boyfriends were. A lot of innocent names got dragged into it. Since this rumor came up during that time, my friend couldn’t confirm it either—it might just be baseless gossip. You know how it is. Lord Oberon dresses impeccably, carries himself well, and has a wide social circle. That alone can spark rumors.”

“Got it. I’ll keep a close eye on Lord Oberon.”

Helen added, “I didn’t think you were seriously considering Lord Oberon, but after you mentioned the salt mine to him, I got a little worried. With that handsome face and demeanor, he might try to charm you.”

The possibility that Lord Oberon liked men didn’t entirely derail any plans yet.

“Such a shame about that face,” Sophia muttered.

Helen asked cautiously, “You’re not seriously considering an engagement with Lord Oberon, right? This is just reconnaissance, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know yet.”

Helen held Sophia’s hand.

“I won’t tell you to stand up to Parma Gareth. But don’t give up on Prince Robert so easily. Hold out as long as you can. Use Lord Oberon to make him jealous.”

After sending Helen off, Sophia lay on her bed and thought deeply. The breakup was inevitable—for both Prince Robert and Ariel’s sake.

However, there was a right time and method to make it mutually beneficial.

The next morning, Sophia got up and opened the window. She liked that she could see the sea just by opening it. The morning fog veiled the view, but it was still beautiful.

“I like this. Oberon.”

The fireplace hadn’t gone cold overnight, and warm tea and water were brought into her room promptly. After closing the window, Sophia began her day at a leisurely pace. So far, Oberon’s hospitality has been satisfactory.

***

That morning, Lord Oberon had arranged to give Sophia and Helen a tour of the castle. Sol, already enamored with horseback riding, had left the castle early to ride outside. This left only Sophia and Helen for the tour.

Helen apologized to Lord Oberon.

“My younger brother only recently started learning horseback riding, and he’s completely engrossed in it. He went out early this morning, and I couldn’t stop him. Please accept my apologies on his behalf.”

Lord Oberon waved it off with a smile.

“No need to apologize. I only hope he doesn’t catch a chill in this cold weather.”

Helen shook her head.

“He complains about the cold in the carriage but doesn’t seem to mind it when riding a horse.”

Sophia chuckled.

“He’s still a child. Playing is what he enjoys most right now.”

“If you tell Sol that, he’ll argue with you for hours, insisting he’s almost fourteen and not a child anymore,” Helen quipped.

Lord Oberon joined the conversation with a laugh.

“Riding along the seaside has its charm. Perhaps we could all go for a ride together on a nice day.”

As usual, Lord Oberon’s attire sparkled. He gave Sophia a once-over and subtly clicked his tongue.

Sophia Ariel’s problem wasn’t her fashion sense but the quality of her clothes. Surprisingly, the bourgeois Helen Finega wore better-quality garments and had a better sense of style. Lord Oberon stifled a sigh.

‘To think she’s a prince’s fiancée and walks around like that. Poverty is hard to conceal, it seems.’

Lord Oberon led them through the mansion, explaining each room.

“Thanks to our trade connections, it’s very convenient to collect goods. This is the porcelain room. We have items not only from Saturn but also from other continents. Even in the capital, you won’t find such a variety or quantity. Just the pieces in this room could easily buy a house or two there.”

Sophia wanted a closer look, but Lord Oberon shut the door and ushered them to another room. Helen rolled her eyes at Sophia.

The tour revolved mostly around how rare and expensive the collected items were.

Sophia grew increasingly bored with the repetitive explanations. Whenever she showed interest and tried to get a closer look, Lord Oberon, with a troubled smile, ushered them back out.

After the tour, Sophia and Helen excused themselves, saying they would rest in the afternoon.

The two retreated to Helen’s sitting room, where they rested their legs and drank tea.

Helen, looking thoroughly unimpressed, remarked,

“It would’ve been more fun visiting a pawnshop. At least there, they let you examine the goods—albeit to sell them.”

Sophia laughed in agreement.

“At first, I thought Oberon was simply flaunting his wealth. But later, it felt like he was mocking me. Like, ‘Your house doesn’t have anything like this, does it?’ That sort of vibe.”

Helen glanced around cautiously and then whispered,

“This morning, Gunther went to see the harbor. I was watching from my room window, thinking I’d wave to him, but more than ten people were secretly following him. Since he’s an imperial auditor, they wouldn’t dare act against him, but isn’t that excessive? I ended up not waving and just let him go.”

“He said he was just going to see the harbor?”

Helen nodded.

Sophia became even more convinced that Oberon was hiding something. They hadn’t seen the Baron’s deputy since the welcome banquet.

Oberon had said it was because the deputy was busy, but it seemed to Sophia that Oberon was personally handling their entire group.

‘So they’re keeping the deputy’s duties separate from overseeing us. Why insist on having us stay for a whole month?’

Although they had spent the entire morning touring the mansion’s rooms, it was impossible to guess where the Baron lived or where the Baron’s deputy, Oberon, and their family stayed.

The mansion’s layout was confusing, with many new additions. Even Oberon admitted he got lost sometimes, insisting they rely on the servants for guidance.

“Are they trying to deceive us? By showing off expensive items, it feels like we’re observing the mansion, but in the end, we’re seeing nothing of substance.”

When Sophia murmured this, Helen nodded in agreement.

“That does seem to be the case.”

When Oberon had visited Ariel, he’d shown Sophia obvious interest. While she hadn’t believed it was genuine, she hadn’t expected him to change his attitude so quickly upon their arrival in Oberon.

Sophia said, “Let’s make sure tomorrow we’re all together—Gunther, Sol, everyone. I’m starting to feel uneasy.”

“Won’t that make them suspicious?” Helen asked.

“Suspicious? Aren’t they already? Not just of Gunther, but of us too. Sol might be treated a bit differently since he’s just a child.”

Helen mused, “From the first day we arrived, they’ve had ten people tailing Gunther. Is it really just because of the harbor?”

Sophia shared the sense that Oberon’s heightened vigilance meant he was hiding something even more dangerous.

“The harbor? What could be there?”

Her thoughts turned to the sea, ships, and people.

‘People!’

***

The next day, Gunther proposed to Sophia and Helen that they visit the harbor. With Sol in tow, the four decided to use the opportunity as an excuse to take another look around. As expected, Oberon offered to guide them personally.

Prepared for this, the group graciously accepted his hospitality.

The harbor tour that Oberon provided was underwhelming: “There are many ships. There are shops. There’s too much filth, so there’s nothing much to see.” That was it.

After just two hours, Oberon ended the tour and escorted them back to the castle. Sol, however, insisted on going horseback riding along the beach and harbor again.

Helen and Gunther saw him off and whispered quietly for a long time. Oberon watched them with a suspicious gaze.

Seeing this, Sophia smirked, confirming that Oberon was indeed wary of Gunther and their group.

‘There’s definitely something here. Have people from Saturn already arrived? Soldiers? Or a secret envoy?’

Approaching Lord Oberon, Sophia said,

“Sir Gunther is practically here because of Helen. She felt uneasy about meeting you again.”

Lord Oberon raised an eyebrow.

“So the two of them are…”

“I think it happened this winter. There’s no one worth meeting in Ariel, after all. There’s no social scene there. Naturally, they grew closer. They’ve both spent time in the capital, so they seemed to find a lot in common.”

Lord Oberon nodded but continued to look at them with suspicion.

***

After returning to the castle, Lord Oberon went to the Baron’s deputy’s office. Finding no one inside, he simply walked past it.

He opened a door further inside, leading to a sparsely furnished room with only a sofa. The Baron’s deputy was lounging on it with a languid expression.

Lord Oberon sat on one side of the sofa and said,

“Sophia Ariel is utterly ordinary. Her tastes, her conversation—everything. I honestly wonder why Prince Robert made her his fiancée. Even if it’s a fake engagement, couldn’t he have found someone more convincing?”

The deputy snorted.

“Given Prince Robert’s situation, how could he possibly get a more convincing fake fiancée? Ariel was a perfect choice—someone he could manipulate at will. Damn it! And now that salt mine explosion! How lucky can they get? Every time we think we’ve got them cornered, something like this happens.”

“What about Saturn?” Lord Oberon asked.

The deputy frowned.

“Don’t mention that name. Just call it ‘the other side’ or ‘up there.’”

Raising his hand, Oberon corrected himself.

“How about ‘the other side’?”

“I’ve sent word, so they should move soon. Until then, let’s keep Sophia Ariel here. Nothing unusual happened, right?”

“Just wandering through alleys, looking at some ships. They say the auditor and Helen are in that kind of relationship. Apparently, the auditor followed Helen here. He claims we’re not his target. He said he had no choice but to come because he was uneasy after learning I approached Helen.”

“Can you believe that? Isn’t it just an excuse?”

“That’s why I kept an eye on them. It seems to be true. That Gunther guy completely loses his composure around Helen.”

“Even so, don’t let your guard down.”

“Do you think I’m a child? I’ve already assigned people to watch them.”

The Baron’s deputy stood up, adjusted his attire, and said,

“I’m going to see Father. You don’t have any messages, do you?”

“None. How long are we going to keep doing this? Why not just hand over the title to you or have Father take charge himself? What’s the point of pretending to be sick?”

“And if you knew? What would you even do about it?”

The Baron’s deputy left the room with an air of condescension. Lord Oberon watched him go, curling his lip in disdain.

“Acting so smug when he’s just a deputy. Might as well die already. All he does is make things more complicated. Taking control of Ariel seems out of reach now, but he still won’t let go. Is he even really alive? Maybe he’s already dead and just aimlessly wandering around… No, if anyone wants the old man dead, it’s my brother. There’s no reason for him to fake it.”

Careful not to wrinkle his clothes, Oberon lay back on the sofa and stared at the ceiling.

“All this trouble because of Saturn, and now I’ve even been scolded by Cressida. Having to approach a woman like Sophia Ariel just because Saturn said so is bad enough, but then getting an earful from Cressida? Ugh. I’m getting nothing out of this except being pushed around from all sides. Always pretending to be clever, but so disgustingly stupid—that’s Father for you.”