Oberon appeared to have abandoned his plans for rebellion and fled when the situation turned unfavorable.

Sophia spoke up.

“May I take a look inside Baron Oberon’s office? If there are any remaining documents, we might find a list of people who had dealings with Saturn or some other clues. I’m also curious how Baron Oberon could come up with such a foolish plan in the first place.”

Gunther replied,

“We’re still searching. There was nothing of note in the deputy baron’s office. Given the circumstances, it seems likely that a more secretive location was prepared.”

Sir Gareth said as he walked,

“Oberon would know. Let’s go.”

Helen turned to Gunther.

“Be careful. Never let your guard down. There could still be someone scheming to use underhanded methods in times like this.”

Gunther nodded, his face reddening, and immediately gathered a few people to head upstairs.

Philip sneered.

“Ha! Even at a time like this, flirting?”

Hearing this, Helen started to retort, but Sophia stopped her. After all, it was Wiscombe they were dealing with. While Ariel’s allies, such as the Finega family, could not expect favorable treatment from the Wiscombes, there was no need to provoke them unnecessarily.

It was only thanks to Prince Robert’s presence that they could even deal with the Wiscombe Duchy. Ariel’s own power would not be enough. Given the current situation, it was unlikely that Oberon’s rebellion would bring the Wiscombes down.

For now, Parma, Sophia, Helen, and Sol decided to stick together. Though Sophia wanted nothing more than to return to Ariel as soon as possible, she knew she had to endure.

There might still be remnants of the enemy hiding nearby. Moving now would be too dangerous.

So far, they had confirmed that Baron Oberon was found dead and that the deputy baron had vanished.

‘Is Oberon’s collapse really this simple? With the two people who know everything gone, does this rebellion end here?’

Sophia doubted she would be able to sleep tonight. She had the ominous feeling that Saturn might invade Ariel right after overtaking Titania.

‘Something’s wrong. This doesn’t make any sense. What did Philip Wiscombe do? Or has Saturn changed its plans?’

Shortly after, Gunther came looking for Sophia.

“Prince Robert has sent word. We’ve found the baron’s true office. If you wish to see it, you may go now. However, it seems the baron was murdered there. It might be better to wait until the area is cleared—”

Sophia stood up immediately.

“I can handle the smell of blood. Time is of the essence.”

Parma and Helen rose as well. Gunther glanced at the two women and asked,

“You as well?”

Parma replied,

“I can read documents too. I might be of some help. Besides, it’s not like any of us are getting much sleep tonight.”

“Me too,” Helen added. “I can read as well. Surely we’ll find some evidence.”

Sol, acting as their escort, followed them. Before Sol could say anything, Gunther sighed and motioned for him to join them.

Grinning, Sol eagerly followed. As they approached the secret office, all four were filled with a mix of apprehension and excitement.

Hidden doors and secret passages… Sol and Helen couldn’t contain their enthusiasm. Sophia, however, was too anxious to share their excitement.

Parma was internally thrilled but kept her excitement in check, aware of the others’ gazes. Still, this moment was far more intriguing than any party she had attended.

***

Baron Oberon’s secret office was small but had a window, albeit with heavy curtains drawn. Another door led to an ornate bedroom. The faint smell of blood lingered in the office.

Sophia commented,

“This must have been where the real work was done. Do you think the culprit killed Baron Oberon to proceed with the plan? Or because he wanted to abandon it?”

Gunther replied,

“Sir Gareth is speaking with Lord Oberon right now. While the deputy was technically the baron’s eldest son, the baron himself handled everything. Lord Oberon said he doesn’t know why the baron hid himself under the pretense of being ill, but he suspects it was related to Saturn. According to him, everything started after a woman from Saturn appeared, even bearing the baron’s child. The baron sent the woman and child to Saturn.”

Helen, aghast, exclaimed, 

“How old was Baron Oberon? I heard he could barely move due to his age!”

Gunther responded,

“He was over sixty.”

“And the woman?”

“In her mid-twenties. The child is about six years old now.”

Helen, Sophia, and Parma all grimaced at the revelation.

Sophia approached the desk and began examining the documents on it.

“All routine work was done here. The deputy baron was just a decoy. Was the plan to shift all responsibility to him later?”

Following Sophia’s lead, the others began searching the room. Sol enthusiastically rifled through the bookshelves.

“These books don’t seem to have been opened much. Why bother with decorations in a secret room?”

Parma commented.

“That’s expensive books we’re talking about. Most of them are leather-bound and include illustrations. No matter how abundant books are nowadays, rare editions and handcrafted ones remain costly. It’s like hidden treasure.”

Sol said, blushing.

“That makes sense. Lady Gareth, you truly have a sharp mind.”

Helen teased Sol, nudging his side. Parma pretended not to notice, while Sophia began sorting the documents into categories based on tasks.

“There’s a lot of routine work here. Could it be possible that Baron Oberon’s deputy actually killed him? With this workload, the deputy was practically treated as a puppet. Taxes related to the port must be routine too. Shipping manifests? Hmm? Is this the name of a ship? Elena? Or is it a woman? Lord Oberon, could you check if Elena is a woman’s name? Or perhaps it really is just the name of a ship.”

Parma approached Sophia, who showed him the documents and explained.

“They’ve been sending money regularly, but there are no letters. Perhaps the letters aren’t part of the work and were kept in the bedroom? …Gunther!”

“Yes?”

“Are Oberon’s family members really in the south?”

“Yes, it has been confirmed they are in the south.”

“Then is it possible that the woman and Oberon’s young son are Saturn’s hostages? Or could this woman have been Saturn’s spy from the start? Is it as Lord Oberon suggested, that Saturn employed a honey trap? And that’s what drove Baron Oberon to make foolish decisions?”

Helen interjected.

“Do you mean Saturn was pulling Baron Oberon in from the beginning? Not the other way around?”

Sophia, busily working with her hands and eyes, responded.

“The moment Saturn got involved, Oberon stepped onto a path of no return. Every point of contact became a liability. If the idea to bring Saturn in originated from the Baron himself, then yes, he truly was a fool. No, even being deceived makes him foolish. Why would another country help someone else’s territory unless they planned to swallow it whole?”

Lady Gareth remarked.

“Perhaps the old man just lost his mind. Did his eldest son really kill him? Honestly, I might have wanted to kill him too. In the end, wasn’t it the old man who drove his family to ruin, all because he was obsessed with a young woman?”

Sophia found Parma’s explanation reasonable. It was an environment where they could live comfortably enough. The estate was small, but they enjoyed a prosperous life.

Sophia said, “If Saturn’s goal was to deliberately gain control over Oberon, it wouldn’t have ended with just Ariel’s invasion. Breaking through the Titania Mountains with an army would come at a high cost, and the port would have been more strategic than crossing the mountains. Saturn likely intended to use Oberon to seize Ariel first, then use Ariel and Oberon as bases to target the entire Uranos region. It seems someone ambitious in Saturn is pulling the strings… Gunther, can you look into it?”

“Understood. I’ll gather more information on Saturn’s key figures.”

Parma added, “Make sure to share that information with Sir Gareth too. Sir Gareth seems very interested. Also, about the Enceladus region—he’s intrigued by the Titan Knights of Enceladus and thinks they might come to Ariel soon.”

Gunther hesitated for a moment before responding after Sophia nodded at him.

“Understood, Lady Gareth.”

Parma glanced between Gunther and Sophia, asking, “What’s this about?”

Sophia replied, “The Emperor granted us the cost of returning from the capital to Ariel. It’s full cooperation from the Imperial Auditor.”

Parma didn’t bother hiding his interest, remarking, “Ah… is that so? Then perhaps I should consider heading to Ariel next. I’m becoming increasingly curious about what kind of place Ariel is.”

Sophia smiled brightly. “Ariel would be delighted to welcome Lady Gareth and Sir Gareth.”

Parma, smiling as well, remarked, “You’ll need to come up with a better pitch to bring Sir Gareth to Ariel than that.”

Sophia thanked Lady Gareth for her kindness. She, too, thought that bringing Sir Gareth to Ariel wouldn’t come cheap.

‘What does the Gareth Duchy want? Breaking off the engagement is too obvious… What else can I offer?’

Despite thoroughly searching the office, nothing stood out. All they found was evidence that Baron Oberon had been diligently managing his work, that his deputy had been a mere figurehead, and that Saturn’s woman had been receiving money every month.

Sophia suspected there must have been a detailed plan involving personnel, considering the regular monetary transactions, but no evidence was found. Even the bedroom was searched, but there were no letters exchanged between Saturn’s woman and Baron Oberon.

Although Lord Oberon pledged full cooperation, the information he provided was hardly useful. Even after thoroughly searching the Oberon estate, they found scant evidence. It was clear that someone had meticulously managed information and evidence over time.

As Sophia left Baron Oberon’s office empty-handed, she thought, “To have fled and yet been so thorough in erasing evidence… Could they have another plan in motion?”

Furthermore, searching the harbor’s taverns and inns revealed only that over 300 individuals had been asked to remain at the port for reasons unknown, suggesting an intentional effort to make the harbor appear suspiciously crowded.

Sir Gareth and Prince Robert couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief at these findings.

***

Despite progress in resolving Oberon’s case, Sophia remained worried and filled with doubt.

Evidence emerged showing that Oberon had been colluding with Saturn. Regularly dispatched ships, money sent to Saturn, and Lord Oberon’s testimony confirmed this.

However, no concrete evidence of Saturn’s movements, plans, or letters proving treason could be found. In short, any plans Oberon had following his attack on Ariel remained entirely unknown.

Based on the evidence, it was difficult to even prove conclusively that Oberon had intended to attack Ariel.

Although there were soldiers who had disarmed under Baron Oberon’s orders, they only received instructions to stand by and were never told where they would be deployed.

Even after days of investigation in the secret office, no information related to Saturn was uncovered. It did not appear to have been cleared out in a hurry but rather methodically and meticulously organized over time.

Both Sophia and Prince Robert found this deeply suspicious.

Sophia thought to herself, “Does Saturn have more control over Oberon than we realized? Or was there an extraordinarily skilled spy involved?”

Background checks began on the ships and people crowding the harbor. Despite the control measures, it had been impossible to completely block the movement of smaller vessels. The manpower was simply insufficient.

Fortunately, no forces appeared to be advancing toward Ariel yet. Still, Sophia felt uneasy. Aside from confirming Oberon’s collusion with Saturn, they had gained little of substance.

Prince Robert and Sir Gareth agreed there was no longer any reason to remain at Oberon’s estate. Preparing for a potential attack from Saturn took priority.

While Philip Wiscombe volunteered to oversee the investigation into Lord Oberon, his offer was declined. Lord Oberon also refused to meet with Wiscombe.

Wiscombe was visibly displeased with Sir Gareth’s interrogation and Prince Robert’s suspicious glances. Yet, he refrained from leaving without permission, staying constantly in sight of Sir Gareth or Prince Robert, as if to display his innocence.

Sophia, too, regarded Philip Wiscombe with suspicion.

‘Someone must have leaked information. To Oberon? Or from the capital? Who could it be? Who summoned Wiscombe to Oberon—or rather, sent him there? To a place where it’s inevitable he’d be suspected of colluding with Saturn. If Wiscombe knows of Oberon’s or Saturn’s schemes but isn’t an accomplice…’

Sophia doubted Wiscombe would be foolish enough to commit treason. If so…

‘If it’s a trap… it’s one that required knowledge of Prince Robert and Lady Gareth’s arrival at Oberon, and the suspicion surrounding Wiscombe and Oberon’s relationship. Information is leaking. From me, Gunther, the Emperor, Prince Robert—where?’