Isabelle Uranus’s daily routine was simple. She would wake up, get dressed, have a light meal, and handle minor internal affairs. In the afternoon, she would take a short walk and prepare to go out.

The Rosalind estate, although small, was close to the capital. Many retired nobles, court officials, and vacationing aristocrats lived there. Outside the capital, it was one of the most socially vibrant estates.

Isabelle’s opinion of Rosalind’s social circle was harsh.

“People who have no real power but can’t let go of their pride and vanity.”

There were so many members from prominent families that it was difficult to appoint a lord. There were too many influential people to keep happy.

When Prince Frederick became the lord of Rosalind, those people naturally held their tongues. Even minor offenses against the newly arrived prince could risk imperial disfavor.

In fact, imperial messengers frequently visited the Rosalind estate. It was clear that the emperor was paying close attention to Prince Frederick’s whereabouts.

Even after Isabelle and Prince Frederick married, nothing changed. As long as the emperor lived, Prince Frederick would be thoroughly protected.

Isabelle sighed.

“Who knows if this is protection or surveillance?”

Despite their vanity, the socialites of Rosalind believed that Prince Frederick’s presence elevated the status of their social circle. Frederick and Isabelle became symbolic figures of their pretentious pride.

Despite the weakening of the Wiscombe duchy’s influence, Isabelle was doing well in Rosalind. Her status as a princess, along with her beauty and fame, protected her.

The Wiscombe duchy was in turmoil. Philip Wiscombe was retaliating against any branch families that challenged them. This vendetta could lead to the duchy’s division and decline.

The Wiscombe duchy’s stance was clear. They declared that those who tried to exploit the duchy’s crisis to bring it down would pay the price, and they followed through.

Some sought out Prince Frederick and Isabelle in Rosalind to discuss the Wiscombe situation, but none ever succeeded.

Isabelle turned a blind eye to her family’s troubles and outwardly enjoyed a bright and cheerful life with Prince Frederick. Isabelle Uranus held her head high.

‘Enduring this is my way of supporting Wiscombe.’

***

Isabelle quietly observed the constant criticism of Sophia in the capital’s newspapers and magazines.

“There’s always a price for a meteoric rise—just like with my mother.”

The Duchess of Wiscombe, once called Cinderella, had now been stripped of all power by the former duchess.

“It doesn’t matter whose fault Wiscombe’s crisis is. There’s already a perfect scapegoat.”

Prince Frederick set down a newspaper on the tea table and said, “A woman from some mountain village like Ariel becoming a crown princess… It’s no wonder the royal family’s dignity has fallen.”

Isabelle, after carefully reading the article, spoke. “The empress has stayed out of public view for too long. We should send her another letter.”

“She’ll just ignore it again.”

“All those opposing Sophia want one thing from the empress—regency authority. So we should cheer her on to keep holding out.”

Frederick responded with a dissatisfied expression. “Do you think she’ll listen? She now calls me an ungrateful wretch every time she opens her mouth.”

“She blames you for Countess Cressida’s death. She’ll forgive you eventually.”

Isabelle gently comforted Prince Frederick with a soft, affectionate tone. “You should show her that you understand her feelings, Your Highness.”

Frederick, as if all his decisions stemmed from his love for Isabelle, said, “I’ll do as you say.”

A few weeks later, news came that the empress had moved to a secluded palace. The regency authority was now in Sophia’s hands.

Isabelle wasn’t surprised that things had gone according to Sophia and the emperor’s wishes.

“The Cressida family was never useful to begin with. This was inevitable.”

The empress’s situation now seemed hopeless to everyone.

Upon hearing the news, Isabelle refrained from going out for about a month, appearing more melancholic than usual for her and Frederick’s sake.

Prince Frederick also paused his hunting activities. However, neither of them visited the empress at her secluded palace.

If anyone asked Isabelle why she didn’t visit, she would give an awkward smile and say, “Whenever the empress sees Prince Frederick and me, she… always brings up Prince Robert…”

She never finished her sentence, but everyone understood. The empress had not given up on Frederick. It was also clear why they chose not to visit her.

If the empress caused another uproar, not even the emperor could protect Prince Frederick forever.

Tying themselves to the empress, who stubbornly clung to a hopeless cause, would only lead to a bleak future. Since everyone knew the empress’s foolishness, no one blamed Isabelle and Frederick for keeping their distance.

Unlike Isabelle, who was barely holding on, Prince Frederick was content with a loose and carefree life on the estate. Isabelle found it amusing to see him living happily as if he had forgotten the anger of losing the position of crown prince.

‘Maybe it’s just how he’s always been raised.’

Time passed, and Frederick became increasingly unresponsive to Isabelle’s gentle persuasion. Isabelle also grew comfortable and accustomed to spending time alone. Though they didn’t argue, the warmth between them had completely disappeared. Still, neither Frederick nor Isabelle minded.

Frederick left all troublesome matters to Isabelle . Isabelle, in turn, stopped asking difficult things of him. They both found satisfaction in maintaining a surface-level peaceful life.

A little over a year after their marriage, Isabelle became pregnant. The joy of expecting a child was immense.

Isabelle’s hopes were finally being realized.

Frederick had no desire to return to the capital or reclaim the position of crown prince. He was satisfied with a comfortable, enjoyable life. Isabelle had already given up hope for Frederick’s recovery and pinned all her hopes on the child.

As soon as the news of Isabelle’s pregnancy spread, the Duchess of Wiscombe and the former duchess visited Rosalind Manor.

The Duchess of Wiscombe was startled to see Frederick had gained weight. Isabelle gave a bitter smile as she looked at the two women.

The former duchess sighed and took Isabelle’s hand.

“Why has he let himself go like this?”

In a resigned tone, Isabelle replied, “He parties late into the night every day. Since I reduced my outings due to the pregnancy, Frederick only increased his. Rosalind is full of friends who suit him—wealthy people who cater to his every whim.”

Isabelle’s indifference toward Frederick was evident in her expression. The Duchess of Wiscombe opened her mouth to speak, but the former duchess shot her a glare, silencing her.

The former duchess spoke.

“All you need to focus on is giving birth to a healthy child. Let Frederick live however he pleases—so long as you have your own plans.”

Isabelle smiled. “Yes, Grandmother.”

Isabelle began making plans for the unborn child.

***

The following summer, Isabelle gave birth to a son. She felt relieved to have delivered a boy.

“There won’t be a second child.”

By this time, she and Frederick were leading completely separate lives. Frederick spent his days drifting between friends’ homes, rarely staying at the manor.

If Frederick asked to see her, Isabelle —still recovering—would smile and refuse. Frederick would simply nod and set off on another trip, which didn’t bother Isabelle in the least.

Around that time, letters and gifts arrived from the emperor and the crown prince, congratulating her on the birth of the child. Isabelle wrote polite thank-you letters in return.

Frederick, upon returning and receiving the gifts and letters, showed no particular reaction.

Isabelle had finally let go of any expectations for Frederick.

“They didn’t even bother sending an envoy this time—just letters and gifts. The emperor and Robert don’t even see Frederick as a threat anymore. And he doesn’t even realize it. What a fool!”

One day, Frederick fell down the stairs while drunk and broke his leg. He stayed at the manor for a few days after that.

Lying in bed, Frederick shouted irritably, “Crying all day! Is something wrong with the child? Can’t someone make him stop? How can there be so many people in the manor, yet no one can calm a baby? I can’t get any rest!”

Despite his complaints, Isabelle smiled gently. “Your rest is the most important thing. I’ll take the baby to Wiscombe. Everyone there is eager to see him. You’ll be able to recuperate properly as well. How does that sound?”

Frederick pretended to think about it for a moment before quickly nodding. The next day, Isabelle left for the Wiscombe estate with the child.

Philip personally came out to greet them at Wiscombe. Looking at Isabelle and the baby, he said, “I didn’t expect to meet my nephew so soon.”

Isabelle gave a weary smile. “If I’m lucky, I might be able to raise him here in the estate permanently.”

Philip glanced at the baby and asked, “Are you still set on Uranus?”

Isabelle understood his meaning. He was suggesting that if obtaining an heir was difficult, her son could become the heir to Wiscombe.

Isabelle shook her head.

“I married Frederick for the sake of our Wiscombe family—to gain the honor of being related to the imperial family and secure the Uranus name. This child is fourth in line to the empire’s throne. Isn’t that impressive? Even with Frederick’s foolish blood in him…”

As Philip led Isabelle into the manor, he made a firm decision.

‘I’ll keep Isabelle and the child here for as long as possible. That way, I can raise him as a true Wiscombe.’

Thus began Isabelle’s life in Wiscombe.

Prince Frederick occasionally sent letters to Isabelle, but they gradually became infrequent, arriving only once per quarter. There were no words asking her to return or expressing any desire to see her. His brief letters simply mentioned that he was doing fine and hoped she was as well.

Time passed, and several years went by. By the emperor’s decree, Isabelle and Prince Frederick were summoned to the capital.

The Crown Prince and his wife had two children, and Sophia was pregnant again.

The emperor held a ball to celebrate the upcoming third birthday of the Crown Prince’s eldest son.

‘Already giving attention to the Crown Prince’s eldest child…’

Despite her thoughts, Isabelle had no choice but to head to the capital, if only to present her child to the emperor and the imperial family.

On her way to the capital, Isabelle stopped by the Rosalind estate, where she found Prince Frederick—now so overweight that he was unrecognizable—and his mistress.

Holding her child’s hand, Isabelle gazed at them and coldly remarked, “Who are you…?”

Prince Frederick was shocked to realize that Isabelle genuinely didn’t recognize him. He stubbornly declared, “I’m not going to the capital! There’s no reason for me to go! You and the child can go alone!”

Isabelle neither coaxed nor argued with him. She simply stared at him like he was a stranger. Meanwhile, Frederick’s mistress silently observed Isabelle and the child.

Isabelle looked at the woman by Frederick’s side with a pitying expression.

‘Is she really his mistress? What on earth does she see in a man like that?’

During her brief stay at Rosalind, Frederick continued to change—only for the worse. Unable to bear it any longer, Isabelle hurriedly left for the capital with her child.

With an awkward smile, Isabelle bid Frederick farewell.

“I’ll explain everything to His Majesty. If you have anything to say, send a letter to the Wiscombe estate.”

Isabelle planned to stay in the capital under the pretense of her child’s education.

“Prince Frederick will never come to the capital now—he’s too ashamed of himself. That’s all I need.”

Life in the capital was satisfactory in its own way. Isabelle slowly began executing her plans for her child’s future.

***

Prince Frederick was happy. In his younger years, he had regretted not becoming the Crown Prince and had often felt anger over it.

But life in the estate had shown him how blissful it was not to be the Crown Prince—or the emperor. Compared to constantly striving to surpass Crown Prince Robert, a carefree and pleasurable life was far more comfortable and satisfying.

To Frederick, the position of Crown Prince or emperor had seemed like something that would naturally come with adulthood and growth. Had he ever even imagined what would happen if he didn’t achieve it?

Now he understood.

“The only reason I thought I should be the Crown Prince was because of my mother and grandfather pushing me.”

Frederick began to feel that the role had never been his in the first place. Ironically, everything falling apart had brought him a sense of peace.

But Isabelle seemed different. Though she smiled, her eyes held disappointment. Isabelle Uranus always gave him a vague smile that kept him at a distance.

Occasionally, Frederick saw the same look in Isabelle’s eyes that he had once seen from Duke Gareth—the kind of look that made him feel small and pathetic. That gaze filled Frederick with fear.

But the moment Isabelle gave up on him came when they had a child.

It was then that Frederick finally realized,

“To Isabelle, I was just a chance to save Wiscombe.”

With that understanding, he had no intention of stopping Isabelle when she said she would leave with the child.

When Isabelle left Rosalind to live in Wiscombe, Frederick found himself completely free. His life became even more indulgent and reckless. He couldn’t control his excesses.

Frederick’s debauchery led him to gain even more weight, but he didn’t consider it a problem.

However, when Isabelle returned with the child, Frederick felt miserable again. He couldn’t forget the expression on her face.

“She really didn’t recognize me. It wasn’t a joke or an attempt to anger me… she truly didn’t know who I was.”

Since Isabelle’s move to the capital, she had insisted on staying there for the sake of their child’s education. She didn’t even extend a courtesy invitation for Frederick to visit.

“I’m no longer the handsome, dashing prince. Now I’m just a fat, lazy man.”

Meanwhile, the empress quietly retreated to a separate palace, disappearing from the scene without a word. She neither created new opportunities for Frederick nor caused him any trouble.

Frederick felt relieved, knowing he would no longer be dragged into anything. He was finally free of her.

To be honest, Frederick didn’t mind his current life. He enjoyed meeting people, chatting with those he liked, going on outings, drinking, and hunting.

The emperor’s overseers handled the estate’s administrative work. There was also a capable steward.

Estate affairs could be managed in just a few hours a week, so he didn’t have to be chained to his office. He could handle that much.

Frederick felt that this lifestyle suited him. A life without worries or effort—a light, pleasant existence.

The only thing Frederick feared was meeting Isabelle’s eyes again. It was unbearable to have someone constantly reminding him of their disappointment.

Now that Isabelle was gone, life was more comfortable. And so the two of them lived separate lives under the title of “husband and wife.”

Isabelle lived with dreams for her child’s future. Frederick dreamed of staying in his safe little world—a life where no one could shake him. And he had finally achieved that life.

Frederick raised his glass high toward his waiting companions and cheerfully shouted as he dashed down the stairs.

“What’s so bad about living like this?”

The group waiting for Frederick in the entrance hall cheered and applauded.

Frederick, drunk and laughing, stumbled as he stepped on the stairs, lost his balance, and tumbled uncontrollably to the floor. A few days later, Frederick took his last breath.

***

Rose sent a report to Saturn. It was brief.

“Prince Frederick is dead. It would be better to side with Isabelle Uranus and her child in the capital.”

Sir Enceladus sighed.

“In the end, Crown Prince Robert becomes emperor. His brother was completely useless. D*mn! This just got complicated.”