March 21st, Year 853. The office room of Duke Cedric in DeMontfort Manor.

"What do you mean by getting engaged to Vivienne, Dad? Do you not realize the kind of woman she is? And more importantly, think of what it will do to Luke when he hears of this!" Adrian's voice echoed with concern.

"I know he's not in the right state of mind right now, but once he recovers, he will understand the situation. As for you, your engagement will only be temporary until we sort things out with the Sterlings and find a way to bring Vivienne under control," responded Cedric, his tone measured.

"Just because it's temporary doesn't mean..." Before Adrian could finish, a knock on the door interrupted the conversation.

"Master, it's me, Raymond. I have Lady Hestia from the Lux Hesperus Consortium with me. She says she needs to deliver something to you personally," informed Raymond.

"Oh, Hestia is it? Let her in," replied Cedric.

The doors creaked open as the dazzling young lady entered the room.

"Hey there, big sis Hestia. The fact that you're here means you have something to free me from being sold off to Vivienne?" Adrian playfully inquired, eliciting a laugh from Hestia.

"Enough of your jokes, Adrian. Nobody is selling you off. We need things to stabilize; otherwise, we risk losing our Barons and Viscounts' support and Princess Aurelia Vespera. When she was your age, she was fighting and escaping assassins left and right. Can't you act for a few years for your blood?" Cedric replied.

"Please don't fight, Duke. You know very well that if I'm here personally, then there is something I'm carrying with me. Adrian is a smart kid," giggled Hestia, handing over an envelope to Duke Cedric.

"You're damn right I'm smart. By the way, with the recent events, looks like Luke will finally be single. Do you want me to be your matchmaker, big sis?" teased Adrian.

Hestia furiously blushed before regaining her composure and replying, "What are you talking about, Adrian? You know very well my busy schedule leaves me no time for such things, right? Also, you know very well Luke won't let go of Lady Vivienne that easily."

"Huh? Stop lying, big sis. I've seen the way you look at Luke. Is it because of Dad or Mom? Don't worry; I'll convince them. Besides, I'm pretty sure you came here right now to have a peek at Luke, right? You could have easily delivered this letter yesterday along with the others. You can't fool me. You've said it yourself: I'm smart," teased Adrian.

"Adrian, that's enough," Cedric ordered, trying to regain a serious tone.

"All right. All right. What's written in the letter, and who is it from?" asked Adrian.

"It's from Aurelia Vespera. You stay too, Hestia. If Aurelia sent you here personally with the letter, she probably wanted you to listen to it too. Let's see..." replied Cedric as he started reading the letter. Adrian couldn't help but stare continuously as Cedric's eyes squirmed a couple of times.

"Alright, let me break it down. Aurelia seems to be considering the bigger picture with what she's written. The Empress initially wanted Crown Prince Silvanus to be engaged to Luna Obsidianheart, the Princess of the Elysian Principality. But things went south, and Silvanus ended up engaged to Lillian Duskwood under pressure from the Duke of Duskwood. To make the best of it, the Empress arranged for Princess Seraphina to be engaged to the Elysian Crown Prince and tried to have Princess Luna engaged to her nephew. Luna refused but agreed to study in the Academy from next semester.

Now, Empress Lysandra is dead set on having Princess Luna, actively seeking ways to break off Silvanus's engagement with Lillian. If we play our cards right, we might get the Duke of Duskwood on our side, tipping the political scales in our favor. The key is to show weakness and discord to the outside world while maintaining our strength in secret.

Here's the plan: outwardly, it'll look like the Sterlings are backing Vivienne, and Luke will take a hit. But behind the scenes, Adrian, you'll secretly get engaged to Hailey Sterling. Keep it under wraps. With this condition, Aurelia wants us to go easy on the Sterlings. Stick to the plan of sending Luke to Abyssal Borderlands, but instead of an exile, he'll be demoted to a Viscount ruling over the region. When Aurelia takes the throne, she'll allow Luke to take over and combine his territory with any Barons or Viscounts, not on our side.

Success hinges on flawless execution, especially Luke's administrative skills, and your relationship with Hailey, and Adrian. So, be prepared," Cedric explained, laying out the intricate plan for the future.

"Hailey, huh? She might be my type," Adrian mused, trying to downplay his interest in Hailey.

"Like attracts like. I've noticed your interest in Hailey. Concerned about her parents? Don't worry, I'll handle that. Also, you could have just asked Lord Cedric directly about this instead of waiting for the letter. Do you want me to be your matchmaker?" teased Hestia, provoking a blush from Adrian.

"Haha, it seems you got what you wanted, Adrian. Nice one, Hestia," chuckled the Duke, as he leaned in and playfully whispered, "Don't worry, I'm on your side. If you ever need me to arrange a surprise meeting with Luke in your room, just give me a nod," teasing Hestia.

The room fell silent as everyone quickly suppressed their smiles and laughter, realizing that it was time for Luke to return from the Academy. The past week had been mentally exhausting for him, and considering he had just lost a duel, the toll on him physically would also be significant. While they wanted to provide support in any way possible, their options were limited. They were confident that Luke would grasp the gravity of the situation and comply with the orders, but recovering from the recent events would undoubtedly require time. They were thinking about what to do to help Luke heal when, another knock echoed through the room, courtesy of Raymond once again. This time, he conveyed that Luke was waiting outside.