Chapter 120

“Wh-What?”

Princess Florin stammered as she questioned him, but Prince Garbo didn’t answer. He only tilted his head, clearly sensing that something was off—but he didn’t say it aloud.

“It’s nothing.”

“What? Why? Don’t just stop mid-sentence—what is it?!”

“I said it’s nothing. Really.”

Thankfully, it seemed it was truly nothing. Prince Garbo handed the oracle letter back to Princess Florin without further comment.

Like her, I let out a silent sigh of relief from my hiding spot.

Just then, Sasha emerged from the dining room, having just finished his meal.

The moment he saw Princess Florin and Prince Garbo together, he quickly offered a formal greeting.

It had been a while since I’d seen Sasha being so polite.

It was obvious to anyone—he desperately wanted to make a good impression on Prince Garbo.

But Prince Garbo didn’t look particularly pleased.

That slightly disapproving expression of his—how familiar.

Memories resurfaced of all the times Sasha had ignored my warnings to stay far, far away from Armin Grey.

Strangely, I found myself missing Armin just a bit.

“Florin.”

“What? What is it now?”

“You’re stuttering an awful lot today. Go on—get ready to return to the Imperial Palace. His Majesty is quite invested in the contents of your oracle. We shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

“R-Right. What about you, Brother—?”

Prince Garbo cast a complicated glance at Sasha before replying.

“I have a lot to discuss with my future… brother-in-law candidate, so don’t worry about me.”

The word candidate was deliberate, but the moment the word brother-in-law left his lips, both Florin and Sasha lit up bright red.

Florin nodded in a flustered hurry and scurried off.

As she left, our eyes met—and we exchanged a knowing look.

The forged oracle letter… was a total success!

* * *

The moment he touched it, he knew—the oracle letter was a fake.

But Prince Garbo didn’t bring it up. He chose not to speak the truth aloud, simply because the desperate look on his younger sister’s face was too heartbreaking to ignore.

At a glance, the letter was nearly flawless—so similar that it was almost impossible to spot the difference. Had he not been the one who originally received the oracle himself, he would never have noticed. The differences were minute, insignificant to most—but precisely because they were so minor, he could recognize the forgery.

Garbo, heir to the throne of Gellang, had a particular habit: whenever he handled official documents, he’d leave a tiny nick with his fingernail—barely noticeable, but intentional. A mark of authenticity only he would look for.

The envelope bore that faint nail mark. But the letter inside? None.

It was a well-crafted fake.

And to make matters worse, his sister Florin was a terrible liar. Her voice had trembled from sheer panic, and her startled reaction betrayed her guilt like a sign pinned to her chest: I’m hiding something—please interrogate me.

He’d heard rumors about this household—that the daughter here was exceptional. The one engaged to the heir of the Grey family… Vivian Roha, was it? Tales of her serialized novels reducing illiteracy rates had even reached Gellang.

She must be the one who helped Florin. Her suspicious reaction upon seeing him only confirmed it.

“Please, come inside, Your Highness.”

Sasha’s voice stirred Garbo from his thoughts. Snapping out of his brooding, the prince now examined the man before him more closely.

Brown hair—common, unremarkable. His title? A mere Viscount.

Garbo had always believed that someone like his sister Florin deserved a Duke’s heir at minimum. Someone from a house like the Greys—that would have felt fitting.

But Armin Grey was already promised to another woman. And, in a cruel twist of fate, that woman’s household was the very one Florin had chosen to seek shelter in.

The oracle wasn’t a one-time thing. Once he returned to Gellang, he could receive another—and it would likely produce the same result. If the letter was indeed forged, then the name Alessandro Roha would be the first to fall under suspicion. After all, it only appeared in the fabricated version.

Still, Garbo hesitated. Within his heart, a fierce battle raged—between his faith and his love for his sister. In the end, it was the latter that won.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that his gentle sister would go so far. That alone told him how deeply she must care for this man.

“Let’s go.”

Garbo finally spoke after a long pause.

He watched Alessandro’s back as the man walked ahead of him.

Having received an oracle that said Florin’s destined husband was not in Gellang but in the Empire, Garbo had personally investigated every noble son around her age. Florin never knew it—but Garbo had a serious sister complex.

Among them, Alessandro Roha had stood out—perhaps not quite as much as Armin Grey, but enough to be worth noting.

He’d heard the man had great ambition, with the only real flaw being the relative obscurity of his house’s name. That comment had stuck with him.

Before he knew it, they had reached the end of the hallway. The sitting room doors came into view.

As Alessandro opened the door, Garbo gazed at him coolly, mentally preparing the questions he would ask.

Had this man been the one truly named by the oracle, Garbo would have accepted it without protest. But given the lie… if Garbo was going to play along, then this man at least had to pass his test.

* * *

By the time Princess Florin and I had finished changing clothes with Michelle’s help and were ready to enter the Imperial palace, Prince Garbo was already waiting for us—with a completely different expression than the one he’d worn when he saw his sister earlier.

“Brother.”

“Florin.”

His satisfied look resembled that of someone who had just had a bad tooth removed after years of pain. I quietly approached Sasha, who stood behind Prince Garbo, and whispered,

“What happened?”

“Well… I guess he liked me more than I expected.”

Unlike the relaxed prince, Sasha looked a little tired. When we’d first met in the hallway, Garbo hadn’t even had time to exchange greetings—yet now, he finally seemed to notice me and extended his hand for a handshake.

“How rude of me not to greet you sooner, Lady Roha.”

“Oh! Not at all. Hello.”

A handshake was a greeting usually reserved for those one felt familiar or close with. I was caught off guard by the realization that the Prince seemed to harbor a general sense of goodwill toward me. While shaking my hand up and down, Prince Garbo began praising Sasha enthusiastically.

“Truly remarkable. I’d heard about the Roha siblings, but I didn’t expect this.”

Smiling broadly at Princess Florin, Garbo launched into a story about how Sasha had offered solutions to various national policy issues facing Gellang.

Naturally. Sasha had always been clever in that way. I knew firsthand—he and the Princess often ended up debating those very topics during their little “dates.”

But Prince Garbo, unaware of that context, seemed to take Sasha’s words to heart.

Letting go of my hand, the Prince gave a breezy laugh. The good-natured expression I’d seen at the palace banquet finally returned to his face—as if all his worries about his sister had vanished.

“I look forward to working with you, Lady Roha.”

“I—I feel the same.”

As I bowed politely, Prince Garbo laughed again in satisfaction. Watching him, Princess Florin beamed with joy. He patted her shoulder and said she’d gained a good family.

* * *

With the return of Prince Garbo, the banquet resumed. It marked the grand finale of Gellang’s groom audition. I already knew the outcome, but the other nobles were watching with hopeful eyes, wondering if this noble opportunity might fall upon their own houses.

Princess Florin, who had returned to the Imperial palace ahead of us with Prince Garbo and my brother—both dressed more splendidly than usual—exchanged subtle glances with the Prince. Witnessing that, I let out a small “Ew,” and moved a step closer to Armin.

“Armin.”

“What is it?”

“Why haven’t you proposed to me?”

Armin, who had just moments ago looked so relaxed, suddenly started coughing. I gently patted his back and whispered quietly.

“You’re not planning to just go straight to the wedding without a proposal, are you? You are going to do it, right?”

“Vi-Vivi… Is that really something you need to say out loud?”

“Well, I need to know when it’s happening so I can prepare!”

It’s absolutely not because I felt a childish twinge of jealousy after seeing that heartfelt proposal in the early morning hours from my brother. I’m a mature adult. I’m doing a great job of not grabbing Armin by the collar right now and demanding when he plans to do it.

“Why are you suddenly bringing up a proposal…?”

His reaction was completely unexpected. He looked genuinely caught off guard—like it hadn’t even crossed his mind. My mood immediately soured. It wasn’t anything fancy, but even Michelle got one. Even Princess Florin got one.

So why am I the only one who didn’t?!

Like a sulking child throwing a tantrum over being the only one without a toy, I puffed out my cheeks and turned away from Armin. Fine, whatever. It is kind of silly to bring it up after we’re already engaged. The proposal wasn’t the real issue—we went through a trial dramatic enough to be recorded in history books, and there’s enough love letters between us to bind into a novel.

Still! I want one too!

“Forget it. I was just saying it. Don’t worry about it.”

Hmph. I turned my head away with a sharp flick.

I fixed my gaze forward. Prince Garbo was visible next to the beaming Emperor, preparing to publicly confirm the truth of the oracle. He began to read it aloud.

The details of the oracle were meant to remain confidential. So Prince Garbo only read up to the part that revealed Princess Florin’s destined husband, which was no longer a secret.

As soon as Prince Garbo finished, applause erupted from every direction. I heard whispers like, “What blessing did the House of Roha receive to have both siblings find such wonderful matches?”

But this wasn’t luck—it was a result we fought for.

The moment the reading ended, Princess Florin ran from the stage and threw herself into Sasha’s arms, beaming with joy. Her radiant smile was so beautiful that I clapped with teary eyes.

Before I knew it, I’d forgotten I was sulking at Armin, and nestled into his arms, overwhelmed with happiness by the sight of the two of them.