When Felix was writing letters to the king and the nobles, he didn't forget to send one to Count Adonis Aldridge as well, inviting him to visit Sardinson around the time of the sweet potato harvest.
Although Adonis had left, his relationship with Dolores hadn't grown distant, for the introverted Dolores, keeping in touch through letters made her feel more secure. Not seeing the other person in person meant she wouldn't get too shy to speak.
It was a bit like how internet shut-ins in the modern era would panic in real-life social situations but be perfectly expressive online.
Of course, given Dolores' personality, this so-called "not shy" was only relative.
Adonis, too, was very proactive in writing to Dolores. With carrier pigeons delivering notes, they exchanged little slips of paper nearly every day, and every few days, a letter spanning three or more pages would arrive via a servant. In his letters, Adonis would describe his territory—the County of Aldridge—and introduce everything about it: the castle, the estate, the towns, and his family. He'd also share what he'd been up to lately. Most of it was mundane daily affairs, but they gave Dolores a deeper understanding of him and made her like the handsome young earl more and more.
Sometimes, Dolores couldn't help but show the letters to Wei Wei. From the contents, it was clear that Adonis was earnestly trying to help Dolores get familiar with his land. Although he hadn't formally confessed or proposed yet, the courtship was very obvious.
Felix hadn't read the letters himself, but he'd heard about them from Wei Wei. As a result, he'd grown increasingly satisfied with Adonis. So, this time when writing to him, Felix not only invited him to view the sweet potato harvest and discuss business but also subtly hinted that if he was serious, now would be a good time to move forward with a proposal.
Adonis clearly understood the hint. In his reply, he promised to visit Sardinson as invited—and added that he would be bringing his mother along.
"If all goes well, there will soon be a wedding in our household," Felix said with a smile, handing the letter to Wei Wei. "Adonis is a good match for Lola. Though her marrying him might cause us a bit of trouble."
Adonis' sister was engaged to Prince Andrew, and the wedding date had already been set. So, aligning their family with the Aldridge family at this time effectively placed them on the king's side in opposition to Duke Romanov. That duke, not known for his magnanimity, would likely retaliate. However, given the earlier bandit attacks that Felix suspected were linked to the duke, it was clear that even without this connection, relations with Romanov weren't going to be friendly.
So, adding one more tie didn't make much of a difference to Felix. Otherwise, he wouldn't have initially suggested inviting Dolores to the banquet where she met Adonis.
Beyond the factional conflict between the king and Duke Romanov, the rivalry between the two princes, Andrew and Crown Prince Edward, was also significant. While Prince Andrew wasn't seen as an ideal heir, his better health made him a more viable candidate. Ambitious nobles might prefer a future king they could control.
Felix had once tutored both princes and knew they had once been close. Even when he brought Wei Wei to the queen's birthday banquet, the relationship between the two princes seemed cordial.
But when Felix went alone to the capital last year to meet the king, he noticed that Crown Prince Edward had grown noticeably distant toward Prince Andrew. It was probably because the king had begun searching for a bride for Andrew, while Edward and his princess still had no children. The crown prince might have begun to feel anxious around that time.
Edward's health had always been rumored to be poor, with whispers that he wouldn't live long. But court physicians insisted that his body was just a bit weaker than average—he got sick easily, but with proper care, he had a good chance of living a long life.
Moreover, Edward wasn't someone who accepted fate passively. His dedication to learning made it clear that he fully intended to inherit the throne. His not-so-clever younger brother had never been seen as a rival.
But clearly, things had changed. The king was trying to build up Prince Andrew, likely just to guard against Duke Romanov and protect his younger son. However, to the crown prince, this might have looked like a sign that his father was abandoning him.
The timing made things even more sensitive. As Prince Andrew's engagement was announced, the crown prince's relationship with his wife deteriorated. Both were considering divorce, though the king, for various reasons, had not approved it. To the crown prince, that likely felt like another blow.
In short, the royal family was caught in both internal and external political chaos, and if Felix allowed Dolores to marry Adonis now, it could drag the Williams family into it all.
But after weighing the pros and cons, Felix decided to go through with it. He believed that the crown prince had simply misunderstood the king's intentions. If Edward were smart enough, he'd eventually realize that the king's choosing a low-profile family like the Aldridge for Prince Andrew's marriage was a favor. If the bride had been from a powerful capital noble family, they would have actively supported Andrew's claim to the throne.
The Aldridge were powerful but discreet. Just because their daughter was marrying Prince Andrew didn't mean Adonis would support his brother-in-law's bid for the crown. Felix had tested Adonis' stance, and the young count shared his view: he didn't want to get involved.
Wei Wei finished reading the letter and was pleased to hear that Adonis was bringing his mother, but also a little concerned. She asked Felix, "What kind of person is Countess Aldridge? Is she hard to get along with?"
After all, in any society, the mother-in-law–daughter-in-law relationship could make or break a household's peace. Wei Wei was quietly relieved that she didn't have a mother-in-law herself—her life was much smoother that way, and she got to be in charge.
Felix, having seriously investigated Adonis' family before considering the match, responded confidently.
"She's a very capable woman. The late Count Aldridge was bedridden for many years, and the territory remained stable largely thanks to her. Adonis was also able to take over smoothly because of her support."
That made Wei Wei even more uneasy. "Sounds like a strong personality. I'm not sure Dolores will be able to get along with her."
With Dolores' temperament, it wasn't likely they'd clash. But if the countess didn't like her, it could still spell trouble.
Felix wrapped his arm around Wei Wei and reassured her, "Don't worry. Dolores is an outstanding young lady. Countess Aldridge will be pleased."
He wasn't overly doting as a brother, but he did believe that Wei Wei had raised Dolores well. There was no reason for anyone not to like her.
"Of course, if it doesn't work out, we can always find someone else."
Wei Wei sighed and didn't take his words seriously. She could see that Dolores genuinely liked Adonis, and their relationship was growing stronger. There was no way she could just switch to someone else so easily.
When Dolores heard that Adonis was coming to Sardinson—and bringing his mother—it was both exciting and nerve-wracking. She was eager to see him again, but also worried about whether his mother would like her. The closer the date drew, the more distracted she became, walking around in a daze. Wei Wei tried to comfort her, but it didn't help much, so she gave up and let her be.
In the end, they'd just have to wait and see how things went.
In August, Felix began receiving replies from the nobles. Each of them expressed satisfaction with his quoted prices and agreed to purchase seeds at the offered rates without any haggling. They also confirmed that they would send representatives to Sardinson at the appointed time to discuss the details. Along with their letters came a variety of gifts.
These nobles were savvy. Knowing how close Felix and Wei Wei were, most of the gifts were meant for the lady of the house—perfumes and cosmetics, which were already produced by the Williams family, were avoided. Instead, they sent fine jewelry and the latest fashionable fabrics.
Among these, the most eye-catching gift was a purple silk handkerchief embroidered with a "hundred butterflies among flowers" motif.
Though it was just a handkerchief, this was far more valuable than any gemstone. At this time in Europe, silk was incredibly rare, with only a small amount making its way from Asia. Even royal families had little access to it. Anyone who owned such fabric would treasure it like a trophy, displaying it rather than using it—let alone gifting it away.
In other words, this gift was extravagant.
But the person who sent it was far less appealing.
"It's from Duke Romanov," Felix said with a frown.
Although he suspected Romanov had a hand in the bandit attacks in Sardinson, he had no proof. So on the surface, he couldn't publicly fall out with the duke. When Felix had sent out his gifts earlier, he'd included Romanov as a recipient. And now that Romanov had written back, Felix had no choice but to treat it as a normal business exchange.
But because of this, the excessive nature of the gift made it even more suspicious.
Not only did Romanov send this extremely rare embroidered silk handkerchief, but he also included two full sets of expensive jewelry and several bolts of the most fashionable gold-threaded fabrics currently popular in the capital. Any single item would cost a small fortune.
Other nobles had sent similar things, but only a piece or two. Even the king hadn't sent as much as Romanov.
The lavishness of the gifts had Felix frowning even before he opened the letter. He truly couldn't figure out what the duke was playing at.
Wei Wei had little interest in the handkerchief. Yes, silk was precious, but she had plenty herself. And when it came to actual use, she preferred cotton—it was softer, more absorbent, and comfortable. Silk handkerchiefs were just for show, not practical. Using one would only make her look like a decadent spendthrift.
Still, she was curious. Why would Romanov send such costly gifts out of the blue? If it was to buy seeds, the value was wildly disproportionate—these gifts could buy up all their corn, and they weren't about to sell it all to him.
Could it be connected to the bandit incidents? But though they suspected Romanov, they had no solid proof. And there had been no suspicious moves from his side lately. If he had sent these gifts because of that, wouldn't it be like admitting guilt?
"He must have written something in the letter. Let's see what he says," Wei Wei suggested.
Felix didn't want to open the letter—he had a bad feeling. Romanov was not someone who gave without a motive. If he sent so many gifts, there had to be a purpose.
But he opened it anyway. His eyes skimmed the letter rapidly, and once he understood the contents, he let out an incredulous laugh.
Wei Wei immediately asked what it said.
Felix tossed the letter onto the table with a sneer. "Duke Romanov wants his third son to marry Dolores."
Wei Wei's temper flared instantly. She shot to her feet and, uncharacteristically losing her composure, snapped, "He's got some nerve! Does he think he's the king now?!"
Romanov was the king's cousin, ten years younger. He had seven children already. His two oldest sons were around Dolores' age, but one was already married and the other engaged to a noblewoman of very high status.
That left only the younger sons. Two were much younger than Dolores—one was eleven, the other not even seven. The most likely candidate was the eleven-year-old third son.
But Dolores was fourteen. The boy was still a child. And in the West, while girls often married young, boys didn't marry until they were at least fifteen or sixteen. If they agreed to this, Dolores would have to wait until the boy was old enough, which meant she'd be nearly twenty, a so-called "old maid" by the standards of the time. And it's not like she couldn't find better options.
Worse, the third son had no inheritance rights. If Romanov didn't become the next king, his son might become a mere knight or minor noble. Given Dolores' family background and personal qualities, she could do far better. She might even become a queen if she wanted. They had already refused the king's suggestion of marrying her to Prince Andrew—so how dare Romanov even suggest this?
Either he was blatantly disregarding the Williams family, or he genuinely believed he would be the next king.
Felix was even angrier than Wei Wei. He had read the letter carefully, and while Romanov's words were polite, they were laced with arrogant confidence, as if he truly believed Felix would say yes.
It baffled him. Where did that confidence come from? Anyone with a sense would know this proposal had little chance of being accepted.
"There's something off about this letter," Felix muttered, trying to calm down. He picked it up again and reread it, looking for what he missed—but nothing seemed out of place.
Wei Wei leaned in to look as well and soon furrowed her brow. "It does feel off. Romanov's not stupid. He wouldn't make such a move unless he was sure."
She took the letter and examined it word by word. Then, she pointed to one spot. "Look here. Doesn't it look like something was altered?"
The letter was written on parchment, and while ink could be erased using special methods, the pressure from writing still left faint impressions behind.
Felix leaned closer. The word in question was "sister"—and sure enough, there seemed to be other markings faintly visible beneath it.
Wei Wei, having already read the rest of the letter, quickly put the pieces together. "What if Romanov didn't originally mean Dolores, but Caroline?"
The letter didn't name Dolores specifically, nor did it say which son the duke was talking about. Felix had assumed it was Dolores because it said "your sister."
But if he had meant Caroline, and the suitor was the six-year-old youngest son, then the age difference worked.
"If it's Caroline, then the proposal isn't so absurd, right?"
Nobles of the time liked to arrange childhood engagements. Romanov proposing Caroline for his youngest son made sense—the ages matched. Caroline, an orphan with only distant ties to Felix, would be marrying above her station by becoming engaged to the son of a powerful duke, one who might become a prince.
This would explain Romanov's arrogant tone—he probably assumed Felix would jump at the chance.
But Felix had no intention of agreeing. Caroline was far too young, and he didn't share political alignment with Romanov. He was a vassal of the king and one of His Majesty's most trusted men. If he agreed to the match, how would the king react?
While noble marriages were common, the king might interpret this one as betrayal.
Felix's expression darkened. "If this letter really was altered, and Romanov originally meant Caroline, then this might be a trap."
If he accepted, the king might see it as treason. If he refused, Romanov could use the rejection as a reason to cause trouble—an excuse to retaliate, one the king couldn't easily dismiss.
In other words, Romanov could now publicly stir up trouble under the pretext of being offended, and no one could say it was unjustified.
But Felix wasn't too worried. He already suspected Romanov had a hand in the bandit attacks. They were already enemies.
What concerned him more was: who had altered the letter, and why?
His first suspicion was that someone close to the king had done it—perhaps the king, afraid that Felix might agree to the alliance, had quietly changed the letter.
"Or it could be someone else entirely. Romanov has more than one enemy." The capital wasn't just split between the king and the duke—there were other potential heirs, and none of them would want to see Romanov claim the throne. These people might want to sabotage him just as badly.
There were many possible culprits. But one thing was clear: whoever had altered this letter had someone planted close to Romanov.
Wei Wei added, "There's probably more going on here. Once we respond, Romanov will notice something's off. The person who changed the letter could be exposed—that's a huge risk."
Felix nodded. "No matter who or why, it has nothing to do with us. We'll pretend we know nothing."
Wei Wei chuckled. "Since it's supposedly about Dolores, it's even easier to reject—she already has a suitor, doesn't she?"
"Exactly."
With Adonis about to visit, whether or not things worked out, it was a perfect excuse to reject Romanov—and he'd have no grounds for retaliation. After all, he was too late.