The Elven Royal Academy was the most beautiful place I'd ever seen.
It was built right into the branches of the World Tree, the massive magical tree that was basically the heart of our entire kingdom. The academy's towers were made of white stone that seemed to glow with its own light, like captured moonlight. Thick green vines covered the buildings, and they pulsed softly with ancient magic that made the air itself feel alive.
Bridges made of living wood connected the different towers, and everywhere you looked there were gardens full of flowers that sparkled like jewels. The whole place felt like something out of a dream.
This was where the smartest and most talented elves in the kingdom came to learn. Future nobles, powerful mages, and great generals all started their careers here.
And now they were stuck with me.
The moment I stepped into the main courtyard, I could feel every eye turn in my direction. The whispers started immediately, spreading through the crowd of students like a wildfire.
"That's him!" a girl whispered loudly to her friend.
"The Shameless Prince!" another student added with disgust.
"I heard he tried to flirt with three palace maids at the same time and got slapped by all of them!"
"No way! My cousin told me he once announced he was going to marry every single girl in the capital city!"
"Didn't he get caught hiding in the women's dressing room at the summer festival?"
"I heard he writes love poems to himself!"
The rumors were getting more ridiculous by the second, but most of them were probably true. The previous owner of this body had been incredibly busy with his perverted activities.
I decided to lean into it.
"My dear, adoring fans," I announced loudly, spreading my arms wide and giving everyone my most charming smile. "Please, try to contain your excitement. I know you're all thrilled to see me, but let's try to keep this orderly. There's enough of me to go around for everyone."
The collective groan from the crowd was absolutely beautiful. Some students looked disgusted, others seemed fascinated despite themselves, and a few were clearly trying not to laugh.
This was going to be even more fun than I thought.
---
I hadn't even made it to my first class before someone decided to pick a fight with me.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the biggest disgrace in the entire royal family."
The voice was smooth, cold, and dripping with fake politeness. I turned around to see a tall elf with perfectly styled golden hair that seemed to glow in the sunlight. His uniform was pressed to perfection, his posture was flawless, and everything about him screamed "I think I'm better than everyone else."
This was Althir, heir to Duke Larethian. His family was one of the most powerful noble houses in the kingdom, and they were completely loyal to my father the king. Which meant Althir probably saw himself as some kind of unofficial prince.
He was also surrounded by a group of other noble students who were looking at me like I was something disgusting they'd found on the bottom of their shoes.
"You actually showed up to the academy," Althir continued, his voice loud enough for everyone in the courtyard to hear. "I'm honestly surprised. I thought you'd be too busy peeking through windows at the palace maids' bathhouse."
The students around us started snickering and whispering to each other. This was clearly Althir's way of establishing his dominance over me in front of an audience.
I leaned casually against one of the marble pillars that held up the courtyard's roof, giving him my most relaxed smile.
"Now, now, Althir," I said in a cheerful voice. "You've got it all wrong. I would never peek through windows. That's so crude and undignified. I much prefer to wait for an open invitation."
The reaction was immediate and dramatic. Half the girls in the courtyard covered their faces with their hands in embarrassment. The other half were glaring at me with expressions that could have melted steel. The boys were either laughing or looking outraged.
Althir's perfect face twisted with anger. His jaw was so tight I thought his teeth might crack.
"You disgusting—" he started to say.
"Charming? Irresistible? Devastatingly handsome?" I interrupted, still smiling. "I get those a lot, but thank you for noticing."
More gasps from the crowd. Althir looked like he was about to explode.
Perfect. I'd managed to embarrass him and entertain the crowd at the same time.
---
My next class was Combat Training, which took place in a large outdoor arena surrounded by stone bleachers.
The combat instructor was an older elf with silver hair and more scars than I could count. He'd clearly been a warrior before becoming a teacher, and he had the kind of no-nonsense attitude that suggested he didn't have much patience for royal nonsense.
"Your Highness," he said in a completely flat voice, "for today's lesson, you'll be sparring with Lord Althir. Please try not to embarrass yourself too badly... again."
The word "again" hit like a slap. Clearly, the previous owner of this body had a history of losing fights in spectacular fashion.
Students began filing into the bleachers to watch. I could hear the sound of coins clinking as they placed bets on the outcome. From what I could tell, literally no one was betting on me to win.
"This is going to be fun," Althir said with a nasty smile as he drew his practice sword. "Prepare to eat dirt, you perverted freak."
I picked up my own wooden practice sword and gave it a few test swings. It felt good in my hands—well balanced and solid.
"That's funny," I said thoughtfully. "That's usually my line in the bedroom."
Althir's face went bright red with anger and embarrassment. The crowd in the bleachers erupted in shocked gasps and nervous laughter.
He completely lost his temper and charged at me like an angry bull.
The students in the bleachers expected me to panic, trip over my own feet, and get beaten up in the most humiliating way possible. After all, everyone knew the Third Prince was a useless pervert who couldn't fight to save his life.
Instead, I smoothly stepped to the side, letting his sword whistle harmlessly past me.
Althir spun around and attacked again, this time with a series of quick slashes. I dodged each one easily, my movements flowing like water. To the watching students, it probably looked like I was just getting incredibly lucky.
But inside my head, I was completely focused. I was reading his movements, analyzing his fighting style, looking for weaknesses. Althir was skilled, but he was also predictable. He fought like someone who had learned perfect technique but never had to adapt to an unexpected opponent.
He was also getting more frustrated with each failed attack, which was making his form sloppy.
After dodging about a dozen strikes, I saw my chance.
Althir overcommitted to a powerful overhead swing, leaving himself completely open. In one smooth motion, I deflected his blade to the side and pressed the tip of my practice sword against his throat.
The entire arena went dead silent.
I could see the shock and confusion in Althir's eyes. He'd been so confident that he would crush me easily. Now he was standing there with my sword at his neck, completely helpless.
I leaned in close, speaking quietly so only he could hear me.
"Be careful, Althir," I whispered. "Keep underestimating me like this, and next time I might take more than just your pride."
His face went pale. For just a moment, he saw past my perverted fool act to the dangerous person underneath.
Then I stepped back, grinning widely, and raised my arms in victory.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I win!" I announced to the crowd. "Now, who wants to volunteer to console poor Althir with a kiss? I'm sure he could use some comfort right about now."
The arena exploded. Some students were laughing hysterically. Others looked angry or shocked. The instructors were staring at me like they couldn't believe what they'd just seen.
Althir was still standing there in shock, his face cycling through about fifteen different shades of red and purple.
It was absolutely perfect.
I had just beaten one of the academy's top students in front of everyone, but I'd done it while maintaining my image as a perverted fool. No one would suspect that there was any real skill or intelligence behind my victory. They'd just think I'd gotten incredibly lucky.
Meanwhile, Althir and anyone else who might want to challenge me would have a new fear in the back of their minds. They'd remember this moment and wonder if maybe, just maybe, the Perverted Prince wasn't as harmless as he seemed.
As I walked off the training ground, I could hear the buzz of excited conversation behind me. Students were already spreading the story, probably making it more dramatic with each telling.
Good. Let them talk. Let them wonder.
The more people underestimated me, the easier it would be to achieve my real goals. And my first goal was simple: survive long enough to figure out how to take over this kingdom.
After that? Well, I'd cross that bridge when I came to it.
But first, I needed to find some lunch. All this acting was making me hungry.