[Location: The North Tower - Exterior Wall]
The sun was just a bleeding line of red on the horizon. The palace guards were changing shifts. This was the blind spot.
Rex stood on a gargoyle fifty feet below his bedroom window. It was impossible to climb the sheer stone wall.
But he didn't need to climb.
He looked at the open window above him.
"Shadow Step."
ZVWIP!
The sound was like a sheet tearing in a vacuum.
Rex's body dissolved into black mist. For a split second, the world went dark. Then—POP—he rematerialized inside his bedroom.
He landed on the carpet without a sound.
[ Mana: 30/50 ]
[ Skill Cooldown: 10 seconds. ]
"Useful," Rex muttered, straightening his coat. "But the mana cost is high."
He looked around the room. It was exactly as he left it. The bed was unmade. The wine glass with the poison residue was still on the table.
But something was wrong.
Rex's eyes narrowed.
'The chair.'
He had left the chair angled toward the desk. Now, it was turned toward the door.
Someone was here. Or someone had been here.
[ Passive Skill 'Gamer's Mind' analyses the room. ]
[ Footprints detected near the wardrobe. ]
Rex didn't call for the guards. He didn't panic.
He walked silently to the wardrobe. He could hear breathing inside. Shallow, terrified breathing.
He reached for the handle.
CREAK.
He threw the door open.
"Eeeek!"
A young maid tumbled out, clutching a bundle of papers. She fell to her knees, shaking like a leaf in a storm.
She wore the standard palace uniform. Brown hair, spots, trembling hands. Rex recognised her from Primoriel's memories.
Nina. The maid who brought his meals. The only servant who didn't openly mock him.
But right now, she wasn't serving food. She was stealing his private letters.
Rex looked down at her. His expression was unreadable.
"Good morning, Nina," Rex said softly.
"Your... Your Highness!" Nina scrambled back until she hit the bed frame. Her eyes were wide with terror. "I... I was just cleaning! I swear!"
"Cleaning inside my wardrobe?" Rex tilted his head. "With my private letters in your hands?"
He reached out.
"Give them to me."
Nina hesitated. For a second, her eyes darted to the door. She was calculating if she could run.
Rex sighed.
'Bad choice.'
He took a step forward. He didn't use a skill. He just let a fraction of his Killing Intent leak out.
The temperature in the room dropped. The shadows seemed to stretch toward Nina, wrapping around her ankles.
"I... I..." Nina couldn't breathe. The man standing in front of her wasn't the weak, crying prince she knew. He felt like a predator looking at a rabbit.
She dropped the papers.
"I'm sorry! Please! Don't kill me!" She slammed her forehead against the floor. Thump. "Prince Darius forced me! He said if I didn't find dirt on you, he would fire my father from the kitchens!"
Rex picked up the papers. They were useless diary entries from the old Primoriel—poems about loneliness and sad drawings. Trash.
"Darius," Rex said, testing the name. "Of course, he would do that if that is me."
He looked at the weeping maid.
[ Target: Nina (Level 2) ]
[ Status: Terrified ]
[ Loyalty: 10/100 (Unreliable) ]
A normal villain would kill her.
A hero would forgive her.
Rex was neither. He was a Gamer. And in a strategy game, a double agent is worth more than a corpse.
He crouched down so he was eye-level with her. He used two fingers to lift her chin.
"Nina."
She looked into his crimson eyes and shivered.
"Darius pays you, correct?"
"Y-Yes, Your Highness. Two gold coins a month."
"Cheap," Rex scoffed.
He reached into his Inventory. He pulled out the [Guardian's Ring] he had just looted. It was a silver band with a blue gem.
"System, estimate value."
[ Item: Guardian's Ring (Rare). Estimated Shop Value: 500 Gold Coins. ]
"Too expensive to give her," Rex thought. He put it back. Instead, he pulled out a small pouch of coins he had found on the skeletons in the dungeon. Just standard copper and silver, but enough.
He dropped five silver coins one by one onto the carpet. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink.
"That is five months of your salary," Rex said.
Nina stared at the money.
"I don't want you to stop spying, Nina," Rex said calmly. "I want you to continue."
"W-What?"
"Go to Darius," Rex commanded. His voice is smooth and hypnotic. "Tell him I was crying in my room all night. Tell him I am terrified of the Awakening Ceremony. Tell him I am planning to run away."
Rex smiled.
"Feed him the lies I give you. And in return, you tell me everything he does."
He leaned closer.
"If you betray me... I won't fire your father."
He tapped the side of her neck, right over the Throat vein. His fingernail felt like a cold knife.
"I will simply erase your entire family tree. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Nina swallowed hard. She looked at the silver coins, then at the terrifying red eyes. The fear was real, but so was the money. And the power radiating from him... it was intoxicating.
"I... I understand, My Lord."
[ Loyalty Updated: 60/100 (Fear-Based) ]
"Good," Rex stood up. "Now get the hell out of my room. And take the trash with you."
He kicked the pile of sad poems toward her.
Nina gathered the papers and the coins, bowed frantically, and ran out of the room.
SLAM.
The door closed.
Rex let out a breath. He walked to the mirror and checked his status.
[ Name: Primoriel Valtherion ]
[ Level: 4 ]
[ Gold: 0 (Personal Wealth) ]
"I have power," Rex muttered. "But I have no funds. I can't buy potions, gear, or information with zero gold."
He looked at the [Guardian's Ring] in his inventory again.
Selling it was an option, but selling a high-grade magical item would attract attention. The "Trash Prince" shouldn't have rare loot.
He needed a way to make money that was discreet.
Suddenly, a memory from his "Gamer Life" surfaced.
In the game lore of Aethelgard, there was a hidden mechanic in the Imperial Library. The "lost" technique of the First Emperor was hidden inside a useless-looking history book on the third floor.
If he could find it, he wouldn't need to sell the ring. He could sell the location of the book to the Mages Guild anonymously. Or better yet... learn it himself.
"Knowledge is currency," Rex said.
He changed out of his thief clothes and into a fresh noble's suit. High collar, black silk. He looked every bit the arrogant prince.
"System. Navigate to the Imperial Library."
[ Route Plotting... ]
[ Note: The Library is public domain. However, Prince Darius is currently there meeting with the Grand Mage. ]
Rex paused.
"Darius is there?"
A cold light flickered in his eyes.
"Perfect."
He opened the door.
"Let's go say hello to my dear brother."