King Richard Lionell III stared at his youngest son, who was gracefully eating in his study without an iota of respect that one should have for a king.

  Truth be told, right now, he had a headache.

  From the moment he decided to meet and make a deal with the 13th prince after the poison incident at the banquet, things had been unbelievably noisy.

  Inquiries full of feigned concern came from the queen, the concubines, and even his children; outsiders were attempting to spy on the palace, and the usual issues from the nobles were swamping him.

  Since he fully expected the 13th prince to fail their deal, he had disregarded him and continued on with his day.

  Morning court had dragged on, and by the time the king went back to his study, Winston had a report, and the 13th prince had made himself at home.

  With an attitude that showed he considered the study his second home, the 13th prince, between bites, proudly proclaimed that he was done with his part of the investigation and needed his reward.

  Shooting a glare at Winston, who had clearly ignored his orders to be unhelpful to the 13th prince, the King turned back to the prince and deigned to speak.

  "You caused a ruckus in the kitchens? All of them?"

  "I simply asked the chefs you pay for to do their jobs. I haven't eaten a good breakfast in decades and wanted to celebrate my entrance to adulthood." Caellum said as he crunched into another biscuit.

  "And this is your big idea to reveal who the poisoner was."

  "Not an idea, it did reveal the poisoner and their collaborators. Ask you, chamberlain, for more details. He was there." Caellum replied flippantly.

  "Watch your tone, boy. And show some respect." The king snapped as his aura shot out and tried to squash the 13th prince.

  Meeting the king's irate eyes, Caellum calmly responded, "Apologies. Please ask your chamberlain for a firsthand account of events, your royal highness. As for respect…would you like me to kneel down when speaking to you or should I stand when giving you a report?"

  Although the words conveyed a meek attitude, the indifferent look in the 13th prince's eyes made it clear that he didn't rate the king at all.

  Whether he kneeled or stood, it was all the same to Caellum because he didn't respect the man in front of him.

  The king didn't say anything, just glared before glancing at Winston, silently prompting him to speak.

  "Yes, Sire. I'm currently in the process of investigating. But the preliminary report is in. Each and every tray of food gotten by the prince is tampered with, and the substance imbued in it kills small creatures as soon as it's imbibed. Other food trays retrieved from the kitchens are regular with no additional effects. And currently, we're unsure what the poison is," Winston replied simply, although his eyes said there was more to the story.

  Hearing the words, a chill went down the king's back.

  These kitchens controlled by the queen made food not just for him but also for dignitaries, the other royal family members, and any visiting nobles.

  It meant that at the drop of a hat, anybody could be poisoned.

  Including him.

  The king glanced at the person who had revealed this to him in less than the 24 hours that they had agreed upon.

  The 13th prince, who looked more tired and bruised than yesterday, was happily munching on biscuits while looking around the study.

  His purple eyes looked energetic and bright, even with the bruising all over his face.

  According to Winston's brief report, this morning, he had not only been beaten by his assigned manservant, but had been forced to eat a poisonous meal and then sentenced to house arrest by the manservant and locked in his dilapidated room that wasn't fit for the royal hounds, much less the son of a king.

  There was no way to know how long this had been going on, but the fact that such a thing was happening in the royal palace meant that it could only be done if one person permitted it.

  Once again, it was the queen.

  As the person in charge of the palace's general staff and its day-to-day running, only she could have done such a thing and kept the King from knowing.

  Not that he would care.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  As long as she didn't cross the line, things would be fine.

  But clearly, she had crossed it.

  As the king gestured toward him, Winston continued his report.

  "I've had the guards go to seize those working in the kitchens so that we can begin questioning them. Additionally, the queen showed up as the 13th prince mentioned she would, but I turned her away as we agreed. I'll give a more detailed report later."

  "Very well. Investigate thoroughly and don't let anyone go. It seems that I have to make an example of Esmerelda once more. And figure out what the poison is as soon as possible. You."

  The king turned to Caellum, who froze with a biscuit halfway to his mouth.

  "Yes?"

  "Considering your…history with consuming it, do you know what the poison the queen is using?"

  "No. But it's probably a special concoction from her homeland," Caellum said lightly as he picked up another biscuit with jam in it and chomped it before wincing.

  Too sweet.

  "Why do you say that?" the king probed, wanting to hear the direction of the 13th prince's thoughts.

  He had shown decent analytical skills yesterday, and it was good to check whether it was a fluke, his own ability, or if someone was feeding him the words to say.

  "If I were theoretically poisoning someone, I'd want something obscure and easily accessible to me but hard for everyone else. Afterall, you're the king. You probably have one of the best poison detection staff in the kingdom, so it only makes sense to make it a foreign item that wouldn't raise any eyebrows when it's imported. Since the poison is being selectively put into food, it's probably disguised as an extra spice with orders that only certain people should get it. As for how it's delivered...well, you pay people to think so, I'll just stay silent." Caellum replied cleanly.

  Seeing that he was done speaking, the king and the chamberlain nodded in agreement.

  That was their thought as well.

  Most likely, the poison was something from the Emerald Isles.

  It seemed that it wasn't a fluke; the 13th prince was really using his head.

  Which meant he could be used.

  "Would you like me to call the royal physician?" the king asked in a slightly softer tone.

  "A physician for what? Are you sick?" Caellum asked, genuine confusion written on his face.

  It would be inconvenient if the king died off any time soon.

  "The poison you ingested. It's better to deal with your injuries and any hidden illnesses now before they affect you later. You're a growing child after all….and my son."

  Hearing the king's awkward words, Caellum wanted to laugh.

  This body had been getting beaten and poisoned for who knows how long, and it had been happening right under the king's nose.

  If the king actually cared, he would have discovered this long ago and done something about it.

  After all, the 13th prince was his own son, not a stranger.

  Pretending to care now was not only irritating, but it was also useless.

  "A physician? No, thank you. I'll handle it."

  As the king's eyebrow twitched, Caellum continued unperturbed, "Instead, if you're feeling generous, please expedite my rewards and give me some money. Unmarked coins that can be used in various places. As you know, I'll be attending the academy in a couple of months and finding new personnel, and I don't have much money on hand. I'd appreciate anything you're willing to give me with no strings attached."

  Caellum cleanly redirected whatever olive branch the king thought he was extending into something more useful while munching on a biscuit.

  Having a royal physician check his body?

  Hell no.

  Why would he want the royal family to know what, if any, effects the poison had left on his body?

  Or worse yet, what if they didn't cure him?

  He didn't trust the king, and he most definitely didn't trust the queen or any of the concubines.

  No, he would get treated outside the palace like he originally planned.

  Unfortunately, it seemed the king didn't like his answer, as his voice became cold.

  "And if there are strings attached?"

  "Then keep it and just uphold your part of our deal as I did mine."

  Why would I want to get entangled with a trashy old man like you?

  If it's money, I have confidence in earning some later.

  As the two of them stared at each other, the king used his aura to press down on Caellum, expecting him to cower and fall to his knees again.

  However.

  Crunch.

  Munch munch munch.

  Without Caellum doing anything, the aura reacted to his thoughts and activated just enough of the strange aura he had acquired, and continued eating while staring at the king with a bored expression.

  He had done his part and delivered evidence that could be used, so it was the king's move.

  Whether he handled it or ignored it, that was none of his business.

  He just needed to pay up or release Caellum.

  But the king refused to speak, going back to his paperwork while pretending that Caellum wasn't there.

  The chamberlain disappeared, and all that could be heard was scritches of the king's pen on paper.

  Not one to wait around for others and let them waste his time, Caellum spoke up once he was full from snacking on the biscuits.

  "May I take my leave, your royal highness?"

  The king looked up, his scarlet eyes furrowed angrily before he changed the subject.

  "Do you have any plans for your former servant? You deserve to personally punish your manservant for the disrespect he showed you." The king tried to offer something that would entice Caellum.

  Unfortunately-

  "You can handle it. I don't really care about him."

  Caellum truly didn't care.

  Even if Caellum didn't do anything, he had full confidence that the queen would eliminate them so that she wouldn't be implicated further.

  There was no need to dirty his hands.

  "Just please enforce your part of the deal and expedite the process to allow me to choose my staff. Without having to get permission from anyone."

  What he needed to do was ensure the batch of people he recruited would not only be talented but also extremely loyal to him.

  Even to the death.

  That was the mafia way.

  Such a person, he highly doubted he would find it in this imperial palace, which meant he needed to figure out a way to sneak out of the palace more than ever, instead of wasting time here, trying to suck up to the king.

  The king stared at him for several seconds before walking to his desk, withdrawing an item, and throwing it at Caellum.

  Quickly catching it, Caellum ignored his stinging palms and stared at it.

  It was a small token with the royal family's name carved on one side and the kingdom's symbol on the other.

  "What's this?"

  "Royal chit. Don't lose it. Take it along with your chosen servant to the household department. If it's internal, the transfer is easy. If it's an external person, they have to be investigated, and you are responsible for them in entirety."

  "Understood. My thanks." Caellum safely tucked the small coin away while staring at the king expectantly.

  "...go. Winston will be in contact about your reward. Secretly."

  "Many thanks, your highness. Enjoy the rest of your day."

  Caellum quickly stood up, bowed politely to the king, and walked off.

  Originally, he planned to head to the royal library to begin some research and study, but for some reason, he decided to check on his palace first.

  Although he had Caellum's original memories, he wanted to conduct a thorough search to see if there was anything of value.

  Right now, what he lacked the most was funds and a way to sneak out.

  The latter would take some time, so it was better to begin acquiring the former whenever he could.

  Surely, there must be hidden items that could be sold off, right?

  Lost in thought, Caellum made his way back into his assigned area in the far corner of the royal palace.

  The place was as quiet and dilapidated as usual, but when he approached the smashed door to his room, there were two unexpected visitors kneeling down.

  The moment they spotted him, the two people bowed low to the ground while greeting him.

  "Welcome back, Your Highness."

  "Welcome back, Your Highness."

  "That's not necessary. More importantly, what are the two of you doing here? This is not your workplace." Caellum asked dryly.

  As far as he knew, the imperial kitchens should be under lockdown.

  Yet two people who should be inside were here in his dilapidated palace.

  The person to the left was the older woman with a white stripe in her hair, who had been cooking in the first kitchen he went to.

  And the person to the right was the red-haired young woman with a white stripe, who had been washing dishes.

  The two women glanced at each other before the elder woman, with tears in her eyes, began pleading desperately.

  "We came to beg your highness to please give us a chance to live!"

  Caellum: (?_? )?

  What kind of nonsense is this?