Surviving As the 5th Prince of the Ruined Kingdom

017

This world is not Earth.

The people of the Leonel Kingdom call this world ‘Teira’. A world where gods exist and mana is present. Yet occasionally, they encounter flora and fauna strikingly similar to those on Earth.

The most representative example is humans.

Others include pigs, chickens, roses, cherry blossoms, and the cuckoo, which kills all the chicks in another bird’s nest and is raised by the parent birds.

The royal blood of Leonel runs thick.

The rumor that the 4th Prince Akkard might be a cuckoo chick was bound to arise. Those who spread it simply disappeared without a trace, forcing others to keep quiet.

Shortly after the [Library] opened, I tried to verify the truth behind this rumor.

┕ Is the rumor true that the 4th Prince does not have royal blood?

“With your current RP, I cannot provide an answer to that question.”

The result was, of course, a flat rejection.

For a while, I had forgotten about it.

Even after the dramatic improvement in my relationship with Reina and achieving the “Turns out I’m popular too” achievement, which gave me just over 30,000 RP, Genie’s response remained the same.

But yesterday, the answer to the question changed.

“The information fee for that question is 30,000 RP.”

Around 300 million won in the currency of my previous life.

I didn’t purchase the information.

Even if I poured out all my RP to uncover the truth, it wouldn’t be very useful. I couldn’t go around shouting, “The 4th Prince is indeed a changeling!” just because the answer was Yes.

If the answer was No, I would undoubtedly shed tears thinking about the 30,000 RP I wasted at the [Library] to satisfy my useless curiosity.

What caught my attention was:

‘The price of the information had changed.’

The price of a question, whose answer I couldn’t even hear as Yes or No, had changed? Why? There was only one possible explanation.

The value of the information had decreased.

Why?

After much deliberation, I reached a conclusion.

The information is being revealed.

If everyone, be it dogs or cows, knew that Akard was a changeling? The more people knew, the less valuable the information became.

Then why was the secret of his birth being revealed? What groups were starting to share that secret?

The answer came quickly.

‘The 1st Prince and his supporters.’

The moment I deduced that, I discarded all the plans I had devised to persuade the 2nd Prince.

Instead of spending the hefty sum of 30,000 RP to hear a Yes or No answer, I traced the 2nd Queen’s activities between 9 and 11 months before Akard’s birth.

The result:

At that time, a delegation from her home country, the Arya Kingdom, visited the Rionel Kingdom. Furthermore, a cousin she had known since childhood was part of that delegation. Moreover, I discovered that there had been rumors in the Arya royal court that the 2nd Queen had been involved with that cousin in the past.

The 2nd Queen, who was so homesick that she decorated her quarters like the Arya palace. In the midst of that, she met her former lover after a long time?

That’s 99.99% certain.

“You’ve been acting a bit strange lately, but this is too much. You’ve gone mad. You do realize that no one with a head on their shoulders would dare utter such nonsense, right?”

The 2nd Prince’s gaze seemed to dismiss me as insignificant. I briefly avoided his gaze and quickly checked his status window.

[Relationship: Wary]

The word ‘Wary’ was a deep red, close to ‘Hostile’. It hadn’t turned to ‘Hostile’ yet. In fact, it seemed to have faded slightly.

The 2nd Prince didn’t immediately stand up and leave, nor did he immediately kick me out.

A little confidence emerged.

“Copens Miken.”

“……”

The 2nd Prince’s eyebrows twitched slightly at the name I mentioned. My 99.99% thought became 100%.

Moreover, I became convinced that the 2nd Prince knew Akard’s secret.

“…… How do you know that name?”

It was an obvious question.

The 2nd Queen’s cousin changed her name after becoming an adult, joined the Derilsawei, and even changed her surname, so the name when she came as part of the delegation was not Copens Miken.

“I heard that a thief broke into the study of Count Kurus of the Arya Kingdom the day before yesterday, did you know?”

“!!”

Kurus Kanos. That’s his current name.

Information is truly amazing.

The fact that a count’s study in a neighboring kingdom across the sea was robbed. The count’s former name. The women who were rumored to have been involved with that count in one way or another.

Looking at each piece individually, they are small bits of information that don’t require much RP. But if you assemble them well, you can complete a powerful weapon capable of stabbing the Queen of a kingdom.

“Isn’t it more important who robbed that place than how I knew that fact?”

Of course, the 2nd Prince would also guess.

That it was robbed by the 1st Prince’s faction.

I don’t know if they got hold of evidence. The clear fact is that the timer on the time bomb the 2nd Queen had secretly hidden has started ticking.

The 2nd Prince has only one choice he can make.

“This royal trial will be a good opportunity.”

If the timer on the time bomb has started ticking, it’s best to remove it before it explodes.

As soon as possible.

That way, you might avoid being blown up.

***

“You’ve used up the promised 30 minutes. I’ll be waiting for good news.”

Damian stopped trying to hold back Evan, who was leaving the reception room.

Soon, the chief butler appeared with an overcoat.

“Your Highness, the next schedule…….”

“Cancel it. And I want to be alone, so don’t let anyone in.”

“I understand.”

Once alone again, Damian rose from the sofa and approached the window. He saw Evan and his attendant walking away.

“That guy……”

Five years ago, Damian had witnessed the downfall of the Bairn County, Evan’s maternal family, and the disappearance of those associated with it as morning dew on the execution grounds.

Evan, who had been trampled to the point where no one thought he could ever rise again. After being called the “Ghost Prince,” Damian had not paid him the slightest attention.

But.

“He was hiding his fangs.”

How did Akard find out information that even Damian himself didn’t know, including the fact that he was a cuckoo’s child? The only conclusion Damian could draw was:

“The remnants of the Bairn County.”

Probably……. the secret unit that handled information. It was clear that they and Evan had been lying low under the guise of the “Ghost Prince” all this time.

Why did they shed that guise now?

Ah, did they not shed their guise? Perhaps they were forced to reveal themselves because of that scoundrel.

“Did you know that the Count Curus’s study was ransacked?”

Damian, alone in the parlor, addressed someone.

“I’m sorry.”

Surprisingly, a response came from near the fireplace.

“You didn’t know.”

“It could be a deception.”

“Did it seem like a deception?”

Damian’s intuition whispered that Evan had conveyed the truth.

“……. We were tracking the movements of some of the 1st Prince’s shadows who had moved towards the Arya Kingdom.”

“Incompetent.”

“I’m sorry.”

He opened his mouth, looking at the retreating Evan.

“Keep one of the shadows on that guy.”

“……. It will be a meaningless sacrifice.”

“What?”

“The 5th Prince’s attendant, our eyes met earlier. He is clearly no ordinary attendant.”

“I should have recognized them when Mother assigned shadows trained in Arya’s secret arts. His abilities are exceptional. He must hurry back and report today’s events?”

“We are loyal only to the 2nd Prince.”

“Thank you. I’m so grateful I could go crazy.”

“……”

Damian felt the urge to switch Evan’s servant and his shadow.

“Evan Lionel……”

An unexpected variable that suddenly emerged from the rivalry that was equal to, or frankly, slightly inferior to the First Prince. Damian thought Evan could become a useful pawn.

At the very least, far more useful than that good-for-nothing son.

The handle might be a little sharp, but he was confident he could smooth it out. The thought of getting cut and bleeding from it never crossed his mind.

‘This is a good opportunity to get rid of that good-for-nothing son. And now, I need to reduce my mother’s influence as well.’

***

On the way back from Opal Palace to Emerald Palace.

“Your Highness, what did you talk about with the Second Prince, just the two of you? Can you tell me a little bit, just a tiny bit?”

Alfonso kept pestering him from the side.

Ignoring him, he continued walking. His mind was already weary from the battle of wills with the Second Prince. He had not a shred of desire to expend energy satisfying Alfonso’s curiosity.

“It wasn’t just the two of us.”

“Huh?”

At the moment when a wandering ghost hand halted near the fireplace in the reception room of Opal Palace, a status window suddenly popped up.

‘Was its name Muyoung?’

It was like catching a mouse by accident while taking a step back.

Opening his third eye to see mana, he glanced at that part and sensed a slight dissonance.

“……”

Alfonso suddenly fell silent.

Since he had found it bothersome, he was rather pleased.

‘Come to think of it, what a pity.’

I glanced towards Opal Palace and had that thought.

If I were the First Prince and someone informed me of the secret behind the Fourth Prince’s birth, I would have treated them as a benefactor.

Anyway.

Just to verify the rumor’s authenticity would cost 30,000 RP. And that’s with its value having decreased now.

┕ Is the Fourth Prince’s real father Curus Canos?

“The fee for this information is 29,000 RP.”

Correction, it’s 29,000 RP now that more people have learned Akard is a cuckoo’s child. It’s strangely like searching for apartment prices.

As I watched the apartment prices in the bear market plummet, I thought it was an inevitable bomb waiting to explode.

Should I compare it to the scraps of a stock before delisting?

At least I could make some use of it like this. That’s how I consoled myself.

‘The aftermath is more intense than I expected.’

I had merely battered Akard’s son as my heart dictated, but the damage was far greater than I’d imagined.

I predicted it would simply lead to some mischief like [poisoned milk], but······.

Not only did I end up standing trial in the royal court, but the Second Prince would particularly start paying attention to my existence.

Just imagine the ghost prince secluded in the Emerald Palace suddenly learning of a burglar who broke into a Count’s residence across the sea. What would you think? Fortunately, our relationship didn’t escalate from ‘caution’ to ‘hostility’, but······.

Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.

Was that guy Muyoung following me?

The thought of having to scan every corner of my bedroom with ghost hands before sleeping gave me a headache.

‘Still, I have no regrets.’

I reminisced about the thrilling sensation during the duel. As if recalling the same memory, my ghost hand clenched and unclenched its fingers repeatedly.

The situation around me was changing more rapidly than expected. I desperately needed someone I could trust and rely on.

The only person I could think of was my sister.

······ But even my sister was merely struggling to stay afloat.

I had actually declined her offer to visit today, not wanting to burden her any further.

Unconsciously, I glanced at Alfon. His blank, eyeless sockets made it impossible to discern his thoughts.

Perhaps that was an advantage in itself.

Ha······.

“Your relationship with Damian Lionel has improved.”

“You have acquired 5,000 RP.”

Huh?

I quickly checked my status window.

Out of the blue, my relationship with the Second Prince, which had remained at ‘caution’ throughout our 30-minute conversation, had changed to ‘normal’.

It was clear that some mental shift had occurred in this short time. Could I take this to mean he had agreed to be on my side during the royal trial?

My gloomy mood improved slightly.