"That depends on what the future ruler wishes to become."
His gaze sharpened. "And what if he does not know what to become? What if he doesn't have the option to know?"
"Then he should not sit on the throne."
The words fell cleanly between us. No music reached that silence.
The Crown Prince looked at me as if I had struck him, not physically, but in a place far more inconvenient.
That's good. A little pain wakes the mind. He seemed to need it.
Then he laughed under his breath. It was not joyful this time. It was almost rueful.
"You speak more plainly than most, Duke Skandar."
"I assure you, Your Highness, this is already me being polite."
Abi coughed into his fist, trying desperately to hold in his laugh.
Tsk. I knew he would be annoying. Why does this guy keep laughing? The conversation isn't even that funny? Did centuries of imprisonment cause his sense of humor to go haywire?
The Crown Prince glanced at him, and for the first time, I saw something like envy pass through his eyes. Perhaps it was because Abi stood by my side without the rigid caution of a courtier. Perhaps because he could laugh freely. Perhaps because he was clearly dangerous enough not to care who watched.
Freedom was most visible to those who lacked it.
"I wished to speak with you because I value Sonomi's position," the Crown Prince said at last. "The East has always stood apart from imperial disputes. Yet its strength cannot be ignored. With the coronation approaching, many factions have become... active."
Such delicate way of going around things.
Active.
What a lovely word for scheming, bribing, threatening, poisoning, and sharpening knives beneath embroidered sleeves.
"I imagine they would be," I said with a nod.
These bunch of masked marionnettes who dances to the tune of whoever is in charge and powerful always gets restless at the slighted bit of opportunity.
"Some wish for continuity. Some wish for reform. Some merely wish for greater access to power." His expression remained controlled, but fatigue touched the edges of his voice. "I do not yet know which are allies and which are waiting for the most convenient moment to become enemies."
The Crown Prince's words were not an outright plea, at least not yet. He was far too careful for that.
He wanted help but could not ask. He wanted support but did not know whether mine would cost more than he could pay. He wanted to trust someone outside the capital's web, but the very reason I was outside it made me dangerous.
It was a conundrum. I wonder what this pitiful little puppy trapped in web would choose. Would he jump and drown in the deep, blue sea or live and make a deal with the devil?
It truly was amusing.
The Crown Prince, future emperor of Yarina, was standing before the man who had purchased the deadliest poison in the empire for him, wondering if said man might become his ally.
The comedy of fate was exquisite.
If only I could clap.
"I see," I said mildly. "Your Highness is in a difficult position."
His smile was faint. "That is one way to put it."
"A kinder one, yes."
This time, he genuinely looked amused.
"Then what would you advise, Your Excellency?"
Me? Advise him? Oh, this poor little imperial. Had he no survival instincts?
I gave him a pleasant smile. "Your Highness, do not ask for loyalty from those who have not yet decided whether you are worth following."
His expression sobered.
"Instead, make them want something that only your reign can provide."
He stared at me, a thoughtful expression in his face.
I continued softly, "Fear is useful, but temporary. Affection is powerful, but unreliable. Profit, however, is honest. People lie about honor, love, and duty but they rarely lie about benefits."
Abi looked at me with blatant delight. I could almost hear the exact words he wanted to say.
The Crown Prince lowered his gaze for a moment, seemingly turning the words over in his mind.
"That sounds rather cynical."
"Yes, it is admittedly so. But it is also practical."
"Are those different?"
"Sometimes. When necessary."
A faint smile returned to his lips. "Then, Sonomi, what does Sonomi want?"
Such a carefull little prince.
He was cautious but not timid. Good. Timid heirs were unbearable. They either died quickly or became puppets with expensive crowns. They were no fun.
"Sonomi wants what it has always wanted, Your Highness," I said. "To be left alone."
"And you, Your Excellency? What do you want?"
I smiled as politely as I could. That was the real question he wanted to ask. The thing he care about the most that made him on tenterhooks around me. Not that I could blame him.
What do I want? Hmm.
The vial in my ring seemed to grow heavier.
Power? It's already mine.
Wealth? I was overflowing with it.
Influence? I could stir the Capital by merely existing.
What I wanted was far simpler.
To become the greatest villain lord this world had ever known.
But of course, saying that aloud would ruin the charm. Not to mention, the sentiment might just be labelled absurd.
Now I would take offense in that very greatly.
"I want the empire to become more interesting," I answered.
The Crown Prince blinked.
Abi turned away, shoulders trembling again.
"That is… unexpected," the prince repeated.
He probably couldn't figure out where my train of thought was going. But it's not really my business to make things easier for him. He could wrack his brains trying to make sense of what I meant.
"Is it? I disagree, Your Highness. You see, stability is admirable, but stagnation is dreadful. A nation that sits too long in its own comfort begins to rot from the cushions upward."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Rot, huh. Do you believe Yarina is rotting?"
"I believe Yarina is heavily perfumed. Usually, that means someone is trying to hide a smell."
The Crown Prince was silent. I let him stew in his own thoughts.
Then, unexpectedly, he smiled.
It was a small, tired, but very real smile.
"I begin to understand why the court fears you."
"Only now, Your Highness? How disappointing."
He laughed quietly.
From the ballroom, another chime rang. The next set of dances was about to begin. His absence had already stretched long enough to invite notice. Even this meeting, discreet as it was, would become a seed for speculation.
Good. Let it grow crooked branches. Caring about it isn't to my advantage.
The Crown Prince straightened. The mask of imperial grace returned to his face, though not entirely. A fraction of the young man behind it remained visible.
"Thank you for indulging my questions, Your Excellency."
"It was my honor, Your Highness."
A lie, again. But still a pretty one.
He hesitated. There was something else he wished to say. A request, perhaps. Or is it a warning? Maybe, it's another plea.
Yet in the end, he swallowed it.
Cowardice? No. I don't think so. It was caution.
Different beasts, though often mistaken for one another.
"I hope we may speak again," he said.
"I am in the Capital for the festivities."
"Then I shall not waste the opportunity."
His gaze held mine for a second longer.
Then he turned and walked back toward the ballroom, his knight following like a shadow with armor.
I watched him leave.
Abi waited until the prince was out of earshot before dissolving the faint barrier around us.
"Oh, this is delightful," he said.
"I know."
"He wants your help."
"I know."
"He also suspects you might be dangerous."
"His eyes are working surprisingly well compared to others."
"And yet he still approached you."
"He is either desperate or intelligent."
"Which one?"
I smiled as the music swelled again beyond the curtains.
"He's both."
Abi's grin widened. "Are you still poisoning him?"
I glanced down at the ring on my hand in thought.
The answer should have been simple. Too simple, in fact.
Yes. I came here for that. I bought Vita's Tears for that. Aside from the fact that I wanted to spend some money.
To ignite chaos by snuffing the future light of the empire. To watch the chaos, the fights, the ugly yet entertaining show the people hungry for power would present me. To relish the fact that they were unaware that I was the hand behind it all until it was all too late.
I heart-wrenchingly endured the perfume battlefield, gossip vultures, and imperial theatrics for that.
And yet, the Crown Prince had just presented me with something far more valuable than an opportunity to ruin his body.
He presented me with access to his uncertainty.
A poisoned cup could destroy a prince.
But a well-placed hand could shape an emperor.
How troublesome that the latter appeals more to my tastes.
My villainous debut was already becoming complicated.
I sighed, "Not yet."
Abi stared at me. Then he laughed so hard I had to glare at him before his voice carried back into the ballroom.
"Brother," he said, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. "At this rate, you are going to accidentally save the empire before you even begin ruining it."
I smiled at him with all the warmth of a blade under moonlight.
"Say that again, and I will commission two lamps."
"Two?"
"One for each half after I cut you in the middle."
"How vicious. You seem to have forgotten I am your brother now."
"I try my best to forget unpleasant things."
And with that, I returned to the ballroom, where silk rustled, jewels glittered, and the future of the empire had just become a little more entertaining than expected.