Lionel smiled calmly while picking up the wine glass.
Perfect.
Because tonight—
Prince Lionel Ashbourne would begin disappearing forever.
The banquet hall slowly regained its atmosphere after Lionel's response.
But the mood had changed now.
Before?
The nobles were expecting entertainment.
Now?
They were wary.
Careful.
Because the prince standing before them suddenly felt… different.
Sharper.
Dangerous.
Even Alexander noticed it.
The Crown Prince's golden eyes studied Lionel carefully while maintaining his elegant smile.
"…You seem unusually confident tonight, brother."
Lionel swirled the wine inside his glass lazily.
"Maybe I finally realized this family is one bad conversation away from murdering each other."
Several nobles immediately looked uncomfortable.
The system screamed internally.
[WHY ARE YOU SPEAKING FACTS SO AGGRESSIVELY.]
Alexander chuckled softly.
"You always exaggerate."
Lionel took a sip.
"And you always lie."
The atmosphere froze again.
One noble quietly moved further away.
Smart man.
Alexander's smile remained calm.
But Lionel saw it again.
That tiny twitch near his eye.
Annoyance.
The Crown Prince was losing control of the conversation.
That almost never happened.
The king finally spoke.
"Enough."
His voice wasn't loud.
But the entire hall instantly became silent.
King Valdrik Ashbourne slowly looked toward Lionel.
Cold blue eyes.
Heavy pressure.
Even now, Lionel understood why the man ruled the kingdom successfully for decades.
The king carried natural authority.
Unfortunately—
Lionel also remembered this same man watching his execution without changing expression once.
"Your behavior grows increasingly reckless," the king said calmly.
Lionel met his gaze directly.
"Then perhaps the kingdom should stop giving me reasons."
Several nobles immediately lowered their heads.
Nobody wanted to be associated with this conversation anymore.
The king's expression remained unreadable.
But the pressure in the room intensified slightly.
Gold Rank aura.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
A warning.
Lionel smiled faintly despite it.
In his previous life?
This pressure terrified him.
Now?
Compared to future monsters like William?
This felt manageable.
The system spoke quietly.
[Confident little corpse today, huh?]
"…Fear is expensive," Lionel answered internally.
[That sounded suspiciously cool.]
Then—
A servant suddenly approached the royal table nervously.
"Y-Your Majesty…"
The servant whispered something quietly into the king's ear.
Lionel's eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
The king's expression didn't change.
But Alexander's gaze flickered briefly toward the eastern side of the banquet hall.
Signal confirmed.
Someone was moving already.
The assassination attempt had begun.
Lionel calmly finished his wine.
"…Excuse me."
Without waiting for permission, he turned and walked away from the royal table.
Several nobles looked stunned.
Ignoring the king publicly?
That alone was almost insulting.
Alexander called after him smoothly.
"Leaving already, brother?"
Lionel glanced back slightly.
"Nah."
A grin spread across his face.
"I suddenly realized the air near this table smells like political prostitution."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then somewhere in the back—
One drunk noble accidentally snorted wine through his nose.
The system completely lost control.
[HE CANNOT KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS.]
[+800 AURA.]
[THE MINISTERS ARE EXPERIENCING SPIRITUAL DAMAGE.]
Lionel walked away calmly while whispers exploded throughout the hall behind him.
Good.
Let them talk.
The more unpredictable he seemed—
The harder he became to control.
As Lionel moved deeper into the palace corridors, the elegant banquet noises slowly faded behind him.
Now the hallways were quieter.
Darker.
Empty.
Perfect assassination territory.
Lionel's crimson eyes sharpened slightly.
"…Three people following me."
[Correction.]
[Four.]
Lionel almost smiled.
Even better.
His footsteps echoed softly against the marble floor while moonlight entered through massive palace windows.
Then—
A voice echoed behind him.
"Your Highness."
Lionel stopped walking.
Slowly turned.
A royal knight stood several meters away.
Tall.
Armored.
Helmet hiding his face.
But Lionel immediately recognized something strange.
No royal insignia.
Interesting.
"Can I help you?" Lionel asked lazily.
The knight slowly approached.
"His Majesty requests your presence in the eastern chambers."
Lie.
Obvious lie.
The system laughed softly.
[This man has the assassination charisma of a suspicious alley rat.]
Lionel sighed dramatically.
"You know…"
The knight stopped.
Lionel smiled.
"If you people are going to assassinate royalty…"
Darkness slowly gathered beneath his feet.
"…at least improve the acting."
The knight's killing intent exploded instantly.
BOOM.
The floor cracked as the assassin lunged forward violently with a hidden blade.
Fast.
Very fast.
Silver Rank.
The original Lionel would've died instantly here.
Unfortunately—
This wasn't the original Lionel anymore.
Lionel's crimson eyes glowed.
☠ Eyes Of The Damned activated.
The assassin's movements suddenly became clearer.
Slower.
Predictable.
Lionel tilted his head calmly.
The poisoned blade missed his throat by centimeters.
Then—
Lionel smiled directly at the assassin.
"…Too slow."
☠ Grave Hand.
Dark energy exploded upward from the floor.
A massive black skeletal hand burst from the shadows and grabbed the assassin violently.
CRACK.
The assassin slammed into the wall hard enough to shatter stone.
Blood exploded from his mouth.
The system screamed excitedly.
[YESSSS.]
[WORKPLACE VIOLENCE.]
But suddenly—
Lionel felt danger.
Behind him.
A second assassin emerged silently from the darkness.
Twin daggers.
Aimed directly toward Lionel's spine.
Fast.
Professional.
Deadly.
Lionel clicked his tongue.
"Tch."
Too close.
Then suddenly—
A silver knife flew through the corridor.
SHING.
The second assassin's throat exploded instantly.
Blood splattered across the walls.
The corpse collapsed heavily.
Lionel's eyes narrowed sharply.
Someone else was here.
A figure stood atop the nearby window ledge beneath the moonlight.
Black cloak.
Silver hair.
Cold crimson eyes.
Seraphina.
The assassin girl from the graveyard.
The surviving assassin panicked instantly.
"Y-You—"
Seraphina disappeared.
Then reappeared directly beside him.
SHIK.
A dagger pierced his neck effortlessly.
The assassin collapsed twitching onto the floor.
Silence filled the corridor.
Blood spread slowly across the marble.
Lionel stared at Seraphina.
"…You're stalking me now?"
She stared back expressionlessly.
"You're loud."
"…That sounds like criticism."
"You attract murder attempts."
"…That sounds accurate."
The system spoke immediately.
[HER SOCIAL SKILLS ARE SOMEHOW WORSE THAN YOURS.]
Seraphina ignored the corpses entirely.
Her crimson eyes studied Lionel carefully.
Especially the dark mana still lingering around him.
"…Necromancy."
Lionel smiled faintly.
"…Assassination."
A brief silence followed.
Then surprisingly—
Seraphina nodded slightly.
Like mutual professional respect between criminals.
Interesting girl.
Very interesting girl.
Then she looked toward the banquet hall behind them.
"…More are coming."
Lionel sighed dramatically.
"Damn."
He glanced at the corpses.
"Can't a traumatized prince enjoy one family banquet peacefully?"
[Apparently not.]
Lionel slowly smiled.
Crimson eyes glowing faintly in the dark corridor.
Good.
Very good.
Because now he confirmed something important.
The royal family truly wanted him dead already.
Which meant he no longer needed to hesitate.
From this moment onward—
Lionel would stop acting like prey.