The Extra Prince Sets Out To Conquer The World

The knight threw up his hands in embarrassment, his complexion turning from white to blue.

   “Oh, no, I’m not! I’m….”

   “No?!”

   I cut him off, taking a big step toward the knight with an exaggerated gesture.

   “Sir Conrad, are you saying that you are not loyal? Are you saying that you will abandon the most important virtue of a knight, loyalty?”

I staggered back, clutching my forehead in astonishment, and Precia supported me in surprise.

   “Prince!”

   “Alas, it’s all right, don’t worry too much.”

I don’t know what to do with this overreaction to mere acting.

   I centered myself, stood up straight, and approached the knight.

   “Oh, no, no, no, no, no, I’m not, I’m, I’m, I’m trying to say, I’m, I’m trying to say that, that, that….”

The knight panicked and started babbling, and his fellow knights froze, unable to speak.

No wonder, if you say the wrong thing here, you’ll get tied up and beheaded.

   I wanted them to be this easy to manipulate.

   I patted the knight on the shoulder a couple of times, then took two large steps in the direction of the onlookers and said.

   “I know. I know he has no such impure intentions.”

   Now that I was speaking casually, everyone in this room was listening.

   “How can I not know that you spoke of such things purely out of concern for my safety after all that has happened, Sir Conrad?”

   At my question, the knight nodded urgently as if he had found a lifeline.

“Yes, yes,” he said, “I was only concerned for your safety!”

   “That is very unfortunate,” I said, “but if an assassin has come once, there is no guarantee that he will not come again, and as an escort sent to me by my father, I cannot help but think of his safety.”

“Well, yes!”

   “Of course it is,” I said, “it’s just that you’ve got a lot to worry about when you’re running around.

   “But!” I declared, with a look of determination on my face that belied my feelings.

   “But I can’t stay hidden in the palace, for that would be like being defeated by a lowly assassin!”

   No longer speaking to the knights, I looked around at those watching from afar, as if I were soliloquizing on a theater stage.

   “When my father heard of this incident, he was furious because it was a clear challenge to royal authority, and what does that mean? I, the prince, am not just his son; I am the son of this country, of this kingdom, and I am obligated to act in the name of royal authority!”

   I drew in a light breath and continued.

   “Now, tell me, my lord. I, the prince of this country. Should I be cowardly and hide in a lowly ship for my own safety, or should I come forth and proclaim that I am alive and well and that the royal family to which I belong is alive and well?”

To my question, the knight replied cautiously.

   “It is only right to announce the royal family’s… health.”

   WRONG. I can’t speak for the royal family.

   Being the son of a king is no guarantee that I will succeed him, and my other half-brother has a stronger backing than I do.

So whether I’m alive or not, I can’t speak for the royal family.

   But in this situation, no one dared to question it.

   Therefore, I declared.

“Yes, that’s why I’m wandering around this palace!”

   Of course, I’m lying.

   Even as I spoke, I was still wondering how I could possibly devour the treasures hidden in this palace.

But the people who heard my exclamation were nodding in agreement as if impressed.

Good, now I’ll be unhindered wherever I go.

   It would be a royal challenge to stand in my way.

   Actually, I knew the knights would complain at some point, but I didn’t expect it so soon.

   Even if they did, I thought they would complain inside the palace, but I’m glad they were more thoughtless and impatient than I thought.

Even just a hundred years ago, these so-called knights were the ones who said that knowing letters was a disgrace, so there was no way they could think properly.

   Thanks to this, I was able to get into the king’s quarters ahead of schedule.

   * * *

   I looked at the thick steaks and well-baked garnishes on the table and asked, as I sat down.

“Is it steak for dinner tonight?”

   Herion replied as he poured me a low-alcohol aperitif.

“Yes, sir. As the prince has ordered, we have prepared as much meat as possible.”

   The chunks of meat on my plate were large for a single serving, but that was what I had asked for.

   Quality protein was important if my frail body was to be fit to receive my Ancestral Legacy.

   As I sliced into the meat, I urged Precia and Herion to join me.

   “You two should eat together, especially Precia; you don’t have time to eat separately when you’re escorting around the clock.”

   “That’s true, but….”

   “The other knights are taking turns eating, so if you don’t like the idea of eating together, you can eat separately.”

   The knights were not here, as they had arrived at the palace and were with the soldiers guarding the palace.

   At my words, Precia hesitated, then sat down.

   Apparently, being attacked by an assassin while she wasn’t looking was too much of a shock.

   When I glanced over at Herion, who was still standing, he smiled casually and placed a salad on my plate.

   “Don’t worry, I’m eating separately.”

   Unlike Precia, my bodyguard, Herion isn’t stuck with me all day, so I guess he’s okay.

   Unlike Precia, who hesitated at my invitation before sitting down, he must find it difficult to sit at the same table as his master since servants and knights are not on the same level.

“You’re dependable, but Precia is also learning. Do you really think you can protect me without eating properly?”

   Precia blushed at my playful joke and replied.

   “I’ll eat with you.”

   Well, I’m not in a position to worry about anyone.

   As I eagerly cut into my steak, someone knocked on the door and asked to enter the dining room.

“Your Highness Yuan, I am a Chief of the Ministry of Palace Affairs. May I come in to apologize for dropping by while you are eating?”

   At his request, I put down the steak I had raised to my mouth.

The Ministry of Palace Affairs was the department in charge of the king’s servants and maids, and the chief was the top manager of the ministry.

In other words, the king’s chief of staff had come to see me unexpectedly.

Precia wolfed down the steak she’d been eating in a hurry and stood beside me in an escort-like manner, as if we’d never eaten together before.

   It was cute.

“Come in, sir.”

   At my nod, a well-dressed middle-aged man opened the door, stepped in, and bowed.

“Chief Germain Lumming, here to see Your Highness.”

I smiled bitterly at the greeting, which was like a royal etiquette book come to life.

He’s an extra who doesn’t play much of a role in the novel but later plays a key role in Precia’s decapitation of one of her enemies.

   Of course, I couldn’t use him right now.

   “I’m curious to know what brought you here, but since we’re eating, would you like to join us?”

   At my invitation, Germain inclined his head in greeting, then declined.

“Thank you, sir,” he said, “but I am afraid I shall not be able to stay long, for I have business to attend to which His Majesty has sent me.”

“Is that so? I’m afraid we can’t keep a busy man for long, Sir. Please feel free to take care of your business.”

   At my pretense, the man thanked me and told me why he was here.

“His Majesty said that he regretted that the banquet to celebrate your birthday had to be canceled due to an unfortunate incident the other day, so he asked if you would like to dine with him in the Inner Palace, albeit late, to make up for the previous banquet.”

I was dumbfounded at how difficult it was for him to just ask me to have a meal with him.

   But I like it when things turn out the way I expect them to.

If nothing else, Videl’s armor in the Inner Palace was one of the things I had to have in this place.

   I smiled, trying to hide my excitement.

“That’s good to hear, and please tell my Royal Father that I look forward to seeing him again.”

   The king, who usually paid no attention to his children, must have heard about the day’s events.

The king is angry about my attempted assassination, not because I nearly died, but because it was a challenge to his authority.

The king was pleased with my speech that was not a speech because it brought attention to the royal family in a political arena that would have otherwise belittled them.

“My lord, I will pass on your message, and then I will take my leave of you.”

   “Yes, sir, thank you for your trouble. Herion, see the gentleman off.”

   At my direction, Herion politely opened the door and escorted me out of the palace. I sipped my drink and chuckled as the two of them left.

   “Sending a merchant ship just to deliver a message….”

   My behavior during the day may have pleased the king, but there is one person who will be furious with me.

   The queen of this country.

   As long as my status as the king’s eldest son exists, she is bound to hate me.

   My behavior during the day was justification for entering the king’s residence, but it was also a provocation to the queen that could not be ignored and a paving stone for my next move.

   In such circumstances, a visit from the king’s closest confidant, his chief of staff, was more than just a provocation; it was enough to instill anxiety.

   It’s like getting gas and smoking a cigarette in front of someone who hates smokers.

   Is the king helping me, or is he just taking advantage of me?

   Either way, I’m just taking advantage of the situation.

King or queen, I’ll take as many layers off as I can.

   “This is delicious. I wish I could have savored it a little longer.”

Precia blushed, ashamed of her rushed eating.

   “No, please don’t tease me.”

Saying that made me want to tease her even more.

   Finishing my meal, I joked lightly with Precia and went back to my room.

   * * *

   I sat by the window and looked up at the night sky.

The midwinter temperature brushed the tip of my nose, but it wasn’t cold.

   Navi blocked the wind from entering the room.

   -Nya!

   “Yes, yes, good child.”

I played with Navi with one hand and made the wind materialize the places I had told her to look at during the day.

Since it was too windy to see, I sprinkled soil over it. The wind then trapped the soil, revealing a clear architecture.

It was physically and logistically impossible to get everywhere in one night, so I decided to take my time.

   “Navi, do you think I can get through this hole?”

   I pointed to the vent, and Navi thought for a moment, then cried.

-Meow!

“Oh, I can’t get in?”

   I was surprised to hear a cat meow ringing in my ears, but I understood what she was saying.

   “Then where’s a good place I can get in?”

   In response to my question, she walked around the building’s sculpture, stopped in one spot, and pointed to a vent on the third floor.

“Just the part that connects to this hole.”

   I did as I was told, and the castle collapsed except for the ventilation shaft, leaving a three-dimensional map made of dirt in the void.

   “Indeed, we can get to our destination through here. Good job!”

I patted Navi’s head, and he gave a pleased “purr.”

   I checked off the places I wanted to visit today and cleaned up the dirt.

   Then I stuck my leg out the window and said.

   “Come on, Navi, let’s go.”

   -Meow!

   As I jumped out the window, I felt resistance under my feet and slowly fell.

   I landed five stories to the ground and patted Navi’s head.

   Just then, someone else jumped from the window as if to follow my lead.

   I was surprised at how fast they fell, but when I saw the face that landed right next to me, I clicked my tongue.

   “Prince… no, are you the prince?”

   In the moonlight, Precia looked at me with a bewildered and confused expression, her hand on the hilt of her sword.