By the next morning, the entire academy was buzzing with excitement like a hive full of angry bees.
The story of yesterday's trial had spread through every dormitory, every classroom, and every corner of the campus. By the time I woke up, there were already three different versions of what had happened, and none of them were particularly accurate.
"I heard he flashed the golem and it literally exploded from embarrassment!" one student whispered loudly as I walked past.
"No, that's not what happened at all," another student corrected him. "He cast some kind of forbidden seduction spell that made the golem fall in love with him!"
"You're both wrong!" a third student insisted. "My roommate was there, and he swears he saw the Pervert Prince kiss the pile of rubble after the golem collapsed!"
I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud. The truth was weird enough without people making up even stranger details.
But this was actually perfect for my plans. Rumors and gossip were powerful tools, and I was learning that you could use them to shape how people thought about you. The key was to let people's imaginations run wild while carefully controlling what they actually saw.
Right now, everyone was confused about whether I was a lucky fool or some kind of twisted genius. That confusion was exactly where I wanted them.
I strolled through the academy corridors with a big smile on my face, enjoying the way other students stared at me and whispered to their friends. Some looked disgusted, some looked curious, and a few actually looked nervous.
Good. Being unpredictable was much better than being ignored.
"Your Highness! Your Highness, wait!"
I turned around to see Princess Lira hurrying after me, her golden hair bouncing with each step. She was carrying a stack of thick books that looked like they weighed almost as much as she did, and her cheeks were already turning pink before she even reached me.
The hallway we were in was pretty crowded, and I could see other students slowing down and pretending to look at things on the walls so they could eavesdrop on whatever we were about to talk about.
Perfect. An audience would make this even better.
"I... I wanted to say congratulations," Princess Lira stammered, clutching her books so tightly her knuckles were white. "Your magic yesterday was very... unconventional. But it was definitely effective."
She was trying so hard to be polite and proper, even though I could tell she was embarrassed to be seen talking to me again. It was actually kind of sweet.
The crowd of students watching us leaned in closer, like hungry wolves sensing drama.
I gave her my most dazzling smile, the one that had apparently made palace maids swoon back home.
"Thank you, my dear princess," I said in my smoothest voice. "Your words mean more to me than you could possibly know. Though I must confess something to you."
"What?" she asked, looking both curious and terrified of what I might say next.
"If you had been standing there instead of that golem," I continued, "I never would have had the heart to strike you down. Unless, of course, you asked me very nicely."
The reaction was immediate and spectacular.
Princess Lira's ears turned so red they were practically glowing. Her mouth fell open and she made a small squeaking sound like a mouse that had been stepped on. Her books started to slip from her arms as her hands began shaking.
"I... you... that's..." she stammered, but couldn't seem to form a complete sentence.
Finally, she just gave up trying to talk and ran away down the hallway, her books clutched against her chest and her face still bright red.
The crowd of students who had been watching erupted in excited whispers.
"Did you see that?"
"He made Princess Lira blush again!"
"I can't believe he said that to her!"
"The saintess actually squeaked! I've never seen her do that before!"
I turned to face the crowd and winked at them.
"What can I say?" I announced cheerfully. "I'm like a natural disaster. Beautiful, unstoppable, and absolutely devastating to everything around me."
A few students groaned, but I could tell that some of them were actually impressed despite themselves.
This was working out even better than I'd hoped.
---
At lunch time, I was sitting at my usual table in the corner, enjoying a bowl of some kind of elven soup that tasted like flowers and sunshine, when Lady Selindra appeared.
She didn't bother with polite greetings or asking if she could sit down. She just walked up to my table and slammed her food tray down hard enough to make my soup bowl jump.
"You planned that spell yesterday, didn't you?" she said without any introduction, her sharp gray eyes staring directly into mine.
I put on my most innocent expression and tilted my head like a confused puppy.
"Planned what? Me? Lady Selindra, I think you're giving me way too much credit. I barely plan what I'm going to eat for breakfast, let alone complex magical strategies."
She wasn't buying it for a second. She leaned across the table, getting close enough that I could smell her perfume. It was something subtle and expensive that probably cost more than most people made in a year.
"Don't play the fool with me," she said in a low, dangerous voice. "You knew exactly what you were doing. You knew that illusion spells would scramble the golem's detection wards. That wasn't dumb luck or perverted inspiration—that was careful planning and tactical thinking."
For just a moment, I let my silly grin fade away. I looked directly into her eyes with a completely serious expression, letting her see past my usual act.
"Maybe it was planned," I said quietly. "Maybe it wasn't. But if you tell anyone else about your theory, they might stop underestimating me. And that would make my life much more boring."
Her lips pressed together in a thin line. She stared at me for several long seconds, clearly trying to figure out what I was really thinking.
But she didn't argue with me or demand more answers. She just sat down across from me and started eating her lunch in complete silence.
For someone like Lady Selindra, who was known for being brutally honest and never backing down from an argument, eating quietly was basically the same as showing respect.
I had just earned the attention of one of the most dangerous students in the academy. That could be either very good for me or very bad, depending on what she decided to do with her suspicions.
But for now, I was content to eat my flower soup and enjoy the victory.
---
While I was having lunch and flirting with princesses, a much more serious conversation was taking place in the High Council chamber of the academy.
The room was located at the top of the tallest tower, behind magical wards that prevented anyone from listening in. It was where the most important professors met to discuss academy policy, problem students, and threats to the kingdom.
Today, they were discussing me.
"That spell yesterday was no simple perverted prank," Professor Lyrian was saying, his face still purple with anger. "The Third Prince demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of illusion magic and tactical thinking. He's hiding his true abilities."
"He's still a complete disgrace to elven nobility!" Professor Thane argued back. "One lucky spell doesn't erase years of shameful behavior. The boy is still a perverted fool who causes scandals everywhere he goes."
"But what if the prophecy is actually referring to him?" Professor Miriel asked quietly. She was the academy's expert on ancient magic and prophecies, and her word carried a lot of weight. "The most depraved elf who will either save or doom the kingdom. If that's really the Third Prince..."
Headmaster Aldric drummed his fingers on the polished wooden table, looking thoughtful and worried at the same time.
"We'll need to watch him much more carefully," he decided finally. "If the Third Prince truly is the depraved savior mentioned in the prophecy, then the fate of our entire kingdom may rest on his shameless shoulders. We need to know what he's really capable of."
The other professors nodded in agreement, though none of them looked happy about the situation.
None of them noticed the small magical spy-crystal that was hidden in the corner of the room, recording every word they said.
---
Of course, I knew nothing about this secret meeting or the magical surveillance.
I was much too busy with more important activities.
Specifically, I was hanging upside-down from a tree branch outside the girls' dormitory, trying to get a better view through the windows on the second floor.
"This is all for research purposes," I muttered to myself as I adjusted my position on the branch. "I need to understand the daily habits and routines of my fellow students. It's practically academic investigation."
The fact that the "academic investigation" involved trying to catch glimpses of cute elf girls changing clothes was just a happy coincidence.
Unfortunately, my research was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching the tree I was hanging from.
"Your Highness," came a familiar voice from below, "what exactly are you doing?"
I looked down to see Lady Selindra standing at the base of the tree, her arms crossed and an expression of complete exasperation on her face.
"Oh, hello there!" I said cheerfully, still hanging upside-down. "I'm conducting important research into the architectural features of the dormitory building. Very scholarly stuff."
"Uh-huh," she said dryly. "And I suppose this research requires you to be upside-down?"
"The blood flow to the brain enhances cognitive function," I explained seriously. "It's a well-known academic technique."
She stared at me for several seconds, clearly trying to decide whether to laugh or hit me with something.
Finally, she just shook her head and walked away.
"You're completely insane," she called over her shoulder.
"Thank you!" I called back. "I try my best!"
As I watched her disappear around the corner, I couldn't help but grin. Everything was going exactly according to plan.
Well, except for the part where I still hadn't actually seen anything interesting through the dormitory windows. But you can't win them all.
I'd just have to try again tomorrow. For academic purposes, of course.