He sat on the edge of the bed and focused on Kael, willing the Imperial Eye skill to activate.
For a second, nothing happened. Then—
[Target: Steward Kael]
Loyalty: -50% (Traitor)
Status: Spy – Second Prince
Weakness: Left Knee (Old Injury)
A soft red dot appeared on Kael's left leg, glowing like a target marker. Right on the kneecap.
Oh. Oh, that's useful.
"Kael," Draven said quietly.
The steward scoffed, walking to the table like he hadn't heard. He moved with the confidence of a man who knew he was untouchable. "The King cut your allowance this morning. Official decree. The Kalinga Kingdom demands compensation for the insult—your insult—and His Majesty has decided you'll pay for it."
He reached for the wine pitcher and poured himself a cup. Took a long, deliberate sip. "You're finished. No money, no prospects, no betrothal. You're a dead branch on the royal tree."
Blatant disrespect. The kind that in a corporate office would get you fired on the spot.
Draven stood up. His heart was pounding now, adrenaline dumping into his system.
"You forgot to knock."
Kael laughed—actually laughed, throwing his head back. "Knock? For you? The drunk prince who can't even keep a betrothal?" He set down the cup with a deliberate clink. "I don't knock for servants, boy."
Draven crossed the room. Six steps. His legs felt strange, lighter than they should.
He wasn't a fighter. Never had been. But that red dot was glowing on Kael's knee, and something cold and focused had settled in his chest.
The same feeling he got right before firing someone.
"Kneel."
Kael's face went red. His eyes bulged slightly. He raised his hand, probably to shove the prince aside. "You drunk little—"
Draven's heel snapped out.
He wasn't graceful. It wasn't some martial arts movie move. He just lifted his leg and stomped down as hard as he could, aiming for the glowing red dot.
His heel slammed into Kael's kneecap.
Crack.
The sound made his stomach lurch. Bone popping. Cartilage tearing.
Kael's scream was shrill, almost feminine. The leg buckled and he went down hard, crashing to the stone floor.
Draven's hands were shaking now. Adrenaline made everything feel sharp and distant.
Before Kael could recover, he grabbed the wine pitcher from the table. Heavy ceramic, half-full. He brought it down on the steward's face.
Crash.
Wine and blood sprayed across the floor. The pitcher shattered. Kael's nose made a wet crunching sound.
The steward was sobbing now, hands over his face, blood pouring between his fingers.
Ding!
[Ruthless Action Detected]
Mina Loyalty: 35% → 45%
Reward: +5 Dynasty Points
Draven looked down at the whimpering man. Blood was pooling on the stone floor, mixing with the wine.
He noted the absence of guilt.
He felt nothing. Just that cold, analytical part of his brain noting that the problem had been solved.
"The allowance is cut?" Draven asked. His voice sounded strange. Too calm.
"Y-Yes! Yes!" Kael cried through his hands.
"Good."
Draven grabbed Kael's hair and forced his head back. The steward's face was a mess. Broken nose. Split lip. One eye already swelling shut.
"Tell my brother his spy is broken."
He leaned close, close enough to smell the wine on Kael's breath mixed with the copper tang of blood.
"Enter my room again without knocking... and you die."
He shoved Kael away. The steward scrambled backward, slipping on the wine and blood, terror in his one good eye. He tried to stand, couldn't put weight on the broken leg, and ended up crawling toward the door.
He fled the room without looking back, leaving a trail of blood behind him.
---
Draven stood there for a moment, staring at his hands. They were still shaking.
He turned to Mina. She was staring at him with wide eyes—not fear now, something else. Awe? Respect?
"Clean this mess."
"Yes, Your Highness!" She moved instantly, faster than he'd seen her move before.
Draven walked to the balcony on unsteady legs and yanked open the heavy curtains.
Sunlight hit him like a slap. He squinted against it.
Below, the capital of Oryn sprawled out in all directions. Massive stone walls, thirty feet high at least. Winding streets packed with buildings. Market squares. Temples with golden domes. From here, from this height, it looked almost beautiful.
He knew better. The memories showed him the truth. Rotting infrastructure. Corrupt officials. Every noble clawing for advantage. Beggars in the streets. Crime in the shadows.
A kingdom waiting to be taken by someone ruthless enough.
He checked the system panel.
Dynasty Points: 25.
Not much. Barely anything. But it was a start. A foundation.
He stared out at the city, his city now, and felt something shift in his chest. Something hungry. Something that had been dormant in his old life, crushed under spreadsheets and performance reviews.
The corporate ladder had taught him how to climb. How to step on the people below you. How to smile while you did it. How to identify assets and leverage them. How to eliminate threats.
This world just made the rules more honest. More direct.
"Mina."
She looked up immediately from the floor. "Yes, Your Highness?"
"Tell me about the palace. The servants' gossip. Who's sleeping with who. Who owes money. Who's stealing."
Her eyes widened. "I... some, Your Highness. The servants talk."
"Good." He walked back into the room, stepping over the wet spot on the floor. "From now on, you tell me everything you hear. Every rumor. Every whisper. Everything."
"Yes, Your Highness."
He could see the loyalty percentage in his vision: 45%. Not high enough. Not yet. But it was climbing.
"And Mina?"
"Yes?"
"You're not furniture anymore. You're an asset. Assets get fed properly. Assets get protected." He paused. "As long as they're useful."
She stared at him like he'd spoken a foreign language. Then, slowly, she nodded.
"I understand, Your Highness."
Draven walked to the washbasin and cleaned the blood off his hands. The water turned pink, then red.
"Tell me about the other servants in this wing."
Mina hesitated, wringing out the bloody cloth. "There's... there's Lira. She cleans the halls. Young, maybe twenty. She came from the slums." Her voice dropped to almost a whisper. "The old prince—your predecessor—he hurt her. Badly. Often."
Draven's jaw tightened. Another broken toy left by his predecessor.
"Where is she now?"
"Probably in the servant quarters. She... she hides during the day. Only comes out to clean when she thinks you're asleep." Mina's hands were trembling again. "She's... she's very scared, Your Highness."
Smart girl. Traumatized, but smart.
*Ding!*
[New Quest: Secure Your Territory]
Objective:*Establish control over your palace wing
Sub-goals:
Recruit Lira (Traumatized Maid)
Eliminate remaining threats
Secure financial resources
Reward: 100 Dynasty Points,
[Rune-Tech Blueprint Fragment (1/3)]
Time Limit:5 days
Five days. The system was pushing him to move fast. And a Blueprint Fragment? That sounded valuable. What the hell was Rune-Tech?
He turned back to Mina. She was nearly finished with the floor, standing up and wiping her hands on her apron, looking ready to leave.
"Where are you going?" Draven asked.
Mina froze. "I... I finished cleaning, Your Highness. I thought..."
Draven walked back toward the bed. He sat on the edge of the mattress, resting his hands on his knees. The adrenaline from the fight was fading, leaving him oddly energized.
"Come here."
Mina hesitated, then walked forward, stopping a few feet away. She was still trembling slightly, but it wasn't pure terror anymore. It was anticipation mixed with confusion.
"The interruption was... unfortunate," Draven said softly.
He patted the space beside him on the bed.
"But the morning service isn't over."
Mina's breath hitched. She looked at him, then at the bed. Her cheeks flushed red—the first time he'd seen color in her pale face.
"Your Highness, I... I don't know how..." She bit her lower lip. "I've never... the old prince never wanted..."
"You were doing fine before." His voice was gentle but firm. "Come here."
She stepped forward slowly, like approaching a wild animal. Then, carefully, she knelt between his legs again.
But this time, she looked up at him. Those large brown eyes, still scared, but with something new flickering in them. Trust? Hope?
"What... what do you want me to do?"
The question was soft, vulnerable. Her voice cracked slightly.
Draven reached out and touched her cheek. She flinched instinctively, then forced herself to stay still. After a moment, she leaned into the contact, just slightly.
"Just... stay close. You've been alone for a long time, haven't you?"
Her eyes widened. Like no one had ever asked her that before.
"Yes," she whispered. "So long."
"Not anymore."
Ding!
[Intimacy Event: Tier 1 (Continued)]
[Loyalty Increased: 45% → 49%]
[Warning: Target Nearing Devoted Threshold (50%)]
Almost there. But not quite.
Draven stroked her hair again, and this time she closed her eyes, leaning into the touch with a soft sigh.
"Get comfortable, Mina. We have a lot of work to do."
She nodded, settling closer to him. The fear was still there, but it was mixing with something else now. Something warmer.
Ding!
[System Store Unlocked]
Available Items:
[Vitality Pill] -
+5 Permanent Health - Cost: 50 DP
[Charm Enhancer] -
+2 Charm for 24 hours - Cost: 30 DP
[Information Network]-
Palace Intelligence Feed - Cost: 75 DP
[Minor Weapon Enhancement] -
+3 Attack for 1 week - Cost: 40 DP
Draven's eyes widened. A system store. Of course there was a system store.
The Vitality Pill caught his attention immediately. +5 permanent health would make him significantly stronger. But it cost 50 Dynasty Points.
He had 25.
He needed exactly 25 more points.
One more interaction. One more loyalty gain. Maybe if he could push Mina over that 50% threshold...
He looked down at the girl kneeling beside him, her hand now resting tentatively on his leg.
"Mina," he said quietly.
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"Tomorrow, I want you to bring Lira to me. Tell her..." He paused, thinking. "Tell her the prince wants to apologize."
Mina's eyes went wide with surprise. "Apologize?"
"The old prince is dead. I'm not him." Draven's voice hardened slightly. "And I don't leave broken things unfixed."
She stared at him for a long moment, then slowly smiled. The first real smile he'd seen from her.
Ding!
[Loyalty Milestone Reached: 49% → 50%]
[Status Change: Devoted Servant]
[Bonus Reward: +25 Dynasty Points]
Perfect.
Dynasty Points: 50.
Exactly enough for the Vitality Pill.
He was going to enjoy this new world.
[Author's Note]
And that is the double-drop to start the journey!
Draven has secured his first funds and his first loyal servant, but the real game is just starting. The System Store is open, and the Rune-Tech Blueprints are coming soon.
Release Schedule: 1 Chapter / Day. (Bonus chapters for high rankings).
One Request: If you enjoyed these first two chapters, please leave a Power Stone (or a Rating). It helps the novel grow and tells me you want more.
See you in Chapter 3 for the first Stat Upgrade!