"Many thanks for the tour, my dearest brother. Let's meet again once my confinement is over, or in the library. If you're still interested in learning more about the discussion in the throne room, I can give you another discount." Caellum cheerfully waved at the 9th prince as he entered the doorway that supposedly led to his room.
Considering the fact that it was in a whole different building and closer to the servants' quarters than where the rest of the royal family lived, Caellum could easily gauge how the 13th prince was treated.
Additionally, a disgruntled guard stood at the doorway, glaring at him, so it seemed his confinement would be enforced.
"No, thank you," Emrys muttered bitterly as he walked away.
He was exhausted after being forced to give a tour to the 13th prince, who not only pretended that he didn't know the history of anything, which forced Emrys to talk, but also intentionally spoke to everyone that they saw, as if he wanted to imprint on them all that he was close to him.
Additionally, when he had tried questioning Caellum about the cinnamon spice while Caellum was eating in his palace, he was almost extorted out of everything he owned.
By the time Caellum said he was ready to return to his own place and asked Emrys to escort him, Emrys couldn't help but say a quick but earnest prayer to his god.
'Please! Let me never have to deal with the 13th prince again!'
**************
As Caellum walked into his bedroom, whistling cheerfully, the cheery tune immediately became dreary as he glanced around.
To put it mildly, he couldn't believe that this was the resting place for a prince in the extravagantly built and decorated palace that he had just toured.
Firstly, the room was small.
Even smaller than Emrys's small sitting room.
Secondly, the furnishings were old, dilapidated, and dusty, as if they hadn't been cleaned, fixed, or replaced in a long time.
There was a single, small mattress on the floor, with bedsheets and a blanket that might as well have been rags, and a slightly musty scent filled the air.
The desk in the corner was wobbly; the chair against it had only three crooked legs, and there was only a small window letting in light and illuminating the room.
The only decent thing was a small wooden wardrobe with a few nice clothes similar to what he wore now, and other clothes that looked like servants' clothing.
The in-suite bathroom was not much better; the tub and mirror were cracked, and there was black mold along the tiles; the only good thing was that there was running hot water.
Walking over to the mirror, Caellum finally took a good look at the body he was now in.
It was a young, handsome teenager of medium height and a frail build.
The shaggy hair was a stark white, still stained with blood; his forehead had a foul, ugly bruise that throbbed.
His eyes were a vibrant purple with dark shadows beneath, and his body was thin beneath the multiple layers of clothing.
Not to the point of malnutrition, but close.
Additionally, every time he moved, his entire body ached.
It felt like stinging acid pouring through his limbs, causing Caellum to think about a couple of conjectures that couldn't be proved right now.
Instead, he focused on his face, picking apart the features in the cracked mirror.
No matter how Caellum examined his appearance, there was no sign of the king's features in his face, and he briefly wondered if there was a story behind it before shrugging.
It wasn't really important right now and could be investigated later.
The living conditions were the real issue, but even though they were bad, compared to some of the places Caellum had lived in his own world, they were like heaven on earth.
This was no way for a prince to live and Caellum planed to change that as soon as possible.
After rinsing the blood from his hair, Caellum took a seat on the crooked chair and rummaged in the desk drawers until he found some paper scraps and charcoal sticks to write with.
Laying it out on the table, he began to rack his brain to recall vague memories.
What exactly did he remember about the novel his subordinates used to speak about?
He knew it followed the 12th prince's journey to become heir to the throne.
During that journey, the 12th prince encountered a series of incidents, including discovering a plot by an evil organization to destroy the Emberfield Kingdom and the world.
From that moment on, the 12th prince starts fighting that organization and collecting allies as if they were a fisherman and the sea was filled with fish as far as the eye could see.
Unfortunately, Caellum wasn't the 12 prince, and even more unfortunate, he definitely didn't pay much attention, so he couldn't really remember much.
The only things that stood out in his head were big incidents or people with unique names or appearances that his subordinates would harp on again and again.
In the royal palace, the only people Caellum actually knew a bit about were the 9th prince due to his unique hair color and background.
The 12th prince, since he was the main character.
The 13th prince, due to his unique name.
The 9th prince due to his unique appearance, and abilities.
And the queen, who was the mother and biggest supporter of the 12th prince, whose name was similar to where she was from: the Emerald Isles.
After that, Caellum's brain went blank, although he thought he might recognize a few of the 12th prince's supporters if he saw or heard their name.
And regarding incidents, while there were a few he remembered, according to the vague timeline in his memories, if the 13th prince was supposed to die today, which correlated to the first chapter, then what he needed to worry about was the incident 6 months from now.
It was called the Phlegrei Incident, and to put it mildly, the long-dormant volcanoes on which the capital city of the Emberfield Kingdom was built exploded, destroying the majority of the capital, killing and injuring numerous people, while propelling the 12th prince into the limelight for his commendable reaction and help in stabilizing the kingdom.
It was also the 12th prince's first meeting with the evil organization he fought against.
While it was a sad incident, Caellum had no plans to interfere or be anywhere near the capital, or even in the country, when it happened.
He would let things play out as they were supposed to while pursuing his own goals.
And to accomplish those goals, he needed three things.
1. Acquire an obscene amount of money and resources before those 6 months.
2. Acquire a way to protect himself, both individually and with the right personnel.
3. Renounce his title as a prince so that he could leave with no regrets.
The first item on the list was already in progress.
With the funds from the 9th prince, Caellum planned to visit the black market as soon as possible.
Not only was it the quickest way to raise funds, but it also had a secondary purpose: to help him find personnel for hire.
As for a way to protect himself, it was a two-part process.
The first step was to strengthen his weak body as much as possible.
This strange pain needed to be dealt with, and if he was traveling, he needed to be strong enough to handle whatever might happen, since there were no planes in this world.
That meant eating well, resting well, training, and taking supplement to strengthen his body.
Secondly, once he left the capital, he would stop to get a magical item that could be used to protect him from harm, then proceed from there.
Of course, while he was in the capital, he would also be searching the black market for items, but finding valid ones when he had no magic to test them or no knowledge about them didn't guarantee success.
And finally, renouncing his title as a prince and leaving? That was the most necessary step.
Caellum wasn't sure how the novel ended; he wasn't even sure what happened in the middle, or even how much of the story his subordinates had conveyed, but from the little he'd been told, almost all of the 12th prince's siblings who still had their titles mysteriously died in one way or another.
Since he had no use for the throne and would rather investigate why and how he was brought into this world, and how he could go back to his own world, Caellum would gladly give it up to avoid any misunderstandings.
Satisfied with his plan, Caellum scribbled a couple more things on the scraps of paper that he vaguely remembered before forcibly memorizing the information and shredding the paper.
Then, leaning against the door, he waited until he heard the guards change shift and settle down before knocking softly.
Knock knock.
As the knock was repeated over and over, the irate voice of the guard finally yelled out.
"WHAT? Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?!"
"Do you mind sending a servant to get me a snack from the kitchen? You can have some too, and I'll tip you both well." Caellum said enticingly as he jingled the handful of coins retrieved from the magic bag he'd received from the 9th prince.
Jingle jingle.
There was a moment of silence before the guard spoke in a much gentler tone.
"Coppers?"
"Silvers."
"Wait a moment, I'll grab a serving girl. What do you want to eat, your royal highness?"
"Some pastries and something hot to drink are fine. Feel free to add your order in too. Many thanks."
The guard grunted in response.
Satisfied that the guard was susceptible to bribery, Caellum calmly waited for his snacks to come.
Or, more importantly, the servant who was bringing it.
Let's make some friends, shall we?