Chapter 6: Weaving the Web

Loyalty is a currency.

Some buy it with gold. Others with fear.

I prefer to buy it with something far more valuable.

Control.

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A Whisper in the Shadows

The palace was full of secrets. Hidden corridors, concealed doors, and forgotten pathways.

And tonight, I had found one.

It started as a whisper—a sound too faint to be the wind, too sharp to be an idle murmur.

I followed it. Not because I was curious, but because I had learned long ago—when someone whispers in the dark, they usually don’t want to be heard.

And secrets were more powerful than any blade.

I kept my steps light, silent against the polished marble. The voices grew clearer as I neared the edge of a narrow corridor—a dead end to most, but not to those who knew better.

I rounded the corner, and there she was.

A woman. Dressed in a plain servant’s uniform—unassuming, forgettable. But her stance was all wrong.

Too poised. Too aware. Too dangerous.

Her back was to me, her gloved fingers working fast, tucking a small parchment into the folds of her sleeve.

I exhaled, just loud enough to make my presence known.

She froze.

And then, without hesitation, she turned.

Not startled. Not afraid.

But smiling.

---

The Spy

“Your Highness,” she said smoothly, dipping into a practiced curtsy. “You walk quietly for a prince.”

I smiled back. “And you hide well for a servant.”

Her eyes flickered, sharp with amusement. This one was quick.

Good. That meant she was useful.

She rose from her curtsy, studying me just as much as I was studying her.

She was… striking. Not in the way noblewomen were, with their painted faces and stiff grace, but in a way that made her hard to forget.

Dark hair pulled into a loose braid. Clever golden eyes, the color of old coins. A smirk that didn’t belong on a simple palace maid.

She was a spy. That much was obvious.

The real question was—who did she work for?

---

A Dangerous Game

She tilted her head, still smiling. “Should I be worried, Your Highness?”

I stepped closer, keeping my posture relaxed. A predator, pretending not to hunt.

“That depends,” I mused. “Are you hiding something?”

Her smirk widened. “If I were, I wouldn’t admit it.”

Clever. I liked her already.

I glanced at her sleeve—the one where she had tucked the parchment. She noticed. Her muscles tensed, just slightly.

Then, without breaking eye contact, she pulled the paper from her sleeve and held it out to me.

An offer. A test.

I took it, unfolding the small scrap with a slow, deliberate motion.

The handwriting was neat. Precise. A coded message—one meant for someone who understood the game.

My eyes skimmed the words, and I nearly laughed.

"The little prince is not as fragile as they believe. Watch carefully."

Ah. So someone had been watching me.

I glanced back up at her, expression unreadable. “Who sent you?”

She shrugged, unbothered. “Many people are interested in you, Your Highness.”

I stepped closer. “And which of them do you serve?”

For the first time, she hesitated. Just for a breath.

Then, she smiled again. “Whoever pays the most.”

Honest. I could respect that.

But I wasn’t here to respect her. I was here to use her.

---

An Uneasy Alliance

“You’re careful,” I admitted, folding the parchment and tucking it into my pocket. “But not careful enough.”

She arched a brow. “Oh?”

I gestured toward the empty corridor. “This passage is unknown to most. Which means whoever you were delivering this to… is someone important.”

Her golden eyes flickered, calculating.

I stepped even closer, lowering my voice. “Which means if I call the guards, you’re as good as dead.”

Her smirk didn’t waver, but I saw the shift in her posture. A fraction more alert. A hint of tension in her shoulders.

Then she exhaled, amused. “You’re more dangerous than I expected, Your Highness.”

I smiled, all teeth. “And you’re more useful than you think.”

A beat of silence.

Then she tilted her head. “Are you offering me something?”

“I’m offering you a choice.”

I leaned in, voice soft, but firm.

“You can keep running, selling scraps of secrets to people who will dispose of you the moment you’re inconvenient.” I smiled, sharp as a knife.

“Or you can work for me.”

Her amusement faded.

She had expected me to threaten her. Expected me to kill her, maybe. But not this.

For the first time, her smirk disappeared. And what replaced it was curiosity.

“Why would I work for you?” she asked, voice quieter.

I shrugged. “Because I’ll pay more. And because if you choose wrong…”

I stepped back, letting the weight of my unspoken words settle.

She understood.

A moment passed. Then another.

Then, she smiled again, slow and dangerous.

“You drive a hard bargain, Prince Lucian.”

She extended a hand.

I took it.

And just like that, the web began to form.

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The Collapse of Lord Gregor

By the time I returned to the main halls, the night had grown darker. The court had begun to shift.

Gregor was unraveling. He hadn’t spoken once during the evening discussions, his hands restless, his gaze flickering toward the corners of the room.

His paranoia was getting worse. And soon, he would break.

Evelyn was watching, too.

She stood at the edge of the chamber, speaking with a noblewoman, but her eyes were on me.

Calculating. Testing.

I met her gaze, tilting my head in a silent challenge.

She smirked, as if amused. But I saw the flicker of something else beneath it.

Curiosity. Suspicion. Interest.

The game was shifting.

And I was already three steps ahead.

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