Zero completely ignored the jealous glares of the boys and the shocked whispers of the girls. He just sat at the grand table, chewing his food as Lilia and Kaelith happily continued to spoil him.
While Zero was enjoying his grand meal at the Valmont Estate, a completely different scheme was taking place on the other side of the capital city.
Deep inside the massive, heavily guarded walls of the Oakhaven Royal Palace Crown Prince Caspian Aldric was sitting alone in his luxurious private chambers.
Right in the center of his dark mahogany desk was the glowing, golden glass vial—the 100% pure Rank-B Healing Potion that Zero had given him yesterday.
Caspian stared at the glowing vial. His eyes reflected the golden light, filled with intense greed and dark ambition. He slowly reached out and tapped his fingers against the glass, a wicked, scheming smile spreading across his face.
'Zero told me to give this to my father as a gift from him,' Caspian thought to himself'I could have easily rushed to my father's bedroom last night and given it to him in secret... but that would have been a massive waste'
Caspian stood up from his chair and walked toward the large window overlooking the Kingdom.
'If I cure the King in private, only he will know what I did,' Caspian smirked, his arrogance growing 'I want to maximize my favor! I want the entire royal court to watch me save the King's life. I want my pathetic step-brothers to see it with their own eyes!'
Caspian's face twisted into a look of absolute superiority and cruel triumph. He imagined the shocked, defeated faces of his rivals.
"Yes," Caspian whispered out loud to himself, his voice dripping with venom. "My step-brothers think they still have a chance at taking the throne. Today, I will show them exactly what their true worth is. I will put them in their place and humiliate them in front of everyone!"
He turned back around, staring at the miracle potion.
"With this potion, and my upcoming alliance with that monster Zero through Seraphina's marriage... absolutely no one can stop me from becoming the next King!" Caspian laughed wickedly.
Caspian quickly picked up the golden vial and carefully tucked it into the inner pocket of his royal coat. He walked over to his chamber doors and pushed them open. Two heavily armored Royal Guards were waiting outside.
"Guards!" Caspian commanded with absolute authority.
"Yes, Your Highness!" the guards saluted instantly.
Caspian puffed his chest out, a massive, excited grin on his face. He could already taste the absolute power of the crown.
"Send messengers to all the royal family members, the high nobles, and especially my step-brothers," Caspian ordered loudly.
"Tell them to gather in the King's Grand Bedchamber immediately! Tell them that the Crown Prince has brought a miraculous treasure that will change the fate of this Kingdom forever!"
"Right away, Your Highness!" the guards bowed and quickly ran down the hallways to deliver the message.
Caspian stood in the doorway, his heart pounding with pure excitement. Today was the day he would crush his rivals and secure the Oakhaven Kingdom as his own.
The massive, golden doors of the King's Grand Bedchamber were closed. Inside, the room smelled strongly of heavy medicine and sickness. The old King lay unconscious on his massive bed, breathing weakly.
Gathered around the bed was the entire royal family. But there was no love or sadness in this room—only pure greed, jealousy, and toxic hatred.
Standing at the front of the room was Caspian's oldest step-brother, Prince Kaelen. He was incredibly muscular and radiated a terrifying, powerful aura. He looked at Caspian with absolute disgust, as if Caspian was a piece of dirt on his shoe.
"Why the hell did you call us all here?" Prince Kaelen snapped roughly, crossing his arms. "Do not waste my damn time, Caspian. I have better things to do than listen to a weak bastard like you"
Before Caspian could even answer, a sharp, venomous voice echoed in the room.
Queen Isolde, the King's main wife and Kaelen's mother, stepped forward. She wore a heavy crown of jewels and looked at Caspian like he was absolute trash.
"My son is completely right. Do not waste our time, boy," Queen Isolde sneered coldly.
"Say whatever useless thing you have to say and let us leave. And stop acting like you actually have power. You and your mother both know you will never sit on that throne"
The Queen pointed a sharp, perfectly manicured finger at her own son proudly.
"My Kaelen is the true future King!" Isolde declared arrogantly. "Everyone in this room knows he has a god-like S-Rank potential, and he has already reached Rank-A in power! Meanwhile, you only have A-Rank potential, and you are stuck as a pathetic, useless Rank-D weakling! You being the Crown Prince is just a sick joke!"
Normally, hearing these harsh, abusive words would make Caspian furious. But today? Today, Caspian didn't feel insulted at all. A dark, wicked smirk slowly spread across his face. He gently patted his inner coat pocket where the golden vial rested. 'Bark all you want, you old witch. In a few minutes, I will completely crush your son's future'
Standing nervously to the side was Lady Vivienne, the King's 3rd Mistress and Caspian's mother.
She nervously rubbed her hands together, feeling the intense hatred from the First Queen. "Caspian, my son... please, what is the matter?" Vivienne asked gently. "Why did you gather everyone in your sick father's bedroom? You do not need to keep us waiting"
Standing quietly in the darkest corner of the room was Princess Seraphina.
While everyone else was shouting and arguing over power, Seraphina looked completely broken. Her beautiful face was pale, and her eyes were empty and deeply sad. She stared at the floor, knowing that the only reason Caspian was acting so confident was because he had brutally sold her to a terrifying, masked monster like Lord Zero. She felt completely dead inside.
The rest of the room, filled with the other step-brothers, step-sisters, and the 2nd Mistress, began to whisper loudly. They did not hold back their abusive words.
"Look at him smiling like an idiot," one step-brother whispered loudly. "He is just a son of a dirty mistress. He just wants attention"
"He probably brought some cheap herbal soup and wants to pretend he cares about father," a step-sister laughed mockingly.
"Such a useless piece of trash. If Kaelen doesn't kill him for the throne, I might just do it myself"
"Just spit it out, Caspian!" the 2nd Mistress yelled impatiently. "Stop standing there like a mute dog!"
Caspian listened to all their insults, his smile growing wider and wider until he started to laugh softly. The royal family went quiet, confused by his reaction.
Caspian slowly reached into his coat and pulled out the glowing, 100% pure golden vial.
"I called you all here," Caspian announced, his voice booming with absolute authority, "to watch me do something none of you useless idiots could ever do. I am going to save the King's life"
For a brief second, the room was completely silent. Then, the entire royal family burst into massive, deafening laughter. They laughed so hard that some of the step-brothers had to hold their stomachs. They all thought Caspian had completely lost his mind.
Caspian simply snapped his fingers. A trembling servant stepped forward, carrying a highly decorated velvet box from Caspian's room. Caspian opened it, revealing the glowing, 100% pure golden vial.
The laughter died down for a moment. Everyone stared at the bottle. It was undeniably a premium item. The glass was flawless, and the golden liquid inside radiated a thick, powerful magical aura that filled the entire room.
Caspian looked directly at his arrogant older brother.
"Tell me, my 'powerful' elder brother Kaelen," Caspian smirked mockingly. "With all your S-Rank potential... do you have the power to cure Father's illness? Because I do"
Prince Kaelen scoffed loudly, completely unimpressed. He looked at the bottle with absolute disgust.
"Are you really this stupid, Caspian?" Kaelen sneered, stepping forward. "That bottle is obviously a fake! I didn't know you were such a pathetic idiot that you would be fooled by a random street seller just because the bottle looks premium. Just because someone told you it can cure any illness, you actually believed them? Some scammer made a complete fool out of you!"
Hearing Kaelen's words, the rest of the royal family immediately jumped in like a pack of wild dogs, eager to tear Caspian down.
Queen Isolde let out a high-pitched, evil laugh. "What a gullible little brat! Did you spend your entire allowance on flavored water? You are a massive embarrassment to the royal bloodline!"
The other mistresses quickly joined the Queen, trying to gain her favor by bullying Caspian.
"He is just a desperate, pathetic bastard!" the 4th Mistress shouted abusively. "Trying to play the hero with colored water! Get this trash out of the King's room!"
"What else can you expect from the son of a cheap woman?" the 5th Mistress laughed cruelly, glaring at Caspian and his mother, the 3rd Mistress Vivienne. "Both the mother and the son are useless, brainless idiots!"
The step-brothers and step-sisters pointed their fingers, calling him a "moron," a "delusional freak," and a "piece of shit"
Caspian did not get angry. He did not yell back. He just gave them all a cold, terrifying smile.
"Keep barking, you useless dogs," Caspian whispered.
Ignoring their insults, Caspian walked directly to the massive bed. He gently lifted the unconscious King's head. The King's body was in a terrible state—his skin was deeply shriveled, his bones were visible, and he looked like a dried-up corpse clinging to life.
Without hesitation, Caspian popped the cork and poured the glowing golden liquid directly into the King's mouth.
"Stop him! He is poisoning the King!" Queen Isolde shrieked.
But it was too late. The potion slid down the King's throat.
FWOOSH!
A blinding golden light suddenly erupted from the King's body. The magical aura was so heavy and powerful that Kaelen, Queen Isolde, and the mistresses were physically pushed back a few steps.