Marcus's face went white. The tea tray clattered to the floor, porcelain shattering and hot water splashing across the expensive rug. His brain, slow as it was, had finally registered the malice rolling off me in palpable waves.
"Your Highness, I-I don't understand," he stammered, taking a clumsy step back.
"Of course you don't," I said, stepping forward, the Shadowfang Dagger held in a relaxed, downward grip. The metal, or whatever passed for it, felt strangely alive in my hand, humming with a faint, hungry vibration. "Your job is to serve, not to understand. Isn't that right, little spy?"
His eyes went wide with genuine terror. He knew. He knew that I knew.
"Spy? Your Highness, you must be mistaken! I am loyal only to you!" He dropped to his knees, his forehead hitting the floor in a desperate kowtow. "I swear on my life!"
"An oath from a traitor is worth less than the shit on my boot," I sneered, the vulgar words of my new persona flowing with unnerving ease. I nudged his trembling shoulder with the toe of my silk slipper. "Tell me, Marcus. What does my dear Second Brother, Valerius, pay you for my schedule? For the names of my friends? For the rumors you collect?"
He started blubbering, snot and tears mixing on his face. "Nothing, Your Highness! Prince Valerius is… he is just a friend! He asks questions out of concern for you!"
The lie was so pathetic it was almost funny. In my past life, I would have been angry. Now, I just felt a cold, detached amusement. This was the first piece of trash I needed to take out.
"Concern," I repeated, tapping the flat of my dagger against his cheek. He flinched violently. "Is that what you call it? Then consider this my 'concern' for you."
With a flick of my wrist, I reversed the dagger and slammed the pommel into the side of his knee.
CRUNCH.
A wet, sickening sound.
Marcus screamed, a high-pitched shriek of pure agony as his leg bent at an angle it was never designed for. He collapsed sideways, clutching the ruined joint, his face a mask of shock and pain.
[Urgent Quest: 'The First Thorn' - Objective 1 Complete: Break at least one bone.]
The system notification was a pleasant, validating chime in my mind.
"Now for the second part," I said, looming over him. I crouched down, grabbing a fistful of his greasy hair and yanking his head back. "The floor is a bit dirty from that tea you spilled. Lick it clean."
His eyes, swimming with tears, stared up at me in disbelief. The pain was one thing, but this was a complete annihilation of his dignity.
"P-Please, Your Highness… mercy…"
"Mercy?" I chuckled, the sound dark and devoid of humor. I pressed the tip of the Shadowfang Dagger against his throat, just enough to draw a single bead of blood. The dagger seemed to… quiver with anticipation. "Did you show me mercy when you told Valerius about the jewel I bought for Lady Seraphina, knowing he would use it to humiliate me in front of the entire court? No. You get what you deserve."
I shoved his face towards the floor. "Lick. It."
Sobbing, defeated, he did. His tongue darted out, lapping at the puddle of spilled tea and grime. It was a pathetic, degrading sight. And it was exactly what I wanted.
[Urgent Quest: 'The First Thorn' - Objective 2 Complete: Publicly humiliate and make him lick the dirt.]
[Calculating Reward...]
As he licked, I made a decision. Humiliation was good, but the 'Ruthless' path was always more efficient. This rat couldn't be allowed to scurry back to my brother.
"Good boy," I murmured, pulling his head back up. His eyes were dead, all hope extinguished.
That's when he saw the look on my face. The detached, predatory coldness. He realized this wasn't over.
"N-No… you said… you wouldn't…"
"I said no such thing," I corrected him gently. I brought the dagger up, its shadowy blade glinting.
He opened his mouth to scream for the guards. A foolish, predictable move.
Faster than he could draw breath, I lunged forward. I clamped my free hand over his mouth and shoved the dagger's hilt deep into his open gob, forcing his jaw wide. He gagged, his eyes bulging as he thrashed. With a brutal twist and a sickening tear of flesh, I hooked his tongue and pulled.
He went rigid, his muffled screams turning into choked, wet gurgles as blood filled his mouth.
[Urgent Quest: 'The First Thorn' - Alternative (Ruthless) Completion Objective 1 Achieved: Cut out his tongue.]
I ripped the severed muscle free and tossed the bloody piece of meat aside. His body convulsed on the floor.
"Now for the final part of your retirement," I whispered into his ear.
His eyes pleaded with me, a silent, desperate scream for a life he had already lost.
I plunged the Shadowfang Dagger into his heart.
He jerked once, then went limp. The humming in the dagger intensified, and I felt a faint, cool wisp of energy flow from his corpse, up the blade, and into my palm. It was a minuscule amount, but it felt… satisfying. Like the first sip of water after an eternity of thirst.
[Ruthless Completion Objective 2 Achieved: Kill him.]
[You have slain a cultivator (Body Tempering Realm - 2nd Stage).]
[The Abyssal Shadow Devouring Art has absorbed a minuscule soul fragment.]
[System Points +5]
[Shadowfang Dagger has absorbed a minuscule life force. Seal Strength: 99.998%]
[Calculating Final Quest Rewards...]
[Reward Granted: 100 System Points, Skill: Shadow Stealth - Basic, Random Item Chest - Bronze.]
I stood up, wiping the blade on the dead servant's tunic. The body was a problem. The mess was a problem. But these were logistical problems. Solvable.
I turned to the shattered teacup on the floor, a plan already forming in my mind. A clumsy servant, a tragic fall, a shard of porcelain to the throat… it was a flimsy story, but it would do for now. All I needed was a little chaos.
Just as I was about to call the guards and begin my performance, the Nexus Codex flared with an urgent, crimson light.
It wasn't a quest notification. It was a warning.
[FATE INTERFERENCE DETECTED!]
[Anomaly Detected: 'Protagonist' Lin Feng's arrival in the capital has been accelerated.]
[Estimated Time of Arrival: 10 Days.]
I froze.
Ten days. Not a year. My entire timeline, my grand plan of consolidating power for months before he even appeared… it was all up in smoke.
But that wasn't the twist. The system displayed one final, chilling line of text that made the blood run cold in my veins.
[Reason for Acceleration: A powerful 'Regressor' has interfered with the timeline to aid the Protagonist.]
[Identity of Regressor: Lyra Ravencrest.]