If the palace were a body, then rumours were its blood.
They flowed through corridors and courtyards, slipped past locked doors, and pooled in places where power gathered. Zayden could not walk or speak, but he listened. And in listening, he began to understand the true shape of the Golden Empire.
"The Crown Prince is… unsettling."
That word surfaced often.
"He doesn't cry at night."
"He watches people."
"I heard the Grand Elder himself came to inspect him."
Most of it was spoken in hushed tones, servants believing a baby incapable of comprehension. They were wrong.
Zayden lay in his cradle, eyes half-lidded, breathing soft and even. To anyone watching, he appeared asleep.
Inside, his mind was sharp.
Information is power, he reminded himself. And I have all the time in the world.
On the fifteenth day of his life, Zayden encountered his first real threat.
It came in the form of incense.
The chamber was quiet, lit by warm lanternlight. Empress Selene had just left, entrusting Zayden to the care of two senior maids who had served the royal family for decades.
One of them, Lady Marwen, approached the incense burner near the window.
"This new blend is from the southern provinces," she said casually. "Calming. Good for infants."
Zayden's instincts screamed.
The scent was faint—sweet, almost floral—but beneath it was something bitter. Wrong.
The system reacted instantly.
Alert: Foreign compound detected.
Analysis: Spirit-suppressing incense
Effect: Gradual dulling of spiritual awareness
Threat Level: Moderate (Long-term harm)
Zayden forced himself to remain still.
So this is how it starts.
Spirit-suppressing incense wouldn't kill him. That was the point. It would slowly dull his senses, weaken his foundation, and make him less special over time.
The perfect crime.
But who sent it?
Lady Marwen's expression remained calm, but her hands trembled slightly as she adjusted the burner.
Fear.
Not malice.
Zayden understood.
She's a pawn.
The other maid, older and sharper-eyed, frowned as the scent spread.
"That incense… " It's too strong," she said. "The prince doesn't need this much."
Marwen stiffened. "I was instructed—"
"Instructed by whom?" the other maid snapped.
Silence.
Zayden seized the moment.
He let his breathing hitch. Just slightly.
Then—
He cried.
A real cry. Loud. Piercing. Sudden.
The chamber erupted into motion.
"What's wrong?!"
"Fetch the physician!"
The door burst open as guards and attendants flooded in. The incense burner was knocked over in the chaos, ash spilling across the floor.
The system pulsed.
Threat neutralised.
Residual effect: None
Zayden wailed just long enough to sell it.
When Empress Selene arrived, face pale with fear, the room was already in turmoil.
"Incense?" she repeated, voice dangerously calm. "Who approved this?"
Lady Marwen collapsed to her knees. "Your Majesty, I—I was told it would help him sleep…"
"By whom?"
Tiberius arrived moments later, his presence freezing the room.
No one answered.
Zayden quieted in Selene's arms, his crying fading into soft hiccups. His eyes opened, meeting his father's gaze.
For the first time, something like rage flickered across the emperor's face.
"Remove everyone," Tiberius ordered. "Interrogate them separately."
Guards dragged the servants away.
The room emptied.
Only the three of them remained.
Selene held Zayden close, trembling. "They were going to hurt him…"
Tiberius's jaw tightened. "They already tried."
Zayden relaxed internally.
First move survived.
That night, security around the crown prince doubled.
Cultivators took up hidden posts. Protective formations were etched invisibly into the walls. Even the air felt heavier, layered with defences.
Zayden lay awake, replaying the event.
Someone wants me weakened, not dead. That narrows the list.
A rival faction. A concubine's family. A sect with vested interests.
Too many possibilities.
But now he had confirmation.
I am a target.
The system interface shimmered again.
Observation: Host demonstrated adaptive threat response.
Evaluation: Optimal
New Subroutine Unlocked: Hazard Recognition (Passive)
Zayden focused.
A subtle shift occurred. The world felt… clearer. As if danger itself cast a faint shadow, he could now perceive.
Useful.
Very useful.
Days later, another development followed, one far more public.
During a routine examination, the royal physician froze mid-inspection.
"This… this isn't possible," he muttered.
Tiberius looked up sharply. "Explain."
"The Crown Prince's meridians," the physician said slowly. "They are not merely intact. They are… strengthening."
Selene's eyes widened. "Strengthening? But he hasn't cultivated."
"Exactly."
Zayden kept his face blank.
The system supplied the answer.
Cause: Passive refinement via Innate Essence
Status: Stable
Visibility Risk: Increasing
So my own existence is giving me away.
Tiberius exhaled slowly. "How long until this becomes… noticeable?"
The physician hesitated. "Months. Perhaps a year. But if this continues…"
"Then we hide it," Tiberius said without hesitation. "Limit inspections. Spread rumours of weakness if necessary."
Zayden felt a flicker of respect.
He understands the game.
That night, as moonlight filtered through golden silk, Zayden stared at his tiny hands.
He had survived his first assassination attempt.
He had gained a new ability.
And his foundation was growing whether he wanted it to or not.
The Golden Empire thought it was protecting its future.
But beneath silk curtains and sealed chambers, something far more dangerous was quietly taking shape.
The silent heir was no longer just watching.
He was preparing.