'Of course I'm not crazy.'
With decades of experience managing an organization filled with numerous people with different motivations under his belt, Caellum could easily guess what everyone was thinking.
With the way he was talking to the king, they would think he had gone mad, which was exactly what he wanted because he needed to break their perception of the original Caellum.
To put it lightly, the original Caellum's personality was like a zerbino.
A floor mat.
The young 13th prince couldn't look anyone in the eye, he flinched when spoken to, he never rebelled, made himself small, and he tried to stay quiet and hidden in hopes that nobody would bother him, and that his life would be a little bit more peaceful.
He hoped that if he seemed non-threatening, everyone would leave him alone.
It was understandable considering he had to raise himself and survive the treacherous palace with no one to shield and guide him.
His father was indifferent, and while his other siblings had their mothers and maternal family to back them, he had nothing.
Unfortunately for the 13th prince, that had never worked, and others took his attitude as a sign of weakness and continued making his life worse, eventually driving him to a pitiful death.
But now that Angel had become Caellum, he couldn't live like that.
Cowering away? Scared of his own shadow? Hoping for a good life based on the whims of others?
That was foolishness.
He could never shrink himself to make these heartless people satisfied the way the original Caellum did.
Not only did it go against his life's creed, but it also wasn't possible to act exactly like the original Caellum, even with his memories.
So he wouldn't bother trying and instead force them to accept his true personality.
And now was the perfect opportunity to do so.
Using the righteous anger of still being wrongly accused, even after inflicting harm on himself while everyone egged him on, and experiencing the callous indifference of people who shared his own blood, Caellum would shatter the previous perception of himself and forge a new one.
And the first step, his first gamble, was to start now by acting crazy and hope that his read on the situation and the king was correct.
Staring directly into the apathetic king's eyes, Caellum waited for the man to speak.
"How dare you speak to the king that-" as the Queen began protesting indignantly, the king held out a hand, and the entire room went silent.
"You know who attempted to poison me?" the king spoke slowly, his surprisingly deep voice echoing in the dining roomas he met Caellum's eyes for the first time.
The King's scarlet eyes looked like blood and seemed to glow with a strange light, and as they stared directly at him, Caellum felt a sense of pressure, pushing down on him and almost suffocating him.
His body began to shake, his vision wavered, and his teeth began to chatter, but with an immense force of will, Caellum gripped the pocket watch in his pocket until his bones creaked and replied confidently.
"Yes. I know exactly who did it."
Naturally, it was a bald-faced lie.
But that was life.
Rule #1 of being a Don.
Always stand tall and be confident, even if you have a losing hand, even if you're the weaker party, and especially in front of an enemy.
Those who follow you should only see your strong back and shoulders that can hold up the world and be a beacon for them to follow.
Those who face you should never see your weakness.
No matter what.
Caellum had just arrived in this world.
He was still digesting the memories, and he had no idea concrete proof of who had poisoned the king and pinned it on him, and had no idea how to mitigate the intangible force coming from the king that was pushing down on him and suffocating him was, but it would never show on his face.
Not if he could help it.
With a deep breath, he clenched the pocket watch that seemed to fill him with strength and forced his body to obey him, not some external force.
I am the master of this body, not the king, and I refuse to be suppressed!
Stand down!
With that thought, it was like his body calmed down.
His gentle smile didn't move, his pupils didn't waver, and his breathing stayed even as he took in the various reactions to his words.
He noted the ones that flinched.
The ones that looked curious.
And the ones that smiled confidently before veiling it with looks of concern.
Caellum carefully filed away each expression for the future and focused on the person before him.
The king.
"Really?" the king scoffed quietly before continuing, "Then who did it? Who dared to poison this royal body? Point them out, and I shall punish them to the fullest extent of the law. And if you're making baseless claims, worse punishment will fall on you."
Seeing that the king was playing along, or at least a bit curious, Caellum felt a bit relieved.
"I would like to speak to his highness privately to tell you that information. I don't feel safe giving the information here."
"You don't feel safe? You dare to doubt my authority?" The King asked, and the pressure suddenly got worse, forcing Caellum to his knees with a small groan.
His pale face got even paler with sweat beading on his bloody brow, and even a few people at the table gasped as they felt the pressure from the king as well.
'Had the king finally tired of his insolence and would finally get rid of him?'
Nobody breathed as they watched the unexpected showdown that might end in a bloody manner.
Clutching the pocketwatch that seemed to be burning his hand and cracking, the pressure suddenly reduced again, and Caellum gathered his strength and stilled his body.
"Well? Care to repeat your words?" as the king's voice sounded out once more, rather than respond, Caellum glanced at the dead body of the poison taster, then directly into the king's eyes.
Although he didn't say anything, his meaning was clear.
Pressure me all you want, but your authority is certainly useless because somebody died in your presence, and you claim you don't even know who did it.
It could be you next time.
So, why don't you cooperate?
Or just send me to prison.
Your choice.
Seeing that his youngest son wasn't cowed despite sweat pouring out his pores and the sound of his teeth grinding, the king found himself slightly interested.
He was a sword master and knew what even a tiny shred of his aura could do to a regular person.
The fact that this brat hadn't collapsed and wasn't begging was almost admirable when considering how weak and untalented he was.
Maybe his blood did run in him after all.
The king looked Caellum up and down as if he were looking at a strange bug that had begun to speak human words before nodding almost imperceptibly.
"Very well. Follow me to my study. Dinner is finished. You may all disperse and keep this matter silent until I say otherwise. And someone, dispose of this body. Carefully."
"Father!"
"Your highness!"
Despite protests from the queen, his children, and his concubines, the king continued to leave the dining room as the guards closed in on him.
And with no hesitation, Caellum stood up to follow him.
After being forced to his knees, the sudden movement made him stagger and almost fall over, before he caught himself, causing someone to snicker at the table.
Glancing over at the 12th prince, who was laughing openly, Caellum gave him a small smile before turning away with a cold expression.
Wash your neck and wait for me number 12.
Since your parents refuse to educate you, I'll have to do it myself.
Not saying anything else, Caellum silently followed the king's guards, his lungs and legs burning as he struggled to keep up with their fast speed.
It seemed not only that this body was out of shape and weak, but also that it felt heavy and uncomfortable, as if something was intrinsically wrong with it.
Another problem to handle later.
Caressing the cracked pocket watch, which had cooled down, Caellum focused on just keeping up with the king.
When they finally arrived in the king's study, the guards stayed outside while the two of them entered.
As the king took a seat in the host's chair, Caellum calmly took a seat in the opposite one, watching as the king's expression twitched before regaining its apathetic expression.
"You've gained the private audience that many would kill to have. I suggest you don't waste the opportunity. Who was the person who attempted to poison me?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
Seeing the king's expression twitch once more before his brows furrowed in anger, Caellum's lips curved upward.
"Exactly. You and I both know I didn't poison you, so let's leave that topic behind and have a more fruitful discussion. Also, may I have some tea? I'm a bit thirsty after that long walk."