Since the farce of a poisoning scheme was successfully overcome, the impromptu royal family meeting was quickly adjourned, and everyone was dismissed.
As the royal children left their seats, Caellum memorized each one's appearance, seat position, and the concubines they drifted toward as they walked out, leaving the king, queen, and concubine Belladonna behind.
"You. Follow me." Emrys stated.
"Of course, brother." Caellum agreed innocently.
Making eye contact with the irate queen once more, Caellum smiled innocently towards her before quietly following behind the 9th prince.
As they walked, Caellum glanced around the palace, taking in the different paths and where people went, as Emrys led him into what he assumed were his own apartments.
Although he hadn't paid attention to the story when his subordinates were telling him about it, it was still pretty amazing to see things in a completely different world.
After walking through several ornately decorated rooms, they entered a sitting room that seemed to be in the deepest portion of Emrys's suite.
Emrys quickly locked the door before pivoting and-
SLAM!
"You!"
The 9th prince grabbed Caellum by the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the wall, holding him off the ground until his feet began to dangle in the air. "You! How do you know about…that? Who told you? How the hell did you find out! Tell me now!"
Meeting the 9th prince's angry expression that was clearly hiding panic, Caellum calmly arched a brow.
"Or what? You'll beat me up? Threaten to kill me? Accuse me of poisoning the king? What do you think you can do to me that's not already being done, little Saint?"
Slap!
Emrys immediately slapped a hand over Caellum's mouth while glancing around nervously.
As if he thought somebody was listening.
Was the 9th prince's residence not free of eavesdroppers? Or was he just being overly cautious?
Interesting.
When Emrys glanced back at Caellum with his mouth open, Caellum laughed and bit the 9th prince's hand until he removed it in shock.
"I'm kidding. Or am I? You're quite strong, stronger than you look, you know that? Been training, have you? Or is that one of your…gifts?" Caellum commented lightly as he glanced around, "Also, nice place. Much nicer than my spot, I'm sure. Do you happen to have some food? I'm feeling quite peckish. Mind letting me down? Or should I start screaming, little-"
'Saint'
Hearing the whispered words again, the 9th prince froze before sighing and releasing the 13th prince.
There was no point in trying to threaten somebody who looked like he didn't even care that he was being threatened and was willing to blurt things out randomly.
Caellum brushed his shoulders off before heading over to the chair and making himself comfortable on the wide sofa, pointing at the armchair until Emrys sat down with a stoic yet confused expression.
As if he wasn't sure what was going on or how it had come to this.
It was just the way Caellum liked it.
"Let's talk about what we can do for each other."
"What we can do for each other?" Emrys echoed dazedly, and Caellum could only shake his head in disappointment.
This wasn't the crafty prince who kept up with the 12th prince, whom he had heard about from his subordinates.
This was a child.
Caellum felt as if he were bullying an innocent child.
Well…innocent or not, Caellum had things he needed in this world, and he would be using every resource that he could utilize.
Right now, that resource was the prince.
But since he was feeling a little generous, he would throw in a lesson as well on how to deal with crooks like himself.
"A deal, black mail, extortion, call it what you want. I'll list my terms; you list yours; we agree; and you'll ratify it with your nifty abilities. Sounds good, right?"
Emrys thought about it for several seconds, his face covered by his uniquely colored red and black hair, before looking up.
"You want to make a deal in exchange for keeping my secret?"
"Ding ding ding! Correct." Caellum playfully pretended to ring a bell even though his expression was dead serious.
"What do you want?" Emrys asked almost in resignation.
"First. Give me money." Caellum calmly listed the most important thing and probably the easiest thing for this prince to give.
"How much money do you want?" Emrys asked with a slightly relieved sigh.
If it were only money that the 13th prince wanted, then this much was manageable.
"Around 1 of your allowance should do it." Caellum held up a single finger.
He kept it ambiguous just to see what Emrys would say.
"1 year's worth of allowance? You're crazy. At best, all I can give you is six months." Emrys immediately rejected the ridiculous request.
It wasn't that he couldn't afford it; he wanted to bargain like his mother always said he should.
Especially since he was being extorted by an unexpected party.
Upon hearing the outlandish amount the 9th prince stated, Caellum schooled his expression to avoid giving anything away, even though he was quite excited internally.
..a year of allowance?
I was hoping for a month's worth, but all of a sudden, a year's worth landed on the table.
Nice!
This is why it was nice negotiating with rich, innocent people.
It was easier than swiping candy from a baby.
As the familiar thrill of extorting somebody briefly filled Caellum, he made a decision.
Since the 9th prince is feeling so generous, let's squeeze him a little more.
As a lesson to negotiate better in the future.
Caellum pretended to think about it for a bit before adding an additional request.
"I'll accept the drop to six months of your allowance if you give me something to easily carry it around with. I'm thinking a magic bag for all the small coins you'll be giving me. Please note, I want your allowance in small, easy-to-manage bills and coins, not royal cheques."
Caellum listed one of the magical tools he remembered hearing about and wished it were real: a dimensional pocket that could carry more than its size suggested.
Having such a thing would have made life so much easier in his previous life.
"I can't do that." Emrys vehemently rejected Caellum's proposal, his voice snapping Caellum out of his thoughts.
"Can't or won't? I know you have a couple. And have the ability to get more. Don't be stingy, or do you want to see me become a blabbermouth? I assure you, I sing better than any bird you've ever heard and will sing to the highest bidder." Caellum threatened.
Emrys gave him a dirty look as if he were a highway robber,
Caellum shrugged as if he didn't care while examining the 9th prince's expression.
Seeing that Emrys had the look of someone who could afford something, but it would be a sacrifice, he spoke up once more.
"Fine, fine. I've decided to add a one-time family discount. Then let's negotiate once more. 3 months' allowance, a magic bag to carry the money in small bills and coins, and a hidden way to leave the palace safely and without getting caught. Preferably one of the servant paths. As you've heard, I'm to be confined and can only visit the library. I want to be able to get some air and visit town without being caught, since my old pathway will probably be shut down by the Queen. That's truly my final offer. If you don't want to take it, I'll go make a deal with someone else, so take your time and think about it."
Emrys bowed his head once more, his thoughts racing as he tried to figure out what to do.
In the end, even though he was reluctant-
"Fine."
He agreed, causing Caellum to smile.
"Good. Then let's make a deal. I won't speak about your unique…abilities unless you want me to, and I won't use my knowledge of them to threaten you again. In return, you'll give me 3 months of your official royal allowance, a magic bag to carry it in, a safe, hidden way to often get out of the palace…and let's throw in a palace tour led by you, and a dinner from your kitchens for tonight as well."
Caellum threw in the last two things since he truly had no idea where his room was.
If he even had a room.
As for the meal?
All the talk about poisoning the king had made him hungry.
At the excess requests, Emrys shot a glare at Caellum, who looked unperturbed.
"Why do you want a tour? You live here."
"Because I want everybody to know I threw in my lot with you, because it's my final walk of freedom before I'm trapped in my room and the library for a month, because your place has better food than mine, because I felt like it. It's just a couple of hours' effort for you, right? Humor me." Caellum said playfully as he crossed his legs and leaned back into the chair.
How comfortable.
The 9th prince was silent for several seconds, but eventually he agreed.
"Fine."
"Good talk. Now, how do we go about sealing the deal?" Caellum asked curiously.
He had felt the flames earlier, but it was his first time seeing a saint, who supposedly had the power of a god.
"Don't you already know? You sure acted like it in the throne room," Emrys replied snarkily as he wondered how Caellum had tricked him with that oath that was clearly full of lies.
"Nothing compares to the first-hand knowledge of a professional. Take the lead. I'll follow." Caellum gestured for Emrys to proceed.
What he had done earlier was just simple words that he knew Emrys, as the saint of the God of Eternal Flame, would recognize as true or at least full of good intent, therefore making him want to aid Caellum.
The 12th prince had done something similar in the novel as well to get help with a certain incident.
But Caellum doubted that it was the proper procedure to make a deal with a god as the witness.
Since this was a new world, Caellum truly wanted to experience what that process was like and bookmark it for the future.
He also wanted to test how omnipotent a god truly was and lull Emrys into a false sense of confidence with a ritual that he had complete faith in.
That way, when Caellum came to extort him later, the 9th prince would learn the lesson Caellum was trying to teach him.
Trust no one.
Not humans.
And certainly not a god that would allow you to make twisted deals without stopping you.
"Give me your hand."
Emrys instructed, holding up a hand that was suddenly ablaze, with bright orange flames prompting Caellum to clasp it.
Caellum observed at first, feeling a bit of heat, but nothing excessive.
And as soon as he touched Emrys's hand, the orange flames spread from their joint hands until they covered both of their bodies.
And while it felt warm, to Caellum, it felt like sitting by a fire rather than being burned alive.
Interesting.
"Then let's do it. I'll start by stating my terms. Then you'll state yours. Once we both agree, then the vow will take root in your heart. If it's broken, it will burn you alive."
"Sure, sure. Carry on." Caellum waved carelessly, as if he wasn't bothered.
Emrys glared at him before taking a deep breath as beads of sweat dripped down his forehead.
Taking another breath, he began to speak.
"I, Emrys Emberlin, as a representative of the God of Eternal Flame, sanctify this ritual. I vow to provide Caellum Emberlin with 3 months of my royal allowance, a magic bag to hold the allowance, a safe way to exit the palace, a personal tour of the palace, and a full dinner in return for Caellum never speaking about my abilities."
Once he was done speaking, Emrys gestured for Caellum to proceed with his eyes.
"Caellum Emberlin vows that in return for receiving 3 months of Prince Emrys Emberlin's total royal allowance, split into small, unmarked, usable bills and coins, an adequately sized magic bag to hold the split allowance, a personal tour of the palace given by Prince Emrys Emberlin with full explanations of everything I want, and a full, multi course, prince-worthy dinner eaten at Prince Emrys Emberlin's chambers within the next 6 hours, I vow to not speak about the abilities of Prince Emrys Emberlin unless he gives his written or verbal permission."
At Caellum's explicit description of their agreement, Emrys froze and thought it over before nodding and adjusting his statement to match Caellum's.
When Caellum nodded in approval, Emrys focused on the flames and the divine connection he felt, causing them to traverse between their two bodies.
When the flames steadied, Emrys took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Both parties are in agreement. So mote it be."
"So mote it be." Caellum echoed with a small smile on his lips.
With his verbal agreement, the flames split into two and condensed into a small bead, not much bigger than a water droplet, and settled near his heart while the other half did the same to Emrys.
It was a strange feeling for Caellum.
He could feel the hot bead's presence if he thought about it, but wasn't sure if it was supposed to do anything else.
He certainly didn't feel any pressure or burning when he thought about disobeying the terms of the agreement, which was what was supposed to happen.
Seeing the relief on Emry's face, Caellum truly wanted to laugh at the innocent prince who assumed everything was fine since the ritual was successful.
In theory, it should be, and although Caellum had no plans to break it, there was one thing Emrys didn't know.
In actuality, this wasn't Caellum's body.
And his name wasn't really Caellum.
Yet, Emrys said the ritual was successful.
Curious right?
Satisfied with what he had gained and the information he had learned in only a couple of hours, Caellum watched with contentment as Emrys went out to speak with his personal servant to retrieve everything he asked for.