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DevilDarkness#0506

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After the awkward dinner and having slept soundly in the palace, with the dawn of day came a new beginning.

Rio, sound asleep in his room, stirred slightly as he felt light hit his face, grumbling in his slumber, he instinctively pulled the blanket over his head and turned around. However, his peace was short-lived as someone shook his shoulders, gently but persistently, rousing him from his dreams.

"Wake up, master. It's already super late," a familiar voice urged him. Rio groaned and buried his face deeper into the pillow, covered his ears from his hands, while mumbling a half-hearted response. "You can go ahead. I'll be right behind you."

Esme, his ever so diligent and rule follower shadow shook her head in disapproval. "Master, that's what you said half an hour ago. It's time to wake up."

"Just 5 more minutes." Rio said, yawning and trying to sleep again.

Esme knowing her simple efforts were wasted, "Wake up or I _ I " she wanted to threaten him somehow but didn't know how. Suddenly she remembered something and a playful smile came to her face, she waved her hand slightly as the door of the room slowly created and got pushed open. "Ohh Myra, did you come to wake him up too?"Rio who heard the doors opening and Esme's words remembered how Myra is used to waking him up. Memories of being kicked off the bed or having his bed overturned flooded his mind, jolting him awake.

"I'm up! Who said I was sleeping?" Rio proclaimed, his voice filled with feigned alertness. Esme couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter, watching her master's comical reaction. Rio, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, looked around, his eyes narrowing as he realized Myra was nowhere to be found. He directed an accusing glare at Esme, who simply smiled back at him, unfazed by his indignation.

With a wave of her hand, she effortlessly stored the blanket away in her storage ring, leaving Rio feeling both saddened and slightly irritated.

"Now don't look at me like that. Go freshen up, I'll call Aina to prepare everything." Esme said as she turned around and left.

Just as soon as her figure vanished from his sight, Rio's sad look turned into a playful grin, as he brought out a new plush blanket from his own personal storage ring and covered himself, intending to snuggle himself back into his restful sleep.

But his happiness was short lived, as with a swoosh sound the blanket got pulled away from him, just like in those horror movies and disappeared in thin air.

Esme's voice rang out, her words filled with amusement and playful scolding. "Wake up already! We are guests here. When did you become so lazy?"

Rio's smile faded, and he could only concede defeat. With a sigh, and a yawn that escaped his mouth together, he stood up, stretching his arms, preparing himself for a new day in his new life.

After having breakfast with everyone, which surprisingly got spent in silence, Rio met with Bernhardt again. The guy and his mother were given a separate space in the palace away from the Queen's side of the corner. Bernhardt, this time gave him a proper tour of the palace, and they both just talked and roamed the hallways, where Bernhardt being the guide explained everything.

"Where are the statues of previous kings or the place where their lives are recorded? Can we go there? I looked about them but there weren't many biographies or records of them in Damascus." Rio asked, trying to see if he can grab the future opportunity of the fabled prince before him.

'Since I'm already here, I might as well take a look at all the heavenly gifts. That guy is the protagonist's side buddy, so he can just survive on his luck alone. He doesn't need it.' Rio thought, justifying his stealing habit in his mind, clearly ignoring that just days ago he had one of the protagonist's friends killed by someone else's hands and no luck saved him. System in his head could only sigh at this.

It wanted to speak, but sadly it couldn't. It was muted now after all. Its host had asked the system to wake him up in the morning, but when it tried to ring out the alarms, feeling annoyed Rio muted it. And he simply forgot to unmute it after waking up.

-

'Sigh even being a system nowadays is hard. All these low planet people read too many system stories in novels and now they just don't respect em at all. All its previous hosts were like this too, always demanding and questioning it. There was a time when systems used to be futuristic advanced knowledge and not general knowledge. Time's have changed'

(Author -Oyee system, shut your monologue. Nobody even cares about you. Don't talk or think between chapters unless spoken too first. I swear if someone dropped my novel due to talking system reasons, I'll trap you in the realms of red eyes.)

Getting no respect from the author and readers too, system could only sigh and shut up.

-

Bernhardt who heard Rio's request didn't think much of it, he thought he was just curious and asked to see them. "Well, the statues of them are made in the Royal garden surrounding the palace, so you can see them. As for their biographies, maybe you can find something in the Royal library, I'll see if I can get you a book."

Riosmiled hearing his words "ohh thanks prince. It'll be helpful. After all, the past rulers of Schilla were all amazing kings in their time. Their stories should help us learn a lot of things."

Bernhardt, who heard his words, had a look of realization and started smiling. After all this time talking with him, Rio could guess what stage Bernhardt was at this point. Bernhardt nowadays just wants to earn merits and gain respect and approval from the king and everyone around him. The idea of getting the throne might be not completely planted in his head yet, since Rio saw him talking happily with Alfred when they came across him. But Bernhardt still tries to outshine him, and now Rio might've given him a hint just for that.

'Hook, line and sinker.' Rio smirked as he looked over his shoulders and saw his new friend lost in thoughts and smiling to himself.

Obviously the Royal gifts weren't something that he can just go and grab himself. This chance in particular needed the blood of their lineage to get it, so if Rio couldn't take it for himself, should he ignore it and let it be. Why, cause both Alfred and Bernhardt were his enemies in the novel, should he hate them both - no. Nothing was fixed yet, cause nothing happened yet.

And Rio just wanted to test only that, Bernhardt fills the requirements to get that reward, so can he grab it before Alfred. It would change the fate of both these princes a little, giving him points and proving that he could meddle in others' destined opportunities after figuring out a loophole or not?

Plus the fact that Rio was a righteous sincere guy, who just thought he should pay his tour guide. Earth's habits maybe.Hmmm

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A/N - and so begins the new month irl. I'll try to post more chapters this month, along with more priv tiers and some other bonus chapters.

Birthday party will start & so will be the first meeting between hero, villain and heroine.

—--- Quick question, what happens if suddenly protagonist halo tries to push Amelia into the hero's camp.