Chapter Nine: The Young Prince Is Truly a God of Wealth

“Did you think that just because you look like this, I wouldn’t recognize you?”
In a shadowy corner of the palace at night, a masked young man confessed with deep feeling:
“It’s useless. A man as outstanding as you, no matter where you are, shines like a firefly in the darkness—so vivid, so remarkable.”
“Your blue eyes, blue hair, blue skin, and… ah, those blue eyebrows, all give you away completely…”
“Enough! I get it.”
Linley waved a hand to cut him off. “No more nonsense. Where’s my stuff?”

Every month on a certain night, he would come here alone.
The young man was the palace’s sole smuggler. Each month he brought in all sorts of items from outside to sell to palace staff, from the queen herself down to the maids—he counted nearly everyone in the palace among his customers. Even Linley’s pocket money was spent here.
The youth always wore a black cloth over his face, concealing his features. In truth, the palace lacked for nothing in the way of food and clothing, but most of the goods he smuggled were things that could not see the light of day. Hiding his identity was a necessity, though Linley suspected he operated with tacit royal approval.

“Everything you wanted is here, little prince.”
The youth dragged a burlap sack from the bushes, grinning slyly. “I heard your allowance just went up?”
“Your information is impressive.” Linley opened the sack to check the goods inside. “But not this month. You’ll have to wait until next.”

The sack held mostly snacks from all over the continent. Linley was one of the rare few in the palace who bought such things—the palace meals, while abundant, were far too focused on nutrition and balance to satisfy a true gourmand like him.
Apart from the snacks, there were also some prank items.
“I don’t need these anymore.” Linley picked out the prank tools one by one.
The youth panicked. “Don’t! Little prince, you don’t want to play with those old men anymore?”
“I don’t need props now…” Linley said with a hint of pride. His fists had grown strong, and for the time being, the old mages hadn’t found a way to deal with him; he no longer had to waste money on tricks. “I want to buy something else.”
The youth breathed a sigh of relief—it was just a change of interest. He liked how this little prince never saved a single coin, insisting instead on spending all his pocket money.
“There’s something I meant to sell to those old men, but I think you’ll like it too…” The youth pulled out another sack from the bushes and carefully produced a cage.

“Scoundrel! Let me out!”
The moment the cage emerged from the sack, a shrill voice rang out. “Oh, heavens, what is this smell, what is that blue-skinned monster?”
Seeing Linley, the creature inside grew frantic. “The scent of dragon… There’s a dragon here! Why is there a dragon here?”

“Quiet!”
The youth snapped his fingers, and a blue light enveloped the cage. Instantly, the creature fell silent.
Linley peered inside. It was a white rabbit, careening madly about. The youth introduced it with a cheerful smile: “This is a hare-rat. As you can see, it poses no threat—other than being too talkative.”
Linley knew of this creature—physically weak, but exceptionally clever and agile. Many adventurers liked to make contracts with them for gathering information.
But the reason Linley remembered it was different. “Isn’t its meat supposed to be delicious?”
“Absolutely.” The youth was well aware of Linley’s appetite; if it was edible—whether it flew, ran, or swam—he would not let it go.
“The hare-rat is one of the continent’s top ten delicacies, little prince. You can’t miss out.”
Linley swallowed. “How much?”
“I’ll give you a deal—ten gold coins, just the cost price.” The youth said, “When I saw it in the market, it was squeezing out of the ten-coin cage and headed into the twenty-coin cage—I was stunned by its ambition. That’s exactly your taste, isn’t it?”
“Really?” Linley’s mouth watered. Ambitious food always tasted better—every bite was more satisfying!
“I’ll take it.”
He handed over the money at once, purchasing both the snacks and the hare-rat.
“Thank you for your patronage.” The youth grinned as he counted the coins, then remembered something. “By the way, little prince, what happened to that little bear I sold you? Haven’t seen it around lately.”
When Linley was five, the youth had sold him a fuzzy little bear. For years, Linley took it everywhere with him.
Back then, the young prince was fair and cherubic, always carrying the adorable bear, his face uncovered by any mask. He was the darling of the palace, greeted with adoration wherever he went—even the royal mages regarded him as a treasure.
Now the bear was gone, a mask covered his face, and clearly his treatment had changed.
“If I may be so bold, little prince…” The youth hesitated. “Did you eat it?”
He’d long suspected the prince’s appetite got the better of him. He’d known his nature from the start—when the little prince used his innocent looks to beg for treats, it was clear he was a devil hiding behind an angelic face.
“You mean Teddy.” Linley had named the bear Teddy, for it truly looked like a teddy bear, uncannily so. “I didn’t eat it; I gave it to a big sister.”
“A big sister?” The youth was curious. “Who?”
“A beautiful woman who came to the palace half a year ago, named Angel. She said she was a retainer of the Night Elf Queen.” Linley replied, “She looked so lonely, so I gave Teddy to her—not because I was tired of playing cute.”
Angel—the youth’s body went rigid. No, no, little prince, Angel isn’t the Night Elf Queen’s retainer; that’s the queen herself!

My heavens, could it be that the little prince won over the Night Queen with a teddy bear?
“But… it’s possible…” The youth recalled the image of the little prince wandering with Teddy in his arms—a weapon of mass destruction, especially for older women. Perhaps even the Night Elf Queen had been fooled by his cunning cuteness!
He wiped his brow. This matter was too serious—knowing too much could be dangerous. He dared not ask further.

Linley, elated, carried his sack back to his chamber. He handed the cage with the hare-rat to a maid. “Clean it up and make it hotpot for me tonight.”
“Hotpot… wait, wait!” The hare-rat shrieked as soon as it was out of the cage. “Don’t cook me! I’m not an ordinary hare-rat—I’m a contract beast sent to spy in the Elf Kingdom! If you let me go, I’ll tell you what I know!”
The maid looked to Linley. He gazed curiously at the hare-rat. “What were you sent to find out?”
Sensing hope, the hare-rat spilled its secret. “I was sent to investigate the recent Great Prophecy cast by the elves. My master said that prophecy has shaken all the higher powers, who are desperate to know its details.”
“Oh.” Linley considered. Such a big event would be known to others—no need for him to worry about it.
“In that case, forget the hotpot. Hotpot doesn’t bring out its flavor. Fry it for me instead!”
“Yes, sir.”
The maid, with the shrieking hare-rat in tow, left the room.

Meanwhile, in the palace’s shadowy corner, the smuggler was conducting another transaction.
“Your Highness, this is the ‘Thirty Days of the Little Prince: An Observation Diary’ written by an aspiring writer among the personal maids. She traded it for fifty gold coins’ worth of goods. You really should…”
“I’ll give you seventy gold coins.”
“Thank you for your business! I also have an exclusive ‘Thirty Days of the Little Prince: A Growth Portrait’ painted by another personal maid who dreams of becoming an artist. The content is explosive—the little prince, he…”
“I’ll buy it!”
The little prince truly was a godsend for merchants.