The carriage had long since disappeared down the winding road.
Silence reclaimed Blackwood Manor.
It wasn't the peaceful silence of a noble estate.
It was the silence of abandonment.
The wind drifted through cracked stone arches, carrying dead leaves across a courtyard where a magnificent fountain had long since run dry. Ivy wrapped itself around marble pillars, while broken statues of dragons leaned at awkward angles as though exhausted from standing for centuries.
Kael stood in the center of the courtyard.
His silver eyes slowly swept across the estate.
He didn't speak.
He simply observed.
The butler remained a respectful distance behind him.
"So..."
Kael finally said.
"How long has this place been abandoned?"
The old butler answered immediately.
"Forty-three years, Your Highness."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Forty-three?"
"Yes."
He glanced toward the manor.
"The Emperor ordered that no one disturb it."
That answer surprised Kael.
"Father preserved this place..."
"Why?"
Inside his mind...
The familiar blue screen flickered into existence.
"Imperial System"
Recommendation: Observe before acting.
"I was planning to."
The system remained silent.
It never pushed.
It simply advised.
The old butler stepped beside him.
"My name is Edwin Ashcombe."
"I served His Majesty before he became Emperor."
Kael turned.
"You served Father?"
"Yes."
"I was the steward of this estate."
Kael looked back at the manor.
"So this really was Father's House."
Edwin nodded.
"This is where His Majesty built his first army."
"This is where he welcomed his first allies."
"This is where your father became the man who would one day rule the Empire."
Kael couldn't help but smile.
"So he gave me his beginning."
Edwin looked at the young prince for several seconds.
Then...
He smiled for the first time.
"You understood."
The young maid nervously approached.
She couldn't have been older than sixteen.
Brown hair tied into a simple braid.
Her dress had been patched so many times it was difficult to tell its original color.
She bowed deeply.
"My... my name is Lily."
"I clean the manor."
Kael looked around.
"By yourself?"
She nodded.
"Mostly."
"How many rooms?"
"...Four hundred and twelve."
Kael blinked.
"...You're joking."
She shook her head.
"I only clean the rooms that haven't collapsed."
Even Edwin coughed awkwardly.
Kael laughed.
Not mockingly.
Genuinely.
The three servants looked at one another in confusion.
Most nobles would have become furious after hearing the condition of the estate.
Instead...
Their new lord laughed.
"This house is amazing."
Lily tilted her head.
"...Amazing?"
"It has survived forty years without falling apart."
He looked toward the towering manor.
"That means it's stronger than it looks."
The gardener finally spoke.
He had remained silent until now.
"My name is Bram."
"I've tended these grounds for twenty-nine years."
Kael looked at the overgrown gardens.
"You've been busy."
Bram scratched the back of his head.
"I've mostly been losing."
For the first time...
Kael noticed the old man's hands.
They were covered in scars.
Not from gardening.
From swordsmanship.
"Interesting..."
The system spoke.
"Observation"
Bram
Former Rank: Unknown
Combat Ability: Hidden
Recommendation: Learn more.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"A retired soldier?"
He chose not to ask.
Not yet.
Trust had to be earned.
"Edwin."
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"I'd like a tour."
"Of course."
"No servants."
"No ceremony."
"Just us."
The old butler nodded.
"As you wish."
For the next several hours...
Kael walked.
He explored every hallway.
Every staircase.
Every forgotten room.
He found old training halls coated in dust.
A library whose shelves had collapsed under the weight of neglected books.
An indoor garden where sunlight poured through shattered glass ceilings.
A chapel no one had entered in decades.
The deeper he explored...
The more he realized this wasn't simply a manor.
It was a small fortress.
Designed to withstand sieges.
Its walls were thick.
Its watchtowers overlooked the surrounding valleys.
Beneath the estate lay hidden storage vaults.
There were even underground escape tunnels.
"Father planned for war from the beginning."
As evening approached...
Kael climbed the highest tower.
From there...
He could see his entire territory.
Rolling hills.
Scattered farms.
A river winding through the valley.
A small village in the distance.
Smoke rising from chimneys.
Children chasing one another through narrow streets.
Then...
His smile faded.
Half the fields lay empty.
Several homes had collapsed roofs.
The roads were barely passable.
"This isn't neglect."
Kael whispered.
"It's poverty."
The system responded.
"Imperial Observation"
Territory Analysis
Population: Approximately 2,900
Food Production: Insufficient
Road Quality: Poor
Tax Burden: High
Bandit Activity: Moderate
Citizen Satisfaction: Low
Potential for Growth: Exceptional
Kael rested both hands on the stone railing.
"They're struggling..."
Edwin quietly joined him.
"They've been forgotten."
"Who collects their taxes?"
"A noble appointed by the ministry."
"And where do those taxes go?"
Edwin hesitated.
"...Not here."
Kael already suspected as much.
He watched a farmer guide a thin horse through a neglected field.
Children carried buckets from a distant well because the closer one had dried up years ago.
"This..."
He murmured.
"This is where we start."
Far away...
On a nearby hill.
Two cloaked figures watched the manor through enchanted lenses.
"The Tenth Prince hasn't summoned mercenaries."
"No."
"He spent the entire day walking."
"He spoke with servants."
"He inspected ruins."
"No construction."
"No soldiers."
The first man smiled.
"So he's harmless."
The second remained quiet.
"Maybe."
"You don't believe that?"
The older spy looked through the lens one last time.
"I've watched princes for thirty years."
"The dangerous ones..."
"...always observe before they move."
Without another word...
The two spies disappeared into the trees.
Unaware that, for just a fleeting second, Kael had looked directly toward their hiding place.
He said nothing.
He simply smiled.
Inside his mind, the system displayed a single line.
"Notice"
Two unidentified observers have withdrawn.
Probability: Noble surveillance.
Kael's smile widened ever so slightly.
"Good."
"Let them watch."
"Sometimes the best move... is giving your enemies exactly what they expect to see."
The first game piece had moved.