After Lu accepted the Prince's offer to work for him, he was assigned as a member of the Prince's exclusive kitchen and was in charge of pastry and bread delivery. That was the official story, at least.
Unofficially, Lu was going to be the Prince's little errand boy. There wasn't much Lu could actually do since he was still pretty weak. But he was handy, sly, and surprisingly adept at going unnoticed.
So far, Lu had just delivered messages from the Prince that he couldn't use someone else to deliver for whatever reason. Lu was convinced it was just a series of tests to see what Lu would do.
Lu had considered just booking it. But the Prince warned him.
Lu received a gift when he became the Prince's servant. It was a ring.
That ring was paired with something of the Prince's, and when Lu went beyond a certain range or took it off, the Prince would find out. Lu didn't feel like betting on that being false since he had noticed the Prince wasn't the only strong person in the castle. He would have to wait for his Master to do something useful for once.
For some reason, the Prince had a bunch of guards that were far stronger than anything or anyone Lu had encountered so far. He was the Prince of the Principality, so having better guards than a random merchant was only natural.
But Lu's keen senses told him something was up.
"Do you know about our country's history, Max?"
As usual, Lu had delivered a tray of pastries and one letter to the Prince in his room. It wasn't the first time the Prince engaged in idle conversation as he read whatever was on the letter or paper slip he received.
"..."
Lu had deduced that the Prince liked talking, and he liked having people listen. He didn't bother responding.
"You might know that the king a couple of generations ago gave my grandfather, Fallander vil Byurick, this plot of land and the title of Prince as a reward for his great contributions in some war, right?"
Lu gave a quick and short nod.
"Does that make sense to you?"
Feltor furrowed his brow slightly as he narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to look at Ackster.
"To deprive an accomplished general of his mission and the freedom to exercise his skills for the kingdom's benefit?"
Feltor shook his head as if he couldn't believe it.
"Now, my grandfather was a gentler man than the Kingdom would like to admit and people to know. So, he didn't mind it too much. Still, why? Why did the kingdom isolate him in this strip of land with only one border?"
Lu could sense Feltor wanted a response this time.
"Why did they do that?"
He was only half-listening, so he just responded with the Prince's own rhetorical question.
"I'll tell you why. They were scared. Scared of my grandfather."
Lu nodded in understanding. He did wonder why the Prince was telling him all this, though.
The Prince's gaze wandered toward the windows for a moment before returning to Lu.
"My grandfather had a great Blessing but not that much ambition. My father, on the other hand, held stronger feelings regarding the Kingdom's padded banishment of his father. Unfortunately, he didn't inherit his father's Blessing, at least not to the degree he needed to rectify the past."
Feltor paused and leaned forward in his armchair. His elbows rested on his knees, and his dark red eyes glistened as he looked at Lu.
"But me? I surpass my father and grandfather in ambition and talent."
The Prince continued looking at Lu in silence.
"...Why are you telling me this?"
Feltor smiled and leaned back.
"I'm sure you've figured it out already."
"You're going to war with the Kingdom."
Feltor nodded.
"And I want you by my side when I do."
Lu covered his front with his hands and took a step back in shock.
"I know I'm pretty, but I'm a man, and I like women!"
Feltor glared at Lu.
"I know that. I also know you know what I meant. To go against the Kingdom with its centuries of history, I will need to use every underhanded trick in the book if I want to have a shot at winning. I need people I can trust, capable people."
'What a loon.'
Lu shook his head.
"You can't trust me. It's better if you just cut your losses now and send me on my way."
"Or I can kill you, lest you spread this information."
Lu continued shaking his head.
"No one will believe me anyway. Besides, how are you going to earn your followers' loyalty if you kill the ones who don't want to be forced to do your bidding?"
"If you aren't with me, you're against me."
"You're a smart guy, Your Highness. You should know that respect through fear and fear alone leads to a short-lived reign. Sooner or later, someone with greater strength, potential, leadership capabilities, or whatever will come along and replace you. You need to earn respect and loyalty with different methods so that people like that will serve you instead of confronting you."
Feltor smiled.
"I knew hiring you was a great choice."
"You forced me."
"Same dice."
Lu was about to protest again when Feltor waved his hand.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to force you to 'do my evil bidding.' As you so eloquently put it."
"I didn't say evil…"
"Besides, I know I can't trust you. What I can trust, however, is my ability to satisfy your wants. I've kept my eye on you these last few weeks."
Lu's shifty eyes avoided Feltor's gaze as the floor was a lot more interesting than before.
"You're a thief. You like stealing. If we didn't keep extras in a storage you can't enter, I'm sure you would have more silver utensils than the palace by now. Not to mention all the jewels, crystals, and various statuettes and trinkets you've stolen from both the palace and its guests."
"...I don't know what you're talking about."
"You're good at what you do, too good. To be honest, I don't want you anywhere near me or mine. But you're also so good that I don't want to let you go."
"So…?"
Feltor let a wide smile stretch his lips taut.
"How about stealing from my enemies instead?"