As always, I woke up at dawn the next morning.

  Beside me, Daphne was still sleeping peacefully. Her breathing was slow and steady, her delicate face relaxed in a way that made her look far younger than usual. However, the moment I shifted my body and sat up, her eyelids fluttered open.

  “…Your Highness?” Daphne murmured drowsily.

  I smiled softly and leaned down to give her a brief kiss.

  “Good morning, Daphne. You can sleep a little longer if you want.”

  She nodded sleepily and curled back under the blanket, closing her eyes again. I shook my head in quiet amusement and headed toward the bathroom to wash my face.

  Just as I turned on the water, a startled scream echoed behind me.

  “It’s already morning?!”

  Daphne shot upright from the bed and rushed toward the bathroom in a panic, her hair disheveled.

  “I’m sorry, Your Highness! I overslept! I’ll get everything ready immediately!”

  “Calm down,” I said gently. “There’s no need to rush. If you’re still tired, I can take care of things myself.”

  She froze.

  The word tired made Daphne’s face instantly turn red. She shook her head furiously, clearly flustered.

  “I-Impossible! Serving Your Highness is my duty. I can’t neglect it just because I’m a bit t-tired!”

  I laughed softly at her reaction.

  Hearing my laughter only made her blush deeper. Avoiding my gaze, she hurriedly dressed herself, slipping into the same blue dress she had worn yesterday. Without even fixing her hair properly, she rushed toward the door as if fleeing.

  “I-I’ll go change properly! I won’t take long!”

  I watched her leave with a faint smirk.

  At the very least, I could confirm she was completely fine after resting for a night.

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  Considering I had transferred my mana into her body, that was only natural.

  After finishing up in the bathroom, I put on my training clothes and stepped into the courtyard.

  The morning air was crisp and refreshing. I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly.

  Mana began to circulate through my body, flowing through my muscles and nerves, dispelling the last traces of sleepiness. Energy surged within me, sharpening my senses.

  I began my daily training.

  As usual, it consisted primarily of swordsmanship, accompanied by a small amount of mana cultivation following this world’s system. To me, the routine was simple—almost trivial—but it served as a solid foundation to begin each day.

  While my sword moved, my thoughts drifted.

  Now that I was eighteen, the self-imposed limitations I had placed on myself were gone. There were countless things I could do from this point onward. Still, if I truly wanted to live as a manipulator behind the scenes—while indulging in a life of luxury and pleasure—my actions would need to be precise.

  In my countless previous lives, I had played many roles.

  Hero. Emperor. Demon King.

  But dedicating an entire lifetime solely to indulgence?

  That would be new.

  Perhaps even… refreshing.

  About an hour later, the sun finally rose above the horizon. By then, Daphne had finished changing and tidying up and quietly came to the courtyard, watching my movements with focused eyes.

  That was when an unfamiliar presence made itself known.

  “So the prince of the Valemont Family trains this early every morning?”

  The voice carried a clear hint of mockery.

  Daphne frowned instantly and glared at the man with hostility. She was about to speak, but I stopped her with a glance.

  “Good morning, Sir Ronan Blackmere,” I said calmly. “It’s unusual to see you here so early.”

  The man before us was the captain of the imperial guards.

  Sir Ronan was tall—nearly two meters—with a sturdy build and sharp features. In his forties, he was well-known throughout the palace for his loyalty to the emperor and his spotless record after more than a decade as commander of the imperial guards.

  He smirked briefly before masking it with a polite expression.

  “I decided to patrol early today and happened to see Your Highness training. I thought it appropriate to greet you.”

  I nodded in acknowledgment, though inwardly, I was already wary.

  My relationship with Sir Ronan had always been distant. We had exchanged nothing more than formal greetings in the past. That made his sudden appearance—and the ill intent behind his words—stand out even more.

  So, I activated one of my abilities.

  Akashic Sight.

  Though it was my first time using it in this life, the activation was effortless. Experience from countless reincarnations guided me instinctively.

  A subtle wave of mana spread outward from me, imperceptible to anyone else.

  Within a two-kilometer radius, everything became clear.

  The colors of the trees. The insects beneath the soil. The positions of hidden guards beyond walls. Information flooded my mind in an instant.

  And then, I understood everything.

  Akashic Sight was a technique I had created during my one hundred and second reincarnation. It was one of the few abilities I carried into every life due to its overwhelming utility.

  At its peak, it could retrieve information from nearly a thousand kilometers away, read thoughts, and even glimpse fragments of the future.

  Of course, such feats required an enormous amount of mana.

  But for this?

  It was trivial.

  I sensed Sir Ronan’s hostility, his contempt toward me, and—most of all—his greed for the reward he had been promised.

  Far away, I also felt another gaze.

  The empress.

  Watching from afar through binoculars.

  I sneered inwardly.

  So she had already made her move. Promising rewards to the captain of the imperial guards just to humiliate Edric Valemont during training? Even Sir Ronan had accepted.

  It seemed yesterday’s events had spread through the palace faster than expected.

  As expected, Sir Ronan quickly revealed his true intention.

  “Your Highness,” he said, “training alone is admirable, but real combat experience is far more valuable. Why don’t we have a spar? I’m certain it would benefit you.”

  I deliberately hesitated, letting uncertainty show on my face.

  Seeing this, he immediately pressed forward.

  “Don’t worry,” he said with a smile. “I’ll hold back.”

  “…Very well,” I replied after a moment, sounding reluctant. “Please guide me, Sir Ronan.”

  He laughed heartily and patted my shoulder.

  “That’s the right attitude.”

  He then drew a wooden sword from his waist and stepped back, stopping five meters in front of me.

  For a brief instant, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes—quickly hidden.

  I noticed it.

  And I smiled inwardly.

  Hehe… do you really think it will be that easy?