Chapter 883: Shameless Vacation Prince
Chapter 883 – Shameless Vacation Prince
He swirled the juice in his glass, golden light trembling against the surface. The water around him rippled gently, reflecting Kaelmor’s projected image in broken fragments.
King above.
Greed heir below.
One smiling in a palace of fire, one lounging in a pool with mango juice like a shameless vacation prince.
Lux knew which image would irritate Kaelmor more.
[Incoming Update: Invitation Response Received]
Lux blinked. "From Fiera?"
[Affirmative.]
A small chat window opened.
[Fiera: Wait. Really? You’re inviting me? Tonight? To your mansion?]
[Fiera: I mean yes! Of course yes! I can come! I’ll come!]
[Fiera: Not weirdly. I mean normally. I’ll come normally.]
[Fiera: Should I bring snacks? Is this formal? Should I wear something cute?]
[Fiera: Sorry. Too many messages.]
Lux stared.
Then chuckled softly.
Poor girl.
"Reply: Casual. Wear what you like. Snacks optional. Trouble cousin not optional. Leave her home."
[Message sent.]
A pause.
[Fiera: YES. I mean yes. I’ll be there. No cousin. Promise.]
Lux’s eyes drifted back toward the scrolling narratives.
Toward the one line currently poisoning half of Hell.
[Primary Narrative: "An Unbound Abyss Sovereign Slaughtered the Crown’s Hounds in the Mortal Realm"]
He stared at it for a few seconds.
Then tilted his head slightly.
"System."
[Yes, sir.]
"Break down the reaction to that narrative specifically."
The projected charts shifted immediately. The stream minimized into the corner while new black-gold windows unfolded across the air above the pool like infernal stock presentations from hellish Bloomberg terminals.
[Analyzing Narrative Impact...]
[Primary Effect: Psychological Destabilization]
Lux floated lazily in the pool, juice in one hand while his mind sharpened again.
[The Crown’s authority partially relies on the perception that all existential threats are already controlled.]
Lux smiled slowly.
"And now people are wondering if Kaelmor missed one."
[Correct.]
Another panel opened.
[Reaction Analysis: Shadow Corridors]
The numbers exploded upward.
[Ancient Abyss Stocks: +14.9%]
Lux laughed quietly under his breath.
Honestly, Hell was ridiculous.
[The narrative has increased speculation that dormant Abyss Lords may reclaim political relevance.]
A map appeared.
Deep beneath Hell.
The Shadow Corridors.
An ancient region most citizens treated like myth wrapped in nightmare fuel. Endless black caverns. Broken kingdoms. Old sovereign territories abandoned after Kaelmor’s rise.
Now?
Movement everywhere.
[Several dormant warlords have begun private mobilization.]
Lux watched small red markers ignite across the map.
[Confirmed Activity: ]
[Mercenary recruitment]
[Artifact acquisition]
[Border probing]
[Royal information interception]
[Sovereign ritual purchases]
Lux leaned deeper against the pool edge.
"Interesting."
[Many Abyss entities are not loyal to Kaelmor. They merely feared him.]
There it was.
Fear.
The single most expensive currency in Hell.
And Kaelmor’s market confidence had just dipped.
The stream flickered again, showing Kaelmor still speaking publicly.
Still smiling.
Still elegant.
But now Lux noticed the subtle details.
The royal guards behind him?
Different rotation than usual.
Mana barriers thicker.
Press distance extended by three meters.
Tiny things.
But Lux handled systems for a living.
Tiny things were the system.
"They’re nervous," he murmured.
[Confirmed.]
Another panel unfolded.
[Royal Response Probability Models:]
[Suppress Narrative Directly: 18%]
[Assassinate Key Spreaders: 76%]
[Increase Internal Surveillance: 94%]
[Public Execution Probability: Moderate]
Lux grimaced slightly.
Yeah.
That sounded like Kaelmor.
The System continued.
[The King’s current strategy prioritizes visible stability while privately increasing pressure.]
"Because if he reacts too hard publicly, it validates the fear."
[Correct.]
Lux lifted his juice again.
Cold mango sweetness slid across his tongue while the literal political future of Hell burned across floating projections above his swimming pool.
His life was absurd.
And somehow?
He loved it a little.
Not the danger itself.
The movement.
The momentum.
The feeling of shifting something bigger than himself.
That dangerous little thrill in his chest when impossible systems started bending.
He looked back toward the Shadow Corridor chart.
"So the lords are investing because they think power might shift."
[Yes.]
"And if Kaelmor crushes them publicly?"
[Royal stocks likely recover.]
"And if he fails?"
A pause.
Then the System answered.
[Then the market will begin pricing the possibility of succession.]
Lux’s smile slowly widened.
That.
That was catastrophic.
Not because Kaelmor would immediately fall.
He wouldn’t.
Not even close.
But the second Hell’s market started imagining a world after Kaelmor...
The throne stopped being eternal.
And once eternity cracked?
Everything became negotiable.
Lux floated there quietly for a moment, staring at the projected lines.
His own reflection shimmered beneath the data.
Wet black hair.
Relaxed posture.
Meanwhile, he was accidentally nudging Hell toward a sovereign-level political destabilization event while drinking juice in a luxury pool.
Honestly?
His therapist would quit.
If he had one.
[Recommendation:]
Lux blinked.
"Oh?"
[Continue pressure without direct exposure.]
Lux snorted.
"That’s basically my entire personality."
[Accurate.]
Another live reaction thread opened automatically.
[AbyssMouth: If one sovereign escaped control, how many others are hidden?]
[RoyalBlooded89: The Crown denied too quickly.]
[ShadowEconomist: Ancient Corridor assets are undervalued.]
[WrathGeneral77: If the King weakens, old borders reopen.]
[GreedSpectator: Buy fear. Sell certainty.]
Lux barked a laugh at that last one. "Whoever wrote that belongs in Greed."
The System minimized the thread again.
Meanwhile, Kaelmor’s conference finally ended.
The king gave one last smile to the cameras.
Controlled.
Perfect.
Terrifying.
Then the stream cut.
Lux stared at the frozen final frame for a moment longer.
He knew Kaelmor.
That smile meant the king was furious.
Not loud furious.
Worse.
Focused furious.
The kind that started planning funerals politely.
Lux exhaled slowly.
Yeah.
Things were moving now.
No taking it back.
No pretending the board wasn’t shifting.
Kaelmor would retaliate eventually.
Maybe soon.
Maybe carefully.
But he would.
He leaned back in the pool, staring up at the sky.
"This is peaceful," he muttered.
[Sir, royal destabilization, hostage extraction planning, and romantic-social logistics are active.]
Lux closed his eyes.
"Exactly. Peaceful."
[Your definition remains medically concerning.]
Lux grinned.
Yeah.
Maybe.
But for now, the sun was warm, the juice was cold, Kaelmor was busy pretending not to panic, and Lux had six hours before shopping chaos returned.
He could work with that.
He lifted the glass toward the last frozen image of Kaelmor.
"To your health, Your Majesty," he murmured.
Then took another sip.
"And to your very expensive headache."
And this time?
He ended it with wicked laughter.
