The Kingdom’s Greatest Fool? No, I’m the Ruler From the Darkness ~The Hidden Face of the Fat Prince~ - Chapter 2: The Beginning of the Plot

Chapter 2: The Beginning of the Plot

At the breakfast table, I was facing my family.

The king, my father, Arthur Whiterose.

A gentle expression, whitish blonde hair, kind eyes.

But behind that kindness, a hint of weakness could be seen.

An indecisive king.

The three queens. The first queen, Elizabeth; the second queen, Mary; and my mother, the third queen, Helena.

And my siblings.

The first prince, Lucius; the first princess, Serena; and the second princess, Lily.

A rare breakfast with everyone gathered.

“Victor, happy birthday.”

My father’s voice was kind.

But in his eyes, a faint trace of disappointment could be seen.

Likely resignation toward a son who lacks the qualities of a king.

“Thank you, Father.”

I bowed my head politely.

“Twenty-one, huh… you’ve grown splendidly.”

It was blatant sarcasm.

Far from splendid, I must seem to have grown fatter and more indolent.

“Victor.”

My mother’s voice rang out.

The third queen, Helena, was a woman with sharp, black eyes, dark hair, and bewitching beauty.

An ambitious woman who rose from a merchant’s daughter to queen through her talent.

“Today, there’s a special gift from the earl’s family.”

I feigned surprise.

Helena’s family was the Blackstone Earl family.

One of the kingdom’s leading commercial noble houses, holding the greatest influence in the distribution of magical tools within the kingdom.

This was a performance I hadn’t been informed of in advance.

“Oh, what is it?”

“It’s a subsidiary of a company that procures magical tools from around the world and distributes them domestically in the capital. You’ll be granted the presidency of a company developing new products.”

“A… company?”

I pretended to be perplexed.

I needed to play the part of a prince uninterested in business.

“Yes, it’s a small company, but it’s a proper gift for you, now that you’ve become an adult.”

Ambition gleamed in my mother’s eyes.

The ambition to hold real power through her son.

But her plans would likely fail. I would act according to my own will.

“Understood… I’ll do my best.”

As I answered feebly, faint mockery leaked from around the table.

In particular, the first prince, Lucius, had cold eyes.

The first prince, with feminine beauty.

Long, silvery-white hair reaching his waist, amethyst-like purple eyes, and delicate, feminine features.

Bearing the weight of being the heir to the throne, he looked down on his incompetent younger brother.

“Do your best, huh…”

Sarcasm dripped from Lucius’s lips.

“Well, if it’s business, Victor might be better suited for it.”

The first princess, Serena, spoke with a kind voice.

On the surface, her words were well-meaning, but they were a roundabout insult implying I lacked the political acumen of a prince.

With a gentle smile, rose-colored hair, and green eyes filled with compassion, Serena was called the “holy mother-like princess.”

But behind her kindness lay strength.

“I’d probably ruin a company in no time.”

Laughing self-deprecatingly, I saw my family awkwardly avert their gazes.

“Tonight, we’ll hold a grand party.”

My mother changed the subject.

“Many nobles will attend. Behave properly.”

“Yes, Mother.”

I nodded obediently.

I already knew how humiliating tonight’s party would be.

But that, too, was part of the plan.

The more I was ridiculed, the more they would let their guard down.

The more they let their guard down, the more openings would appear.

Those openings were exactly what I was aiming for.

—

As the party time approached, I was preparing in my room.

The formal attire prepared by the servants was specially tailored to fit my corpulent body.

But no matter how luxurious the clothes, they couldn’t hide my fat figure.

“This’ll do.”

Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I gave a wry smile.

Ugly.

But that ugliness was a weapon.

“Your Highness, it’s time.”

Responding to the servant’s voice, I left the room.

While walking down the corridor, I passed by Eleanor again.

This time, she was with her fiancé, Alexander.

“Good evening, Prince Victor.”

Alexander’s voice was gentlemanly.

He greeted me politely on the surface, but a faint trace of pity could be seen in his eyes.

The pity of the strong toward the weak.

“G-Good evening, Lord Alexander, Lady Eleanor.”

I returned the greeting nervously.

“Happy birthday.”

At Alexander’s words, I bowed my head.

What’s so great about this guy?

I couldn’t understand why Eleanor was so taken with him.

“You two make a lovely couple.”

I said it deliberately.

Eleanor’s face stiffened slightly.

A cold glare.

“Thank you.”

Alexander replied with a smile.

Meanwhile, Eleanor’s expression remained rigid.

My gaze was likely increasing her discomfort.

“Well, if you’ll excuse us.”

I gave a slight bow to the two and moved on.

I thought I heard Eleanor sigh behind me.

“Don’t mind it.”

Alexander’s comforting words.

That ignited my anger.

“One day… one day, I’ll show them.”

I clenched my fists tightly.

I swore to prove myself to Eleanor and everyone who mocked me.

That was my vow.

—

Upon entering the party venue, many nobles were already gathered.

Noticing my arrival, the hall fell silent for a moment.

Then, perfunctory applause broke out.

“Prince Victor, happy birthday.”

“Congratulations on turning twenty-one.”

Blessings were offered one after another.

But their eyes held mockery and contempt.

I played the fool, waving my hand broadly.

“Thank you! I’m so happy you all came!”

Seeing me grin foolishly, the nobles exchanged small laughs.

Their perception was of a pitiful prince.

As the party progressed, the gift presentation ceremony began.

Perfunctory gifts were presented. Useless decorative items or items of vulgar taste clearly meant to mock the prince.

“Prince Victor, from me, a collection of the latest sweets.”

A sarcastic jab implying the fat prince must love sweets.

“Wow! Thank you!”

As I exaggerated my delight, laughter leaked from the venue.

Then came the announcement of the gift from my mother’s family, the Blackstone Earl family.

“Prince Victor, to commemorate your twenty-first birthday, the earl’s family has a special gift.”

The current head, Earl Edgar himself, stepped forward. A faint trace of mockery could be seen on his face.

“We will transfer to you the presidency of a magical tool development company that has been operating in the capital for many years.”

Gasps of surprise rose from the venue. But soon, as they grasped the situation, they turned into small chuckles.

“It’s a small company with only two employees, but it should be sufficient experience for a young prince.”

It was blatant mockery.

Even my mother’s family was ridiculing me.

“T-Thank you! I’ll do my best!”

I bowed my head, feigning gratitude.

“The employees are here today as well.”

At the earl’s signal, two individuals stepped forward.

I was shocked.

They were completely different in appearance from the profiles I had been told about in advance.

And their status… they were slaves.

One was a woman who appeared to be in her early twenties.

A beauty whose well-defined curves stood out beneath her magical robe.

But her eyes were filled with madness.

“My name is Iris Storm. I research magical potions.”

She was said to be a mad scientist who narrowly escaped the death penalty for illegal magical experiments and fell into slavery.

The other was a girl who looked about high school age.

Despite her adorable appearance, her background was astonishing.

“My name is Mia Gold. I specialize in commercial transactions.”

The third daughter of a long-established merchant family in my mother’s territory, she had traveled the world but was imprisoned and enslaved after engaging in fraudulent business with a neighboring kingdom’s king.

A background unimaginable from her appearance.

“P-Pleased to meet you.”

I bowed my head to the two.

Snickers leaked from the venue.

A fat, incompetent prince and two slaves running a tiny company.

Everyone likely thought failure was inevitable.

“Just saddled with troublesome people and an unprofitable business…”

I gave a wry smile inwardly.

However, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me.

Slaves are absolutely obedient to their master. If I could harness their talents, anything was possible.

“I will surely repay the kindness you’ve shown me.”

Saying so, I bowed deeply to the earl.

The earl, basking in a sense of superiority, lightly patted my head.

“Don’t overdo it. Just do it casually. No one will blame you if it fails.”

Laughing as he said this, I played the fool and nodded with a smile.

“Yes! I’ll enjoy doing business!”

For the rest of the party, I continued to play the foolish prince.

Dancing clumsily with my fat body, stuffing myself with heaps of food, letting out vulgar laughs.

Everyone looked at me with eyes full of mockery.

And when I encountered Eleanor again, her eyes held clear disgust.

“Prince, congratulations.”

Perfunctory words.

It was obvious they lacked sincerity.

“Th-Thanks, Eleanor.”

I offered her a half-eaten piece of cake.

“Want to eat together? It’s delicious.”

Eleanor’s expression froze for a moment.

“No, thank you. I’ve already eaten.”

A cold rejection.

Then, she linked her arm with Alexander’s.

“We’ll be taking our leave soon.”

Alexander gave me a slight bow and left with Eleanor.

Watching their backs, I swore inwardly.

“I’ll prove them wrong. I’ll stand at the top of this world and look down on them.”

The party continued late into the night.

When it was all over and I returned to my room, it was already midnight.

“Your Highness, well done.”

The waiting servant bowed.

“Yeah. You can go now.”

After the servant left, I stood before the mirror.

A fat body, an ugly face.

But my eyes held a sharp glint.

“Starting tomorrow, it’s time to get serious.”

The small company given by my mother’s family.

An unprofitable business.

Two slave employees.

“Thank you for the perfect gift, Earl.”

I laughed.

Unexpectedly, I had gained a means to advance my plans significantly.

“With this, I’ve secured a foothold to aim for the top of this world.”

My birthday one year from now would mark the true beginning of my plan.

Until then, I would steadily prepare.

“Preparations for revenge.”

I lay on the bed and closed my eyes.

My heart raced with anticipation for the plans starting tomorrow.

“I won’t let those who underestimate me realize. My true self.”

Swearing this, I fell asleep.

Even in my dreams, the plan continued to unfold.