The Prince

**The Prince** is one of **11** Devils currently featured in *Soul at Stake*.

## Lore

Prince Achtzehn was the youngest among his brothers, yet he appeared to be very talented. He comprehended difficult literature even as a young boy and showed to be quite skillful at hunting and equestrianism. Soon he became the old king's favorite son.

Jealousy spread between princes. Among the princes, Prince Vier seemed to be the only one who didn't care about succeeding the throne. He had been a dear friend with Prince Achtzehn since his childhood.

During a spring hunt, Prince Achtzehn chased a deer to a cliff, where he got ambushed by assassins. Injured by an arrow, he fell off the cliff. Witnessing this incident, Prince Vier was the only one to rescue him. After that, Prince Achtzehn couldn't feel more grateful to his brother Vier.

Two years later, the old King passed away without appointing his successor. Princes started to fight for the throne. Prince Achtzehn, who earned the most prestige amongst the officials, was favored to be the new king. However, Achtzehn had too much respect for his brother Vier, and rejected the offer. Instead, he pushed Prince Vier to become the new King. Prince Achtzehn was bestowed the title "Lord Virtue", which signified that he would be loyal to the new King.

At the beginning of the new era, opposing parties, including other princes and some officials, pushed a lot of pressure onto the new King. However, with the assistance from Lord Virtue, the new king managed to stabilize the situation and keep everything in order. Since then, there was nothing more powerful than the bond between the brothers, and no one had his new king's trust more so than Lord Virtue.

It's not surprising that Lord Virtue became the biggest enemy of the opposing party. They started to slander Lord Virtue, saying that he was corrupted and had committed felonies. They also bribed the Queen to whisper lies to the King that Lord Virtue was planning on a rebellion. Furthermore, they were spreading the rumors that Lord Virtue had prepared a royal gown and wanted to be crowned.

The King remembered how he gained the throne - he was never the first candidate and only became the king because his younger brother supported him. Naturally, he became skeptical about his brother. It was not helping at all that Lord Virtue had earned more and more reputation over the years. The King had to be cruel to defend his throne, resulting in the cutting down of Lord Virtue's allowance, disbanding his army, and no longer involving him in political affairs.

The opposing party noticed that their strategies worked. They framed more crimes on Lord Virtue. Finally, the King sent investigators to Lord Virtue's palace and found a replicated crown. It was certain to the King that Lord Virtue wanted more than a title of lord. This enraged the King, who immediately demanded to imprison Lord Virtue. When the army arrived in his palace, Lord Virtue realized there was no way out. He only wanted to die with dignity, so he drew out his dagger and attempted suicide. Unfortunately, soldiers came with the order of capturing him alive, so they stopped him and tied him up.

The King valued his old memories with his little brother, but a death sentence was inevitable. He did, rather mercifully, allow a less brutal sentence; a "water sentence". Namely, a soldier used a piece of paper towel to cover the lord's entire face, wetting it thoroughly and then applied a second layer of wet paper. They repeated this until the lord eventually died of suffocation.

Lord Virtue was not the only victim. His offsprings and entire family were sentenced too. The day after the Lord's death, all family members were hanged in his palace. The once prosperous family disappeared in one night.

Today, the palace has been deserted for over a century. Only dust and rodents inhabit this place. The spacious gardens remain quiet, with only sounds coming from the breeze blowing past windows and lanterns. At midnight, the candles at the family shrine randomly ignite. White paper coins [In Chinese tradition, paper coins are the currency for the afterlife.] fly with the leaves and dust. Spooky shadows quiver on the walls as if they were expressing their own sorrow.

In the early 20th century, many bandits and thieves tried to loot this ancient palace. Peculiarly, they never found the treasure in this palace, and neither did any one of them escape. Nobody knows what happened to them. The best theory is that they perished there, joining the other spirits of the deserted gardens and this Mysterious Palace for eternity.

## Overview

**The Prince** can hide his aura, approaching the Gamblers without being noticed.

## Abilities

### **Hidden Breath**

The Prince can hide his heartbeat, making him harder to detect and therefore easier to achieve a stealth attack and his movement speed is slightly increased. However, his perception and vision while the skill is active will be affected and the Gambler's Aura cannot be detected.

#### Ability notes

* **The Prince** can still sense the auras of Gamblers with **Death Breath** or aura reading items while **Hidden Breath** is active.
* The movement speed is increased by **0.2** m/s while **Hidden Breath** is active.

## Cheats

Your ability to sense wounded and seriously wounded Gamblers is increased by **20** meters.
*Can be drawn at Level 20.*

## Tips

Playing as The Prince
* Once you see a Gambler you can try ambush them by activating **Hidden Breath**, which turns your heart beat off, and waiting for them alongside a point of interest that is close by.

Playing against The Prince