The Weight of a Name

Consort Dahlia’s head snapped up in shock. Her eyes wavered, searching mine without a focal point.

Those trembling eyes were thick with terror, astonishment, and anxiety. She seemed desperate to know how I had unearthed the secret she had kept so deeply buried. Her lips parted, stammering as if she were about to weave a frantic excuse.

But I was exhausted, and my body was far from recovered. I had no time to waste on a war of words with her.

“That…!”

“Do not try to deny it. I came here because I already know the truth. If you continue to plead innocence, I cannot help you.”

At my words, Consort Dahlia fell silent. she scrutinized me for a long moment before asking cautiously, “…How am I to trust the Crown Prince?”

Her doubt was well-founded. Until the moment I collapsed, I had despised and tormented her most cherished son more than anyone else in the world. In turn, she had attempted to poison me simply to save her child from my cruelty.

It was only natural she would suspect a trap or some form of psychological torture now that I was suddenly offering a hand.

I raised my hand as if swearing an oath to the woman who watched me with such wary eyes. “On my name. I truly wish to help you.”

Upon hearing that, the suspicion in her gaze seemed to lift slightly. Given my immense pride, she likely reckoned I wouldn’t stoop to cheap tricks after staking my name on it. Yet, the bitterness remained in her expression. Her eyes screamed the question: Do you even know why I am locked in here? Of course I knew. From her perspective, my desire to save them was incomprehensible; she had no reason to trust the hand I was extending.

‘But she failed.’

Had she succeeded, it would be a different story. But because her assassination attempt failed, not only was the boy’s life at risk, but her own neck was on the line. I was a frayed rope, perhaps, but she had not even a single straw left to grasp. She had only two choices: take my hand, or follow her son to the grave.

“Haaa…”

After a visible internal struggle, she finally slumped in resignation. Her original gamble must have been this: if she successfully poisoned me, Chase would remain the only prince unless the Empress bore another son. She had hoped that would be enough to keep them alive.

The Imperial lineage was thin, and the current Emperor was a man of modest carnal appetites; Dahlia was his only consort. Furthermore, the Emperor and Empress were nothing more than political partners; they had ceased sharing a bed immediately after I was born.

It was a gamble worth taking. My mother, the Empress, wouldn’t be pleased, but with no immediate replacement for an heir, she wouldn’t have been able to voice much dissent.

I repeated to her what I had already explained to Chase.

“I am sorry, but I cannot save you. You have committed a crime far too grave for me to intervene.”

“…”

“However, I can prevent your sins from falling upon Chase. You committed the crime, but the child knows nothing of it, does he?”

“…That’s right.”

“He will no longer be called a Prince. He will be stripped of his title and demoted to a commoner. But his life will be spared.”

Of course, he couldn’t live a normal life out there. Chase had to remain by my side until I permitted otherwise. This wasn’t like the social systems of my previous life; I couldn’t simply toss a young child out into the world alone.

Even the orphanages weren’t state-run; they were mostly private vanity projects funded by aristocrats looking to appear charitable. If I sent him to such a place, he would fall into the hands of some noble seeking to exploit him, just as in the original story. It was better to keep him close and release him only once he was old enough to fend for himself.

“I will keep him under my protection until he comes of age. And don’t ask the stupid question of whether I’ll kill him then. If I wanted him dead, it would be easier to do it now. There’s no reason to wait.”

“…”

“Besides, the boy told me himself. He wants to live.”

At that, Dahlia’s eyes trembled once more. She was holding her emotions in check before me, but they looked ready to overflow at the slightest lapse. I gave her a moment to think.

When she looked up at me again, her composure was absolute. Not a trace of agitation remained on her face.

“…What must I do? What is it you want from me?”

“I only want to know one thing.”

I leaned in closer, until our faces were inches apart.

“The name of Chase’s biological father.”

I knew his identity. I knew where he was. But I did not know his name.

One might ask why a name matters so much, but in this country, a name carries the power to shift the world. The weight of that specific father’s name was immense; it could dictate the movement of entire factions.

‘Chase’s father is one problem, but the bigger issue is his friend. If that “friend” finds out Chase’s family was wronged and decides to tear the Empire apart in a rage…’

Well, the Empire wouldn’t fall easily, but one never knew. He might appear after my death and lay waste to everything. As someone who loved this world, I wanted to avoid that at all costs.

Before that “friend” could make a move, I intended to strike first—using the father’s name as proof to declare that Consort Dahlia never desired the Empire’s ruin.

She stared at me with a peculiar expression, her eyes filled with the silent question of why I would ask such a thing.

“You seem to know everything, yet… how strange. Is that truly all you require?”

“It is.”

A hollow murmur escaped her lips when she realized I only sought a name. Soon, however, she seemed to make up her mind. She brought a hand to her mouth and beckoned me.

I tilted my head, offering her my ear as she requested.

“■■■■■■.”

At the sheer destructive power contained in that name, the heavens and earth seemed to moan. It was a faint tremor, but the knights came rushing toward us, fearing I might be harmed. Having obtained what I came for, I stood up without hesitation.

“I shall keep my word.”

As I turned to leave, her voice followed me from behind.

“Please… It is absurd for a sinner like me to say this, but… I leave him in your care.”

I did not answer, nor did I look back. Taking my silence as an affirmative, she did not call out to me again.

I left the prison and headed straight for my palace.

‘I’ve found what I needed to know… I’ll handle the rest tomorrow.’

Perhaps because I had pushed my unrecovered body too hard, a fever began to rise. I summoned a maid, downed the antipyretic she brought, and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, I ate and dressed as soon as I woke. My work wasn’t finished yet, so I couldn’t afford to rest easy. If Chase’s punishment was decided before I could intervene, it would be difficult to avoid the path of the original story.

As I reached the lobby to head out, I noticed something out of place among the rows of servants.

“You—why are you standing there?”

When I asked with a frown, Chase, who was standing amidst the servants, looked utterly lost. A faint trace of resentment flickered on his face, as if he were offended that I had forgotten bringing him here myself yesterday.

“I am asking why you are standing among the valets and maids.”

“Ah.”

Since he had misunderstood my meaning, I corrected myself. Only then did the resentment melt away, replaced by relief mixed with a touch of awkwardness.

“I heard you were going out…”

His words implied he intended to act as my servant. I felt a headache coming on. Of course, I planned to use him as a personal valet after he was stripped of his title.

But for now, his sentence hadn’t been passed. He was still a Prince. A Prince serving as a valet? It was an insult to the Imperial bloodline.

The “me” from my previous life might have overlooked such a mistake with a shrug, but not the current me. I was a man built upon the pride of the Imperial family.

“What is your current status?”

“Pardon?”

“Chase, I asked if you are a servant.”

Chase dropped his head. He seemed to sense that while he was still a Prince, that wouldn’t be the case for much longer. He wasn’t wrong.

“Chase.”

“…”

“Your punishment has not been decided yet.”

“…”

“That means you are still a Prince. Do not act like a fool. Conduct yourself like royalty.”

Chase looked like he had much to say in response, but I had no time. Or rather, the person I had to meet had no time.

“Enough. We will talk later. And you, you, and you. The three of you stay behind and attend to Chase.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Then, let us go.”

My retinue followed as I walked away. In the lobby, only Chase and the servants I had assigned to him remained. I felt his gaze burning into the back of my head, but I did not look back.