The Price of a Smile

“……What?”

“The Noble Faction may be prostrating themselves at the feet of the Imperial Family right now, but everyone in the world knows the truth. They are people who desire for the Imperial power to be undermined if it serves their own interests.”

Unlike the Emperor’s Faction, which rallied around the sovereign, it was a known fact that the Noble Faction was a coalition bound by mutual profit. This was the exact point Chase had pierced. Furthermore, Seimus was the son of Count Taranto—the very pinnacle of that faction.

“If your heart grows deeper, you will only end up hurt. For His Highness is a being who shines brilliantly on his own.”

He will shine forever even without someone like you. Seimus felt as though those barbed words had physically pricked him. Chase gave a polite bow to the bewildered Seimus and turned his back.

Chase could feel Seimus’s gaze on his back, wanting to say something, but he did not look back once. Only when he had walked far enough for the building to hide him from view did he collapse as if all strength had left his body.

‘I’m truly a horrible person.’

Feeling like utter trash, Chase covered his face while crouched on the ground. He felt pathetic and disgusted with himself for hurting someone who had been nothing but kind to him.

‘But…… I’m scared.’

He had been standing quietly in Aillen’s room as usual, and Aillen seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood today. That in itself was fine, but seeing him lightheartedly toss a joke at Seimus had left Chase shaken.

So, Aillen was a person capable of joking. Before, Chase had only seen him angry, and even after becoming his servant as a commoner, he had only seen his dignified side. To see him like that was refreshing, yet terrifying.

If the target had been Ethan, he wouldn’t have been so sensitive. But the fact that the recipient was Seimus—someone Aillen had met even later than himself—disturbed Chase’s peace of mind.

‘When did they get so close?’

Furthermore, Aillen had even laughed. No matter how faint, no one could deny it was a smile. Since Ethan was the only one Aillen ever showed such a relaxed expression to, Chase felt as if his place was being usurped by Seimus, and for a moment, he felt the very ground beneath his feet crumbling.

While he had been trembling as he overheard the conversation, Seimus—unaware that Aillen’s words were a joke—was answering seriously.

Visible in that flushed face was a faint trace of affection. Chase had thought there would be no more obstacles once he surpassed Ethan, but the fear that yet another rival might emerge made him forget how well Seimus had treated him.

And so, he had overstepped. You don’t even have the right to look at His Highness, so don’t even dream of it.

Seimus, catching the meaning behind Chase’s words, looked as if he had been doused with cold water. The warm, friendly atmosphere from Aillen’s room vanished without leaving even a trace of an afterglow.

The image of Seimus’s shocked eyes haunted Chase, making his chest throb with guilt. But he felt he had no choice; if he didn’t do that, he felt he would suffocate from fear.

Fumbling through his pocket, Chase pulled out the pendant with the broken chain and squeezed it in his fist.

“Why…… did you leave me with something like this?”

If he hadn’t known, he could have continued to live happily in a delusion. She should have just lied and said it was his.

Chase felt a surge of resentment toward Dahlia.

He had held onto a shred of hope that perhaps the Emperor simply hadn’t recognized his own possession, but that hope vanished the moment he saw the pendant’s design. It was such a uniquely shaped pendant, just as the Emperor had described; unless he suffered from total amnesia, it was impossible not to recognize it.

He couldn’t fathom who his biological father was, or why Dahlia had entered the Imperial Palace knowing full well the Emperor wasn’t the father.

Because he himself was so burdened by these dishonorable secrets, he envied Seimus, who could act with such honesty. He envied that Seimus could receive Aillen’s favor without any hidden cost.

‘He only likes me because he thinks we’re brothers.’

If Aillen ever learned the secret Chase was hiding, his current affection would vanish like melting snow. That gaze, which was tender despite a stoic front, would turn into contempt and hatred, and he might cast Chase out.

If only he were a little older, could he have established himself and run away? Having been raised delicately as a royal until recently, and now working as a servant but protected from hard labor by Aillen, the idea of leaving the palace terrified Chase.

The world outside was a complete unknown; he doubted whether he could even survive out there.

Thus, the only path the weak and fragile boy could choose was to cling to Aillen. If he became someone Aillen could never discard, all his problems would be solved.

It was an incredibly foolish thought, but it was the best the young Chase could come up with.

After that joke, I genuinely regretted it when I saw how awkward things had become between the two. Unlike the willful Ethan or the wary Chase, Seimus was so innocent that it was hard to believe he was the son of Count Taranto. I had only teased him because it was fun.

‘If that looked like flirting to Chase…….’

The Crown Prince has his eye on that guy! I should give up on my feelings then. He might be thinking something like that.

‘Meanwhile, Count Taranto is thanking me for picking her son as the Knight.’

She had even asked me with a grin that split her face if I found Seimus to her liking. It was awkward to say no, so I just nodded, though I had to click my tongue inwardly at the greed filling her eyes.

Contrary to her hope that I had personally handpicked him, Seimus’s selection as the Knight was largely due to the priests’ recommendation. Well, the fact that he was an easy choice played a part too.

Among the three candidates for the Knight role, excluding Ethan (whom we decided not to pick), only Chase and Seimus remained. However, Chase couldn’t be allowed to catch the eyes of the priestesses who were visiting, so I had no choice but to pick Seimus, the only one left.

Had I known this would become such a nuisance, it might have been better to just let Ethan do it after all…….

‘I didn’t expect the silent nobles of the Emperor’s Faction to react this way.’

When Ethan held the role, they let it slide since he was part of the same faction, even if they had grievances. But they couldn’t just ignore the honor of participating in the ritual going to Seimus, a member of the Noble Faction.

They all approached me with solemn faces, but the gist of their complaints was: “I’m sulking. How could you give such a thing to him? Is our relationship only worth this much?” It seemed they found it easier to speak up now that rumors of my softened personality were spreading, whereas before they wouldn’t have dared to question me.

“Then shall I pick one more acolyte from the Emperor’s Faction?”

“Are you serious?”

The faces of the Emperor’s Faction nobles brightened, but they all froze at my following words.

“I truly hope the one chosen this time lasts a long time. The Young Lord of Taranto has a good temperament, so he’s been putting up with Ethan’s personality for quite a while. It would be quite a laughable sight if the new one couldn’t endure it and left early.”

As I spoke while feigning worry with a hand over my mouth, the nobles exchanged glances. It was only natural; I had candidates for acolytes when I was younger, and they had all retreated in tears, unable to handle Ethan’s tantrums and my own pickiness.

The only reason Ethan had remained my sole companion was simple: other noble children couldn’t endure it.

Though my personality might have changed, they knew Ethan’s was still the same. They seemed to be agonizing over whether their children could withstand Ethan’s malice.

“Count Lavent, your son was once a candidate for my companion. He quit back then because he wasn’t feeling well; is he better now?”

“Your Highness, I know it is a place of honor, but…… my child is still not in good health and cannot serve as a companion.”

I recalled his son, who had once tried to speak to me only to have his hair pulled by Ethan, returning home in tears. Seeing him refuse instantly, I went around to each noble with the offer, but I was rejected every single time.

It was only natural, as they were all parents of children who had once been severely tormented by Ethan.

“Well, I shall leave the position open. If anyone wishes to become a companion, feel free to speak up at any time.”

In the end, the Emperor’s Faction nobles gained nothing. Since the Noble Faction had no reason to oppose Seimus participating in the ritual, there were no further objections.

As time passed, the scenery inside and outside the palace began to change. From atop a high tower, looking in all directions, I could feel the transformation every day.

Magical lights began to be hung throughout the palace for decoration, and colorful floral lanterns—though humbler than those of the palace—were hung outside as well. When night fell, the whole world sparkled so brilliantly it felt as if the stars had fallen to the earth.