The Fallen Star

Chase’s gaze drifted toward the window, sparkling with the brilliant lights of the festival, but he immediately turned away as he remembered Ailen’s command. Among the instructions he had received was a specific order not to look out the window.

It was a strange command, yet Chase felt a warmth spread through his chest at the underlying concern and worry it contained.

At the same time, a coldness bloomed in a corner of his heart. A nagging voice whispered that he was not someone worthy of such care.

Sometimes, when he was alone, the secret Chase harbored felt so heavy he thought he might suffocate. When the pressure became unbearable, it would suddenly loosen just enough to keep him from dying, prolonging his agony.

Driven by the weight, he had often been on the verge of confessing everything, only to be swayed by the sweetness of Ailen’s kindness. Because he did not want to see that gaze turn back into the contempt of the past, Chase chose to shoulder the heavy secret once more.

Ailen’s kindness was a poison to him, yet it was also the strength that allowed him to endure everything.

With nothing to do but wait in the empty room, Chase sat in a chair, restlessly swinging his legs. This year’s Holy Festival was unfolding in a bizarre direction.

‘A person who will destroy the world…’

If the world ended, he would die too—so what kind of person could it be? Chase assumed it had nothing to do with him. After all, he was just a person with no power at all.

If he were of true imperial blood, he might have possessed a god-given authority, but as a fake royal, he held no such power.

That was why, even when a commotion broke out downstairs, he never imagined it involved him. Not even when the Imperial Guard burst in with the priestesses, searching for him.

“W-what is…!” “Found him!”

A woman in unfamiliar attire grabbed his arm and tried to drag him out. Flustered, Chase struggled, remembering Ailen’s warning never to leave the Crown Prince’s palace.

“No! Let go!” “Stay still!” “Urgh!”

He felt the woman’s nails dig in through the thin fabric of his shirt. Thanks to the sleeves, his skin didn’t tear, but the piercing grip was excruciating.

Unable to walk properly, he was dragged along by the woman. As he took in his surroundings, he realized he was being taken to the Garnet Hall.

‘Why?’

Why were they taking him like this? Suddenly, a thought flashed through Chase’s mind.

‘I’ve been caught.’

The prophecy didn’t even enter his mind, as he believed it had nothing to do with him. He assumed his false lineage had been exposed. Thinking that any further resistance was futile, he stopped fighting the grip. The priestess was then able to drag him along much more easily.

As he entered the Garnet Hall, bathed in the extravagant light of the chandeliers, he felt everyone’s eyes on him, filled with horror. Amidst those gazes, Chase searched for Ailen.

Would he be looking at him with contempt? He was terrified, yet he desperately needed to know. He hoped that even if everyone else turned away, Ailen wouldn’t.

‘Ah…’

As if his prayer had been answered, there was no contempt in Ailen’s eyes. Instead, he looked on with a pained expression, as if grieving his own helplessness. That alone was enough to settle Chase’s heart.

“Your Majesty, this is the child.”

Only when they reached the Emperor was the grip on his arm released. Chase collapsed to the floor, and as the Emperor’s cold, indifferent gaze fell upon him, Chase had no choice but to bow his head.

He could feel that gaze scanning his entire body. Chase felt as though nothing could be hidden from those eyes.

As he lay prostrate, staring at his own reflection in the polished marble floor, the priestess’s voice rang out.

“Your Majesty likely visited the Great Forest about ten years ago.”

Her voice was as fluent as a stage actress. Even the musicians stopped playing to listen to her words.

“At that time, you took a young priestess with you. You made her a concubine and even bestowed your imperial favor upon her.”

The Emperor said nothing. Taking his silence as a command to proceed, the priestess grabbed Chase by the scruff of the neck and hauled him up. Chase was forced to stand, as limp as a paper doll fluttering at a single gesture.

“However, that priestess was already carrying a seed in her womb before she ever met Your Majesty. Carrying the seed of another man, she audaciously entered the Imperial Palace pretending it was the Emperor’s child.”

A wave of shock rippled through the hall. Her words meant that Chase had spent his life masquerading as a member of the imperial bloodline when he was nothing of the sort.

Fury began to kindle in the Emperor’s previously indifferent eyes. Facing that rage head-on, Chase’s face turned deathly pale.

“You… did you know about this?”

He was asking if this was Dalia’s doing alone, or if Chase had known and failed to speak the truth.

Chase wanted to say no, that he hadn’t known. In reality, he had only pieced the truth together through his own deductions after her death.

But his voice failed him. All he could do was tremble violently as tears streamed down his face. Seeing this, the Emperor interpreted his reaction as a silent admission of guilt. Blood rushed to the Emperor’s face until it looked almost black. His bloodshot eyes glared at Chase with murderous intent. His hand moved toward the ceremonial sword at his waist, though he did not draw it.

“Lock the criminal in the dungeon immediately!” “Your Majesty!”

Ailen threw himself onto the floor, kneeling desperately. He tried to speak, but the Emperor merely spared him a glance before swirling his cloak and turning his back. Beside him, the Empress, her face pale and her eyelids fluttering, pressed a hand to her forehead.

“Your Majesty the Empress!”

Her ladies-in-the-waiting rushed to support her as she collapsed. In the hall where the Emperor and Empress had vanished, only the Crown Prince, Ailen, remained kneeling.

As Chase was dragged away by the Imperial Guard on the Emperor’s orders, he saw Ailen’s back.

‘Ah…’

Despite how hard he had struggled to prevent this, his secret could not be hidden forever. While he feared what was to come, a sense of relief bloomed in a corner of Chase’s heart. It’s over.

The fact that he no longer had to be crushed by the weight of the secret gave him comfort.

Amidst the gazes looking at him with distaste, Chase watched the only person who had turned his back to him—watching until he became a mere speck and finally vanished from sight.

The Holy Festival ended with that uproar. Every envoy, except for the priestesses, was practically chased out of the Imperial Palace, yet none dared to protest against the Empire. Perhaps they felt the need to return to their own countries immediately to discuss the situation, as they all left without a word.

The palace remained busy with daily meetings. Refusing all visitors, nobles with grim expressions gathered at the Central Palace every day, only to leave with even darker faces when no conclusion was reached.

I was terrified that the Emperor, having learned the truth, would kill Chase immediately. However, for reasons unknown, the Emperor kept Chase imprisoned and took no further action.

The only things I could do were ensure proper food reached Chase through intermediaries and constantly visit the Emperor’s palace.

“His Majesty says you may enter.”

The Emperor, who had been unresponsive, finally answered my visit. I hurried into his office.

The Emperor stood by the window with his back to the door, bathed in sunlight as he looked outside. I began to offer my greetings to his back, but I couldn’t even finish before his question cut me off.

“Imperial…” “Did you know as well?” “….” “Is that why your attitude toward that thing changed?”

The Emperor turned to look at me as I stood there in a half-bow. No emotion was visible on his face, but that void only made his rage easier to guess.

I had no intention of hiding it, so I nodded.

“Yes.”

The moment the word left my mouth—Crash! A sharp sound shattered the air. Unable to contain a momentary surge of fury, the Emperor had hurled a nearby porcelain vase to the floor.

“How dare you!” “….” “Have you all conspired to mock me!”

The issue was that I had known of such a grave matter and failed to report it to the Emperor.

The Emperor had been made a fool. The entire world now knew that the person he had raised as a son for over ten years—though now demoted to a commoner—was a complete stranger.

And now he had discovered that the person involved knew, and his only true son, me, knew as well. I immediately prostrated myself and spoke.

“I had a dream.” “….” “In that dream, I…”

I told the Emperor the story of the original work. Of course, I didn’t mention Count Taranto’s dark motives or the part where I died. Those weren’t the important details, and I didn’t want to cause further problems by bringing them up.

Knowing the Emperor was a man who didn’t understand compassion, I didn’t talk about how sad or difficult the original Chase’s life had been. I simply reported the facts calmly.

When I finished recounting the original plot and settings—somewhat exaggeratedly, as if I had truly seen them in a dream—the Emperor let out a snort.