I’m In Trouble Because The Darkened Heroes Are Obsessed With Me

Early morning, Imperial Palace.Astaire arrived at the imperial palace at dawn.Clad in pristine white robes, he looked serene at first glance.But beneath that, his eyes held an icy sharpness—a side of him rarely seen in public.When he reached the audience chamber, the knights guarding the doors tensed under his gaze.Yet, instead of issuing a command, he simply gave them a small nod.There was no arrogance, no pressure—just a simple gesture.And yet, the knights felt utterly overwhelmed.A beat late, one of them finally announced,“Your grace, the Cardinal requests an audience.”“Let him in.”At the Crown Prince’s command, the knights pushed open the grand doors.A long scarlet carpet stretched from the entrance to the top of the platform, where the imperial throne rested.And seated on that throne—Was a young man with deep blue hair, like the midnight sky.Cedric Russel de Hartwig.

Crown Prince of Arthes Empire, ruler of the largest territory on the continent.And the only one allowed to sit upon the imperial throne while the Emperor lay bedridden.Astaire strode forward, stopping before the platform.Then, he bowed deeply.“I greet Your Highness, the great ruler of the empire and a mighty sorcerer.”The Blood of Mages.Long ago, the founder of Arthes had been a Grand Mage, possessing immense mana.His two sons inherited that power, their blood-red eyes a mark of concentrated magical energy.One son established the Empire, vowing to pass down rule through bloodline succession.The other built the Tower of Mages, deciding that power—not birthright—would determine leadership.For a time, the Empire and the Tower coexisted peacefully, bound by brotherhood.But over the centuries, that bond faded—until the Tower fully severed ties and became independent.Now, in the present day—The Tower had abandoned bloodline succession, and red eyes disappeared from their ranks.But among the imperial family, the trait still remained.Any child born with those crimson eyes was destined to become heir.Cedric was one such child.Astaire’s greeting called him a “mighty sorcerer” out of tradition—because to be Emperor was to wield supreme magic.Cedric returned the formalities, though his words held little warmth.“I welcome the Guardian of Light, the voice of the Holy Nation.”Then, without delay, he got to the point.“A visit this early in the morning? Shouldn’t you be leading morning prayers?”“I have urgent news.”“More urgent than worship?”“It concerns the dimensional rift.”At those words—Cedric’s expression darkened.Astaire continued,“Last night, we found evidence at Count Lort’s estate.”At his signal, Lancelot stepped forward, opening a small box.Inside was the dimensional fragment, retrieved from the Count’s mansion.“Not only that,” Astaire added, “the Count and his wife had hired black magicians to brainwash nobles into worshiping the Demon God.”Cedric said nothing.“The Count denies everything, but there is likely a much larger force behind this. We intend to launch a public investigation.”Again, silence.“To minimize future casualties and uncover hidden threats, we ask that you inform the people.”Cedric, who had been listening with a hardened expression, finally spoke.“I respect you, Guardian of Light, for always placing yourself at the forefront of danger.”“……”“But tell me—only three years have passed since the Demon God vanished. The people have barely begun to recover from that terror. Would you so cruelly drag them back into it?”His words sounded compassionate, as if he genuinely cared for the people.But Astaire knew better.He merely stared, expressionless.The imperial family wasn’t worried about the people’s suffering.They just didn’t want this issue becoming public—Because it would mean spending resources to maintain order.Just like three years ago, when the Demon God had first appeared.But Astaire had prepared his final move.The one thing that would force the imperial family to act.“Would Your Highness still say that… if I told you someone is impersonating you?”“……What?”Cedric, who had been reclining casually, suddenly sat upright.His red eyes wavered in shock.Astaire didn’t miss that reaction.He pressed on.“A masked man appeared at Count Lort’s estate last night… have the same red eyes as Your Highness.”Cedric’s fingers tightened around the throne’s armrests.“……”“Will you let that go unanswered?”The weight of treason, impersonating a royal was high treason—punishable by death.Ignoring such a crime would tarnish the royal family’s authority.Astaire drove the point home.“I have no intention of keeping this investigation secret.”“……”“Sooner or later, the people will hear about it. Would it not be better for Your Highness to address them first— And warn them of this unknown enemy?”It was checkmate.Cedric couldn’t ignore this without humiliating the imperial family.Realizing this, the Crown Prince’s expression grew stony.He stared down at Astaire—But Astaire, unfazed, met his gaze head-on.Unlike other nobles,Unlike even the Emperor himself,Astaire had never once bowed to the imperial family’s demands.Cedric exhaled slowly.And thought to himself—‘Unbelievable. To think this bastard is Ferdinand’s son.’The Emperor’s hound, the Saint’s lapdog—Raised to be obedient.Yet somehow, here he was.A wolf, not a hound.And utterly untamed.Imperial Palace—Audience Chamber, Cedric internally clicked his tongue as he observed Astaire.The Marquis of Ferdian—Astaire’s father—was known for his perfect politeness in front of the imperial family, always reading the room like a snake.Yet his son stood here, completely different.Unwavering.Astaire had no fear of power.Resting his chin on his hand, Cedric thought for a moment before smoothing his expression.Then, he finally spoke.“You’re right, Cardinal. I was short-sighted.”“……”“The Empire will fully cooperate in investigating this case. I will also assign capable personnel to assist you.”It was a clear political move—If he couldn’t bury the case, then he would take control of it instead.Astaire saw through him immediately.But there was no reason to refuse.As Crown Prince, Cedric had every right to involve himself in matters of imperial security.And in the end, Astaire had achieved his goal, dragging this case into the light.“I will honor Your Highness’s will and expose the true forces behind this incident.”Though his tone was respectful, the glint in his eyes was cold— A silent warning.Then, without another word, Astaire turned and strode out of the chamber.Cedric watched his retreating figure and recalled his words.‘A masked man visited Count Lort last night. He had the same red eyes as Your Highness.’Astaire believed that this impostor was the mastermind, using Cedric’s identity to further his own plans.But Cedric knew the truth.‘The one pretending to be me… knows that I am the real mastermind.’He didn’t know why the impostor was imitating him, but one thing was clear.That man could not be left alive.And beyond that—‘It’s dangerous to let the temple dig any deeper into this case.’He had to capture the impostor first and bury the rest of this case before the temple uncovered too much.Then, a thought came to him.His lips curled into a smirk.“To fight a hound, I’ll use another hound.”He turned to his steward.“Summon Duke Rittenhouse.”  ***** A few days later, in the morning. After a leisurely breakfast, Elsez climbed into her carriage.But today, she gave the coachman a different destination.“Take me to the Rittenhouse estate.”As soon as the carriage started moving, Reti popped out from her inner pocket and clung to the window, eagerly watching the scenery pass by.Elsez, meanwhile, recalled what Lanny had said earlier.‘You used to have tea with Duke Rittenhouse every second and fourth Wednesday, right?’And today was the second Wednesday.Elsez had decided it was time to formally discuss their broken engagement.‘Just sending a letter wouldn’t be proper. Even if it was only temporary, we were engaged.’She still had a long way to go before repaying all her debts.But she figured she should at least start paying small portions now—And give him time to find another fiancée to replace her.And…‘I’m also just… curious about how he’s been.’Of the four heroes, he had always been the most unpredictable.The one who had caused her the most trouble.And yet, they had spent ten years together.Now that she had seen Cassian, Astaire, and—even if only briefly—Rashiel, she wanted to know what had become of him too.Even though…Now that he held the power of the Demon God, he was more unreadable than ever.Lost in thought, she was snapped back by Reti’s voice.“It smells good.”The familiar sweet scent of a bakery drifted into the carriage.Soft, sugary, and comforting.Just then—A memory from her first life flashed through her mind.Her expression hardened.She knocked on the front window of the carriage urgently.“Stop the carriage!”