A Night of Suspicion
As the night grew deep, Diabel Sogo could not fall asleep. In her mind, the fragments of information she had gathered from the borderlands kept interlocking endlessly.
No matter how I look at it, something’s off…
Not a single villager could remember the prince’s visit. That alone is strange enough, but when you add the shadow’s testimony from before…
They had said an unidentified haze shimmered inside the prince’s quarters.
And that’s not all. A rootless commoner suddenly capturing the prince’s heart?
Then, out of nowhere, a girl with no background had appeared and ensnared the prince.
“Taken one by one, they all look like coincidences,” Diabel murmured quietly.
Yet the moment her brilliant mind began weaving those fragments into a single picture, an entirely different shape emerged.
The complete erasure of the villagers’ memories. That was no ordinary forgetfulness.
What if someone had manipulated those memories?
Someone had wiped them away.
And there is only one kind of person in this empire capable of erasing memories.
The power to erase memories, cloud minds, and bewitch people. In the entire empire, only one lineage possessed that kind of Star Vein.
“Black Star Veins.”
The most vulgar and most feared bloodline, subject to immediate execution upon discovery. The forbidden power that manipulated minds and hearts.
“Yes. If it’s that, everything fits perfectly.”
Diabel’s eyes narrowed. The way the commoner girl had bewitched the prince. The vanished memories of the villagers. Even the haze in the quarters. If it was the mental manipulation of Black Star Veins, not a single piece was out of place.
Perhaps the reason the prince kept that lowly creature so close was because he himself was being controlled.
“So even someone like His Highness the Prince fell under the spell of a mere commoner for that reason.”
The moment her thoughts reached that point, Diabel felt a thrilling certainty. But she quickly pulled herself together.
“Calm down, Diabel.”
She pressed her fingertips to her temple. This is nothing more than conjecture.
No matter how neatly the pieces fit, all she held were circumstances. No one had ever confirmed the girl’s bloodline with their own eyes.
If the Black Star Veins were proven true, that lowly creature would be finished in an instant. Forget becoming crown princess—she would be dragged off to the Maryeokche and executed the very same day.
That was the most certain card she could play. But if she ran her mouth based on speculation alone, she might end up hurting herself instead. She would be accused of slandering an innocent crown princess candidate.
“I need evidence. Solid evidence.”
Diabel rose from her chair and slowly paced the room. The quiet space echoed only with the sound of her footsteps.
“What’s certain for now… is blood.”
The most reliable way to identify Black Star Veins was through blood. Simply inflict a wound and check whether the blood ran black.
“…No. That’s far too reckless.”
But she could not use that method.
“She is, after all, a candidate for crown princess. There is no justification for drawing blood from that body.”
Even if she somehow created a justification, the prince would never stand by. She did not want to imagine what would happen if she laid so much as a finger on his fiancée.
“Hmm… this is troublesome…”
A way to reveal Black Star Veins without drawing blood. Did such a thing even exist?
Diabel sank deep into thought for a long time.
“Ah…!”
Then, suddenly, a smile spread across her lips.
“…That’s right. I forgot who I am.”
She was the owner of a vast merchant guild whose reach extended across the entire empire. Every rare and precious object in the world passed through her hands—from priceless treasures to artifacts whose very names were unknown.
And among them was one very special item.
One that could reveal a hidden bloodline without spilling a single drop of blood.
“If it’s that object…”
Diabel walked to the window and gazed at the Imperial Palace swallowed by darkness.
“I can drag your true nature into the light without even cutting your skin.”
Only she knew what that object was.
“Just wait, you lowly thing His Highness the Prince cherishes… no, the thing that controls His Highness the Prince.”
A cold smile stretched long through the darkness.
“At the Daeje, I will show you very elegantly exactly what you really are.”
The following evening, I sat in Era’s quarters and casually brought it up.
Shall I tease her a little?
“Hey. I heard something interesting yesterday… Want to hear it?”
“What is it?” Era asked, eyes sparkling as she lifted her head.
“A very, very, very, very… scary story.”
“A-a scary story?” Her voice was already trembling slightly.
“I was on patrol yesterday and overheard the guards talking. It’s a ghost story about the Palace Basement!”
“Th-the Palace Basement?”
I deliberately lowered my voice. “They say the basement beneath the Imperial Palace is like a maze.”
“Really? I should never go there…”
“Once you enter, it’s easy to lose your way. One guard apparently got lost in there and wandered for three whole hours.”
“Three hours?” Era swallowed hard.
“Then, from somewhere, a singing voice began to echo.”
I paused, observing Era’s face. She was already subtly tugging the blanket toward herself.
“Hiiiik…”
“La~ lalala…”
“The guard was startled at first, but before he knew it, he was drawn to the sound.”
“He followed it as if possessed, and eventually reached a room.”
“A-and then?”
“The guard couldn’t resist and peeked inside!”
“But then!” I put emphasis on this part.
“Hieek!”
As expected, Era tumbled backward in a dramatic reaction.
“Through the crack in the door, he saw a beautiful woman sitting on a bed, singing.”
I continued the story with satisfaction.
“A-a woman?”
“But white smoke was slowly rising from her body, and she looked translucent.”
Era’s face turned deathly pale.
“Hiiiiii…!”
“The guard was so captivated by her beauty that he kept watching her…”
This was the highlight. At moments like this, you had to slow the tempo gradually to build tension.
“Completely unaware that his arm was pressing against the door…”
I could feel Era becoming more and more absorbed in the tale.
“Gulp…!”
The sound of her swallowing, her wide round eyes, her shoulders drawn up tight—yet the curiosity that still kept her gaze fixed on me!
“Then suddenly…”
“Crash!!!”
“The door flew open under his weight and the guard tumbled into the room!”
“At that moment, the mysterious woman whipped around and—!”
…Now!
“Get out… Get out of here!!!!!!”
“Kyaaaaah!!!!!!”
Era must have been genuinely startled; she let out a sharp scream and nearly rolled off the bed. I gently caught her.
…Of course, the guard’s original story hadn’t included that line. But ghost stories evolve a little each time, right? That’s what makes them fun.
“Whoosh!!!”
“She erupted with black energy!”
I kept going. “When he came to his senses, the guard was lying in front of the main gate.”
“Hieek.” Era pulled the blanket all the way up to her nose.
“Do you know who that woman was?”
“Wh-who was she?”
I drew out the atmosphere as much as possible.
“They say she was a ghost.”
“Kyaaaah!”
Era shrieked and clung desperately to my arm.
“I-I’m scared! Why would you tell me something like that!”
“Why? It’s fun, isn’t it? Hehe…”
“It’s not fun at all! Uuu…”
Era trembled violently while still clinging to my arm.
“Huuuu…”
“…”
She looked so adorable that my mischievous side flared up again.
“But you know…”
“Wh-what?”
“There’s also a rumor that the ghost wanders the palace at night. She might be somewhere near this room right now.”
“Th-that’s not possible!”
“Listen. That sound. Don’t you hear singing?”
When I pointed out the window and whispered, Era covered her ears with both hands and burrowed into my chest.
“Uwaaah! No! I don’t hear anything! I don’t hear it!”
I finally burst out laughing.
“Puhaha. Hey, it was a joke. Just a joke.”
“I-it was a joke?”
“Yeah. What singing? That was just crickets.”
Only then did Era peek her head out, cheeks puffed up in a pout.
“You’re really too much! I was genuinely scared!”
“Sorry, sorry. But you fall for it so easily.”
“Hmph. I won’t fall for it again.”
Era turned her head away as if sulking, but she was still gripping the hem of my clothes tightly.
The sight made me feel playful once more.
“Then if you’re not scared, shall we go down to the basement together?”
“What?!” Era whipped around in surprise.
“Let’s go check if the ghost is really there.”
“N-no way! I’m absolutely not going!”
“Why not? You just said you weren’t scared.”
“Th-that’s different!”
Era shook her head vigorously. Yet I could see her eyes trembling slightly. She was scared, but also a little curious.
“Come on. The girl who tried to kidnap the entire Imperial Palace is afraid of one little ghost?”
“Wh-why are you bringing that up again!”
Era’s face flushed as she snapped at me.
“Anyway! I’m definitely not going to the basement! I hate scary places!”
“All right, all right. We won’t go.”
I laughed and raised my hands. Of course, my inner thoughts were a little different.
That song. The tune the guard had clumsily hummed still lingered strangely in my mind. I was certain I had heard it somewhere before.
The thought that I should go there myself one day quietly settled into a corner of my heart.
“But Leon.”
“Yeah?”
“Tonight… because I’m scared… can you stay beside me?”
Era asked while still clutching my sleeve, glancing at me nervously.
“…Please.”
I looked at her face and let out a small chuckle.
“Who was the one who asked for a scary story?”
“You told it on your own!” Era snapped again.
But I didn’t bother removing her hand. Tonight, at least, I planned to pretend I couldn’t win and stay by her side.
“Yeah, yeah… I got it. I’ll stay.”