The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]

A hit.

More like several hits.

And by the time the hour was up, all the parties in charge of monitoring news about the Imperial family, including the prince whose identity was hidden, were buzzing.

And if they knew, then how could it possibly be hidden from the ruling couple themselves?

The Empress tried. She truly did. But the moment the holoscreens lit up, a sharp gasp escaped before she could stop it.

Because there, flashing across multiple angles, were photos—no, videos—of her actual son doing something utterly unthinkable.

She leaned forward, rotating the feed this way and that, hoping for even the smallest chance that it was a trick of the light, a fabricated illusion. But however she turned it, there was no mistaking him.

Same white hair. Those piercing azure eyes. That tall, intimidating frame.

And yet that same son was unmistakably pulling someone close. Extremely close. His arms wrapped firmly around someone smaller, holding them flush against his chest like they were the most important thing in the world.

The room was silent until the Emperor finally spoke, his voice low and firm. ”Who is that?”

It was the very same question the Empress wanted to ask but couldn’t bring herself to voice, not when her eyes remained glued to the image of Xavier moving so openly, so boldly.

By the fourth replay, she was still frozen, trapped in disbelief, only breaking free of it when their youngest daughter, Princess Nina, burst into the chamber.

”Stop! Stop! Don’t look!” Nina yelped, practically throwing herself at the nearest holoscreen. She flailed, hopping up and down to cover the display with her small frame. Her arms spread as wide as they could go, which was not nearly enough.

It was a pitiful, frantic, adorable struggle. She might as well have been a kitten trying to shield a lion with a scrap of cloth.

”Don’t look at it! It’s nothing! Just rumors!” she squeaked, standing on tiptoe to cover as much of the screen as she could.

But it was already too late.

Even if Nina somehow managed to block the feeds, the Emperor had already recognized the Duke and Duchess of Kyros standing right there beside their son.

And honestly, was there even any stopping the flood of information when the headlines were already bold and blaring across the networks?

Luca Soren Kyros.

To everyone else, he was heir to the Duchy of Kyros.

Only child of Duke Leander and Duchess Amelia.

But to them, who had just discovered all this, he was the chipmunk.

The beloved.

And just how had they missed something so important when it seemed like all these people already knew about it?!

Well, that would likely be thanks to something called ships.

The unfortunate palace employee responsible for media monitoring wanted to drop to the ground in prostration. Truly, it wasn’t incompetence—it was obedience. They had learned, painfully, to ignore such things years ago.

When the prince was younger, every flutter of interest, every wild rumor, every so-called ”coupling” was brought to everyone’s attention. And every single time, he had responded with the same sharp disdain.

Allegations of wasting time. Accusations of trivial obsession. And honestly? He had been right.

People would ship themselves with Xavier Montclair. They would write stories. Compose poems. Post poorly edited videos with background music that should have been illegal. The variety of materials was endless and, in the prince’s opinion, utterly useless.

According to him, if such elite staff had time to investigate every person claiming to be in love with him, then they had enough time to track crime lords, syndicates, and possible terrorists.

After that scolding, no one had ever dared waste his time again. Orders were orders.

So when a new ship appeared, no matter how popular, they brushed it off. A school pairing? A guildmate rumor? It meant nothing. Especially when it came to the prince and the young heir of Kyros.

They looked like close friends at best. Guildmates who spent too much time training together. People simply mistook the camaraderie and turned it into gossip. Since they were rarely seen together outside official occasions, there was little to confirm otherwise.

So imagine their shock now, staring at the new footage.

That couldn’t possibly be the Imperial Crown Prince. Right?

Right?!

But there he was, plain as day, with all the right features that resembled the Empress and Emperor, whose photos were everywhere in the palace. And his adjutant, Kyle Nox, was there too, standing like a wall beside Jackson Taylor as they, too, tried to weasel their way out of there.

So, who else could it possibly be?!

There could be no mistaking it this time.

In all the noise, the Empress realized something chilling. Their daughter hadn’t been exaggerating when she said so many people wanted the chipmunk. Because the moment she scrolled further and practically demanded to see more, the truth revealed itself.

The feeds were overflowing with posts, and they painted a very curious picture.

Xavier, the hidden Crown Prince of the Empire, was... disadvantaged.

Not really. Not in reality. But in the eyes of the others, yes.

Because Luca Soren Kyros was heir to a duchy, while the Montclair family name being used as Xavier’s temporary cover? That of a baron.

The contrast was scandalous to the gossip-hungry eyes of society.

The Empress and Emperor exchanged worried looks. There was still another thing they were wondering about after seeing all this.

Then, with a frown, the Emperor asked, ”Why would there be a money problem?” His sharp gaze slid to Princess Nina, who was still in distress over the collapse of everything she tried to keep hidden. Butler Henry had to scoop her up like a panicked kitten to keep her from throwing herself at the holoscreens again.

It was then that the poor attendant, still groveling on the floor, lifted his head.

”Your Majesty... what if they are planning on eloping? What if their relationship isn’t fully supported, so they are working toward financial independence?”

Gasps echoed in the hall.

The Emperor almost bolted to his feet in distress. It sounded plausible! Too plausible!

But the attendant wasn’t finished. He trembled but pressed on. There were rumors about the past reputation of the prince’s beloved. Things that hadn’t been flattering. But the Imperial couple barely reacted to this revelation.

Because how could they not already know what drove Duke Leander and Duchess Amelia? Those two were the type to shout their devotion to the stars. They would never randomly seclude themselves and their son unless there was more to the story. So really it wasn’t something that pressing, especially when the Emperor even had a reputation for eating his enemies when he would never dare taint the mouth he uses on his wife with anything gross.

The Emperor’s expression grew dark, the Empress’s smile sharper, but before they could say more, the receiving hall doors swung open.

Marshal Julian strode in, his steps brisk.

”Your Majesties, I’m here because of an urgent matter.”

”About what?” asked the Empress, her tone deceptively calm. After all, this was her younger brother.

”It’s about Duke Leander’s mecha—”

He stopped.

Because the moment the words ”Duke Leander” left his lips, the entire hall shifted. Dozens of eyes snapped toward him, pinning him in place like arrows.

Julian faltered. What in the world had he just walked into?

Then, like a blade sliding through the air, the Empress cut the tension with a smile that could have ended wars—or started them.

”Marshal Julian,” she said sweetly, ”about this... please, do tell us more.”

The Marshal froze. That smile.

There was no mistaking it. He needed to step back.

Or better yet... was there still a chance to run away?