The Banquet of the Forgotten King

The castle was alive tonight.
Golden chandeliers blazed against the night sky, and the scent of roasted meats and aged wine drifted through every corridor. Servants rushed with silver trays, nobles arrived in shimmering carriages, and the sound of laughter echoed through the marble halls.

Leo stood at the far end of a quiet corridor, watching the festivities from the shadows. He hadn’t been invited.

“...The banquet,” he murmured under his breath.
Even without asking, he knew what it was. Once every year, the kingdom celebrated the birthday of its first king. A man whose name was etched in every history book, whose statue stood tall in the heart of the capital — King Roman.

And tonight, the whole royal family feasted in his honor.

Leo glanced down at his own plain clothes, then toward the towering doors of the great hall in the distance.

“You shouldn’t.”

The voice came from behind. His maid — a slender girl with silver hair tied in a braid — was standing there, her eyes filled with worry.

“Master Leo… you weren’t invited. If you walk in there unannounced, they’ll—”

“I know,” he interrupted, his tone calm but unyielding.

“Then why—”

“Because I want to see it.” He turned his gaze back toward the light spilling from the banquet hall. “The statue. The man they celebrate.”

Her hand twitched, as if she wanted to grab his arm, but in the end, she didn’t move.
“...You’ll cause trouble for yourself.”

Leo gave a faint smirk.
“Trouble finds me anyway.”

And with that, he began walking.

Every step brought the noise of the banquet closer — the clinking of goblets, the chorus of noble laughter, the music of lutes and harps. Two guards stood at the massive golden doors, but they didn’t stop him. Perhaps they assumed he belonged here… or perhaps something in his cold, determined gaze made them hesitate.

The doors opened, and light swallowed him.

The great hall was a sea of splendor — long tables overflowing with delicacies, nobles draped in silk and jewels, banners of crimson and gold swaying gently from the high ceiling. At the far end, on a raised platform, sat the royal family, their smiles polished and perfect.

But Leo’s eyes weren’t on them.

They were on the massive statue standing just behind the throne.
A man carved in gold, wearing a crown, a sword in one hand, and a stern, proud expression.

The plaque below read:

Roman, the First King.
Founder of the Empire.
Bearer of the Crown Eternal.

And in that instant… something inside Leo snapped.

A sudden sharp pain tore through his skull. The world blurred, the music faded, and the laughter became a distant echo.

— Throne room.
A younger man in black armor standing before kneeling generals.
His voice ringing like steel: “We do not yield.”

— Battlefield.
Blood on the snow. An army of thousands chanting a single name — Roman! Roman!

— Coronation.
A golden crown placed on his head. The cheers of an entire nation.

— Betrayal.
A poisoned goblet. A trusted hand shoving a blade between his ribs.

— Death.
The cold floor beneath him, his vision fading.

And then… darkness.

The memories flooded him, relentless and merciless. He saw his own face — not as Leo, but as Roman. The same black hair. The same eyes, but filled with the weight of ruling an empire.

I was… him.

He staggered back slightly, clutching his head, breathing heavily.

The hall around him came back into focus. No one seemed to notice — the music continued, the nobles drank and laughed, the king raised his goblet in honor of “the first king.”

But Leo’s gaze sharpened.

“So… this is where it begins again,” he whispered to himself.

The weight of centuries settled on his shoulders — not as a burden, but as a silent vow.
He had once built this empire from nothing, only to be betrayed.
Now, given a second life, he would reclaim everything… and this time, no one would take it from him.

Not his brothers.
Not the court.
Not even fate itself.

[Mission Complete: ‘Retrieve the Lost Past’]
Reward: All Memories of Previous Life Restored.

His system’s voice echoed faintly in his mind, sealing the truth.

From this night on, Leo was not just a boy in a royal castle.
He was the fallen king… returned.

Roman.
The king they worshipped.
The king they celebrated.
The king he was.

And yet… no one here knew.
No one remembered the truth.
The empire stood on his legacy, but not a soul in this hall would recognize him now.

A bitter laugh slipped from his lips — quiet, almost soundless.

Good.

Because he wasn’t here to be recognized.
He was here to take back everything that was stolen from him.

Not his throne.
Not his power.
Not his empire.

This time, there would be no betrayal.
This time… the world would kneel until it bled.

He was no longer just a forgotten prince in the shadows.
He was the fallen king, reborn in his own kingdom…
and the game had just begun.