Responses
The bad guy has been masquerading as the Crown Prince this entire time.
The royal family has blonde hair. The sickly/dead emperor is the First Emperor. Who has been in this state for 700 years?
Banar is the Crown Prince, maybe this entire time that we have seen him?
The royal family may have never really existed? It was Banar the entire time?

Well, that was a twist but suddenly things make sense.