The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 108

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride — Chapter 108

“Speaking of which, Lucian, has Habier sent you any recent information?”
Lia, contentedly nestled in Lucian’s embrace, seemed to recall something and asked him. Lucian tilted his head for a moment before shaking it.
“I see. Then have Habier come by soon, would you?”

“Why? Have you found something out about him?”
“No, it’s not that. Recently I’ve been gathering information to uncover the past, but no matter how much I dig through records about the first emperor, there’s nothing about the witch Aria.”
“What does that have to do with Habier?”
Kaiser tilted his head in confusion.
“The Temple Organization might know something. Remember how you said the Temple beneath the Mansion offers a sacrifice once every ten years? It seems to have been going on for quite a long time. And I suspect the reason they were making those offerings might be because of me.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
“There was certainly evidence of that.”
Finding merit in her words, both Lucian and Kaiser nodded in agreement.
“Since Habier has apparently gained some trust by now, couldn’t he obtain information about the Mansion?”
“Hmm… I’ll reach out to Habier about that matter.”
“And there’s something else I need you to do.”
Lia began to speak but hesitated. Lucian was puzzled by the sudden shift in her mood.
“…Actually, I haven’t been able to tell you about this until now.”
What Lia revealed to Lucian was an incident from when he was ten years old — priests, including Habier, had invaded the basement of the Mansion.
And that story was also the cause of the fight between the two of them on Lucian’s eighteenth birthday.
“Kaiser and I thought it might be connected to the Imperial Family. So perhaps… the Temple Organization had colluded with the Imperial Family and disposed of you…”
Lia watched Lucian’s expression carefully. He seemed quite startled, his face growing slightly stiff.
Lia and Kaiser exchanged glances.
“Go on… tell me the rest.”
Lucian listened intently to Lia’s words while maintaining his composure.
With his encouragement, Lia was able to steel herself and reveal all the truth.
“…All the people who stayed in the Mansion disappeared in a single day when their cycle reached ‘-7 years.’ And for some reason, I believed they were dead.”
“When the Mansion’s inhabitants vanished, when the Temple priests arrived at the Mansion, and seeing how they came up from the basement searching for you — I thought they would harm you just as they eliminated the others.”
“So… those priests died because of you.”
He had never imagined such a truth lay hidden beneath the secret she had kept all this time.
“I understand now why you couldn’t tell me.”
“…I’m sorry. You must have felt hurt.”
As Lia’s shoulders sagged, Lucian shook his head with a faint smile.
“No. You did it because you were worried I’d get hurt. Thank you. If I’d learned the truth back then, my relationship with Leopold would have been destroyed.”
Eighteen years old. An age for a Coming-of-age Ceremony, yet still merely an immature child. Now, at twenty-three, he understood just how young he had been back then.
“But, Lucian, we still can’t be certain whether your being sent to the Mansion was intentional.”
At Kaiser’s next words, Lucian turned to look at him.
“If they had intended to kill you, they wouldn’t have used such a roundabout method — they would have disposed of you the moment you were born.”
“…”
“It’s been over fifty years since anyone lived in the Mansion before you. Multiple generations had come and gone.”
“Yes, I agree with Kaiser on this. Since the previous emperor sent you to the Mansion, ask him once — what was he thinking when he sent you there?”
“Does this also connect to your past, Lia?”
“Probably. There seem to be many entangled interests, so I’ll need to investigate from multiple angles.”
Lucian fell silent in thought for a moment, then opened his eyes.
“Understood. I’ll do as you suggest. As soon as I learn something, I’ll let you know right away. In the meantime, Lia, try to investigate the people who lived in the Mansion.”
“How?”
“You said it seemed like they were banished to the Mansion, right? And the Mansion belongs to the Imperial Palace. So how did those people come to live there? They must have committed serious crimes and been sent there instead of prison. Do you remember what years they arrived?”
“Yes, I remember clearly.”
“Then I’ll ask Harry to find records of the criminals and trials from that time and have them sent to you. Once you see those, you should be able to piece together the answer.”
“Thank you, Lucian. Now I’ll be able to investigate much faster.”
“I should help with anything I can. And…”
Lucian’s lips parted slightly, and he offered Lia and Kaiser a gentle smile.
“Thank you for protecting me all this time.”
Lia and Kaiser’s eyes widened, and they looked at each other before laughing. Then, simultaneously, they pulled Lucian into an embrace.
“You brat! I’m clearly your older brother — isn’t this obvious?”
“Lucian, you’re a special existence to us. Protecting you is only natural.”
Their warmth and affection washed over him completely, and Lucian felt his throat tighten for a moment. But he did not cry.
Instead, he smiled in return and held tight to the witch and Dragon he loved most.

* * *

A scream tore through the palace where the former emperor and his consort resided.
“You mean to break the engagement? How is that even possible!”
The incident at the Library had been somewhat contained, but the real battle was only beginning now.
Lucian had made the decision to break his engagement with Lirlis, and he was prepared to face the backlash as he handled matters.
But Serena’s resistance was more severe than he had anticipated.
Lucian frowned as he looked at her, unable to calm her fury.
She had always been the type to call him by his name and hesitate whenever he said harsh words to her. But what was this reaction now?
“I wasn’t asking for your permission. This is a notification.”
“Do you truly believe that even as emperor you can act unilaterally in Imperial Family matters? And isn’t this whole mess your fault in the first place?”
Seeing her grow excessively agitated beyond mere resistance, Lucian’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“That poor girl must have been through so much — is that why you did this? Don’t you pity that child? The wedding’s been postponed indefinitely, and now a strange woman suddenly appears making her anxious — it’s obvious!”
“Then what was I supposed to do? Marry my brother’s fiancée? Take that woman for myself?”
“Lucian!”
“Your Majesty knows full well that as a stand-in, this is impossible for me! And of all people, you know it best — so why are you appealing to my sympathies now?”
“Then you should have behaved properly! As Leopold’s stand-in, every action you take reflects directly on Leopold’s reputation — how dare you bring a woman into the Imperial Palace!”
“…”
When Lucian fell silent, unable to continue, Serena finally realized she had misspoken.
Wasn’t this precisely treating Lucian as nothing more than Leopold’s stand-in?
Lucian’s eyes wavered for a moment, then his face turned cold and distant.
“…Now I understand how the princess managed to access the Imperial Library. Wasn’t it you, Your Majesty?”
“W-what are you saying?”
“That you were the one who informed her about Lia being in the Imperial Library. That you deliberately bribed the guards to allow the princess entry. All of it — your doing, wasn’t it?”
On the night of the Library incident, Lucian had investigated Lirlis’s accomplices and become certain there was another collaborator within the Imperial Family.
Servants could be swayed by money, granted, but the Imperial Palace guards — those who served only the Imperial Family, selected and including Dio — would not be easily corrupted.
That a mere princess’s seduction would turn them? It was far more logical to assume another conspirator existed within the Family itself.
Indeed, he had learned that the knight in question had once served as Serena’s guard.
And now, Serena was defending Lirlis with a reaction far more excessive than before. Her behavior now could only be explained one way — she had helped the princess.
“Do you understand what you’ve done?”
At the low, dangerous edge in his voice, Serena’s fists clenched.
“Lia could have been in grave danger. She’s the person I love. She’s the woman I want to build a life with once I hand everything over to my brother and finally find freedom. And you… put her in danger.”
“Nothing happened! And Lirlis isn’t such a terrible child. She just wanted to have a conversation with you at least once, so I thought… just for a moment…”
Serena hastily made excuses before clamping her mouth shut. Lucian could not hide his disappointment.
Serena was at a loss watching her second son exhale a deep sigh, his face hardened.
“That’s enough. There’s no point in continuing this conversation.”
“Lucian!”
“Whether or not Your Majesty approves, I will break the engagement. Know that.”
Seeing Lucian refuse to even listen to her further, Serena was struck with considerable shock. Her lips trembled, and she turned away.
“…Even so, you won’t be able to break the engagement as you please. If I, who will guide what comes next, cannot understand you, then who will?”
“Try it, if you wish.”
As his cold gaze returned, Serena’s eyes reddened with tears. She rushed from the room in panic.
The door closed, and a heavy silence settled over the chamber.
“Do you truly intend to break the engagement?”
Ruber, who had kept silent and observed the situation until now, finally spoke.
Unlike Serena, Ruber had remained composed throughout. Lucian studied him for a moment, then took a seat across from him.
“…The princess knows my true identity.”
Ruber’s hand trembled slightly.
“Knowing exactly who I am, she pressed for the marriage and approached my woman. This is for my sake, but also for my brother’s.”
Ruber’s eyes wavered, clearly shaken. Seeing this, Lucian let out a weary sigh.
“Yes, I understand it’s hard to believe. You need not believe me. But the truth is…”
“No, I believe you.”
At Ruber’s words, Lucian froze entirely.
“Now that I hear you say this, I understand why Duke Sebance acted so strangely.”
“Duke Sebance… what do you mean?”
“During your enthronement ceremony, the marriage proposal wasn’t something agreed upon beforehand. The Duke suddenly brought it up with an urgent expression one day.”

“After all, you were going to marry eventually anyway. Think of it as simply moving up the timeline a bit. Considering the engagement period, it’s not so unusual, is it?”

“What troubled me was why he would suggest marriage knowing your true identity. But later I heard the princess had fasted for a full week, saying she would starve herself if the marriage didn’t proceed. I imagine the Duke mentioned it trying to save his daughter.”
“I see…”
He had never imagined such a thing could have happened. At the time, he had simply resented that Lirlis urged marriage despite knowing his identity…
‘To resort to such pathetic methods…!’
Thinking of Leopold lying in bed, blood rushed backward through his veins. Watching Lucian tremble with barely contained rage, Ruber spoke.
“If you had told me sooner, we wouldn’t have fought.”
Had he spoken these words before the argument with Serena, she might not have grown so angry, and the two of them might have avoided such a serious confrontation.
Lucian’s lips parted, and then he let out a small laugh.
“Would you have believed me? You who love the princess more than your own children.”
Though his tone was sardonic, Ruber gazed at Lucian calmly.
“That was consideration on your part.”
“…No, it wasn’t.”
“Perhaps. Serena wouldn’t have accepted it easily. She might have been deeply wounded.”
Serena, so full of affection — her help to Lirlis may have stemmed from empathizing with the girl’s feelings.
But if she learned that the child she treasured and helped so personally had ultimately abandoned her long-time fiancé for Lucian, Serena would be devastated.
Lucian knew this well, which is precisely why he had deliberately refrained from mentioning it before her.
‘…I thought you hated us, but that wasn’t it at all.’
“I told you clearly — that wasn’t my reason. I simply didn’t want matters to become complicated.”
His true feelings already laid bare, his wariness seemed almost laughable. When Ruber chuckled softly, Lucian’s expression darkened with displeasure.
“Perhaps breaking the engagement is the right choice. She already knows everything about you, yet she chose you over Leopold — that girl has already crossed a bridge she shouldn’t have. I’ll persuade Serena.”
Lucian stared at Ruber wordlessly.
The sight of his father believing in him without a shred of doubt, supporting him — it felt utterly strange.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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