The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 115

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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 Forsaken Prince’s Ghost Bride 115

“Why did you ask about Former Emperor Julius? Is there something bothering you?”
“……It seems he knew of my existence in the Mansion while he was alive.”
“But Your Majesty’s existence was classified, wasn’t it? I only learned of it recently…….”
Sebastian asked in surprise, and Lucian nodded.
“Yes, my mother concealed my existence thoroughly. Especially from Former Emperor Julius. But my mother was unaware of the tragedies occurring in the Mansion. Sebastian, you know this better than anyone, don’t you?”
Sebastian had only learned of the dark sorcerer’s existence and all the secrets surrounding the Temple and the Imperial Family after Lucian brought him in—just half a year ago.
“Then how did the priests know I was in the Mansion? My mother had no connection to the Old Sect.”
“Ah……! That’s right. The Bishop at the time was aware of Your Majesty’s existence. Though he didn’t seem to know precisely that you were a hidden prince…….”
Habier, recalling his first visit to the Basement, nodded in agreement.
“He must have received word about me from above when he went to make an offering. Now you understand why I suspect Former Emperor Julius?”
“That is sound reasoning…… In fact, there is no other way to explain why the Temple would attempt to harm you.”
More than five years had passed since Julius’s death, so no one had thought to investigate or look into him.
‘Wait. How did Julius die again?’
He had wasted away from illness. It was shortly after Lucian accepted Leopold’s role as his body double.
Before that, Julius had been together with Leopold…….
Your Majesty!
“Mm?”
“It appears to be Chancellor Harry, Your Majesty.”
Harry’s voice calling for Lucian came from outside. Lucian paused his thoughts and stepped out.
“Your Majesty!”
Harry, who had been pacing nearby, hurried toward Lucian urgently.
“What is it?”
“Leopold is……!”
At the words that followed, Lucian’s eyes widened. He immediately cast aside imperial dignity and ran toward the room where Leopold was.

* * *

“Lia shows no signs of waking.”
Age and Kaiser had been poring over the materials laid out in the Living Room since yesterday evening until now, the afternoon.
Yet somehow, even after a full day had passed, Lia still showed no sign of awakening.
When Kaiser poked at Lia’s cheek, Age removed his glasses.
“Leave her be. She may be recovering her memories.”
“But I woke up right away.”
“You’re different from her. There’s nothing wrong with her, so she’ll wake when the time comes. More pressing—you said all these people here became offerings?”
Kaiser nodded, turning his gaze from Lia.
“Looking into them, they’re all people I recognize.”
“Really?!”
He didn’t know at first, but after examining their names and the traces they left behind, he recalled them clearly.
“They were all prodigious yet unfortunate individuals.”
For instance, the musician Ivan.
First, Ivan was indeed an ordinary musician, as Lia had said. He simply possessed talent that surpassed others.
“I’ve heard his performances myself, and his skill was so extraordinary that no one could match it. People would even lose consciousness from being moved by his playing.”
“Is it true the Third Prince died of a heart attack after hearing his performance?”
“Yes. But the Third Prince was frail even before that. He couldn’t move—he lay in bed constantly. He could have died at any moment, but unfortunately he happened to collapse right when Ivan performed.”
“So you’re saying he didn’t die from hearing the music?”
“Of course not. Who’s foolish enough to believe such nonsense?”
Age snorted in exasperation.
“Anyway, after the Third Prince died, all sorts of strange rumors spread—that Ivan sold his soul to demons, that he made a pact with them.”
In other words, up until the Third Prince’s death, Ivan was merely a promising musician.
Kaiser had a strong suspicion that the Imperial Family had fabricated those rumors to stifle Ivan.
“And I never expected to find this person here either.”
The person Age spoke of was the archaeologist Rabio.
“I sought his help because he was a skilled archaeologist, but when I approached him, he had already been sentenced to death.”
Age began earnestly searching for Karsellin after Imperial Calendar year 100—a considerable time after Karsellin had mingled with humans.
“Now that I’ve found Karsellin, I’ve discovered this crucial material.”
“He must have been quite intelligent. He recorded everything he witnessed in handwritten notes.”
Having been driven out to the Mansion in an instant while uncovering history, Rabio could not have had any materials left. These were records he made himself, documenting everything he knew. Which meant……
He might uncover traces of the Founder that were not found even in the Imperial Library or the Archive Repository.
Particularly, Rabio had focused on excavating history from Kingdom Calendar year 1 through Imperial Calendar year 10, and concluded there had been severe historical distortion in that period.
“Distortion of the Founding Mythology…….”
“At least the history up to year 6 had not been distorted. It makes sense—the Founder did not build the Empire by himself. But from then on, they stopped distributing Fairy Tale Books containing the Founding Mythology throughout the Empire. And in year 15, the distorted version of the Founding Mythology resurfaced.”
“……There’s a nine-year gap.”
“They must have spent those years erasing all traces of Karsellin and Aria. Looking at the timeline, it divides perfectly around when Aria was sealed.”
Through investigating the Dragon Heart, Age discovered one crucial fact.
The timing of the Sealing. Karsellin sacrificed his life to seal Aria in Imperial Calendar year 7.
“…….”
Kaiser was silent.
Was this what one called shock?
He had suspected something like this all along.
In the original Fairy Tale Book, the Founder and the Witch were depicted as loyal comrades and even as lovers who shared affection.
So why had they now taken to erasing her from history and casting her as a villain?
The answer was close at hand without needing to look far.
“……Who else but the Founder?”
Only the Emperor could relay history to posterity and distribute Fairy Tale Books throughout the Empire.
“The reason only Aria was recast as a villain in the mythology is probably because Karsellin is a Red Dragon—it’s harder to erase an established image compared to a Witch’s.”
“Or perhaps they left him as is because of the symbolic power Dragons carry.”
Either way, one fact remained unchanged: the Founder had betrayed Aria.
“And that’s not all. The Founder issued one command to the entire Empire.”
“What command?”
“Hunt Witches.”
Suddenly, a chill ran down Kaiser’s spine.
“In the past, you could still occasionally spot a Witch. But now their numbers have plummeted sharply. Perhaps there are none left besides Lia.”
Looking back, Kaiser had never seen a Witch before in his entire life. That’s why he hadn’t found it strange when he learned Lia was one.
“But what exactly is a Witch? What’s different from ordinary humans?”
“Sorcerers must have aptitude and cultivate it to cast Magic. But Witches are blessed by Mana from birth—they can wield it freely without effort, like Mana is one with their body. If a Dragon commands Mana, a Witch has received Mana’s blessing, you might say.”
“Was Lia able to cast Magic even when she was a ghost because she was a Witch?”
“That’s quite likely.”
Kaiser looked at the sleeping Lia with fresh eyes. She had cast Magic by drawing in even natural Mana when she was a ghost and still does now.
“But besides that, there’s no way to distinguish a Witch from an ordinary human. Except for being blessed by Mana, they’re no different from humans.”
“Then how do they catch Witches?”
“What else? They just grab people at random and kill them.”
Unless one is a Dragon, there’s no way for humans to identify a Witch. Only if they confess themselves would it be known.
So humans capture anyone they suspect of being a Witch, subject them to brutal torture, and ultimately force them to confess.
Whether the confession is truth or falsehood is something no one knows save the person involved.
Kaiser reflexively furrowed his brow.
“……Filthy bastards.”
“That’s probably why Rabio opposed the Emperor. Setting the record straight could have reduced the casualties from the Witch Hunt.”
Rabio was ultimately punished because he defied the Emperor.
He risked his own life to correct the distorted history, but the Imperial Family regarded his actions as an attempt to undermine Imperial authority and arrested him.
“What the hell does this bastard have against Lia to go this far?”
“How should I know? If you want to find out, your only option is to recover your memories quickly.”
Kaiser ground his teeth.
Once he had calmed down somewhat, Kaiser examined the materials of another individual.
“Tsk, this one is pitiful too.”
“Ah, you mean that alchemist?”
Dadan Grout was accused of attempting to poison the Emperor and was sentenced to death.
“Looking into it, all he did was create an Elixir—nothing about poisoning.”
“The Elixir doesn’t exist in this world to begin with. It’s a fantasy substance humans fabricated while blinded by greed. Even we Dragons live only 1500 years—how could a human ever achieve Immortality?”
The Emperor desired Immortality, and Dadan Grout attempted to fulfill that desire by manufacturing an Elixir.
But when the Emperor consumed it, he coughed up blood, and Dadan Grout was imprisoned and brought here.
To prove his innocence and that his research was sound, he dissected the Elixir from the beginning.
And as a result, he realized that the Elixir he created, while it might have some rejuvenating effects, was not a potion for Immortality.
But that wasn’t the problem.
“Side effects.”

207 years, 7th month, 12th day.
There was only one case in which the Elixir could produce side effects—when the user had lived far longer than the Elixir could sustain.
Which would mean Your Majesty the Emperor had long since passed the age of sixty……but does this make sense?
The Emperor I saw appeared to be not yet thirty years old. This is impossible! I wish someone would tell me I’ve reached the wrong conclusion. Please.
……But if His Majesty’s spirit has lived sixty years, or even over a hundred years, the side effects could manifest.
Then who was the Emperor I saw? Or is he even truly human? I am utterly confused.

Dadan Grout disappeared as an offering on the 207th year, 7th month, 14th day.
Only just before his death did he finally discover the cause of the Elixir’s side effects.
“207 years…… the timeline doesn’t differ much from Francis. Could the Emperor be the same person?”
“Francis?”
“Yeah. Apparently she was arrested for treason after participating in a rebellion alongside the Second Princess.”
At Kaiser’s words, Age frowned and examined Francis’s diary.

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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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