The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 121

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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, Chapter 121

Lucian’s lips had found their way to the corner of Lia’s mouth.
As he kissed her gently, Lia threw her arms around him, tears streaming down her face.
Where their kisses had once been electric and thrilling, this one felt entirely different.
It was as though she were being comforted by him alone.
“You’re crying again,” he murmured.
“Ugh……”
Lucian held her close without reservation, patting her back soothingly.
Lia wept against his chest like a child—a different kind of tears than the self-recriminating sobs from moments before.
After some time had passed, Lia, her eyes swollen and red, rested her head against his chest and caught her breath.
“Are you calmer now?”
“……Yes.”
“If I’d known you’d suffer like this, I wouldn’t have pushed you to reclaim your past.”
His hand, stroking her hair, was unbearably tender, yet his words cut deep into her heart.
‘What must Lucian be feeling right now?’
If their positions were reversed, she knew she would feel helpless watching from the sidelines. And she would be jealous of him struggling over something—someone—other than herself.
‘Yet Lucian has never once said anything cruel to me.’
He simply stands by her side, offering his shoulder in silence.
Realizing that he now seemed more mature than she was, Lia pulled him closer, tightening her arms around his waist.
“The person I love is you, Lucian.”
Lia lifted her tear-stained eyes to meet his. His widened with surprise.
“I’ve only just recovered my memories, so I’m a little confused right now. But I haven’t stopped loving you—not for a moment.”
She knew her words might not reach him the way she intended, but she couldn’t bear to leave him anxious any longer.
So she spoke her honest heart, unguarded and raw.
Lucian blinked his large eyes. As she waited in suspense for his reply, a sudden laugh escaped him—a soft, surprised sound.
As he shook with suppressed laughter, Lia stared at him in bewilderment.
“Of course,” he said. “Why deliver something so obvious with such solemnity?”
“……But if I were you, I think I’d feel hurt.”
“If I said I wasn’t hurt, that would be a lie.”
His quiet admission made Lia grip the fabric of his clothes tighter.
“But my hurt matters less than you do. You’re the person I love.”
What pained him most wasn’t watching her long for someone from her past—it was knowing he could do nothing to ease that longing.
“Even if all I can offer is this, if you ever need my help, tell me anytime. For you, I’d even fall into hell itself.”
Lia found herself unable to comprehend the depth of Lucian’s feelings toward her.
How could someone be this way?
Most people, no matter how much they love someone, prioritize their own emotions.
Yet Lucian was saying he would suppress all of his for her sake alone.
‘He’s an idiot.’
And yet, precisely because he was such an idiot, she had no choice but to love him.
Lia gazed into Lucian’s golden eyes, brimming with affection as he looked at her.
When she saw those golden eyes, she used to think of Leon and Odel. But not anymore.
She wouldn’t allow herself to.
Lia pressed her palms against her eyes, then pulled them away. Her violet gaze had hardened—more resolute than before.
“Lucian, there might be days like today again.”
“I know.”
“And when they come, I might cry out Odel’s name and fall apart. But this much I promise you: in the end, I will always come back to your side.”
This was the best she could offer him now—her way of showing love.
A vow that even if she lost her way in the middle, her final step would always lead her back to him.
Understanding her heart fully, Lucian smiled and drew her into a tight embrace.
“That’s enough for me, Lia.”
The two of them renewed their affection for one another, their bond deepening.

* * *

“Kaiser and Age have left?”
“Yes. I thought there might be something about Odel in one of Carserine’s letters, so they went to check.”
“……”
Lia fell silent for a moment.
The Carserine of her recovered memories was someone with whom she’d constantly bickered, forever at each other’s throats. It felt impossible to believe that she had ultimately given her life for Lia.
No—what infuriated her was that such a proud, selfish dragon had died simply for her sake.
‘When did she ever care for me like that?’
She should have lived. Then they might have met again someday.
“And Lia, Kaiser entrusted me with this……”
Lucian showed her a portrait, and Lia’s eyes widened.
“Oh! That’s right! Lucian, did you manage to find that painter who painted my portrait……?”
“Already summoned her through James. She should have arrived by now. I was wondering if the painter might be a descendant of Henri Reiplle?”
Lia nodded awkwardly, and Lucian smiled knowingly.
“Let’s go confirm it together.”
Following Lucian’s lead, Lia took his hand and walked down the corridor, carrying Henri Reiplle’s work. She fell into thought.
‘……Is this meaningful anymore?’
They had brought the portrait to uncover the Mansion’s secrets. But now that they knew Leon was behind everything, she wondered if there was any point in investigating further.
‘No. I’ll just think of it as returning the artwork to its rightful family.’
Lia shook off her doubts and arrived at their destination.
Inside stood a petite woman, who had been tensely waiting. Upon seeing Lucian and Lia enter, she sprang to her feet.
“Y-Your Imperial Majesty, the great and mighty Emperor!”
Watching Diane practically shriek in panic, Lia blinked.
“Don’t mind her. That’s just how she is,” Lucian said.
He added that when they first met, she’d fainted on her feet, and Lia nodded awkwardly.
Diane watched the approaching couple and broke into a cold sweat. Then, suddenly, she recognized Lia’s face.
“Huh?”
Diane forgot her nervousness and pointed at Lia.
“That woman I painted before……”
“Ahem.”
“Oh! I’m so sorry! So very sorry! I didn’t mean anything by it—it’s just that you’re so beautiful, and——!”
At Lucian’s cough, she reverted to her timid self.
“Please, don’t be nervous. I’ve only called you here because I wanted to ask you something.”
Lia calmed Diane and seated her.
“Your name is Diane Reiplle, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Do you happen to have an ancestor named Henri Reiplle?”
Diane’s expression stiffened slightly.
“……He would be my great-grandfather.”
As suspected.
“……May I ask why you’re inquiring about my great-grandfather?”
The cowering woman had vanished, replaced by one with a cool, guarded gaze.
“In my experience, no one has ever asked about my great-grandfather for anything good.”
Rather than explain in words, Lia decided it would be better to show her. She placed Henri Reiplle’s painting on the table.
“A work left behind by the painter Henri Reiplle.”
Diane’s eyes flickered. Moments later, she spotted Henri Reiplle’s signature at the edge of the portrait.
“How in the world did you……?”
“I had some connection to the painter. Though he may have had a difficult temperament, I’ve heard he was a good man.”
Diane’s eyes began to glisten.
No one had ever spoken well of Henri Reiplle. Not even her own family.
But hearing someone say something kind about him for the first time, Diane felt her emotions overwhelm her.
“I’m curious about exactly what led Henri Reiplle to commit his crime. Could you tell me about him?”
“I don’t know the details myself. My family forbade any talk of my great-grandfather.”
“Then, would you be willing to look into it for me? I can assure you the compensation will be substantial.”
“……It seems you have some connection to His Majesty. Wouldn’t searching the Imperial archives be more reliable than relying on someone like me?”
Yet Diane had not fully opened her heart to Lia. Her guarded demeanor left Lia with a bitter expression.
“……I see. I can’t force someone who doesn’t wish to speak.”
As Lia rose to her feet, Lucian followed suit.
“Wait! You should take this with you!”
When Lia left the portrait behind, Diane hurriedly picked it up and rushed after her.
Lia glanced back and forth between the painting and Diane.
“Keep it.”
“……Pardon?”
“I brought it with the intention of giving it to you from the start.”
With that, Lia left the room with Lucian.
Diane stood alone in the chamber, stunned and bewildered.

* * *

“Carserine’s letters?”
“Yes. It seems Carserine sent letters often. Do you still have any?”
“Letters, you say……? Just a moment.”
Age and Kaiser waited in Luche’s Lair as she went to search for the letters.
Now that Kaiser understood Carserine might be his past life, he didn’t know how to regard his mother.
Age noticed Kaiser’s conflicted feelings and patted him on the back.
“Your past life is your past life, and your present life is your present life. Just because you know about your past doesn’t mean you stop being Luche’s son.”
“……Hmph. It was just complicated.”
Though he turned his head away with a stiff expression, some of Kaiser’s tension eased visibly.
Just then, Luche returned.
“It seems Carserine’s things are in her Lair. About two hundred years ago, we stored everything of hers there.”
“……Uncle’s Lair is there too?”
“Of course. By the time he disappeared, he was already over five hundred years old. Now I’ve sealed it so only family can enter.”
Luche activated a Teleportation Magic Circle.
“This will take you directly to Carserine’s Lair. Did you discover something about Carserine?”
Kaiser bowed his head at Luche’s smile, while Age nodded matter-of-factly.
“Feel free to look around. I hope it helps you find answers about Carserine.”
“Thank you.”
Age stepped onto the Magic Circle first. His form vanished in an instant. As Kaiser moved to follow, Luche took hold of his hand.
“We’ll need to make a Lair for our son soon too. Just wait a little—Mom and Dad will work hard to build one for you.”
As Luche affectionately stroked his cheek, Kaiser felt something rise in his chest when he met her gaze.
He immediately pulled her into a tight embrace.
“……You know I love you very much, right?”
“My goodness. What’s gotten into you?”
Luche laughed brightly, delighted to hear such words from him after so long.
‘Regardless of my past life, I am Kaiser now.’
Ever since it occurred to him that Carserine might be his past life, Kaiser had begun to doubt himself.
More precisely, he’d experienced a confusion of identity—a feeling of negating his present self.
But now he was simply a young son clinging to his mother.
Feeling his anxiety settle, Kaiser separated from Luche with a lighter heart.
He broke into a wide grin.
“I’m going!”
Watching his confident figure disappear, Luche’s eyes widened for a moment.
As his form vanished, Luche let out a soft laugh.
“He’s all grown up now.”
With traces of Carserine’s visage showing through, Kaiser had become a proper Adult Dragon.

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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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