The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 125

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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 — Episode 125

“You were curious about how your great-great-grandfather came to commit his sin, weren’t you?”
“Yes, but you needn’t force yourself to speak of it.”
“No. That’s precisely why I came here — to tell you this.”
Diane took a deep breath and recalled what her grandfather had told her a few days prior.
“My great-great-grandfather was one of the finest painters of his time. That’s why he was appointed as a court painter and went on to build his reputation.”
Then one day, the Emperor made a request of him.
To paint a man and a woman.
But strangely, the figures the Emperor wanted were not real people.
“According to what I heard, he had no choice but to sketch the figures according to the Emperor’s descriptions, working from imagination.”
Before he began the painting in earnest, he sketched the people the Emperor described.
After receiving the Emperor’s critique and eventually producing figures that satisfied him, Henri Raifle began the full painting.
“But when the painting was finished, the Emperor grew furious.”

‘Are you insulting me right now?’
‘No, no! I painted exactly as Your Majesty requested!’
‘I don’t want to hear it! The greatest painter in the Empire, they said, yet you disturb my mind with this trash! Guards! Seize this man at once!’
‘Your Majesty! Please, I beg your forgiveness! If there is any aspect that displeases you, I shall correct it at once! Please, I implore you…!’

And so Henri Raifle was imprisoned. When his wife heard the news, she hurried to visit him, but he could only protest his innocence, bewildered and wronged.
“Great-grandmother pleaded with the Emperor countless times for his forgiveness, but it was never granted.”
In the end, Henri Raifle was executed, and great-grandmother was left with only his final work.
“This is the very painting that great-grandfather created under the Fourteenth Emperor’s order.”
Diane showed them the painting she had brought.
Lia and Lucian’s eyes widened gradually as they looked at it.
The painting depicted two figures, a man and a woman, gazing tenderly at each other with subtle smiles. Their eyes gleamed like those of lovers.
They looked for all the world like a pair of devoted sweethearts.
But the woman in the painting bore a striking resemblance to Lia.
“And the man beside her…”
Lucian studied the male figure in the painting.
A man looking at the woman with affection and tenderness.
His hair was auburn, yet his eyes were a brilliant gold—the mark of imperial bloodline.
Watching Lucian and Lia’s shocked expressions, Diane continued.
“Great-grandmother kept this painting with her all these years. But because it cost her husband his life, she never took it out. This is actually the first time I’ve laid eyes on it either, but… I was quite astounded by how much it resembles you, Lia.”
“Did great-grandmother say anything else? Any details about the people in the painting?”
“Hmm… well, now that I think of it, she did mention that the Emperor asked great-grandfather to paint it well, as it was a long-cherished wish of his. Great-grandfather suspected that perhaps the Emperor had fallen in love with the woman in the painting when he was younger.”
The Fourteenth Emperor. To Lucian, now the Eighteenth Emperor, he was a great-grandfather.
Now the mark of imperial bloodline was white hair and golden eyes, but long ago there had been many different hair colors among the royalty, or so the records said.
However, there was one trait of the imperial bloodline that never changed: golden eyes.
‘I should visit the Gallery.’
The Gallery, where portraits of successive emperors were kept. He had passed through it briefly shortly after becoming Leopold’s proxy, when he was memorizing the layout of the Imperial Palace.
He’d paid it little attention then.
As Lucian was lost in thought, he suddenly noticed that Lia was staring wordlessly at the painting.
Lucian sensed that she had remembered something.
“Thank you for your trouble. May we keep this painting for a while?”
“I would like to give it to you as a gift, Lia. I’m not sure what this is all about, but it seems it would be more needed by you than by our family.”
“Thank you. And… I apologize on behalf of our ancestor.”
Diane’s lips trembled with emotion, but she left the room with a composed smile.
Lucian resolved to clear the Raifle family name and formally appoint Diane as a court painter.
“Lia.”
“Mm.”
Lia finally tore her gaze from the painting and turned to Lucian.
It struck him that her expression was not one of shock as he’d expected.
“Lucian, the man painted here—it’s Odel.”
“…What?”
“At first I thought it might be Leon, but looking at it more carefully, he resembles Odel far more.”
Lia had examined the painting closely to determine whether the man depicted was Leon or Odel.
“You’d understand, being twins yourself. Even if they look identical, you can tell them apart from their usual bearing, tone of voice, and expression from Leopold.”
“I… suppose?”
“My memories were hazy even after I recovered them, but looking at this painting makes it clear. The person depicted here is Odel.”
Only then did Lucian grasp the gravity of what she was saying.
“If that’s the case… then the Fourteenth Emperor was the First Emperor.”
“That would make sense. The First Emperor wandered through his descendants’ bodies for ages. Considering that Julius was the last body he inhabited, it’s hardly surprising.”
The Fourteenth Emperor—no, the First Emperor Leon. Lucian could not fathom why he would have commissioned such a painting from Henri Raifle.
“Wait. You said this man resembles Odel? But how can you tell them apart in a painting?”
“Leon is somewhat hot-blooded, ambitious, and he likes to lead through his charisma. Because of that, he always stood at the vanguard in battle. Odel, on the other hand, is his exact opposite.”
Gentle, timid, and overly cautious, yet he was always giving to others and exercised a benevolent influence.
“And above all, Leon would never smile like this.”
Leon smiled brightly enough to dazzle anyone who saw him, while Odel’s expression was limited to a subtle, gentle smile.
So the eye-smile in the painting, the softness of his lips, and that tenderness in his gaze—all of it pointed to…

‘Aria.’

A voice suddenly whispered in her ear.
Lia’s head snapped up and she pressed her hands to her ears.
“Lucian, did you say something?”
“Huh? Say what?”
Lucian’s expression turned puzzled. Certainly it wasn’t his voice. It was higher, more tender…
“Ugh!”
“Lia!”
Lia suddenly clutched her forehead. Her head throbbed as if it would burst.
“Lia, are you all right? Is your head aching?”
At Lucian’s touch, Lia leaned her head against his chest.
The throbbing did not fade. If anything, it intensified, and a strange auditory hallucination echoed in her mind.

‘Aria.’

Lia felt certain the voice was emanating from the painting itself.
As she pressed her forehead to bear the pain, she sensed something strange.
When Lia’s eyes turned toward empty space, Lucian was perplexed. But moments later, he too detected the same thing she did.
“Arrival!”
“…”
Kaiser and Age appeared from empty space and landed on the table with a loud thump.
Lia and Lucian stared at the arriving Kaiser with such cold disdain they could scarcely keep their arms at their sides.
“Move.”
“Ahhh!”
Age shoved Kaiser aside and descended gently below the table. Kaiser, suddenly thrust off the table, lost his balance and staggered, glaring at Age.
“You’re the one who miscalculated the coordinates, so why are you taking it out on me!”
“Quiet.”
Watching the two dragons bicker, Lucian let out a sigh.
“Kaiser, Age, might you please use more conventional methods of arrival?”
Lucian muttered about when the Imperial Palace had become a place anyone could waltz in and out of.
“We didn’t come to see you—we came to see Lia.”
Kaiser snorted and pointed at himself, prompting Lia to tilt her head quizzically.
“Me?”
Age retrieved several sheets of paper from a Subspace.
Lia blinked at the sight of what appeared to be at least thirty letters.
“Oh, surely not…!”
“That’s right. Letters from Karcerin.”
“These contain not only stories about Odel, but also an outline of how the First Emperor founded the Adrian Empire.”
“We could have explained it, but I thought it would be better if you saw them yourself.”
Watching Age’s slightly stiffened expression, Lia tensed at once.
From the reaction of both of them, it was clear there was something important written in these letters.
Kaiser arranged the letters in chronological order so Lia could read them comfortably.
“The first letter was sent after he conquered the first lord’s castle.”

That wretch dared to hunt me, after all.
Naturally, I repaid him tenfold for what he did, so please do not worry overmuch, Father and Mother.
I, Karcerin, am in perfect health with not a scratch upon me.
In truth, I did sustain an injury, but this strange human called Odel treated me without a shred of fear.
I was nearly killed, yet he shouted that I must be healed because I was wounded—I cannot tell you how startled I was.
In any case, he is a curious creature.
For now, I intend to observe from beside them and see how these humans move.
I shall visit you again next time.

As a letter to his parents, it maintained a certain level of decorum, though Karcerin’s arrogant tone bled through in places.
The letters that followed were little different from this early one.
The only notable change was that he began mentioning the humans he traveled with more than himself.
Odel appeared frequently, and occasionally Leon and Aria were mentioned in the letters.
“…Karcerin.”
At times he sulked, at times he vented his frustration, and on days when he quarreled with someone, he huffed that he would leave immediately.
Yet woven through it all was a love for his companions.
The more she read, the more keenly Lia felt Karcerin’s affection, and it caused her pain.
She held back the tears that threatened to spill and turned to the next letter.

Gradually, many people have gathered with us. Among them were persecuted minorities and even a Dark Magic clan on the brink of extinction.
It is truly a motley band, yet perhaps because of that, they have become all the more tightly bound.
Naturally, Leon and Odel stood at the center of it all.
It was good that we resolved the deep-rooted discrimination, hatred, exploitation, and tyranny that plagued the entire nation, and even removed the king, but having lost the one to lead the land, there seemed to be a helplessness about what would come next.
But then, wouldn’t you know it—the humans elevated Leon as their king.
Odel, simple fellow that he is, only has eyes for his brother, so naturally he welcomed it with both arms. Aria seemed indifferent to the whole affair. Leon himself did not appear to object.
Though I sense there may be some unsavory elements among them who view this askance… I shall watch and see.
It seems our journey shall grow even longer still.

While his rise to the throne had not been entirely smooth, with Aria and Karcerin’s earnest support, Leon soon established stability.

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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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