The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 126

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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 Phantom Bride — Episode 126

Leon eventually became king. The kingdom’s name is the Odrian Empire! And Leon has taken a new name this time: Abyss Odelion.
Abyss is his new given name, and Odelion, as you might expect, is a surname created by combining the names of Odel and Leon.
Since Odel credited all his achievements to Leon, Leon insisted on putting Odel’s name first in the surname this time.
Of course, Odel protested fiercely during the process, but Leon ultimately won out.
Ah, Odel has also taken a new name: Aube Odelion. But his original name rolls off the tongue so much more naturally that I don’t think we’ll ever actually use his new one.
Since creating the surname Odelion, Odel made one concession to Leon, so we’ve decided that Leon will follow Odel’s word unconditionally in all other matters.
We haven’t decided yet what kind of matter that will be, but given Odel’s temperament, I don’t think he’ll choose rashly.

“Aube Odelion……”
Abyss Odelion and Aube Odelion.
Neither name felt natural on the tongue. Apparently, even in the past, she called them by their original names rather than their new ones, just as Karserine did.

Fearing that the kingdom’s existing subjects would be confused by the sudden appearance of a new royal authority, we decided to create a story that would cement Leon’s place as a king.
It’s being written grandly as a Founding Myth… and who should appear as Leon’s aide but me?
Certainly, if it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t have become king at all — he’d have died abroad long ago — but I’m not sure if it’s wise to reveal a dragon’s existence so openly.
Mother, Father, what do you think?
They plan to bind it into a book and distribute it throughout the kingdom. But would you believe that wretched Odel told us not to include him?
He says that this time, we must follow his word without question — true to our earlier agreement — but I simply cannot understand that man.
He is Leon’s one and only brother. In the Founding Chronicle, Leon, me, and even Aria appear, so how can I accept Odel not being there?
Odel argued fiercely that while I and Aria are outsiders, if he — as Leon’s twin — appears in the account, the kingdom will surely remember the founder not as Leon alone, but as the brothers Leon and Odel, and the support Leon deserves will be split.
He fought with Leon over it, and argued with Aria, but his stubbornness wouldn’t bend.
In the end, we had no choice but to exclude Odel entirely from the Founding Chronicle, just as he insisted.
No matter how I think about it, Odel’s reaction seems excessive.

“Ah… so that’s why.”
Only then did Lucian understand why Odel never appeared in any legend or fairy tale.
Lia, upon reading this passage, was suddenly reminded of her quarrel with Odel.

‘You played a huge role during all this! Taking the Lord’s Castle, gathering people — all your accomplishments were credited to Leon anyway, so what’s your complaint now?!’
‘Aria, I don’t want discord.’
‘This isn’t discord! You have every right to reclaim your due! Even Leon said it was fine — why are you rejecting it?’
‘…Do you understand that there are still people who haven’t accepted my brother as king?’
Aria’s anger faltered as she looked at Odel.
‘Five times. That’s how many times people have suggested that I become king instead of my brother.’
At Odel’s next words, Aria couldn’t hide her shock.
‘My very existence becomes a threat to him. Even if I don’t want it, if those around me use me as an excuse to gather power and try to overthrow him, what then?’
‘But… but that hasn’t happened yet….’
‘No — we must nip this in the bud from the start. It would be wonderful if people knew of me as a great figure like my brother and you. But if rebel forces use me as a pretext to threaten him… I could never forgive myself.’
They weren’t just brothers — they were twins.
Without being exceptionally close, it was impossible to tell the two apart, making Odel an excellent substitute target for any rebel faction seeking to replace Leon.

“In the end, we had to do as Odel wished.”
After Odel made clear his lack of interest in power, the number of unsavory people approaching him decreased.
“…It seems Odel was very fond of his brother.”
At Lucian’s words, Lia smiled faintly.
“He followed Leon so loyally that anyone seeing them would be jealous.”
And that’s what makes it sad — the possibility that Odel might have died by Leon’s hand.
The letters that followed described mundane everyday life after the kingdom’s founding.
Mundane, though it amounted to nothing but busy days spent quelling rebellious factions driven by lust for power, and organizing the chaotic kingdom.
Among it all was a passage noting that Karserine taught Odel magic but stopped partway through. Lucian tilted his head at that.
“Odel was a mage?”
“Not quite a mage, but he learned some magic from both Karserine and me.”
Though not extraordinarily talented, Odel could sense Mana and thus learned magic, while Leon had no talent for it whatsoever and learned Swordsmanship instead.

Odel has excellent drive, but absolutely no talent. He needed to repeat even the simplest things countless times before grasping them. I suppose it’s fortunate he had the perseverance. At least he can handle basic magic, so he should be able to defend himself. Lately, word of rebellions breaking out in various places has made the atmosphere uneasy. It seems we’ll be leaving soon with Leon to suppress the rebel forces. Since someone needs to stay behind to keep the castle, Odel and Aria will remain while Leon and I depart. Given the dangers that may lie ahead, I’ve decided to form a Soul Contract with Leon. I originally wanted to form it with Odel, but he asked me to form it with Leon instead. Well, since Leon is also willing, I have no objections. It may seem unnecessary to go so far as a Soul Contract, but at least by forming one with me, Leon won’t die meaninglessly on the battlefield. I have a feeling that when Mother and Father see this, they’ll be beside themselves with worry. Don’t worry. Leon is the person I trust most, so there shouldn’t be any problem.

It was written how Karserine came to form a Soul Contract with Leon. Until this point, he trusted Leon thoroughly.
What followed was mainly accounts of confrontations with rebel forces.
Being a kingdom born from revolution, and Leon originally being a commoner rather than nobility, it seemed there were many people throughout the realm who disapproved of him.
As time passed, the conflicts grew larger, eventually escalating into war.
Neighboring nations invaded, coveting the kingdom. Even then, Leon primarily acted alongside Karserine.
But a dragon alone couldn’t face so many armies, so Leon deployed the kingdom’s forces and new allies.

Today would have been somewhat dangerous if it weren’t for the Dark Mages. To be honest, I’m not fond of them since they wield corrupt power, but they’re following Leon well, so I’m watching them. Still, I’m not at ease. Those creatures follow only Leon’s orders and won’t even acknowledge anyone else. It would be one thing if they merely ignored others, but they look down on them so brazenly that we’ve almost had internal fights numerous times. They even dared to defy me, so I had to teach them a lesson. Only then did they lower their prideful eyes. Are Dark Mages always so reckless and unprincipled? At first, they groveled just for food, so I can barely believe these are the same people.

“So the Dark Mages properly joined us from this point on……”
“There was a time when I saved a Dark Mage clan that was being exploited by a lord. It seems those were the same people.”
Lucian murmured, and Lia answered him.
She had memories only up to when the Dark Mages joined, so she couldn’t know what happened afterward.
Judging from Karserine’s letters, the Dark Mages seemed to follow only Leon.
‘Given the collusion between the Imperial Family and the Temple Organization, it’s not so strange.’
At least when she first saw the Dark Mages, they were weak, having been exposed to the lord’s violence for so long.
They had been too busy just scraping by for food, so their groveling would have been of little consequence.
But as their situation improved and opportunities for achievement arose, their hidden nature revealed itself.
Perhaps this was the sinister feeling Karserine sensed in the Dark Mages? Lia thought.
The accounts of battles in the letters continued for six years.
By the end, Leon not only drove back the foreign invaders but occupied and absorbed their territory.
It was the moment the Odrian Empire was born.
After nearly two years of traveling the battlefield with Karserine, Leon finally returned to the Imperial Palace.
Karserine was excited at the thought of seeing Odel and Aria again after so long.
But the contents that followed left Lia frozen in place.

They’ve gone mad! These fools have finally done it! Do you understand what I heard today? In heaven and earth — Odel and Aria have been in a romantic relationship! For a whole year, no less! I always thought Aria’s gaze toward Odel was suspicious, but they were both on each side of it! Moreover, it was Odel who confessed first, not Aria! I looked at Odel again. I never imagined that man had such courage. While Leon and I were busy scrambling on the battlefield, those two were cozily courting. It made my stomach churn, but seeing my two most beloved people find happiness brought a smile to my face. But Leon seemed quite shocked. Upon hearing the two of them, he simply walked out of the room. Perhaps he was hurt even worse than I was.

“I… and Odel?”
The violet eyes of Lia, who had her face buried in the letter, wavered aimlessly.
She found it nearly impossible to believe that she had been in a romantic relationship with Odel in the distant past.
No — the thought that she might have loved Odel in memories she hadn’t yet recovered filled her with a sense of crisis.
‘The person I love now is Lucian….’
Without thinking, Lia turned her head to look at Lucian.
Lucian gazed at the letter with an expressionless face.
“……”
Everyone present, Lia included, watched Lucian carefully.
Lucian rubbed his sore jaw, then swept back the hair that had fallen forward.
His every gesture seemed like that of an angry man, so Lia gently took his hand.
“…Lucian.”
Golden eyes turned toward Lia. For a moment, they felt so cold that Lia swallowed hard.
“The person I like now is you.”
“……”
Lucian’s eyes widened. Then he let out a small laugh.
“Of course. Did I look jealous to you?”
At Lucian’s next words, everyone’s eyes blinked in surprise.
Of course, seeing the passage about Odel and Lia being romantic partners did make him feel a slight heat.
But there was something else that had bothered Lucian even more.
“Lia.”
“Y… yes?”
“It says here that you were in a romantic relationship with Odel before.”
“…That’s right.”
“Then, what about Leon?”
“Huh?”
“Did Leon never have feelings for you?”
Lia, who had been tense, was caught completely off-guard by this unexpected question.
Then she grasped what Lucian was suggesting.
“Surely not……”
“It seems Leon was in love with you. But when his brother started dating you, he became jealous. In the end, to possess you, he killed his brother.”
Lucian confirmed the final letter while the stunned people remained behind him.
“Just as I thought.”

Something strange is happening with Leon lately. As emperor — no, not just as emperor, but with so much to do as a ruler — the time we spend together has decreased, and on his days off, he spends time with others. In particular, his time with the Dark Mages has increased. I told him to keep his distance from those inscrutable creatures, but he doesn’t listen. Moreover, it’s been almost a month since Odel has seen Leon, yet I can’t understand what Leon is thinking. Did the two of them fight? They always seemed like the closest of brothers with no love lost between them, but this cold distance is unfamiliar. Aria and I are thinking about how to reconcile the two.

In the previous letters, it was written that the two were brothers whose affection for each other was so strong that anyone witnessing it would grow jealous.
But from the moment Odel and Aria began dating, Leon’s attitude changed completely.
Moreover, the painting Diane had brought just moments ago.
It was clearly commissioned by Leon, who wore the mask of the fourteenth emperor.
Using the hands of a genius painter, he sought to dream the dream he could never achieve.
‘But when the completed painting showed his brother’s face instead of his own, he grew angry.’
With this hypothesis, everything the first emperor had done could be understood.
How Leon cornered Aria, how he desperately tried to undo her Seal, and when he couldn’t, how he extended her lifespan by hundreds of years.
‘…Even the way he viewed twins as ominous makes sense now.’
Leon had been desperately trying to erase Odel from the world.

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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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