The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 147

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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 Phantom Bride of the Forsaken Prince — Chapter 147

A month had passed since the First Emperor and the black mage’s rebellion.
In a span of time both long and short, much had transpired.
First, the shocking truth that the Temple Organization had been a black mage’s den became widely known to the people, dealing a severe blow to the Temple’s image.
Rumors also circulated that the First Emperor had lived all this time by borrowing the bodies of others.
Naturally, it was content that ought to have shattered the Imperial Family’s authority, yet they imposed no particular restrictions on the narrative.
The people and nobility were understandably outraged by the Imperial Family’s indifference, and they spoke freely of a sign of doom hanging over the Empire.
However, once it became known that the current eighteenth Emperor and Cardinal Sebastian were the ones who had quelled this entire crisis, the blazing rumors died down somewhat.
Yet the ominous rumors remained undeniably present, and the Empire continued to buzz with hushed chatter in every corner.
Meanwhile, Leopold, whose health had recovered to a considerable degree, was now formally undergoing a transfer of power from Lucian and establishing himself as the heir apparent.
From the incident that had just unfolded to the countless state projects and administrative duties carried out over five years, it would have been difficult for anyone to fully absorb everything—yet Leopold accomplished it all without complaint.
Rather, it was Lucian, who stood beside him to help, who had to urge him to rest.
‘My brother worked so hard for my sake. I can’t afford to sound weak about something this trivial.’
Of course, each time Lucian spoke such thoughts, Leopold would set his worries to rest.
Leopold prioritized the rooting out of the black mage’s remnants over repairs to the damaged Imperial Palace.
And he displayed a remarkable ability to expose cells that even the black mages themselves were unaware of.
‘In truth, even when Leon seized my body, I retained some measure of consciousness.’
Thanks to this, Leopold could accept Lucian’s explanations without burden.
With the swift transfer of power, today marked the end of Lucian’s service as Leopold’s substitute.
“In fact, it’s hardly right to call him a substitute anymore.”
Lia spoke softly, stroking the hair of Lucian, who lay with his head resting on her lap.
After that incident, Lucian’s existence was no longer classified information.
Rather, the fact that he was Leopold’s twin brother and had been serving as the Emperor’s substitute all this time had quietly spread among the palace staff.
To make matters worse, they had appeared together with Leopold before many onlookers, effectively confirming the rumor as fact.
Perhaps because the secret he had fought so hard to keep was now public, Lucian seemed far more at ease.
From this morning, he had remained close to Lia’s side, savoring his newfound freedom.
“Don’t you need to see Leopold?”
“No, I’ve finished everything I needed to transfer. And my brother has Harry and Dio with him.”
He added that he would likely have to stay here for a while until Leopold was completely settled in his position.
He pictured the frantic movements of others hurrying about Leopold’s side. It struck him as rather pitiful, somehow…
“Those bastards are out of their minds!”
Bang!
At that moment, the door burst open and Kaiser stormed in, seething with anger.
“What’s wrong now?”
“Those spineless worms are saying all sorts of things about Lucian!”
“There’s an Aristocracy council session today.”
Age supplemented Kaiser’s explanation with the missing details.
According to their account, a council meeting of the Aristocracy had been held to address the incident that occurred a month prior, and in the course of that discussion, mention of Lucian had brought forth ominous folklore about twins.
“Those bastards! Who do they think they owe their comfort to right now? If it weren’t for you, this entire Empire would have fallen into the grip of Black Magic long ago! So what are they whining about?!”
Kaiser suddenly erupted in fury. It appeared that the dragon’s acute hearing had even picked up the council’s discussions.
Thanks to Kaiser’s straightforward recitation of the proceedings, they could understand just how things were unfolding.

—Is it not because His Majesty is a twin that such a calamity has befallen us?

At the appearance of statements that crossed the line entirely, Lucian deliberately furrowed his brow.
He had anticipated them turning their criticism on him to some degree, but he could not forgive them for dragging Leopold into their insults as well.
“These worms who couldn’t so much as peep before me—now they wag their tongues with such freedom.”
Lucian’s laugh was cold and cutting. Yet his expression had hardened into something frostbitten.
Having once nearly lost his brother, Lucian could not contain his rage whenever someone so much as threatened to touch Leopold.
And that reaction was shared alike by Kaiser and Lia, who made Lucian their absolute priority.
“Hold your tongues. If you step in, it’ll only get messier.”
Age sighed and held them back, flicking his tongue. Even without their intervention, Leopold would handle it himself.

—It was my brother, who steadfastly guarded the Empire for five years in my stead when I fell, that matters. You enjoyed peace under his governance, and yet you dare let your mouths run loose.

Just as he was doing now.
True to form as brothers, Age let out a soft laugh at Leopold’s icy composure, which was every bit as cold as Lucian’s.
“But even words like that won’t be enough to quell their discontent.”
Lia opened her mouth.
“Once prejudice and hatred have taken root in the human mind, even if only through folklore, they don’t fade easily.”
This was a problem that required not just the nobility, but the common people to be convinced as well. They shunned Lucian precisely because he was Leopold’s twin brother.
“There’s nothing I can do about it right now. Time will sort it out.”
Lucian spoke in a rather detached tone. While he was right that there was no particular solution, the answer sat poorly with them nonetheless.
“Unless some great event were to occur that would overturn people’s perception entirely.”
At Lucian’s continuing words, Lia, who had been thinking in silence, suddenly looked up.
…A great event?
Something like a good idea flickered through her mind.
“The council appears to have finished. Leopold is looking for you—what do you intend to do?”
“If my brother is looking for me, I should go. And while I’m at it, I can show those thick-faced nobles my face as well.”
At Age’s words, Lucian rose from his seat. As he extended his hand to Lia, she took it and followed him.
Upon arriving at the palace where the council had convened, they spotted nobles streaming out of the conference hall.
“A sign of doom has befallen the Empire.”
“Twins, how ominous this is…”
“Perhaps the Imperial Family itself is the problem. Was it not said that this very calamity was wrought by the First Emperor’s phantom, bent on destroying the Empire?”
“Do mind your words, my friends. We remain within the palace.”
The nobles emerged while exchanging petty gossip. The majority of them openly aired their discontent with the present state of affairs, unable to exercise restraint.
During this, one of the nobles at the very front caught sight of Lucian’s approaching party and froze.
Their faces paled. But immediately after, they did not bother hiding their displeasure at Lucian, and went so far as to openly ignore him.
At that, Kaiser and Lia’s expressions twisted into something fierce.
“Ahem! Stand aside and clear the path.”
One of the nobles, whose nerve had swelled enormously, swaggered before Lucian.
Lucian regarded each of the nobles giggling faintly behind him one by one.
“How remarkable…”
As Lucian’s mouth opened, several of them flinched.
“Not even a month ago, these very same creatures couldn’t so much as raise their eyes before me. I can only marvel at how completely a person can change.”
At his mocking tone, the nobles’ faces flushed red and purple.
“Ahem! The circumstances were different then! Mind your tongue!”
“Moreover, did you not deceive all of us and audaciously impersonate the sun itself? No matter how much you claim the late Emperor’s permission, your crime of deceiving us must be paid in full.”
The eyes boring into Lucian were uniformly hostile and saturated with arrogance.
“I should tear out those eyes…”
Already wild-eyed, Kaiser was releasing white flames. Lia, too, understood his impulse and wrestled with what ought to be done about them.
But then someone appeared and defused the situation.
“Since when did the authority of nobility exceed that of the Imperial bloodline?”
It was Ruber. The nobles could not hide their shock and looked toward Ruber warily.
More precisely, they seemed to be gauging the relationship between Ruber and Lucian.
As if they would turn on Lucian outright should Ruber prove indifferent to him.
Ruber could hardly have been unaware of what Lia had perceived. Even so, he was a man who had spent over twenty years governing the Empire while dealing with the nobility.
“If you take issue with Lucian serving as Leopold’s substitute, take your complaint to me. For I am the one who asked this reluctant son to do so.”
Ruber placed a warm hand around Lucian’s shoulder. Lucian’s brow twitched for a moment, but he remained silent. It was rather satisfying to watch the nobles’ faces twist and grow pallid.
“If you have nothing more to say, be on your way.”
With a nod, Ruber issued the Banishment Order, and they were left with nothing to do but grit their teeth.
Once the group of nobles had dispersed, Ruber exhaled a frustrated sigh.
“Pay no mind to whatever those serpents say going forward. Things may be unsettled now, but Leopold and I are setting matters in order…”
Ruber trailed off. He had only now noticed how unfamiliar Lucian’s face seemed at such close proximity. He belatedly realized he had placed his arm around Lucian’s shoulders.
Ruber awkwardly withdrew his hand and stepped back.
“I’m… I’m sorry.”
“…No, it’s all right.”
An awkward silence fell between the two. Particularly evident was Ruber’s cautious manner toward Lucian.
“What brings you this way?”
“I came to see my brother for a moment.”
“…Yes, he’ll be inside. Go on in.”
There seemed to be something Ruber wished to say, yet he said nothing. Lucian, for his part, did not press him on it.
With that, Lucian passed Ruber and was about to enter the conference hall where Leopold waited.
But the door opened on its own, and the House of Sevans emerged from within.
The duke, whose expression had turned rather dark, started at the sight of Lucian. He then offered a meaningful bow of acknowledgment and passed him by.
“What was that?”
“They were discussing an engagement inside, and voices were raised.”
Kaiser kindly explained to Lia, who tilted her head in confusion.
‘Ah, now that Leopold has become Emperor, they’d be discussing marriage proposals.’
But voices were raised? What could there possibly be to argue about? Leopold wouldn’t even know what Lirlis had done.
“Oh, Lucian! Lia! Come in, come in!”
Even as she pondered this, Leopold’s welcoming voice drew them inside.
Leopold approached Lucian with a bright smile and embraced him tightly.
Even as he greeted Lia in an embrace, he caught sight of Kaiser and Age and paused.
He then straightened and bowed with formal respect.
“I am honored to meet you, great Dragons.”
“Enough with the formalities.”
“People are watching. We should conduct ourselves properly.”
Kaiser and Age waved their hands dismissively and settled casually nearby. Whether out of pride or mere indolence, their manner was entirely without ceremony.
Since learning that the two were dragons, Leopold had tried to treat them with proper deference, so he laughed somewhat awkwardly.
But he soon regained his composure and took a seat.
“What brings my dear brother to see me?”
Leopold rested his chin on his hand, his gaze fixed on Lucian with eyes that dripped with honey.
Living up to his reputation as a doting brother, even Lia, his own beloved, felt a pang of jealousy.
‘How could Leopold have possibly been confused with Leon? This is quintessentially Leopold.’
Leopold’s affection was a species of performance that Leon could never have managed.
“Do I need a reason to come see my brother? I simply wanted to see you.”
“Oh my… Harry, did you hear that? Lucian wanted to see me!”
“…Please, maintain some dignity.”
Harry clicked his tongue with a hollow stare. Noting how much more exhausted he appeared than at their last meeting, Lucian spoke up.
“Are you getting any sleep these days? Is there that much work?”
“More than ‘that much.’ I haven’t been home in what feels like four days. There’s always so much to handle, and the nobility keeps stirring up trouble every single day. If I had my way, I’d just sweep through and be done with them all.”
Even forgetting the formal speech patterns he usually employed, his exhaustion was plain to see.
“…Please, just accept my resignation.”
This time, it was Dio who spoke, his face half-collapsed.
“Dio, what are you talking about? A resignation?”
When a bewildered Lucian asked, Dio let out a hollow laugh with a look as if he might collapse at any moment.
“I think I’m going to work myself to death. My duty is to protect Lucian, not to handle all these tedious tasks.”
“Dio, your position is officially Captain of the Imperial Guard, remember? You serve the Emperor, not Lucian. It’s a vitally important duty.”
“But I…”
“Surely you’re not saying our friendship means nothing? That’s too much!”
As Leopold whined that it was too much, Dio’s very spirit began to fade. Only after Dio agreed to withdraw his resignation did Leopold stop his whining.
At Leopold’s shameless manipulation, Lia found herself momentarily speechless.
‘It’s as though Leopold is draining everyone’s vitality.’
Leopold, all radiant vigor, and Dio and Harry, their spirits sucked dry, looking gaunt and worn.
Lucian and Lia felt an unwanted pang of sympathy.

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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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