The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 168

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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 Ghost Bride of the Forsaken Prince
Special Side Story, Chapter 2

“James certainly knows how to handle his duties properly.”
Watching Lucian pat James on the shoulder with a satisfied expression, Lia let out an exasperated sigh.
“You’re overdoing it. I’d be fine with just a comfortable place to sleep…”
“Absolutely not. We’re going to live here for the rest of our lives—this is the bare minimum.”
“Indeed, madam. Considering all you and the Archduke have done for the Empire, this is nothing at all. Furthermore, His Majesty has issued an Imperial Decree commanding that you both be provided for without want.”
“An Imperial Decree? That’s excessive…”
Though she started with that reluctant expression, the moment she heard the familiar honorific, she settled into the plush sofa before her and fixed her gaze on James.
“How are the others doing? We’ve been traveling so much we haven’t been able to keep in proper contact.”
Not just James here before her, but Leopold, Dio, Harry, Habier, and the rest—
she’d been wondering how they’d all been faring over the past few years.
She certainly knew from the rumors circulating that Leopold had strengthened imperial authority and that the Odrian Empire had grown into an unprecedented powerhouse, but…
hearing things secondhand through gossip and hearing them directly from an acquaintance were surely different matters.
“They are all managing much as before. I served His Majesty at the Imperial Palace until a year ago, when I came down here to take up the position of head steward.”
James, who had always served Lucian rather than the Imperial Family proper, had settled himself at Tilan Estate in time for the year Lucian had promised to return.
“Lord Dio, from my last account, has become captain of His Majesty’s personal guard corps.”
Dio—Lucian’s oldest childhood friend, and the steadfast companion who stood by his side during those lonely struggles within the Imperial Palace.
“However, that news is three months old, so I cannot say what his current circumstances are. Though I do know he has been keeping terribly busy assisting His Majesty alongside the Chancellor.”
As James added that Dio mentioned resigning every time he ended his letters, both Lia and Lucian chuckled.
“That fool was always muttering about quitting when we worked together too.”
“Still, he’s the first commoner to become captain of the guard—he can hardly resign on a whim, can he?”
“I wonder if that scoundrel has found someone to court.”
“With the way you work him like that, when would he have time for romance?”
“Hmm… His current Majesty appears to be even more industriously engaged in his duties than when the Archduke was Emperor…”
Perhaps he simply cannot spare time for courtship, James ventured cautiously.
At that, Lucian chuckled knowingly in agreement.
“I’ll have to send word to that fool later. When he hears we’re having a child, he might just die of envy.”
“You’re absolutely going to tell him that, aren’t you?”
Lia playfully tweaked Lucian’s nose.
Watching two children who’d once wielded wooden swords in this very backyard grow so splendidly into their own stations filled her with a strange sentiment.
“Chancellor Harry is much the same as Lord Dio. He arrives before dawn and leaves long after everyone else.”
“…Your brother is working Harry to death, isn’t he?”
“Yes, and before I left the Imperial Palace, there was even an occasion when he—ahem—took His Majesty by the collar.”
Lia’s eyes widened as she worried aloud whether that wouldn’t be considered lèse-majesté punishable by death,
while Lucian shook his head with amusement, remarking that Harry must have been patient for quite a while.
“So Harry never married, then…?”
James merely smiled in silence.
Lucian found he couldn’t laugh about it the way he had with Dio.
“Ah, and Father Habier has recently been elevated to Cardinal.”
Habier—the man who discovered that the Temple he’d devoted himself to was actually a den of Black Mages, and who’d joined hands with Kaiser and Lucian to lead the Temple’s reformation.
A man who’d once nearly become a sacrifice in the Ghost Mansion was now a Cardinal.
“How times change.”
“Still, I’m glad he’s doing well. You’ve rooted out all the Black Mages, yes?”
“Yes. Following that incident, we purged even the Black Mages who had been secretly cultivated in the shadows. There should be no further danger of the Black Mages controlling the Empire.”
Lia offered a bitter smile and gently stroked her own belly.
Though years had passed since those events, she couldn’t help but feel a lingering bitterness toward the fate of those who had tormented her for over three centuries.
Lucian, noticing Lia’s mood had grown somber, changed the subject.
“And our brother—I mean, is His Majesty doing well?”
“Yes, he took a Empress consort last year and continues to attend to state affairs diligently. However…”
“However? What is it? Has something happened to my brother?”
When Lucian reacted with concern at the possibility of misfortune befalling Leopold, James let out a soft laugh.
“He has been quite disappointed that communication with you has been difficult to maintain.”
“…What?”
“He worries whether you are well, whether you’ve been injured, whether you and the Archduchess quarrel. He says it has been long since you last met, and should you come to the capital, he begs that you write to him without fail.”
Since everyone knew Leopold’s devotion to his brother was absolute, Lucian found himself looking sheepish, while Lia burst out laughing.
“Write to Leopold right now. If you don’t, he’ll sulk.”
“You’re probably right about that.”
Lucian asked James for writing paper and began his letter while Lia heaved a satisfied sigh.
Having eaten her fill and lounging in this soft place with the warmth of sunlight washing over her, sleep began to creep up on her quite naturally.
‘I should be sleeping in bed…’
With that final thought, her eyes gently closed.
Scratch, scratch—
After handing the finished letter to James and turning around, Lucian spotted Lia asleep.
He smiled softly, gently arranged the strand of hair that had fallen across her face, and pressed a kiss to her silken hair.
“…I shall return this evening to pay my respects.”
“Very well. Lia does seem to enjoy the apples here, so do prepare an apple dessert as well.”
As Lucian carefully gathered Lia into his arms and carried her to the bed, James thoughtfully turned back the covers so she could lie down comfortably.
After settling her gently onto the mattress, Lucian took his place beside her.
James drew the curtains so they could nap undisturbed, then slipped quietly from the room.
Swish—
Lucian gazed leisurely at Lia’s sleeping form in the dimness and gently caressed her slightly swollen belly.
He remembered how thrilled he’d felt when he first learned she was with child—as though he possessed the entire world.
Tap, tap—
Just then, her belly moved beneath his palm.
“Mm…”
As Lia frowned slightly and stirred, Lucian patted her belly soothingly and whispered softly to her.
“Let your mother rest for now—be a good one, yes?”
Had his gentle words reached the child somehow?
Apart from that earlier flutter of movement, the little one made no further response.
Lucian smiled contentedly, pressed a light kiss to Lia’s lips, and laid his head down on the pillow beside her.
Their first day at Tilan Estate was peaceful beyond measure.

* * *

Two weeks after arriving at Tilan Estate.
Lia had fallen into such a languid rhythm of eating, sleeping, and playing that she wondered if she’d turn into a pig.
“…I really am going to become a pig at this rate, aren’t I?”
“Oh my, if you’re a pig, what does that make her—a wild boar?”
Bebe, who had been carefully applying a honey and flour mask to Lia’s face, gestured to someone beside them.
The person she pointed to was Kaiser, who sat leafing through a novel with an amused smile, casually plucking grapes to eat.
He looked like some idle tyrant who’d left all his work to subordinates and lounged about without a care.
“Besides, expectant mothers are supposed to rest properly.”
“But Lucian is so busy. As the Archduchess, I feel guilty just lounging about like this.”
Though they’d rested on the first day to recover from their journey, from the next morning onward Lucian had been rushed off his feet handling the backlog of estate business.
Still, he made a point of coming to her side at mealtimes and in the evening to chat enthusiastically and spend time together, but watching him labor so hard while she did nothing but play made her conscience prickle slightly.
“Don’t be stubborn. If you tried to help with the work, the little one would only make it harder for him to focus.”
“That’s right, Lia. Come play with us instead.”
“I…suppose I don’t have a choice.”
At Kaiser and Beatrice’s insistence, Lia reluctantly nodded her assent.
After receiving a thorough facial and belly massage from Beatrice, Lia ventured outside for a stroll through the Garden.
Wanting to be alone for a bit, she wandered quietly through the garden, cradling her swollen belly in her hands.
Looking at the well-tended landscaping, she found herself thinking of the Ghost Mansion where she’d lived for three hundred years.
This garden was far larger, more lavish, and better maintained than that one, yet she found herself missing its humble charm.
‘Is this homesickness?’
Or perhaps, now that she truly had a child of her own on the way, memories of the past were naturally surfacing?
“…If I had roses planted here, it might look a bit like that mansion.”
“Then ask for them to be planted. Why? Won’t Lucian do it for you?”
“It’s not that he won’t, it’s just that he’s so busy… Huh?”
Hearing a response from somewhere nearby, Lia replied without thinking, then blinked in surprise and turned around.
How had she not noticed anyone approaching?
But her eyes widened immediately.
“You…!”
The figure before her was a grimy sight indeed.
His beard had grown thick and unkempt, his muscular frame was draped in a tattered cloak, and at his hip hung a longsword while a light pack rested across his shoulders.
He looked much like the wandering knights she’d seen on their travels.
But to Lia’s eyes, he was not some free wanderer—he was the young boy who’d once played and run about in the yard with a young Lucian.
“Dio!”
“Hello, Lia. How have you been?”
It was Dio, Lucian’s childhood friend, who had appeared.
Lia broke into a radiant smile and embraced him. Despite his grown size, he was the same boy she’d known since childhood.

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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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