The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 2

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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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Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride, Episode 2

‘You were never born into this world. Live as though you were dead. That is the only way to survive.’
‘You should be grateful just to be given food. Count yourself blessed by His Majesty’s boundless mercy simply to be alive as you are now.’
‘If only you had died back then, we wouldn’t have to deal with this mess.’
‘Tsk, looking exactly alike for no reason. Making everyone uncomfortable for nothing.’
‘What are you doing now! Didn’t I tell you not to come out! If anyone else finds you, it won’t just be you who dies — everyone here will perish!’
His entire life flashed before him like a panorama.
An endless stream of misery with no happiness to show for it. He wanted so badly to be happy in dreams, but having never known happiness, he couldn’t even imagine it.
‘Do you, the Ghost Bride, solemnly vow to cherish and love Lucian Odelion throughout your life and walk the path together with him?’
Just as he was about to be swallowed by loneliness in the darkness, a priest’s voice intoning the marriage oath reached his ears.
Looking around, the location had shifted from the small chamber to the Garden where the Spirit Wedding Ceremony had taken place.
Moreover, he was dressed in the ceremonial robes he’d worn at the wedding.
[Yes, I vow.]
In that moment, a reply that he should never have heard — that could never have been heard — reached him.
Startled, he turned his head and saw a woman standing there, her hair streaming about her.
She turned her gaze from the front toward Lucian.
[Let’s get along well from now on, little one!]
She was unmistakably the Ghost Bride. A form drifting weightless in the air, translucent feet, and a semi-transparent body.
She could not possibly be mistaken for a living human.
Yet somehow, she radiated a warmth he had never felt from any person before.
Like warm sunlight seeping into a cold room.
Lucian reflexively reached out. But his hands grasped nothing, and the Ghost Bride’s form dissolved.
He lifted his head to catch a glimpse of her face, but a blinding light passed through her body, obscuring her features.
A flash enveloped everything around him.

.
.

“Gasp!”
Lucian’s eyes flew open and he jerked upright.
His heart hammered against his ribs, and cold sweat ran down his spine.
The string of nightmares had left him struggling to calm down. Lucian clutched at his chest and collapsed back onto the bed.
After his breathing steadied, he recalled the dream he’d just had.
“……Who was that?”
It felt like someone he desperately missed, though he wasn’t sure why.
……That couldn’t be. He had no memories worth longing for in the first place.
Lucian, who had grown up far too soon despite his tender age, shut down his hopes before they could take root.
The lingering traces of the dream faded away into the distance.
“But where am I?”
Lucian only then realized this wasn’t his usual room.
After staring blankly for a moment, the memory of his marriage to the Ghost Bride came flooding back.
“The ghost’s… house…….”
Ice ran down his spine. Trembling, Lucian quickly buried himself under the blankets.
Even if he was mature for his years, he was still only eight years old.
After what felt like an eternity, Lucian finally gathered enough courage to emerge from the covers.
Looking around, he was rather surprised to find the room was cleaner than expected. More than clean — it was elegant.
Far more tasteful and filled with finer furnishings than anywhere he’d lived before.
Crackle, crackle.
A Fireplace in the corner held burning Firewood. Even in spring, the nights were quite chilly with the temperature swings. Yet thanks to the burning wood, the room’s air was pleasantly warm.
“……Who lit this?”
Now that he thought about it, his clothes had been changed into pajamas at some point. The neatly arranged room made it clear someone had tended to him.
“Th-Thank goodness! There are people!”
He’d assumed he’d been left alone in the Mansion, forced to live with only the Ghost Bride.
But if there were people here, that was an absolute relief.
“Are you outside, maybe?”
Lucian climbed out of bed to search for someone and opened the door.
Creak—
The eerie sound of the door opening revealed a hallway lit only by Candles. But even their light couldn’t dispel the sinister atmosphere.
He had no desire to venture even a single step beyond the threshold.
Grrrrowl~
His inconsiderate stomach was demanding food. He hadn’t eaten since yesterday evening, so his hunger was worse than usual.
If only he’d known, he would have eaten everything available before leaving.
“……What choice do I have?”
Lucian resolved to explore the Mansion and grabbed a Lamp before venturing out.
“It’s enormous.”
Coming down the stairs, the first floor was spacious enough to run and play in. Moreover, every corner was clearly well-maintained, just like his room.
“Where’s the Kitchen?”
Putting off the Mansion tour for later, he searched for the Kitchen, both to find food and to find people.
Fortunately, the Kitchen appeared quickly. But it stood empty, devoid of any warmth.
Lucian, expecting simple prepared meals, was taken aback.
“There’s nothing?”
In his desperation, he searched every corner of the Kitchen, but found only dust-covered utensils.
Lucian’s spirits sank.
Grrrrowl~
“I’m so hungry…….”
Hungry, cold, and frightened, he felt a sad loneliness creeping in. Lucian’s eyes grew misty as he sniffled.
Thud— roll, roll…….
Something struck his foot.
“A-A Potato!”
His joy was short-lived when he wondered where it had come from. Looking around, he spotted a couple of boxes in a corner of the Kitchen containing Potatoes and other raw ingredients.
There was only uncooked ingredients: Flour, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Onions, Meat, Eggs, and the like.
“I can’t cook.”
Lucian’s shoulders sagged. It seemed no one was going to cook for him.
As despair began to settle in, his head suddenly snapped up and he shook it firmly.
“Focus! This is something I’ll have to do eventually!”
Lucian gathered a Potato and a Sweet Potato in his arms and hurried up to the second floor.
He planned to roast them in the Fireplace in his room.
He’d managed meals on Potatoes alone before, so he was familiar enough with this.
Lucian prepared himself for self-reliance, with no help from any adult.

* * *

[Sigh, what on earth am I going to do with that kid?]
I sighed heavily watching the little white-haired figure heading up the stairs.
Since the child was bound to stay here, I felt obligated to look after him somehow, so I started the Fireplace in his room and lit Candles throughout to keep it from being too dark.
I just left the food ingredients the humans had brought in the Kitchen. I figured a kid could manage to fry an Egg or two.
[Even if he’s just a child, surely he can handle simple cooking, right?]
He looked like he was starving to death, so I did let him know the ingredients were there…….
Ah, it’s undercooked. But if I leave it, it’ll burn…… ah, never mind. Let him eat it anyway.
I could hear the little one muttering to himself on the second floor.
Watching him fail to even roast a single Potato stirred something uncomfortable in my chest.
I wavered between going to make him something edible, but I shook my head firmly.
[Why should I? I’ve already given him the Mansion, started the Fireplace, cleaned his room — my work is done, isn’t it? Even if he’s just a child, whether he starves or not isn’t my concern!]
Right, right.
He was an uninvited guest to begin with. He should be grateful I didn’t throw him out.
After brainwashing myself and laughing it off, my thoughts kept drifting upstairs.
I’d had humans living in the Mansion a few times before. But I’d never felt this much concern for them.
[Ugh! This is all because the little one showed up!]
He’s still a child who needs an adult’s care. That must be why my heart won’t let it go.
[But that little one is so timid.]
He fainted when he caught sight of my afterimage at the wedding, so there’s no guarantee he won’t again next time.
Normally I’d use his timidity to drive out any intruder, but knowing the child has nowhere else to go, I can’t do that.
[Sigh, it’s my own Mansion, yet I can’t even do as I please.]
For now, I’ll have to observe the child’s movements and spend my time in places he doesn’t frequent.
I have no desire whatsoever to be entangled with humans.

* * *

—Little One’s Observation Log, Day 1.
The little one has been wandering around since morning.
He’s still timid, but now that the sun is shining and the Mansion is bright, he’s found his courage.
Every time he entered a room, he burst out with exclamations like “Wow!”, “Amazing!”, “It’s so big!”
I felt a strange sense of pride at having maintained the Mansion so well, yet it made me feel sad too.
And he kept searching for people, as if expecting someone to be here.
But I know for a fact that not a single soul remains — they’ve all left. Watching him search fruitlessly was hard to bear.
Maybe I should pretend to be alive, at least for a little while.

—Little One’s Observation Log, Day 2.
Yesterday he explored the Mansion. Today he ventured outside.
He didn’t try to escape — he never went beyond the fence. He just wandered around the Courtyard and sat by the Riverside, splashing stones in the water.
So the little one spent the whole day out in the open.
He’d occasionally become fascinated by passing small animals, and later lounged in the grass for an afternoon nap.
I worried he might wander into the forest, but fortunately he didn’t do anything reckless.
There was something leisurely about watching him nap in the sunlight. He certainly looked much brighter than when he’d first arrived.
If he stays peaceful like this, I might be able to ignore him soon enough.

—Little One’s Observation Log, Day 3.
Today he decided to explore the rooms inside the Mansion, examining every corner.
I’d locked some of the more unsettling rooms, the ones that look like genuine ghost rooms, so he wouldn’t venture in.
He seemed disappointed by the locked doors, but it’s better than watching him panic and sink back into despair.
This Mansion has stood for over three centuries during my time here, so it carries a long history.
Thus it contains all manner of peculiar objects and old books, and even the newer things are nearly fifty years old.
Since I’m bound to the Mansion, I don’t know how much has changed in the outside world.
But the way the little one pokes around with such interest suggests quite a few things are different.
Then again, three hundred years have passed — it would be strange if nothing changed.
……That damned little one. He tore one of my treasured books.
The book was old enough that some deterioration was inevitable, but his careless handling made it worse.
Does he think I won’t notice if I just put it back on the shelf and forget about it? You damn brat!

—Little One’s Observation Log, Day 4.
Since arriving at the Mansion, he’d never bathed, so the little one was quite filthy.
Noticing the smell on his own body, he headed toward the bathroom.
All it takes is a small infusion of Mana to get warm water running — a bathing setup like this must be completely foreign to him.
The little one shivered while showering in cold water.
While he was shampooing his hair, I quietly infused my Mana into the water. Feeling it warm up, his shivering eased.
I couldn’t have him catching a cold. This place doesn’t even have medicine.

—Little One’s Observation Log, Day 5.
Today the little one made do with just Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes again.
I’d cleaned the Kitchen just in case, but he seems unable to use the cooking tools at all.
At first I thought I’d just let him get by without starving, but honestly, watching him like this is becoming unbearable.
After five days of eating nothing but Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes, even the little one’s expression grew tired.
Meanwhile, the other ingredients are being left almost untouched, and several have started to rot.
I separated out the spoiled ones while he was away so mold wouldn’t spread to the rest.
Seeing him subsist on just Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes when there’s so much food makes me feel sorry for him.
I’m thinking I might secretly drop a Cookbook near him tomorrow.

—Little One’s Observation Log, Day 6.
The little one found the Cookbook. But even after looking at it, he showed no sign of actually cooking anything.
He skipped the simplest recipe — Egg frying — and was staring intently at instructions for making Turkey.
I thought maybe he wanted Meat, but looking closer…… the Turkey section had an unusual number of illustrations.
It seems he can’t read.

—Little One’s Observation Log, Day 7.
Looking at only five Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes left, the little one finally began using the Kitchen. He was clever enough to use a Lamp flame to light the stove.
As he fumbled through cooking attempts, he examined various utensils and placed a plate on the flame.
Inevitably, the little one caused an accident.
The plate shattered from the heat, and the single Egg he’d cracked went scattering into the stove.
But the accident didn’t end there. As the plate shattered, sparks and fragments scattered everywhere, igniting the nearby ingredients.
The fire erupted in an instant.
The panicked little one rushed outside to find water. While he was gone, I quickly extinguished the flames with Magic.
The Mansion had nearly burned to ash.
When the little one returned with a bucket of water and saw the flames had died, he was relieved—but then his face went pale.
Ah, half the ingredients were gone.
The little one took the last remaining Potato and trudged upstairs.

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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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