The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 38

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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 38

“What on earth are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Do you believe ghosts exist?”
Dio looked Lucian up and down with an odd gleam in his eye.
He’d wondered why Lucian had come to visit again today after yesterday, but now he was saying something so strange.
His eyes were sharp and focused in a way that was unlike him, his lips pressed tight, and a small knot of tension formed along his jaw.
It didn’t seem like the sort of joke meant to trade barbs.
“If you don’t give me the context, how am I supposed to know what you’re trying to say?”
Dio couldn’t fathom what Lucian had in mind.
Thinking he’d made a fair point, Lucian began to deliberate, his body twitching slightly.
Even from their first meeting, Dio had noticed how easily his thoughts showed on his face.
He was the type who was easy to read, yet he wasn’t someone who kept close to everyone either, which made him oddly reassuring rather than anxious.
‘He doesn’t make friends with anyone but me, either.’
There were plenty of village children who wanted to be Lucian’s friend.
Of course, he spoke well enough and got along with everyone when they played together, but it wasn’t the same kind of relationship he had with Dio.
‘Lucian only plays with you. He hardly talks if you’re not around.’
He’d heard remarks like that from the other children countless times. Every time he heard them, he couldn’t help but feel a little proud of being someone special.
But that was neither here nor there. Why was Lucian suddenly saying something so utterly out of the blue?
Just then, Lucian glanced around nervously.
They were in Dio’s Room where no one else was present, yet he was being cautious, as though afraid someone might overhear.
“Dio.”
“What?”
“Can you promise me you won’t tell anyone what I’m about to say?”
“What are you going to say?”
“Promise first. You absolutely can’t tell Bill or his wife.”
He looked so grave that Dio felt momentarily taken aback.
If someone as guileless as Lucian spoke with such gravity, he must be sharing something truly significant.
Dio straightened his posture and looked directly into Lucian’s eyes with utmost seriousness.
“I swear by my Sword Technique. I won’t tell anyone.”
Lucian’s face brightened. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again.
‘I can’t tell him everything, can I?’
Like the fact that he was actually a prince, or that he’d been cast out by the Imperial Family.
‘Lia made me promise never to reveal that she’s a princess.’
But he should be able to explain enough without that detail.
Once Lucian had gathered his thoughts, he opened his mouth with grave determination.
“…Actually, I live alone.”
“Huh?”
“I live without my parents.”
Dio’s expression shifted. His eyes widened as if shaken by an earthquake, and he couldn’t hide his shock.
But he quickly regained his composure. His gaze grew far more serious than before.
“And what else?”
“And… I’m living alone with Lia.”
“Your wife?”
“Yes.”
Dio folded his arms and fell into thought. In all likelihood, what Lucian said was the truth.
Everything Dio had felt was off about him now made sense.
Lucian talked about Lia every day. But words like “mother” or “father” never came up once.
He’d assumed it was simply because Lucian was fond of his wife, but there was clearly something else going on.
“Wait, didn’t you say you got married two years ago? I always thought it was strange that you’d get married at such a young age, not just be engaged… Did your parents arrange it before they passed?”
“Huh? …Um, yes, that’s right.”
Though his parents were very much alive and the Spirit Marriage had been performed by imperial decree, it wasn’t exactly a lie.
Still, Dio felt a twinge of guilt at having deceived him even slightly, and he searched Dio’s expression for any sign of suspicion.
But for some reason, Dio was looking at him with sorrowful eyes.
“…That must have been difficult.”
“…”
Without meaning to, Lucian’s hand trembled slightly.
There was something strange stirring in his chest, a peculiar feeling that made his toes tingle, and above all, his lips curled upward of their own accord at those simple words.
“No. I’m used to it now, so it’s fine.”
The genuine concern of a true friend was better than he’d ever expected.
‘See, Lia? Dio is like this.’
He didn’t even suspect for a moment whether it was a lie—he simply believed him outright and offered comfort.
If he couldn’t trust a friend like that, then who in the world could he trust?
“It’s just that if I told people I was living alone without any adults, they’d think it was strange. That’s why I haven’t been able to invite you over until now.”
“Ah, that’s why…”
“You will keep the secret, right?”
“Of course! Even if a sword came straight at me, I wouldn’t say a word!”
The way he puffed out his chest and thumped his breast was remarkably reassuring.
“But… how have you been managing all this time? If two children are living without any adults, where does the money come from? How do you eat?”
“Oh, someone I know supplies us with provisions regularly. They give us food and necessities, so we don’t need a lot of money, and a close friend visits from time to time and stays with us.”
“A close friend?”
“Yeah, you’ve probably seen him before. That really handsome guy with red hair.”
“Oh!”
Dio recalled the first time he’d met Lucian and around this time last year.
Back then, Lucian had wandered around the village without reserve alongside a man who looked like a nobleman.
Lucian had introduced him to Dio once, and because the man’s gaze was so piercing, Dio still remembered him.
“His name was… Kaizar, I think…”
“Yeah, that’s him.”
“…You’re not some fallen noble or something, are you?”
“No, I’m not a noble.”
Just royalty, not nobility.
“Hmm… well, you seem like you want to keep it private, so I’ll let it go.”
He’d been worried about pressing further, but now he felt relieved.
Lucian exhaled quietly and began watching for the right moment to say the most important thing.
“Dio, so what I wanted to say was…!”
“Thank you for trusting me with something you want to keep so secret.”
Their words overlapped, and Dio didn’t catch everything Lucian said.
“What did you say?”
“Oh, that is…!”
“You want to invite me over, right?”
Lucian trembled and his pupils dilated as if shaken by an earthquake.
With an expression of ‘How did you know?’, Dio burst out laughing.
“I’ve known you for two years now, so this much is easy. And besides, I already know your thoughts show all over your face.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You’re fine when you’re with me, but you’ve gotta work on that expression. You’re way too easy to read.”
“…Ugh. I’m not like that with just anyone, you know.”
Lucian grumbled that he wasn’t such an easy person to figure out. Watching him, Dio chuckled and continued.
“But what does all this have to do with that thing about ghosts at the start?”
Lucian trembled. He opened his mouth a few times before finally speaking.
“We have… a ghost in our house.”
“…?”
Dio’s mind went blank for a moment and he couldn’t even manage to look shocked—he just tilted his head in confusion.
“It’s not a scary ghost! That ghost teaches me letters, shows me Sword Technique, and even cooks for me! It’s a good ghost!”
Lucian couldn’t bring himself to say that his wife, Lia, was a ghost. If he mentioned that, Lucian was certain Dio would think he was strange.
Silence fell. Lucian waited nervously for Dio’s reaction when the corners of his mouth suddenly lifted.
“Come on, there’s no such thing as ghosts in the world.”
Lucian trembled.
“Kids these days go around talking about ghosts and monsters in the summer. Is that what this is about?”
“No, it’s not like that! I’m being serious!”
Seeing the urgency in Lucian’s expression, Dio pouted.
“So you’re telling me the truth?”
“I said yes, didn’t I?”
“Alright, let’s say you’ve seen a ghost. But how would a ghost cook food and teach you letters? Is it a servant in your house or something?”
“It’s not a servant, it’s my w—oops!”
“Your w… what?”
“Anyway, we really do have a ghost! You’ll have no choice but to believe me if you visit our house!”
“If you don’t want to invite me, just say so. Making up stories like this just makes me feel worse.”
“That’s not it!”
Ugh! This is so frustrating!
Lucian expressed his exasperation. Yet Dio remained unmoved.
Watching Dio’s refusal to believe, Lucian finally understood what Kaizar and Lia had been saying.
‘The real challenge is getting him to believe ghosts exist in the first place.’
Lucian began to think of how to persuade Dio.
After turning it over in his mind, Lucian decided to revise his strategy and beat a retreat.
“Anyway! I told you the truth! You’re the one who won’t believe me!”
“That’s because you’re telling me something absurd.”
“Grrr—! I’ll come back tomorrow. Think about what I said until then.”
“You don’t have to invite me.”
“No! Then you’ll think I’m a liar. I won’t bring you to my house until you believe me!”
He was saying he didn’t have to be invited anyway.
Dio simply couldn’t understand why Lucian was being so stubborn.
And yet he’d never seen mild-mannered Lucian huffing and puffing like this before.
Lucian left the room without even saying goodbye. But then came a shuffle of feet outside, and he poked his head back through the doorway.
“Don’t you dare tell anyone what I said today. Not Bill or his wife! If you do…”
I’ll never speak to you again!
Lucian huffed out a heavy breath. Then he left Dio’s Mansion with a parting nod from Bill.
Dio let out a hollow laugh.
“That guy sure is strange. Where does he even come up with these stories?”
Lucian was so handsome and always seemed to wander around alone, which is why quite a few people found it suspicious. If word got out that he was living without parents, those people might cause him harm.
So Dio had no intention whatsoever of telling anyone else about Lucian’s situation.
“But… is there really a ghost?”
Recalling how Lucian had grown frustrated and expressed his exasperation, doubt began to creep into Dio’s mind.

* * *

“Today I’ll definitely convince Dio!”
Lucian announced his bold resolution while eating breakfast.
His eyes were fierce and sharp, while his lips worked ceaselessly—an oddly mismatched expression.
[Don’t you realize this is already day three?]
“Why don’t you just give up? He already said you don’t need to invite him over.”
“No! I don’t want to be a liar!”
“Goodness, what a stubborn child.”
Lia knew that Lucian had failed to persuade Dio.
It would be better for them both if Dio simply didn’t believe and didn’t come to the Mansion, rather than believing it outright. But whether it was a matter of pride or something else, Lucian kept trying to persuade him.
[Lucian, it’s fine that you want to convince Dio, but won’t he start to dislike you if you keep bringing up the ghost every day?]
“Oh… you’re right…”
[And when the other person says they don’t believe, how can you convince them?]
“If I bring him to the house, he’ll believe there’s a ghost!”
[I told you—bring him here only when Dio understands everything. I can’t allow you to bring him to the Mansion just to make him believe in ghosts.]
“But…!”
[And besides, Dio can’t see me. What if swords suddenly start moving, and food starts floating in the air? Won’t that frighten him terribly?]
Lucian hadn’t thought that far ahead, and his shoulders sagged.
[You don’t want to scare Dio, do you?]
“…You’re right.”
[That’s why today is the last day for trying to convince Dio. If you can’t persuade him by today, we don’t talk about this again.]
“Okay.”
Lia comforted Lucian and helped him prepare to leave for the Village.
Feeling guilty about deceiving him, she packed extra snacks for him.
[Be careful out there.]
Though his shoulders were more slumped than usual, Lucian slowly made his way toward the Village.
After greeting him and turning around, Kaizar was standing there as if he’d been waiting.
“You know that tonight is the Full Moon?”
[Of course.]
“All we can do is wait for the Full Moon to rise highest in the sky, but we can’t just sit idle for the time being.”
[We should prepare for whatever might happen.]
Finally, tonight would bring several veiled questions to the surface.
Lia would be better served investigating the matter alongside him, but her consciousness would be completely dormant during this period, so he had no choice but to rely entirely on Kaizar.
There was nothing to be gained, yet Kaizar was stepping forward of his own volition—Lucian was grateful for that.
He couldn’t simply stand by with his hands folded. He needed to be of some use to Kaizar, if only a little.

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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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