The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 60

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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 Ghost Bride – Chapter 60

“Haa, haa, haa…….”
Lucian gasped for breath, his eyes squeezed shut.
He couldn’t tell whether his chest was trembling from rage or from the frantic pounding of his heart as he fled that place.
“Damn it, this wasn’t how it was supposed to go…….”
If he’d thought it through properly, it would have been obvious this was a scheme to drive him away—yet he hadn’t been able to overcome the surge of emotion in that moment.
After steadying himself with a deep breath, Lucian rose from where he’d collapsed.
“Huh? Where is this…….”
Then, abruptly, he realized he’d ended up somewhere unfamiliar.
The darkness made it impossible to see clearly, but the rough texture of the walls beneath his fingertips and the chill in the air told him enough.
“……The Basement?”
This was the Basement—the place that had inflicted such terrible trauma upon him.
He’d simply wanted to escape from Lia, so he’d wandered here without thinking. He never imagined he’d actually descended to this level.
Hadn’t Lia sealed the Basement?
“Ah, maybe it came undone a while ago.”
Years back, when someone had infiltrated the Basement, Lia’s magical seal might have been broken.
“Light.”
The trembling boy he’d been was no more.
Lucian calmly cast the Light spell, illuminating every corner of the Basement.
Even so, old memories made him tense as he looked around, but now it appeared as nothing more than an ordinary basement.
“Still, children would find it terrifying, no question.”
The walls, floor, and ceiling were all blackened with soot in a way that seemed like the work of ghosts, and dried blood was scattered in patches across the ground.
Lucian surveyed the space with fresh eyes. The room containing the Magical Circle—the source of his worst terror—was in even more of a wreck than before, and the tunnel beyond the door stretched so far he couldn’t see where it ended.
“What was it Kaiser said…….”
That there seemed to be some kind of collusion between the Imperial Family and the Temple? The memory surfaced unexpectedly.
“I’ll have to ask him about it later.”
Lucian continued to examine the Magical Circle in the room.
Now that he was a 4th Circle Mage and had studied advanced Magic under Lia and Kaiser, he could decipher most magical formulas.
After clearing away the clutter, he cast Light and shone it over the Magical Circle.
“It’s just a Sacrificial Formula.”
It could be activated through blood as a medium or by supplying mana. There was nothing especially unusual about it.
“Wait, or maybe not.”
There was another formula linked to this Magical Circle, inscribed on yet another door.
Sure enough, when he examined the door in the center, it bore a slightly different formula than the one in the room.
This one converted the sacrifice from the Magical Circle into a form of energy for use.
Apparently, someone intended to supply energy to whatever lay beyond that door.
Lucian tried everything to open the door.
But the door wouldn’t budge.
There was no handle, and pushing didn’t make it open either.
What on earth could be so immovable?
“Has it just gotten stiff from age?”
Lucian muttered to himself and examined the door more carefully. When he looked at the bottom edge, he felt something odd.
“……The material of the door and floor seems different?”
It wasn’t just the door. The materials used on the wall containing the door and throughout the rest of the Basement were clearly distinct.
Both had simply looked similar because they’d been neglected for so long.
With this new information, Lucian stepped back and surveyed the entire wall.
Then something caught his eye where the Light was moving. Looking closer, he saw Rune Language inscribed along the wall’s edge.
It was written in letters smaller than his pinky nail, making it nearly impossible to find unless you knew to look for it.
He traced the Rune Language slowly, then found its starting point.
“This is a thorough scheme…….”

This is a thorough scheme. Otherwise, how could I betray you? I’m sorry. I never thought things would come to this.

“……What is this.”
Because it was written in Rune Language, he’d assumed it must be some kind of magical formula. But what was inscribed here was a form of apology.

When I realized that creature had been using me, the one we loved was already beyond saving. I’m sorry. I wanted to save him by any means. But he asked me—he asked me to protect you instead.

This was an apology, yet also a confession. Whoever wrote this had appeared to betray someone they loved after being manipulated by another.
From the Rune Language, the writer’s anger and sorrow emanated so intensely that tears welled up just from reading it.
Lucian hadn’t noticed he was already crying. He looked at the final lines inscribed on the floor.

I will stake everything—my very being—to keep you safe. I will never let that creature have you. Though we part this way, someday we will cycle through the next life and meet again. When that day comes, let us all laugh together, as we did in those happy times. I am sorry, and I love you.

At the very end, there appeared to be a signature. But unfortunately, it had been damaged in Kaiser’s rampage from before and was no longer legible.
Lucian stared blankly at the damaged section, tears streaming down his cheeks without his awareness. As tears blurred his vision, he wiped the inscribed area with his hand and touched it slowly. Then, without knowing why, his mouth opened.
“Ah…… Lia…….”
It was a nearly unconscious act.
Just seeing this apology tore at his chest, flooding him with indescribable sorrow.
‘I’m not myself.’
Emotions merged with those of the apology’s writer.
Though it was entirely unfamiliar, at the same time it was so longed for, so wistful, that he couldn’t control his feelings.
Lucian knelt where he stood and collapsed forward, resting his forehead against the ground.
Still, tears flowed against his will.

Only one who can open this door.

Then an unfamiliar voice resonated through his mind. Lucian opened his eyes and raised his head.
Blue light reflected in his golden eyes, wet with tears.
Blue light burst forth from the tiny inscribed Rune Language, spreading across the entire wall and door.

Is one who loves her with a pure heart alone.

Lucian understood instinctively. The owner of this voice was none other than the one who had inscribed the Rune Language.

You have the right to open this door.

Whoooosh—!
The blue light intensified, shifting nearly white. Lucian’s eyes fluttered shut against the blinding radiance, then opened again.
“The door…….”
Remarkably, the door had vanished. As if it had never existed in the first place, it was simply gone.
Beyond it lay a mysterious space.
Though deep underground, in a place where no light should reach, that space was brilliant as midday.
Unlike the Basement filled with moss and mold, what lay beyond the door overflowed with green, living things—as though a forest had taken root there.
As if enchanted, Lucian rose and stepped inside.
A cozy space small enough to take in at a glance. Plants bloomed throughout, and Light Magic floated from the ceiling, casting its glow over everything.
But that wasn’t what mattered. In the center of the room stood something of unknown nature, dominating the space.
“A jewel? A crystal?”
It reached a height of nearly two meters—a shimmering golden light like topaz.
Having once seen rare treasures in Kaiser’s Subspace collection, he knew the value such a jewel of this size would command.
“Kaiser would lose his mind if he saw this.”
Lucian muttered as much, then stopped short as he approached the massive jewel.
It was the reflection of light—he hadn’t noticed at first. Inside this jewel, something existed.
Lucian hurried closer to the jewel. He was so shocked that he froze completely.
“……Lia?”
The strength drained from Lucian’s legs, and he collapsed to the ground.
Inside the jewel lay a woman who looked identical to Lia.

* * *

“The ceremony is quite simple. On the final day of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, you enter the Temple and receive recognition as an adult from the eldest member of the Imperial Family.”
The high priest explained the traditional ritual that would mark the culmination of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
A traditional ritual observed by the Imperial Family for generations. One must pass through it to truly prove one’s adulthood—a ceremony that is absolutely necessary.
The ceremony is simple: enter the Temple and receive the Cup of Adulthood from the eldest living member of the Imperial Family.
The member of the Imperial Family who presents the Cup varied each time, but typically the Emperor or the Former Emperor took on that role.
Since the eldest this time was the Former Emperor, Julius would preside over Leopold’s ceremony.
One could say it was both the most important and the least important of procedures.
The ceremony was so tedious that Leopold felt a yawn forming, but he maintained the flawless bearing of a Crown Prince, betraying not the slightest hint of distraction.
And with good reason.
‘I’d have to trust the priests first, and that’s a tall order.’
Since learning Lucian’s true identity, Leopold had decided he couldn’t trust even his parents easily.
After that, countless webs of interest that had been hidden from view became apparent to him, and as he took on his formal duties as Crown Prince, he came to understand just how deep the collusion between the Temple and the Imperial Family truly ran.
‘And on top of that, they’re split into factions.’
One faction aligned with the Former Emperor, the other with the current Emperor.
The Former Emperor had already yielded the throne to the current Emperor and withdrawn from politics. For the sake of the current Emperor, he should neither approach politics again nor establish his own faction.
Indeed, Julius, the Former Emperor, quietly occupied a corner of the Imperial Palace in a way that wouldn’t draw the current Emperor’s displeasure.
Yet on one matter alone, his involvement never ceased: the Temple.
‘That priest belongs to Grandfather.’
Fortunately, Julius was quite fond of him.
Not once had he tried to use Leopold to advance in politics; rather, he was a kind grandfather who tried to fulfill whatever Leopold desired.
But Julius and Ruber were enemies to the bone—their relationship was that poor.
When Leopold was young, he hadn’t understood, but as his mind matured, he began to perceive it, and he’d heard fragments of what had transpired between them.
‘His Majesty competed for the throne against many siblings. Among them was the youngest prince, whom His Majesty held most dear—but he perished in an unforeseen accident. His Majesty believed this was all a scheme orchestrated by the Former Emperor.’
In short, Ruber resented Julius for driving his children into danger, even though it was Ruber himself who had fought through that peril to claim the throne.
‘Perhaps the reason Father doesn’t give me a younger brother is connected to this as well.’
Whenever he inadvertently perceived Ruber’s affection for his son, his own heart became uncomfortable.
Because it made him unable to hate the man, though he wanted to.
“Please remember carefully the order I’ve explained. We’ll conclude here for today.”
“Thank you for your efforts. Do you visit Grandfather directly after this?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“How has Grandfather been lately? I’ve been so occupied I haven’t paid him a visit in quite some time.”
“His strength is not what it once was, but he is well enough to preside over your Coming-of-Age Ceremony. You need not worry.”
“Then I’m relieved. Take this with you when you go—it’s a refreshment Grandfather enjoys.”
Leopold handed the priest a package of refreshments he’d had his attendant prepare in advance. They were scones and biscuits—the kind that weren’t overly sweet.
“I will convey it faithfully.”
After the priest departed, Leopold stretched his arms and wandered near the window.
Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, looking out at the clear weather, his stern expression suddenly crumpled into something pitiful.
“I miss Lucian.”
It had already been a month since he’d last seen him. Here he was, merely conducting a Coming-of-Age Ceremony, yet there was so much to do.
“Is it because of preparations for the Succession of the Imperial Throne too?”
He hadn’t told anyone yet, but after this final Coming-of-Age ritual, he would formally announce the Succession of the Imperial Throne at an official gathering.
Of course, they would need at least a year to prepare for the actual Succession ceremony itself.
“Still, the finish line is in sight.”
He wanted to present Lucian to the world with confidence, to keep him safe by his side.
He had pushed forward relentlessly for this single promise. Not much remained now.
Tap, tap—
Leopold, lost in imaginings of a future with Lucian, opened his eyes. Aether stood at the window.
“Aether, what brings you here at this hour?”
Chirp!
As Leopold let Aether inside, the bird pointed at his feet with its beak.
“Lucian sent something!”
Leopold’s excitement was plainly visible as he hurriedly opened Lucian’s letter.
The smile that had spread across Leopold’s face faltered slightly.
“Tch, so he didn’t send this because he wanted to see me?”
Inside was written an account of how an attendant named James had been of service to Lucian.
Though an unexpected matter, Leopold thought he understood what Lucian was trying to convey.
“He’s being standoffish, but it’s a request from my one and only brother—I can hardly refuse it.”
Leopold burned the note and called for his attendants, deciding to bestow a considerable reward upon James as Lucian had requested.

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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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