The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 62

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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 62

‘Then the Red Dragon from the fairy tale…….’
Living with Lucian, I’d come to know naturally which fairy tale he loved most.
There were three main characters in it.
The first Emperor, Leon.
The Witch, Aria.
And the Red Dragon.
I never imagined that Red Dragon was my uncle.
‘Wait…… but my uncle went missing. And he made a Spirit Marriage Ceremony too. Could it be…….’
“There’s something you’ve heard so often it’s become an earworm. Don’t get entangled with humans. Never make a contract with a human and a spirit.”
“……So it’s all because of my uncle.”
“We suspect the first Emperor may be connected to Karserin’s disappearance.”
Karserin had sent word that since Leon had become Emperor, he’d like to spend more time with his friends.
That message also included his intention to stop by home soon. So his family, including Luche, waited for Karserin’s return.
“But Karserin never showed up when the promised time came.”
Out of cautious hope, they tried to contact him first, but Karserin’s whereabouts could not be found anywhere.
Dragons can sense each other’s presence, and if alive, they can find traces of one another even if separated by great distance.
“For a trace to vanish means…….”
“Death or imprisonment.”
Ageese nodded at Kaiser’s words.
‘So that’s how they came to the conclusion that Karserin died or was sealed.’
The weight of the conversation made Kaiser swallow hard.
“I became a noble of the Odelion Empire for this reason. Even if we’re dragons, we can’t reveal our true nature to humans, and simple leisure won’t allow us to uncover the Empire’s hidden secrets.”
“…….”
“But it’s been 300 years since Karserin vanished. I’m starting to wonder if there’s any point in searching anymore.”
Ageese’s bitter smile made him look quite exhausted.
“You were pretty close with my uncle, weren’t you?”
“Karserin is an idol to dragons of my generation. Especially Luche followed him around constantly. Who wouldn’t adore having such a cool older brother around?”
I recalled Luche, who grew melancholy whenever Karserin’s name came up.
Dragons rarely feel fraternal or familial bonds, but thanks to Luche’s influence, Kaiser was particularly close with his family — his mother and father.
I couldn’t begin to imagine the shock of having such a family vanish without even knowing if they were alive or dead.
“For now, my goal is to at least recover Karserin’s remains. The imperial succession will change soon, so I’ll have to make my move again.”
“The imperial succession will change?”
“Yes. The Crown Prince will come of age, and then transfer the throne within five years, or so I hear.”
‘The Crown Prince…… isn’t he Lucian’s older brother?’
I’d heard of Leopold in occasional conversations through the Crystal Ball or when visiting the phantom mansion.
“Coming of age? He’s only eighteen, just a kid. Can he really become Emperor that quickly?”
“It’s somewhat early, but not impossible. Besides, for the past hundred years it’s become custom to hand over the throne at a younger age. The current Emperor became Emperor in his mid-twenties, and his relations with the previous Emperor were far from good.”
“What? What do you mean by that?”
Normally, when relations between a predecessor and successor are poor, one of them ends up dead, don’t they? Yet despite poor relations, he willingly handed over the throne?
“It was during the tenth Emperor’s reign. The Imperial Family was nearly overturned back then.”
Until the tenth Emperor, a new Emperor could only ascend after the previous one’s death.
But each time a new Emperor rose to power, the same pattern repeated itself.
Every royal child except the one chosen by the previous Emperor met mysterious deaths.
Some were poisoned, some were executed by imperial decree, and sometimes they simply died in accidents. But the variety of causes masked a constant truth.
Without exception, every time imperial succession occurred, all remaining Imperial bloodline members died within one to two years.
It was the Second Princess of that era who, based on this pattern, raised the issue of Succession of Imperial Throne.
“The Princess’s doubts didn’t stop there.”
A ruler must sometimes wield power according to circumstances, and at other times maintain peace through reconciliation.
Each era calls for a different type of ruler. Yet from the first to the tenth Emperor, identical policies and identical actions repeated as if stamped from the same mold.
The Princess, seized by great suspicion, claimed that the current Emperor was the same person as the first Emperor, having used Dark Magic to change his appearance since ancient times.
It was an absurd claim from a mere Princess without Succession of Imperial Throne rights.
To accuse the Empire’s father — the Emperor himself — of being a Dark Mage? Preposterous.
Yet the Princess lent weight to her theory based on evidence she had gathered over time.
As a result, more and more people began to agree with her.
“Did the Emperor just sit and watch?”
“Of course not. She was executed for Treason and Crime of Insulting the Imperial Family.”
And she died so cruelly that it was hard to believe a father could treat his own daughter that way.
His complete lack of mercy toward his own child terrified many.
Yet before the Princess died, the seeds of doubt she had sown sprouted and began to constrict the Emperor’s throat.
In the end, to quell their discontent and suspicion, the Emperor passed the throne to the Crown Prince and established a law.
‘He who receives the imperial succession shall respect and consider his predecessor, and shall not harm him without just cause.’
In other words, the price of handing over imperial power was guaranteeing the former Emperor’s safety.
Furthermore, unless the former Emperor commits serious crimes such as attempting treason, it would be impossible to harm him.
And so, for a hundred years, this law has remained unchanged and continues to this day.
“Quite the peculiar arrangement.”
“Still, there’s a benefit to not allowing one person to monopolize the throne. Over the past hundred years, the Empire, which had been stagnating, has grown rapidly as a result.”
The tenth Emperor’s choice proved correct, and later emperors dared not easily defy his mandate.
‘Which is also why the Emperor can’t lay a hand on the former Emperor.’
The poor relations between Emperor Ruber and Former Emperor Julius are something most nobles are aware of.
Without the law enacted by the tenth Emperor, Ruber would have executed Julius long ago.
‘But that’s none of my concern.’
Ageese’s sole objective was one: finding traces of Karserin.
For the past two hundred years, he had searched for Karserin’s trail.
But he hasn’t found any significant clues or traces yet, so he’s considering new approaches.
“Anyway, I’ll be busy from now on, so don’t expect to see me even if you visit the Northern Region.”
“Hmph! I’m busy too. I don’t have time to visit. Why would I go there?”
“This mouth of yours is really something…… .”
When Ageese grabbed Kaiser’s lips and yanked them, Kaiser thrashed about.
Soon the two dragons bickered as usual, engaging in trivial horseplay.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Lia’s body was discovered. In that time, Lucian descended into the Basement every single day, searching for a way to break her seal.
And at last, he found a single Magic Formula covering the Jewel.
But it was comprised of computations far too advanced. Simply transcribing the Magic Formula left him with a splitting headache.
“Maybe asking Lia directly would be better than doing this alone?”
There was no response. Frustrated, Lucian let out a long sigh and pressed his forehead against Lia’s head within the Jewel.
“Stop being angry with me, Lia. How long are you going to keep avoiding me?”
For these two weeks, while Lucian devoted himself to breaking the seal, he and Lia remained in cold silence.
More precisely, whenever Lucian approached, Lia did nothing but flee.
“I can see right through what you’re thinking.”
She was cutting off conversation entirely so he couldn’t confess again.
Using such an extreme method, it was clear she had no intention whatsoever of accepting his feelings.
“From the start, we got off on the wrong foot.”
He hadn’t met her as a child. If they’d met at least at this age…… or three years ago, she probably wouldn’t have felt such strong resistance.
“But it’s still unfair. From the very beginning, there was only Lia for me.”
Eight years old. From the moment he arrived here without understanding anything, he had genuinely accepted her as his bride.
Wasn’t it she who first accepted him as a groom at the Spirit Marriage Ceremony?
“When did you stop being my little groom? Now you’re lecturing me?”
Feeling inexplicably resentful, Lucian poked at the Jewel repeatedly while muttering.
“But Lia, I’m not the kind of person to give up just because you’re avoiding me.”
He’d liked her even as a ghost, and now that he’d realized he could make her alive, there was no way he’d give up.
“You should have rejected me from when we first met.”
Then he wouldn’t have harbored vain hope, and wouldn’t have fallen in love.
But at this point, where Lia was his entire life, such musings were meaningless.
“First I need to make peace with her. I’ll come back later.”
Lucian bade farewell to Lia’s sleeping form and climbed back up from the Basement.
Looking around, Lucian confirmed Lia wasn’t there and strolled casually through the hallway.
Fortunately, Lia was reading a book in the Living Room. When she sensed his presence, she glanced over before turning her head away haughtily, pretending not to notice.
At that, Lucian’s eyes narrowed.
‘So she’s going to be coy about it.’
Lucian approached Lia briskly. Then he snatched the book she’d been reading.
[……Lucian.]
“You saw me but won’t even greet me?”
[It’s not like we’re meeting for the first time today. Do I need to say hello?]
“That’s not what I mean. Why are you ignoring me?”
[I’m not ignoring you.]
“Really? Then why won’t you meet my eyes?”
As he leaned in close, Lia stepped back with a small sound. Then she opened her mouth with a rigid expression.
[I clearly told you to stop fooling around. I only see you as a child.]
“…….”
[The more you push, the harder I’ll push back.]
Though her words seemed sincere, Lucian noticed Lia’s hand gripping the hem of her skirt tightly.
It betrayed that she was straining artificially to force him away with cruel words.
Now he understood. All the words she spoke were lies.
Knowing that pushing further would make her run away entirely, Lucian stepped back.
“Lia, why are you pushing me away?”
[Didn’t you hear what I said before? I’ve never once seen you as anything more than——]
“No, I know that. You’ve been taking care of me since I was eight, so of course it makes sense you don’t see me that way. But from what I can see, there’s another ultimate reason you’re rejecting me.”
Lia froze. Realizing Lucian wasn’t teasing her lightly, she sighed.
[……Lucian, who am I?]
“Who? You’re Lia.”
[No, before that — I’m a ghost! A phantom! A dead person! A mere illusion of a lingering soul!]
Lia’s voice, raised abruptly, was remarkably desperate.
[Do you know what kind of heart I have every time you confess? I’ve realized I was wrong. I became such a huge part of your life that I’ve ruined your future. Damn it! A living person shouldn’t fall in love with the dead!]
Now Lucian finally understood the reason Lia kept pushing him away.
Actually, she’d mentioned before that the dead and the living couldn’t be together, but he’d listened with one ear and let it slip out the other.
He’d been confident he could spend his entire life with Lia, even in her ghostly state.
[Lucian, I can never give you the ordinary happiness others receive. I can’t share warmth with you, can’t kiss you, can’t sleep beside you, can’t bear your children! You’re okay with someone like me? Wake up, Lucian Odelion! A living person must not follow the dead!]
After Lia finished her tirade, silence fell.
For a moment, Lia wondered if her words had been too harsh, regret flooding in, when Lucian covered his lips with his hand, his cheeks flushed red.
“Lia, you thought about all that? Kissing…… sleeping together…….”
Lia was momentarily stunned before she shrieked.
[Now’s not the time to focus on that?!]
“No, it’s just that you’re talking as if you’ve imagined a future like that with me…… .”
Lia flinched involuntarily. To be honest, she hadn’t avoided thinking about it.
As he continued confessing and painting their future together, she’d inevitably — reflexively — imagined such things.
But those fantasies had dissolved before taking any real form.
[Of course I can’t! I’m a ghost!]
She might manage holding hands or embracing, but anything beyond that was impossible.
Lucian smiled softly, his eyes crinkling. The gaze full of adoration made Lia’s spirit tremble for a moment.
Then Lucian gently took Lia’s hand, and placed a brief kiss on her hand.
“Lia, this is enough for me. You think I fell in love with you without considering such things? Even accepting everything, I can’t help but love you.”
[Lucian, I…… .]
“Above all, Lia, don’t worry if you’re pushing me away because you’re a ghost.”
Lia, who had been trying to pull her hand away, stopped and looked at him.
“I’m going to make you human.”
[…… What?]
“I’ll make you human, and we’ll have a real wedding ceremony. I’ll take you as my proper bride. Of course, only if you accept me.”
Lia couldn’t understand what she’d just heard.
Was this a new confession method? Or was he trying to convey his feelings this way? Or was he genuinely trying to turn her, a ghost, into a human?
[Are you thinking something strange again——!]
Luuuucian! Your brother’s hereee!
Before Lia could finish, a cheerful voice rang out from outside.
As Lucian was deliberating how to escape Lia’s nagging, he silently cheered and naturally rose to his feet.
“Leopold must be here. Let me go check.”
Before fleeing, he didn’t forget to steal a kiss on Lia’s forehead.
Lia, unable to stop him in time, couldn’t finish her words and simply watched Lucian grow distant.
Lucian was already stepping out the Main Gate with light steps.
[Luciaaaaaan!]
Lia’s voice echoed through the Mansion.

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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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