The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 63

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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 Abandoned Crown Prince — Episode 63

“It’s been forever~”
The moment Leopold caught sight of Lucian, he rushed at him and went completely limp against his body.
Lucian, caught off guard, had to catch him, and his brow twitched at the solid weight.
“Let go. One, two…….”
“All right, all right. After all this time, can’t you indulge your brother’s neediness a little?”
“I told you not to cling to me like that.”
“Tch. I shouldn’t have done you that favor.”
“Wait—what did you do to James?”
Lucian’s eerily perceptive ears caught the muttering, and Leopold glanced at him with pouting lips.
“Since you said he was your benefactor who looked after you for ten years, I placed him directly under me as my personal attendant. An unprecedented promotion, they said. People around me kept asking what kind of relationship you two have.”
“That was good of you. James is sincere and kind, but without connections, his promotions seemed to stall.”
“True enough. After ten years of service, he could have worked somewhere better. And he took such good care of you.”
“Take good care of James. He just had his second son born. It’ll be demanding on him.”
“Leave it to me—I know what I’m doing.”
They hadn’t seen each other in over a month, yet the moment they met, Lucian only talked about someone else. Leopold felt a pang of loneliness.
Still, his loneliness aside, the fact that Lucian cared so much about James suggested the man had been genuinely helpful.
Leopold raised his mental evaluation of James even higher.
“So what brings you here? Shouldn’t you be swamped with work by now?”
Only a week remained until their birthday.
Leopold had to prepare not only for the birthday but also for the Coming-of-Age Ceremony alongside it.
“I barely scraped together the time. After the Coming-of-Age Ceremony ends this time, there’s so much more to do. Do you remember the note I sent you last time?”
“……That I’d become Emperor?”
“Yes. It’ll happen sooner or later now.”
Lucian could see Leopold’s eyes brimming with resolve and confidence.
“You really mean it, don’t you?”
“I’ve always been sincere about it. Just wait five years—no, three years. I’ll prepare everything beautifully and come for you.”
It sounded almost like a marriage proposal, and Lucian found himself smiling despite himself.
“Like I’ve said before, I don’t plan to live there.”
“……Is this place really that appealing to you?”
“It’s where my life changed. And Lia is here.”
“Ah…….”
During the three years he’d known Leopold, Lucian had revealed Lia’s true nature to him and Harry.
Both men had been shocked senseless, of course, but Lucian had forced them to accept it and kept them from spreading the truth.
‘Still, he doesn’t seem to understand me.’
Though he didn’t show it, Leopold couldn’t fathom Lucian’s affection for a ghost like Lia.
‘Wait—once I break the seal and Lia becomes human, there’d be no need for us to stay here.’
Then Lucian suddenly found himself imagining Lia after the seal was broken, transformed into a person.
“Actually, no. Just in case—have a room prepared for me.”
“Huh? What’s gotten into you? You said not to do that.”
“Well, you know. If the Empire has a best place, it’s the Imperial Family, isn’t it?”
“I suppose……?”
“Will you fulfill whatever I ask of you?”
Leopold’s suspicion at first gave way to realization—Lucian wanted something of him. His eyes lit up.
“Of course! Tell me anything! For my one and only brother, I’d even pluck the stars from the sky.”
“Nothing that grand. Just support me with jewels, necklaces, and dresses—things like that.”
“Okay, jewels, necklaces, dresses……? Wait—those aren’t for you, are they?”
Lucian’s lips curved into a sly smirk.
“Don’t be shocked if I bring a woman with me later.”
Leopold’s mouth fell open, and he stared blankly for a moment before his eyes suddenly widened.
“You’ve found a woman you like! Who is she? Where does she live? Is she pretty? Is she kind? What else do you need besides jewels and dresses?! I’ll provide everything! I can even make your wedding grand!”
“Ahem, a wedding is still a bit premature……but I suppose someday…….”
Leopold’s eyes sparkled with delight as he covered his mouth.
He was terribly curious about who this woman Lucian liked might be.
‘Of course—it wouldn’t make sense for him to like a ghost. I’m relieved he’s come to his senses.’
Unaware that the woman Lucian spoke of was Lia herself, Leopold was happily jumping to conclusions.
“But don’t tell anyone about this. It might take quite a while before I can bring her.”
“Don’t worry. You don’t trust your brother?”
The two of them wore identical expressions as they shared a sinister chuckle.
“Lucian, you’re coming of age now—is there nothing you want?”
“Nothing in particular.”
“Even if you don’t have anything, we’ll find something. You only get one Coming-of-Age Ceremony in your life—we can’t just let it pass!”
Leopold kept pressing, insisting Lucian think of something. But Lucian truly had no desires.
‘Besides, he’s already given me so much over the years anyway.’
Every time Leopold visited, he brought small gifts. Thanks to what he’d given, there was practically nothing Lucian lacked.
“If you can’t decide, I’ll choose for you.”
“Do as you like.”
“Sigh……my only brother is this indifferent. This hyung feels sad.”
Leopold poked at his eyes as if weeping, and Lucian’s gaze turned icy.
“Come inside and rest for a while before you go.”
“Ah, I have to leave right away.”
“What? Now?”
“I told you—I carved out this time just for this visit. If I stay any longer, Harry will scold me.”
Lucian imagined Harry’s exasperated cry: Leopold!
“I’ll come again on your birthday. Look forward to what gift I’m preparing.”
As Leopold made to leave with a wink, Lucian hastily caught his arm.
“Wait a moment.”
“Yes?”
“I have something for you.”
Lucian hurried into the Mansion and returned with a box.
“Here, a birthday gift.”
“……What?”
Leopold received the gift box in stunned silence. Inside lay a bracelet.
“Wow, how beautiful.”
It appeared to be made of gold and was slightly heavy; diamonds were set at regular intervals.
Leopold stared at it, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
“Where on earth did you get this? It must be incredibly expensive.”
“There are ways to obtain things.”
In fact, this was one of the accessories Kaiser had given him. Lucian’s room had a mountain of just the jewels Kaiser had provided, piled high in one corner.
But Leopold had no way of knowing that.
“The important thing is—I’ve placed a spell on it.”
“A spell?”
Lucian slipped the bracelet onto Leopold’s left wrist.
Blue Mana rippled, and light began to shine from the bracelet. Soon the light faded, and the bracelet that had been too large shrank to a perfect fit.
“What just happened?”
“The Protective Magic activated properly. Your position is always a place where someone might pose a threat.”
“Come on, I have no rivals.”
“Even so, one never knows what might happen.”
Having enchanted a simple accessory, it would protect him only once—when his life was truly in danger.
‘Since Lia and I developed this formula together, it shouldn’t fail easily.’
At minimum, it should deflect a dragon’s breath, shouldn’t it?
“……Thank you. I really love it.”
Leopold’s smile bloomed with warmth. The bracelet was wonderful, but what truly moved him was Lucian’s thoughtfulness in preparing this gift.
“I won’t take it off, right?”
“Of course not! Who gave it to me? I won’t remove it even to bathe!”
Soon Leopold began lamenting that he hadn’t prepared an even bigger surprise. Yet joy radiated from him nonetheless.
“This won’t do. I’ll make time and come right on your birthday.”
“You’re busy enough—just come whenever you have time…….”
“I can’t accept that! Absolutely not! I can’t give up that day! I can be there before midnight. So you absolutely cannot sleep, understood?”
Every time, Leopold wanted to spend at least a minute with Lucian on his birthday.
Even though as Crown Prince he had to attend the festivities and would be exhausted.
Feeling the genuine affection Leopold held for him, Lucian could only nod in agreement.
“All right, I understand. I’ll stay awake until you arrive.”
“Promise? You absolutely must keep it!”
Once he’d secured Lucian’s solemn vow, Leopold vanished like the wind.

* * *

In a forest where few people ventured, a man kicked at a nearby tree with a bitter growl.
‘Damn it! Filthy maggots! Just because they’re knights, does that give them the right to exploit people like this?!’
‘Calm down, Leon.’
‘How can I calm down?! You saw exactly what those bastards did! And the people we helped turned their backs on us without a second thought! We shouldn’t have helped them!’
Golden eyes, more intense than gold itself, blazed with fury as they fixed on me.
I parted my lips, then lowered my gaze.
My companion flinched slightly, then deliberately turned away.
‘Sorry. I wasn’t angry at you. It’s just—this situation is so frustrating…….’
‘I know. You wouldn’t be angry with me.’
At my laugh, my companion’s expression shifted to something like helpless bemusement, then he put an arm around my shoulder.
‘Are you okay from where you got hit earlier?’
‘Yeah, I’m fine. I’m more worried about you. You took more damage shielding me.’
Compared to me, who bore only scratches, my companion was covered in wounds.
When we’d intervened to stop the knights from tormenting the townsfolk, we’d been beaten. He’d shielded me with his own body.
Because of that, I couldn’t even resist and had to endure it helplessly.
My companion was healthy and well-coordinated; I was frail and prone to collapse at the slightest exertion.
We were ─ yet why were we so different?
‘……I’m sorry. I feel like I’m just a burden to you.’
‘Stop talking nonsense and apply some salve to my back.’
He’d said it seriously, but he brushed past the sentiment easily. Knowing it was his way of showing care, my mouth grew only more bitter.
I could only tend to the wounds he’d sustained because of me.
‘Damn it. This place is no different from anywhere else. At this rate, we’ll see the same tragedy happen here as in our homeland.’
‘……The haves gain more, and the have-nots lose more.’
‘You’re right. A world like this needs to be overturned.’
My companion wrung his hair, his eyes burning with determination. Looking into those eyes was like being drawn in by a moth to flame.
Despite suffering disappointment and despair multiple times, despite being shunned by people, the seeds of revolution still sprouted in his heart.
He always spoke this way—that this cursed world needed to be turned upside down.
‘Why is it? Why won’t anyone step forward?!’
Yet the gap between ideal and reality was vast. No matter how grand his dreams, he lacked the people, the strength, and the resources to realize them.
‘Leon…….’
‘It’s all because people are accustomed to the current state of things.’
Then, a strange voice cut in from somewhere. I turned my head, scanning the area.
But no matter how I looked, there was no one nearby.
‘Up here.’
This time the voice came from above. I lifted my head, and sunlight filtered through the canopy of leaves.
The glare made me squint and shield my eyes with my hand. Then I saw a silhouette.
The silhouette moved, and a figure jumped down from the tree.
‘People fear change. Do you think they truly don’t understand the problems of the current order? No—they understand better than anyone. But they’re afraid that if they drive out those in power now, an even greater calamity will follow. This is an Age of Chaos, after all.’
Truly, what a lovely voice.
Was it naturally beautiful, or did her beauty make even her voice seem beautiful?
The person before me appeared to be a girl around our age.
Pale skin, rare black hair, and eyes of mysterious violet.
Her exotic features made her beauty all the more striking.
Lost in contemplation of her, I hardly noticed when Leon stepped forward.
‘Who are you?’
‘I’m Aria. I’m a witch.’
She smiled gently, and we were utterly entranced.

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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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