The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 65

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Forsaken Crown Prince’s Phantom Bride — Episode 65

“Lucian! Over here, over here!”
Dio’s voice rang out. They had arrived at the appointed place.
“Happy birthday, you bastard! Leave it all to me, Dio, today! I’m going to treat you to the full course!”
Unlike Dio, who was buzzing with excitement, Lucian seemed utterly deflated.
He couldn’t muster much enthusiasm after his quarrel with Lia.
But Dio, who had been waiting for this day alone, didn’t notice Lucian’s mood at all.
“Come on, hurry over here! If we’re late, we’ll miss Leopold!”
Dio squeezed through the crowd and pushed forward.
Today was a sort of parade celebrating the Crown Prince’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
Soon a magnificent Imperial procession would begin, and among them rode the Crown Prince in his carriage.
“Huh, it’s still so strange that you and Leopold share the same birthday. Are you guys really half-brothers or something? You even look identical.”
“Stop spouting nonsense and just watch.”
“Tch, Leopold would joke back with me, but you’re so cold. And you’re supposed to be brothers… your personalities are completely different.”
Lucian listened silently to Dio’s grumbling.
He still hadn’t revealed his true identity to Dio.
There were many reasons, but the greatest was that he couldn’t carelessly divulge the secrets of the Imperial Family.

‘Words spoken in daylight are heard by birds, and words spoken at night are heard by mice, as they say. It’s better to avoid any risk of our secret leaking out and endangering you both. This matter will remain known only to me. You must never tell anyone else.’

Especially since Harry, who knew everything, had emphasized it so strongly that Lucian hadn’t dared open his mouth.
“Ah, Lucian! It’s starting!”
Dio’s eyes went wide as he watched the elaborate orchestral performance and the disciplined marching of the knights.
“I wonder if I’ll be able to join them someday?”
Dio’s gaze fixed on the knights. Lucian knew better than anyone that he aimed to join the Imperial Knights.
“You’ll make it. Your skill is on par with the aristocrats, after all. Didn’t you say you took the entrance exam recently?”
“I did. Man, I thought my heart was going to jump right out of my mouth. I don’t even remember how I got through that test. My hands were shaking the whole time.”
Though Dio was fretting, having watched his efforts all this time, Lucian wasn’t worried about the result.
Shrieeek! The Crown Prince, Your Highness!
Long live! Long live! Crown Prince Leopold, long live!
Cheers erupted from all directions as people continuously shouted their acclaim. In the distance, a magnificent carriage slowly approached.
“Wow, so cool!”
While Dio waved his arms and called Leopold’s name enthusiastically, Lucian watched too, a small smile playing at his lips as Leopold passed by.
When Leopold drew near, he immediately recognized Dio and Lucian and broke into a wide grin.
‘Wait just a bit longer.’
Leopold mouthed words only Lucian could see and rolled up his left sleeve. He was wearing Lucian’s gift perfectly.
Lucian nodded and waved back to him.
The carriage soon swept past them both.
“Dressed up like that, Leopold looks like a completely different person. I still can’t believe my friend is the Crown Prince.”
Someday, the time would come to tell Dio the truth.
If Leopold truly became Emperor and kept his promise to him, then there would be no need to hide it anymore.
‘I’ll wait for that day, Leopold.’
Lucian smiled as he watched the carriage disappear into the distance.

* * *

“Your Highness, we have arrived.”
After circling the Capital City, Leopold arrived at the Grand Temple.
‘Ugh, I’m exhausted.’
He’d been waking at dawn and dressing since the day before yesterday, and had entertained people late into the night, so fatigue had accumulated heavily.
He felt an immediate urge to dive straight into bed.
Rustle—
As he changed into the pristine Ceremonial Robe, the bracelet Lucian had given him caught his eye.
Looking at it put his mind at ease.
“Your Highness, all accessories must be removed.”
“Let me keep this one. It’s my most prized possession. Besides, no one will know if I hide it under my sleeve.”
He removed the necklace, earrings, and all his other bracelets, but he held firm to the one from Lucian.
The Novice Priest let out an uncomfortable groan before sighing.
“Please be careful not to let anyone notice. If the others find out, it will be a serious matter.”
‘Well, it’s just one bracelet anyway. It should be fine.’
The priest thought lightly of it and finished helping with his attire.
Soon the high priests led Leopold to the chamber where the ceremony would take place.
Since it was a sacred ceremony, only the high priests could participate.
The Novice Priest who had helped with the dressing and the ordinary priests had to wait outside the door.
Once the Crown Prince entered and the Novice Priest joined the ranks, Habier, a priest who had been waiting nearby, spoke up.
“Did it go well?”
“I did as I was taught, but my hands are still trembling. I never thought I’d see the Crown Prince up close like that. Will a day come when I can participate in a ceremony too?”
The Novice Priest stared at the firmly shut door with sparkling eyes. Habier, in turn, narrowed his eyes and glared at it.
“…Yes, someday it will come.”
Habier had been faithfully carrying out Kaiser’s orders since the basement incident eight years ago.
He carefully followed the high priests’ commands to uncover the Temple’s true face, but he still hadn’t earned the right to pass through that door.
‘At least I should have been the one to help with His Highness’s attire.’
That way, he could gain some trust and move deeper inside.
Habier looked away from the absorbed Novice Priest and straightened his posture. It was time to play the role of a devoted priest.

* * *

At that same moment, Leopold was undergoing his Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
He washed his hands, feet, and face with Holy Water and received the High Priest’s blessing. Now only the final rite remained.
“Come here, Leopold.”
Julius stood on the dais. His complexion was noticeably pallid, confirming that his health had indeed declined significantly.
“Are you feeling well, Your Majesty?”
“Of course I am. Thanks to my Crown Prince’s concern, I’ve regained some vigor. That snack you gave me last time was delicious.”
“I’m glad it suited your taste.”
Leopold smiled gently and grasped Julius’s limp hand, but his gaze quickly shifted to something behind the old man.
‘Huh? What is that?’
Two structures that looked like altars were placed side by side.
‘…Has something like that always been in the Temple?’
Though he wasn’t a devout believer and didn’t visit the Grand Temple often, he had no memory of ever seeing such a thing.
Looking at the altars made his skin crawl for some inexplicable reason.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, my apologies.”
Leopold snapped to attention and knelt on one knee before Julius.
“Eighteen years ago, a small ray of sunshine descended upon the Imperial Family, and now it has become a new light for the Empire.”
Julius placed his right hand on Leopold’s crown and proceeded with the ceremony.
“On the 17th day of the 7th month, Imperial Calendar year 325, from this moment forward, the small ray of sunshine shall be reborn and become a great sun.”
Julius poured fragrant wine into the Cup of Coming-of-Age that a priest handed him and circled it once over Leopold’s head.
“New sun, will you swear to become a guiding light for the Empire and a warm sun to its people?”
“I, Leopold Odelion, by the command of Julius Odelion, swear that I shall.”
“Rise.”
Leopold opened his closed eyes and stood up.
Julius smiled and handed him the Cup of Coming-of-Age.
“Drink this, and you shall become the new sun.”
Leopold drank the wine without hesitation.
The priests bowed at once and raised their voices.
Infinite glory upon the new sun!
May infinite glory descend upon the new sun!
Leopold looked at them with slightly widened eyes. They were welcoming him quite grandly for what seemed like a simple ceremony.
“Thank you for your efforts, Your Majesty. Shall we return together now?”
“Yes, we should.”
Leopold gave Julius a soft smile and took a step forward.
“…?”
Suddenly, his vision blurred.
“What is wrong?”
“Oh, it’s nothing at all.”
As Julius gripped his arm in concern, Leopold forced a smile.
‘Must be the fatigue.’
Leopold rubbed his eyes and took another step.
But the dizziness intensified. Everything before him wavered as if he were drunk, and he could barely stand, let alone walk.
“What’s… what’s happening to me…?”
He wasn’t the type to get drunk on a single cup of wine. Something was terribly wrong.
Soon his entire body had gone limp, and his head spun.
“Your… Your Majesty…!”
Leopold frantically grasped Julius beside him.
Through his wavering vision, he saw Julius looking down at him with a blank expression.
‘What…?’
Why isn’t he helping? He’s the kind of man who raises hell whenever I get hurt…
He tried to open his mouth to ask what was wrong, but every muscle except his eyes refused to obey.
He couldn’t even part his lips.
“Begin the ceremony.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
With Julius’s cryptic command, the high priests moved in perfect unison.
They seized Leopold, who could no longer control his body, and carried him back onto the dais, laying him on the altar.
‘What… what is this…?’
Though his body wouldn’t move, his eyes, ears, and mind remained perfectly sharp.
Engulfed in inexplicable terror, Leopold’s eyes darted about as he stared at Julius.
“My beloved grandson, sacrifice yourself for this grandfather.”
‘…What?’
“You resemble me perfectly. Your face, your height, your voice—all remind me of myself in my prime. Your temperament is somewhat gentler, which seems to take after that one, but you are unmistakably my descendant.”
Leopold could not comprehend what Julius was saying.
His mind was filled with alarm bells screaming that he had to escape this place immediately.
‘Please… please, someone help me…!’
Leopold’s eyes darted wildly as he looked around, but no one came to his aid.
“There is no need to fear. You are simply returning to me, your Creator. You won’t even have time to feel pain.”
‘Why… why are you doing this? What are you planning to do to me?’
“Your Majesty, all preparations are complete.”
A priest approached. Leopold suddenly realized that everyone in this place belonged to Julius. Even Yordi, the knight who had guarded him since childhood.
“Before we begin the ceremony, I shall tell you the truth, Leopold.”
Julius gently brushed back the hair from Leopold’s forehead. Leopold stared at him with eyes flooded with terror.
“I am not Julius.”
‘What?’
“My true name is Leon.”
Leopold’s eyes widened in shock and horror.
“You would know me better as Abyss Odelion.”
Leon. The name of the protagonist from a famous children’s storybook that every citizen of the Odrean Empire knew.
Leon was both the protagonist of the epic of the First Emperor and the name that Abyss Odelion used before ascending to the throne.
In other words, the person before Leopold was not Julius, but Abyss Odelion.
The First Emperor.
“Ah… ah…ah…”
Overwhelmed by shock, Leopold made a sound like air escaping from his lips.
“The First Emperor received infinite power from God, as you know. The power I received was Immortality.”
He had lived since the time of the First Emperor by moving from one descendant’s body to the next.
“Passing between vessels became suspicious over time, so to avoid suspicion, I perform a ceremony to transfer my soul, skipping a generation. This solemn tradition was created for no other purpose than to move my soul completely. That is what is happening now.”
Leopold could not follow a single word he was saying.
“You’ve worked hard to become Emperor these past few years, haven’t you? Thanks to you, I will become Emperor without major obstacles. Thank you. This is sincere.”
Tears began to stream from Leopold’s eyes.
Julius wiped them away gently, telling him not to cry, but Leopold found his touch revolting, as if insects were crawling across his skin.
“It will be over soon. Wait patiently.”
With those words, Julius lay down on the other altar beside him. The priests then surrounded both altars and began chanting an Incantation.
Seeing the ominously rippling Pitch-Black Mana, Leopold trembled violently.
‘Mother… Father…!’
As terror consumed his thoughts, he remembered his younger brother, Lucian.
‘Lucian… please, save me…!’
Darkness crashed down upon Leopold’s wide-open eyes.

.
.

…Lucian.
“Hmm?”
Lucian turned around and tilted his head.
“Did I mishear something?”
He could have sworn someone had called his name.
“Lucian! What are you doing over there! Hurry up and come here!”
“Coming!”
At Dio’s call, Lucian turned his head forward again.
A vague uneasiness prickled at the back of his neck, but he brushed it off and continued walking.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————