The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 68

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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 Crown Prince’s Ghost Bride — Episode 68

“What do you need me to do?”
“……Are you truly willing to hear our request?”
“It’s not a request—even if you commanded it, I’d have no choice but to obey. After all, you brought me here by force, so I was never given a choice to begin with.”
It was a fair point, but Ruber couldn’t easily concede to his words.
Ruber studied Lucian. He bore a striking resemblance to Leopold, yet the aura and expression radiating from him were the polar opposite.
It was something that made it clear they were entirely different people.
‘He’s grown well, at least.’
For someone raised alone, his appearance was quite decent, and his manner of speech, accent, and gait didn’t suggest someone uneducated.
With a bit more refinement, he could easily pass for Leopold.
“……But how did his hair and eyes come to be that way?”
Serena, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. Indeed, as she said, Lucian’s appearance had been drawing considerable attention.
His hair and eyes were an ordinary brown.
Lucian removed the Diamond Necklace with a blunt expression. The moment he did, a transformation began, and he began to bear the unmistakable traits of Imperial bloodline.
“Is that better?”
“A Magitech Device? How did you come to possess one……?”
“I came by it through various connections. It’s not your concern, Your Majesty.”
The deliberately drawn boundary made Serena flinch and lower her head. It looked as though she’d been wounded, which somehow displeased Lucian.
“When does the banquet begin?”
“In two hours, so we must prepare at once. Learn whatever protocol you can in that time. I won’t ask much of you. Just play the Crown Prince. Today is of great importance…….”
“Yes, the Coming-of-Age Ceremony that happens only once in a lifetime. I’m well aware.”
Ruber bit his lower lip, belatedly realizing that Lucian would experience his Coming-of-Age Ceremony only once in his lifetime as well.
Soon after, Dain led Lucian out of the room. The moment Lucian left, Serena drew in the breath she’d been holding, staggering.
“Ah……how…… beautifully you’ve grown.”
Serena wept the tears she’d held back all this time, her body trembling.
The instant she saw Lucian’s face, it overlapped with Leopold’s, allowing her to sketch out the face of her second son—something she had only imagined until now—with perfect clarity.
Serena could not bear that moment.
The guilt and shame she had buried, along with the longing she’d tried to forget, suddenly overwhelmed her.
“I’m glad you’ve grown so beautifully…… yet it breaks my heart…… and I’m so sorry…… How could I forget such a precious child? He was born from my own womb, just like Leopold……!”
Serena clawed at her chest, gasping through the tightness. Ruber held her as his eyes squeezed shut in anguish.
“……I feel the same.”
When he’d summoned Lucian instead of Leopold, he had believed he would not be moved even seeing the son he’d abandoned.
He had only ever seen his second son once, and unlike with Leopold, he had scarcely invested affection or attention in him.
Yet the moment Ruber saw Lucian’s face, he realized he could not treat him as a stranger.
And he regretted summoning Lucian.
Wasn’t this like tormenting an already-abandoned son with false hope, only to kill him a second time?
But for now, there was no other viable solution.

* * *

“I shall assist with your preparation.”
Lucian quickly washed away the dust from his exchange with the guards and donned the Banquet Attire that should have been worn by Leopold.
The feel of the fabric against his skin, along with each accessory and ornament, was remarkably fine.
“……It shouldn’t require any alterations, actually. Or rather, it seems a touch snug…….”
Dain regarded Lucian with an enigmatic expression.
The attire he now wore was tailored entirely for Leopold.
Yet Lucian not only carried it off beautifully—the garment was actually tight on him. He possessed more muscle than Leopold did.
“Now that I think of it, you display quite remarkable Swordsmanship. Did someone teach you privately?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“……Understood. The Crown Prince addresses no one but the Emperor, the Empress, and the former Emperor with formal speech. Continue to address others as you are now.”
Dain was instructing him matter-of-factly, which left Lucian utterly exasperated.
“The first family you must commit to memory is House of Sevanth. The Crown Prince is currently engaged to the young lady of House of Sevanth. Therefore, you must share the first dance with her tonight…….”
Dain let out a long sigh. There was no way Lucian, who had never danced, could pull that off flawlessly.
“Let’s set aside the dance for now and focus on what you must absolutely learn first.”
Dain methodically listed the characteristics and names of the nobility, making Lucian memorize them.
At first, he thought it would be enough to memorize just the major figures, including House of Sevanth, but as time passed, Dain found himself impressed despite himself.
“……So the white-haired lady with green eyes would be the wife of Count Prime, who owns the Teran Mines. Have I made any errors in what I’ve told you so far?”
“None……, sir.”
Lucian displayed a memory so extraordinary that it seemed impossible he’d memorized it all in thirty minutes.
“That’s remarkable, Your Highness! There shouldn’t be any major problems at this rate.”
In truth, hidden behind Lucian’s impressive memory was a secret Dain didn’t know.
Lucian had been receiving intensive tutoring from Leopold on the side.
Leopold had taught him various things bit by bit, saying that he’d need to learn them anyway once he entered the Imperial Palace.
The nobility roster was among those subjects. Though he had never directly met the nobility, he had long since memorized the roster.
Thus Dain’s accelerated instruction posed no significant challenge to Lucian.
“You can dance, yes?”
“Pardon? I…… Yes, I can.”
“We have about twenty minutes before the party starts. Since we’re at it, let’s get in some dance steps too. Time is short—show me what you can do.”
“……Yes! Watch closely.”
Thus Lucian left the Dressing Room ten minutes later than scheduled. In thirty minutes, he had perfectly mastered the basic dance steps.

* * *

The banquet had begun, and the hall was loud with the mingling sounds of music and conversation.
On the second floor of the Banquet Hall, beyond the doors, stood Ruber and Serena, both dressed to the nines.
Serena had already wept once, so she’d had to reapply her makeup to conceal it.
“Your Majesty, I have brought the Crown Prince.”
Dain’s familiar voice sounded, and Ruber and Serena turned their heads. Their eyes immediately wavered.
“Ah…….”
Serena covered her mouth, on the verge of tears again.
“……Leopold.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Lucian had transformed perfectly into Leopold and presented himself.
His gait, aura, smile—everything evoked Leopold.
Even his own parents, seeing him, momentarily believed he was Leopold, not Lucian.
Lucian had begun performing as Leopold the moment he stepped out of the Dressing Room.

‘The fact that the Crown Prince has fallen ill is known only to a select few. Please perform as the Crown Prince so that word does not leak at any place or time.’

Though Dain had told him about Leopold’s smiling expression and habits, Lucian hadn’t paid close attention. After all, he knew Leopold better than anyone.
They had frequently played the game of switching roles, so performing as Leopold was hardly difficult.
Lucian approached Ruber and Serena with an innocent smile. When both stared at him blankly, he whispered so only they could hear.
“People are watching. Please manage your expressions.”
Despite the gentle smile, his voice was ice-cold. Only then did Ruber return to reality and compose himself.
“Are you ready to make your debut?”
“Yes, Father. I’m quite nervous.”
Hearing “father” from Lucian for the first time, Ruber clenched his fists.
“Today you are the center of attention. Don’t be nervous. Your side…… we are always here with you, aren’t we?”
The hesitation in the middle was surely guilt over Lucian, but Lucian paid it little mind.
He was old enough now that such wounds from them could no longer touch him.
The absence of family and affection in his childhood had been filled by Leopold for the past three years.
‘For Leopold’s sake alone.’
He knew all the efforts Leopold had made to reach this point today. He wasn’t foolish enough to destroy it with his own hands.
“The vast sun of the Empire! His Majesty the Emperor and the noble moon, Her Majesty the Empress! And the second sun! The Crown Prince enters!”
The doorkeeper announced the entrance of the Imperial bloodline, and the closed doors swung open.
Brilliant light poured forth as Lucian stepped forward.
From the second floor, he could see the countless nobility all at once. The Banquet Hall, which had been bustling with commotion at the arrival of the royalty, fell silent in an instant.
“It was on the 17th of July, Year 307 of the Imperial Calendar, that the Crown Prince first came into my arms. That small child who fit entirely in one palm—eighteen years have passed, and now he stands as a grown man.”
The Emperor grasped Lucian’s shoulder. Lucian, performing as Leopold, felt the slight tremor in his hand.
He glanced to the side and saw that he was performing the role of Emperor with perfect composure, as though nothing were amiss.
“The Crown Prince is now a true adult, and he shall take an important role alongside us in protecting this land and fostering the prosperity of this nation.”
At his continued speech, the nobility stirred slightly.
“On this occasion, I proclaim that I shall transfer the Imperial Throne to the Crown Prince within five years.”
Though this had been hinted at in the Grand Nobility Council once before, those nobility who had yet to hear the news stirred with interest in their future emperor.
He was already the sole heir to the throne, but today he became the unquestionable heir apparent.

* * *

The banquet began, and the royal family took their places at the head table.
“Foreign delegations and nobility will come to offer their respects. You need not answer them directly. Dain and I shall handle matters.”
As the Emperor said, Lucian could see figures lined up in the distance, carrying wrapped gifts.
Though he labored under the weight of deceiving so many, Lucian pushed aside his tension and received those who approached him.
Fortunately, there were no major difficulties.
“I offer congratulations on your coming of age, Your Highness. I hope to prove a great source of strength to you moving forward.”
“With such a splendid Crown Prince in place, surely the Odrian Empire shall face no adversity going forward!”
Various nobility offered their blessings and gifts, and Lucian simply responded with Leopold’s smile.
Midway through, a crisis arose due to the language of the foreign delegates.
“Allow me to offer congratulations on your succession as the future emperor. I hope that the friendship between our nations remains unchanged, as it was three years ago. This is a congratulatory gift sent by King Nicholas.”
The delegation was from the neighboring kingdom where Leopold had studied abroad, so Lucian had to use that nation’s language directly.
Just as Dain was about to step forward, Lucian smiled at the corners of his mouth and spoke.
“A magnificent ring indeed. It’s clear King Nicholas took personal care in selecting this.”
Dain, who had been about to speak, as well as the Emperor and Empress beside him, stared at Lucian in astonishment.
Lucian spoke the Foreign Languages as fluently as Leopold did.
“Ah! You recognize it immediately! It was prepared as a supreme specimen from recently discovered diamond ore.”
“The craftsman must be quite skilled. I could believe a dwarf had made it. Tell King Nicholas the gift pleases me greatly.”
The delegation, delighted by the successful gift presentation, withdrew.
“How…… did you speak the Foreign Languages so fluently?”
“I shall offer no comment. In any case, shouldn’t you be pleased that I’ve averted major suspicion?”
In truth, Lucian had received an education no less thorough than Leopold’s.
Lia’s approach to education was that one must learn whatever necessary to avoid starving once out in the world, so learning the Foreign Languages of neighboring nations was merely expected.
‘Ah…… I need to get back to Lia soon.’
It weighed on him that he’d left her angry with him.
Moreover, it was already eight o’clock, so she would likely be waiting for him with great longing.
‘I need to wrap this up quickly.’
Just then it was the Marquess Graham’s turn. Seeing Harry again after so long, Lucian’s fists clenched.
His eyes met Harry’s. Harry, mindful of those around them, did not make a show of his familiarity with Leopold.
“Here, this is the gift you requested, Your Highness. I do hope it pleases you.”
You requested?
At his slightly puzzled look, Harry’s eyes gleamed with playfulness.
It seemed he still hadn’t realized who Lucian actually was.
True enough, even the few times they’d played the role-switching game with Leopold, Harry hadn’t caught on to the switch at first glance.
For times like these, the friends had established a kind of secret code.
“The gift you prepared—of course I’d like it.”
Swish—
Lucian touched his earlobe once and swept his hair back. Only then did Harry’s eyes change.
The moment Harry’s gaze wavered, Lucian rose from his seat and, accepting the gift from him, whispered softly.
“Follow me later.”
“……Lucian?”
“I’ll explain everything later.”
Harry had been seized with fear. Lucian couldn’t tell him anything at this moment, though Harry’s eyes clearly asked where Leopold had gone.

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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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