The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 72

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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 — Episode 72

The moment Kaiser arrived at the village entrance, he strode directly toward the most obvious place Lucian would go.
There was only one option: Bill’s Weapon Shop.
“Welcome! Oh? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Bill, Dio’s father and the shop owner, recognized Kaiser at once.
“Is Dio or Lucian here?”
“Hm? Well, Dio maybe, but why would you be looking for Lucian here?”
“……He’s not?”
As Kaiser’s brow furrowed, Bill felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine and shuddered.
“Of course not. I haven’t seen Lucian in ages myself. Wasn’t he at the Mansion?”
“I came down on the assumption he was in the village.”
“Hmm, I see. The Crown Prince’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony was held a week ago, so I know Dio attended the festival with him…”
This matched what Lia had said. So Lucian was fine at least as of the festival day, a week prior.
“But he didn’t spend time with Dio after that?”
“Now that they’re both adults, I thought they might go for a drink, but Dio came home early. From what I heard, Lucian had something urgent at the Mansion, so he left the festival early to head back?”
Kaiser’s eyes widened at this critical piece of information.
‘So Lucian was planning to return to the Mansion.’
That meant the odds of something happening to him on the way shot up dramatically.
“That’s all I know, though. Even that much I only caught in passing from what Dio said, so it might not be entirely accurate.”
“Then I need to see Dio. Where is he right now?”
“Ah…… You won’t be able to see Dio for a while, I’m afraid?”
“Why.”
“He’s been accepted into the Imperial Knights! I even hung a banner outside the shop, but I guess you didn’t see it.”
Bill slipped into full-blown proud father mode, launching into praise for his son.
For a commoner with no knight in his family to teach himself and join the Imperial Knights alone—that was extraordinary. Miracle-worthy, even.
To Kaiser, however, it was hardly a matter of consequence.
“After he joins, he has to stay in the barracks during his probation period. I’d say you won’t see him for at least a month. I heard there’s a month-long restriction on leaving the grounds after enrollment.”
“Tch. Understood. If you happen to hear from Dio, let me know next time.”
“Sure thing. I’ll tell him you stopped by.”
Kaiser turned and left Bill’s Weapon Shop. His next destination was the Grand Temple within the capital.

* * *

“……Kaiser!”
Habier recognized the red-haired, handsome man at once when word came that he was looking for him, and hurried out to meet him.
Though he’d called out eagerly, now that they stood face to face, his entire body stiffened.
‘Still…… terrifying.’
The memory of their first meeting was so vivid that just seeing Kaiser made his body lock up instinctively.
“I need a favor.”
He’d come for information, hadn’t he?
This was the first time Kaiser had asked him for anything else. Habier’s momentary surprise faded as he noticed the eyes fixed on him.
“We’re drawing too much attention. Let’s move to my quarters.”
The two made their way to Habier’s room. Once he confirmed no one was nearby, he shut the door.
“You can speak freely now.”
“Can you find someone for me?”
“Someone?”
“Someone you know. Lucian.”
Habier understood he meant the boy they’d met at the Mansion eight years ago.
“He disappeared suddenly a week ago. According to the last person who saw him, he was heading home, but it seems something happened to him on the way.”
“I see…… But I haven’t seen that boy since eight years ago. By now, wouldn’t he be of age?”
Anticipating this, Kaiser produced a portrait of Lucian that he’d prepared in advance and handed it to Habier.
Habier flinched upon seeing it.
“……Isn’t that the Crown Prince?”
“It’s Lucian.”
“How can they look so identical?”
Over these eight years, Habier had spared no effort in working his way into the Temple’s inner sanctum. As a result, he’d risen to become the Archbishop’s confidant.
Having taken charge of affairs in the inner sanctum, he’d naturally become more frequent in his dealings with the Imperial Family. He often found himself face-to-face with the Crown Prince or the Emperor directly.
Moreover, wasn’t it just a week ago at the Crown Prince’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony that he’d seen the Crown Prince up close?
“For now…… I understand. I’ll make some inquiries. How should we stay in contact?”
“Leave a note on the windowsill, and I’ll come check it.”
This was the third floor, wasn’t it? He was about to ask how Kaiser would manage that, but he decided it was better not to know and held his tongue.
“Oh! Actually, there was a major commotion recently that I wanted to report to you about.”
“What is it?”
“A week ago…… the Crown Prince suffered some kind of attack and lost consciousness.”
Habier informed Kaiser of everything—how the Crown Prince had been carried away unconscious, and the rumors that persisted despite the highest authorities’ attempts to suppress them.
“……But from what I can tell, it wasn’t an attack.”
“If not that?”
“The Pope and the senior clergy orchestrated something against the Crown Prince. Most tellingly, the person accused of being a spy was one of the Pope’s own men. He would never betray them.”
“You’re saying the Temple deceived the Imperial Family?”
“That’s my hypothesis for now.”
“Hmm…… Didn’t you tell me last time that the Temple and Imperial Family were in a deep collusive relationship?”
“They were, but this is somewhat strange. The high-ranking clergy now give their loyalty only to the Late Emperor. They constantly speak of doing things ‘for the sake of His Majesty,’ but they’re referring not to the current Emperor, but to the previous one.”
Then Habier suddenly recalled something, and his expression grew troubled.
“……But what’s peculiar is that not only has the Crown Prince lost consciousness, but the Late Emperor has also fallen into unconsciousness. I’ve heard rumors he’s become practically a vegetable. Yet strangely, the Temple pays no attention to the Late Emperor and concerns itself only with the Crown Prince. This has never happened before, so it’s rather confusing.”
Moreover, there was an even greater reason for his certainty.
“There was a servant boy who helped the Crown Prince change during the ceremony. For some grave mistake, the boy died under mysterious circumstances the day after the ceremony. They say the Crown Prince brought in something forbidden during the ceremony……”
He hadn’t paid much mind to it at the time, having come to the inner sanctum with different intentions, but thinking of a child who’d met such a cruel death in less than a day weighed on his heart.
Yet none of this information proved of any use to Kaiser. What mattered most to him now was Lucian’s safety.
“Forget about that for now. Focus on the task I’ve asked you to do first. Time is of the essence.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Then I’ll be going to look elsewhere. Take care.”
Before Habier could object, Kaiser vanished using Teleportation. Habier stared blankly at where Kaiser had been and scratched his head.
“Ah, I forgot to mention something.”
Even now, the Temple regularly dispatched priests to care for the unconscious Crown Prince, and yet there were reports from within the Imperial Palace of the Crown Prince moving about perfectly fine.
Of course, this was merely gossip Habier had picked up from the nobility who frequented the Temple.
They spoke of the Crown Prince they’d encountered at a banquet.
But if it was a banquet, that would have been mere days after the Crown Prince collapsed—a time when he absolutely could not have attended.
‘Yet he apparently made an impression on the nobles.’
Could he have sent a proxy using Dark Magic or something similar?
Whoosh—
Lucian’s portrait that Kaiser had left behind came into Habier’s field of view.
Looking at it again, the boy truly resembled the Crown Prince identically.
“But this boy definitely had brown eyes and brown hair—he was ordinary.”
A strong premonition struck him that this boy must be connected to the Imperial Family somehow.
“I should look into it.”
Habier began to wonder how he might gain access to the Imperial Palace.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Leopold lost consciousness.
At last, Lucian accepted the Emperor’s proposal. The deadline was whenever Leopold regained consciousness.
It might stretch indefinitely, but the Emperor was earnestly seeking ways to awaken Leopold.
The Emperor demanded that Lucian study court etiquette, political science, and other subjects thoroughly for a perfect performance.
When engaging in public activities, he was granted half-liberty to act in ways that would not disgrace Leopold—though he could not leave the Imperial Palace.
In exchange, when the contract ended, the Emperor promised to grant Lucian compensation of one thousand gold coins per year for his work, along with all property Lucian acquired of his own volition.
Beyond that, he was given the authority to personally select honor guard knights or servants to remain by Lucian’s side.
He was also given the choice of tutors to help him adapt to his new environment.
Currently, Lucian was preparing to meet a tutor of his own choosing.
Since he could not afford multiple tutors, the person had to be versatile, possessed of absolute loyalty to the Imperial Family, and willing to keep Lucian’s existence secret.
The only type of person fitting all these criteria was an Imperial-faction aristocrat.
The Emperor had first narrowed it down to four candidates and presented them to Lucian, who chose Isis, the Duke of the Northern Region.
Lucian was far more nervous now than when he’d first met the Emperor, continually wiping his sweaty palms on his trousers.
“Phew, I can do this. It’s alright.”
As he steadied himself, he perked up at the sound of footsteps from outside.
Knock, knock—
“Pardon my intrusion.”
The door opened, and a man with black hair and transparent, clear sky-blue eyes entered.
He appeared to be in his thirties and was accompanied by an elderly-looking attendant.
“May the light reach the small sun. It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness. I am Isis, and I hold the title of Duke.”
“I am Lucian Odelion. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Is that gentleman your attendant?”
“He is my faithful servant, so you need not be wary. He would never reveal Your Highness’s identity anywhere.”
“Very well. Do sit.”
Isis took the opposite seat, and the attendant stood behind him. His mere presence was pressure enough.
Lucian felt cold sweat trickling down the back of his neck as he conversed with Isis.
The opening remarks concerned how the education would proceed. Isis, being a Duke of the Northern Region, was an extremely busy man, so he explained it would be difficult for him to visit frequently and oversee the lessons personally.
“To be honest, I was quite surprised when this proposal came to me. I thought there was someone far more suitable.”
“You mean Duke Sevans?”
“Yes. I learned of Your Highness’s existence only through this matter, but I suspect Duke Sevans knew of Your Highness long ago. Duke Sevans could surely aid you far better than I. Why did you choose me instead?”
His tone was cordial, but his eyes held an edge like a concealed blade.
Judging that it was impossible to hide anything from him, Lucian decided to be honest.
“Certainly, Duke Sevans would be suited for this. He shares a deep friendship with His Majesty, he knows my secret, and he is the father of the Crown Prince’s betrothed. But that doesn’t mean all his actions would be for my sake.”
“What you mean is……”
“Duke Sevans is a man of the Crown Prince and His Majesty, not of me. Once my usefulness expires, he may well dispose of me from behind the scenes.”
Isis’s expression turned intrigued.
Lucian’s suspicion was far from exaggerated. Duke Sevans would very likely attempt to eliminate Lucian eventually.
As the Crown Prince’s man, he could never leave Lucian alive—a liability that threatens the Crown Prince’s secret.
“And……”
As Lucian continued, Isis regarded him with curiosity.
Lucian appeared tense, brushing his lips before swallowing hard.
“The person I wish to meet is not you.”
“Pardon?”
“Dragon.”
Isis’s pupils constricted slightly.
“What I require is not you, but the Dragon that protects your house.”
“A Dragon? I had no idea Your Highness still harbored childish fancies. Surely Dragons are creatures of legend.”
“You can keep up the pretense if you like. I already know everything. The first Duke of the Northern Region was a White Dragon, wasn’t he? Since then, you’ve installed a human as his servant in the Duke’s position, and he has wielded enormous influence over the Odelion Empire ever since.”
Confronted with such specific details rather than vague speculation, Isis’s expression froze.
Whoosh—!
In a flash, Isis vanished from sight and a sharp blade pressed against Lucian’s throat.
“Interesting.”
But Lucian managed to deflect the blade threatening his throat with a swift motion.
“I was going to slit your throat entirely. And you blocked it?”
“Hah…… hah…… You weren’t even considering negotiation! If I die, things will become terribly complicated!”
Fearing he might actually die, Lucian cried out.
But his threat only drew a scoff from Isis.
“That’s far cheaper than revealing my family’s secret. Where did you even hear such a thing? You’d better answer me straight.”
“I have nothing to discuss with you.”
“Listen, do you grasp the situation? Your life hangs on whatever answer you give me.”
“That’s exactly why I’m telling you—I don’t want to talk to you! I want to speak to him! The Dragon! I want to speak with him!”
Lucian looked toward the attendant standing behind where Isis had been sitting.
As the attendant’s eyes, hidden beneath a warm smile, finally revealed themselves, they shone with an icy blue gaze entirely unlike Isis’s.

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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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