The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 84

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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, Chapter 84

“That’s it! A little more!”
“Ungh……!”
Lia stepped forward toward Lucian and Kaiser, beads of sweat rolling down her temples.
One week since she’d awakened.
To restore her body and muscles, weakened by the long Seal, Lia had been attempting rehabilitation multiple times each day.
The first two days, she couldn’t take a single step without someone supporting her, but now she’d recovered enough to move while holding a support bar.
Even when she tried to put strength into her legs, power wouldn’t flow properly, and supporting her full weight was tremendously difficult.
Yet Lia didn’t give up, her eyes gleaming with determination.
“Done!”
As Lia wobbled upon reaching her target, Lucian quickly caught her.
Lia breathed heavily before grinning widely at the thought of having managed it, lifting her head.
“A little faster than yesterday, isn’t it?”
“Mm-hmm. You’re doing so well.”
Lucian smiled softly and brushed back the hair that had fallen across her forehead. Then he leaned down and pressed a brief kiss to her round forehead.
“You again……!”
Lia belatedly covered her forehead, but Lucian merely wore a satisfied expression.
“What’s wrong? I’m praising you for doing well. You used to do this to me when I was little.”
“Well…….”
So shameless he’d practically built a steel wall around his face—words failed her. Just then, Kaiser, who’d been watching the scene, raised an eyebrow.
“Hey! Why only you! I’m doing it too!”
Smack—
And with that, Kaiser also kissed Lia’s forehead.
Lucian’s brow merely twitched; he made no move to stop it.
There was, after all, a stark difference between Kaiser and Lucian.
Kaiser’s was the innocent, childlike affection one shows a close friend or family member.
Lucian’s, by contrast, carried ulterior intent.
Lia felt that difference keenly—and so did Lucian.
But regardless, without even asking her permission, Lia grabbed Kaiser’s cheek and yanked it hard.
“Ow-ow-ow! It hurts! Why only me……!”
“Quiet, both of you! Try that one more time and I’ll rip your lips off!”
Kaiser whined that Lucian had done it first so he was just copying, and complained that Lucian wasn’t being scolded.
Lia glanced at Lucian for a moment, then let out a low groan and squeezed her eyes shut.
‘I don’t even know why I’m like this!’
Lucian approached her now with even greater closeness and familiarity than before they’d parted—yet with each passing day, Lia found herself strangely erecting walls against him.
“Ha, Lia. Keep that up and Kaiser’s cheek will fall right off.”
Laughing, Lucian released Kaiser’s cheek from Lia’s grip, then scooped her up to let her rest, carrying her toward the sofa.
‘Yes! That’s what feels unfamiliar about him!’
Whether it was because his manner toward her was endlessly gentle and courteous, or because she was being treated like a precious jewel, the Lucian she faced now didn’t feel like the one she’d known.
When Lia fixed him with a sharp stare, Lucian answered with a smile in his eyes.
Watching him grin, oblivious to her irritation, Lia’s insides burned.
‘Where did my little groom go!?’
Lia screamed silently to herself.

* * *

After rehabilitation, Lia, Lucian, and Kaiser went out to the Garden to enjoy lunch.
Having reclaimed her body after three hundred years, Lia found everything—what she ate, what she saw, what she heard, every sensation—wholly fresh and strange.
Wanting to give her new experiences, Lucian had decided to leave the dining hall and take their meal in the Garden instead.
Since it was hot summer, they chose a spot beneath the eaves.
But Lia’s attention wandered from the meal to elsewhere.
Her gaze fell upon the flower beds where verdant summer blossoms bloomed.
A butterfly fluttered past right before her eyes, and Lia watched it, entranced.
Lucian, who’d been cutting meat into bite-sized pieces for her, chuckled and spoke.
“You saw plenty of those when you were a Ghost. What’s so amazing about it now?”
“Well…… it’s prettier than when I saw it before. It must be the way the sunlight reflects off it.”
When she was a Ghost, she could perceive things that were self-luminous, like the sun or light, with her bare eyes.
But now, as a human, she felt the warmth of sunlight and its brilliance vividly against her skin.
The difference between a Ghost’s form and a human body was so starkly apparent.
“And the food will get cold.”
Kaiser, gnawing on meat across from her, muttered with his mouth full. Only then did Lia realize she hadn’t eaten anything yet.
Before she could even reach for her fork, she noticed roasted chicken leg suddenly appear before her.
“Here. Go on.”
Lucian held out the chicken leg he’d seasoned himself. Lia paused and looked at him.
Lucian wore the same smile he had when young. Yet the atmosphere surrounding him was nothing like it had been then.
At that subtle, fragrant smile, Lia’s brow narrowed and she let out a small hum—but the moment the savory aroma reached her nose, her mouth opened of its own accord.
As Lia accepted the meat, her body trembled at the symphony of spices dancing across her tongue.
“Delicious.”
“It’s even better with this.”
Like a mother bird feeding its chick, Lucian personally placed one morsel after another into Lia’s mouth.
At first wary and eyeing him with suspicion, Lia’s expression gradually softened, and soon she was eagerly accepting each bite.
‘This is so good!’
One of the greatest joys of having a human body was being able to taste food.
Perhaps because she’d gasped in admiration over the porridge on her first day? Ever since then, Lucian had brought her the most extraordinary dishes to the table.
Thanks to him, she could savor delicacies at every meal, making each one a joy.
Lucian observed the ever-changing expressions on Lia’s face.
Just watching was nourishment enough; all the toil and effort of these recent days seemed to melt away.
“And try this one too…….”
“Lucian, aren’t you eating?”
Lucian turned his head at her words.
Lia singled out one dish from those piled in her bowl and held it out to him.
“You need to eat too. You said you’ve been busy lately. You should fill your stomach properly so you’ll have strength.”
Lucian stood motionless for a moment, then smiled.
For an instant, his smile looked exactly as it had in childhood, and Lia’s breath caught.
But Lucian, unaware of her turmoil, accepted her food with evident joy.
“It’s delicious.”
“R-right?”
Feeling her face grow warm for some reason, Lia tilted her head and touched her flushed cheeks uncertainly.
“Lia, I want another bite.”
“Eat it yourself with your own hands now!”
Though Lia snapped at him, the moment Lucian’s shoulders drooped, she relented and fed him once more.
“Speaking of which, Lia—what was that conversation you had with Aige?”
At the mention of Aige, Lia stiffened without meaning to and glanced toward Kaiser.
“……Why are you asking?”
“Well, before Aige went back to the Northern Region, he told me that if you said anything, I should report it to him immediately. So I was curious what you two talked about.”
“Ah…… ”
Lia laughed awkwardly and let her words trail off.
The truth was, she still hadn’t revealed her identity to either of them.
She found it hard to believe even now that she was Lia, couldn’t recall fragments of her past, and above all, wanted to enjoy the present for a while longer.
‘If I seriously start searching for my past, there will be so many things I’ll need to worry about.’
That said, she hadn’t entirely abandoned the search for her past.
She simply wanted to savor a rare moment of leisure and happiness for now—at least until her Rehabilitation was complete.
“I’ll tell you later.”
“Sure, then.”
Kaiser answered casually, apparently not particularly curious; he didn’t press when Lia changed the subject. His gaze then shifted to Lucian beside him.
“By the way, aren’t you busy?”
Lucian, who’d been grinning and looking only at Lia, tilted his head questioningly.
“Me? Why suddenly?”
“Why do you think? You’ve only been crowned a short time. Surely you must have mountains of work, so can you really afford to keep staying here?”
“Now that you mention it…….”
Lucian was an emperor, wasn’t he?
Since he’d been by her side constantly after her awakening, she’d completely forgotten.
“I’m managing my duties diligently, so don’t worry. Besides, everyone’s capable enough that things run smoothly without me.”
Lucian spoke with casual ease.
Yes, of course he was handling things fine, so that’s why he’s staying here—or so she thought before something appeared behind him.
Kaiser and Lia’s eyes widened as they saw the figure standing behind Lucian.
Noticing their gazes shift behind him, Lucian turned around. And in that instant, he stiffened.
“……Well. So Your Majesty runs things perfectly smoothly without you.”
“H-ha ha. Harry…… how did you…… ”
“Some incompetent superior keeps dumping all his work on his subordinates, so I came to collect him personally.”
“……I see.”
“Shall I drag you there, or will you go of your own accord?”
When Harry’s smile vanished and his expression turned stern, Lucian’s tail drooped.
What followed was Harry’s scolding.
It began with “You, of all people……!” and continued into “Is that any way for a sovereign to behave……!”
Looking as though he’d endure at least another ten minutes of it, Lia blinked.
“Tsk, I knew that would happen.”
Kaiser clicked his tongue while sipping his drink.
“You knew this would occur?”
“Not for certain, but sometimes when I’m at the Imperial Palace I hear ‘Your Majesty!’ echoing through the halls as people search for Lucian. Even just now during the meal, someone kept calling for him.”
So that’s why he’d asked whether Lucian was doing his work properly.
Lia felt a pang of worry—had she caused him to neglect his duties?
“Don’t worry, Lia. Even without you, this happens all the time.”
“Dio!”
Spotting Dio following behind Harry, Lia broke into a wide smile. Delighted, she rose from her seat and embraced him.
Dio froze for a moment, his face flushing slightly.
“My goodness, you’ve grown so much!”
“C-come on! Even though it’s only been a year since we last saw each other.”
“Still! A year makes a difference!”
It was Dio who’d delivered Lucian’s Letters to her over the past year, so Lia had seen him regularly back then.
But this was the first time she’d met him face-to-face as someone with a human body.
Dio found Lia somewhat unfamiliar now.
He’d exchanged letters with her and spoken through slate before, so he’d thought they’d be able to interact fairly comfortably.
‘Th-that face…….’
She was so beautiful his eyes didn’t know where to look.
As Dio malfunctioned like a broken toy, Kaiser’s eyes sharpened.
“You little brat! This kid’s blushing!”
He promptly hid Lia in his arms as though shielding her from something indecent, then tattled to Lucian.
In that moment, Lucian—who’d been in contrition-mode with Harry—snapped his eyes open and whipped his head around.
Dio, receiving the full force of Kaiser’s and Lucian’s murderous intent, clamped his mouth shut and broke into a cold sweat.
“Where did this brat forget his manners…….”
“The milk’s barely dried on your lips……!”
Lia blinked.
Kaiser and Lucian had already surrounded Dio and were pressing him with their killing intent.
Dio looked ready to cry at any moment. He glanced toward Lia, his mouth moving silently as he begged for help.
The two of them weren’t about to let that slide.
“Are you whispering to her right now!?”
“Dio, we haven’t sparred in ages. Want to go a round?”
“No-no-no! Please stop! What did I even do wrong!?”
Dio panicked and hid entirely behind Lia. Then Kaiser’s eyes shifted to a dragon’s distinctive pupils, and Lucian’s face warped into something demonic.
Unable to bear it any longer, Lia stepped in.
“Stop it. What did Dio do wrong?”
“He blushed looking at you. That’s his crime.”
“He was eyeing Lia with lecherous intent.”
“Lecherous? How am I lecherous? Are you trying to defame your friend like that!?”
Indignant, Dio protested loudly, but Lucian merely scoffed. Dio lamented his own misfortune at being called friends with such people.

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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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