The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 96

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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 Prince’s Ghost Bride – Chapter 96

“…….”
Silence fell again. More precisely, Serena was watching Lia’s expression carefully.
Lia found it strange that someone who had spent nearly twenty years as the Empire’s mother would adopt such a submissive posture.
‘It must be because of Lucian.’
The mere glimpse of them together the other day had been enough for her to grasp the nature of their relationship.
The late Emperor Rubert, for all his clashes with Lucian, had at least voiced his own opinions. But Serena was simply weak, endlessly so.
‘Is that just her nature—to be fragile?’
Or perhaps she was simply the type to be soft with her children.
Lucian had told her to avoid entanglement with his parents if possible, but living under the same roof made it impossible to ignore them entirely.
“If there is anything you wish to say, please do so freely.”
Lia spoke first, opening the conversation.
“……You said you’ve known each other since childhood, but I’m curious—how did you come to know our Lucian?”
The word “our” attached to Lucian’s name grated slightly, but Lia kept her expression neutral.
“There’s no harm in me telling, but are you certain you can bear it?”
At Serena’s puzzled look, Lia elaborated.
“When I first saw Lucian, he was in a rather poor state.”
Only then did Serena begin to understand what Lia was driving at.
Lucian had been truly abandoned by his parents—left in conditions so dire that he could have died without anyone knowing.
When no response came, Lia opened her mouth again.
“The Lucian I first encountered couldn’t eat properly, so his skin clung to his bones. His cheeks were hollow, his arms skeletal, and because he’d received no proper care, his entire appearance was slovenly.”
Serena trembled and squeezed her eyes shut.
“That great Mansion was home to Lucian alone—no one else. He was only eight years old then. He didn’t know how to handle cooking implements or prepare food. I was afraid he’d starve to death if left alone, so I made him meals within my ability.”
Lia recalled that first time she had approached Lucian.
His condition then was so far removed from what he was now that it could only be described as dire.
“Though I couldn’t season properly and my cooking tasted poor, he cried while saying it was delicious. Before that, he’d been surviving on nothing but famine crops and raw vegetables.”
“……Stop.”
“When I asked if he wanted to try cooking himself, he said he was frightened. He’d nearly burned the Mansion down trying to light a fire, he said. If there hadn’t been a water trough nearby, he surely would have perished alone in that great house.”
“Stop this.”
“Is it unpleasant to hear? Or is it too much to bear?”
At Lia’s cutting words, Serena’s eyes welled with tears and she glared at her.
“Of course it’s unbearable! If my son suffered such things, how could I stand idle? That would make me no mother at all!”
“How strange. Wasn’t it the late Emperor and you who sent him there?”
Serena’s eyes wavered without focus.
“I understand the general circumstances. You abandoned him in that Mansion to hide his identity because he was born as twins.”
“We didn’t abandon him—we hid him from others’ eyes…….”
“Your Highness, the world calls that abandonment.”
Serena wanted to escape her guilt, to avoid becoming the kind of parent who discards her child. Lia would not allow that.
“Lucian was just a child—innocent of everything. He’d never even held his parents’ hands properly. How could he possibly survive alone in an empty Mansion?”
“…….”
“If I hadn’t found Lucian, there would be no one serving as the Emperor’s substitute now.”
“Then what should we have done?! If the Imperial bloodline’s twins had been revealed, both Lucian and Leopold would have had to die! We had to save the children first!”
“I understand. Keeping him alive while treating him as nonexistent was perhaps an act of mercy from you and the late Emperor. But that doesn’t grant you absolution.”
Lia raised her downcast eyes and fixed them on Serena.
The older woman’s face had flushed, and she was breathing roughly.
Serena had been born into nobility and raised without want, had spent over twenty years as Empress living a life more exalted than anyone’s.
Would someone who had only ever occupied the highest position ever be caught in her weakness and attacked?
‘Probably not.’
Even those who might reprimand her would do so tactfully, never with such directness. Perhaps that was why Serena found Lia’s words so intolerable.
“……This is offensive. No matter how dear Lucian is to you, mind your courtesy.”
“I’m sorry you found it unpleasant. I was simply being honest on Lucian’s behalf.”
“How could you……!”
“I greet Your Highness, the Empress Dowager.”
Just as Serena was about to flare in anger, Dio appeared from nowhere and smoothly positioned himself between the two women.
Lia noticed the perspiration on his neck and realized he had hurried down in haste.
Already wounded in pride, Serena grasped that Dio had come to obstruct their exchange, and her lips thinned.
“Sir Dio, what impudence is this? Interrupting a conversation?”
“My sincerest apologies, Your Highness. In my joy at seeing you, I allowed myself to overstep. Please forgive me.”
Lia mentally whistled at his skillful deflection.
“If I may be so bold, might I take Lady Lia with me? His Majesty has summoned her.”
“Did that boy command you to keep us from being alone together?”
“Surely not, Your Highness.”
Dio continued with further excuses, but everyone present knew they were merely pretexts.
“Then we shall take our leave…….”
“There is one more thing I wish to ask.”
As Dio was turning to leave with a smile, Lia stepped before Serena once more.
“You left Lucian alone all this time—have you ever, even once, gone to check on him? Or worried about him, even a little?”
Before leaving, she wanted at least this answer.
When Lucian was young, what he longed for wasn’t much. He simply harbored a small wish—that his family might think of him, just a little.
Even if they never came to the Mansion themselves, if they’d observed him from afar or sent someone to watch over his wellbeing, Lia would have found it in herself to be more forgiving.
Serena’s lips trembled, her eyes flickering. Seeing this, Lia’s gaze turned cold.
‘There was none.’
“I fail to understand why you trouble someone as lowly as me with questions about a son you only seek out when it’s convenient.”
“Lia—!”
Dio uttered a small cry of protest, trying to stop her.
Though the words were harsh, Serena couldn’t deny them—she only trembled, her lips quivering.
Faced with an indefensible truth, Lia exhaled softly and turned to leave.
“Then what in heaven’s name should we have done?!”
Serena’s voice caught Lia’s ankles. Lia turned back, her eyes weary.
“Yes, we know well that in the past we inflicted wounds on that child that can never be erased! So now, even as we try to correct those mistakes, you refuse to give us a place at his side—what am I to do?!”
“…….”
“You say you’ve watched Lucian since he was small. Then tell me—what must we do for him to open his heart to us?”
Serena grasped her own chest with trembling hands. Her desperation and sincerity were evident, but they didn’t touch Lia’s heart. The reason was…….
“Have you ever told Lucian you were sorry?”
Serena’s eyes widened with shock.
“Setting aside that you’re of the Imperial bloodline, that you’re the Empress Dowager—have you, as a mother to a son, ever sincerely apologized to Lucian?”
“That is…….”
“I thought not.”
“The first thread was sewn wrong from the start. Bringing Lucian here as Leopold’s substitute…….”
“Then all the more reason you should have apologized.”
Whatever the reason, it was nothing but an excuse.
“Lucian was never going to accept you from the beginning. You abandoned him once, and now that you need him, you come calling. And not even for his sake—for your twin’s sake.”
Lia’s words aligned perfectly with what Lucian himself had said. It was as if his form stood overlaid behind her words.
“You’re right that the first thread was tied wrong. But if both of you had offered a sincere apology, Lucian would have accepted it gladly. He’s that kind of person.”
In fact, when Leopold apologized for something he hadn’t even done, Lucian accepted it freely and built brotherhood with him.
Even with emotions running deep, if they had done even half of what Leopold had, the relationship wouldn’t have grown so distant, Lia thought.
Meanwhile, Serena’s conscience pricked sharply, cutting off her breath.
As Lia said, Serena had spent all this time telling herself she had no cause to apologize to Lucian, clinging to an indefensible excuse, simply waiting for the relationship to naturally improve.
After all, the child was born from her womb. She’d thought that a few gentle words and a mother’s love would be enough.
But the world offers no answers to those who seek the easy path.
Watching Serena hang her head in anguish, Lia continued her steps.
Then she suddenly caught sight of Lucian standing with James and Kaiser in the distance.
The moment she saw him, one thought overwhelmed her.
‘I want to hold him.’
She couldn’t presume to understand his heart fully, but she wanted to embrace Lucian, who had endured everything alone in this lonely, isolating Imperial Palace—if only for a moment.
Lia quickened her steps and rushed toward him.
Lucian, at Kaiser’s murmur, broke into a smile that looked like he might cry, and opened his arms wide.
Lia fell into his embrace.
“Lucian.”
“Yes.”
“You’ve been through so much.”
At her words, Lucian felt his emotions surge overwhelmingly.
‘This isn’t fair…….’
His nose stung sharply.
In fact, he had been on his way to see Lia when he spotted her confronting Serena in the Garden.
Worried that Serena might say something hurtful to her, he’d hurried down—only to overhear unexpected words.
‘You left Lucian alone all this time—have you ever, even once, gone to check on him? Or worried about him, even a little?’
He’d worried that even Lia, impressive as she was, might hold back given that Serena was of the Imperial bloodline, his own mother.
But his concern proved groundless. She didn’t hesitate at all; instead, she stood in his stead without reservation.
With each point she countered on his behalf, Lucian felt the knots wound tight in his chest begin to unravel.
And now, seeing how she comforted him the moment their eyes met, he found her impossibly precious.
“It’s just like you to do such a thing. I find myself falling for you all over again. You’re just too magnificent.”
“……Wait. You heard everything I said? There’s no way my voice would carry all the way over there…….”
Lucian gestured to Kaiser beside him, and Kaiser broke into a wide grin. Realizing Kaiser had relayed her words, Lia felt her face gradually redden.
She then stepped away from Lucian’s embrace and retreated backward.
“You two……!”
“Shouldn’t a devoted fan hear about your magnificent performance?”
“It was truly moving, Lia. I had no idea you cared for me so much.”
Humiliation washed over her. Lia fled the Garden in quick strides, desperate to escape.
Lucian followed her with a laugh, asking if he could come along.
“Phew, glad we got through that without incident.”
Dio, arriving belatedly, heaved a relieved sigh.
“……If it hadn’t been for Lady Lia, a proper uproar would certainly have ensued.”
James nodded in agreement.
Lucian and the late Emperor’s couple were like water and oil—they caused friction every time they met.
But this time, because Lia had taken Lucian’s side first, they never clashed at all.
“Still, I’m a bit concerned about the Empress Dowager…….”
Dio cast a glance back over his shoulder, his expression uneasy. Serena stood alone, watching their retreat.
More precisely, she was gazing at Lia and Lucian.
“Concerned? People like her don’t deserve concern. There’s nothing about that woman worth worrying over.”
At Kaiser’s biting condemnation, Dio and James suddenly froze.
They exchanged quick glances, grateful that no one else was near enough to hear.
James and Dio rebuked Kaiser quietly.
Kaiser absently scratched his ear and looked toward Serena in the distance, attended by her servants.
The pupils of his eyes narrowed vertically for a moment, his gaze turning cold and sharp.

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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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