TAPGB - Chapter 11
The Abandoned Prince's Ghost Bride
"I like what the priest read better."
[Why? You hated it at first.]
"That's because I didn't know the content. Now I can see that the witch liked the Emperor a lot."
Where on earth did you feel that?
"Witches are very powerful. Nevertheless, she helped the Emperor because he was a friend."
[Yes?]
"If I were about a witch, I would have tried to become King instead of Leon. The Emperor put in a lot of effort, but in the end, he wouldn't have succeeded if it weren't for the power of the red dragon and the witch."
[Uhm...]
That perspective was somewhat refreshing. I just saw it as a story about a boy from the mountains who overcame adversity to become Emperor, but Lucian's words made sense when they changed the main character from him to a witch.
Red dragons are not humans, so they cannot be Kings, but witches are humans with great power. She might be more like an Emperor than an Emperor himself.
"Do you have any more witch storybooks? I want to read it again!"
Lucian seemed to have fallen in love with the witch and kept calling out for her like a chick.
I ended up having to bring in different versions of 'The King, the Dragon, and the Witch' and read them to him all night.
Tonight, I didn't expect Lucian's eyes to close at all.
***
"Hwaaaam..”
[So, you stayed up late. Are you very sleepy?]
"No. I'm not sleepy."
Contrary to what he said, his eyes continued to close. Lucian desperately tried to sleep by keeping his eyes wide open, but he could not overcome the rushing beast.
In the end, I caught Lucian, who was about to fall forward and put food into his mouth like feeding a baby bird. Only after emptying the bowl in one go did Lucian's eyes become brighter.
"Priest."
[Why?]
"The witch is so cool."
I blinked at the sudden remark.
"Isn't that right? She defeated so many bad people in one fell swoop and became the Emperor's dependable lover!"
[Hey, here we go again.]
"The Emperor should be thankful to the witch! Thanks to the witch, he became emperor!"
The ones I read further yesterday are adapted versions that are slightly different from the original. They were all created around the 2nd to 5th year of the kingdom calendar, and it was not long after the Kingdom was established, so it was a time when people were talking about kings, dragons, and witches. Maybe that's why people of that era said that the witch was the Emperor's only best friend and included a love story between the two.
Lucian is now fascinated by that.
"I'm curious about what a witch really looks like. I heard she's very pretty. What kind of person is she?"
[Well. I don't know.]
"Priest, have you never seen a witch or the first Emperor?"
[Do you think I saw it?]
"Well, the time the priest lived and the time the Empire was founded are similar."
That's not true. Here she lived for over 300 years.
"What was it like 300 years ago?
There are really a lot of mean people, right? The Emperor and the witch appear and defeat the bad guys...
Suddenly, Lucian became so excited that he started stamping his feet and snorting. He seemed to be curious about when the first Emperor lived, but I couldn't give him any answer.
That's right.
[Same as Lucian, I have no memories of my life.]
"Yes?"
[I'm sure there was a time when I was still alive, but I don't remember that time.]
"How are you doing that?"
[I don't know. When I opened my eyes. I saw this mansion?]
It's a story with nothing special.
One day, when I came to my senses, my entire body took on the appearance of a transparent ghost.
At that time, I didn't know how to speak or think, so I just seemed to float along
Then, a human came to the mansion, and as I observed the human, I started to think little by little.
'If you had chosen me like that, this wouldn't have happened.'
Startle.
A strange memory suddenly came to mind. It seems like a man came to visit the mansion every day. The time was probably about 300 years ago.
Before I had Izzy.
[All these things happened.]
"Yes? What's going on?"
Lucian tilted his head at my mumbling. I looked at Lucian for a moment. Perhaps because of a memory from before, an afterimage seemed to be superimposed on Lucian's face.
However, the afterimage dispersed before it was fully formed.
[No, nothing.]
For some reason, my stomach felt cold.
"Then you don't know how old you are?"
[Huh.]
"You don't even know what kind of person he was?"
[Yes.]
"Well, you lived for 300 years, so you know what it was like outside"
I looked at Lucian in silence. Now that I think about it. I guess he didn't know.
[Shall we go outside for a moment?]
Lucian was confused, but obediently followed me out.
I followed Lucian's pace and headed toward the fence surrounding the mansion.
I stopped just before going over the entrance, and Lucian, who was walking similarly, went over the entrance and went out of the fence.
"Priest?"
[I can't get out of here.]
I stretched my hand out the entrance, that is, the fence.
OK. It's so scary!
A strong electric current bounced through the air and my soul throbbed. Even though I couldn't feel pain, my whole body shook and I felt sick.
"Pri, Priest!"
Lucian hurriedly ran to me.
"What the hell is going on? Are you okay? It hurts a lot?"
[Haha I saw it. I can never leave this fence. I was also curious about the outside world, so I tried various things...]
Every time that happened, the only thing that came back was pain so strong that. It felt like it was going to disappear
There is no way I haven't tried it, by going into the ground, into the sky, hiding in people's things, using magic, etc.
I think I've been trying to escape for about 10 years. Of course, once I realized that I couldn't get out of there no matter what I did, I stopped doing such useless things.
[Ah. it showed up as expected.)
A chain appeared around my neck where there was nothing. It would appear and disappear every time I tried to leave the mansion.
Lucian seemed shocked and trembled as he reached for my neck.
"Uh, how... Why did this suddenly happen? Can't it be removed?"
[Well, I do not know either. It just shows up every time I try to leave. Now that things have come to this. I will tell you the limits of how far I can go.]
First of all, a wide fence surrounding the mansion is basic, and the area allowed to me is right up to the beginning of the forest connected to the back garden. You can't go inside.
When I tried to go a little further, an unidentified electric current like before came out and the chain around my neck stopped me from moving forward.
[Remember it well. If I go further then I can go. I won't be able to find you. So, if possible, don't leave this mansion, okay? Because it's still too dangerous for you to live alone outside.]
"How can this be?"
Lucian burst into tears. I was momentarily taken aback.
"You're just trapped! Why did this happen to the priest? Bad! "
The person who made you like this is a mean person!"
Ugh.
Soon Lucian began to cry loudly. I was fine, but Lucian getting angry and crying as if it was his own business was unfamiliar to me.
And on the other hand, for some reason, I couldn't honestly say that I was okay.
Honestly. I'm also angry at the person who made me like this.
No, I don't know if it was a human or a demon who did it in the first place, but I felt resentful of the person who had tied my soul to the mansion.
However, 300 years was a long time. The resentment that has gone astray has been diluted, escape and hope have been given up, and all we can do is reluctantly go along with life.
It's a bit strange to say that he lives because he's a ghost.
[Phew... Stop crying, little groom.]
"B-but The priest ...The priest..."
Where did such a cute groom appear?
[My husband cries for me, so my insides feel refreshed!]
At my laughter. Lucian sniffled and stopped crying. The corners of his eyes were suddenly red, and snot.
I was hanging down his nose. I wiped his dirty face with my mana-covered hand.
"I will make sure to free you later."
It was funny to see him make up his mind with his eyes swollen. Still, his eyes were so serious that I answered without realizing it.
[Yes. I look forward to it.]
Actually, I had no expectations at all. Even I, who can use most types of magic, couldn't figure out why I was trapped here, and there was no way this young kid could free me.
And even if they let him go, it probably wouldn't mean much since he's not a ghost anyway.
"When you become free, be sure to go on a trip with me!"
Lucian talked about wanting to see places like the ocean, wide grasslands, and deserts.
As I listened to his words. I saw myself in the past wondering what it was like outside.
Just a little bit, just a little bit, I wanted to believe what he said.
"Oh! The priest said he didn't even know his own name?"
[It's not particularly inconvenient because there's no one to call my name anyway.]
"But I'm calling you!"
That's right, we have Lucian now, right?
"Can I name it?"
[You? I'm worried about what will happen if you do something strange... Well, if there is something I like.]
"Umm... What would be better?"
I thought I had something in mind, but I guess not.
Lily, Hayes, Camilla, Daisy. Several names popped up, but none of them really caught my eye.
[But where did you get all those names?]
There's no way an 8-year-old child would have used his brain to come up with a new name.
"It's the maid's name."
[Are you planning to name me a maid?]
"Oh, no! That's not it, that's all I can think of...."
Lucian hurriedly threw up his hand. but I glared at him with my triangle eyes.
'Huh? But a maid?'
Will Lucian ever meet the maid? Feeling very suspicious. I looked at Lucian. He was shaking his head hard.
[Oh, maybe that's it.]
There were clearly traces of being touched by someone just before Lucian came here. Considering that there were several servants among the humans who came to the mansion, it is not unreasonable to meet a few maids along the way.
I thought it was pretty credible and quickly lost interest.
"Ah! How about Aria?"
[It's a witch's name.]
"That's right! Great witch Aria! I make it for you because you're my favorite!"
The desire to be called Aria was clearly visible in his eyes. I ignored the bright eyes and continued.
[How about Lia instead of Aria?]
"Leah?"
[Yes, when you say Aria, I think you might be confused as to whether you are calling the witch or me. Leah. Concise and good.]
"Leah, Leah's great! "Leah's name is pretty."
[Anyway, it's a name someone gave me.]
As I praised him, the corners of Lucian's mouth rose as if they were piercing the sky. He came next to me with a relaxed expression on his face and kept repeating Leah.
"Leah! Priest Leah! Sister Lia!"
[Yes, yes.]
"Leah! Should I call you Leah from now on? Or should I say Priest Leah or Sister Leah?"
[Do whatever you feel comfortable with.]
"Then I'm Leah! Leah, you shouldn't be disappointed if I don't call you 'Priest' from now on."
I know you're excited, but it's too much. If this continues, I'll get scabs on my ears.
[Oh, it's noisy! Stop calling me.]
Lucian paused for a moment at my yelling but then squeaked like a chick again.
From then on. I was tormented by Lucian all day long. Even after he slept, the voice calling out to him.
"Leah," sounded like an auditory hallucination.
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