TAPGB - Chapter 4
The Abandoned Prince's Ghost Bride
You must be eating by now, right?
I saw the little boy enter the kitchen and went straight into his room. Since the little boy entered the mansion, this room has not been cleaned properly.
I opened the window and used magic to blow away the dust. Then the entire room became fluffy without a single speck of dust. After cleaning the bathroom attached to my room, I felt like I had lost a tooth that had been hurting.
Now the only dirty thing left in this clean room was the laundry.
[It's disgusting just to look at it.]
Looking at the yellowish color, it was a rough estimate. As I was contemplating whether to take these clothes and wash them, I heard the sound of a little boy coming up the stairs. I first hid above the ceiling.
"Wow, it was so delicious!"
Lucian patted his chubby stomach and smiled brightly from the corner of his shiny mouth. Seeing how satisfied he was, I thought it was a good idea to cook early in the morning.
For a moment I was proud, but then I was shocked. This is because the little boy wiped his oily hands and mouth on the clothes he was wearing.
"Oh, it's dirty."
[Do you know that now, idiot! Just wash your hands with water!]
"I was going to do laundry anyway. So, let's wash this too."
The little boy changed his clothes as if he had any thoughts. Then, carrying a quiet piled-up laundry basket, he whined and went down to the first floor. I should have been proud of what he was trying to do on his own, but for some reason, I started to feel anxious.
I followed Lucian. He came to the stream that bordered the garden and forest. I wondered if he had done some laundry before, but suddenly the laundry basket overturned and all the laundry inside fell into the stream.
"Oh! It shouldn't float away!"
When a light piece of clothing drifted away, Lucian hurriedly went to pick it up. His goal has already started to improve.
After that, it was a huge party. When the little boy roughly soaked the laundry in water and took it out, stones and sand started to get tangled in the laundry, and as if he didn't know to wash it by rubbing it, he just soaked it in water, so the stained part remained.
This wasn't laundry, it was just like soaking clothes in muddy water.
"Hehe... It's hard."
Still, he even sweated because he was working hard. When the laundry was about 2/3 done, Lucian was exhausted.
"Now, wait."
After resting, he entered the mansion, shaking his legs like a newborn deer. Only after confirming that he was completely gone did I quickly rescue the tattered clothes.
[If you don't know, stay still.]
Still, should I praise you for trying to do it yourself?
I have to deal with this situation before the little boy comes. I floated all the laundry in the air and dropped them one by one so they didn't overlap.
[Clean!]
Soon, white light erupted and covered the laundry. Soon, the laundry that had been dirty with water plants, dirt, and water stains became clean.
"Okay...."
At that time, the sound of Lucian coming out of the mansion was heard in the distance.
I quickly folded the laundry that was floating in the air, put it in the laundry basket, and hid inside the basket. Lucian sat down, but when he saw the empty stream, he was so surprised that he jumped up from his seat.
"Huh? Are you here?"
He belatedly checked the laundry basket. He was confused when he saw the clothes that looked clean at a glance.
I anxiously watched his reaction.
"Could it be that my benefactor came and went?!"
[What is a benefactor?]
Before I could understand what he was saying, Lucian jumped up from his seat and started walking around. It felt like he was looking for someone. After about 10 minutes, Lucian returned with his shoulders slumping
"I guess he just left."
The little boy's yellow eyes began to water.
"Oh, no! I can't cry!"
Fortunately, he quickly wiped away his tears without any special consolation. Soon he screamed with his eyes wide open.
"Benefactor! Thank you! Breakfast too! Last night's dinner was delicious too!"
His voice echoed through the forest. I watched the scene blankly. The little boy's laughter tickled my heart quite a bit.
"Tsk, let's go."
Soon he entered the mansion carrying the laundry basket I had hidden in it. Thanks to that, I was able to observe the little boy's face up close for the first time.
I don't know if it's because he's starved for the past few days or because he hasn't been able to eat in the first place, but his cheeks, dull hair, and eyes look slightly puffy. But his eyes sparkled as bright as the sunlight. Like a child holding on to hope.
I looked at him intently without realizing it because it was something I couldn't do in a desperate situation like this.
When Lucian arrived in his room, he put away his soft clothes and went into the bathroom to wash his sweaty body. Only after I heard the sound of water did I sneak out of the basket.
[This feels really strange.]
Have you ever received a thank you from someone?
The humans I had seen so far were surprised or frightened when they saw me, and they spewed out words of resentment and tried to kick me out of this mansion. The only thing that can be said to be friendly is the lizard that visits occasionally.
Since I am a being who cannot interact with people in the first place, I am familiar with such situations. But in times like this, I had no idea how to react.
[Of course, it would be different if you knew my identity, right?]
I know. That little boy mistook me for a 'person'. It was a little bitter, but I couldn't help it. I just wanted the little boy to keep smiling because of me. Even if it means lying to the kid.
"Ugh. Why is it so cold again today?"
I heard shouting beyond the door and hurried to the bathroom. Only after I warmed the water with mana did the little boy's face open up.
***
[It sucks to look pretty.]
When I came down to the kitchen to make lunch, I immediately took back what I had said earlier. My eyebrows twitched when I saw that only broccoli was left on the cleanly emptied plate.
How dare you be a picky eater when you were starving to death just yesterday?
[Hehe. If this happens, I will have to change the menu.]
I was planning to cook something delicious with the meat that was frozen with ice magic, but now that this has happened, I have to change my plans. I brought some meat and a bunch of the remaining vegetables and put them on the table.
[If this happens, you will have no choice but to eat it!]
I smiled sinisterly and started chopping vegetables diligently.
***
"Okay. It's delicious, but..."
Lucian was able to fill up all day thanks to the delicious food but he felt uneasy.
That's because broccoli has been available every single day since the last time he left it. The more broccoli he picked, the more the number grew.
Additionally, there was a picture of broccoli next to the bowl. Seeing it highlighted in a red circle gave him a chill in my stomach.
"Yes...... I don't want to eat it."
I know it's not my place to complain about side dishes, but I can't help but not want to eat them.
"Whoa, good!"
After thinking for a while, Lucian made a firm decision and stuffed all the broccoli into his mouth at once. Lucian, who was frowning and muttering like a person eating something he couldn't eat, gradually furrowed his brows when the taste of the sauce hit his tongue.
Muttering.
After chewing for a while, he ended up swallowing the food. Lucian hesitated and took a sip of water.
"It is okay I guess?"
The taste was enough to make the terrible memories of the first day fly away. The texture was still not that good, but it wasn't so much that I couldn't eat it.
"Hehe. I'm an adult now too!"
Broccoli is no longer scary!
Lucian was so proud of himself for overcoming this crisis that the corners of his mouth kept twitching.
***
While I was watching Lucian eat, I quietly came out of the cupboard and let out an awkward laugh.
[I am indeed. You can become an adult with just one broccoli. Make sense, kid.]
Even though it was nonsense. I kept bursting into laughter. Just as I was about to clean the kitchen, a piece of paper lying on the table caught my eye. There was an additional, unfamiliar picture drawn on the paper.
[Ahahaha! what's this]
I burst out laughing. A picture of the sun or a flower was drawn crookedly. I looked at it for a while, then went to my room and hid it in a corner of the bookshelf.
It's not that it's particularly valuable and it's a shame to throw it away. I wiggled my butt, rationalizing that no one could hear.
[But it bothers me that he doesn't know how to write.]
In addition to writing, the little boy had short learning curves in many areas. Rather than hating, he seemed to have received absolutely no education appropriate for his age.
I feel like I want to let him know.
[You don't even know I exist in the first place, and you can't even see me, so...]
But although it may be okay now, there will come a time when you will have to leave the mansion. At that time, you need to learn the basics so that you can get along with people.
[Ah! Should I ask that guy for a favor?]
I thought of a guy who came to visit the mansion very occasionally. After looking through the diary and calculating the time when that guy came, it seems that he will visit the mansion again soon.
[At that time, I will have to do whatever it takes to ask for the little boy's education.]
Since he is a very individualistic person, he might actually listen to my request, but there is nothing I can do about it since there is no clear solution right now. There are already a few items in the mansion I've been coveting, so if he gives me one of them, I'll at least tell you the letters.
From now on, I've been working hard to lure that guy.
***
"Yes. I couldn't find it today either."
Lucian recently noticed a change in the mansion
Three times a day, and additionally, the room, living room, laundry, etc. were all cleaned while he was away for a short period of time. To be honest, he felt a little, a little lonely because he had no one to talk to, but he wasn't lonely thanks to his benefactor who came and went like the wind every time.
So, he searched the mansion for several days to somehow have a conversation with his benefactor, but Lucian couldn't see a shadow, let alone a person.
"Now that it's like this, it's a secret conversation!"
As a result of inferring what has happened so far, the benefactor stays in the kitchen for the longest time. That's because he has no choice but to use the kitchen to cook, and since all the food for the three meals a day is freshly prepared, it is unlikely to have been prepared and brought from somewhere.
He will somehow end up seeing the face of his benefactor today. Lucian took off his shoes, muffled the sound of his footsteps as much as possible, and then quietly headed to the kitchen.
Fortunately, there was no one in the kitchen. As he looked for a place to hide his body, he found a storage cabinet under a cupboard. Lucian hid there and left the door open just slightly. Fortunately, he had a good view of the kitchen.
"Now, let's wait."
Lucian widened his eyes and waited for his benefactor to come through the slightly opened gap. As 10, 20, and 30 minutes passed. Lucian's eyes gradually began to close around 40 minutes.
Even though he knew well in his head that he shouldn't sleep, his body didn't obey. Before long, Lucian's eyes slowly closed. That's why he couldn't see it. A faint, unidentifiable figure without feet approached the cabinet where he was.
Lucian dozed off and opened his eyes at the smell of delicious meat. He dazedly rubbed his eyes, remembered why he was here, and looked through the gap with bated breath. And he had no choice but to freeze.
"Huh?"
In an empty kitchen, knives moved around as they pleased, and a cast iron frying pan began flipping steaks. It was an unbelievable sight. It's not like a person...
***.
"Ghost Bride!"
I got goosebumps all over my body. Lucian, who had let out a small scream without realizing it, realized his mistake and quickly covered his mouth.
But then I had already heard his voice. The cast iron frying pan, which was moving in a cheerful rhythm, suddenly stopped. When Lucian was just listening to his pounding heart,
Sigh-
The cabinet door opened with a creepy sound. Lucian did not realize that the door had been opened by his foot, and was terrified, thinking It was the work of a ghost priest.
"Aaaah!"
Lucian jumped out of the dresser screaming and ran out of the kitchen. He ran down the hallway and then up the stairs. At that time, as he was going up the stairs, he saw something at the entrance to the kitchen.
He thought there was a woman standing there with a very sad expression, but when he looked again, there was no one in front of the kitchen.
Lucian, who thought it was just the Ghost Bride doing, locked himself in his room and shivered.
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