TAPGB - Chapter 51
The Abandoned Prince's Ghost Bride
"Ah, good~"
With his stomach full and tired, Dio lay down on the grass, basking in the sunlight.
"Aren't you going home?"
"Is that something you would say to a friend you haven't seen in a while?"
"It's been a while, not even a week has passed."
"Oh really. Why is it like that these days? Have you hit puberty hard? Are you going to be hated by Leqh?"
"Why does Leah's name suddenly appear there?"
"Why, why? That's because the old puppy is gone and only the vicious dog remains."
"Can you please stop comparing people to dogs?"
"Anyway. Let's take a break. Or should I sleep in today?"
Dio's eyes lit up when Lucian, who normally would have responded by saying do whatever he want, looked worried.
"What are you really doing? Tell me quickly! What are you hiding?!"
"Why are you like this? It's nothing, so don't make a fuss."
"Why don't you say something like this?"
Dio formed his hand into a claw shape and began tickling Lucian's side. Lucian flinched but then burst into laughter.
Leah looked at the two boys rolling around on the grass after hanging their laundry.
[It's a good time.]
Lucian's worries were solved in a way, and he suddenly formed a relationship with his older brother, so things started to go smoothly.
It was nice to see Lucian smiling so carelessly for the first time in a while.
[I wish it were just like today....]
Rustling
"I'm here!"
No sooner had I finished speaking than Leopold appeared from the bushes beyond the fence, with leaves attached to his head.
I looked at him blankly in shock, and the same went for the two boys who were having fun playing among themselves.
For a moment, I thought, oh no.
[Eye! Cover your eyes!]
Even in disguise, Leopold had not usable imperial characteristics. He was different from Lucian, who hid his hair and eye color with a magic orb.
To make matters worse, he always came dressed as a servant, but for some reason, he came today wearing different clothes. Even at a glance, you can see that it is luxurious. 'I am a nobleman' and was advertising.
".... Huh? Lucian, who is next to you?"
Leopold looked at Dio next to Lucian and tilted his head.
Lucian had already covered Dio's eyes.
"My, my friend..."
Lucian's eyes were spinning. He asked me for an SOS with his eyes.
'No, I don't know what to do either!'
"Let go of this, man!"
Dio, who was struggling, finally escaped from Lucian's grasp. Soon Dio and Leopold's eyes met.
Leopold was looking at Dio with a slightly pouting expression, and Dio opened his mouth wide when he saw Leopold, who looked just like Lucian.
Soon Dio's finger pointed alternately at Lucian and Leopold.
"Again, it looks the same... Huh? But with white hair and golden eyes... Hik! Huh, royal family?"
Dio was so surprised that he hiccuped.
"Well, I'm not dreaming right now, am I? A royal family of our age would be the Crown Prince... Hik."
[Dio! You must not faint!]
Dio was so shocked that he fell backward, so I rushed to support him. Lucian left Dio to me and approached Leopold.
"Ha, at least when you come, don't you have to disguise yourself?"
"I'm in disguise."
"You couldn't cover your most important eyes! That hair too! You have white hair that stands out to everyone, so you should have worn a wig."
"Are you going to nag someone you haven't seen in three days? Enough nagging, Harry."
"Who is Harry again?"
"Hmph, there you are, my friend. And I came here thinking you were the only one here. You don't have to go through the trouble of wearing a wig since you don't come through the village."
It was true, so Lucian couldn't refute it.
But still, is it okay for a guy who is called the Crown Prince to be so sloppy?
"But why are you here now?"
"Huh?"
"... You come every day, but why did you come this time for the first time in three days?"
Leopold's face, which had been blinking, widened. He twitched his cheek and tapped Lucian.
"You missed me?"
"Who, who missed you... !"
"After returning to the imperial palace, my fever rose and I couldn't leave my room for a day. Father said he would scold me if I wandered around as I wanted."
[But you escaped again in less than three days?]
"Of course, I'm not the one to hear that!"
Me and Lucian were speechless at the truly imposing appearance. At that time, Dio came to his senses and looked at Leopold.
Leopold noticed his gaze and approached him with strides.
"Woe, Prince....."
"Yes, I am the Crown Prince. Lucian is your friend?"
Dio looked at Leopold and Lucian alternately, still confused. No matter how we look at them, they look so similar that it's scary.
"Am I dreaming now?"
"Isn't it amazing? You don't know how surprised I was when I first saw Lucian!"
Dio was scared by the fact that Leopold was a member of the royal family, but when he treated Dio as friendly as a neighborhood friend, Dio slowly relaxed his guard.
"But how did Your Highness find out about this place?"
"I heard a rumor that it was a haunted mansion, so I was curious and brought it here. Then I found Lucian, who looked exactly like me. And he just calls me Leopold. If you are Lucian's friend, you are just like my friend."
Dio was amazed once again. They looked the same except for their hair and eye color, but their personalities were completely different.
Of course, Lucian's personality has become harsher than before, but Leopold seems like an innocent and pure person. As the two began to talk naturally, Lucian was taken aback.
"No matter how you look at him, he doesn't seem to be a member of the royal family. Are all Crown Prince princes like that?"
[No way. Leopold must be a special species. And technically, you are also a member of the royal family, Lucian.]
".... I am in a situation where I have been abandoned. He's different."
I wondered if I had said something for nothing, but Lucian didn't think anything of it. Soon he approached the two people.
The three people chatted amicably as if they had been friends for 10 years. In particular, Dio and Leopold quickly became close and were already holding each other's shoulders.
[Maybe it's because they're kids, so they get to know each other quickly.]
If you think about it, Dio and Leopold had some similarities. Both are simple, playful, and friendly. Moreover, since Dio had no ties to the world of nobles and royal family, he seemed to be able to deal with him even more without hesitation.
Rather, it seemed like Dio and Leopold had known each other from the beginning.
"Oh, you learned swordsmanship. I heard that not many commoners know how to use a sword."
"My dad runs a weapon shop. So, I learned from mercenary men who often visited, and I often sparred with Lucian."
"Uh? Does Lucian know how to use a sword too?"
"His skills are amazing. We used to be a close match, but now it's hard to win."
"Oh, that's right?"
"Your Majesty, you are a member of the royal family, so you must be good with a sword, right?"
"I told you to call me Leopold. It's a sword... I have been learning since I was young, but I have no talent. I just need to know how to take care of my body."
"We were already planning to spar, but would you like to join us, Leopold?'
"I'm good!"
"I will never let you go, so be prepared!"
"The sea I longed for!"
Lucian frowned unconsciously at the sight of the two getting along well together.
"When on earth did they become so close?"
[It's good if they get along well.]
"I'm upset."
Lucian was jealous of both of them, perhaps because he was strangely annoyed by the fact that the two were getting along well, or because he felt like he was being taken away from either a friend or an older brother.
They looked like kids his age, so I couldn't help but laugh.
"Why are you laughing."
[Just... Because you're cute.]
Lucian's cheeks turned red and he turned his head.
[Oh my, are you embarrassed now?]
"Boo, who is embarrassed? Isn't that what it is?"
Even if he said it with a blushing face, it wasn't convincing.
I wanted to tease him more, but the two boys who were making noise were already looking at this place. It was a familiar sight to Dio, but it must have seemed strange to Leopold.
Sure enough, Dio saw something whispering to Lucian, like a ghost or something.
[Lucian, tell me honestly. You tried to kick Leopold out by using me as an excuse, right?]
"He'll keep coming here, but I can't pretend that you don't exist every time. And he can't see yourself, can't you see him?"
It was truly a confident statement without any consideration. No matter how I think about it, I think they were trying to target it.
[Well, the water has already spilled.]
Lucian will take care of it. Whether she persuades Leopold or fails is none of my business.
[Still, play around with it in moderation. Then the Crown Prince will run away.]
Lucian approached Leopold and Dio, saying he would take care of it.
Leopold, who had already heard something from Dio once, looked around thoughtfully.
I think it will take some time for Leopold to get used to this place.
"So he became close friends with the Crown Prince?"
[Well, that's right. Now they are like real brothers.]
A leisurely afternoon. I received a call from Caesar after a long time and told him what had happened.
About a month has already passed since Lucian and Leopold visited each other.
Some minor things have happened in the meantime.
Leopold pretended that he wasn't afraid of ghosts, but fainted when he saw I cooking. He looked at Lucian's childhood drawings and made a fuss, saying that he was just like him when he was young.
He suddenly brought in a child named Harry and caused a fuss. There was also an enemy.
[It was all Leopold's doing, right?]
"Leeeoofoldh?"
[...What is that sarcastic tone?]
"Then will you speak nicely? When on earth did you see the Prince and call him by his name in a friendly way? Did you forget? That guy is the family that abandoned Lucian!"
Ah, maybe that was why. Caesar's hostility toward Leopold was understandable to some extent. Because that's how I was when I first met him.
[Leopold is not that kind of guy.]
"It's happening again!"
[Calm down and listen to me first!]
Caesar flinched and grunted.
It's been two years since you became an adult, but you still haven't grown up.
[Leopold doesn't know that Lucian is his younger brother.]
"Eh? Why doesn't he know that?"
[The surrounding area was thoroughly controlled. So, he doesn't know that he has a twin brother or that his younger brother is Lucian, who is like a friend.]
"... You damn imperial bastards!"
Caesar, who had finally grasped the situation, turned his arrow towards the imperial family rather than Leopold.
After making a fuss for a while, he shook off his anger and spoke.
"Does Lucian know that fact?"
[I don't know why. Leopold asks Lucian if he is a doppelganger.]
"..."
[At first, I wondered if it would be okay to let Lucian be close to Leopold, but I don't think it's his business. Leopold is Lucian's real family. He'll have feelings that can only be fulfilled by a real family.]
"... Did you say that to Lucian?
I shook my head. Then a sigh burst from the crystal ball.
"Just in case, don't say that to Lucian."
[Why?]
"Why why? I do that because he's sad."
'Sad? Lucian? If I'm sad, should I be sad, or should Lucian be sad?'
Caesar, who saw my expression, told me to just quietly follow his words. I had no intention of speaking anyway, so I nodded my head obediently.
"So how is Lucian now?"
[He's still doing well. At first, it was hard because Leopold didn't recognize him, but now it seems like it's okay. He went down to the village with the kids again today.]
"No wonder. He said he couldn't see the guy who would normally have appeared."
[Are you not coming here?]
"I'm busy. There was so much to do after becoming an adult. I thought I would be free as soon as I became an adult. But that wasn't it?"
Caesar grumbled that he was having a hard time being dragged around by the elders these days.
"So I probably won't be able to go to Lucian's birthday this year. I have to go check on Harvey."
[Oh, that priest?]
Five years ago, it was Javier who infiltrated the basement of the mansion and was forced to become Caesar's hand.
[Have you found out anything from that person?]
"Till now. Still, it seems like he's taking on various tasks from 5 years ago, but he can't even get to the important stuff."
[So you're not trusting him yet?]
"This is not something that can be done by rushing, so you have to wait patiently."
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