TAPGB - Chapter 52
The Abandoned Prince's Ghost Bride
I once again felt that time had passed quickly.
[You and Lucian are becoming adults. It's somehow refreshing and sad.]
As he grows older, the seat next to him will be filled with people other than himself.
It's different from when there was only him in his world. He should be happy because his world is expanding, but he can't help but feel sad.
[3 years will go by quickly, right?]
"Seven years passed in an instant."
[.... Okay. I was wondering when you would grow up, but you're already 15 years old.]
Perhaps it is not Lucian who needs independence, but myself. I'm already afraid of him leaving.
"You're not leaving his side forever, so what's so scary? Humans have a short lifespan anyway, so they don't last forever."
[Yes, it's correct.]
"The average human lifespan is 60 years. Liana, who has lived for 300 years, is an absurdly short lifespan compared to a dragon who can easily live for 1,000 years."
[I have no choice but to stay by Lucian's side so that he can raise a happy family and die comfortably.]
"Right now, Lucian is sad to become an adult, so what kind of marriage or death are you talking about? Don't act like an old woman, but tell Lucian how you're."
[What? On a subject where there is not much of an age difference between me and you!]
So I bickered with Caesar and talked about trivial things.
Early summer in June. It was a sunny day.
***
At the same time time.
Lucian went on an outing to the capital with Dio, Leopold, and Harry.
Harry is Leopold's friend who showed up with him two weeks ago. Lucian had some doubts about whether he was truly trustworthy, but he was able to quickly put aside his doubts because he was almost a loyalist to Leopold.
Rather, Harry recognized before Leopold that Lucian's existence should not be known.
'Aside from knowing my identity, there will be people who will take advantage of me if they find out that the Crown Prince and I look alike.'
For example, assassinating Leopold and presenting himself as a puppet. Of course, Leopold didn't seem to think this far. Otherwise.......
"... Why do I have to be like this?"
Because there's no way he'd swap clothes with him.
Currently, Lucian cannot resist Leopold's love and is playing the so-called Prince and Pauper game, where he imitates Leopold and Leopold imitates himself.
He didn't know where he got it from, but Leopold appeared with a handmade wig and a potion that temporarily changed eye color.
Lucian heard it's illegal to have royal features. Where did Leopold get them?
Of course, he didn't use them because all Lucian had to do was take off the necklace.
"Lucian! Is it still long?!"
"Ha, I'm going out, I'm going out."
Lucian looked at himself in the mirror, looking exactly like Leopold, and came out of the dressing room with a sigh.
When the screen was removed, the eyes of the three people focused this way. Leopold had already finished his disguise by putting on a brown wig.
"Oh oh!"
"They really looked the same."
"I don't even recognize you."
Except for Leopold, whose eyes sparkled, Dio and Harry looked dumbfounded.
"But does it really have to go this far? What if someone else catches me like this?"
"Oh, what are you worried about? It's okay because Harry rents the whole place."
The place they are currently located is a men's clothing store. Even the entire staff was let go and almost rented out.
"And don't worry about the clothes you're wearing right now because I bought them all."
"What? My, my clothes too?"
Dio was wearing flashy and luxurious noble clothes. And it was the same for Lucian in disguise.
Dio, who had never worn such expensive clothes in his life, fiddled with his clothes awkwardly.
"Of course! We're going to play nobles today?"
"... Your Highness is a member of the royal family."
"Anyway! Lucian and Dio have never been to an art museum or a play."
Since only nobles could have such extravagant hobbies, it was natural that commoners could not have access to them.
"Come on, gentlemen! Shall we start playing in earnest now?"
"Yes!"
"Ha..."
"The road ahead is difficult."
Only Leopold and his soulmate Dio cheered this, but Lucian and Harry were skeptical.
But no one could stop the reckless Leopold. So the four people started walking down the street, pretending to be nobles.
First of all, Lucian and Leopold looked so similar that they could be mistaken for twins, so Leopold wore his hat down to avoid people's attention. Lucian, who doesn't like people looking at him that much, tried to put on his hat, but Leopold stopped him.
"Today you are Leopold Odelion, not Lucian. I have been given permission to go out by my father, so you don't have to hide."
What he meant was that he should act like Leopold usually does and deal with the guard knights, servants, and nobles who recognize him as the Crown Prince and approach him.
At first, Lucian was hesitant because he didn't know how Leopold usually behaved, but Harry next to him gave him some advice.
"Your Highness is the same person front and back. So, just follow what you normally see."
"... Is this an insult?"
"Hmm. He has a pure soul."
That's an insult. Yes, for a Crown Prince, his hair is too flowery.
Lucian couldn't help but smile widely and make Leopold's signature expression. Seeing that, Dio covered his mouth and trembled, and the other two desperately tried to hold back their laughter.
People come up to him, Leopold... ... No, he spoke to Lucian.
"I never thought I would see Your Highness in a place like this. I met you briefly at a party the other day. Do you remember?"
"Your Highness, this is my wife. She's your Highness's age. If you don't mind, may I introduce you?"
Every time we moved places, nobles would creep in like cockroaches. They were trying hard to somehow establish a relationship with the imperial family.
Every time he faced someone, Lucii felt drained and irritated. Has Leopold always done this?
For the first time, he felt amazing.
As Lucian perfectly imitated Leopold and dealt with the nobles, Harry, who was watching from afar, stuck out his tongue.
"You may have never dealt with a noble before, but you are responding well."
"I ordered this as a joke, but it turned out surprisingly well. No, aren't you more cultured than other nobles?"
"Culture? Lucian?"
Dio, who was chewing on a snack, suddenly stuck his head out.
"Now that you think about it, you said that Dio is an old friend of Lucian, right?"
"... The way he talks. Don't do it because it's creepy. Why do you add such strange modifiers to people's names?"
"Hmm! Please answer me! Lucian... Have you ever studied noble culture?"
As Dio punched Harry, Leopold next to him grabbed his stomach and groaned.
"Well. I don't know. But that guy was always like that."
"You go to Hellele?"
Leopold stopped and glared at Harry as he strangely criticized him.
"No, that's not true, I usually don't speak directly when dealing with people. I don't really know what that guy's culture is, but from what I saw, he just imitated Leopold's way of speaking, isn't he like his usual Lucian?"
"Hmm, is that so?"
Normally, Lucian would have nothing to say, but there was still something suspicious about it. No matter how you look at it, Lucian seems like a person who was properly educated by someone.
"Ah, it looks like he's a fallen nobleman. Maybe he learned it a long time ago."
"Are you a fallen noble?"
"Yes, otherwise, how would Lucian live in such a large mansion? It's called a haunted mansion, but it's a house you can't live in unless you're a noble."
"Surely..."
"But shouldn't we save him now? If you do that, Lucian will explode."
"How do you know that?"
Dio silently pointed to Lucian's hand. His fists were clenched to the point where his blood couldn't flow. Although he can't show it, he is trying to suppress his irritation as much as possible.
Leopold also thought it was necessary to do this and sent Harry. But before Harry finished,
"I have company."
Lucian resolutely pushed the nobles away.
"I came out today to spend time with my friends, so would you mind doing it in moderation?"
He was still imitating Leopold and smiling harmlessly, but his eyes were cool. Harry's eyes widened slightly as he saw Lucian gently but firmly making his way through the crowd of nobles.
As soon as Lucian turned his back on the nobles, he took off the mask he was wearing and walked towards Leopold with a murderous expression. And without anyone noticing, he grabbed Leopold by the collar.
"Be honest. This was annoying so you decided to change it, right?
"Oh, I got caught."
"Change it now. I can't do it anymore, no, I can't."
"Ahahaha! Dio, look at this! This is the first time I've seen him so disgusted!"
"Leo... ! ... Ugh."
Lucian lost his anger when he couldn't even call Leopold's name. Dio and Harry joined together to calm Lucian down.
Leopold burst out laughing and his eyes flashed without anyone noticing.
'Lucian, you are the best!'
Although he didn't show it, he was shocked by the sight of Lucian charismatically dispatching the troublesome nobles. Maybe it was because he disguised himself exactly like Leopold himself, but Leopold had an intuition that if he imitated him, he would be able to have more dignity.
The unexpected harvest brought a smile to Leopold's face.
"Ah, don't be like that, let off steam,"
"Go away!"
Leopold clung to Lucian like a leech, no matter how much he pushed him away. If he had a brother, Leopold thought it would be nice to have a brother like Lucian.
***
".... Even nobles can't do this."
Leopold and Harry, who had been walking ahead of Dio's complaint, turned around. Unlike the other two people, Dio's eyes were half-open.
"Are you tired already? You didn't do much today."
"I know, right. I saw some art galleries, went horseback riding, and rested at a cafe."
Dio shook his head when he saw the Crown Prince and nobleman Young Master who said they couldn't understand at all.
"There are more than one or two things you need to pay attention to."
There are many things he needs to pay attention to, including the order in which he walks, drinks tea, and even uses utensils.
In addition, Harry's stamina dropped faster than usual because he was listening to small points and correcting them. Leopold and Harry have been educated since they were young, but why is Lucian so fine?
"This is why I don't like talented people."
"....Are you tired too? At least you didn't deal with nobles."
Dio, who had been complaining, fell into his mouth. Well, no one suffered more than Lucian today. In fact, the person people are looking for is just messing around.
"Now, just look at this and that's it. It's the most famous musical drama in the system these days."
"This time, you can get a royal box seat so you don't have to worry about what other people think."
"It's nice to hear that."
Dio and Lucian were excited without even realizing it and followed them to the theater. And there, he encountered an unexpected ambush.
"Oh, Your Highness. I see you all in places like this."
"... Who is it?"
It was a girl with pink hair that stood out even from afar. Seeing that she speaks to the Crown Prince straightforwardly, it seems like they have quite a close relationship...
Lucian didn't know how to respond, so he glanced at Harry and Leopold next to him. The two men were visibly restless. In particular, an earthquake occurred in Leopold's eyes.
Harry quickly came to his senses and whispered to Lucian.
"This is His Highness's fiancée. Princess Lilith Sevans."
Fiancee? Why at this time?
Lucian tried hard to hide his embarrassment. And then he started acting.
"I know. I didn't expect to see you here. Did you come alone?"
"It was rumored to be fun, so I came out of curiosity. But there's someone next to you you don't know?"
Lilith's gaze passed from Harry to Leopold and Dio. Leopold put on the hat he was wearing even more tightly.
"These are friends I became close with when I studied abroad. You just don't know."
"Oh, I see. Nice to see you. My name is Lilith Sevans."
"... This is Lucian Vane."
"This is Dio Ferdin."
Leopold had already decided what kind of answer he would give if someone asked him about his identity.
Fortunately, Lilith quickly lost interest in the two people.
"It's fate that this happened, so shall we at least watch a performance together?"
".... Huh?"
"Why do you look so surprised? No way... Do you not like it?"
Lucian broke into a cold sweat down the back of his neck. Lilith's expression was so pitiful that his mouth, which was about to refuse, was closed.
"I was disappointed to hear that Your Highness hasn't come to see me lately, and every time I visit, they say you go out. If... The reason you found another woman other than me..."
"That can't be possible!"
The real Leopold shouted. Everyone's eyes were focused on him.
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