TAPGB - Chapter 85
The Abandoned Prince's Ghost Bride
I, who was looking at Dio and the two of them in turn, burst into laughter.
"Because you two think of me that way, don't you think Dio will feel the same way?"
Lucian trembled, and Caesar tilted his head.
"Well, you only see things with your eyes."
Lucian pursed his lips as if he was actually speechless.
"Lee, Leah! I'm different! How can you treat me like that guy!"
"That guy?!"
Dio glared with flashing eyes, but Lucian's entire attention was focused on me.
"In my eyes, there is no difference between you and Dio, right? Don't you know that I've been watching you since you were little?"
"That's true, but......! I am your..."
"My?"
"Yes... I'm the groom."
Lucian, conscious of the attention around him, muttered softly. It was very refreshing to see him blush and feel embarrassed again.
'Cute.'
Huh? What was I thinking?
For a moment, I unconsciously smiled but quickly regained my senses and my eyes sparkled.
Do you think Lucian is cute?
No, of course, he's cute, but isn't it something I should think about in a situation like this?!
"Leah... My love and care for you is more sincere than anyone else's. So please don't treat me like those sneaky wolves."
Lucian squeezed my hands and spoke as if pleading.
I was momentarily dazed by his sudden attack on my face, but Dio, who was watching everything from the side, was not.
"You bastard.... So, is this because I'm a treacherous wolf?"
"Got it? Me and Caesar are fine. But the others can't. Just in case, show some favor and approach, no, make any excuse to approach. Then just crack his shins."
"Are you ignoring me now?"
As Dio huffed, Lucian looked him up and down with cold eyes.
"You're out from the moment you blush at the sight of Leab."
"Wow, this is called a friend...! Hey! Honestly, it would be the same even if someone else came instead of me, right? Leah must be so pretty! When you see a face like that, it's an automatic reflex!"
"Uh...... Thank you?"
When I, who had half-heartedly received the compliment, spoke awkwardly, Dio blushed again and stamped his foot.
"Leah! Don't misunderstand! It's not because I like you, it's just that my body reacts differently from my will!"
"Yeah, don't get me wrong. I've been watching you for years."
Dio breathed a sigh of relief, but his fists clenched as he looked at his friend who was standing next to me, looking at him with suspicion.
"But Lucian, why is Caesar okay while Dio is not?"
"Ah. That's right, Caesar...."
"After hearing it, I don't understand it."
Before Lucian finished speaking, Caesar, who had been silent so far, opened his mouth. Everyone's eyes were focused on him.
"Who am I looking at with dark eyes? Leah, this one?"
Caesar said as if he was dumbfounded.
"Are you guys sprained? Who is the most beautiful person here!"
As everyone tilted their heads with expressions of incomprehension, Caesar pounded his chest in frustration.
"It goes without saying that this Caesar is the most beautiful! Leah maybe just a little closer to my toenails, but she's no more beautiful than me! Do you think this body will look darkly at a being less beautiful than me?"
Everyone was dumbfounded by the absurd words. However, Caesar snorted as if he was serious.
"Did you see it? It's okay because Caesar never sees Leah as the opposite sex. And because I care about you as much as I do."
Lucian's voice as he whispered to me was strangely filled with confidence.
I felt my head throbbing for a moment and pressed my forehead. I'm proud of this.
***
After the brief commotion calmed down, Harry touched his forehead.
"There is a mountain of work to do. I know you are happy to be reunited with Leah, but could you please focus on government affairs for the time being? In addition to James and Caesar, there are talented people by her side, so there is no problem in Leah's life."
"Yes, Lucian. Harry says that, but now stop coming to see me and go to work. The boss has to work hard for others to enjoy their work."
Instead of answering, Lucian looked a little sullen. I wondered if it was because he didn't want to work, but I got a slightly unexpected answer.
"I wanted to share Leah's first moments together......."
"... The first moment?"
"Everything you do with the human body is new and unfamiliar. Just as Leah taught me and experienced various things, I wanted to do the same."
"Ah..."
I remembered how Lucian had been by my side the entire past week.
It was full of amazing things, such as touch, taste, sight, and hearing, so I made a fuss over and over again, but each time, instead of being bothered, Lucian was happy and let me do everything I wanted.
I wondered why he was like that, but I didn't know there was a hidden reason.....
Harry also seemed to sense that Lucian had not skipped work for no reason, so he could not press him any further.
When there was a moment of silence and everyone was looking at each other, Caesar, who was eating dessert, spoke.
"Then, shouldn't Leah be there with you where you work?"
Everyone looked at Caesar with wide eyes.
"Why? Other than that, is there any other way to convince him?"
"Umm...... surely."
"It's not wrong."
Harry and Dio looked at me. Seeing their wide-open eyes, I became nervous without even realizing it.
"Leah! Please help us!"
"Please! Please help Your Majesty with his work!"
"I will help in any way I can."
When I hesitantly accepted, the two people smiled brightly, like people holding on to a rope. However, the person involved, Lucian, had a serious expression on his face, as if he was displeased with something.
"Is it okay? If Leah was in my office, many people would know of her existence."
Due to the nature of the work, many people come and go from the office, and sometimes even nobles come and go. It would not be possible to arrest all those people.
Harry made a bewildered expression at Lucian's words.
"Is there someone who knows that and is eating with Leqh in this place with so many surroundings?"
"But, you can't just keep it stuffy in the room."
"I literally cannot keep Leah's existence a secret forever. Of course, you may be relieved that only His Majesty's people are in this palace, but the news about Leah has probably already spread elsewhere."
Lucian and Caesar's expressions are distorted.
"It will come sooner or later. Let's reveal that this has already happened. Wouldn't it be better to let them know that Leah is favored by His Majesty?"
"You said no before."
"Well, I did it because I thought an annoying situation would arise at that time. However, seeing His Majesty with Leah now......."
Harry let out a laugh.
"Can't anyone see that His Majesty is infatuated with Leah? No matter what we do, we can't hide this."
A puzzled me looked at Lucian.
His eyes, which were so indifferent to other people that they showed no emotion at all, quickly became soft when they turned to me, and I felt so happy that I didn't know what to do.
Lucian spoke confidently in response to Harry's words.
"What should I do when Leah is pretty?"
"That's right. You can't hide it, and you have no intention of hiding it, so let's reveal her Then no one will be able to touch Leah."
"Surely that's the only way...?"
Honestly, Lucian doesn't want to show Leah to anyone else.
If he says she's someone he cares about, there will be jealous servants, and there will 100% be people who approach Leah with dark intentions.
Although he jokingly called Dio a wolf, if other men approached Leah, he would really turn his head.
But as Harry said, he can't keep Leah hidden in his arms like this...
"Ha..."
Lucian sighed and looked at Leah. Her pale face was filled with purple eyes as beautiful as amethyst.
Lucian could not bear that moment and held Leah in his arms. It was natural for Leah to panic and struggle.
"Harry, Dio, James."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"From now on, if there is anyone who comes even remotely close to Leah, write down a list and report it to me. I will personally tell them what happens if they touch Leah."
Even though nothing had happened yet, all three people shook their heads when they saw the Emperor radiating his will.
They were three people who were worried about what their future life in the imperial palace would be like.
***
A few days later, I, who had recovered some of my stamina and was able to move around on my own without anyone's help, was lounging around in Lucian's office.
flutter-flutter-
Sseup-Sseup-Sseup-
The sound of busy work could be heard in the surroundings from all directions.
There were mountains of documents piled up everywhere in Lucian's office. Meanwhile, Dio, Harry, James, and Lucian were each taking their seats.
Everyone was busy working, so I wondered if I could just sit back and play.
"Your Majesty, please take a look at this."
Just then, Harry took the document he was looking at to Lucian.
"Dismissed. This is a project that was already underway just two years ago. It seems like they took it lightly because I just came to the throne. If you don't come up with a proper business plan, I won't leave you alone."
"How should I do this?"
"If this is enough... Not bad. Instead, reduce the budget further. It's something you can do without spending a lot of money."
No matter how much he was acting as a double agent, there was no problem in getting things done, as if the five years he had spent as Crown Prince and Emperor were not a lie.
'It's unfamiliar to look like that.'
After spending some time here, I seemed to vaguely understand why I had a hard time with Lucian.
First of all, the fact that we broke up when we had just become adults and then met 5 years later as mature adults may have played a role.
'I thought I taught him well, too...'
Lucian, who had received all kinds of etiquette and professional training while living in the imperial palace, showed a clear difference from the past in his minor behavior.
Not only that, but watching him take care of the empire as an Emperor and handle things charismatically, I could see that he had grown steadily in a time unknown to him.
As Lucian was stroking his stiff shoulder and turning his neck, his eyes met mine.
When he smiled and winked, I blocked the view with the cushion I was holding.
'Why, why is it like that!'
My cheeks heated up for no reason as the mature and charismatic appearance of an Emperor disappeared and he was immediately replaced by the Lucian I knew.
"Hey, someone is coming."
At that time, Caesar's voice was heard.
He had escaped from the suffocating office and had taken refuge on the roof of the imperial palace.
Lucian asked as Harry trembled at the sight of Caesar coming through the window.
"Someone coming? Who?"
"I don't know either. But seeing as no one stops him in the middle, I guess he's not an ordinary guy."
Caesar closed his eyes and focused on the sounds he heard in the distance.
"... Your Majesty........ Emperor? Isn't the former Emperor your father?"
Uddangtangtang!
As soon as Caesar finished speaking, the surroundings became chaos.
Lucian's eyes were wide open, Dio was nervous and sweating, and Harry tried to calm down as much as he could, but he couldn't hide the fact that his hands and feet were shaking.
James was the calmest one here.
"So, it's time to finish traveling around the country."
"Ha... I guess he just stopped by to say hello because he came from a long way, right?"
"He heard the rumor and came to find out the truth....."
"It doesn't matter what happens. If I trip over Leah, I'm going to go to my father and whatever...."
"Aaaah! Your Majesty! You must not say such profanity!"
"Please, please don't cause an accident, huh?"
As Harry and Dio united to stop Lucian, I and Caesar looked at each other and tilted their heads.
"Is meeting your father such a big deal?"
"Who is the father? I don't think those people as my parents."
I became a little discouraged by the stronger reaction than expected.
"...bAre you not getting along?"
It was only then that Lucian noticed me looking at him as if I had missed something. Lucian sighed and walked to my side.
"It's because we don't get along well. Because they were the ones who put me in this position in the first place."
"Ah..."
Well, Lucian originally said he didn't want to do this.
"After handing over the throne to me, he said he wanted to rest and went on a trip around the country. I told him not to even think about coming to the capital for a year... Why did he come back so quickly?"
"Your Majesty, this is not the time. First, we have to move Leah somewhere else......"
Knock knock.
The sound of the knock immediately calmed the noisy atmosphere
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