TAPGB - Chapter 86

 TAPGB - Chapter 86

The Abandoned Prince's Ghost Bride

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Late Emperor and the Empress Dowager have arrived."

A servant outside announced the arrival of the Emperor and his wife.

"Uh, what should I do?"

Lucian snorted despite Harry's pale expression.

"What can I do? I didn't do anything wrong. It's something that has to be faced anyway, sooner or later. Leah, you don't have to be nervous. No matter what those people say, just listen in with one ear and get it out with the other, okay?"

In effect, it just meant opening the door.

Harry was already half-fazed and devastated, and while Dio was putting Caesar, who was sitting awkwardly by the window, on the sofa, James calmly went to the door and opened it.

"I heard a strange rumor. I wonder if this is true..."

A middle-aged man who I thought Lucian would grow up like that when he got older came in with a frown but stopped when he saw the messy office and two unfamiliar faces.

"Oh!"

Next to him was a beautiful middle-aged woman.

I instinctively realized that those two people were Lucian's parent

The two people froze when they saw me, unable to take their eyes off me.

I, who was making eye contact at first, soon became uncomfortable and rolled my eyes.

'Should I stand up and say hello first?"

Now that I think about it, everyone was up. Except for Caesar, of course.

Just as I was about to ask someone else for advice on what to do, Ruber opened his mouth.

"You are truly crazy!"

He scolded Lucian with an angry face. Dean, who followed Ruber, had already closed the door, so no sound could escape.

"How can you bring a woman from outside your home here!"

"Are you angry now that you brought me into your office? Or, do you just not like me being in the imperial palace?"

"Have you forgotten your location? There are already disturbing rumors floating around among people about you and Lilith, so I can't believe you're dragging a woman into a situation like this!" 

".... Lilith?"

Although it was my first time hearing this name, I felt some discomfort.

I forgot to control my expression and looked at Lucian with a face demanding an explanation. Lucian looked at Ruber with an annoyed face, then noticed my gaze and relaxed his expression.

Lucian was troubled as he touched his forehead, then his eyes flashed and he glared at Ruber.

"She is the Emperor's fiancée, but she is not mine." 

"Leopold!"

"I guess I've been in this position for so long that you've forgotten, but I'm just a stunt double. I did everything you wanted. Should I even be allowed to have the person I love by my side? Just do it in moderation. You don't deserve me."

"How can you say that...!"

Harry whispered softly as Serena glanced at Leah and Caesar in shock.

"These two also know Your Majesty's secret. These are people who have been with His Majesty for a long time."

When they found out that their relationship existed before Lucian came here, the two hesitated.

Although I didn't feel like it, I felt like it was the right time to say hello, so I got up.

"Nice to meet you, Your Majesty the Emperor and Empress Dowager. My name is Leah. I have known Lucian since he was 8 years old. This person here is Caesar. He is Lucian's old friend, just like me."

"..."

"I wondered how he was doing since we lost contact for a while, but we were reunited again recently. I never thought he would appear as an Emperor. I was surprised at how different it was from the past."

In short, when is the right time to throw it away? Why the fuss now?

At first, I thought that since they were Lucian's parents, I should show some courtesy.

But looking at Lucian's attitude, I didn't feel the need to do that. No, it would be more accurate to say that Lucian's anger toward his parents, who had abandoned him, soared.

Ruber stiffened, and Serena's face turned pale.

Since I had no intention of going all the way, I decided to stop here. As parents, these two are important members of the imperial family.

When I stepped back and gently grabbed Lucian's arm, Lucian felt as if he had won a thousand battles.

Ruber noticed Lucian smiling slightly. It was a smile that he had never shown to him in the five years they had been together.

"It's so messy here, so let's go out and talk privately. We also have something to talk about in the future."

The two had no choice but to move from place to place, led by Lucian.

Serena glanced at me just before leaving, but I did nothing other than lower her head.

"Ha, good job, Leah."

"I thought I was waiting for ten years! Even if the current Emperor is Lucian, we must not irritate him with the previous Emperor and his wife!"

Dio and Harry's reactions were mixed. Dio was relieved to be able to relieve some of the dissatisfaction Lucian had built up against his predecessor and his wife.

Harry tended to worry about practical issues.

"So it's like this. If it were my true personality, I wouldn't have even been allowed to show my face in front of Lucian."

"It's really scary when Leah gets angry."

As Caesar stood next to him and giggled, Harry's face turned pale as he wondered if an accident might actually happen.

But I was not a great person who would not think about that.

"But is it really because of me that those two returned to the imperial family?"

"Probably, I think so."

"Even if it's okay to be angry because Lucian brought in a woman from another country, Lilith? Who is she again?"

Dio and Harry trembled and looked at each other.

"Lilith...... Lilith...... Now that I think about it, it's one of the names I heard a lot from the imperial family. What did you say? Did you say she was Lucian's fiancee?"

"... He has a fiancee?"

"Leah! Oh my! It's definitely not!"

As Caesar spoke idly, my eyebrow twitched.

"It's not what you think!"

"Woa, she are only the Emperor's fiancée, not Lucian's fiancée!"

"What kind of bullshit is that?" 

Yeah, that's bullshit. What kind of weird thing is it that you say you're a fiancee but you're not a fiancee?

However, I realized that I had misunderstood the explanation that followed.

"So, she was originally Leopold's long-time fiancee, right?"

"Yes, but now Lucian has become Emperor by acting as Leopold's replacement. He can't break off the engagement because everyone except us thinks that Leopold is Emperor."

"Besides, Leopold truly loves Lilith."

"The situation is complicated."

Dio was relieved to see that I had calmed down my excitement.

"To what extent has the misunderstanding been resolved now?"

"Yes, in that situation, I would definitely be in an awkward position. I think I know why they got angry at me."

Even though Lucian is acting as Leopold, it is not right to treat his long-time fiancée poorly when everyone knows him as Leopold.

Moreover, it is said that he refused the offer to hold a wedding when he was crowned Emperor.

'There is enough justification, but...'

Can other people really accept that?

I, who was in agony for a moment while rolling my head, suddenly remembered something.

"Wait a minute, then what is my location?"

When Lucian personally brings me to the imperial palace, takes care of me, and even stays in his place, he is not bringing the woman he loves.

Wouldn't he become an emperor who leaves his fiancée and is preoccupied with another woman?

"Then I... A mistress?"

For a moment, I felt dizzy and was speechless.

***

"You arrived earlier than expected. I would have definitely told you to take a year off before coming back."

"Is that what you say to your parents who you haven't seen in a long time?"

Lucian moved to a nearby empty room and faced Ruber and Serena while showing off his disapproving attitude.

Ruber did not like his son like that at all.

'Well, have they ever had a good time?'

Lucian only acts warmly when there are a lot of people in official settings, but in private settings like this, he often shows his teeth like a wild cat.

"So, the reason you returned to the imperial palace so early was because of Leah?"

"Her name is Leah."

"Don't say that woman. Because I'm not the person to listen to you say things like that."

"Phew, what on earth are you so dissatisfied with? It's not like we said anything that wouldn't happen."

"Yes, Lucian. Do you know how surprised I was when I heard that you had brought a woman into the imperial palace? If we heard about it, the Sevans family would have known about it a long time ago."

At Serena's words, Lucian crossed his arms and avoided her gaze. He certainly heard word this morning that the Duke of Sevans was looking for him.

"I know she's important to you, but not now. Let her go quickly and send her back to where she came from."

"I would have told you this when I became Emperor. I have no intention of listening to you anymore." 

"Lucian!"

Ruber shouted, but Lucian did not blink an eye.

"Yes, my name is Lucian. Not Leopold."

Instead, he raised his eyes sharply and glared at the two people.

"I am nothing more than my brother's double. This is not my place to begin with. How can I take my brother's woman as my wife?"

"But other people don't think that way. It's been over 13 years since you got engaged. Now, you have both reached marriageable age a long time ago! We can't keep putting it off like this."

"So I have no choice but to wait for my brother to wake up."

Ruber sighed in frustration and touched his forehead.

"... Honestly, you know there's no hope for Leopold."

Lucian's eyebrows twitched.

"It's been five years since Leopold fell. I still don't know when he will wake up, and he may never wake up again."

Every time he gets diagnosed by doctors, wizards, and priests, the answer he always get is the same.

They never know when Leopold will wake up.

For the first three years, Lucian still had hope. But after about five years, he slowly gave up hope.

"You may only be a double, but you have done everything well so far. More than just a role model, you have the qualities of an Emperor. We must also prepare for a situation in which Leopold may not wake up."

 "Ha......!"

The corners of Lucian's mouth twitched and he glared at Ruber with shocked eyes. Lucian stroked his sore jaw.

"It's so easy for you to give up."

Ruber and Serena trembled. Lucian's eyes were filled with disdain as he looked at the two people.

"You also erased me from the world to get rid of the fact that I was born as a twin. It's also the same as giving up so easily on my brother who was unconscious after an unfortunate accident. Normally, you don't think it hurts to put your child in your eye, but to you, it seems like a child is something you can easily give up on."

"Lucian, it's not like that...!" 

"I guess you can do that!"

Serena spoke hurriedly, but Lucian interrupted her.

"But you can't do that to my brother! Unlike me, if he has been raised since childhood, you will have to find a way to wake him up at all costs...! Are you still parents?"

Ruber widened his eyes and approached Lucian, but he could do nothing but glare with bloodshot eyes. It was always like that.

Even when Lucian crossed the line and scratched his stomach, Ruber just glared at him and never raised his hand.

Why? Could it be that there is just the slightest bit of remorse left?

'It doesn't matter what happens.'

The important thing is that they are trying to give up on Leopold. If they knew how he felt when you acted as a substitute for 5 years, they would never make such an outrageous statement in front of him.

"I can never give up on my brother. In the first place, this position was his, not mine. You all know that and stop talking nonsense about Princess Lilith, marriage, etc."

".... So what do you plan to do with a woman named Leah? Didn't you bring her here so that you could marry her?"

"In my heart, I want to do it right now. However, if I do get married, I will do so as Lucian, not as Emperor. So I won't create anything for you to worry about."

With those words, Lucian passed by the two people. A

t the same ending as always, Ruber touched his forehead. If they try to have a conversation, they end up fighting instead of talking to each other, and then the conversation ends.

Even if he talks to a thick wall, it won't be this frustrating.

People say it could be because everything went wrong from the start, but Ruber was disappointed with Lucian, who never once opened his heart to them over the past five years.

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