TAPGB - Chapter 125
The Abandoned Prince's Ghost Bride
"You were wondering how your great-grandfather ended up sinning, right?"
"Yes, but you don't have to tell me."
"No. I came here to talk about this."
Diane took a deep breath and remembered what she had heard from her grandfather a few days ago.
"My great-grandfather was one of the most popular painters of his time. So he was selected as a court painter and continued his reputation."
Then one day, the Emperor made a request to him.
It's about drawing a man and a woman.
But strangely enough, the person the Emperor wanted was not a real person.
"They say they had no choice but to draw the character from their imagination, relying on the description of the Emperor."
It is said that before starting the painting in earnest, he sketched the characters the Emperor was talking about.
After being inspected by the Emperor and eventually drawing a character that he was satisfied with, Henri Reifle began painting in earnest.
"...... However, it is said that when the painting was completed, the Emperor became angry."
"Are you insulting me now!"
"Oh, no! I just drew it as requested by His Majesty!!"
"I don't want to hear it! You said you were the best artist in the empire, but you upset me by drawing something like this! Hello! Redeem the interest immediately!"
"Your Majesty! Please forgive me! If there's something you don't like, I'll fix it right away! So please..."
That's how Henri Reifle was arrested. After hearing the news, his wife hurried to visit him, but she only complained about his injustice without understanding the reason.
"My great-grandmother repeatedly begged the Emperor to forgive my great-grandfather, but in the end, it was not accepted."
In the end, Henri Leifle was executed, and her great-grandmother was left with only the last piece of work he left behind.
"This is the work that my great-grandfather painted under the order of the 14th Emperor."
Diane showed me the picture she brought.
When I and Lucian saw that, our eyes slowly widened.
The two men and women are depicted in the picture. They were looking at each other affectionately and smiling softly. Their eyes looked like people in love. A picture that literally looks like a couple.
But the woman in the picture looked exactly like me.
"Next to......"
Lucian looked at the man in the picture.
A man looking lovingly at me.
The man's hair was dark brown. However, his eyes were bright gold, perhaps indicating that he was a member of the royal family.
Diane continued speaking after seeing the faces of Lucian and me who could not hide our shock.
"My great-grandmother kept this. But because of this she lost her husband, so she did not do anything about it. This is my first time seeing this picture too... I was very surprised because the picture looked so similar to Leah."
"Did your great-grandmother say anything else? A story about the people in this picture."
"Hmm... Well, ah! Now that I think about it, the Emperor said that he had asked My great gradfather to draw it well because it was his wish for a long time. My great-grandfather speculated that the Emperor may have been in love with the woman in the painting when he was young."
14th Emperor. Lucian is currently the 18th Emperor and he was his great-great-grandfather.
Nowadays, the hallmark of the royal family is white hair and golden eyes, but it is said that in ancient times, there were various types of hair colors other than white hair.
However, there was a characteristic of the royal family that never changed, and that was the golden eye.
'I need to look around the gallery.'
A gallery containing portraits of past Emperors. Not long after becoming Leopold's double, he stopped by briefly to memorize the geography of the imperial palace.
He didn't care at the time because he wasn't particularly impressed.
Lucian, who was thinking deeply, suddenly found Leah staring at the picture in silence.
Lucian sensed that she had remembered something.
"Thank you for your hard work. Can we keep this painting for a while?"
"I will give it to you as a gift to Leah. I don't know what's going on, but I think Leah needs it more than our family."
"Thank you. And.... I apologize on behalf of my ancestors."
Diane's lips trembled in frustration, but she soon left with a smile on her face.
Lucian thought it was necessary to clear the reputation of the Reifle family and appoint Diane as the official court painter.
"Leah."
"Huh."
Leah finally took her eyes off the picture and looked back at Lucian.
Lucian then realized that Leah did not look as shocked as he had thought.
"Lucian, the man pictured here is Odell."
"......Uh?"
"At first I thought it was Leon, but it looks more like Odell than Leon."
The reason Leah looked closely at the picture was to determine whether the man in the picture was Leon or Odell.
"I know because you're twins too. Even though you look the same, you are different from Leopold in your usual mood, tone of voice, and facial expressions."
"Okay...?"
"Even though I regained my memory, it was still a little blurry, but now that I'm looking at the picture, I understand for sure. The person pictured here is Odell."
Only then did Lucian realize the seriousness.
"Then it means that the 14th Emperor was the first Emperor."
"I guess so. The first Emperor lived through the lives of his descendants. It's no wonder considering the last body he occupied was Julius."
14th Emperor... No. Lucian had no idea why the first Emperor, Leon, had commissioned this painting from Henri Leifle.
"...... For a moment, Leah, you said this guy looks like Odell, right? It's a picture, but can you tell the two people apart?"
"First of all, Leon has a somewhat hot-tempered personality, is enterprising, and likes to lead people through leadership. Maybe that's why he was always at the forefront of many battles. On the other hand, Odell is the exact opposite of Leon."
Although he is weak, timid, and overly cautious, he always gives to others and exerts a positive influence.
"More than anything, Leon doesn't smile like this."
While Leon had a cheerful smile that made everyone who saw him feel refreshed, Odell just smiled softly.
So, the smile in the eyes, the smile on the lips, and the eyes in love in the picture are all...
'Arya.'
Suddenly, someone whispered in Leah's ear.
Leah suddenly raised her head and covered her ears.
"Lucian, what did you say?"
"Huh? What?"
Lucian looked puzzled. It was definitely not Lucian's voice. Higher and kinder than that...
"Ugh!"
"Leah!"
Leah suddenly grabbed her forehead. Her head was pounding like crazy.
"Leah, are you okay? Head hurts?"
At Lucian's touch, Leah leaned her head into Lucian's arms.
The tingling did not go away. On the contrary, it grew louder and even strange auditory hallucinations were heard.
'Arya.'
Leah somehow felt like the voice was coming from that painting.
When she holds her forehead to endure the pain. Something strange was detected.
As Leah stared into space, Lucian was puzzled. But for a moment, he sensed that Lucian was also like Leah.
"We arrive!"
"..."
Caesar and Age appeared out of thin air and landed on the table and appeared.
Leah and Lucian were so shocked that they looked at Caesar, who appeared with open arms, with cold eyes.
"Move."
"Ahh!"
Age pushed Caesar and came down gently under the table. Caesar, who was suddenly pushed off the table, lost his balance and stumbled, glaring at Age.
"Why are you angry at me for taking the wrong coordinates?"
"Shut up."
Lucian sighed as he saw the two dragons bickering.
"Caesar, Age, can you please come in the normal way?"
Lucian grumbled, wondering since when had the imperial palace been a place where people could come and go as they pleased?
"I didn't come to see you, I came to see Leah, right?"
When Caesar snorted and pointed at her, Leah tilted her head.
"Me?"
Age took out several sheets of letter paper from the subspace.
Leah blinked when she saw the letter that seemed to be about 30 pages long.
"Oh, no way......"
"Yes, it's Carcerine's letter."
"In it, not only does it tell the story of Odell, but it also roughly describes how the first Emperor founded the Adrian Empire."
"I could have explained it, but the fact that you brought it yourself..."
"I think it would be better for you to see it in person."
Seeing Age's slightly stiff expression, Leah became nervous for a moment.
Judging by the unusual reactions of the two, it seems that something important is written here.
Caesar arranged the letters in chronological order so that Leah could read them comfortably.
"The first letter he sent was after the first Lord's castle was captured."
'I joined hands with some foolish humans and took down one human.
That guy dared to hunt me down.
Of course, he paid back double what he did to me, so don't worry too much, father and mother.
This carcerine is very healthy with no injuries.
To be honest... I had some injuries, but a man named Odell treated me without any fear.
I can't tell you how surprised I was when he screamed at me that I was injured and needed treatment even though I almost killed him.
Anyway, he's a really strange guy.
I plan to stay close and watch how these guys move for a while.
I'll see you next time.'
The people Carcerine sent the letter to were his parents.
Since it was a letter to his parents, there was a certain level of politeness, but Carcerine's arrogant tone was evident at times.
The letters that followed were not much different from the initial letters.
What is different is that he refers to the people he worked with rather than talking about himself.
The representative character was Odell, and occasionally Leon and Arya appeared in the letters.
"Carserine."
'Sometimes I whined, got irritated, and on days when I got into a fight with someone. I complained that I would leave right away.
Love for my friends was melted inside.'
The more Leah read the letter, the more painful it became because she could clearly feel Carcerine's love.
Leah tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to come out and looked at the next letter.
'After occupying 13 lordly castles, we eventually reached the last remaining castle in the country.
Before we know it, many people have joined us. Among them, some minorities were persecuted, and there was also a clan of warlocks who were on the verge of extinction.
We're literally a ragtag bunch, but I think that's why we're able to come together more closely.
Of course, Leon and Odell were at the center of it all.
It was good that everyone, even the King, was dealt with to solve the discrimination, hatred, profiteering, and tyranny that was deeply rooted throughout the country, but now that they had lost the person to lead the country, it seemed like they were at a loss as to what to do next.
But why don't the humans choose Leon as King?
Odell is a fool who only cares about his brother, so of course he welcomes him with both arms, and Arya seems to have good intentions. Leon didn't seem very reluctant either. It seems like there are impure elements in the middle who are undesirable...
Let's take a look. I think the trip will probably take longer.'
The letter that followed detailed how Leon became King. Although his ascension to the throne was not smooth from the beginning, he was able to quickly find stability because Arya and Carcerine actively helped Leon.
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