Chapter 1

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 0
Chapter Title: The Ghost Bride and the Little Groom
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Name, none.

Age, I haven't bothered to count since I turned 100.

Appearance, can't say. I don't have a reflection.

I know nothing about myself, but I've lived in this old mansion for some 300 years now.

I am a ghost. A spirit bound to this very mansion, to be precise.

I don't know when I died, or why I became a ghost unable to leave this place.

Ever since I became self-aware, I've been a ghost, wandering the mortal plane, unable to pass on.

So why is a ghost like me suddenly talking about all this?

Because, for fuck's sake, today is my wedding day.

I sat sullenly on the roof, looking down at the people bustling about below.

They seemed eager to get it over with, preparing for the wedding with only the barest of formalities.

[Seriously, why are they holding *my* wedding on their own damn terms?]

Humans are just impossible to understand. And to top it off, the groom is that tiny little boy.

Amidst the busy adults, a small child dressed in a black suit sat with a pale face.

He was a cute-looking boy with impressive snow-white hair and yellow eyes. He couldn't have been more than seven.

Watching the child tremble, biting his lip hard, I clicked my tongue.

[What did that poor kid ever do to deserve this?]

Even I, a ghost, feel sorry for him, but it seems these humans are incapable of such emotions. Not a single one of them is even looking his way.

“Is this really going to work?”

“What can we do if it doesn't? His Majesty ordered it.”

The humans' voices drifted up to me. I perked up my ears and focused on their conversation.

“Still, a Spirit Wedding... I wonder if this will actually appease the ghost. Why not just perform an exorcism?”

“They say we have to soothe the wrathful spirit. Apparently, just getting rid of it would bring ruin to the Imperial Family.”

“Tsk, tsk. That kid is basically a sacrifice.”

“He looks so young. It's a pity.”

“But do they really need to dress him up like that? He looks like royalty...”

“Shh. We just need to do as we're told. Don't pay any unnecessary attention.”

It seemed they were deliberately avoiding paying him any mind. Looking closer, they were all sneaking glances at the boy while keeping their voices down.

“But is this place really haunted? I mean, the mansion is old enough, it seems plausible...”

“I heard secondhand that some knights who came here for a courage test saw a ghost and pissed their pants. It must be haunted for real.”

“Not only that, they say a dead body appeared right before their eyes and then vanished in a flash!”

Before long, they'd lost interest in the boy and started gossiping about the rumors surrounding the mansion.

“Hey.”

Just then, the man who appeared to be the highest-ranking of the priests approached the little boy.

“You know you have to repay us for giving you a place to sleep and food to eat all this time, right?”

[What kind of bullshit is that?]

Saying something like that to a kid who's barely out of diapers.

The boy couldn't say a word and lowered his head. The priest just snickered and patted his head condescendingly.

“This is a historic mansion, passed down since the time of the first Emperor. But recently, strange things have been happening here, causing His Majesty a great deal of trouble. They say the ghost of a woman who died unjustly keeps appearing.”

He's definitely talking about me.

“They say anyone who comes here gets hurt, has nightmares every night, and can't stand to stay for even a single day. It must be the work of that female ghost.”

That's not right. He should get his facts straight.

I was just minding my own business when you bastards came barging into my mansion.

People rarely ever came here, but about three months ago, they started showing up one by one.

They suddenly started snooping around the mansion, shattering my peaceful daily life, so I got annoyed and taught them a lesson. That's all.

[Besides, they all tripped over their own feet.]

I have never, ever harmed a person. They got scared and made a scene, and now they're treating an innocent ghost like the villain.

Just then, the priest said to the boy.

“An orphan like you, worse than a sewer rat, should consider it an honor to finally be of some use to the Imperial Family.”

[Wow! This bastard really knows how to be an asshole, doesn't he?]

Even a third party would be furious, but the boy, insulted to his face, couldn't react at all.

No, rather than anger, he seemed terrified.

“...What happens to me now?”

The boy, who had been silent, finally spoke.

“You're marrying the ghost who lives here, so now you have to live here.”

“S-so I have to live here all by myself?”

“You're not alone. You have your Ghost Bride.”

Which meant he would be completely alone. The boy's face turned deathly pale.

“Pwahahaha! Hey! You were just offered up as a sacrifice. Dressing you up like royalty was just to fool the ghost. What, did you think they'd give you servants? You should know your place.”

The louder the priest's laughter grew, the more the boy's small shoulders trembled.

“Ah, but don't worry. His Majesty, in his great mercy, has decided to provide you with living expenses and food every month. Only until you come of age, of course. Honestly, I don't know why he's going that far... but well, that's not my problem.”

“Did His Majesty really send me here? He should have just left me to die alone...!”

As the boy's emotional outburst drew the attention of the crowd, the priest's expression hardened, and he clamped a hand over the boy's mouth.

“You seem to be mistaken about something. A thing like you is worth less than a stone on the street. Who are you to dare curse His Majesty? Just because you're dressed like royalty, you think you are?”

The priest roughly shoved the boy. He fell to the ground, a dark scrape appearing on his cheek.

“Well, everything's ready. Shall we go meet the bride now, Your Highness, the fake prince?”

His snickering sounded like the laughter of a demon.

The boy covered his ears, but a rough hand grabbed him and forced him to his feet.

Watching all of this unfold, I scowled.

[Wow, what human garbage. To do something like this to a child...!]

I was about to kick them all out, little groom and all, but then I realized the child would likely die without anyone to care for him.

He has no one on his side here; it's unlikely he'd have anyone out there either.

[But who is this kid, really?]

It was a question I'd had from the beginning. The way the underlings whispered about him being royalty, and the priest's cryptic words.

Putting it all together, it sounded like they deliberately dressed him up to look like royalty...

[But I don't see any signs of magic or potions being used.]

Something felt off.

The boy stood before a white coffin prepared by the priests, looking like someone facing their own death.

I assumed the coffin, draped in white flowers and a veil, was meant to represent the Ghost Bride—me.

“Do you, the groom, Lucian... no, Lucian Odelion, swear to cherish, love, and spend your life with the Ghost Bride?”

The rushed ceremony had somehow already reached the point of exchanging vows.

At the priest's question, the boy bit his lip hard.

As the silence stretched on, the impatient priest raised his voice.

“Do you, the groom, Lucian Odelion, swear to cherish, love, and spend your life with the Ghost Bride!”

“...Yes.”

The boy trembled at the shouted demand. The humans around him showed no sympathy, instead grumbling that he was just wasting time and should have answered sooner.

It was heartbreaking to see that among so many people, not a single one was on his side.

Still sitting on the roof, I let out a deep sigh and reluctantly descended into the middle of the wedding ceremony.

“Do you, the bride, the Ghost Bride, swear to cherish, love, and spend your life with Lucian Odelion?”

How utterly ridiculous. Calling a coffin the Ghost Bride. The others seemed to find it funny too, as I could hear faint snickers.

The boy's shoulders slumped even further. I didn't like this situation one bit.

[Yes, I swear.]

I answered curtly while manipulating my mana. The coffin rattled, and a strong wind whipped up around it.

The faces of those holding back laughter instantly turned pale. It was amusing how a simple trick could scare them so easily.

[Serves you right, you bastards! Who do you think you are, you cowards who can't even look a ghost in the face!]

Even the priest who had been tormenting the boy tried to rush the end of the ceremony at the strange phenomenon. I watched with satisfaction, crossing my arms and chuckling.

“Ah, ah...”

But then, a strange sound came from beside me. I turned my head to see the boy looking askew in my direction. At my lower body, to be precise.

He shouldn't be able to see my feet, since I'm a ghost. The thought had barely crossed my mind when the boy's eyes rolled back in his head.

“Hey!”

The boy's sudden collapse stunned the priest and the others. I was just as bewildered.

I watched the people crowd around the boy and scratched my head.

[Did he actually see me?]

No, if he could, he would have seen me sooner. I was sitting on the roof watching the whole time.

[Sigh, he must have a weak constitution.]

It happens sometimes. Humans who can see my afterimage. And maybe he saw me because I was exuding a lot of energy just now.

“Th-this concludes the Spirit Wedding!”

The priest hastily concluded the ceremony, and the servants began to move about hurriedly, preparing to leave.

Meanwhile, the priests stood around awkwardly, leaving the fainted boy on the ground.

“What do we do with him?”

“Just leave him. Our job is done.”

“What if His Majesty gets angry that we didn't finish properly...!”

I squatted down next to the boy, watching to see what kind of garbage these humans would pull next.

“We can't just leave him here indefinitely. We don't know when he'll wake up. Besides, it looks like it's going to rain soon.”

“Damn it! Then what are we supposed to do!”

“...There's no other way. One of us will have to take him inside the mansion.”

The three priests stared at the mansion with stiff faces. To them, it must have looked like an abandoned house swarming with ghosts.

[How rude. I take great care of this mansion.]

The atmosphere might be a little gloomy, but I pride myself on it being cleaner than other mansions.

Unable to hear me, they started to decide who would go inside.

“...Damn it.”

In the end, the priest who had been tormenting the boy was chosen. He glared at his relieved colleagues and reluctantly picked up the boy.

“Try not to piss your pants on the way!”

“Be careful not to see the ghost!”

Hee hee hee!

At the taunts of his colleagues, who had immediately changed their tune now that it wasn't their problem, the priest's face contorted as if he were swallowing his anger.

I was about to follow him, but I decided those two deserved some payback, so I created a rock right in front of their feet.

Ugh! Aaargh!

The two of them tumbled over in a spectacular tangle. One of them probably broke his nose.

[Hmph! Serves you right!]

Leaving the two guys clutching their noses and mouths, I hurried after the boy.

“...Damn, why is it so cold in here?”

Unlike the warm spring breeze outside, the priest shivered as soon as he stepped through the entrance, hit by a sudden chill.

“Ummmn...”

The priest shivered again. A soft groan from the boy in his arms made him snap to his senses and look around.

“Damn it, not a single sofa.”

It seemed he was hoping to find something nearby to dump the boy on and make a quick exit.

[He needs to be in a bed. If you leave him here, his face will get paralyzed.]

I kindly lit a candle to guide the way.

At this, the priest's face grew pale.

“It's as if a ghost is leading the way...”

He may have talked about a Ghost Bride and soothing the spirit, but it was probably all just a bluff.

Just look at him. He has the face of someone who's just realized ghosts are real for the first time.

“I don't care anymore.”

As if deciding to just get it over with, he headed toward the flickering candlelight.

The candlelight traveled up the staircase railing, indicating the largest door near the top of the second-floor landing. Beyond the door was an elegant room.

Terrified, the priest tossed the boy onto the bed like a sack of potatoes and rushed for the exit. But I wasn't about to let him go that easily.

[You bastard! You have to leave the living expenses!]

How dare you just dump this kid here and run off!

Before the priest could leave the room, I slammed the door shut. Seeing the door close without a gust of wind, his face went from pale to completely white.

“Fuck, open the door! Aren't you going to open it?! You damn ghost! Do you know who I am?!”

He was so scared he was starting to lose it. I sighed and took out a slate and a piece of chalk from a corner.

The priest froze, watching the slate float in mid-air.

[Leave the money and food for my groom.]

See? How nice of me to communicate. I shoved the slate right in front of his face so he could see it clearly.

Drip, drip—

[Huh?]

I heard the faint sound of trickling water. Looking down, I saw a dark patch spreading across the priest's trousers.

[Ack! You filthy bastard! He pissed himself!]

Startled, I dropped the slate to the floor. The priest, who had been frozen in place, collapsed.

“...G-g-ghost!”

Five seconds later, the priest let out a scream that could wake the dead, threw open the door, and bolted outside. He ignored the others trying to stop him and fled frantically beyond the gates.

[That bastard. I told him to leave the money and food.]

“Ummmn...”

I was clicking my tongue while looking out the window when I heard the boy groan.

I looked from the moaning boy on the bed to the wet spot the priest had left behind and sighed deeply.

[Oh, what have I gotten myself into?]

I had a feeling the mansion was going to be quite noisy for a while.