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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Ria
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“I like the version the bride read to me more.”
[Why? You didn’t like it at first.]
“That’s because I didn’t know the story. Now I can see that the witch really liked the emperor.”
*Where on earth did he get that idea?*
“The witch is incredibly powerful, right? But she helped the emperor because they were friends.”
[Right?]
“If I were the witch, I would have tried to become king instead of Rion. The emperor worked hard, but he wouldn’t have succeeded without the power of the Red Dragon and the witch.”
[Hmm…]
That perspective was rather refreshing. I had only seen it as a story about a boy from the mountains overcoming adversity to become emperor. But when you switch the protagonist to the witch, Lucian’s words made sense.
The Red Dragon couldn’t become king because it wasn’t human, but the witch was a human with great power. She might have been more fit to be emperor than the emperor himself.
“Are there any more witch fairy tales? I want to read another one!”
As if he had completely fallen for the witch, Lucian kept chirping her name like a little chick.
In the end, I had to bring other versions of ‘The King, the Dragon, and the Witch’ and read them to him all night.
For some reason, Lucian’s eyes showed no sign of closing tonight.
* * *
“Yaaawn…”
[That’s what you get for staying up late. Are you very sleepy?]
“…No, I’m not sleepy.”
Contrary to his words, his eyes kept closing. Lucian desperately tried to fight off sleep by forcing his eyes open, but he couldn’t win against the overwhelming drowsiness.
In the end, I caught Lucian as he was about to fall forward and fed him, like feeding a baby bird.
Only after he had finished the entire bowl did some life return to his eyes.
“Bride.”
[What is it?]
“The witch is so cool.”
I blinked at his out-of-the-blue comment.
“Don’t you think so? She defeated all those bad people in one go and became the emperor’s dependable lover!”
[Oh boy, here we go again.]
“The emperor should be grateful to the witch! He became emperor thanks to her!”
The other versions I read to him yesterday were adaptations, slightly different from the original draft.
They were all created around the second to fifth year of the kingdom’s calendar, a time when the kingdom had just been established and people were actively talking about the king, the dragon, and the witch.
Perhaps that’s why the people of that era added a love story, claiming the witch was the emperor’s one true partner.
And Lucian was now completely captivated by that part.
“I’m curious about what the witch really looked like. They say she was incredibly beautiful. What kind of person was she?”
[Well, how would I know?]
“Have you never seen the witch or the first emperor, Bride?”
[You think I would have seen them?]
“Well, the time you’ve been around is similar to when the empire was founded.”
That’s true. I have been here for over 300 years.
“What was it like 300 years ago? Were there really a lot of bad people? And the emperor and the witch appeared and defeated them…!”
Lucian, now excited, started stomping his feet and huffing. He seemed curious about the era of the first emperor, but I couldn’t give him any answers. The reason being—
[…Lucian, I have no memories of when I was alive.]
“What?”
[I must have had a time when I was living and breathing, but I have no memory of it.]
“How is that possible?”
[I don’t know. I just opened my eyes one day and found myself in this mansion.]
It’s not a particularly special story.
One day, I came to my senses and found myself in the form of a transparent ghost.
Back then, I didn’t really know how to speak or think; I just existed, drifting as I drifted.
Then, humans started visiting the mansion, and by observing them, I slowly began to think for myself.
‘…If only you had chosen me, none of this would have happened.’
*Flinch—*
A strange memory suddenly surfaced. It seemed a man used to visit the mansion every day.
The time was probably around 300 years ago.
Before I gained consciousness.
[So something like this happened.]
“Huh? What happened?”
Lucian tilted his head at my mumbling. I looked at Lucian for a moment. Perhaps because of the memory from a moment ago, an afterimage seemed to overlap with Lucian’s face.
But the afterimage dissipated before it could fully form.
[It’s nothing.]
For some reason, a chill ran down my spine.
“So, you don’t know how old you are, Bride?”
[I don’t.]
“And you don’t know what kind of person you were?”
[That’s right.]
“B-But you’ve been here for 300 years, so you must know what the outside world is like!”
I looked at Lucian without a word. Right, he wouldn’t know.
[Should we go outside for a bit?]
Lucian was bewildered but followed me obediently.
I matched Lucian’s pace as we headed toward the fence surrounding the mansion.
I stopped just before crossing the entrance, while Lucian, walking at a similar pace, had already passed through it and was outside the fence.
“Bride?”
[I can’t go beyond this point.]
I reached my hand past the entrance, that is, outside the fence. And then—
*Sizzle—!*
A strong electric current sparked in the air, and my soul resonated with a sharp jolt.
Even though my body couldn’t feel pain, my whole being trembled, and I felt nauseous.
“B-Bride!”
Lucian rushed over to me.
“What on earth is happening? Are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?”
[Hah, hah… You see? I can never leave the grounds beyond this fence. I was curious about the outside world too, so I tried all sorts of things…]
But every time, all that awaited me was a pain so intense it felt like I would be extinguished.
Through the ground, through the sky, hiding in people’s belongings, using magic—I tried every method imaginable.
I think I tried to escape for about ten years. Of course, once I realized that I couldn’t leave this place no matter what I did, I stopped such futile efforts.
[Ah, there it is.]
A chain appeared around my previously bare neck.
It would appear whenever I tried to leave the mansion and then disappear.
Lucian, trembling in shock, reached a hand toward my neck.
“H-How… Why did this suddenly appear? Can’t you take it off?”
[I don’t know. It just shows up whenever I try to leave. Since it’s come to this, let me show you the limits of where I can go.]
First, the fence that widely surrounds the mansion is the basic boundary, and my permitted range extends to the very entrance of the forest connected to the back garden. I can’t go any further in.
If I try to go even a little further, an unknown electric current sparks just like before, and the chain on my neck stops me from moving forward.
[Remember this well. If you go farther than where I can reach, I won’t be able to come find you. So, try not to leave this mansion, okay? You’re still too vulnerable to live on your own out there.]
“How can this be?”
Lucian burst into tears. I was momentarily taken aback.
“This is just like being imprisoned! Why did this happen to you, Bride? It’s wrong! The person who did this to you is a bad person!”
*Sob, sob—*
Soon, Lucian began to wail.
I was fine, but Lucian, who was getting angry and crying as if it were his own problem, felt unfamiliar.
And on the other hand, for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to say the empty words that I was okay.
To be honest, I’m angry at the person who did this to me too.
No, I don’t know if it was the work of a human or a demon, but I resented whoever bound my soul to this mansion.
But 300 years was a long time. The aimless resentment had faded, I had given up on escape and hope, and I was just reluctantly living, going with the flow.
Though saying a ghost is ‘living’ is a bit strange.
[Pfft… Your eyes will swell up like a goldfish’s. Stop crying, Little Groom.]
“B-But… you… Bride…!”
[Where did such a cute groom come from? Seeing my groom cry for me makes me feel so much better!]
At my laughter, Lucian sniffled and stopped crying. His eyes were already red and swollen, and a drop of snot dangled from his nose.
I wiped his messy face with a mana-clad hand.
“…I promise I’ll set you free someday, Bride.”
It was comical to see him making a vow with his eyes all puffy. Still, his eyes were so serious that I answered without thinking.
[Alright, I’ll look forward to it.]
In truth, I wasn’t looking forward to it at all. Even I, who could use most kinds of magic, couldn’t find the reason I was trapped here. There was no way this little kid could free me.
And even if he did free me, it didn’t seem like it would mean much, since I’m a ghost anyway.
“When you’re free, you have to go on a trip with me!”
Lucian chattered on about wanting to see the sea, vast plains, and deserts.
Listening to him, I saw an overlap with my past self, who had wondered what the outside world was like.
I wanted to believe his words, just a little. A very little.
“Ah! You said you don’t know your own name, right, Bride?”
[There’s no one to call my name anyway, so it’s not really an inconvenience.]
“But I call you!”
*That’s right, now there’s Lucian, isn’t there?*
“Can I give you a name?”
[You?]
I was a little worried he’d pick a strange one…
[Well, if I like it.]
“Umm… What would be good?”
I thought he had something in mind, but I guess not.
Lily, Haze, Camilla, Daisy.
Several names came out, but none of them appealed to me.
[By the way, where did you hear all those names?]
There’s no way an eight-year-old kid came up with new names on his own.
“They’re the maids’ names.”
[…Are you trying to give me a maid’s name right now?]
“Ah, no! It’s not that, it’s just that those are the only ones I could think of…!”
Lucian frantically waved his hands, but I glared at him with narrowed eyes.
‘Huh? But he said maids?’
Would Lucian have had any reason to meet maids? Feeling quite suspicious, I looked at Lucian. He was busy racking his brain.
[Ah, maybe it’s that.]
Right before Lucian came here, there were clear signs he had been in someone’s care. Considering some of the humans who visited the mansion were servants, it wouldn’t be strange for him to have encountered a few maids along the way.
I found that quite plausible and quickly lost interest.
“Ah! How about Aria?”
[That’s the witch’s name.]
“That’s right! The great witch, Aria! Since she’s my favorite person, I’ll give her name to you, Bride!”
The desire to call me Aria was plain to see in his eyes. I ignored his sparkling eyes and added,
[Instead of Aria, how about Ria?]
“Ria?”
[Yes. If you call me Aria, I think it’ll be confusing whether you’re calling the witch or me. Ria. It’s simple and nice.]
“Ria, Ria… I like it! The name Ria is pretty.”
[Naturally. Look who suggested it.]
When I praised him, his smile stretched from ear to ear. With a silly, happy grin, he stuck close to my side and repeated “Ria” over and over.
“Ria! Bride Ria! Sister Ria!”
[Yes, yes.]
“Ria! Should I call you Ria from now on? Or Bride Ria? Or Sister Ria?”
[Whatever you’re comfortable with.]
“Then I’ll call you Ria! Ria, don’t be sad if I don’t call you Bride anymore.”
I get that he’s excited, but this is too much. At this rate, he’s going to talk my ear off.
[Aish, you’re so loud! Stop calling me that!]
Lucian flinched at my scolding but soon started chirping like a chick again.
After that, I was pestered by Lucian all day long. Even after he fell asleep, I could hear his voice calling “Ria, Ria” like an auditory hallucination.
