-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Our New Life Together
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sniffle, sniffle.
Having cried himself out a bit, Lucian sniffled endlessly, his eyes bright red.
Why did you have to cry so heartbreakingly?
You're making this ghost's heart ache so much that I can't even leave.
Thinking he had calmed down enough, I stood up.
“Wh-where are you going?”
Just then, Lucian reached out. But his hand passed right through my body. He stared blankly at his empty hand.
[You knew I was a ghost, yet you still tried to grab me?]
“...I did it without thinking.”
[Are you done crying?]
“Yes.”
Sniff. As if. A glob of snot was still dangling from his nose. I sighed and wiped his face with a clean napkin.
Lucian blinked his golden eyes, unable to look away from me.
[You'll burn a hole through my face if you keep staring like that.]
“Um, Benefactor.”
[Don't call me Benefactor.]
“Th-then what should I call you?”
[Hmm. Ghost? Bride? Or maybe Ghost Bride?]
He turned pale at the word 'bride,' making him awfully easy to tease.
“B-bride is a little... Just tell me your name, please.”
I paused. A name...
[I'm sorry, but I don't have a name.]
“What?”
[I don't have a name. So just call me whatever you're comfortable with. Anything but Benefactor.]
I have no name.
To be precise, I don't know what kind of life I lived, so I know nothing about myself—not my name, my age, or even my face.
It's not inconvenient, not having a name. There's no one to call it, anyway.
Ah, well, there is one guy. But he just calls me 'Hey, ghost~' and that's it.
“...Then I'll call you Bride.”
[Fine by me.]
“So, Bride.”
[What is it, Little Groom?]
“Hey, I'm not little...”
Lucian's expression soured, clearly disliking being called little. But only for a moment before he asked the question he'd been wanting to ask.
“How can you hold things if you're a ghost?”
His sparkling golden eyes shifted to my hand holding the napkin. Then, Lucian cautiously reached out to me again. His hand still passed right through my body.
“I can't touch you at all, so I'm curious how you can do that.”
[Normally, I can't either.]
“What? But...”
I immediately released the mana I had wrapped around my hand. The napkin, which had been floating in midair, dropped with a soft thud.
“H-how...”
[Have you heard of mana? Or magic?]
“I have.”
[I can use magic. So if I roughly wrap mana around my hand, like this...!]
Lucian gasped in amazement as I lifted the napkin again.
“That's amazing! I heard only incredible people can use magic...!”
[A-ahem! I am rather incredible, I suppose. Living for 300 years, you tend to pick things up.]
“Gasp! 300 years? How long is 300 years...? I'm eight, so...”
Lucian wiggled his fingers, trying to calculate, but he seemed to be failing as his eyes started to spin.
[Huh? Wait. You're eight?]
“Yes.”
[...I thought you were seven.]
Isn't he a bit small for an eight-year-old?
As if sensing my inner thoughts, Lucian puffed up his cheeks.
“I'm not that young! I'm eight!”
[It's only a one-year difference. What's with the attitude?]
“Seven and eight are completely different!”
[How are they so different?]
“Um... well...”
Lucian couldn't find a good answer and darted his eyes around. Annoyed at having lost the argument, he glared at me with narrowed eyes.
[Sigh, fine. You're an eight-year-old adult.]
Wondering what I was doing arguing with a child so much younger than me, I stood up again.
[Looks like some good ingredients came in this time. I'll make you lots of delicious food from now on.]
“You're going to keep cooking for me?”
[...]
Right, why am I offering to cook for him?
Now that we can talk, I could just teach him to cook for himself.
As I mulled it over, instead of making an excuse, I spoke the truth that came from my heart.
[Because I want to.]
His intense gaze was almost burdensome, but I continued.
[I've lived here for over 300 years, but you're the first person to ever see me.]
“Huh? Really?”
[Yes. Talking with someone for the first time... it's not so bad.]
Over the years, a few people have stayed in this mansion and left, and I naturally mingled among them.
But though I was with them, I wasn't truly *with* them. No matter what I said, there was no one to understand or talk back.
[Besides, do you even know how to cook?]
Lucian flinched.
[The other day, it looked like you were about to burn the whole kitchen down.]
“Y-you saw that?”
[Of course I did. This is my mansion. I've been watching you since the moment you first arrived.]
“You've been watching since the beginning...”
[Let's be honest. You were abandoned, weren't you?]
Lucian, who had been momentarily lost in thought, stiffened at my words.
[It's no use trying to find anyone. There's really no one else here but you.]
“...Since when?”
[Since the moment you arrived.]
Lucian's lips trembled, and he hung his head low.
[I tried not to get involved, but it was impossible to ignore.]
At my words, Lucian suddenly looked up. His eyes were filled with a kind of hope. That look tugged at my heart, so I knelt to meet his gaze.
[I was afraid you'd end up as a resident ghost just like me, so I started cooking for you in secret. The first oatmeal was really salty, wasn't it? I can't taste, so I accidentally added too much salt.]
Lucian's golden eyes wavered. He looked like he might burst into tears at any moment, but he pressed the corners of his eyes and smiled brightly as if nothing was wrong.
“No! It was delicious! The best food I've ever had!”
[...You little rascal. No need to flatter me. I'll cook for you every day.]
“It's not flattery, it's true...”
[Kiddo.]
“Yes?”
[You're still young. If you want to be childish and lean on someone, you can. You're at an age where you need to be cared for. Of course, there's no one here to lean on. But if a ghost is okay, feel free to do as you please.]
“...Really?”
[Yes. I'll be here until you grow up anyway, so we should get along, don't you think?]
“B-but that would be rude to you, Bride. I don't know how to do anything...”
What part of what I just said did he not understand?
[I said you're still young, kiddo. You can't even do the laundry properly, what are you trying to do?]
“Still...”
[If you insist, then you can help me when I cook. Since I can't taste, you can be my taste-tester and help me with the seasoning.]
“Oh! I can do that! I'll do my very best!”
[Alright, alright.]
“Is there anything else I can do?”
[Something else? Hmm...]
From what I saw last time, he seems to have zero talent for housework. No, that's not right. It's only natural he'd be bad at it if he was never taught properly.
But before that, this little one is lacking an education in many ways.
[Can you read?]
Lucian flinched, hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
“W-well, I can read a little bit!”
[Oh?]
“I've seen adults write sometimes.”
Like 'duck' or 'dog.' Lucian scribbled on the table with his finger, then glanced at me as if asking if he'd gotten the letters right.
So he didn't learn formally, just by watching from the sidelines?
Come to think of it, for someone who can't read, his vocabulary is quite impressive. That must mean he's naturally bright.
[Have you ever thought about learning to read?]
“...Me?”
[Yes. I'll teach you.]
Lucian's face lit up. No, more than that, he looked overjoyed. He tapped his feet excitedly on the floor and asked.
“C-can you really point it to me?”
[Not 'point,' 'teach.']
“Aren't they the same thing?”
[The words are similar, but their meanings are different. Goodness... there's a lot to teach you.]
When I seemed to hesitate for a moment, he immediately grew anxious.
[Since we're at it, let's start with other studies, not just reading.]
Lucian tilted his head, wondering what I meant. I grinned and led him to the library.
[Do you know what I've done most during my 300 years here?]
“No.”
[Reading.]
Though I've lived with people in this mansion a few times, I was mostly alone. Unable to leave the estate, reading was the only way to stave off the crushing boredom.
[This library alone has over ten thousand books, and it has everything from fairy tales to ancient texts.]
In other words, there were more than enough educational materials for Lucian.
Besides, that lizard sometimes drops off new books, and I even have a chalkboard for communicating with him, so it's the perfect setup for teaching.
[From now on, I will teach you everything!]
I got so excited that a breeze swirled around me.
[I possess the knowledge of 300 years! Do you have any idea how rare an opportunity this is?]
Honestly, this was less for Lucian's education and more for myself.
For 300 years, my days had been a tedious repetition of the same routine.
The one who turned my life upside down, the one who saved me, was none other than this little kid.
I can talk to him without a slate, look him in the eye, and share my knowledge freely.
How I have longed for this.
All this time, I'd told myself I wasn't lonely, that I didn't need anyone to talk to. But now, after speaking with Lucian, I realized I had only been brainwashing myself to ward off the loneliness. In truth, I was incredibly lonely.
I can't be without Lucian now.
Lucian stared at my outstretched hand. As if making a firm resolve, he bit his lip and reached out.
I quickly wrapped my hand in mana and shook his.
Instead of warmth, the sensation of grasping empty air once again reminded Lucian that the person before him was truly a Ghost Bride.
“I'll be in your care, Bride.”
[Let's get along from now on, Little Groom.]
And so, my newlywed life with Lucian, complete with child-rearing, began.
***
Dawn began to break. I watched the sky slowly turn orange, then turned around.
Huu, huu—
I could hear soft, even breaths. Lucian was still lost in dreamland.
I read him three whole storybooks last night, so he fell asleep later than usual.
[Hurry and wake up, kiddo.]
Unable to actually wake him, I pretended to touch his messy white hair.
Honestly, I'm anxious.
I'm afraid that Lucian seeing me yesterday was just a coincidence. That when he opens his eyes this morning, he won't be able to see me anymore.
Having discovered the joy of talking to someone, I don't think I could put into words the sense of loss I'd feel if it were all taken away overnight.
And so, I waited with bated breath for Lucian to wake up.
