I Ended Up Snatching a Marriage With the Male Lead! - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I’d gotten married to the male lead on a whim.
16

“……But why are you getting up?”
“Just need to confirm something quick.”
“No, you just nodded! And it wasn’t even words—it was an empty nod! What kind of nod is that?!”
Herald caught hold of his superior’s shoulder just as the man seemed ready to bolt for the door.
“Absolutely not, sir!”
But alas, he was merely a frail aide.
If Kaiden decided to leave regardless, there was no way to stop him.
Hadn’t he learned that lesson before?
How his superior had leapt from a moving carriage like it was an emergency evacuation—
and how he’d been left with nothing but the bitter sight of it.
Just as Kaiden’s broad shoulders were about to slip from his grip—
“Your Grace? Where are you going?”
A cautious voice came from the doorway.
It was Hariben, a marquis who had arrived with an armful of contract documents.
Hariben’s eyes dimmed sadly, as though he feared Kaiden meant to back out of the agreement and leave.
Herald pressed firmly on Kaiden’s stone-like shoulder.
Then he smiled with practiced brightness and spoke.
“Not at all. His Grace was simply feeling stiff and doing some stretching. Isn’t that right, sir?”
At the same time, he whispered to his superior using Ventriloquism.
“Don’t mess this up.”
“……Right.”
Kaiden made a displeased face but sat back down nonetheless.

* * *

Shortly after, Emilia arrived at the open lot behind the Plaza again.
The familiar sight of tents stretched in rows filled her vision.
‘Hmm.’
She glanced around, searching for someone in that sea of fabric.
Then, just then—
“Oh my, miss!”
“Why have you come back?”
Several women approached her warmly upon spotting her.
“Isn’t she the woman who lived upstairs?”
“Morgan, come here! Remember you said you were curious about her face!”
They were the women Emilia had lived among.
They surrounded her like a barricade in an instant.
“So, who was that man earlier?”
“Pardon?”
Emilia blinked in surprise.
“Your husband, perhaps?”
“It must be her husband! Didn’t you see him lift that luggage with such an irritated face? My, how I envy her.”
“He looked like a nobleman. Why don’t you tell us which house he’s from, hmm?”
The sight of the young miss they’d lived with suddenly departing with a strikingly handsome noble youth was terribly romantic.
For women hungry for gossip, it was the perfect topic.
Seeing them all light up with anticipation, Emilia laughed awkwardly and opened her mouth.
“Ah, well. We just happened to meet, so it’s a bit awkward for me to explain…….”
“Don’t be stingy!”
“Right! He came to fetch you after you ran away and were living as a commoner in secret.”
‘What?’
Emilia momentarily lost her words at how absurdly specific this nonsense had become.
……How had the story spiraled so far out of control?
She desperately wanted to deny it outright, but if she tried to correct and explain each detail, the sun would surely set before she finished.
“Excuse me, but do you happen to know where Duncan is?”
“Duncan? Why suddenly?”
“I have something to discuss regarding the building collapse.”
“Is that so?”
Emilia’s words dampened the cheerful mood somewhat.
Duncan was the victim representative who’d filed the report with the authorities.
‘He said he had connections at the government office.’
So if she asked him to relay information from the original work…….
“Duncan doesn’t seem to be here right now.”
“Ah, is that so?”
Emilia answered with a note of disappointment.
“Why not tell that young man instead?”
“That young man?”
Emilia looked toward where one of the women pointed, puzzled.
There, surrounded by people much like she was, stood a red-haired man.
His striking hair color and towering height made him stand out conspicuously.
“That knight has come to investigate the cause of the building collapse.”
“He……has?”
Emilia found that slightly odd.
‘It’s been quite a while since the building fell. Why only now?’
At that moment, as if feeling her gaze, the man turned his head and looked at her.
He quickly parted the crowd and approached Emilia.
“Hello there?”
He greeted her with a slight upturned smile.
“Oh my.”
The women let out soft gasps of admiration at his charming smile.
“Forgive me, but I happened to overhear the ladies’ conversation just now.”
“Yes?”
“You were speaking of something regarding the building collapse, were you not?”
The man looked at Emilia as he spoke.
‘Ah.’
Though there had been considerable distance, it seemed he’d heard their exchange.
Emilia’s eyes fell on the Knight Armor he wore.
‘Perhaps his hearing is enhanced by his knighthood?’
Emilia hesitated briefly, then spoke.
“I noticed a large crater-like hollow forming in the nearby forest. I thought it might be connected somehow.”
In the original work, there was an episode where Reina, walking down the street, was inconvenienced by the building’s rubble.
It was a minor scene where Kaiden caught Reina as she stumbled—
but thinking about it now, it was certainly connected to the current building collapse.
Though the original used the term “magical sinkhole,” Emilia couldn’t say it directly, so she explained obliquely.
“Is that so?”
He raised his eyebrows with interest.
“Where exactly?”
“In the forest to the north. The hunting ground used during the reign of the previous emperor.”
A light flickered in the man’s eyes at her words, and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“Hmm. I’m not quite sure where that is. Would you perhaps be willing to guide me there?”
“Excuse me?”
Emilia was taken aback by his sudden proposal.
“Of course, there’s no pressure.”
The man shrugged and trailed off.
“Though it would certainly expedite matters if you helped.”
The women’s eyes gleamed as they urged Emilia forward.
“Go on and show him.”
“Yes, and we’re counting on you.”
The cause had to be identified if they were to receive compensation.
‘It would certainly be better to inform him directly like this…….’
Even if she passed word through Duncan, there was no guarantee how the government officials would respond.
Emilia finished her deliberation and nodded to the man.
“Very well.”

* * *

And so Emilia left the lot with the man.
As they approached the horse he’d tied to one side, Emilia came to a stop.
“Ah……I can’t ride horses.”
“Is that so? Would it be walkable from here?”
“No. It’s quite far.”
The man drew near with a smile spreading across his face.
‘What’s he—’
Before she could even process it, her waist was seized.
“Huh?”
In the blink of an eye, she’d been hoisted onto the horse.
As her perspective suddenly shifted higher and she stumbled—
“Steady now.”
The man, who had swiftly mounted behind her, placed a light hand on her shoulder.
Thanks to his steadying grip, she didn’t fall beneath the horse, but his consideration was far from reassuring.
Emilia cried out, her eyes wide.
“Hey! I told you I can’t ride!”
“I can ride, so it should be fine, shouldn’t it?”
The man responded with amusement in his voice, perfectly at ease.
The horse whinnied softly—
and he took up the reins and urged the horse forward.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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