I Ended Up Snatching a Marriage With the Male Lead! - Chapter 23

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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 ended up in a shotgun marriage with the male lead.
Chapter 23

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Emilia was just rising from her seat after successfully drafting the Employment Contract when the door swung open.
Herald limped in, his gait uneven.
She greeted him with something approaching warmth.
“Good morning, Herald.”
“Ah, Emilia.”
He paused at the sight of this unfamiliar woman in his familiar office, then nodded slowly.
Emilia noticed the dark circles that extended down to his jawline and asked with concern in her voice.
“You don’t look well. Are you all right?”
It was the kind of worried remark he could never have heard in his superior’s office before.
“Of course I—”
Just as Herald was beginning to be moved by such warmth.
His face darkened the moment he spotted the sheaf of papers in Emilia’s hands.
Herald staked his resignation on a single certainty.
That those were the papers Kaiden had forced him to sign yesterday on the way to the Bedroom.
……
His gaze shifted to his employer.
The face of the man who’d finally accomplished what he’d been yearning for since yesterday looked decidedly pleased with itself.
“……Heartless boss.”
Herald let his true feelings slip out before he could stop himself.
“And here I thought you couldn’t manage a single meal on your own, Your Excellency.”
But it wasn’t Kaiden who reacted meaningfully to that remark.
Emilia’s eyes widened.
She stared at the person Herald had meant.
‘Heartless? A boss?’
Now that she shared the same employer as Herald, she couldn’t simply let it pass.
Especially not after her recent troubles with an unscrupulous shopkeeper in the Capital.
‘Maybe I should have been more careful when signing the contract.’
Emilia looked at Herald’s pitiful expression, then down at the contract with her name written clearly upon it.
‘The meal might have been bait.’
Now that she thought about it, he’d whisked her straight to the Office the moment they’d finished eating.
In that case, Kaiden had made a masterful choice.
She’d already tasted the skills of his cook and could never abandon him now.
“Would one meal a day be acceptable? Or is even that too much?”
She’d always eaten haphazardly anyway, so one meal would be fine.
Kaiden replied as though the question was absurd.
“Why would you think me a heartless boss? You may eat as many meals as you wish.”
In truth, remembering the moment he’d lifted her in his arms, he felt ten meals a day would hardly suffice.
Kaiden glanced at his aide, who was spouting unnecessary words beside him.
“I’ve never prevented you from eating.”
At this shameless remark, Herald’s jaw fell open.
Of course not!
Yet to torment him so yesterday and then expect him to digest his meal the very next day was hardly a matter of conscience.
But Kaiden simply ignored Herald and turned his gaze to Emilia.
She stood holding the Employment Contract, her eyes gentle and trusting.
“Then I’ll count on you.”
His mouth, taut with tension just moments before, finally eased into a lazy smile.

* * *

Scratch-scratch.
Iban gripped the Fountain Pen tightly, his small hand moving with great determination.
The previously blank page was soon filled with ink.
‘All done!’
Iban lifted his head with pride, gazing down at the page.
Across from him sat Emilia in perfect posture.
She had her head tilted slightly, absorbed in something.
Iban set the Fountain Pen down on the table as quietly as he could.
He intended to wait patiently until Emilia noticed him.
But it didn’t last long.
‘Hmm……’
Iban made a small sound of frustration internally. He didn’t want to disturb Emilia.
And yet.
The desire to show off his writing right now burned stronger.
Unable to contain himself, Iban began to fidget, then reached out to tug at Emilia’s sleeve.
“Emilia!”
“What is it, Iban? Oh, are you already done?”
Emilia’s clear pale-green eyes finally turned toward him.
“Yes! All finished!”
Iban nodded vigorously.
“Let me see then?”
Emilia closed her book and moved beside him, injecting her voice with anticipation.
“Here!”
She examined the page Iban proudly held up.
The letters were densely packed, though their sizes varied somewhat freely. Ink had smudged in places.
Yet the effort to keep the lines aligned was evident.
“Your handwriting’s gotten so good!”
Emilia stroked his soft hair as she spoke.
“Really?”
“Yes. I think you write even prettier than I do now.”
At this sincere praise, Iban felt a swell of pride and sniffed his nose.
But that left a black ink smudge on the tip.
Emilia laughed and drew out her Handkerchief, gently wiping it away.
“Mmhmm.”
“Will you show me your hands?”
“My hands!”
Like a well-trained dog, Iban eagerly thrust out both palms.
As Emilia meticulously cleaned the ink from his hands, Iban giggled at the ticklish sensation and said:
“Emilia, whenever you need writing done, just tell me! I’ll do it all for you!”
“Really?”
“Yes, really! Just for you, Emilia!”
Emilia laughed at this special treatment offered by the boy.
“All right then. I’ll ask you whenever I need something written?”
“Yes, I’ll do it all!”
Of course it would likely never come to that, but she said it because his sincerity touched her heart.
And Iban became all the more earnest.
He pulled out fresh paper and began writing with renewed vigor.
Emilia watched him with a smile playing at her lips.
It seemed Iban always wanted to do something for her.
‘Just like those Cookies the other day.’

A few days earlier, Iban had come scampering over, saying he and Lora had baked Cookies together.
At first, Emilia couldn’t begin to guess what he was so confidently offering her.
To be honest, she’d thought he was bringing her a plate of dirt from the Garden.
So she had no choice but to ask him, bewildered.
“……Iban, what is this?”
The shape was questionable, but the color was entirely at odds with her expectations.
“Cookies!”
“Cookies? Oh, did you put chocolate in them?”
“No! There’s no chocolate!”
“Then……?”
Staring at the pitch-black color, Emilia could only wonder what had gone into them.
“I made them for Emilia! Eat them!”
“Th-thank you. I’ll eat them gladly.”
Iban looked at her with hopeful eyes.
And Emilia couldn’t bring herself to refuse cookies that had been so carefully baked by these small hands.
‘Well, eating a little burnt food won’t kill me, will it?’
But when Emilia took a bite, she realized she’d underestimated the situation.

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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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