I Ended Up Snatching a Marriage With the Male Lead! - Chapter 41

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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 had ended up in a shotgun marriage with the male lead.
Chapter 41

“I’ve heard so much about you from Grandfather!”
At Flora’s words, Emilia’s expression grew uncertain.
‘I was thinking the same thing earlier….’
How many stories had Ardel told his grandchildren about himself?
“It wasn’t that I performed a miraculous recovery, really. Samuel’s plan was simply excellent.”
“And so humble too!”
“Ahem.”
Emilia found Flora’s eyes—an exact mirror of Ardel’s—unnerving, and quietly looked away.
Just then, Evan tugged at Emilia’s skirt.
“Emilia! Try this!”
The boy opened his fist to reveal what lay in his small palm.
“What is it?”
Emilia picked up one of the small grains resting on his tiny hand and asked.
The answer came not from Evan, but from Flora.
“Ah, it’s a fruit that grows only in the Jaridin Kingdom, but I tried to develop a strain that can be cultivated in The Empire too!”
“Really?”
Emilia’s eyes widened in surprise, and Flora quickly continued.
“I’m very interested in plant research!”
“I—I heard that from Ardel.”
“Grandfather talked about me?”
At her question, Emilia smiled brightly and nodded.
“Yes, he praised you quite highly as such a promising granddaughter.”
“…R-really?”
Flora’s lips pouted slightly as if she felt a little bashful.
“Honestly, all he usually does is scold me.”
Yet for all her grumbling, Flora looked delighted.
“Well, anyway.”
She steered the conversation back, as if embarrassed.
“The shape is less impressive than before, but the nutritional content is identical. And safe, of course!”
As she spoke, she pulled out various fruits and seeds from her pocket to show.
“Now this one…”
She sampled a few herself first, then shared them with Evan and Emilia.
Emilia felt genuine interest and popped the small fruits into her mouth.
Some had a pleasant texture, others were intensely sweet.
“Wow, I’ve never tasted these before—they’re delicious!”
“Right?”
Delighted by Emilia’s interest, Flora launched into her explanations with enthusiasm.
“What I really want to do most is increase both the harvest yield and environmental adaptability of grain crops for the Territory Subjects.”
But soon she sighed with regret.
“To conduct research on such a large scale, I’d need not just a special greenhouse to shorten the growing period, but various other things too.”
“Ah…”
At Emilia’s sigh, Flora laughed.
“But it’s fine.”
She shrugged and continued.
“Even if it remains just a hobby, it’s not so bad.”
Yet as she spoke, Flora looked somehow melancholy.
Seeing this, Emilia became curious and asked.
“Haven’t you tried applying for Business Support, like Samuel did?”
“Ah, this kind of work is difficult to prove tangible results for.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. For example, even if I succeed in Breed Improvement and increase crop yield and environmental adaptability—”
Flora hesitated on how to explain, then continued.
“It’s not easy to prove it. There are so many variables in actual farmland, and gathering statistics would be quite difficult.”
She shook her head as if resigned.
“Hmm, I see.”
She was certainly right.
The verification period would be long, and expressing such results in a single figure would be difficult indeed.
Then Flora shrugged and spoke with renewed energy.
“But it’s fine! If my brother makes a lot of money, I can just squeeze him for funds to research and enjoy myself!”
Watching Flora, Emilia reflected.
‘So it wasn’t just tea leaves she was interested in.’
She hadn’t realized this young lady possessed such specialized knowledge.
Then Lora’s voice rang out from a distance.
“Emilia! Samuel has returned to the Reception Room and is looking for you!”
“Oh! I’ll be right there.”
Emilia answered hurriedly.
Flora pouted in disappointment, but Emilia smiled and said.
“Today’s conversation was really fun.”
“Mine too! So much!”
Flora’s eyes shone brightly as she answered, her cheeks flushing crimson. Her fingers fumbled nervously as she asked.
“I-if it’s not too presumptuous…”
“Yes?”
“Would it be all right if we exchanged letters?”
At Flora’s hesitant words, Emilia nodded readily.
“Of course, anytime you’d like.”
Flora’s face lit up brilliantly.

* * *

The Princess Palace.
“It is done.”
At the voice beside her, Selena opened her eyes.
“Thank you for your work.”
The handmaidens who had adorned her with perfunctory care gathered their cosmetics and quickly left.
Her silver hair, cold as moonlight, gleamed with even greater beauty. Yet her face remained shrouded in darkness.
For such rare preparation, a meal with her mother was never something to look forward to.
Whether the Empress was in a good mood or a bad one.
Selena rose from her seat and made her way to the Empress Palace.

The Empress greeted Selena, who had arrived at the Banquet Hall, without warmth.
“You’re here?”
Though she had arrived earlier than the appointed time, the Empress had already finished her meal.
And those words meant not that she wanted a dining companion, but that she needed someone to humor her.
“You seem to be in a good mood today, Mother.”
Selena, now seated, spoke up.
The Empress certainly looked different from how irritable she had been not long ago.
“Yes, and how.”
The Empress let out a languid laugh as she murmured.
“I’ve found a way to deal with that troublesome thing.”
‘That troublesome thing.’
Selena understood at once whom she meant.
Her father’s illegitimate child, living under Duke Valen’s protection.
To avoid crossing her mother’s temper, Selena asked in measured tones.
“Didn’t you say last time that you couldn’t do anything to them because of Duke Valen?”
“That’s right. We can hardly send knights to the Duke’s House without cause.”
The Empress furrowed her brow and drew out her words.
“But my dear son has come up with a clever plan.”
Her expression shifted to a pleased smile.
“I really do wish our Aaron would ascend to the throne sooner.”
She murmured as though it were a pity.
“What clever plan did Aaron come up with?”
Selena hated hearing her younger brother’s name spoken aloud, but as always, she hid it.
“Well, you see.”
The Empress took a sip of wine and began to speak.
“He intends to bring that child to the imperial palace.”
At her words, the hand hidden beneath the table trembled.
“To the imperial palace?”
“Yes.”
The Empress laughed, delighted by the very thought.
“Tomorrow, we shall hold a Grand Assembly and publicly declare before all the nobles that the child Duke Valen has been keeping is the Emperor’s own child.”
She gestured as though painting the scene.
“We’ll appeal for the return of my husband’s child right before everyone’s eyes. How could that Duke refuse? What justification could he possibly have for keeping that illegitimate child?”
The Empress spoke in a sing-song voice, as though drunk.
“…And once you’ve brought them here, what then?”
As Selena spoke, she became aware her voice had dropped far too low, and felt a chill of alarm.
But the Empress simply burst into girlish laughter.
“What a question!”
The Empress met Selena’s eyes and spoke.
“Of course we kill them, without a soul knowing.”

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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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