I Ended Up Snatching a Marriage With the Male Lead! - Chapter 77

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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 rushed marriage with the male lead.
Chapter 77

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A few moments earlier.
Emilia had guided Alex to the Dining Room.
It didn’t seem right to send a guest away without offering them a meal, not after they’d come all the way to her home.
‘Wait—home?’
Emilia froze for a moment.
She’d let herself think something rather presumptuous without noticing.
Though she did spend her time at the Mansion, it felt less like a home and more like temporary quarters at her workplace.
‘Playing the role of Duchess for just a moment, and I’m already thinking such overstepping things….’
Emilia shook her head rapidly. At that, Alex asked in a puzzled voice.
“What’s wrong, Emilia?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
She offered an awkward smile as they reached the Dining Room.
Soon, an elaborate and magnificent dinner was laid out on the table.
Upon hearing that a friend of the lady had arrived, the head chef had spared no effort in preparing the evening meal with unusual care.
At the sight of it, Alex’s jaw fell open.
“You eat like this all the time?”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
Emilia nodded somewhat sheepishly.
Though tonight’s spread was perhaps more extravagant than usual, it was true that her meals tended toward the luxurious.
Alex then spoke with obvious admiration.
“Wow, being friends with a Duchess really does open doors. Here I am getting treated like this.”
He was about to begin eating with a face full of delight when—
“Then I’ll gladly enjoy—”
Alex froze mid-sentence, fork and knife suspended in his hands.
‘Why is he suddenly—?’
Puzzled by his strange behavior, Emilia asked him.
“What is it?”
Alex was staring toward the entrance as though he’d seen a ghost.
When Emilia turned her head, she saw Kaiden entering the Dining Room.
“Oh—Duke—”
Her eyes widened; she’d nearly called him “Duke,” but caught herself.
‘Right, Alex is here.’
Emilia glanced at Alex, then rose from her seat without using a title.
“When did you arrive?”
She tried her best to hide her flustered state.
Of course, her confusion wasn’t because she’d invited Alex to the Mansion.
Kaiden himself had insisted she invite Alex to visit.
So Emilia had deliberately informed Kaiden of the date when Alex would be visiting the Mansion.
‘That’s why….’
Alex believed that she had genuinely fallen in love with Kaiden and married him.
She’d hinted at the date specifically because she was worried something awkward might happen if the two ran into each other.
Yet rather than avoid the situation, he’d come directly here himself.
“I just returned moments ago,” Kaiden replied naturally, casting his gaze toward the frozen Alex.
Alex then set down his fork and knife, bolting upright from his chair.
Kaiden approached him with purpose and extended his hand.
“Huh?”
Alex made a bewildered sound.
Then, after a moment’s hesitation, he quickly clasped Kaiden’s hand.
“I’m Kaiden Valen.”
“Oh, I’m Alex Anderson. Ha, ha. It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace.”
Alex laughed awkwardly—like someone who’d unexpectedly run into their boss on a weekend getaway.
Yet Emilia’s husband seemed rather oblivious to the discomfort.
“I haven’t eaten yet either. Would it be acceptable if I joined you at the table?”
“…Yes?”
Alex barely stopped himself from saying ‘Really?’ aloud.
Instead, he cast a desperate look toward Emilia, who stood behind the Duke.
‘Please tell him no?’
That was the plea contained in his gaze.
And Emilia understood exactly what his eyes were saying.
However….
As merely his wife in name, she held no authority to prevent Kaiden from dining in his own Mansion.
So Emilia, looking apologetic, quietly averted her eyes.
‘No, Emilia!’
Alex silently screamed his resentment toward his irresponsible friend.
That was when—
“Would that present a difficulty?”
“N-no, of course not, Your Grace.”
In the end, Alex had no choice but to accept, his eye twitching slightly.

Alex felt—not just a little, but decidedly—as though he might burst.
Of course, as Emilia had assured him, the Duke’s household chef was as accomplished as any high-end restaurant.
But sharing a meal with someone of ducal rank made it feel like a death sentence.
Yet as the meal progressed to its middle point, Alex began to notice something different.
‘These two… they look rather good together, don’t they?’
The Duke not only kept dishes Emilia showed interest in within her reach, but also subtly removed those she seemed indifferent to.
Such attentiveness was impossible without his full focus being on her.
Noticing this, Emilia blushed and awkwardly murmured her thanks.
There was something embarrassed about her manner.
Probably because she was self-conscious about displaying affection in front of her friend.
‘Damn it, my sides are aching.’
Moreover, the Duke treated Alex with courtesy despite knowing he was a commoner—addressing him as “Master Anderson,” as befitted a friend of the Duchess.
‘Master Anderson, indeed.’
He’d never been addressed with such formal respect by a high-ranking noble, and he’d nearly gotten goosebumps.
But it was a stark contrast to someone else he knew.
Though it wasn’t his place to judge, he was certain this man was a hundred times better than that Cedric fool.
Thanks to this, Alex could finally relax completely.
Then, as he gazed quietly at the two, Emilia seemed to notice and asked in confusion.
“Why are you staring like that instead of eating?”
“Oh, I was just worried, but I’m relieved now. I was concerned about the hardship you’ve been through because of that bastard….”
Clang!
The sound of a knife falling cut through the air.
Alex flinched and turned to look at the Duke of House Valen.
Yet Kaiden’s expression remained calm as he smoothly accepted a fresh knife from an attendant standing nearby.
He gave a slight nod as if to say not to worry about it.
“Please, do continue.”
“Pardon? Oh, no… it was nothing important….”
Alex spoke carefully, sensing the shift.
But now Kaiden’s voice had grown cold, his tone polite yet pointed.
“No, I would very much like you to finish what you were saying.”
In that moment, Alex—by pure male instinct—understood something.
He’d made a serious mistake.

Alex hesitated for a moment before leaning in to speak to her quietly.
“I’m… I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? For what?” Emilia looked bewildered at his sudden apology.
If anything, she should have been the one apologizing.
Not only had Alex barely eaten because of the uncomfortable meal, but his face had gone pale.
“But are you really okay, Alex?”
His unexpected apology worried her that things might have gotten worse.
“Haha, ha ha. I’m really fine. I should get going now, Emilia!”
With that, Alex fled into his Carriage like a man escaping for his life.
‘What was he apologizing for?’
Emilia tilted her head in confusion, then turned around.
There she found Kaiden standing behind her, and she blinked.
“Duke?”
But he only gazed at her silently.
‘What’s wrong?’

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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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