This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 1
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 1
“Well, as long as the quality is good, I don’t mind.”
“Thank you! I’ll catch some good ones and come back!”
When I asked the seafood vendors if they could buy seafood from me, one thin ajusshi with a protruding belly rolled his eyes with a puzzled expression before answering.
After bowing politely to the ajusshi, I walked away with a spring in my step.
Either way, the positive response made me feel so light I could fly.
‘Once I make money selling seafood, I’ll buy soap, clothes, and food.’
Screech-
The cry of a seagull flying by sounded pleasant to my ears. The blue sea in the distance sparkled beautifully under the sunlight.
Today marks the second day since I possessed into the romance novel “This Princess Commits Marriage Fraud.”
When I first opened my eyes, I was alone in a cottage that was practically a ruin.
My reflection in the dusty mirror showed that while I was thin, I was beautiful, and it was clear I was someone without any family.
‘Maybe I possessed someone who just starved to death from poverty.’
Still, a hopeful hum naturally escaped my lips.
“Since the cottage is right in front of the sea, at least I don’t have to worry about making a living.”
In my previous life, I worked my bones off at a traditional food manufacturing factory in a rural area near the sea, and even did sea foraging to catch seafood to sell and earnestly make money.
Even so, I died struggling with my father’s gambling debts.
Whether before or after possession, the financially difficult situation is the same… but at least here, there’s no family to drag me into a quagmire!
‘Who would have thought I’d use the sea foraging I did as a side job here too. Really, there’s nothing bad about learning anything.’
Moreover, luckily, I was able to quickly figure out what novel I had possessed into.
“Long live the Ilpein Empire! Long live His Imperial Majesty!”
It was thanks to the cry of that newspaper boy I encountered earlier.
“Buy a newspaper! News of His Imperial Majesty’s victory in devastating the magical beasts of the Northern Mountains! Read this amazing news quickly!”
The boy with an excited expression was enthusiastically selling newspapers while praising the empire.
Ilpein Empire, Northern Mountains magical beast devastation.
That’s right.
The novel I possessed into was the romance novel “This Princess Commits Marriage Fraud,” where the female lead Nelloa, who possessed into a book, demands marriage in exchange for breaking the curse of the male lead, Emperor Bloden Ilpein.
And this place is Snoril, a small port city of the Ilpein Empire.
It was the region that serves as the backdrop for the serial kidnapping case of unrelated children, which the male lead Bloden directly intervenes in.
The kidnapping case became known to the world when the criminals, disguised as commoners, mistook a noble child who came out for an outing as an orphan and took them, and Bloden first meets the female lead Nelloa while tracking this case…
‘Well, that’s how the original story goes.’
What’s important is who I am and what role I play in the novel.
‘My name is Hailey, but it was never mentioned in the novel.’
Unfortunately, I didn’t recall this body’s memories. I only found out through a bakery ajusshi who called out to me while I was wandering around the city.
Hailey.
It was a decent name, but thinking about my name made me remember the bakery ajusshi, which put me in a bad mood.
As soon as he saw me, he put bread in my hands first. Saying how hungry and lonely I must be all by myself.
So I thought he was a good person, but then he said his wife happened to be at her parents’ house and suggested we talk quietly, just the two of us.
Then he’d provide identity guarantee and employ me at his bakery.
In the original work, there was a description that it was illegal to employ someone without identity guarantee.
So, it was words full of ulterior motives.
I shoved the bread right into his face and added some curses, but thinking about it again made me angry.
“Hey, let’s only think good thoughts. I secured a business partner, didn’t I?”
I muttered to myself while glancing at my reflection in a shop window.
Today is the second day of possession, and the more I looked, the more I liked my pretty face.
With each step, my platinum hair flowed long and wavy, scattering brilliant light, and above my paper-white skin, two clear sea-like eyes were embedded like jewels, which I loved even more.
Even though I was wearing an old brown dress and was extremely thin, I looked this good, so I was curious what I’d look like if I gained some healthy weight and wore proper clothes.
‘Good! Let’s eat well and sleep well to become healthy! I’ll personally confirm how pretty I become!’
But right now, I’m just penniless.
“To eat well, I need money first.”
I thought about the coastal landscape in front of my house.
One side was a tidal flat and the other side had many rocks and stones, so various seafood like octopus, sea cucumber, crabs, conch shells, sea worms, and whelks would likely be abundant.
Since I secured a business partner, once I make some money from seafood, I should fence off the empty land near my house and raise chickens to get eggs.
‘I should buy beans and peppers to make sauce. Oh, would geese be better than chickens?’
The food culture of this world was different from the world I lived in before possession, but since I saw beans and peppers being sold in the city earlier, getting them wouldn’t be a problem.
‘If I struggle for just two or three months, I’ll somehow solve the food problem. To fix the house and cultivate it enough to live decently, I’d still need about a year though.’
It was when I was making my own calculations and had come out to the deserted outskirts.
“Oh my, it seems our friend has lost his way?”
I heard a rough voice of some man pretending to be kind.
“Let go of this!”
If it had just been that, I wouldn’t have paid attention either, but a child’s irritated shout followed, making me turn my head involuntarily.
There, two sturdy men were holding the arm of a boy who appeared to be about six or seven years old.
The child with short black hair wearing shorts was wary of them. But the men laughed as if they didn’t care.
“We’ll help you find your parents. Where are they?”
“I said let go!”
Even though the child was refusing, the men paid no attention.
“Oh my, this kid has no manners.”
“We’re saying we’ll take you to your parents?”
The child looked around. As if he might ask someone for help.
That’s when I realized I had seen this pattern in the original work.
‘This is a kidnapping scene!’
I hurriedly ran toward the child.
In the original work, there was content that the serial kidnapping criminals only took children who appeared to be orphans.
‘That means if family members are visible nearby, they won’t touch the child!’
If I had been young, I would have been kidnapped together, but fortunately, this body was clearly an adult of at least twenty years old. This would be enough to look like an older sister with a late-born younger brother.
“Max! There you were!”
I pretended to be out of breath from running around and hugged the child tightly.
At the same time, I was startled.
My goodness.
His black hair was a bit disheveled, but the texture was incredibly fine. His skin was white as milk and both cheeks were like freshly made rice cakes.
‘What kind of child looks like…’
The two eyes that widened in surprise at my intervention had no double eyelids and clear purple irises. Even though he was young, his nose bridge was high, and his appropriately flushed lips were moderately large and plump.
It was a face that was neat yet cute, handsome yet pretty and noble. I couldn’t fathom how handsome a man he would grow up to be.
‘I hope there’s no reverse transformation.’
It was a thought that came in an instant.
Then the child’s brow furrowed slightly, bringing me back to my senses.
This isn’t the time to be mesmerized by a child’s beauty.
I also frowned deeply and quickly pretended to check the child’s condition.
“I was worried because you disappeared! Are you hurt anywhere?”
Then I discovered a scrape on his knee. It looked like he had lightly scraped it somewhere, but this was actually good.
“Oh my! Did you fall again? I told you to watch where you’re going!”
“…Huh?”
I could feel confusion in the child’s voice. Being young, he seemed to lack awareness of the situation.
I can’t let our family act be exposed as a lie.
I deliberately patted the child’s bottom for show.
“You little troublemaker!”
When the child gasped, I quickly continued.
“Oh, I’m so upset! You know you’re going to get a good scolding from your sister when we get home.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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