This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 114

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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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Chapter 114

I turned in surprise to find Bloden standing beside me, having appeared without warning.
The Administrative Official assisting Bloden spoke to Clark.
“If you’re a journalist, you should know that under Imperial Palace law, journalists are prohibited from approaching within thirty meters of His Majesty, except in specially authorized cases.”
At the Administrative Official’s gesture, two Knights standing behind Bloden immediately stepped forward and seized Clark by both arms.
“Ah, ow! W-wait a moment!”
“If necessary, submit a formal request to the Imperial Palace and follow proper procedures. If you apply today, you might be granted an audience about a year from now. Of course, that’s assuming you’re fortunate.”
Clark was dragged away by the Knights’ hands as the Administrative Official spoke with finality.
“Hmm. I came because I heard the children heading to the Capital were here.”
I stared blankly as the troublesome man was swiftly disposed of and dragged away, when I heard Bloden’s voice.
“If I’ve inadvertently interfered with the interview, I’ll arrange a separate meeting with the journalist.”
‘Oh no, I’m in front of the Emperor.’
I quickly straightened my posture and bowed my head.
“Not at all. Rather, I was just about to ask him to leave, so I’m grateful for your help. Your Majesty.”
“Then that’s fortunate.”
I took a quiet, deep breath.
‘Calm down, heart.’
His pleasant voice and gentle tone had caused my heart to race involuntarily.
“Everyone, be seated.”
I quickly lifted my head to assess the situation.
Bloden was about to sit in Baron’s seat.
“That’s actually….”
Baron’s seat.
‘But I can’t say that.’
I had no choice but to welcome Bloden sitting there.
“Though humble, if Your Majesty is comfortable with it, please do!”
Inwardly, I desperately called out to Baron.
‘Baron, you absolutely cannot come back. Do you understand?’
I was worried that Baron might return after finishing his tteokbokki and encounter Bloden.
Bloden stared at me intently, then tapped the seat to his left—my seat—with his fingertips.
It was unmistakably a gesture telling me to come sit.
‘No, Your Majesty. Sitting right next to you seems far too close.’
I should mention that I have my own seat elsewhere.
I immediately searched for another seat with my eyes. But it was futile. The children had already found and taken their own seats.
The only remaining seat was my original one.
“Ha ha.”
I forced a smile and sat down. Simultaneously, a wave of tension stiffened my entire body.
‘I didn’t notice this when Baron was sitting next to me.’
When a man with the build of a full-grown adult sat down, the distance between us was closer than I’d anticipated.
Bloden was tall, and his shoulders grew wider the more I looked at them. It seemed like even the slightest movement would bring my shoulder into contact with his. On top of that, I could feel his distinctive masculine scent.
I subtly shifted sideways to create distance between myself and Bloden. As a result, only half of my buttocks remained perched on the chair.
‘It’s a bit uncomfortable, but I won’t have to sit like this for long.’
That was when it happened.
Because my body had tilted to the side, the six-year-old girl sitting to my left whimpered softly.
“Nuna, it’s cramped.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
I was about to ask her to bear with me for a moment when Bloden’s gaze turned toward my chair.
“Do you dislike sitting beside me?”
“Oh, no. It’s just that the distance is closer than I expected. I was worried I might be so rude as to bump into His Majesty.”
Bloden let out a soft chuckle and murmured something so quietly that only I could hear.
“I held you in my arms with my entire body—is a mere brush of shoulders such a grave matter?”
The moment when Bloden had embraced me tightly and protected me came vividly back to life.
Heat rushed to my face.
“I was truly grateful for that moment.”
“Good. If you don’t dislike it, then sit properly. I’m concerned you might hurt yourself by staying so far away.”
“Yes.”
I had no choice but to sit up straight.
Once Bloden confirmed my posture and gestured toward something, the Administrative Official stepped forward and spoke respectfully.
“Since this is a farewell gathering for the children, His Majesty has commanded that refreshments be prepared personally.”
The Knights standing in the back began distributing small gift boxes to each of the children one by one. However, a box was also placed in front of me.
“For me as well?”
The Knight nodded.
The children who had received their gifts carefully opened the boxes and gasped in delight.
“Wow!”
“I’ve never seen such beautiful food before.”
“Wahhh.”
The children’s expressions looked almost enchanted.
‘The shape of the box and everything—these must be desserts.’
I opened my box as well.
Macarons, financiers, and éclairs.
“Wow.”
An exclamation escaped me despite having anticipated it.
The refreshments inside the compartmentalized box were so beautifully decorated and arranged that it seemed a shame to eat them. It looked as though they had brought the very delicacies enjoyed in the Imperial Palace itself.
Moreover, there was also an elegant-looking pen tucked beside the treats.
“The Orphanage in the Capital places great emphasis on education. I included it so you would study diligently when you arrive there.”
“Ah, I see. The pen is truly beautiful.”
As I examined the pen, I discovered an intricately engraved inscription.

[It is the essence that moves the heart, not the surface]

‘I wish for someone who would love my inner self rather than my appearance.’

“….”
The words I had spoken to Baron came flooding back.
Was it a coincidence?
“May I borrow this for a moment?”
Bloden then took the pen I had received, held it up for all to see clearly, and opened his mouth to speak.
“From this day forward, you will witness and experience many things. It would be fortunate if only good fortune befell you, but hardship inevitably follows in its wake.”
A measured benediction directed toward the children continued.
“What will protect you in such times is the ‘power of thought.’ And what moves the souls of those who stand beside you is the warmth of heart that you possess. Therefore, study diligently, grow, cultivate your capacity for thought, and nurture your inner self with righteousness.”
Bloden pressed his lips gently against the inscription engraved upon the pen, then extended his hand toward the children as if sending them a kiss of blessing.
The benediction ended thus. The children’s eyes gleamed with brilliance as they listened, and each in turn offered their gratitude to Bloden with brief words or a respectful bow.
But I found myself breathless.

‘It must be the warmth between people. In other words, the temperature of heart that each feels for the other?’

‘Is the phrase “warmth of heart” commonly used in this world? And to press his lips against the pen he gave me?’
Somehow, that inscription and benediction felt like Bloden’s confession that his heart had been drawn to my inner self.
‘No, it could be mere coincidence. Perhaps I’m reading too much into it.’
Then Bloden returned the pen to me. His eyes softened into a smile.
“This much is… acceptable to give, yes?”
‘Oh, how dazzling!’
The confusion in my heart vanished in an instant. I could only think that a man so kind and devastatingly handsome was a threat to one’s cardiac health.
Moreover, he possessed the bearing of a virtuous ruler who genuinely cared for the children.
‘Being a male lead in a novel truly isn’t for just anyone.’
I lowered my head to conceal my racing heart and flushed cheeks, and to answer his question.
“I am grateful for your grace, as vast as the Sea.”
“I’m relieved. I wondered what I would do if you disliked it.”
His voice was honeyed and sweet.
Yet the words I had just heard were not the sort an Emperor would ordinarily speak.
I could not be certain about the benediction connected to the pen, but one thing seemed undeniable—he harbored intentions toward me.
‘Good heavens! Bloden likes me.’
Cold sweat broke across my skin, and the world began to spin before my eyes.
‘Compose yourself, Hailey.’
Bloden may be the most handsome man in the world, but I must not be swayed by that smile.
I have Baron, after all.
‘My Baron is cuter, kinder, and more handsome than him.’
At the thought of Baron’s face, my turbulent heart settled as if by magic.
“Why would I dislike it?”
Having regained my composure, I offered Bloden a polite smile.
“It’s a gift for everyone.”
For a moment, Bloden’s expression brightened.
“Ah.”
At his expression of sudden understanding, I too recalled that he was the male protagonist of a romance fantasy and the Empire’s wealthiest man.
‘Surely he wouldn’t give the same gift to the Landowner who came as a means to give me a present, would he?’
Still, it was better to eliminate the danger preemptively, just in case.
I quickly added to my words.
“I don’t think something like this will ever happen again in my lifetime.”
“Ah….”
It was a sigh barely audible.
‘Could he actually have been thinking that?’
Bloden turned his gaze toward the children as if nothing were amiss. Yet somehow, I could almost see the ears of an imaginary puppy drooping dejectedly.
‘No, can the Emperor really show his emotions so openly?’
Though inwardly flustered, I found his expression oddly endearing, and without realizing it, I kept stealing glances at Bloden’s face.
Then, as I did so, something seemed rather strange.
‘Looking at him like this, Bloden seems to resemble Baron somehow?’

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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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