This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 124

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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 124

‘Ah, being clever makes this so difficult.’
If Baron were an uneducated child, knowledge would pour into him like water into a vessel, but unfortunately, he was a boy who had received noble heir education from an early age. On top of that, he was blessed with exceptional intellect and physical prowess.
This meant he could not easily accept ideas connected to ideologies that ran bone-deep within him.
As a result, my conversations with Baron naturally transformed into lengthy debates and persuasion.
Baron, who had initially refuted my thoughts as nonsensical, eventually fell silent. There was something uncomfortable in his expression, but it wasn’t one of pure displeasure. Increasingly, I could see he was listening intently to the sincerity in my voice.
I drained the barley tea in one long gulp to dispel the suffocating feeling, then met Baron’s eyes with earnest conviction.
“You understand, don’t you? Baron?”
Please understand your sister’s heart, you thoughtless boy. If you keep this up, you could end up dead.
Let’s live long, healthy, and happy together, all right?
Baron didn’t answer immediately, instead placing a thin, crispy piece of scorched rice into his mouth.
Crunch.
The sound of him chewing the scorched rice echoed through the quiet house.
As Baron chewed and his violet eyes darted back and forth, I could see he didn’t quite agree with my argument but was genuinely considering it, so I waited patiently.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
After gently chewing through the scorched rice like a squirrel and rinsing his mouth with barley tea, Baron set his cup down slowly and spoke.
“At first, I thought you were saying something really strange, but the more I listened, the more it made sense. The premise was ‘if I grow up and go to the Northern Gate for military service, or become a knight.'”
Baron’s vivid violet eyes met mine.
“So when you said not to sacrifice my life for my lord, you meant you don’t like the idea of me being in danger, right? That’s why you said the honor gained through death isn’t more important than living.”
Only then did I feel the suffocating weight lift from my chest, and I clapped my hands together.
“Exactly! That’s it! I’ve been saying that from the very beginning!”
Baron lowered his eyes.
“It’s an unfamiliar ideology, but ultimately, you don’t want me to bear someone else’s danger in your place. You want me to live long and healthy. The reason you’re saying such things…”
Baron pressed down on one corner of his mouth that was twitching involuntarily, and met my eyes again with an embarrassed expression.
“Is it because you love me so much?”
Ah, what an adorable expression.
And finally, we understood each other. Thrilled, I clapped my hands together once more with all my strength.
“That’s right!”
Then the child burst into laughter and nodded readily.
“I understand. Sister. I won’t sacrifice my life for my lord.”
“Thank you for understanding! Baron!”
Feeling as though I might float away, I stood up abruptly and kissed Baron’s cheek as he sat across from me.
“Hey, sister. Is a kiss really necessary for this?”
“Of course. You’re so precious.”
I extended my pinky finger while meeting Baron at eye level.
“No matter what happens, promise me with your sister that you’ll prioritize your own safety first. Understood?”
Baron’s eyes curved happily.
After we locked our pinky fingers together in a solemn promise and I sat back down, Baron furrowed one eyebrow.
“But Nuna, when you said you wouldn’t worry about status, something occurred to me.”
“Hmm?”
“That’s your thinking, but shouldn’t Nelloa Kelite be more careful?”
“…What?”
“Kelite attacked Meridian, didn’t it? Don’t you remember what that Princess said to you when we first met at the Orphanage?”
At those words, I recalled what Nelloa had asked me back then.

‘Yes, I keep getting this strange sense of familiarity. It’s as if I’ve seen you somewhere before. Haven’t you ever seen me?’
‘I was from the Kingdom of Meridon. The Kingdom of Meridon, do you understand?’

“Good heavens! So she recognized who I was back then?”
In that moment, a chill ran down my spine.
“She couldn’t be certain because I gave her a completely wrong answer due to my missing memories?”
I met Baron’s eyes. Seeing worry etched across his innocent face, I quickly raised a finger to my lips.
“I’ll be careful too. My past is a secret only we know about. Understood?”

* * *

“Your Majesty, we found Toto’s owner, so why are you leaving the notice as is?”
Raven couldn’t understand Bloden’s instruction the moment they faced each other.
Days ago, Bloden had said it seemed like he’d found Toto’s owner. As a result, they’d also learned Toto’s real name.
Hailey.
At first, Raven thought Bloden was joking. After confirming it again and again, he wondered if this was some incredible coincidence.
And at that moment, Kimarise had smiled brightly and said:

‘As a cat’s name, it seems a bit much, but it’s certainly far more elegant than Alexander Pandra Grace the Third.’

‘Damn it. I spent the entire night carefully crafting that name.’
Because of that, Raven harbored a quiet resentment and hadn’t exchanged a single word with Kimarise from that moment until now.
For the first time in my life, I had directly named something. I was intoxicated by my own naming sense, convinced that no more elegant name for a companion could exist.
But Kimarise had dismissed it so casually that Raven’s reaction was entirely justified.
‘That creature isn’t even human.’
Even after days of silence, Kimarise didn’t bother to gauge Raven’s mood, let alone care about it. Whenever Hailey left the house, he would summon his clones and diligently maintain the surroundings—nothing more.
It was Raven who came to realize anew, through this consistent indifference, that the creature wasn’t human at all but a spirit.
“What? Have there been any applications in the meantime?”
Snapping back to attention at Bloden’s words, Raven opened his mouth again.
“Yes, there are already three people hoping to become Toto’s owner. Word is spreading from domain to domain, and if we leave it as is, the number will only grow.”
After a moment of thought at Raven’s report, Bloden let out a heavy sigh.
“The situation has taken an unexpected turn… I’ve learned some surprising facts as well.”
He recounted to Raven and Kimarise the story he had heard when sending Toto to his owner, Margie Loweldern.
Upon hearing the circumstances, Raven finally understood the subtle sense of alienation he had felt whenever observing Hailey.
“In fact, while helping with the kimbap business rights matter, I heard that Hailey is unusually difficult to deal with.”
Raven too had occasionally sensed an uncommon dignity in Hailey’s bearing.
“So that was it. Now I understand.”
“Yes. And there’s something else that Nuna doesn’t know about.”
While Hailey was conversing with Margie, Baron had also gathered information through the maid in his own way.
The maid, a citizen of the Kingdom of Meridon, knew nothing about Hailey. She was someone who had fled the country during the chaos and wandered for some time before being employed by Margie.
Whether because he had intimidated her from the start or for some other reason, she couldn’t ignore Baron’s questions and answered with difficulty.
From her words, Bloden had discerned something.
“Toto’s owner has a terminal condition. One year. Two years at most.”
“What?”
“It seems her lungs were damaged along with severe burns. When she received the terminal diagnosis, she happened to find kittens next to a cat that had died in a fire, and she took one in. After that, she raised it using the name her lord had given to his companion, and through caring for it and growing attached, she found a brief moment of peace.”
I see.
Raven listened to Bloden’s account in silence. But then Kimarise pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes.
“Oh my. Tears flow unbidden at the tragedy of Hailey and Lord Loweldern. How sorrowful it must have been for Hailey.”
A spirit shedding tears—what nonsense!
Yet Raven too withdrew a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his dry eyes. Even if one cannot empathize with another’s emotions, propriety is necessary.
“A truly lamentable tale, Your Majesty.”
“Yes, which is why you’ll leave the notice as it is.”
At Raven and Kimarise’s response, Bloden nodded with a satisfied expression.
“When someone comes forward to become the cat’s owner, add the condition that they must live in the same annex as Toto along with Lord Loweldern and the maid. Ensure the two of them receive the finest treatment.”
Raven recalled the conditions for becoming Toto’s owner. With that level of wealth, adding a personal physician for two people would be nothing at all.
“But do you intend to keep this hidden from Hailey until that person passes? Even without her memories, she is a retainer who has devoted herself to Hailey.”

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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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