This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 144

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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 144

“Oh! Nuna!”
The irritation that had filled Kyle’s deep orange eyes vanished the moment our gazes met, replaced by genuine delight.
“I can’t believe I’m seeing you here! Amazing!”
Kyle seized both my hands eagerly, then glanced at Baron beside me with a grin and greeted him.
“Have you been well?”
Then he introduced the man standing beside him with hunched shoulders to us.
“Nuna, this is Charlie.”
Charlie had originally been a servant doing menial work for the Prediki Family, he explained.
“I happened to run into him, and he’s been working for Raven’s Merchant Guild. You can’t imagine how relieved I was to find him alive.”
Then he introduced us to Charlie.
“Remember I mentioned her? Hailey, my sister—my savior. And this is her younger brother, Baron, my mentor.”
Charlie bowed respectfully to us, and we gathered some refreshments before heading to a hillside overlooking the Sea. The breeze here was pleasant, and with no one around, it was comfortable to talk freely.
After Raven had sent Kyle to the Merchant Guild to broaden his horizons, Kyle had coincidentally learned about the Grand Commander. The guild’s traveling party happened to pass through the Capital briefly, so they came to verify the information.
“My father was falsely accused. So I was hoping for a full pardon, but all we got was a commutation.”
Baron, who had been listening quietly, asked Kyle a question.
“Isn’t a commutation enough? I only got a commutation myself.”
“The problem is there’s a bounty on us. For members of Extinct Families, unless we get a full pardon, we could die if we’re caught by the wrong people.”
In truth, Baron didn’t have a bounty on him. But since children of Extinct Families could indeed be in danger if caught, Kyle seemed to view Baron as being in the same predicament as himself.
Perhaps because of this, even though only we were here, Kyle lowered his voice cautiously as if someone might overhear, and eventually let out a sigh.
“Still, you’re so strong that you wouldn’t need to worry about such things at all.”
Baron’s mouth curved up slightly.
“Well, that’s true, but you seem to be worrying excessively.”
“That’s not it. Back then, Raven took care of me, and now I’m hidden among the guild members, which helps. If not for that, I might already be dead.”
Kyle’s expression grew noticeably darker as he continued.
“I found out later that after the Orphanage Gate opened in Snoril, there were people going around checking on each orphan one by one. A few days after that, they even came to Raven’s house.”
This seemed to be about the time I was receiving treatment at the Hotel, but I was hearing about it for the first time now.
“What? Kyle, is that true?”
“Yes. At that time, Raven received an invitation to the Gladiatorial Festival. Since the guild had just arrived, he sent me off to broaden my horizons, and fortunately, that’s what saved me.”
Kyle added that even though people continued to pursue him afterward, the guild’s movement by ship for trading made it easy to shake them off.
“One of the guild employees identified their appearance and described them. One person stood out in particular—a middle-aged man with a large horizontal scar across the bridge of his nose.”
“Hearing this, it seems strange that the Duke would go to such lengths.”
Baron asked flatly.
“What crime did the Prediki Family commit that the Duke is being so persistent?”
Looking at Baron’s expression, it didn’t seem like genuine curiosity born from ignorance.
It was more like he’d already heard everything by then and was asking for confirmation from the person involved.
It was Charlie who explained the situation to us.
In summary, the Countess of Border and Lord Frediki were caught in an inappropriate relationship, causing the family to fall—which wasn’t much different from what I’d heard from Raven.
When Charlie finished his story, Kyle quickly added to it.
“Father was honestly a shameless womanizer. Mother did cheat on him later, but it wasn’t to that extent.”
“….”
This was information I hadn’t known before.
‘Listening to this is making me break out in cold sweat. Kyle, you’ve been through so much.’
“In any case, Father was truly terrible to Mother. But he never lied. He was misunderstood.”
Charlie sighed as well.
“It’s not something I should speak of openly, but… the young master is correct.”
Kyle’s father had been notorious for his affairs with women. Yet he made no effort to hide or deny it. Despite being married, he carried on openly and shamelessly without restraint.
Charlie explained that because of this, the manor had been in an uproar more than once with people coming after him, and Kyle grimaced as he lamented the situation.
“But Father and the Countess of Border never had anything like that. He was falsely accused.”
“Still, if the person involved is the wife of a border duke, doesn’t that change things somewhat?”
Baron’s question was voicing my own doubt.
No matter how shameless a scoundrel he was, if an inappropriate relationship with his lord’s wife were exposed, it would be a capital offense. Would he really not have hidden it?
At those words, Kyle’s expression crumpled.
“Actually, I witnessed the situation myself.”
“…What?”
“Father and the Countess went into a back room on the first floor, so I secretly peeked through the window. The Countess had a serious expression as she handed Father a letter and ordered him to do something….”
Then the border duke and his men burst into that room, and the two of them were dragged away as is.
“I naturally told Mother what I saw. I tried to testify when Father was on trial, but Mother stopped me. She said that once the investigation ended, his name would be cleared anyway, so I should say nothing and go to the countryside for a while, that she would write to me….”
After that, the charges were confirmed, and Kyle’s father was executed.
“She said the investigation into the detained Countess of Border was still ongoing. Once his name is cleared, he’ll be restored to honor, but the situation is bad right now, so she told me to flee. And….”
Kyle suddenly closed his mouth, then sighed.
“She said never to return, no matter how wronged I felt. That became Mother’s final letter.”
Charlie scratched his temples.
“It was absolute chaos back then. I barely survived because I happened to be away on an errand at the time. I’ve been conducting my own investigation after hearing the young master’s account later, but….”
Charlie also scratched his head in frustration.
“I can’t speak of it to anyone around me, and I don’t have any particular knowledge to work with.”
“By now, the investigation into the Countess of Border should be finished, so once his name is cleared, he should be restored to honor and released from his current situation, or so I thought….”
Kyle let out a heavy sigh.
“The fact that he only received a pardon suggests the investigation still hasn’t concluded.”
‘Ah, Kyle….’
I felt such pity for Kyle. At the same time, something about this incident seemed off.
‘The inappropriate relationship is just a pretext, isn’t it? There must be another reason behind this.’
But among all possible reasons, why would they specifically choose something that would severely damage the border duke’s reputation?
It was truly a mystery, but what I needed to say was already clear.
“Kyle, stay strong. If you need my help, tell me anytime.”
Kyle smiled brightly.
“Thank you. Nuna.”

* * *

“Hehehehe, I’m absolutely delighted to see the Princess and His Majesty share a waltz at this celebration.”
At Anna’s words as she set down her teacup, Nelloa smiled softly.
“Oh my, I’m quite looking forward to it as well. Though I must confess, I’m beginning to wonder if it might be too much to ask this time.”
“Why would you think such a thing? Has your relationship with His Majesty perhaps grown distant?”
“That couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Nelloa’s gaze moved slowly across the faces of those gathered around the tea table in the Imperial Palace Garden.
Those invited to this gathering were Duke Roan and his wife, Duke Utra, the High Priest, and Stanley, her brother.
“It’s rather embarrassing to speak of such matters in your presence, but….”
Nelloa began elaborating, as if she knew Bloden’s situation intimately. She added that while they spent considerable time together, they had promised not to reveal their relationship publicly at the birthday celebration.
“Since this is his first experience with romance, he’s quite shy by nature. I must admit, I’m rather the same way.”
At her bashful confession, Duke Utra let out a hearty laugh.
“That would make sense, having spent your time only in the Northern Region.”
Everyone nodded slowly in agreement with his words.
“Spending most of your time with Commanders rather than people in the Northern Region, you wouldn’t be accustomed to social gatherings. You simply don’t speak of it, but life in the Northern Region must be far more comfortable for you.”
At the High Priest’s words, the Duchess of Roan spoke with a sympathetic expression.
“His Majesty is human too, and I do hope he finds peace of mind wherever he may be. After all, people can only find happiness when their hearts are at ease, don’t you think? Wouldn’t you agree, Duke?”
“I share that sentiment, my dear.”
“His Majesty bears the weighty responsibility of protecting the Northern Region—what importance could social niceties possibly hold?”
Anna, who had supported the Duke and Duchess’s exchange, gazed at Nelloa with warm eyes.
“It would be quite sufficient if he had a place to rest whenever he visits the Capital.”
Stanley, who had been quietly listening with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, rose slowly from his seat.
“Forgive me, I must step away for a moment.”
Rather than offering an explanation, he dabbed his forehead with cold sweat and gently rubbed his stomach, prompting everyone to nod knowingly.
As all eyes followed Stanley’s retreating figure, Nelloa’s brow furrowed.
‘Here I am, supporting him with every word, and yet he abandons me at the crucial moment?’

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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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