This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 151

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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 151

The moment Bloden appeared, I finally understood why the young nobles who had been calling the ladies beautiful looked like squid to me.
My eyes had already been calibrated to Baron’s standard, and Bloden was the only man whose beauty could rival his.
‘So this was a case of relative squid theory.’
Just then, I felt our eyes meet for a brief moment, so I quickly lowered my head. My face flushed and my heart raced.
“Raise your head.”
Soon Bloden’s voice, neither too loud nor too soft, echoed through the Banquet Hall. He took his seat in the Imperial Throne prepared at the best position while encouraging everyone to enjoy the banquet, and the Nobles lined up to pay their respects.
I made my way to the area with delicacies and enjoyed foie gras pâté and champagne while watching Bloden receive their greetings.
Even though he was clearly receiving birthday congratulations, the air around him felt suffocating.
Bloden’s expression remained cold throughout, and occasionally his lips twisted into a smile. The Nobles who had been pressuring those around them by flaunting their high status earlier now tempered their momentum before the Emperor.
This was a different dimension entirely, and Bloden sitting in its center looked so arrogant that I wondered if he was truly the person I knew.
I was suddenly grateful I hadn’t accepted his kiss. As I’d suspected, the gap in status between Bloden and me was greater than the distance between Earth and Andromeda.
If I had ignored this and become his lover, entering this world, I would have had to endure that suffocating pressure myself.
‘Living comfortably is much better.’
After settling my thoughts and thoroughly enjoying various dishes, I began wandering along the walls of the Banquet Hall in a euphoric state, taking in the sights.
I could see people waltzing in the center of the Banquet Hall, and the ice sculptures and flowers decorating every corner were absolutely beautiful.
The Imperial Palace banquet grew more splendid and magnificent the more I observed it. Now that no one was approaching me, I felt even better. I was clearly moving about without drawing attention.
After completing a full circuit of the Banquet Hall, a satisfied smile naturally bloomed on my face.
‘Ah, I’ve seen my fill.’
I was thinking this would become a lifelong memory.
“Huh, so you really did come.”
Nelloa suddenly appeared and blocked my path.
The good mood I’d been enjoying instantly deflated, but I pretended to be unaffected and raised both corners of my mouth in a polite bow.
“Oh, hello there, Princess. What a beautiful evening.”
Nelloa glanced around the Banquet Hall once, then lifted her lips in an unpleasant smile.
“Well, it’s flashy enough. Anyway, come over here. Let’s talk.”
The area behind the large pillar where Nelloa stood only blocked people’s gazes, so it didn’t seem dangerous.
As I approached the pillar, she confirmed once more that people’s eyes were blocked before crossing her arms.
“I’ll ask directly. You’re Adelaine Meridian, aren’t you?”
Though her tone already conveyed certainty, I smiled brightly and denied it.
“I’m not.”
“Really? Then you must be a transmigrator?”
What, was that what she meant by direct?
She used to ask indirectly before, but this time she wasn’t hiding anything.
“A transmigrator? What’s that?”
“Stop playing dumb. I figured it out when you were making money selling tteokbokki. You’re Korean and a transmigrator.”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
Nelloa stepped closer, raising her hand as if she might slap my cheek at any moment.
“Do you need to be hit first before you come to your senses and answer properly?”
‘I treated her well, and she crosses the line.’
I immediately hardened my expression and glared at Nelloa.
“If you so much as lay a finger on me, I’ll scream. Can you really handle that, even as a princess?”
“…What?”
“A foreign princess causing a scandal against an officially invited guest at His Majesty the Emperor’s birthday banquet—how amusing that would be.”
“Ha, so the princess of a fallen nation got cocky just from receiving a little attention from His Majesty?”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
‘So that’s it. She must have spotted Bloden and me together yesterday.’
I hadn’t realized her thinking was this shallow.
As the original heroine, Nelloa seemed obsessed with monopolizing the male lead.
Either way, I couldn’t let this continue.
At first, I thought she was the heroine who had transmigrated into a romance novel, but the truth was she was a psychopath committing war crimes and massacres.
‘If someone like this lingers nearby and harms our Baron, that would be troublesome.’
I needed to make sure she didn’t even dare approach me again.
The moment I made up my mind, I crossed my arms and glared at Nelloa.
“You keep calling me princess, so fine, I’ll accept that title. Then I don’t need to speak respectfully to you either. Right?”
As my attitude shifted, Nelloa’s body flinched.
“How dare you speak casually to me?”
“What do you mean ‘dare’? You’re the one calling me princess.”
“You’re the princess of a fallen nation. You’re already finished.”
“Regardless of who I am, don’t you dare act recklessly. You can’t treat me carelessly in the first place.”
Nelloa ground her teeth so hard they made a sound and glared at me.
“You’re acting so arbitrarily just because you have His Majesty backing you? Do you really think you’ll survive?”
“His Majesty backing me? I’m not sure about that, but I’m certain your eyes are playing tricks on you.”
I raised my right middle finger, displaying the ring on it clearly to Nelloa.
“Look carefully.”
“How dare you insult me!”
Nelloa’s complexion drained instantly. She had spotted the ring bearing the crest of the Kelite Royal Family. It was the one Stanley had given me long ago, telling me to wear it on my right middle finger.
“How… how do you have that?”
“Well, why don’t you ask your brother, the Crown Prince of Kelite?”
“….”
Nelloa, who had been stammering, quietly lowered her hand.
“Are you done asking your questions?”
Nelloa bit her lip tightly. She was seething with resentment, but the ring had apparently silenced her completely.
“Don’t appear before my eyes again. Understood?”
As I turned to leave, I decided to make my warning more precise.
“The fact that you asked me if I was a transmigrator is the same as confessing that you are one yourself, isn’t it?”
This was a secret we both shared.
“The difference is, even if I reveal that I’m a transmigrator, it won’t cause much trouble for me. I transmigrated with nothing to lose. But you’re different. What would the Kelite Royal Family think if they learned you’re not the real Nelloa?”
Nelloa’s eyes widened in shock. She seemed deeply stunned as I suddenly admitted the possession and used it to threaten her.
“And you’re not the only one who knows about the original work. I know every action and line you took in it.”
“…What? You know my entire story?”
“Yes. You’re the original female lead.”
“I’m the original female lead? Not Robena?”
Robena? I had no idea who that was, but it didn’t matter.
I let out a deliberate, heavy sigh for her to hear.
“You go around killing people left and right? Is that how a web novel heroine should behave?”
This time, Nelloa’s complexion drained of all color.
I made my warning even more explicit.
“No matter your reasons, listen carefully. You’re a murderer. And we know every crime you’ve committed.”
“…We? All of us?”
“Yes. We. Far more people know what you’ve done than you realize. So from now on, you’d better keep your head down. If you step out of line even once more, His Majesty won’t let you off easy.”
There was a time when Bloden had expressed displeasure at a princess from a war-criminal nation approaching him without knowing her place.
Now that I knew Nelloa was the war criminal herself, my words weren’t an exaggeration.
I waited a moment, curious what she would say, but Nelloa stood frozen, unable to utter a word. Looking closer, I could see cold sweat dripping down her face, and goosebumps rising on her neck, cheeks, and arms.
Judging by her reaction, she’d committed so many crimes that guilt was eating her alive.
I turned away from Nelloa, who now looked completely devoid of any will to resist, and left the place with a quiet click of my tongue.

* * *

After leaving Nelloa, I checked the time and saw it was almost nine o’clock.
‘I’ve seen enough of the banquet. I should head back soon.’
That’s when it happened.
“Ah, there you are. Hailey.”
When the Administrative Official approached, I asked just in case.
“Oh, did something go wrong with the gift?”
“No, it was delivered without any issues. I came for a different reason.”
The Administrative Official handed me a small card.
“What is this?”
“Raven asked me to deliver it to you.”
He bowed to me and left.
When I opened the card, it contained a request to follow the path at the eleven o’clock direction from the Banquet Hall entrance at nine o’clock.
Since I was planning to leave anyway, I decided to stop by before heading out and left the Banquet Hall.
The eleven o’clock direction Raven mentioned was a path lined with magical stone lanterns at intervals, cutting through a beautifully maintained Garden.
As I walked along the path admiring the blooming flowers, I discovered something interesting.
Some of the roses looked identical to the ones in Our House.
‘Raven must trade with the Imperial Palace, and roses must be among the items.’
As I continued further, white light glimmered in the empty air.
“…Serch?”
In an instant, light scattered beautifully and settled to the ground, then began to shimmer like sunlight dancing on water—as if beckoning me to follow the path.
As I took a step forward, the light rippled and flowed, illuminating further ahead. My heart quickened at the romantic atmosphere.
“….”
But I stopped in my tracks.
‘Wait, something feels off about this.’
Why would Raven call me to such a beautiful yet unfamiliar place?

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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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