This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 171

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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 171

Seeing my positive reaction, Kyle rested his chin in both hands and grinned widely.
“You don’t have to pick just one. If you like them, you can use all of them, Nuna. If you don’t like any of them, I’ll go back and buy more.”
“This is plenty, Kyle. I only need one mark for the sign. So which one should I use?”
I examined the inscriptions carved into each seal mold one by one.
Then, suddenly, I doubted my own eyes at the sight of one particular inscription.
“…Huh, what’s this?”
“Nuna, if you’re planning to hang a sign, wouldn’t it be better to commission a new one and have it made properly? Why use a discarded inscription…? Huh?”
Baron, who had been speaking with displeasure, suddenly jumped to his feet in shock the moment he confirmed the inscription on the seal mold I was staring at intently.
“What’s wrong, Baron?”
Raven, who had risen from his seat to check the seal mold I was holding when Baron’s reaction seemed strange, also went pale.
“This, this is!”
Both Baron and Raven looked as though they knew this inscription well, which only deepened my confusion. At the same time, I realized I couldn’t pretend to know what this was.
Crescent-shaped wings curved like a new moon within a sun-like border—an inscription that could also resemble vines and leaves.
The seal mold I now held in my hands was, in other words, the crest of the Meridian Royal Family.
The moment I realized this fact, countless questions flooded my mind.
Is this real? Can counterfeits be made? No, why is this in an antique shop? If I pretend to know about this, wouldn’t that seem suspicious too?
A strange silence fell over us.
Caught off guard, Kyle asked carefully.
“Why, why are you all like this?”
“Oh, oh well. It’s just so pretty. It reminds me of something I saw in a dream once.”
As I answered hastily, Raven nodded in agreement.
“Indeed. It does seem to resemble something Hailey mentioned before.”
“I never imagined something this beautiful would be in there. Thank you so much, Kyle.”
When I smiled brightly at Kyle, Baron managed a smile as well.
“Ah, right. I was startled because it’s more impressive than I thought. Kyle, you have better taste than expected.”
“Haha. I thought so too. I have an eye for quality.”
As Raven added his praise, Kyle’s expression brightened considerably.
“So this will become the mark for your shop sign?”
‘No, that’s a bit….’
I smiled with effort and set aside the Meridian Royal Family’s seal mold.
“I like this one so much that I’ll keep it separately. I’d prefer something else for the shop sign.”
And I quickly examined the other seal molds.
Among them, a seal with two long-handled rectangular hammers crossed caught my eye.
“Oh, if we touch this up a bit, I think we could change it to look like skewered rice cakes? I was thinking of asking the seal maker to modify it.”
Raven, who was looking at it with me, nodded.
“Oh, I see. Shall I modify it for you?”
“Really? You know how to do that?”
“Yes, since what you want is a simple form, it should only take a bit of adjustment. I’ll modify it right away and bring it back.”
Raven took the seal mold from me and left.
While I waited for Raven to return and listened to Kyle’s travel stories, I soon heard Crockel barking.
“Someone’s here.”
At Baron’s words, Kimarise went out and came back. In the returning Kimarise’s hands was a piece of mail.
“It’s from the Academy.”
I opened the mail together with Baron.
“Wow, Baron. It’s an enrollment notice!”
The letter contained information about the entrance ceremony schedule and required materials, as well as notice that an entrance exam would be held one week before admission to determine class and dormitory assignments.
And at the end, there was also a recruitment announcement for additional students due to vacancies. It stated that new students wishing to enroll could take the class placement exam immediately upon paying the full tuition.
‘Wait, should I send Kyle too?’
In the past, I was so busy scraping together Baron’s tuition that I couldn’t even dream of it, but things were different now. With various sources of income, I could easily afford Kyle’s tuition.
“Kyle, would you like to go to the Academy too?”
Kyle was startled.
“Huh? Me? I don’t have any money.”
“I’ll pay for it.”
“….”
Kyle’s face turned bright red.
“Why? Don’t you want to go?”
“N-no, that’s not it… The Academy is expensive. Baron needs to go too.”
Kyle scratched his head.
“I was planning to help you with work all day by your side.”
At those words, Baron jumped up from his seat in surprise, his expression turning serious.
“What? That’s absolutely not happening.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“Why? Because you need to study too.”
Baron then gave Kyle an angelic smile.
“I’ve earned a lot of money. So paying for your education is nothing at all. Just take the entrance exam with peace of mind and attend the Academy with me, okay?”

* * *

“The scar will remain, but we should be grateful it’s no worse than this. Change the bandages daily until the wound fully heals, and refrain from strenuous activity for the time being.”
After receiving the Doctor’s instructions, Clark limped out of the Emergency Medical Station. With each step, the calf bitten by that small dog throbbed with such intensity that tears began to stream down his face.
‘I need to find my reporter’s notebook…’
The thought of encountering that dog again made his stomach turn, and exhaustion weighed heavily upon him. After a few more steps, self-loathing crept in.
Of all the professions in the world, why did I have to choose journalism and suffer like this?
‘Sigh, I’m the son of a noble, after all.’
He exhaled deeply. Raven already knew he’d lost his notebook—he could simply send someone to that house tomorrow to retrieve it.
“Are you alright?”
When Nelloa spoke to him, Clark turned his head to look for the Lord’s carriage. But it was nowhere to be seen.
“I thought you had already left with the Lord.”
“The Lord went ahead. I called a hired carriage for you and had it wait just ahead.”
“Thank you so much.”
After offering his gratitude, Clark boarded the carriage with Nelloa.
They exchanged light conversation as the carriage rolled forward, and before long, Nelloa posed a question to him.
“You know, Reporter.”
“Yes, Princess.”
“Duke Utra made a request of you, didn’t he?”
At those words, Clark recalled his father, Duke Utra, whom he had encountered at the Emperor’s birthday celebration.
As an illegitimate son, he had never been permitted to set foot in Utra Territory.
Throughout his childhood, he had never once seen his father’s face. Yet he had received sufficient funds for his upbringing and permission to use the family name—compensation the Utra Family had provided after his mother signed an agreement to make no further claims.
But Clark refused to live his entire life as a commoner when half his blood was noble. He desperately wanted Duke Utra to acknowledge him as a legitimate son.
Only then could he compete with his accomplished half-siblings for the inheritance when Duke Utra eventually passed away.
So he studied diligently, secured a position at the Roan Times, and even obtained credentials to enter the Imperial Palace. In his mind, this was the only path to meeting Duke Utra.
Once he became a journalist with Imperial Palace access, he managed to encounter Duke Utra several times.
But the Duke ignored him entirely, despite Clark gathering intelligence that could bolster his position.
When Clark finally revealed this effort, Duke Utra responded coldly, without a shred of gratitude.

‘That’s information you’re naturally obligated to provide. Do you think your position came from my favor?’

Clark had been left speechless.
In truth, he already knew that Duke Utra maintained close ties with Regent Anna and Duke Roan, and that his position was so firmly established he hardly needed Clark’s intelligence gathering.
But when Clark encountered Duke Utra at the Emperor’s birthday celebration while accompanying Nelloa, the Duke handed him a portrait of a boy and spoke.

‘Now that I think about it, you do travel around quite a bit. If you happen to see this boy, contact me or Duke Roan immediately.’

The name “Kail Frediky” was written at the bottom of the portrait.
Though Duke Utra refused to say who the boy was, he made Clark an offer—the very thing Clark had so desperately wanted.

‘If your information leads to capturing him, I will recognize you as a formal member of the family.’

Clark let out a soft chuckle at the thought.
“You have made requests of me, but this is something I cannot accomplish.”
How was one supposed to find a single child in this vast Empire? Duke Utra had clearly come to him as a last resort, grasping at straws after exhausting all his resources in the search.
Yet Nelloa’s eyes narrowed with amusement as she smiled.
“I think I’ve seen that child.”

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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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