This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 174

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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 174

The moment our eyes met, Bloden’s gaze sparkled with delight, and his lips curved upward in a subtle smile.
“What an unexpected place to run into each other.”
“Y-yes, it is.”
His tone was so sweet it could melt a person, as if I’d never rejected his proposal at all. My heart raced and heat flooded my face. Part of me felt embarrassed and apologetic, so I studied his expression carefully.
But his face remained serene.
It was as though the wound from my rejection of his proposal didn’t exist at all.
‘Does he have good emotional resilience?’
I tried to recall what Bloden was like in the original novel, and I discovered something unexpected.
‘Wait? Wasn’t the genre definitely a romance novel?’
Bloden had accompanied Nelloa and occasionally bristled at or acknowledged her accomplishments, but he was taciturn, his expressions rarely showed, and his inner thoughts were never described.
The novel progressed entirely from Nelloa’s perspective. Both the confession of love and the proposal were initiated by Nelloa. Bloden accepted them, and readers saw this as the completion of romance.
‘When I read it, Nelloa seemed like such a proactive and spirited female protagonist that I only saw it that way….’
Of course, there were critical comments saying the male lead was wooden and didn’t express affection, but these were dismissed by arguments that it was a device to highlight the heroine’s accomplishments.
Moreover, he was depicted as extremely handsome on the illustrated cover. In other words, his appearance satisfied all plausibility.
But after recalling the illustrated cover and looking at Bloden’s face now, I understood. That novel lacked sufficient plausibility.
‘The real thing is more handsome than the cover.’
And the Bloden before my eyes was smiling brightly. I became even more bewildered.
‘No, the Emperor I’ve seen until now has had such varied expressions? How could anyone call him wooden?’
Ultimately, a fundamental question arose.
‘Is that really a romance novel?’
Nelloa was active, and the world in the novel was kind to her. Their daughter looked exactly like Nelloa. The comments were full of people saying Bloden was blessed to have a daughter who resembled the heroine.
Back then, Bloden had merely glanced at his newborn daughter’s face once and told her to recover well before departing for the Northern Region again.
After that, Nelloa, with her capable abilities, handled all the state affairs, so if I had to define Bloden with a keyword, it would be overwhelmingly powerful key character?
‘Then isn’t the genre actually a female protagonist fantasy?’
That was when Bloden’s face flushed slightly, as if embarrassed.
“What are you thinking about, staring at me so intently?”
Oh no. I’d gotten lost in deep thought while standing right in front of someone.
“I-I’m sorry. Your new hair color is just so beautiful.”
“My hair color is beautiful? What color is it?”
“You didn’t know? It’s a very pretty pink color.”
Bloden plucked a strand of his own hair to check, then sighed as if he truly hadn’t known.
“Ah, Raven. Of all colors to choose….”
The person he was complaining about, Raven, appeared to refer to Aner. It seemed he had created the hair dye for the covert operation.
“There was no mirror nearby when I changed my hair color.”
“I see. Still, it’s truly a beautiful color. It suits you very well.”
“Are you being sincere?”
“Of course. Yes, anyone who sees it would want to touch it.”
“Really?”
I nodded in agreement. Then Bloden, whose eyes had been wandering, leaned forward and thrust his head toward me.
“You can touch it if you’d like.”
“…Pardon?”
“You said everyone who sees it wants to touch it. Doesn’t that include you?”
No—even if I felt inclined, who in this world would dare lay a hand on the Emperor’s hair!
I let out a silent scream and glanced around. Fortunately, no one was nearby.
When I looked back at Bloden, he lowered his eyebrows slightly and murmured dejectedly.
“It’s not actually beautiful, is it? You don’t even want to touch it?”
“No, it’s not that—it is beautiful, truly.”
“…There’s no need to force yourself.”
Bloden spoke as though it were fine, but his eyes resembled those of a puppy caught in the rain.
“It’s just that I wouldn’t dare place my hand upon Your Majesty’s head…”
“That’s fine. I’m giving you permission.”
Bloden pushed his head even closer.
As he drew near, a pleasant fragrance wafted toward me. His silken hair, gleaming and flowing, seemed to beckon me to experience its touch.
‘Since he’s even given me permission, I really do want to touch it.’
I bit my lip and cautiously extended my hand toward the side of his hair.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
My fingertips felt the texture of silk. Just as I was about to withdraw my hand after gently stroking his hair, Bloden softly covered my hand and pressed it firmly against his head, then chuckled.
“I won’t bite. Touch as much as you’d like.”
His hair filled the spaces between my fingers. My palm came to rest against his head as well.
I swallowed hard and, as he wished, slowly ran my hand through his hair.
Beyond the sensation itself, the sight of him with his eyes closed resembled a large dog asking its master for affection. Soon, gripping the back of my hand as though it were natural, he slowly turned his head.
My heart began to race.
My palm, no longer touching his hair, now covered his smooth cheek. Bloden, resting his face against my palm, slowly opened his eyes and met my gaze.
“How does it feel to touch?”
“It’s… truly beautiful.”
The compliment escaped my lips unbidden.
Bloden seemed pleased by my praise, his eyes crinkling with a smile. Without breaking his gaze from mine, he turned his face toward my palm.
‘Oh, oh no!’
The moment I felt his lips brush lightly against my hand, a storm of conflict erupted within me.
‘Should I stay still, or should I pull away?’
Then Bloden released my hand and straightened his upper body. In that instant, I felt an unexpected sense of loss.
“Have you eaten dinner?”
“No, no, I haven’t.”
Bloden laughed brightly and extended his hand as though to escort me.
“Shall we go eat together then?”
As though enchanted, I raised my hand and went with him to the Restaurant.
There was truly nothing I could do about it…

* * *

Our conversation during the meal consisted mostly of trivial information.
In particular, Bloden spoke about the ship’s ports of call, which included Mistril Territory—my destination.
“The land there is fertile and beautiful, but you must stick to the main roads. Crime runs rampant in the alleys. There’s also talk that the Lord has been preoccupied with other matters lately.”
‘Well, that’s actually useful information.’
I paid closer attention to his words.
While I had little reason to venture into the alleys of an unfamiliar land, I could stumble into one carelessly.
‘I must never enter those alleys under any circumstances.’
After finishing our meal, Bloden escorted me back to my cabin.
It had been a good day so far. All I needed to do was bid Bloden farewell and rest.
Then a problem arose. The cabin door, which I had clearly closed before leaving, stood wide open.
‘What on earth is this? Surely not a thief?’
Startled, I peered inside, then quickly covered my nose.
“Ugh, the smell of alcohol.”
A stranger was snoring soundly on my bed.
Bloden immediately summoned a staff member, and I checked whether anything was missing.
Fortunately, nothing had disappeared, so I breathed a sigh of relief, though I felt a pang of sadness.
Even after removing the intoxicated man, the reek of alcohol would linger in my cabin.
Soon the Captain emerged and verified my boarding pass and the situation, then sighed with a helpless expression.
“I sincerely apologize for our negligence. As compensation, I will upgrade your cabin and assign you the new room for your return voyage as well.”
It was a silver lining to the misfortune.
I gathered my bag and followed the Captain’s guidance to the new room.
When Bloden offered to carry my bag, I quickly stopped him.
“No, it’s fine. It’s not heavy at all.”
Just then, the Captain ahead of us opened the cabin door.
“This is where you’ll be staying.”
The moment I saw inside, I dropped the bag in my hand. Beyond the door lay a room befitting a luxury hotel.
“This is our ship’s pride—the Royal Suite Room. There are only three of them on the entire vessel.”
“You’re… really letting me use this room?”
“Your original cabin was a lower grade, and this is the only available upgrade. I hope you have a comfortable night.”
As I stared blankly at the departing Captain, Bloden gestured for me to enter and bid me farewell.
“Then have a good night.”
Click.
The cabin door closed.
Silence enveloped everything, and alone in the room, I sat dazed on the bed, surveying the luxurious interior, when a strange feeling crept over me—as if I’d been played.
‘Could His Majesty have arranged this?’
At that thought, the serene smile I’d seen earlier suddenly seemed like a cunning grin.
‘This Emperor, there’s something rather mischievous about him, isn’t there?’
Perhaps he hasn’t given up on me yet….
In that instant, my lips trembled. Startled by my own reaction, I slapped both my cheeks sharply.
‘Get a grip, Hailey! That drunk man entering my cabin was pure coincidence. How would His Majesty even know about it, let alone move him?’
I took deep breaths to calm my racing heart.
‘I’m on my way to meet Lord Roelden!’
Bloden was merely a chance encounter. We made no promise to meet again tomorrow.
He simply escorted me to my cabin and bid me goodnight.
Bloden was likely heading to the Capital anyway, so I could simply disembark quietly at the next port.

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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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