This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 178

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 178

Toto had entered the room with the open door just ahead.
“M-my lord has arrived?”
From within came Maji’s urgent voice, accompanied by a commotion.
“Please, just wait a moment while I straighten my clothes.”
“Y-yes!”
The maid who had rushed out was startled to find me already standing before the door and tried to stop me.
“Oh, Princess! P-please wait just a moment.”
Through the doorway, I could see Maji sitting against the bed, hastily adjusting her garments. Patches of discoloration were faintly visible on the skin she hadn’t yet covered.
‘I need to see Lord Roelden’s condition clearly.’
The maid spoke urgently, trying to block my view.
“The master has just finished treatment and is still recovering from the medicine’s effects!”
“I met the doctor on the way here. I already know everything, so come out.”
At that moment, the maid’s expression darkened. She released a small sigh and stepped aside.
“M-my lord. Without any notice, what brings you…”
I grasped Maji’s shirt with both hands. She gasped in alarm.
“M-my lord. You mustn’t do this.”
“If you think of me as your lord, then stay still.”
Maji squeezed her eyes shut, and I unfastened the buttons of her shirt. Her upper body was revealed, covered in burns and countless scars.
As I stood speechless at the traces of unimaginable pain, Maji slowly refastened the buttons of her shirt one by one.
“Please do not make such an expression. These are glorious marks of protecting my lord—if you would praise them as honorable, my pride would shine all the brighter.”
At those words, I pressed my temples with my hands, which had begun to throb.
“Sigh… I came looking for you because I had something to ask, but I’ve learned something far more important.”
Maji, who had been silent, soon smiled faintly. Her eyes, which folded gently, began to gleam.
“It is nothing of consequence. But what did you wish to ask me?”
She seemed pleased that I considered her health more important than my own business.
I sighed and withdrew a seal mold from my pocket, handing it to her.
“An acquaintance happened to bring this by chance, and I was curious whether it was genuine. If it is real, I wanted to see if there might be a place to use it.”
Upon seeing what I offered, Maji’s eyes widened as if they might burst from her head.
“M-my lord. This… could it be…”
With trembling hands, Maji examined the mold carefully before returning it to me.
“This is indeed the mold used to create the Royal Family’s seal. Looking at the markings on the pattern, it is the mold for His Majesty the King’s personal seal. With this, you should now be able to enter the Royal Palace Underground Vault, which only His Majesty could access.”
“The Royal Palace… Underground Vault?”
“It is said to be where the Royal Family’s treasures and important documents passed down through generations are kept. If you dream of rebuilding the kingdom, it would be wise to visit… but…”
Maji’s expression twisted with a sigh.
“It has become Demon Beast Island and is inaccessible. And to go there, I would need to assist you, but with my body in this state…”
Maji trailed off, her lips pressed together. The maid beside her merely watched cautiously.
“Meow.”
At that moment, Toto climbed onto the bed. I tucked the seal mold away and gently stroked Toto’s head as he made soft, gurgling sounds in his throat.
“I wanted to understand the situation, but I wasn’t trying to do anything in particular. So please don’t blame yourself.”
During the voyage here, I’d briefly wondered if there was any point in coming, since I wasn’t the one who would rebuild the nation anyway. But now that I was here, I felt glad I’d made the journey.
If I hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have known exactly what situation Maji was in.
Moreover, the Doctor and Maji seemed completely unaware that Utra Marquis’s Wife had been imprisoned.
‘We could waste precious time otherwise.’
Since I knew which domain housed the leading authority on burn treatment, it seemed better for me to go find them and bring them back personally.
I squeezed Maji’s hand firmly.
“You mentioned meeting the Doctor on the way here and hearing from him, didn’t you? For now, Lord Roelden is focusing on his recovery with peace of mind.”

* * *

Count Enox continued wiping away the cold sweat that still flowed down his face with a handkerchief.
And for good reason—Bloden’s notice of visit had arrived merely thirty minutes ago, delivered through Kimarise, who had been stationed at Bloden’s side at the Imperial Palace alongside Raven.
Somehow, without the slightest warning, Kimarise had entered the study, placed a letter before the Count’s eyes, and vanished.

[In about thirty minutes, His Majesty, who has been in hiding, will arrive. Receive him with proper courtesy, then deploy all the Knights to 4th Street. We plan to eliminate those who have conspired in civilian abduction and imprisonment, so arrest everyone there.]

Currently, the alleys of Mistril Territory were overrun with all manner of criminals.
Years ago, the shock of his daughter bearing the stigma of infidelity and being imprisoned by Duke Utra had been so severe that he’d been unable to properly manage his domain, which had led to this situation.
Count Enox had attempted to deploy the Knights to resolve the matter. But rather than solving the problem, the Knights had returned defeated.
Strangely, the criminals’ martial prowess exceeded that of trained Knights.
By now, the situation in the alleys had become so dire that he didn’t even dare attempt to address it. Yet Bloden had just announced he would root it out entirely.
The moment the Count finished reading the letter and looked up, a small orange Salamander on the floor vanished like it was dissolving into thin air the instant their eyes met.
Only the Emperor possessed such transcendent abilities.
Count Enox hurriedly began preparing a formal welcome and dispatching the Knights, while his wife, upon hearing that Bloden was coming, grabbed him and pressed him urgently.

‘This is our only chance! Because of your greed, we caused this disaster—you must fix it somehow, by any means necessary, this time! Do you understand?’

The Duchess’s expression was dark, as if she might burst into tears at any moment, and the shadows beneath her eyes were deep. She had been in this state ever since receiving news of her daughter’s confinement.
To fundamentally resolve her daughter’s situation, she needed Bloden’s support—someone uninfluenced by the Regent.
However, when the trouble first arose, three years still remained before Bloden could escape the Regent’s control. Thus, Count Enox had been spending his days in anguished frustration, watching time slip away.
Then, several months ago, a rumor quietly circulated that Raven Aner was searching for the cat’s owner under certain specific conditions.
The moment Count Enox received this information, he immediately sensed that the cat’s backer was no ordinary matter. The specific conditions were not something that could be fulfilled by someone of common status, and Raven Aner, who had set them, was Bloden’s closest confidant.
‘His Majesty must be behind this! I must obtain that cat!’
If successful, it seemed likely that Bloden would eventually come here for some reason. That meant an opportunity would arise for a private audience without the Regent’s surveillance.
So Count Enox had volunteered to become the cat’s owner, emphasizing his willingness to comply with any additional conditions, and had readily accepted Margie Loweldern and her maid, caring for them generously.
His prediction had proven correct.
Now Bloden sat before him, sipping tea leisurely with an indifferent air.
.
.
.
The beautiful woman who had arrived with Bloden in a hired carriage remained unidentified. Still, despite Bloden’s explanation, he had sensed some connection between them. She was the one who had come to find the cat’s owner.
He had hinted to the Duchess to inquire about her, then guided Bloden to the Reception Room, and as Kimarise had instructed, sent the Knights to 4th Street Alley.
While Bloden rested, messenger birds arrived in succession.
Something had happened—people lay collapsed in the alley, and the Knights were simply collecting them and binding them for confinement in the Underground Prison.
An additional report came that those who had been kidnapped and imprisoned were also freed in the process.
This long-standing ailment had been resolved far too easily.
Though the Count could not be certain, it seemed Bloden’s extraordinary ability had been at work. The criminal gang’s strength would be mere gnats compared to Bloden.
Now, as the Duchess had earnestly urged, he only needed to resolve her daughter’s situation well.
.
.
.
“Your Majesty, I offer my sincere gratitude for your assistance with the alley matter.”
As he opened the conversation with heartfelt words, Bloden set down his teacup.
“The safety of the Empire’s people is also my foremost concern. And I have something I wish to ask.”
“Yes, please inquire.”
“How are those who were with the cat faring?”
‘As expected.’
Count Enox reported in detail about the two women staying in his annex.
“According to Lord Aner, the Empire’s finest physician is needed. So I have found one, but….”
Count Enox, speaking with clasped hands in courtesy, deliberately drew out his words while gauging Bloden’s reaction.
“What is it you wish to say?”
“…My daughter knows that physician’s contact information. So I have sent her a letter and am awaiting a reply, but….”
Bloden’s brow furrowed slightly.
“I understood the Count’s daughter to be the wife of Duke Utra? Is she not currently in confinement?”
“Yes, which is why communication is not proceeding smoothly. For us to move directly would be difficult, as my daughter has already become a member of the Utra Family, and the disgrace she bears is far too great….”
Count Enox, his words trailing off, again took up his handkerchief to dab away the cold sweat beading on his brow.
“To bring the physician in time, I must first contact my daughter. This is a grave predicament.”
A knock sounded at the door. When Bloden granted permission, the Countess entered, her face etched with unmistakable distress.
“My apologies, Your Majesty. I was preparing to vacate the room once the woman who arrived with you earlier returned from the Annex, but—”
“You were preparing?”
“She never returned. Upon inquiry, I learned she had already departed for the Port. I know you said there was nothing between you, but I felt compelled to inform you regardless.”
“…What?”
In that instant, Bloden shot to his feet. Watching his expression visibly fracture, Count Enox understood.
That woman was far more than merely connected to him—she was someone of profound importance.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————