This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 182

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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 182

‘Camen!’
The moment I recognized the identity of that sprout, I bolted upright from my bed.
The Duchess of Borderland, who had been lying beside me, stirred as well. She had been awakened by my sudden movement.
‘Shh.’
Before she could even open her eyes fully, I gestured urgently for silence.
Camen’s arrival meant that suspicious activity had been detected.
‘No, suspicious movements on the very first night? It’s as if Duke Utra had been waiting for this exact day.’
At this point, I began to suspect that the document in question might be treasonous—or something approaching that level.
Camen then moved toward the door and created a wall identical to it, sealing the entrance. Thanks to the soft glow of the magical stone lamp illuminating the interior, I could see clearly even beneath the door frame.
Soon, black-clad feet appeared below Camen’s wall.
‘Gasp—assassins, it seems.’
Though tension gripped me, I felt no fear with Camen standing guard.
I calmly descended from the bed, changed into fresh clothes, and secured my shoes properly. Then I helped the Duchess of Borderland change as well and ensured she was shod.
At this point, sounds of rattling and murmuring began emanating from the door.
“What is this? Why won’t it open?”
The intruders began shaking the door with greater force.
With no escape route, they seemed to have abandoned any pretense of stealth.
I retrieved the knife and fork I had hidden beneath the bed.
In that same moment, sounds of repeated impacts echoed from outside the window—growing louder with each strike.
I quickly opened the window and peered outside. A black silhouette was ascending the wall directly below.
Assassins typically move on moonless nights. Had they underestimated us, thinking we were merely two defenseless women?
The brilliant moonlight made the intruder’s movements perfectly visible.
He had a rope secured around his waist and wielded metal pitons in both hands. Like an expedition climber scaling a cliff face, he had been driving the pitons into the tower’s crevices as he ascended.
Our eyes met as the masked intruder drew closer.
The intruder released one piton and abruptly drew a short blade from his waist.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
Startled, I shrieked and hurled the fork I was holding directly at the intruder.
“Ugh!”
The fork struck his face squarely, and the intruder dropped his blade, staggering.
I leveled my knife at the intruder dangling precariously from the pitons and issued a threat.
“If you value your life, climb down! This tower is very high, you know? You’ll die if you fall!”
Yet the intruder’s eyes gleamed not with surrender, but with murderous intent.
Crash!
At that moment, the sound of the entrance door being shattered echoed through the room.
“Wh-what is this? What’s this stone wall?”
A bewildered voice rang out.
“Something’s wrong here.”
“Hey, go get a hammer. And report on the situation here!”
Soon I heard the sound of someone rushing down in haste.
Upon hearing that sound, the masked intruder’s eyes narrowed—whether in amusement or something else, I couldn’t tell. No matter how I positioned myself to go back up, it seemed they wouldn’t listen to a word I said.
“I said get down!”
I hurled my knife at the intruder’s hand, the one gripping the wedge.
“Argh!”
Despite wearing gloves, the blade was sharp enough that the knife lodged perfectly into the intruder’s hand. In that instant, they lost their grip on the wedge and plummeted downward. Thanks to the rope, they ended up dangling helplessly before hitting the ground.
“Phew.”
The moment I exhaled in relief, a rope came whistling down from beside the window. I stumbled backward in shock.
“Crack!”
Thud!
This time, a familiar crow’s cry echoed from atop the tower, followed by an impact. A black shadow plummeted down.
Crash!
Black Libia burst through the window and landed on the table, lifting her head with triumphant pride.
“Ahem.”
But that moment was brief. A stone wall materialized in front of the window, sealing it completely. A loud voice came from the entrance.
“What on earth is happening? The entire First Floor entrance is blocked with stone!”
Followed by the sound of panicked commotion and increasingly forceful strikes against the wall.
With Camen holding them back, the intruders didn’t seem capable of harming us. Yet with everything sealed off, we had no apparent escape route either.
That’s when it happened.
“Whoosh!”
Black Libia charged straight through the wall, and with a tremendous crash, an opening far larger than the window appeared.
Then, as if on cue, a gentle slope connected to the opening began to form. Safety walls the height of a person rose on both sides.
It was clear this path would lead us to escape.
“Let’s go.”
I took the Duchess of Borderland’s hand and stepped onto the slope. Walls formed before and behind us, and the floor began moving on its own.
When I sat down with the Duchess of Borderland, seeing no need to walk, the speed increased dramatically.
Though the atmosphere suggested we were escaping safely, the journey took far longer than I expected.
‘How far are we going?’
The farther we traveled, the more I worried about the seal mold I’d left at Bernard’s House—especially after hearing about the baggage inspection. What if they confiscated it? And would they search that cottage too?
‘I might need to go retrieve it… I wonder if they’ll search that place as well?’
After a long while, the path stopped. The walls that had enclosed us on all sides vanished, and the surrounding landscape came into view.
There lay a seawater surface bathed in moonlight, and the silver fur of a wolf gleaming softly in the darkness.
Bloden’s wolf sat on the beach with a saddle large enough for two riders on its back and a massive bag slung across its flank.
“Oh!”
Startled by the sight of the wolf, the Duchess of Borderland gripped my hand even more tightly than before.
“It’s all right. It’s the Emperor’s wolf.”
“The Em-Emperor’s wolf?”
“It’s fine. He’s gentle.”
As if to prove my words, the wolf wagged its tail and approached us.
“Huff, huff, huff, huff.”
I stroked the wolf that nuzzled its head against me affectionately and surveyed my surroundings. Yet no matter how hard I looked, Bloden was nowhere to be found.
“Where is His Majesty?”
“Huff, huff, huff, huff.”
I doubted I would receive an answer from the wolf.
In that moment, Black Libia—who had vanished at some point—reappeared with a small pouch clenched in her beak. I was genuinely startled to realize it contained the seal mold I had left behind at Bernard’s House.
“Goodness! How did you know to bring this? Thank you so much.”
“Ahem.”
Black Libia placed the pouch into my palm and then pecked at the wolf’s saddlebag. When I opened it, I found two robes and some simple provisions inside.
“Caw.”
“…You want us to ride on your back?”
At Black Libia’s proud nod, the Duchess of Borderland and I donned the robes and climbed onto the wolf’s back. I positioned the Duchess in front and gripped the reins firmly, whereupon the wolf rose to its feet.
Soon the landscape around us began to blur past in rapid succession.

* * *

It was not until the following afternoon that the Duchess of Borderland and I arrived at Mistril Territory.
In truth, the wolf we rode possessed extraordinary speed.
Had we continued at that pace, we could have reached Mistril Territory before dawn broke, but no matter how many robes we wrapped around ourselves, enduring the relentless headwind throughout the night while riding the wolf was simply beyond our capacity.
The wolf, understanding this, stopped at a well-appointed Hotel just beyond the Domain’s borders and allowed us ample rest. Thanks to this consideration, both the Duchess of Borderland and I were in excellent condition.
It was when the wolf set us down in Count Enox’s Lawn Garden.
Knowing of our arrival, Count Enox and his wife, who had been waiting in the garden, rushed toward us immediately.
“Good heavens, Lora!”
“My dear, how you must have suffered!”
The moment Count Enox and his wife saw their daughter, the Duchess of Borderland, tears of joy streamed down their faces.
“Thank goodness you are safe!”
Lora, the Duchess of Borderland, was equally overcome, tears flowing freely.
“Father! Mother!”
The three of them, consumed by emotion, embraced one another and wept. Their anguish was so profound that I too felt tears threatening to spill.
Count Enox was the first to compose himself, wiping away his tears before bowing respectfully to me.
“Thank you so very much, Hailey.”
The Countess then approached me and offered a gracious greeting.
“You have lifted an immense burden from our hearts. We scarcely know how to repay such kindness.”
When people who appeared to be three times my age bowed to me, I was so startled that my tears vanished entirely.
“No, please—I did nothing of consequence. I merely accompanied the Doctor, and His Majesty accomplished the Duchess’s rescue entirely.”
So you should really be thanking Bloden, not me.
Yet Count Enox bowed to me again, his eyes shining with conviction.
“Had Hailey not gone, the day we would see our daughter again would have been far more distant. We are at a loss for how to repay you.”
The Countess Enox smiled warmly and grasped my hand firmly.
“My husband speaks truly. Hailey, you have restored us when we were withering away. Is there anything you desire?”

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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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