This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 186

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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 186

“So the day after I enrolled, this Scholarship Delegation—three men—came for an Academy visit, and they kept sneaking glances at Kyle.”
Baron ate the meal I’d prepared with obvious relish, spinning out his account.
“But one of them kept sitting in on Kyle’s classes. Doesn’t that seem odd? So I made a point of watching them whenever I got the chance.”
Baron said his instincts had proven correct.
“One of them was exchanging notes with Anbi in a corner of the training ground. He was doing it again this morning.”
Baron told me how he’d rushed at Anbi the moment the visitor left and snatched the note to read what was written inside.
“And what was on it?”
Baron’s revelation startled me.
The visitor had commissioned Anbi to summon Kyle during lunch today to a designated location.
At those words, I thought I understood who the visitor was.
‘Could it be that Duke Utra has already caught on to Kyle’s whereabouts?’
It suddenly occurred to me how strangely Nelloa’s eyes had looked when she saw Kyle the day he returned.
‘Wait—that reporter who was traveling with Nelloa is connected to the Utra side, isn’t he?’
If Nelloa and the reporter already knew Kyle was wanted, there’d be nothing odd about information reaching Duke Utra.
‘Is the reporter still in the domain?’
“Nuna? What are you thinking about so hard?”
Baron’s question snapped me back to attention.
“Oh? It’s nothing. Was there a reward mentioned if the commission was completed?”
“Yeah. A high-ranking noble would grant him a knighthood, supposedly. That’s when things got really suspicious. Kyle already has a bounty on his head anyway, right? It looked like that visitor came specifically to catch Kyle from the start.”
Baron said he’d asked Anbi what his connection was to those visitors, and Anbi claimed he didn’t know them. The boy really did look completely ignorant, so Baron had offered him some advice.
It’s best not to get involved in matters you don’t understand.
“I told him, ‘If something bad happens to Kyle because of what you do, how are you going to take responsibility for it?'”
If only Anbi had seen the wisdom in that and backed off.
But he didn’t listen. A boy who’d just enrolled was being lectured by an upper-year student, and instead of reflecting, he got angry.
“He said I was overstepping my bounds, that he deserved a beating, and he started throwing punches. So I considered giving him one.”
Baron finished eating and propped his chin on one hand, giving me a playful smile.
“I thought of you.”
“…?”
I studied Baron carefully before responding.
‘Has it really been so many days since I last saw him?’
He was clearly Baron, and yet somehow he felt like a different person.
“I figured you’d say I shouldn’t hit a fellow student.”
So he’d restrained himself thinking of me—now that I recalled it, he’d said something similar in the principal’s office earlier.
I’d let it pass then because I was flustered, but thinking back on it now, the words were nothing short of touching.
At the same time, I wondered if I was entertaining some ridiculous notion.
That he wasn’t Baron. But no matter how I looked at it, this was our Baron.
“How admirable.”
A laugh escaped me unbidden.
“So? You only defended yourself? By tripping him with your leg as he charged?”
“That’s right. But he kept coming at me stubbornly, so in the end it came to this.”
This much I’d already heard in the principal’s office.
But Baron continued with what came after.
“Then it seemed like he finally figured it wasn’t working, so he tried to leave. I blocked him.”
“What?”
“He was going, so I tripped him with my leg and sent him rolling.”
“….”
Wait—wasn’t that an attack?
Baron said he’d rolled Anbi across the ground. Until Anbi begged him to let go.
“So you let him go then?”
“No.”
“What?”
“I kept rolling him until I could see the teachers coming from far off.”
“Huh? Why?”
“If I let him off easy, he’d just come back later with his friends. He needs to understand the difference in strength right down to his bones, so he won’t dare come at me again.”
In the end, Anbi apologized to Baron and made a solemn promise.
That he would never follow through with what the note asked. That he would tell no one that those visitors had found Kyle. And finally, that what Baron had done—holding him down and rolling him—would remain a secret.
Only then did the teachers arrive where the two boys were, and Baron and Anbi went to the principal’s office.
I found myself at a loss for words—my brother’s persistence was truly extraordinary.
“That was delicious. Thank you.”
Baron finished his barley tea without leaving a drop, then rose from his seat.
“I’m going out for a moment.”
“Hmm? Where are you going all of a sudden?”
“I can’t find Crockel anywhere.”
‘Crockel?’
It was the first time I’d heard Baron use that nickname for him.
‘…Is that a pet name?’
Since Baron was still only eight years old, it made sense to interpret it as a term of endearment. And true enough, Crockel was nowhere to be seen.
“Should I come help you look?”
“No need. He’s a Ghost Wolf pup—he’ll come running the moment I call. He’ll be back within three minutes, so just sit and rest for now.”
Baron headed outside.
A moment later, I heard Crockel barking excitedly. It seemed Baron had found him without trouble.
When Baron came back through the door, his eyes were bright and shining as he gazed at me intently.
“Why are you looking at me like that all of a sudden?”
“Sister.”
Baron’s eyes crinkled as he broke into a radiant smile.
“What? Did something good happen while you were looking for Crockel?”
“No, it’s just… seeing you again makes me so happy.”
Baron threw his arms around me like a cat seeking warmth.
“The truth is, I missed you so much. I wanted to hug you like this, and…”
As Baron continued clinging to me, his cheeks flushed with shyness.
“And I wanted… I wanted a kiss too.”
Laughter bubbled up from me unbidden.
“Oh, Baron.”
I pulled him close and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“Ahh, now I feel like I’m truly alive again.”
“Truly alive again? What an odd thing to say.”
“Well, after coming home and eating, my tension finally eased. Suddenly I feel so tired.”
At those words, I examined Baron’s face more carefully and was startled. Dark circles had formed beneath his eyes.
‘I didn’t notice them earlier…’
Looking more closely, his eyes were slightly bloodshot as well.
“Oh! Baron, are you sick?”
“No, nothing like that. It’ll be fine after I sleep.”
Baron stepped back and frowned at the dining table.
“Sigh. I realize now I haven’t cleared the dishes.”
“?”
Baron gathered all the empty bowls from the table into the wash basin and rolled up his sleeves. Seeing he was about to start washing them, I quickly stopped him.
“Baron, let me do it. You rest. You’ve had a long, tiring day.”
“No, you’re more tired than I am. You just got back from another territory and already you’re cooking for me.”
“Wait, you knew I was away?”
“Raven came to the Academy. I asked about you and found out from her. She said you left the day I enrolled.”
“Ah, yes.”
“When I went looking for Crockel, I overheard that you turned right around and came to pick me up the moment you got back. You’re the one who hasn’t recovered from the journey.”
……
Baron continued speaking as he skillfully washed the dishes.
“Don’t worry, I’ll finish this. And sister, if I ever leave my dishes unwashed after eating, tell me right away. Understood?”
“…Yes?”
“I mean it.”
Where had that affection from moments ago gone?
His tone was so firm and resolute that I found myself nodding without thinking.

* * *

Three in the morning.
After confirming that Kyle was in deep sleep, Raven summoned Kimarise, Crockel, and Dantarion to the study. Over the past week, much had transpired in Snoril, Mistril, and Utra Territory, and it was necessary for them to share information and coordinate their movements.
“What about His Majesty?”
The moment they had settled into their seats around the empty head position, Kimarise responded to Raven’s question by checking on Bloden’s status.
“He said he’ll contact us when he wakes.”
It meant she hadn’t woken up yet.
“And if there was anything you instructed before that…”
Kimarise’s gaze turned toward Dantarion. Dantarion was sprawled across the sofa, leaning back with ease.
He’d been humming contentedly with his long legs crossed, but he cracked one eye open lazily at Kimarise’s look.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Bury your head.”
“What?”
“When we gather, you’re to bury your head and reflect, he said.”
“Who said that?”
“Who do you think.”
……
Dantarion rolled his eyes, then spoke again.
“That’s ridiculous. Reflect on what? I think I did very well today, actually.”

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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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