This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 207

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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 207

Today was the day of the Frediki Family’s Restoration of Honor and Title Succession Ceremony.
As the doors of the Audience Chamber in the Imperial Palace swung open on both sides, the soft strains of organ music and a boys’ choir’s hymn drifted through the space.
Triji, the protocol officer guarding the entrance, bowed with practiced precision toward Anna, his instincts attuned to power. He had a habit of assessing rank at a glance—reading nothing more than the bearing of a person—and adjusting his deference accordingly.
The system worked well enough: it spared his throat, and the high nobility appreciated it. Two birds with one stone.
Today he moved as he always did.
To lesser nobles he gave a curt nod and waved them through. When the higher-ranked arrived, he bowed with full ceremony and gestured to another protocol officer to see them to their seats.
Then Kail, Lora, Count Enox and his wife, and Hailey arrived.
Count Enox was advanced in years, and Lora, his heir, was only a woman—frail at that. Even with today’s honors, House Enox hardly seemed poised to wield any greater influence than before.
Kail, who was receiving a new title, was far removed from true power besides—nothing but a child. There was no reason to pay him special attention.
‘Really, he shouldn’t even be allowed in here at his age.’
And Hailey was a commoner to boot.
He’d been inclined to give them the merest nod and send them on their way, but—
Triji forced himself to bow a touch deeper. These were the principals of the ceremony, after all; failure to show proper respect would invite gossip.
After ushering Kail’s party inside, Triji suddenly found himself startled.
“Raven!”
Kail had spotted Raven Aner, the Marquis seated a few rows forward, and was waving at him with unguarded delight.
To address the Emperor’s closest confidant—his very right hand—with such easy familiarity.
The gentle murmur that had filled the hall a moment before fell silent as if cold water had been dashed upon it.
Raven, suddenly the focus of every eye in the chamber, gave a small, surprised cough—but recovered swiftly, offering Kail a warm smile and a wave in return.
In that instant, Triji’s understanding of the power structure began to shift.
He’d heard rumors that this boy Kail had been taken on as an adopted son by Lora Enox Utra. But to have a personal connection with Marquis Raven Aner as well?
‘If that’s true, then House Enox gains the military backing it’s always lacked—just like that.’
Triji wondered if he might need to shift his allegiances soon. He studied the faces of the other nobles carefully.
The way they looked at Raven, Kail, and House Enox had changed noticeably from moments before.

* * *

The moment I waved at Raven as I moved toward my seat, the entire Audience Chamber went quiet and every eye fixed on us. It was rather embarrassing.
But I was only thirteen years old.
On such a fine day, a child’s excitement at greeting someone they were fond of was hardly unreasonable.
‘Besides, I’m supposed to be the central figure of this ceremony. They could at least let me have this moment without all the scrutiny.’
Once I’d finished greeting Raven and taken my seat next to Lora in our assigned spots, the hall’s whispers resumed. The nobles glanced between us and Raven now and then, but soon settled back into their own conversations.
Kail glanced around the hall before leaning toward me quietly.
“I wish Baron could have been here too. It’s a shame.”
I’d learned that minors were not invited to Title Succession Ceremonies unless they were the principals themselves. It was surprising that age took precedence over rank, but the law was the law.
“I know.”
Still, Baron had seemed more eager to tour the famous sights of the capital than disappointed about being absent, and I felt better knowing that Kimarise had agreed to accompany him.
Some time had passed since then.
The morning sun had climbed higher, streaming through the tall windows and bathing the Audience Chamber in brilliant light. Nearly every seat had filled. Then a protocol officer stepped forward.
“High Priest Meltears enters.”
The High Priest, dressed in white ceremonial robes, walked forward with measured dignity and took his designated place.
“The Regent, Anna Beldenburo, enters.”
A beautiful woman in a dark green dress swept forward with elegant grace.
‘Wow, she really does command a room.’
I’d never expected to see Anna Beldenburo this close.
Now that the High Priest and Regent were seated, I expected Bloden next. But the protocol officer’s next words surprised me.
“The Holy Saint, Princess Nelloa Kelite, enters.”
Nelloa walked forward dressed in a radiant white ceremonial gown, her hair adorned with woven pearls, drawing every gaze upon her as she moved with an air of unparalleled nobility and grace.
Watching her without any particular thought, I felt something strange take shape in my mind.
‘The Saint enters after the Regent? But the Regent should rank above the Saint in protocol order, shouldn’t she?’
I turned to look at Anna’s face. She was gazing at Nelloa with an expression of unmistakable satisfaction.
‘Bloden and Nelloa are to be married. And the Regent is actively pushing the Royal Marriage… This ordering isn’t random. It’s political.’
In effect, the sequence of entries was Anna’s public declaration that Nelloa would be the future Empress.
‘No wonder it felt like watching a bride process into a wedding hall.’
My mood soured slightly, and I felt myself frowning—when the protocol officer, adjusting his cravat, spoke again.
“The Sun of the Ilpein Empire, the Eternal Savior, His Majesty the Emperor, enters.”
Everyone rose from their seats at once and bowed in deference.
The moment Bloden emerged from the front in his purple ceremonial robes, the Imperial Sword at his side, I found myself utterly breathless.
Adorned for the succession ceremony, he shone more brilliantly than anyone else—the sight of him was dazzling.
Bloden took his place before the imperial throne and slowly swept his gaze across the assembled crowd.
That was when our eyes met. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. His eyes crinkled at the edges, and his crimson irises gleamed.
Even though I’d been in a foul mood seeing Nelloa just moments before, at the sight of Bloden’s face my irritation melted like snow, and an unbidden smile threatened to escape—I had to bite my lip hard to suppress it.
.
.
.
Once Bloden was seated upon the imperial throne, the succession ceremony proceeded at once.
“By the authority of the Imperial House, I hereby declare: all charges leveled against the Frediki Family were lies.”
Anna read the proclamation restoring the Frediki Family’s honor aloud.
When she mentioned the name Utra, Anna’s lips tightened momentarily. She was denying her own trusted aide with her own voice, and the bitterness of it was plain to see.
Yet she betrayed nothing and continued the proclamation as smoothly as flowing water.
“……Thus do we restore the honor of the Frediki Family, and return to its innocent heir all that was lost.”
When Anna finished reading, the Protocol Officer’s voice rang through the chamber.
“Kail Frediki Enox of the Frediki Family, receive the Imperial Grace.”
Kail, visibly tense, stepped forward before Bloden and knelt on one knee.
Bloden drew the Imperial Sword and rested it lightly upon Kail’s shoulder, his voice clear yet low as he made his pronouncement.
“Lord Frediki gave his life to save the Empire from peril. The Imperial House honors that loyalty and service, granting him a posthumous barony, which his sole heir, Kail Frediki Enox, shall now inherit.”
Bloden then declared that the Aer Domain and Frediki Village would be consolidated into a single Frediki Domain.
“Kail Frediki Enox. Do you swear to remain loyal to the Imperial House and the Empire, and to protect your family’s fief and its people?”
Kail answered with a solemn face, observing all proper courtesy.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I swear upon my life and honor. I, Kail Frediki Enox, shall remain faithful to the Imperial House and the Empire, shall protect my fief and its people, and shall become a lord worthy of the Frediki name.”
“I accept your oath.”
Bloden sheathed the Imperial Sword and presented Kail with the Title Certificate and Fief Document.
The succession ceremony concluded with the blessings of High Priest Meltears and the Saint Nelloa.
.
.
.
The Imperial Palace banquet this time was excellent—abundant delicious food and pleasant music flowing throughout.
The only thing marring it was Anna’s gaze, which kept darting in my direction even as she held a fan to hide half her face while receiving the greetings of the Nobles.
‘Why does she keep looking at me?’
Was it because Kail, surrounded by Nobles, was on her mind? Or was she watching Count Enox’s family and Lora standing beside him?
Either way, it was unwelcome.
Worse still, if I’d somehow caught her eye, matters would be even more troublesome.
With Utra and Aer, her closest aides, now dead, she’d show no mercy to anyone she perceived as a threat to her power.
Of course, it was gratifying to see the Nobles quickly reading the shift in power and lining up behind Bloden……
Then I overheard something perfectly timed.
“Why do you keep glancing at the Regent? Are you hoping that if you go butter him up, he’ll stop my marriage to the Emperor?”
I turned to see Nelloa leaning toward me, her eyes full of mockery.
‘Just do your own job. There’s no need to come looking for me.’
Should I ignore her without reply, or should I refute her accusation with a show of disgust?
Neither option sat well with me.
The former would only make her indignant, and the latter would give this rude possession-user a sense of victory.
“Pardon me, Holy Saint.”
At that moment, another Noble approached and bowed politely to Nelloa. She promptly switched to a warm expression and exchanged brief pleasantries with him.
‘Ah, so she’s playing the angelic saint.’
In that case, making sure Nelloa gained nothing was simple. The only thing that troubled me was that Nelloa had Anna’s backing.
“You were asked a question. Why aren’t you answering?”
Once the Noble had moved away, Nelloa pressed me again. This time too, she whispered in a low voice.
‘Ah, so she doesn’t want anyone else to know what passes between us.’
If that was the case, at least this conversation wouldn’t reach Anna’s ears.
‘Then I can relax.’
I mentally applauded and spoke quietly, just loud enough for Nelloa to hear.
“Wow, so being a saint really isn’t for nothing. You’re even good at divination.”
“……What?”
“You could literally spread a straw mat and do fortune-telling.”
Nelloa’s eyes narrowed. Her face showed suspicion at what she’d just heard, and I readily confirmed her guess.
“You already know I’m Princess Adelaine, right? I’ve even packed the Emperor a lunch and exchanged pleasantries about whether it was good—we’re on those terms. So I was planning to go appeal to the Regent. Honestly, wouldn’t I be a better choice than you?”
In that instant, Nelloa’s expression crumbled.
She promptly furrowed her brow and shot the words at me like an accusation.
“How are you any better than me? You don’t have a Special Ability, and I do.”
Well, if that’s what she wanted to claim.
“Your precious Special Ability… it creates Gates, doesn’t it?”
I posed the question as though searching my memory, and Nelloa’s pupils dilated sharply with shock.
“No, it detects Gates, actually.”
Even as I corrected the misunderstanding, her complexion drained to white.
Right—I’d thrown out those words deliberately to wound her, so of course the impact would be severe. But it would be terribly unscrupulous of me to strike at someone defenseless and then expect to walk away clean.
“Either way, what does it matter? The point is you and His Majesty share something in common—you’re both royalty. And that’s something I share too.”
I spoke with deliberate shamelessness.
“Besides, your way of thinking is truly absurd. I’m royalty as well, so why would you assume I have no Special Ability?”
It had been a baseless boast from the very beginning until now.
But my claim sounded plausible enough that Nelloa began to tremble, her whole frame shaking, until she finally managed to force out a whisper through gritted teeth.
“So… His Majesty mentioned knowing the Curse Breaking Method… was that your Special Ability?”
What? What is she talking about?
Now that I thought about it, there had been a time when Bloden told Nelloa that he’d already found the Curse Breaking Method. But why would Nelloa assume that was my Special Ability?
…Could it be.
Do I actually have a Special Ability?

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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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