This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 3

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 3

“Sojung Kim? That’s an unusual name.”

Oops, I ended up saying my original name.

“Ah, Hailey.”

“Hailey. Then what’s Sojung Kim?”

“A name I used before. My surname is Kim and my name is Sojung.”

I slightly bounced Baron to readjust my piggyback position. Baron’s body instantly stiffened. He seemed very awkward, as if he’d never been carried like this before.

But Baron pretended to be calm and asked again.

“Are you a noble too, Nuna?”

“No. In the world I lived in before, everyone’s names were made like that.”

“The world you lived in before?”

“Something like that exists. Kids just need to think ‘I see’ and that’s enough.”

“…I see. Where do you live?”

I couldn’t help but smile at how he obediently listened without throwing a tantrum, unlike a typical child.

“By the seaside, there’s an old cottage there.”

“Do you have family?”

“No. I’m alone. I don’t know my age either.”

“Really? What about your parents?”

“I don’t think they’re around.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t have any memories.”

“Then… Nuna might be an orphan too.”

“I’m an adult, so I’m not an orphan, right?”

“How old are you?”

My original age is twenty-eight. But I couldn’t tell Hailey’s age.

“I’m not sure about that.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know my birthday. Based on my appearance, I seem to be in my early twenties.”

“Why don’t you know?”

“My identity isn’t guaranteed. There probably isn’t any record of when I was born.”

“Ah… I see.”

The atmosphere seemed to become a bit awkward after my words, but we happened to arrive in front of the orphanage just then.

“Here, we’ve arrived. Get down.”

I confirmed that Baron had his feet on the ground, then stretched my back straight.

“Ugh.”

Meanwhile, Baron, who had been examining the orphanage building, frowned.

“It looks like a prison.”

The square wooden building was surrounded by a fence made of sharp-pointed wooden stakes, and the entrance was firmly locked with a padlock.

As I couldn’t agree or disagree with his comment about it looking like a prison, Baron asked me.

“Do I have to go in?”

“Y-you need a place to live. And if you stay here, you’ll be able to meet good adults.”

I unknowingly stuttered a bit, and Baron spoke to me again.

“I could go to Nuna’s house since you’re a good adult. You said you live alone. That seems better.”

“Our house? Are you telling me to raise you now?”

“…Is that how the conversation goes?”

As if he hadn’t thought of that, Baron’s eyes widened.

“If you come to our house, that’s naturally what would happen.”

Thinking of my house that I hadn’t even finished cleaning made me sigh automatically. No matter how I thought about it, my cottage, which was at the level of a ruin, wasn’t suitable for a child to stay in.

But Baron said something I couldn’t even imagine.

“Is it because I’ll be a burden eating your food?”

He seemed to have misunderstood my sigh, but even so, how could he say that! What kind of child says such things!

“That’s not it! What are you saying? Where did you learn such awful words?”

“The inn owner said that when he kicked me out.”

Then he shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s true, isn’t it?”

“No, it’s wrong!”

I strongly denied it.

Those were words that would hurt even an adult to hear, yet this child was using such expressions as if it was nothing.

It seemed like evidence that Baron was accustomed to verbal abuse and mistreatment, which made my heart ache.

“Don’t say things like that. Those aren’t words an adult should say to a child. They’re words that shouldn’t be said at all.”

Baron looked up at me quietly.

“Even if I can’t give you delicious food, I can somehow manage to feed one child. But right now there’s nothing at home. Also, the house is in complete disarray.”

That’s when it happened.

“You parasitic brats who only waste food! Why aren’t you moving faster?”

A man’s loud voice came from behind the orphanage.

Startled, I went toward where the sound came from and peeked over the wall, and beyond the wooden fence I could see an adult man and several children of various sizes.

The children were pulling weeds from a vegetable garden with their bare hands. They weren’t crying, but they all looked gloomy.

That was understandable.

“Why do you all look like you’re eating shit! I feed you and give you a place to sleep! You should be grateful you’re not slaves!”

The man who appeared to be in charge was shouting verbal abuse.

Eventually, the children began to shed tears one by one.

“If you don’t finish before sunset, you won’t get dinner today!”

“Ah…”

Along with a sigh that escaped without my knowing, various emotions crossed through me.

That’s when I also noticed how the children were dressed.

‘They’re wearing clothes that don’t fit properly, all patched up.’

Looking at the shabby children, they looked no different from beggars.

Then Baron grabbed the hem of my skirt.

“Do I really have to go into the orphanage?”

“…”

I couldn’t say anything and just looked at Baron.

If I left him here, those pretty purple eyes would become filled with gloom. I can’t save all those children, but…

I stroked Baron’s head.

“Our house is really uncomfortable and there’s no food… can you bear with it for a while? If I work hard, I should be able to feed at least one person like you.”

That seemed better than going into that orphanage.

Baron seemed very smart, so after just a few years, he’d be able to become independent.

“Can I really live at Nuna’s house?”

“Yes. Let’s go to our house.”

A joyful light appeared in Baron’s eyes. The child who firmly grasped my hand smiled brightly.

“Okay!”

* * *

However, around sunset, when we arrived at our house, Baron’s expression was worth seeing.

“This is… a house?”

A crooked door, broken windows, a clothesline hanging at an angle with blankets still on it. A small garden overgrown only with weeds and a broken fence.

This cottage, sitting alone at the end of the seaside sandbar where stones were scattered sparsely, was the place where Baron and I would live together.

“I told you. It’s uncomfortable and there’s no food. But there’s a stream behind it, so we don’t have to worry about water.”

When I spoke awkwardly, Baron hurriedly waved his hands.

“No, it’s good. Much better than the orphanage.”

“What a positive child. Wait a moment. I’ll make dinner for you.”

I patted Baron’s head once, then gathered the blanket and went inside the house to place it on the bed. Fortunately, it was thoroughly dried, so it seemed we could use it right away tonight.

‘Even if I’m fine, children catch colds easily…’

Fortunately, the embers inside the stove were still weakly remaining thanks to covering them well with ash before leaving this morning.

While I blew on them and added kindling to revive the fire, Baron looked around the house and clicked his tongue.

“There are broken furniture fragments scattered around too. This place is practically a ruin. How did you live in a place like this, Nuna?”

“I don’t know either.”

“Huh?”

“This isn’t where I originally lived.”

Still, after bustling around all day yesterday collecting things to use as firewood and organizing the most urgent areas, this was the best I could manage.

Baron seemed like he wanted to ask something, but I appropriately ignored him and checked outside the window.

Under the reddening sunset, I could see the water receding from the sandy beach.

It was the perfect time for mudflat foraging.

“First I need to get dinner, so wait just a moment.”

I grabbed an old bucket and came outside the house. Baron was good enough not to ask more questions and followed behind me.

“Where are we going?”

“The sea. I’ll be back soon. Wait here.”

“The sea is dangerous at night. You absolutely can’t go into the water.”

Baron’s eyes looking up at me were round and earnest.

“Heh, what a cute kid.”

I patted Baron’s head.

“You’re right. But it’s okay. I’m only going to places so shallow you can barely call it water.”

“Only shallow places?”

“Yeah, it won’t even reach my ankles.”

“…Well, if that’s the case.”

“I’ll be back before the sun completely sets, so wait for me.”

Baron, touching his head with both hands, obediently nodded.

I left Baron behind and walked into the mudflat, surveying the surroundings.

Under the very shallow water, I could see plenty of fist-sized conch shells and sea cucumbers. No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like no one was catching these things.

‘Is there something I don’t know about?’

It was a bit strange, so I examined carefully, but there was nothing that looked immediately dangerous.

‘Maybe there are better mudflat foraging spots near the city.’

If they could catch things well in other places, there would be no need to come all the way here, which requires quite a walk from the city.

Thinking about it that way, it wasn’t an incomprehensible situation.

‘I needed to organize my thoughts anyway, so this works out well.’

I selected only the large conch shells to put in the bucket while trying to gauge the timeline of the original story.

‘Since Baron almost got kidnapped, the events of the original story are still in progress, which means it’s before the male lead Bloden comes to this place.’

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