This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 46

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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 46

 

“Even though it was caused by an outsider, since it happened within the domain, we should handle it. Our Snoril is prepared to embrace these poor children.”

 

He then clicked his tongue.

 

“Really, I’m disappointed in Duke Dillen too. Doesn’t he think to come visit and discuss this directly?”

 

Meanwhile, Nelloa looked around diligently. The construction site where a manor was being built with extraordinary materials, the ruined house with a broken door, the barracks positioned in front of it, the children and workers who looked at her with curious expressions.

 

No matter how she looked, Bloden was nowhere to be found.

 

It would be awkward to describe his appearance and ask if anyone had seen such a person, and she couldn’t rule out the possibility that she had been mistaken.

 

‘Then I should meet with Duke Dillen. His wealth seems considerable compared to his title… so he might be connected to the Emperor.’

 

Even if not, expanding connections with wealthy figures was a good thing.

 

Since the Lord mentioned feeling disappointed, Duke Dillen would come to visit, if only for courtesy’s sake.

 

Nelloa decided to take that opportunity to confirm whether Duke Dillen was someone connected to the Emperor.

 

“Let’s do as the Lord says. The domain’s orphanage will take good care of them.”

 

When Nelloa gave her support, the Lord’s shoulders straightened with more confidence.

 

“That’s only natural.”

 

After instructing the soldiers to take good care of the children, Nelloa smiled kindly.

 

“While they’re preparing, I’ll take a brief walk along the beach.”

 

Nelloa declined the Lord who tried to follow her, saying she wanted to walk alone for a while, and set off.

 

After walking for quite some time, she came to a rocky field, and going a bit further, she found a forest blocked by a low cliff.

 

After confirming no one was around, Nelloa inserted a derivative gate seed she had prepared beforehand into a gap between rocks, and put a signal stone into a pouch marked with the number 11.

 

Then she took out a detailed map of Snoril, marked the location, and thought while looking at the sea.

 

‘It would be convenient to plant one at the port too, wouldn’t it?’

 

* * *

 

“What?”

 

When I came home, the clearing and barracks that had been bustling with children were completely empty, and Kimarise delivered unexpected news.

 

The Lord of Snoril had come with Nelloa to assess the situation and taken all the children to the Snoril Orphanage. The workers who no longer had children to care for had returned home for now.

 

It was bewildering in many ways.

 

Surely the Lord had shown no interest in the kidnapping incident? Besides, the start of the original story was still far off, so why was Nelloa appearing already?

 

I had planned to send those kids to the capital’s orphanage, but things had gone awry.

 

Fortunately, Kyle had been away at just the right time, and Linda had reported well that there were 31 children in total, three of whom had parents.

 

In conclusion, 27 children excluding Kyle had fallen into crisis.

 

When I had taken Baron, I remembered the gloomy expressions of the children I had seen at the orphanage, and felt troubled.

 

“Sigh, is there nothing we can do?”

 

When I sighed, Baron sat beside me and held my hand.

 

Raven stroked his chin, then nodded as if making a resolution.

 

“Rest for today. I hear they’re giving hints for me to visit, so I’ll go see the Lord tomorrow.”

 

Kimarise, who had stood up with Raven, looked at Kyle.

 

“You come with us.”

 

“What?”

 

“We can let one child sleep at our inn.”

 

Kyle’s eyes widened as he looked around the cottage.

 

“No, I’ll sleep here.”

 

“How can you sleep when there’s nowhere proper to sleep? Yesterday was urgent so it couldn’t be helped, but sleeping alone on the floor isn’t right either.”

 

When Baron immediately objected, Kyle pointed at the bed.

 

“One more person like me can fit up there. I want to sleep with Nuna too.”

 

“What?”

 

“Let’s sleep all three together. If we hug while sleeping, three people can lie down.”

 

“Are you crazy?”

 

Baron, startled, clenched both fists.

 

“Absolutely not!”

 

“Why not?”

 

Baron, who had been rolling his eyes quickly, answered urgently.

 

“This house has an o-old bed that will collapse if you get on too! And this house is uncomfortable!”

 

Baron’s voice was loud. His face turned red, his eyebrows shot up, and veins stood out on his neck, showing he was very displeased with what Kyle had said.

 

But Kyle didn’t bat an eye and acted brazenly.

 

“Then you can follow us to the inn and sleep on a comfortable bed, right?”

 

“Why should I go? I’m a child of this house, and you’re a child from someone else’s house.”

 

Watching this, Baron still seemed anxious, which made me feel a bit sorry for him.

 

Being young, he undoubtedly wanted to monopolize his caregiver’s attention and love.

 

Kyle looked back and forth between Raven and Baron, pouting his lips.

 

“This ajusshi seems to like you much more, doesn’t he? He speaks casually to me but formally to you.”

 

“What does that matter?”

 

“Ah, whatever. Anyway, I want to sleep with Nuna.”

 

Baron turned his head sharply to stare at me intently.

 

Feeling it was impossible to persuade Kyle, who wouldn’t listen to him at all, he was asking me with his eyes.

 

‘Nuna! Is it me? Or Kyle?’

 

Since Baron disliked it, there was no need to think about it.

 

“Um, Kyle. It would be better if you went with Raven.”

 

A comfortable inn would be much better than our uncomfortable house. If Raven took care of him, he could avoid danger in emergencies too.

 

“Then I have no choice.”

 

Though he couldn’t hide his disappointment, Kyle eventually followed Raven and Kimarise.

 

“Nuna, well done!”

 

After seeing the three people off and coming back inside, Baron giggled as if he had never been angry and jumped onto the bed.

 

Crack!

 

At the same time, the bed’s wooden frame collapsed.

 

“…Oh.”

 

Baron rolled his eyes for a while, then sheepishly got down from the bed.

 

“Uh, so this is… ah, this should work.”

 

Baron brought over his bankbook that I had created and deposited money into from time to time, and held it out to me.

 

“C-can’t we buy a bed with this?”

 

“Puhahaha!”

 

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at his innocent appearance.

 

I ruffled Baron’s hair to comfort him.

 

“It was already really old anyway. The mattress is still here, so it’s fine. We can sleep.”

 

I pulled out the broken bed frame and stacked it to one side.

 

“We got firewood.”

 

I looked around the house. Though it creaked, now only the dining table and chairs remained as furniture in this house.

 

There hadn’t been much to begin with, but with the bed ending up like this too, I felt somewhat complicated.

 

I had saved up some money, and Ben had bought all the conch shells today, but it still wasn’t enough to buy furniture.

 

‘Should I at least ask the furniture store if I can buy on installments?’

 

Though they wouldn’t sell that way to someone without verified identity.

 

* * *

 

The next day, Raven came to visit.

 

“I met with the Lord. Kyle is at the inn with Kimarise. And I’m in a predicament – could you help me out?”

 

“A predicament?”

 

When I came out, I could see furniture and household items like door panels, window frames, and various pieces of furniture loaded on a cart pulled by a large draft horse.

 

“Wow! This looks great! Is it yours, Raven?”

 

Baron, who had followed me out, flapped his arms and his eyes sparkled as he looked at the furniture, making Raven smile with satisfaction.

 

“I’m glad it looks good to Baron’s eyes. What do you think, Hailey?”

 

At his question, I carefully examined the furniture.

 

“It’s pretty furniture. But why did you say you were in a predicament?”

 

“Well, you see. This was originally imported from a distant country across the sea, and it was supposed to go into a new house. But I accidentally brought too much.”

 

Raven pointed to the house under construction.

 

“Even when I say I brought it for my own house, they don’t believe me because the house is small compared to the amount I brought. They think I must be planning to make a big profit since I brought it all the way from a foreign country.”

 

“Then… couldn’t you just return it?”

 

“The place I bought it from is too far away, so the cost of returning it would be more than the value of the furniture.”

 

Raven let out a deep sigh as if the ground would cave in.

 

“I came here to rest, not to do business… so I don’t have a trading permit for this place. If a ‘Merchant Guild’ without The Lord’s permission sells goods, they face corporal punishment and very heavy imprisonment.”

 

“What?”

 

The Lord, knowing that goods came through the port, made this an issue and gave quite a stern warning.

 

“So I had no choice but to burn or throw it away.”

 

Sigh, our house doesn’t even have old furniture, yet Raven has to throw away new furniture.

 

Couldn’t you just dump it in front of our house? Then I could pretend not to know and drag it inside to use.

 

Ah, would that be too shameless? But Raven said he’s in trouble, right? Wouldn’t that be helping him?

 

I barely suppressed the words that were rising up to my chin, when Raven pointed to our house.

 

“So I brought it here. Your house furniture happens to be quite old, doesn’t it, Hailey?”

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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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