This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 5

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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 5

I brought water and cleaned Baron’s hand thoroughly, then put my mouth to his index finger and sucked on it.

“Hik?”

Baron let out a startled cry, and I went outside to rinse my mouth with water before coming back.

Baron’s face as he looked at me was red like a ripe tomato.

‘Right, being born a noble, it must have been a culture shock. But in the countryside, we sometimes live like that.’

His violet eyes were shaking wildly, showing how shocked the child was, which made me feel embarrassed.

“I sucked it out, so the thorn might have come out.”

“Huh?”

“I was trying to remove the thorn. Does it still hurt?”

Baron, who had been staring at his index finger that I had rinsed with water, shook his head.

“N-no. It seems fine. It doesn’t hurt at all.”

“That’s a relief.”

Finally feeling relieved, I patted Baron’s shoulder.

“If it hurts at all, tell me. We’ll go to the hospital.”

“Y-yeah.”

Baron nodded his head.

“And never do something like this again.”

“No, it’s fine… Ah.”

“I’m not fine with it.”

Baron made a surprised sound. It was because I had poked his forehead with my finger.

“Children don’t need to work. Don’t worry about what adults think, just play well, eat well, and sleep well. Got it?”

Baron stared at me intently.

“You need to answer. Baron, you little one.”

“Don’t call me little one.”

Baron pouted and nodded his head.

“Got it.”

“Good.”

I didn’t nag any further and rolled up my sleeves. Then I put a reasonable amount of the sea snails I had caught on the stove.

The sea snails cooked quickly.

When I gently rolled the cooked sea snails into a basket and placed them on the table, Baron came and sat across from me.

“I just need to shell these and eat them, right?”

He was reaching out his small hands as if he was going to shell them himself, so I quickly stopped him.

“No, they’re hot, so little one, just stay still. They haven’t been purged, so if you eat them as is, they’ll be gritty. Plus, I need to remove the salivary glands so your stomach won’t hurt.”

I skillfully dismantled and prepared the sea snails. The tools weren’t particularly good, but the sea snails were so large that I could leave only the edible parts quite cleanly.

The appearance matched the sea snails I knew, but just in case they were a different species, I tried a bite first.

“Hmm.”

It was the taste I knew. It was even nutty and chewy, perfectly cooked.

“Good. Now let’s eat.”

I pushed most of the sea snail meat toward Baron.

“Th-this much for me?”

I smiled while putting my portion of sea snail meat in my mouth.

“Children should eat a lot. And you were hungry, weren’t you?”

Baron, who had been staring at me, pushed half of the sea snails in front of him back to me.

“Still, this is too much. Nuna is much bigger, so Nuna should eat more. Nuna must have been very hungry too.”

I placed it back in front of Baron.

“No, I cooked a lot, so I can shell more. Plus, Nuna is an adult so it’s fine, but children should eat enough first.”

“I’m really okay though.”

“Hey, Nuna told you to eat.”

When I put a bit more force in my voice, Baron nodded with a resigned expression.

One bite, two bites. His mouth moving like a baby rabbit was very cute.

‘And he eats so well like that.’

Watching him made my nose tingle.

Though he sometimes shows arrogant aspects, Baron is truly an angel by nature.

Despite being born a noble and being young, he thinks of others and yields to them.

Of course, it could be that he’s being considerate because he lost his parents early, but even considering that, he was mature and admirable.

.

.

.

After finishing our meal well, I had Baron rinse his mouth with clean seawater.

“Even if it feels uncomfortable, bear with it a little. I’ll sell the sea snails tomorrow and buy you toothbrush supplies.”

Baron kept his mouth tightly shut as if thinking about something, but eventually nodded.

“Sit here.”

Now that brushing was done, he needed to wash his face too. I scooped water with my hands and wiped Baron’s face.

“Mmph?”

“Stay still. Let’s wash up quickly and sleep.”

Splash splash, only the sound of water could be heard in the house. After thoroughly wiping his small face, I placed my hand over it and grabbed Baron’s nose.

“Now, blow your nose.”

“Huh?”

Baron asked back as if he didn’t understand what I said.

Doesn’t he know what blowing your nose is?

“Put force in your nose and blow. Like this!”

“No, wait!”

Baron jumped up. The child wiped the water on his face with the back of his hand, looking truly incredulous.

“Wh-what do you take me for!”

“Don’t you have snot? Dust must have accumulated in your nose too.”

“Th-there’s no way I’d have such things!”

Baron stepped back several more steps in horror. He looked so ashamed that I just nodded.

“What’s wrong with a child having snot. Fine. Never mind then.”

Leaving Baron covering his nose with his hand and being wary behind me, I also finished washing my face.

Then I could hear the sound of waves from outside. It seemed the tide was coming in.

I went outside the house and brought seawater, pouring it into the largest wooden tub available. It was a makeshift purging tank I had prepared. I put the remaining sea snails in it.

If I let them purge like this, tomorrow morning would be easier.

“Phew, finally the day’s work is done! Now let’s sleep.”

I laid Baron on the bed and lay down next to him. It was time to rest.

Perhaps because the bed was so old, creaking sounds filled the room every time we tossed and turned.

Still, the blanket had been washed and dried well, so it had a fluffy sunlight scent.

“It might be uncomfortable sleeping together for a while, but bear with it a little. Nuna will make money and buy you a bed too.”

Baron moved his lips as if to say something, then nodded.

I gave Baron an arm pillow and hugged him tightly in my arms.

Pat pat.

“Now sleep.”

Perhaps because he was tense, Baron’s body was completely stiff.

A normal child would have snuggled in comfortably when hugged like this. Is he not used to it?

“Has an adult never put you to sleep like this?”

“Huh? Uh…”

“Should I not do it if it’s uncomfortable?”

When I asked while continuing to pat him, Baron relaxed his body and burrowed into my arms, closing his eyes.

“No, do it more. It feels good.”

Perhaps unable to bring himself to touch my body directly, he only grasped the hem of my clothes at my side, but the Child’s lips were curved up in a smile.

‘That’s right, this is how a child should be.’

He was so cute that if I had left him at the orphanage?

The thought that Baron would be making the same expressions as the children there was horrifying.

I was glad I hadn’t left him behind.

“Sweet dreams, Baron.”

“Sweet dreams… Nuna.”

Baron’s peaceful expression made me feel at ease too.

I closed my eyes. I suddenly felt fatigue washing over me.

* * *

On the night when Hailey was fast asleep, a small figure stood about a hundred meters away from the old cottage.

“Ignis Fatuus.”

As soon as the quiet words fell, a white sphere of light appeared in the air.

It was the very light that Baron had claimed was a flash firefly when Hailey asked if he hadn’t seen any strange lights.

The Ignis Fatuus, about the size of an adult man’s fist, was a type of spirit characterized by emitting very bright light.

As the sphere’s light brightly illuminated the surroundings, the small figure’s face was clearly revealed.

It was Baron.

However, unlike during the day, his eye color wasn’t purple but red, and despite the hot color of his red pupils, they gave off a cool atmosphere. As if it had never happened, there was no trace of the childlike demeanor he had shown in front of Hailey.

Baron looked at the sphere before him with an attitude as if he had the whole world beneath his feet.

In fact, when dusk had fallen close to the ground earlier, Baron had summoned the Ignis Fatuus.

So that Hailey could return home without losing her way.

He thought Hailey might be startled by the unfamiliar light, but first, a landmark for her safe return was necessary.

And he had called other subordinates to roughly clean up the house. Since Hailey had tried to help him, he thought he should repay her to some extent.

Hailey, who returned using the light as a guide, indeed looked puzzled.

But Baron disguised the identity of the Ignis Fatuus by making the excuse that it was a flash firefly.

When she asked if he could catch and tame one, Hailey’s eyes sparkled and the corners of her mouth twitched. To Baron’s eyes, this seemed to mean that the Ignis Fatuus would be very useful to her.

A chuckle escaped from his lips as he recalled Hailey’s expression.

‘Well, it is brighter than a lamp at night, so it would be useful in many ways.’

Soon Baron gave a command to the Ignis Fatuus.

“Listen carefully to my words. From now on, you’re a flash firefly.”

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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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