This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 55

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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 55

 

Come to think of it, that was true.

 

I hadn’t really been conscious of it, but as Baron said, it had been that way since the bed was changed.

 

Since the bed was wider and softer than before, did it naturally happen that way?

 

“Do you dislike me now?”

 

Baron seemed to have a different interpretation, so I quickly shook my head in surprise.

 

“No, that can’t be.”

 

“Then why don’t you hug me first anymore?”

 

“You seem a bit… grown up now?”

 

I realized the reason from my reflexive answer.

 

Baron was seven years old, but now he didn’t feel entirely childish anymore. When we talked, he was honestly smart. Even his mental age seemed high now.

 

‘Wouldn’t it be strange to say his mind is the same age as mine sometimes?’

 

That’s when it happened.

 

Rumble!

 

“I-I am a bit big, but I’m still small.”

 

Baron quietly moved closer to me.

 

Baron’s incredibly cute face was illuminated by the light seeping from the magic stone lamp. His violet eyes sparkled moistly above his small, chubby cheeks.

 

Crash!

 

When the thunder roared loudly, Baron moved even closer.

 

“Nuna, there’s thunder outside. I’m scared. Hug me.”

 

I realized from Baron’s voice mixed with aegyo.

 

‘I must be crazy.’

 

I really thought wrong.

 

No matter how much of a genius Baron was, he was just a seven-year-old child. Sea lice were fine, but it was natural to be scared of thunder and lightning.

 

“Can’t… I?”

 

“Why can’t you!”

 

I stretched out both arms and pulled Baron into a tight embrace.

 

Oh my, my baby.

 

“Nuna is sorry. I thought you were sleeping comfortably because the bed got better. With all this thunder, I should have thought you’d be scared.”

 

When I hugged him tightly, the tension in Baron’s small body relaxed.

 

“Baron, let’s sleep like this every day from now on.”

 

“Every day?”

 

I kissed Baron’s forehead several times and rubbed his cheek.

 

“Yes, I’ll hold you while we sleep until you say you don’t want to.”

 

Baron’s voice brightened considerably.

 

“Really? Until I say I don’t want to?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Baron giggled and burrowed into my arms. Then he suddenly looked at me with a questioning expression.

 

“Nuna, but what if, hypothetically, I say I like Nuna for my whole life?”

 

I couldn’t help but laugh.

 

How cute he looked worrying while asking such an unrealistic question.

 

“That won’t happen. Close your eyes. Let’s sleep quickly.”

 

“It could happen. I might want to sleep like this even after I grow up and become an adult.”

 

His very serious expression made me laugh even more.

 

In just a few years, his eyes would naturally go to girls his age and he’d be distracted.

 

‘A child is still a child after all.’

 

It seemed best to brush it off appropriately at times like this.

 

I gently patted Baron.

 

“Yes, yes. Let’s think about that when the time comes. Sleep quickly. You need to sleep early to grow tall.”

 

“…”

 

Baron pouted but obediently closed his eyes and went to sleep.

 

Soon Baron’s breathing became steady and rhythmic.

 

I smiled warmly while looking at the peacefully sleeping child.

 

This would probably last at most three years, maybe until Baron turned ten would be the limit.

 

If he went to a good academy before then, he’d live in the dormitory, so it would be even shorter.

 

I also closed my eyes and went to sleep, making up my mind.

 

Whether short or long, I should spend this precious time with Baron.

 

* * *

 

The thunder and rain didn’t stop until the next afternoon.

 

Looking at the blue sky that had cleared like a lie, I gathered a bucket and went outside the house with Baron.

 

As we discussed yesterday, it was to find a suitable place to make and store fermented sauces.

 

“Serch!”

 

As soon as I called his name, Serch flew over immediately as if he’d been waiting, circling around us like a greeting.

 

“Serch, see if there’s a place that meets the conditions Nuna mentioned.”

 

After hearing my explanation, Serch quickly flew ahead first. We held hands and slowly walked in the direction Serch had flown.

 

While following and looking around to see if there were more suitable foraging spots, Baron asked.

 

“But Nuna, what kind of food ingredient are you trying to make?”

 

“Yes. I’m going to make fermented paste.”

 

“Fermented paste?”

 

“Yes, soybean paste, red pepper paste, soy sauce.”

 

Baron looked puzzled.

 

It was natural since these would be words he was hearing for the first time. But the content was familiar to me and Baron was smart, so I just explained it step by step.

 

After hearing my full explanation, Baron nodded.

 

“You’ll make soybean blocks from beans to make something called fermented paste, and you need a cool, well-ventilated storage place?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“And you’ll make as much as possible at one time?”

 

“You understood well.”

 

Baron looked back at the path we had walked.

 

“The distance from our house to here looks like at least 2 kilometers?”

 

As Baron said, the distance was quite far. But the seaside was originally somewhat away from residential areas, so it wasn’t particularly surprising.

 

“You’ll have to use a cart, but won’t it be inconvenient? The path here is either gravel or sand. It seems like it would be hard for Nuna to carry things back and forth.”

 

I shrugged my shoulders.

 

“What choice do I have. I’ll have to move things bit by bit.”

 

Just then Serch returned.

 

“Was there a place that met the conditions?”

 

At Baron’s question, Serch swayed up and down.

 

“How many places are there?”

 

Serch spun around and then touched pebbles on the ground in sequence.

 

One, two, three.

 

Then he touched the same pebbles again repeatedly.

 

Again, one, two, three.

 

“Three?”

 

Serch swayed up and down, then slowly headed toward the caves. He seemed to be trying to guide us.

 

Watching the light going ahead at an appropriate distance, I couldn’t help but be amazed anew.

 

“Wow, Serch is really amazing. Last time when there was an earthquake, he even drew arrows telling us to get out quickly.”

 

The more I thought about it, the more grateful I was to Baron for taming Serch.

 

“This is all thanks to you, Baron.”

 

Baron glanced up at me and rubbed under his nose with his finger.

 

“Nuna, bringing up something from so long ago again…”

 

“Still, I’m grateful. If it weren’t for Serch…”

 

Following behind Serch and talking, we had arrived at a coastline filled with large, rugged rocks before we knew it.

 

We had reached the place Serch had guided us to.

 

Though the path up was a bit inconvenient, the inner space was quite spacious, allowing us to stand upright.

 

“Wow!”

 

The height and width were good, and the temperature was optimal. Despite being on the coastline, the rocky terrain blocked direct sea winds, and light only entered through some areas where the ceiling was open. Since the elevation was high, there seemed to be no worry of waves crashing in, and it was neither too humid nor too dry.

 

‘To think such a place exists!’

 

As if heaven had bestowed it upon us, the structure and environment were optimal for storing sauce.

 

I also examined the second and third locations, but those places had either too strong sea winds or were so humid that condensation formed. They were also difficult to enter, so it seemed we’d have to give up on those two places.

 

“I guess we only need to use the first place we saw.”

 

I examined the first location once more, and indeed, it would be the optimal place if we could just prevent beasts and intruders.

 

‘I’ll need to come and take necessary measures after fermenting the sauce.’

 

The soybean blocks could somehow be managed at home with some effort.

 

As I thought of the process and solutions to expected problems, my motivation surged.

 

Now all that’s left is making it!

 

“Let’s go, Baron. We need to hurry to the city and buy the necessary ingredients. Let’s also flip over some rocks on the way.”

 

“To catch octopus?”

 

“Yeah. I spotted another place on the way where there might be octopus.”

 

Heading home energetically, I looked back at the rocky area with a good mood. Then I discovered an unexpected trace and stopped walking.

 

‘Why is that… in the crevice of the rock wall?’

 

According to what I heard from Baron and Mr. Raven, that trace should definitely be in the tidal flats or underwater, right?

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t like he had shown her a place filled with gold and silver treasures—he had merely used Ignis to find a location that seemed to meet the requirements.

 

Seeing Hailey rejoicing and smiling brightly, Baron felt a sense of fulfillment.

 

He also liked being able to give her the gift she wanted without revealing his identity.

 

So he was definitely returning in a good mood.

 

But Hailey, who had been laughing and chattering with a voice like a singing canary, suddenly became quiet and stopped.

 

“…Nuna?”

 

Hailey was looking back with a hardened expression.

 

‘What on earth is she looking at?’

 

The moment he checked where her gaze reached, Hailey tightly grasped Baron’s hand.

 

“Baron, I’m asking because I don’t know much about this.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Do Sea Slimes also come out of the sea?”

 

‘Ah.’

 

Baron sighed and lightly bit his lower lip.

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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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