This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 6

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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 6

Baron’s instructions continued for a while.

Ignis Fatuus floated at a level slightly below Baron’s eye level, bobbing up and down in the air. It seemed as if it was nodding in response to Baron’s words.

After finishing his instructions, Baron called out again.

“Durahan.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a black shadow shot up from the ground.

The massive armored knight that appeared before Baron was holding his own head in his left hand.

A majestic voice flowed from the head of Durahan, who was kneeling on one knee.

-I pledge my soul in eternal loyalty to the eternal sovereign, Bloden Ilpein. Your Majesty, please bestow your sacred words.

Baron, no, Emperor Bloden of the Ilpein Empire looked down at Durahan and asked.

“How is the gate situation? Are there any magical beast intrusions?”

-There are no magical beasts that can withstand the sword of destruction that Your Majesty personally bestowed. They won’t dare approach for quite some time.

That was right.

Though Hailey couldn’t even guess, the name Baron was Bloden’s disguised identity.

Bloden recalled the Northern Mountains.

In that cold and treacherous place, there was a gate from which magical beasts poured out.

Usually, he was satisfied with just dealing with the magical beasts that emerged from the gate, but the endless battles had recently changed his thinking.

Bloden withdrew the knight orders that had been dispatched from the Imperial Palace and various territories.

Then he summoned a large-scale undead legion and led them into the gate to conduct an annihilation war.

It was an operation that would have been absolutely impossible with a regular army, but the ghost army that could simply be resummoned even after death was able to achieve a great victory.

As a consequence, Bloden’s curse activated and he became significantly younger, but the severely beaten magical beasts fled to distant places beyond Bloden’s sight. Some magical beasts escaped outside the gate, but they hid so thoroughly that tracking them was difficult and they didn’t show themselves.

A temporary peace had arrived.

Of course, it was clear that as time passed, the magical beasts would crawl out again and threaten the empire. But by then, Bloden would have recovered from the curse and regained his age-appropriate appearance, so there would be no problem.

“How long do you estimate until it becomes a problem again?”

-We estimate about three years.

Bloden nodded.

That was worth enduring becoming this young.

“Guard the army and battlefield until there are other orders. Cut down any magical beasts you see. If their numbers increase, report immediately.”

At Bloden’s instruction, Durahan tilted his left hand. Naturally, his head also tilted to one side.

-But if I and the army continue to remain on the surface, Your Majesty’s body won’t recover quickly. Will that be alright?

When Bloden’s eyes narrowed, Durahan realized it was an presumptuous question and quickly bowed his head.

-I accept your command.

Durahan disappeared immediately after finishing his response.

“Black Libia.”

With the call, a black shadow flew over swiftly. Soon, the translucent ghost crow that landed in front of Bloden spread its smoky wings wide to both sides and touched its beak to the ground in a respectful bow.

“Go to Raven and deliver this message.”

Bloden gave detailed instructions to Libia.

-Black Libia. Raven. Go. Your Majesty’s command. Deliver.

After hearing all the instructions, Black Libia became a shadow again and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

The ghost crow that transcended space would deliver his instructions to Raven at the Imperial Palace, about 1,000 kilometers away, in less than 5 minutes.

After dismissing even Ignis Fatuus with a gesture, Bloden returned to Hailey’s cottage.

The weakened firelight from the hearth, dimmed by the deep night, faintly illuminated Hailey’s face. Bloden stood beside the bed and quietly gazed at Hailey, who was sleeping with shallow breaths.

Before he knew it, his eyes had changed to violet, and Bloden had become Baron. His expression had also softened childishly, as if he had never been cold.

‘Hmm.’

Baron cleared his throat quietly without making a sound and bit his lip slightly.

He had been thinking of solving the long-troubling case of kidnapping orphaned children while the magical beasts would be quiet for a while.

To find the base of operations for the case, it would be much more convenient if those bastards approached first. Since he had conveniently become younger, he had come to this city with a plan to become a target and lure the kidnappers.

As planned, he had encountered the kidnappers and was acting panicked… but he received unexpected interference.

When he was patted on the bottom for the first time in his life, he was extremely flustered.

When would he, an emperor, have ever experienced such a thing? Even when he was truly young, he had never received such inappropriate treatment.

But it happened because he was in a child’s form, and he couldn’t let it show that he was in the middle of an operation, so he endured it.

But Hailey spoke kindly to young Baron, genuinely worried about him, carried him on her back because the distance was far, and held his hand tightly.

The impudent act of trying to flick his forehead was annoying, but strangely, Hailey’s actions weren’t unpleasant.

In fact, they felt too good. So good that he pretended to have a thorn stuck even though there was no way a thorn could have pierced him.

When she sucked his finger to remove the thorn and when she hugged him tightly trying to put him to sleep, his heart pounded uncontrollably.

He hadn’t intended to sleep, but it was so cozy that he even dozed off for a while.

When he was Emperor Bloden, everyone treated him politely and respectfully. Even the regent who tried to send him to war and steal imperial power treated Bloden as an emperor on the surface.

And when he was in the young form of Baron, he was surrounded by bastards who treated him carelessly or harbored sinister intentions to manipulate him.

In other words, whether he was Bloden or Baron, there had never been a single person who genuinely worried about him.

Only Hailey was different.

The more Baron’s poor circumstances were revealed, the more she tried to give him.

In his view, Hailey was a commoner close to being a beggar.

Living alone must be extremely harsh. Having even one more mouth to feed would be tremendously difficult.

In a world where some parents sold their newborn children or abandoned them in the mountains just to reduce one mouth to feed.

Though she shared not a drop of blood with Baron, Hailey took in the child who had lost his parents and been abandoned by his nanny, as if she was willing to endure hardship for him.

To some people, it might have been trivial warmth. But to Baron, it touched him deeply.

He had come to this city to solve the kidnapping case, but he didn’t want to let go of the unconditional warmth he had unexpectedly received.

After finishing his thoughts, Baron muttered his conclusion to himself.

‘Then I’ll have to change my plan.’

Whether as Baron or as Bloden, he intended to continue investigating the orphaned children kidnapping case. He would just change his methods.

Until now, he had planned to get kidnapped for the most convenient approach, but there was no need for him as emperor to directly involve himself in every situation to solve it.

It would be sufficient to deploy appropriate personnel, observe the results, and move at the optimal time. The subordinates he commanded were quite capable too.

‘I think I need a vacation soon anyway.’

So Baron decided to spend a long vacation of unknown duration at Hailey’s house.

In the future, when Hailey learned that Baron was Bloden and the emperor, she might be shocked enough to faint. She might feel burdened.

But Baron thought it didn’t matter.

‘I just won’t get caught.’

Since he would only stay in child form, as long as he didn’t accidentally get caught, there would be no reason for Hailey to be surprised.

Even if his identity was discovered, what could Hailey do about it?

He could just reward her for taking care of his young self and bring her to the Imperial Palace.

A commoner couldn’t disobey the emperor’s command. Not only that, but she would rise beyond having her status guaranteed to the upper class, which would be good for Hailey too.

Baron rationalized it this way and quietly climbed onto the bed to lie down next to Hailey.

Even though it was a child’s body, the old bed creaked.

“Mmm.”

Sensing his presence, Hailey, who had been tossing and turning, pulled Baron into her arms.

Baron closed his eyes and quietly inhaled.

‘She couldn’t have put on perfume.’

Strangely, Hailey had a sweet scent.

His mind, which had been complicated from battles with magical beasts and predicting all sorts of political struggles that would unfold once the regency ended in two years, felt instantly clear.

Baron, held in Hailey’s embrace, finalized his new plan.

For the time being, he would avoid being discovered and let Hailey raise him well.

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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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