This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 98

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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 98

“Ahem!”

Bloden cleared his throat and asked me in a serious tone.

“Is there a situation where we need to rescue someone else?”

“?”

I was somewhat bewildered by that question.

Hadn’t I just instructed Camen, the rock mole, to pull out anyone inside if there were people in there?

I thought of the children who had escaped and shook my head.

“I’m not sure. Most of them seem to have gotten out.”

Rumble rumble! Crash!

At that moment, thunderous vibrations echoed all around once again.

Before the aftershocks of the vibration had even subsided, Raven returned and bowed his head to Bloden.

“Your Majesty, I have blocked the passage. Now you can evacuate the civilians and then permanently seal it.”

Bloden nodded and finally set me down. The moment that firm yet comforting embrace disappeared, my body trembled without my knowing.

“You must have been very frightened.”

“Ah, ahaha. I’ll be fine. Thank you for saving me. I’m alive thanks to you.”

As I was giving my thanks, I gasped in surprise and held my breath.

Bloden’s eyes had curved gently and his lips had softly curved upward.

Though it was a faint smile, it was so brilliant that it was dazzling, and my heart raced frantically.

‘This must be the basic option halo of a romance novel male lead!’

Bloden unfastened his cloak and wrapped it around me.

The appropriate weight of the cloak pressed on my shoulders as the subtle fragrance that emanated from Bloden swirled around my nose. Thanks to this, my trembling seemed to subside a little.

Seeing that I had calmed down, Bloden stood up from his spot.

“Raven, strengthen security and handle follow-up measures so there’s no further harm to civilians.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

It was when Bloden took a step toward the gate.

“Kyaa! My Lord, what is all this!”

Nelloa’s scream was heard. At some point, Nelloa was restlessly asking the knights about the situation from where she was giving first aid to the Lord.

As if looking for the person in charge, she turned her head and upon seeing Bloden, quickly ran over and gracefully paid her respects.

“I greet the sun of the Ilpein Empire and eternal savior.”

Nelloa smiled brightly toward Bloden.

“I am Nelloa Kelite. I was at a loss when I heard news that a monster had appeared, but I am truly grateful that you came here, Your Majesty.”

Seeing this, I realized.

That this was the starting point of the original story.

It seemed the kidnapping incident had gone awry, changing the first meeting between the male and female leads to now.

‘How did Bloden react in the original?’

In the original, Nelloa already knew how Bloden would move at the kidnapping incident scene. She evacuated the children along that route and later ended up alone with Bloden.

The Bloden she met then looked a bit younger than now. And Nelloa greeted him with similar courtesy as now…

‘Back then, Bloden tried to ignore Nelloa and pass by? Huh? So is he ignoring her and passing by now too?’

Sure enough.

Bloden glanced at Nelloa and just ignored her, turning away.

‘As expected!’

Then what Nelloa would say next was also predetermined.

“I know how to break the curse.”

The expected line came out. But she didn’t go as far as proposing marriage.

‘It’s a different situation from the original, so that makes sense, right?’

Right now it wasn’t kidnappers running wild but right after a monster had run wild, and they weren’t even alone.

‘Right, proposing marriage by reciting the full version dialogue in this situation would seem strange in terms of plausibility to anyone!’

Intrigued, I carefully observed Bloden and Nelloa.

If it followed the original, he would twitch one eyebrow and his pupils would waver for a moment. The line that would follow after silence was this:

‘I’ll visit tomorrow. If it’s a lie, you should be prepared to die.’

In the original, it definitely said he had an emotionless expression. From that gaze, Nelloa felt that he didn’t actually dislike her that much. As much as she had been active in the kidnapping incident, some favorable feelings had accumulated.

‘Now it’s the male lead’s turn to respond…!’

Soon Bloden twitched one eyebrow.

“What nonsense are you spouting.”

But his red pupils were straight without wavering. A cold voice flowed out decisively.

“I already know.”

‘What? He already knows?’

Good heavens. It was an answer that completely broke the original.

Moreover, Bloden was very disgusted.

“…Pardon?”

Nelloa was greatly flustered.

Well, even I who was watching was flustered, so Nelloa being the person involved would be even more so.

Bloden and Raven started walking.

“Your, Your Majesty! Wait, just a moment.”

It was when Nelloa was frantically trying to grab Bloden’s hem. Raven intervened between them and blocked Nelloa.

“Do you want to die?”

Startled by the coldly sharp mechanical voice, Nelloa staggered backward and ended up collapsing as strength left her legs.

‘How will the plot develop like this? Is the romance going down the drain?’

I looked back and forth between Nelloa sitting with a lost expression and Bloden’s retreating figure, pondering.

‘How did it end up like this… Is it because I interfered with the kidnapping incident? But in the original, Bloden didn’t know how to break the curse either.’

It seemed like the original plot development was ruined.

‘Or will they be connected through some other development later?’

Then Bloden’s commanders who had been lined up in front of the gate disappeared as if sinking into the ground. When Bloden, who was blocking the gate, looked back this way, Raven said coldly to Nelloa.

“Gate closure causes strong shock waves. If you don’t want to die, follow the palace knight’s guidance and evacuate.”

As soon as his words ended, palace knights rushed over and supported Nelloa.

I also tried to get up and dust myself off, but…

“Kyaa!”

“Meow!”

Something suddenly rose up from beneath me and my eye level got higher!

I was startled and frantically tried to maintain my balance, and Toto, who had still been clinging to me, quickly slipped out and moved to my shoulder.

When I barely managed to straighten my posture, I was sitting on the back of the skeletal warhorse that Raven had ridden.

Raven lightly tapped the protruding part at the front of the saddle with his hand.

“Hold onto this appropriately. I will escort you to a safe place.”

I grabbed the front of the saddle as he instructed. Then the skeletal warhorse began walking quickly.

I was startled and gripped the front of the saddle tightly, then realized there was almost no shaking.

‘I guess I can relax my grip…?’

Having gained some composure, I looked around and made eye contact with Nelloa, who was being supported by palace knights as she left. The eyes of the palace knights and Nelloa looking at me were full of questions.

‘Well, even from my perspective, this situation is unrealistic.’

Here I was, having just registered my identity today, rescuing children from a burning building, surviving a near-death crisis from a monster, wearing the cloak the Emperor had worn, and riding a Death Knight’s skeletal warhorse.

As I reflected on today, I gained some understanding.

‘Ah, is he treating me well because he saw me rescue the kids?’

Since he was a male lead who had tried to rescue kidnapped children, he probably wouldn’t treat orphanage children any differently.

I finally felt at ease.

On one hand, I also felt much more relieved.

As long as Bloden had appeared, Snoril would be safe no matter what gate opened.

He hadn’t said he would stop the monsters coming out of the gate. He had definitely said he would close the gate.

It’s to completely eliminate the source of the problem.

‘Keu, truly the dignity of a male lead.’

At this point, I started to feel like whatever happens with Nelloa and Bloden’s romance has nothing to do with me.

As an extra who won’t even get a single line in the novel, I can live peacefully while raising Baron.

That’s when it happened.

“Aaah! What is that thing!”

I had been lost in thought when someone’s shout snapped me back to attention, and I looked around to find we had already reached the entrance to the commercial district.

There was a crowd of people gathered there, all looking anxious.

“Ah! Nuna!”

“Nuna!”

The children who had escaped from the orphanage were also gathered here together.

The skeletal warhorse knelt down to let me off, then after confirming I was standing properly, it disappeared like smoke.

Right after that, the orphanage children burst into tears and threw themselves into my arms.

“We thought Nuna was dead!”

“Waaaah!”

I stroked the small heads within reach and comforted the children.

“It’s okay, kids. We’re safe now.”

“Toto.”

The child who had gone down the ladder last called to the cat on my shoulder.

But Toto avoided the child’s hand and jumped down, then looked back at us, snorted once, and haughtily went on his way.

Soon people began bombarding me with questions.

“Miss, what happened? What was that monster just now?”

“They say a gate opened at the orphanage and monsters appeared!”

“I heard the Imperial Guard deployed, but is it resolved?”

Everyone had tense expressions.

“Ah, well.”

Just as I was about to explain the situation to people.

Rumble rumble rumble-

The ground began shaking violently from the direction of the orphanage.

“Meow!”

Toto, who had left, came running back like a bullet and stuck right back onto my shoulder. His tail fur was puffed up again.

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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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