TERM 04

Chapter 4

In This Princess Commits Marriage Fraud, Bloden Ilpain, a man with black hair and red eyes, was an incredibly handsome emperor. He possessed a special power that only emperors could have.

He could summon demons, spirits, or ghosts and use them as his subordinates.

However, this power had a side effect known as a curse. The symptoms and level of danger were different for each emperor.

Bloden’s mother, the former emperor Riende, was unlucky. The more she used her power, the shorter her lifespan became.

During her reign, monsters were everywhere, so she had to use her power often. As a result, she died young. After her death, her only child, the young Bloden, ascended the throne, and the era of regency began.

At first, the regent was the Grand Duke of Beldenborough, who was both the consort and Bloden’s father. However, he later married Anna, the daughter of Duke Roan, and died suddenly a few years later.

After that, Anna Roan, Lady Beldenborough, became the regent.

For the so-called safety of the empire, she sent the young Bloden to the Gate of the Northern Mountains, where monsters originated.

Since he could not rule directly until he became an adult while a regent was in place, Bloden went to the Northern Mountains without protest.

The side effect of his power was that the more he used it, the younger his appearance and voice became. But Bloden did not care.

Even if he looked young, he was fully aware that he was the emperor. As long as the empire’s people were safe from monsters, that was enough for him.

One day, Princess Nelloa of the Kingdom of Kellite, who had possessed the body of a character in the book, received information that Bloden, now an adult, was in the port city of Snoril.

Using the knowledge she had from the story, Nelloa made a great contribution by solving a long-standing child kidnapping case. After that, she made a proposal to Bloden.

“I know how to break your curse. I’ll remove it for you, so marry me.”

It was a lie to gain the male lead’s love. However, Bloden, who highly valued Nelloa’s abilities, accepted her proposal.

As expected in a romance novel, after overcoming many hardships, Nelloa succeeded in the royal marriage. She drove out Anna Beldenborough, who tried to hold onto control of state affairs until the very end, and ruled the empire together with Bloden.

Although she had lied about knowing how to break the curse, it did not matter. Bloden had never believed her from the beginning.

The fight against monsters to protect the empire’s safety and peace continued, but Bloden and Nelloa still reached a happy ending.

That was when—

“Wow!”

I couldn’t stop myself from shouting.

A conch shell twice the size of my fist!

I had caught many large sea snails while gathering seafood in my previous life, but I had never seen one this heavy and big.

“With this size, it must be packed with meat.”

After putting my best catch into the bucket, it was completely full.

“This should be enough for Baron and me.”

I forced myself to ignore the other seafood in sight and hurried home. I didn’t think I had been out long, but it was already getting dark.

“Next time, I should light a fire on the beach before going in.”

The sun set much faster in this world than I had expected. If I had come out a little later, I might not have kept my promise to Baron to return before sunset.

“Oh, right. I still haven’t decided how to get proper night gathering equipment. At least I need a searchlight…”

Most sea creatures were active at night. To catch them, a light source was essential.

“It’s too inconvenient to carry a torch alone, and magic stone lamps are insanely expensive. How am I supposed to solve this?”

As I muttered and sighed, I suddenly looked up.

A white glowing sphere was blinking near our house.

“What is that?”

I rubbed my eyes and looked again. The white light kept blinking.

Like a lighthouse, it seemed to say, “This is where you return.”

I stopped worrying and hurried toward it.

I didn’t know what the light was, but I was grateful that it guided me as darkness fell.

However, I didn’t get to see it clearly. As soon as I stepped onto the safe sandy ground, the light disappeared.

It felt strange, almost as if I had been lured by a ghost light.

While I stood there blankly, a dark figure moved in front of the house.

“Why are you so late?”

It was Baron.

“Hurry inside. I’ve been waiting.”

Baron opened the door. Warm orange light spilled out from inside.

Didn’t he see that strange light?

I had to ask.

“Didn’t you see anything strange out here?”

“Strange?”

“Yes. A white light was blinking and then disappeared.”

“Oh. That?”

Baron answered casually.

“It was a firefly.”

“What?”

“A firefly.”

There was no way that light was a firefly.

“What kind of firefly looks like that?”

“There is one. It’s just very rare.”

Baron tilted his head as if wondering why I didn’t know.

“It’s called a Flash Firefly.”

“There’s really something like that?”

I doubted my ears, but Baron calmly nodded.

“It’s a tiny bug that emits a light about the size of an adult’s fist. It appears suddenly, blinks, sometimes glows steadily, then vanishes like a flash. They used to appear in the garden of my old house.”

Baron stroked his small chin and nodded.

“If we’re lucky, we can even tame it.”

“What? Really?”

“Yes. It’s intelligent and follows its owner well.”

Then he gave a slightly arrogant smile that didn’t suit his age.

“Most people don’t know about it. Many mistake it for ghost fire.”

I had nothing to say. His tone even felt a little teasing.

But the moment I looked at Baron’s face, my irritation melted away. He was just too cute.

Then Baron said,

“Should I catch one and tame it for you? I can.”

“That would be great, but don’t overdo it. Anyway…”

This tiny kid was trying to do something for me.

His heart was so sweet and adorable.

And if we really could tame one, I would basically get LED-level lighting.

“Well, I’ve never seen one before. You must be pretty smart, kid.”

I playfully ruffled Baron’s hair in thanks.

“Hey! Who are you calling a kid?!”

Now it was Baron who was flustered. Even his shocked expression was cute.

“Haha, come in. I’ll grill the conch for you.”

When I stepped inside, I was shocked.

The broken furniture pieces I hadn’t cleaned up were neatly stacked in one corner like firewood. The floor, though still old, was clean and free of dust.

The fire in the stove, which I had barely managed to start earlier, was now burning strongly.

So that was why the warm light had been leaking out.

“B-Baron. Did you clean all this?”

I couldn’t think of anyone else who could have done it. But could a child really do this?

“Yes.”

“How did you manage all this by yourself? It must have been hard.”

Baron shrugged.

“Even if it’s hard, I should do it. We decided to live together.”

“No. Don’t do this anymore. Come here first.”

I washed my hands with the water I had brought yesterday, then grabbed Baron’s hands and examined them carefully.

“W-Why are you doing this?”

Baron’s eyes widened as he stepped back.