My Unrequited Love Is an Absolute Secret - Chapter 51

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 51

“Are you guests alright?”
The Hotel Staff Member had merely stared blankly while Harry was being harassed by some man.
Only when two men clashed did he finally rush over and ask.
“I’m beginning to wonder if this is a street or a hotel.”
Aemerus answered in a measured tone.
The Hotel Staff Member’s cheeks flushed at his cutting sarcasm.
His pride in working at a 5-Star Hotel had cracked—shame was inevitable.
“The Lounge is a space frequented not only by hotel guests but also by general visitors, so certain incidents unfortunately fall beyond our control. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.”
Without even properly verifying whether the man named Steven Hawk was a guest, the Hotel Staff Member was already deflecting blame away from the hotel.
Aemerus’s green eyes grew cold and distant.
“Of course, one cannot monitor every visitor who comes and goes from the hotel.”
“Yes. Thank you for your understanding….”
“But when a problem occurred in the Lounge, there wasn’t a single staff member present to stop it. Do you intend to brush this off as merely an individual’s transgression? It seems an actual apology should come before excuses or gratitude.”
I had never seen Aemerus speak at such length before.
‘He’s genuinely angry.’
And rightfully so.
Such an unfortunate incident had to occur during a trip he had personally invited me to.
“That is….”
The Hotel Staff Member glanced awkwardly at me.
When our eyes had met earlier as I moved away from the man, he had deliberately ignored me.
Now, suddenly, I had become valuable to him.
‘It’s because I’m an Asian woman.’
Racial discrimination requires no clear justification.
Seeing that I was with Aemerus, an important guest to the hotel, he must have deliberately ignored me.
It was also why I had chosen to quietly move away rather than ask someone for help.
“Harry.”
“Yes?”
“If you find this place uncomfortable, we can move to another hotel.”
At Aemerus’s words, the Hotel Staff Member’s face went pale.
Huntington was a valued guest who visited this hotel consistently every year.
He couldn’t afford to lose such a generous patron—one who never spared tips—to another hotel.
“I sincerely apologize once more for the inconvenience. We will take firm precautions to ensure such problems do not occur again.”
At the Hotel Staff Member’s earnest apology, I decided to let the matter rest.
The Thanksgiving holiday was only four days long.
I didn’t want to waste time switching hotels when there was barely enough time to enjoy ourselves.
Besides, the Huntington Couple would be caught off guard by such a sudden change.
“That’s enough for me.”
“Are you really sure?”
“Yes.”
I’d received an apology from the Hotel Staff Member and secured a promise that it wouldn’t happen again.
That was truly all I needed.
“Thank you so much, miss.”
The Hotel Staff Member expressed his gratitude repeatedly, relief flooding his features.
“We have some shopping to do elsewhere, so please return to your duties.”
Aemerus sent the Hotel Staff Member away, who had been following us all the way to the Lobby as if to see us off.
The onlookers dispersed one by one, and finally, only the three of us remained.
“I’m sorry, Harry.”
Aemerus offered an apology, though I couldn’t fathom why he was apologizing.
Seeing my confusion, Aemerus explained.
“About what I said earlier—that you were my girlfriend.”
“Oh, that….”
If this had been the old me, I wouldn’t have tolerated being linked to him romantically for even a second.
When we’d participated in that couple’s dance competition together, I’d vehemently denied it.
But now, I didn’t find it entirely unpleasant.
That was the problem, if anything.
Startled by my own transformation, I laughed somewhat awkwardly.
“It’s fine. I don’t really mind.”
Calling myself his girlfriend was far more effective at deterring persistent men than simply saying we were friends.
“But I was surprised. I saw how skillfully you twisted that guy’s wrist earlier.”
So subduing Joker on Halloween really was….
When I looked at him with narrowed eyes, Aemerus quickly averted his gaze.
“I was just lucky.”
“I see.”
Most people would boast about being skilled in combat at this point.
I chuckled at his continued humility.
“Anyway, it’s thanks to you. Without you, I wouldn’t have gotten an apology from anyone.”
The fact that Steven Hawk, the true culprit, had fled without even apologizing said it all.
“Thank you for saying we’d switch hotels, even if you didn’t mean it.”
Suddenly, Aemerus came to an abrupt halt.
‘What’s wrong?’
I looked at him quizzically as I headed toward the shops to buy a warm knit cap for Robin before our hike.
“I meant it.”
“What?”
“I wasn’t lying. I was sincere.”
Speaking bluntly, Aemerus suddenly scooped Robin into his arms and strode forward briskly.
“Dancing King, are you hurt somewhere? Your face is all red.”
“It doesn’t hurt.”
Anyone listening would have thought he was confessing something.
Harry, who had been listening to the exchange between Robin and Aemerus from behind, let out a soft laugh.
The displeasure that had gripped me just moments ago melted away as if it had never existed.
‘If I spend the entire trip sulking, I’m only hurting myself.’
There was no reason to cling to these negative emotions.
“Let’s go together.”
Harry, now beaming with a bright smile, hurried after them.

***

The rest of the itinerary unfolded relatively smoothly.
The most challenging task was convincing Robin to abandon his cowboy hat.
Lake Louise was beautiful when viewed from the Observation Deck, and equally stunning when explored by kayak across its waters.
There was clearly good reason for its fame as a tourist destination.
The three of us kayaked on the lake and watched the sunset before finally returning to the 5-Star Hotel.
“Let’s have dinner sent to our room.”
“Sounds good. Do you think they have something warm like soup on the menu?”
“They probably do. If not, we can always request it from the Kitchen, so don’t worry.”
“….”
So they would prepare dishes not even listed on the menu if you asked?
‘That must be possible because Mr. Huntington is wealthy.’
I recalled how the Hotel Staff Member had deferred to Aemerus and found it all made sense.
“Ugh… I’m freezing. Let me get into the room and take a hot bath right away.”
With nothing but bathing on my mind, I opened the door and was startled.
“Did I enter the wrong room? Robin, don’t go inside—wait a moment!”
I stepped back out to double-check the room number.
Aemerus, who had seen me, approached while opening his door.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s just… there’s something in the room. But this is the right room?”
“I’ll go check.”
Aemerus strode into the room without hesitation.
Rather than the intruder he seemed prepared to apprehend bare-handed, what he encountered was a bouquet of flowers.
He let out a dry chuckle and extracted the card tucked among the blooms to read it.
“‘We hope to restore the joy of your travels.’ It’s from the hotel.”
“Oh, what a fright. I thought I’d wandered into someone else’s room.”
I pressed my hand to my chest and finally took a proper look at the flowers.
A bouquet of freshly bloomed pale pink roses released a delicate, refreshing fragrance.
“The scent is lovely.”
Aemerus watched me smile as I inhaled the floral aroma, then asked a question.
“Are you feeling better now?”
“Yes. He even left chocolates with the flowers.”
Harry narrowed her eyes as she looked at Aemerus, noticing the box of chocolates placed beside the bouquet.
“You didn’t ask him to do that, did you?”
“Of course not.”
“Then that’s fine.”
Besides, Aemerus had been by her side all afternoon, so there was no opportunity for him to have arranged anything separately.
“Chocolate!”
“We’ll eat the chocolate later. Let’s wash up first and eat after dinner.”
“Aww.”
While I removed Robin’s coat as he whined about wanting chocolate, Aemerus surveyed the room.
Right after Harry had arrived at the hotel, she’d been too busy greeting her parents to properly check the room’s condition.
At first glance, everything seemed to be in order.
“I’ll take care of getting Robin washed up.”
After finishing his inspection, Aemerus took charge of Robin.
No matter how young Robin was, he was still a boy.
It was better for me to handle it rather than Harry.
“I’d appreciate that. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. I’m already deciding what to order for dinner.”
As the two men headed to the Bathroom, Harry removed her coat and settled onto the sofa in a half-reclined position.
Her eyes wavered as she scanned through the menu in that state.
“Lobster bisque…?”
Every dish listed on the menu was extraordinary.
“And the prices aren’t even listed?”
Even if the prices were expensive, it would be better to see them written down—not having any prices at all was far more frightening.
“I’ll be eating with Aemerus’s parents, so it feels awkward to order something different…”
Would the allowance my parents gave me be enough to cover it?
As I was seriously contemplating this, Robin emerged from the Bathroom in a bathrobe.
“You’re done already?”
“Yeah. So can I just have one piece of chocolate…?”
“No way! Go dry your hair. You can do that yourself, right?”
I pushed Robin’s pouting back and sidled up to Aemerus.
“Aemerus.”
“Hmm?”
“Your parents will be joining us for dinner tonight too, right?”
I asked this question with the intention of ordering something similar to what the Huntington Couple would choose.
“My parents will be dining out. They’ll probably be back around dawn.”
“What?”
So we’re eating dinner just the three of us?
Then isn’t this basically the same as if the three of us came on a trip together…?
I hadn’t expected to be given such complete freedom, and I found myself flustered by the unexpected liberty.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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