Unbeknownst to Me, I am Secretly Dating the Emperor - Chapter 101

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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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Episode 101
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In the original story, Ibeta’s first official schedule was a visit to a fief that had suffered an avalanche.
Of course, at that time the Emperor had accompanied them as well, to escort his contract lover.
With the timing and the entourage all changed from the original, there was little useful information to glean.
But the Temple Faction’s modus operandi was worth noting.
‘Will they try to drive a wedge between the Emperor and Ibeta this time too?’
In the original story, the Temple Faction seemed to trust the rumor that Ibeta and the Emperor had fallen in love at first sight.
At that time, the Emperor—worn down by power struggles with the nobles—had been irritable to the extreme and his temperament was falling apart.
Yet that same Emperor showed her considerable kindness.
To those unaware of the truth, it was somewhat sudden affection, but it lent credibility to the story.
So kind an Emperor was difficult to believe in for any reason other than being blinded by love.
That was why the Temple Faction focused initially on driving a wedge between the Emperor and Ibeta.
They emphasized that the Emperor was cruel and violent, paraded noble ladies connected to the Temple Faction before him, and made him look like a womanizer.
It had little effect on fake lovers united to overthrow the Temple Faction.
Ibeta was actually delighted to learn that the Emperor was cruel enough to decisively eliminate the High Priest.
She thought that if the Emperor fell in love with another lady, all she needed to do was hide it for a few years.
But this time, the Emperor and Ibeta were not bound together in a contract relationship.
It was a situation where the Emperor protected his retainer’s family.
‘So they’ll aim at Bes instead of the Emperor.’
Bes was currently the only point of contact between the Emperor and Ibeta.
But while lovers can simply break up, sisters cannot so easily sever their bond.
In that moment, another way occurred to me for the Temple Faction to sever Bes and Ibeta’s relationship—one that didn’t require manipulation at all.
A far more extreme method.
‘Would they go to such lengths?’
I glanced back at Bes, who had returned to work after a long absence.
As Ibeta’s study time increased, Bes grew bored and returned to the Blue Hawk.
Still, she continued to stay in the Separate Palace with Ibeta.
The Imperial Palace was not a place that admitted intruders easily.
There was no way the Emperor would station careless guards at the Separate Palace where the Saint Ibeta resided.
‘There shouldn’t be any security concerns.’
But it seemed wise to drop a hint.
The escort forces would be somewhat reduced while Ibeta was at the Poor House.
I called Bes over as she busied herself with work.
“Lina, is there something you wanted to tell me?”
Bes, who received the Saint’s blessing twenty times a day, looked so sacred that one might mistake her for another saint.
Her manner of speech had become far more tender, and whether it was that Ibeta’s Sacred Power had been absorbed and flowed back out of her, a faint golden halo seemed to shimmer across her skin.
‘At this rate, wouldn’t a dagger bounce right off even if an assassin threw it?’
Even if she suffered a cut, it would heal immediately.
I eased my worry a bit and warned Bes lightly.
“You know Ibeta has that Poor House visit scheduled soon, right?”
“Yes, was it the day after tomorrow?”
Though Bes had been omitted from the final roster, she seemed entirely unconcerned.
“Just in case, it would be best if you stayed inside the Separate Palace.”
“I’ll do that.”
Bes nodded obediently.
It was hard to believe this was the same Bes whom Nathan had once excused by saying she had “self-taught etiquette”—she was now so dignified.
‘If things had gone like this, Bes could have gone along without causing trouble.’
I felt oddly proud, though I hadn’t raised Bes myself.
‘Sacred Power really is something wonderful.’
In that moment, another way to harm Bes occurred to me—not a physical threat, but something else entirely.
A petty method, exactly the kind the Temple Faction would devise.
“Wait a moment!”
I startled, blinking, and dashed straight to the storage room, leaving Bes behind.
‘The recording device…’
I retrieved the Recording Magic Device used for evidence collection and returned to Bes.
“Bes, keep this with you at all times, and ask Ibeta for her blessing—twenty times, or even thirty times from now on. Understood?”
“Oh, yes.”
Bes nodded obediently.
She was so calm, it was hard to believe she was the troublemaker of the Blue Hawk.
But I emphasized the precautions once more.
After all, the Temple Faction still didn’t know that Bes had changed.
* * *
Time passed quickly, and the day of Ibeta’s visit to the Poor House arrived.
Since I had agreed to join the party as Ibeta’s attendant, I was scheduled to depart from the Separate Palace as well.
Kyle, who was to escort Ibeta, was with us too.
Kyle helped Ibeta and me board the carriage in turn.
Then, the moment we settled into our seats, he closed the door.
As if no one else was meant to board.
‘Ed said he was coming too.’
I had expected that Everett, as a knight, would need to escort the carriage rather than ride inside with us like last time.
But I hadn’t thought we wouldn’t even cross paths.
Perhaps noticing that I was searching for Everett with my eyes, Kyle spoke.
“Are you perhaps looking for Sir Rohas?”
“No! I was just looking outside!”
Having no intention of making our relationship public, I denied it firmly.
Kyle, dark circles under his eyes as if he’d been dealing with a troublesome matter until dawn, smiled with only the corners of his mouth turned up.
“I see. Since you’re acquainted with Sir Rohas, I thought you might be curious, but I suppose the connection doesn’t go that deep.”
It went that deep—and deeper.
I wanted to know where he was.
Even though we were going for work, surely a nod in greeting would be acceptable.
‘Kyle doesn’t seem to know.’
Unable to resist the impulse, I asked in a carefully casual tone.
“Actually, I ran into him by chance before! I heard Sir Rohas had been assigned to this task as well.”
I had emphasized ‘by chance’ a bit too much, but it seemed I’d successfully deceived Kyle.
“The Guard barracks is close to the Inspection Unit building, after all.”
Kyle added as an afterthought, as if he’d just remembered, that he himself passes by Guard knights daily while commuting between the Inspection Unit and the Imperial Palace.
“Sir Rohas has indeed joined the party, but he’s stationed to keep watch at the rear of the procession.”
“A Guard knight?”
Usually, the more skilled a knight, the closer they were positioned to an important person.
Posting a Guard knight at the rear of the procession was unusual.
Guard knights were the Empire’s military elite—second to none in martial prowess.
Kyle seemed to know this wasn’t a typical arrangement.
Though he affected indifference about it.
“His Majesty entrusted me with full authority over this schedule. Everything from the composition of the party onward.”
Kyle smiled with only the corners of his mouth turned up again.
Then he began explaining how much thought he’d put into this task.
“In particular, the roster of people to accompany the Saint was drawn up after staying awake for two whole nights. I was so busy managing other duties His Majesty assigned simultaneously.”
He explained that since the route passed through the city, contingencies had to be prepared, but too many troops couldn’t be deployed to avoid causing unease.
As Kyle went on about his merits in this exaggerated fashion, he smiled wickedly.
“So Everett Rohas is at the rear, you see.”
His eyes were bloodshot from two nights without sleep, and his wicked smile made him look sinister.
“His Majesty may be unhappy with how I handled matters, but if it bothers him too much, he’ll have me removed, won’t he?”
His tone was light, spoken with the confidence of someone assured that his removal would certainly not involve any part of his body being severed.
‘The Emperor must owe Kyle something significant.’
Sensing the strange aura of authority emanating from Kyle, I kept my mouth shut and watched carefully.
Now was not the time to complain about Everett being in the rear.
Seeing that I had quieted, Kyle added, as if doing me a favor.
“Still, once we arrive at the Poor House and on the return journey, he’ll be repositioned near the carriage again. Any more than this and he really might lose his temper.”
The lack of a subject made it ambiguous whether it was the Emperor or Everett who might lose his temper.
‘At least I’ll see him later then.’
I smiled faintly, anticipating the meeting that would come soon after.

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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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