Unbeknownst to Me, I am Secretly Dating the Emperor - Chapter 119

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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 119
As it happened, the number came out even.
I paired with Legia, and Ibeta paired with Rosina.
By process of elimination, Harper and Bes were left together.
“Looks like I’m your partner, Miss Harper.”
Bes extended a hand, and Harper let out a shriek.
“Ugh, these filthy hands—no, wait!”
Harper was just a beat too slow in covering her mouth this time.
“Harper, that’s hardly—”
Legia had begun to gently correct her, but stopped mid-sentence.
Bes’s hands were admittedly rather grimy.
A thick, creamy Chocolate Mousse Cake had left sticky residue all over them, which Bes had apparently just wiped carelessly with a hand, leaving dark streaks smeared everywhere.
At Harper’s shriek, Bes—who’d only just noticed his insufficiently cleaned hands—clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“It’s just chocolate. Nothing else got on them.”
“Eeeep!”
This time Harper managed to stifle the scream beforehand, but somehow it sounded even more anguished than before.
To spare Harper’s feelings—her eyes were actually glistening with tears, as though she’d witnessed something truly horrifying—Bes specified just what that “nothing else” was.
“Paint. Or maybe ink, something like that.”
But Bes’s clarification did nothing to ease Harper’s shock.
Even without being particularly fastidious, anyone would have found his hands rather unsettling to touch.
Harper was staring at his palm with eyes wide with dread, as if terrified even the lightest contact might occur.
“I’ll go wash up. That should settle it, yes?”
Bes, reading her apprehension, offered a compromise.
“You need to scrub with soap for at least thirty seconds.”
Only then did Harper’s expression relax slightly.
“No, actually—come on, I’ll go with you.”
Harper tailed after him, determined to supervise his washing personally.
About ten minutes later, Bes returned with perfectly clean, dry hands.
Only then did the real lesson begin.
Harper was perfectly pleasant once she was satisfied with his hygiene.
“Sorry I screamed at you just now,” she said softly.
Harper murmured the apology while showing Bes the basic Waltz steps.
“Don’t worry about it.”
It was a surprisingly unceremonious reconciliation.
I watched the two endearing peers with contentment until I missed a step.
I nearly trod on Legia’s foot and had to scramble to recover.
Ibeta, who’d been watching my faster progress from the corner of her eye, mistook my stumble for an intentional flourish and imitated it.
“There’s no such step.”
Rosina, Ibeta’s partner, observed the whole exchange and burst out laughing.
The laughter didn’t stop for hours.
* * *
That night.
I’d come out to the Terrace early.
To wait for Everett, who’d bolted last night.
‘How could he just run off like that?’
I grumbled as I scanned the darkening Garden, watching for any sign of him.
I deliberately didn’t dwell on the fact that I’d done something similarly thoughtless once.
That was then. This is now.
As I stood sentinel-like with my eyes wide open, I finally spotted Everett approaching slowly from afar.
Though he’d meant to see me, his mood weighed heavily—he kept stopping and starting his walk, as if wrestling with himself.
‘I know exactly how he feels.’
I silently gave him space to compose himself.
After a moment gazing up at the sky, as if gathering his resolve, his pace quickened.
Once he’d drawn near enough, I spoke.
“Ed.”
This time, deliberately quiet—meant for his ears alone, a lesson learned from yesterday.
It seemed he hadn’t expected me to be waiting outside.
As he turned toward the sound, his pupils dilated when our eyes met.
“Lina.”
He called my name cautiously, studying my expression for any sign of displeasure.
“Come inside.”
I smiled and ushered Everett into the Reception Room.
He shuffled in nervously.
‘Why does he have to be so endearing?’
I decided to let yesterday’s transgression go.
We’d each had our turn, after all.
Having made that decision, I pulled him into an embrace, compounding my affection with interest for yesterday’s offense.
“Ed.”
It was a deep hug, our bodies drawn so close there was no space between us.
Everett stood with his arms floating uncertainly in the air, at a loss.
Then gradually, he grew warmer.
In that moment, I finally understood why Everett had fled so precipitously yesterday.
“We practiced Ballroom Dance today.”
I released him and smoothly steered the conversation toward ordinary matters, as if I’d noticed nothing.
As if I were completely oblivious.
The moment I let go, his warmth receded rapidly.
The silence that followed felt suddenly awkward, so I found myself chattering on endlessly.
“It was harder than I expected after such a long time without practicing.”
The handmaidens’ concerns had been warranted.
I’d been away from dancing for so long that I was only marginally ahead of Ibeta and Bes.
At first Everett seemed to be only half-listening, but gradually he regained his focus.
“You could have practiced with me.”
He sounded genuinely disappointed.
“We can do that now.”
As luck would have it, I’d kept the Music Artifact—the one needed to grow familiar with the dance melodies.
I immediately activated it, though it was somewhat haphazardly stashed from hours of practice.
It was the same melody I’d been learning all day.
I felt confident about this one.
When I smiled, Everett smiled back.
He extended his hand to me.
“My lady, would you grant me the honor of dancing with you?”
It was almost the same invitation Rosina had playfully offered earlier.
But unlike Rosina’s theatrical delivery, his carried a simple, genuine charm.
‘So this is what they mean by Love Blindness.’
I smiled and placed my hand over his.
“Yes.”
Everett’s arm wrapped around my waist.
I’d thought he’d be roughly at my level, but to my surprise, he was quite skilled.
‘Good athletic instincts, perhaps.’
As the music played on, my confidence began to waver.
Though we were dancing to the same melody I’d practiced all day, this felt completely different.
‘I guess I learned the steps for dancing with Legia.’
With Everett towering so much taller than Legia, our movements began to falter.
“I might step on your feet.”
I warned him as I struggled to follow his lead.
“Step on them all you want.”
Everett laughed and gave his permission.
With my worry eased, I found my confidence returning.
My gaze lifted from the floor to meet his, and as the tension drained from my body, I leaned in closer until we were nearly pressed together.
Everett had been looking only at me the entire time, so our eyes met instantly.
At that same moment, both our movements stilled.
The melody continued to pour from the Artifact.
For an instant, time seemed to stop.
The air felt soft, and the world contained only us two.
I’d been careful to lock the door, after all—no uninvited visitors this time.
Slowly, I let my eyes fall shut.
Even without seeing, I could feel the intensity of Everett’s gaze on me.
I was playing it cool, but every nerve was taut with anticipation.
To keep from stepping back, I secretly clenched my fists.
Fortunately, the wait wasn’t long.
Everett’s breath drew incrementally closer.
Just before our breathing could synchronize, an interruption arrived.
A Communication Artifact, glowing with sinister insistence.
* * *
Edwin bit down on his lip as he stared at the blinking Artifact, irritation mounting.
If Lina hadn’t been standing right there, he might have cursed with the fluency of a common mercenary from the lower districts.
But Lina was there, directly in front of him.
Edwin smoothed away his darkening expression and forced a smile instead.
Then, keeping one arm behind his back, he crushed the Clock-shaped Artifact with brute grip, silencing it, and shoved it into his pocket.
Fixing it would be a pain, but he didn’t care.
Edwin’s mood was decidedly soured.
The moment was ruined anyway.
The Artifact that had just blared was linked to one that Kyle carried.
Kyle knew Edwin had gone to see Lina.
If he’d resorted to this emergency Artifact, something was definitely wrong.
And if nothing was wrong, Edwin was prepared to create a problem of his own.
Lina, reading the shifting play of emotions across Edwin’s face, asked carefully.
“Is something urgent?”
He wanted to say no.
To tell her there was nothing more urgent than her.
But facing those worried violet eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to be irresponsible.
“Probably.”
Edwin answered reluctantly.
“Then go. I understand.”
His generous lover sent him off with a smile.
He was the one who’d mentioned an urgent matter, yet still he felt disappointed.
Edwin placed a brief kiss on Lina’s lips before turning away with dragging steps.
‘Let’s see what this “urgent” matter is.’
Edwin gritted his teeth.
Fortunately for Kyle—and unfortunately for Edwin—something serious was indeed unfolding.
* * *
Peony sat deeply sunken into the sofa in the Emperor’s Reception Room, her face drained of all color.
Her stomach churned.
“Ugh.”
Everett sat rigid beside her, glancing anxiously between the door and Peony in turn.

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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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