Unbeknownst to Me, I am Secretly Dating the Emperor - Chapter 136

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

Chapter 136
It was an irresponsible statement for an emperor to make, but Edwin was desperate enough to say it.
Even bearing the anxiety that he might not find Lina despite sealing the borders was crushing.
As dark thoughts crowded in, Edwin clenched his fist hard again.
“I have to find her before she leaves the Empire.”
Even if Lina broke through the blockade and crossed the Empire’s borders, he was prepared to chase after her.
But before that—hoping to find her within the Empire was the last line Edwin could hold as emperor.
Kyle, seeing his face twisted grotesquely, finally gave up trying to dissuade him.
“If she went to Rangheldien, the likelihood is high that it was to meet family. There should be members of the Blue Hawk carrying out missions in the neighboring fiefs. I’ll relay orders to them as well—it will be faster than departing from the capital.”
“There’s also a chance she’s already left Rangheldien. Check the movement records from yesterday through today for anything unusual. Tell them to confirm it immediately upon arrival.”
“Since all the knights are skilled in horsemanship, they should be able to arrive by evening.”
Kyle spoke while turning toward the direction where the knights stood arrayed.
Though the distance meant his voice couldn’t carry, the grave atmosphere certainly did.
The knights’ momentum shifted.
Every messenger bird in the Imperial Palace took flight.
Beyond that, magic was deployed and swift messengers mobilized.
Within half a day, the border lockdown would reach every fief on the Empire’s frontier.
Edwin and the knights headed for Rangheldien.
Once they left the city, they rode the horses at a truly frenzied pace.
The moment they slowed even slightly, dark thoughts would creep back in.
‘If I find Lina? What then?’
If Lina wept and asked him to let her go, he might not be able to stop her.
But then again….
Edwin forced himself to stop imagining.
Instead, he urged the horse faster, determined to reach Rangheldien as quickly as possible.
His well-trained stallion began to gallop like a loosed arrow.
Kyle and the knights, barely managing to follow, gritted their teeth and pushed harder.
In this way, they covered a nine-hour journey in just four hours.
They arrived in the afternoon—much earlier than the evening Kyle had predicted.
* * *
Since we were quite a large family, we split into two carriages.
I deliberately volunteered to ride with the twins.
Mother was still catching me off guard with sudden glances at my expression.
We’d gotten past it, but not entirely.
I didn’t want the family to learn of my confusion before I’d fully sorted it out myself.
But if I rode with Mother, I’d end up caught in her leading questions and confessing everything about my first meeting with Ed in detail.
‘Compared to that, these two are easy to handle.’
Shortly after the carriage left, I made some light small talk as a prelude, then asked the twins about something as if I were curious.
“So if Cerberus brushes his teeth, does that count as brushing once? Or three times?”
“Three times, right?”
“Why? Once!”
Emit argued for three, Jayden for once.
“It has three heads!”
“But those three heads together make one being, right? If you wash your left hand and then your right hand, do you count that as washing twice?”
It went as expected.
Emit and Jayden eagerly snatched up the bait I’d thrown.
At this rate, they’d entertain themselves for a good three hours.
‘How is it they’re exactly the same at seven as they are at seventeen?’
I let the simple twins continue their pointless argument while I sank back into thought.
It was a continuation of yesterday’s worry.
‘But is being empress really something I can just decide to do?’
Since imperial authority was strong, there was no real need for a political marriage.
Yet marriages among the imperial family or nobility generally still had to match rank to some degree.
‘If Ed and I get married, it’ll be about twenty times more of a spectacle than when our parents married.’
It felt daunting, but before my suddenly-expanded courage could shrink again, I forcefully shook my head and cast off the anxiety.
‘It’ll work out somehow.’
If it had to be done anyway, wavering at length only prolonged the suffering—it was better to just do it.
As I summoned up positive energy, I found myself missing Ed.
‘Ah, I should have said I need to head back right away since it’s only a four-day leave.’
If Mother or Father had heard that, they’d have despaired that they’d wasted their efforts raising me.
* * *
Upon arriving in Rangheldien, Edwin immediately made contact with the Blue Hawk.
A man dressed as a mercenary, apparently tasked with intelligence gathering, reported with obvious tension.
“The house listed in the messenger bird was empty. Since you said to only check the status, I didn’t examine closely, but it appeared they left in a hurry.”
‘Did she take the family with her?’
The dark imagination he’d barely suppressed came flooding back.
Edwin asked with a pale face, hesitating.
“Did you check the gate records?”
“Yes, sir. It appears they headed toward Dietar.”
Dietar.
The fief that housed the Empire’s second-largest port.
Edwin let out a bitter laugh.
Only after his lover had fled did he understand this truth about himself.
He was not a particularly devoted man.
Thinking that Lina’s happiness mattered most had been an arrogant notion he could only entertain while she was at his side.
‘I don’t think I’ll be able to let you go gracefully even if you cry, Lina.’
* * *
After spending a solid twelve hours in the carriage spread across yesterday and today, my body felt stiff.
The moment we arrived at the villa in Dietar, I stepped down from the carriage and did some light stretching.
Emit and Jayden followed, shoving each other’s shoulders over who would get down first.
“If you brush your upper teeth and lower teeth separately, that’s twice!”
“I count it as twice! I always do it that way!”
Remarkably, they were still arguing about Cerberus’s tooth-brushing count.
‘They’ve at least developed better stamina than they had at seven.’
I watched the twins grow increasingly childish, then decided it was time to intervene before things got worse.
Our parents would be here soon anyway.
“Jayden, Emit—want to go get some shellfish for a late lunch?”
“Shellfish? Sure!”
“Yeah!”
Both twins loved seafood.
And whether Father’s genetics had mutated in transmission, they too could apparently only think of one thing at a time in their own way.
Now they were discussing Dietar’s famous restaurants.
Right on cue, the carriage carrying our parents and Anika arrived at the villa.
Father got out first, helped the still-small Anika down, and assisted Mother in descending.
Anika, five years my senior, turned to the twins and asked.
“You didn’t bother your sister, did you?”
Her small fists were clenched so firmly it looked like she was ready to punish them thoroughly if they had.
The youngest of the household, constantly teased by mischievous older brothers, seemed to assume the twins would have played tricks on me just as they did on her.
“We didn’t!”
“Didn’t bother her at all!”
The twins, who’d been bickering only with each other, protested indignantly.
Anika didn’t readily accept their vehement denials.
Her small fists showed no signs of unclenching.
“They didn’t.”
I smiled and tapped Anika’s hair ribbon gently.
“That’s good enough.”
Only then did Anika huff and turn away with a snort.
Emit and Jayden followed at the back of the group, whispering to each other.
They seemed to be plotting some prank on Anika.
‘No wonder Anika doesn’t believe them.’
The twins did love Anika, but theirs wasn’t the kind of gentle affection she wanted.
‘I should spend plenty of time playing with Anika during this vacation.’
We unpacked at the villa and headed to a restaurant overlooking the sea for lunch.
After eating plenty of fresh seafood in a long while, we were wonderfully full.
After leaving the restaurant, our parents went to meet an acquaintance living in Dietar, while the twins disappeared, saying they’d take a nap.
I took Anika to the beach near the villa.
The sand on the white beach was soft, and the sea was emerald.
It was such a happy and peaceful walk that I forgot my worries, even for a moment.
* * *
The knights only understood the reason for this chase once they arrived in Rangheldien.
“Your Majesty, you had someone you were seeing?”
“Yes, that’s why I’m chasing down my runaway lover.”
The knights whispered behind Edwin, whose eyes were half-rolled back.
They thought it was unbecoming, but Edwin was far too frightening to dare speak the truth.
“We’re going to Dietar.”
Edwin spoke only those words before mounting his horse and departing ahead.
It was time to ride at breakneck speed again.

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