Unbeknownst to Me, I am Secretly Dating the Emperor - Chapter 142

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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 142
I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them again.
I’d overlooked the fact that Edwin only knew how to move in a straight line.
‘It’s my fault. Yeah.’
My vision swam and a sigh leaked out, but my parents’ state of mind—having just learned their daughter was dating the Emperor without any warning—was far worse.
Father had completely checked out, and Mother’s hands, usually so composed, were trembling.
“Could you… say that again?”
Mother asked in a tone that betrayed her hope she’d simply misheard.
Edwin’s face contorted with discomfort, but he repeated his name more clearly than before.
“Edwin Lagenscia.”
Mother’s face went pale as if she’d seen a ghost.
Yet oddly, her hands stopped shaking.
She rose with elegant poise, masking her confusion behind a painted smile, and offered a court bow.
“Your Imperial Majesty.”
Mother shot a glance at Father, who still seemed to be struggling with comprehension.
He scrambled to his feet and bowed as well.
“Y-Your Imperial Majesty.”
But his movements were stiff as a broken automaton, merely mimicking what Mother had said.
I’d risen from my seat the moment Mother did.
Edwin, looking equally awkward, bit his lip before standing.
The atmosphere that had been loosening suddenly froze solid.
“I’ve only come to meet my beloved’s parents.”
Edwin, who lacked eloquence and favored directness, chose his words with uncharacteristic care and spoke hesitantly.
Yet my parents’ expressions didn’t brighten one bit.
“We are Lina’s parents, and simultaneously subjects of the Empire.”
The message was clear: from now on, they would address Edwin as Emperor.
I felt a wall rising—one that wouldn’t crumble easily.
I’d never expected my parents to be thrilled, but their reaction was worse than I’d anticipated.
“Please forgive our presumption in failing to recognize the sovereign of the Empire.”
The excessive formality only widened the distance between us.
Edwin’s eyes and mine met in the empty air between us.
His eyes reflected the same helplessness I felt.
Mother saw our glances cross but pretended not to notice, continuing her words.
“My daughter possesses many shortcomings for standing beside Your Exalted Majesty. Now that we’ve learned of this late, we shall ensure she does not forget her place.”
The phrasing was roundabout, but the intent was unmistakable.
Edwin’s confused expression shifted to something desperate.
“Lina is more than enough for me.”
Somewhere along the way, Edwin had acquired an option for a pitiful expression that made hearts soften—a beauty tactic, it seemed.
When Edwin lowered himself with that sorrowful face, Mother’s firm resolve wavered.
The moment settled into a brief lull.
I seized my chance and jumped in quickly.
Of course, it was to defend Edwin.
‘You said yourself that opposing makes things worse, Mom.’
“We’re not really that serious, actually.”
I spoke as if embarrassed by the notion.
Edwin’s eyes widened in shock at me, but I deliberately ignored him.
‘Regardless of the truth, if we act serious now, there won’t be a next time. Help me out here.’
I reached over and patted his forearm a few times, silently begging him to cooperate and stay quiet.
Fortunately, Edwin caught my meaning this time and, though his face fell, he held his tongue.
My strategy seemed to work—warmth returned to my parents’ expressions.
“These days, young people think nothing of having three or four relationships before marriage.”
Father, an Academy professor with plenty of exposure to “young people,” backed up my version of events.
Not that he approved of me seeing Edwin.
Rather, he was hoping our relationship was the casual fling I’d described.
Mother seemed to share his sentiment and nodded reluctantly.
“I suppose I was overly anxious about my child.”
Mother laughed gracefully.
“Romance is simply romance, after all.”
The entire sentence carried an unmistakable weight.
Edwin’s expression grew even more dejected.
My parents’ faces remained far from bright.
It was a first meeting where no one left satisfied, but for now, this was the best we could manage.
‘Well, at least I never said we wouldn’t be serious later.’
* * *
The High Priest stood in the center of his private prayer chamber, gazing up at the statue of the Goddess Minos.
Fragments of colored light filtered through the stained glass windows, casting onto him in scattered patterns.
His white hair was dyed by the light.
His face, painted in a rainbow of hues so vivid his true complexion was unrecognizable, wore a benevolent smile.
But that gentle expression vanished the moment the chamber door burst open.
“Disaster, High Priest!”
A mid-ranking priest rushed in, breathing heavily.
The High Priest turned slowly toward the doorway.
“One must not disturb the peace of the Temple.”
Though his tone was calm, the mid-ranking priest flinched as if severely scolded.
“I—it’s truly urgent, forgive me.”
The middle-aged priest trembled like a frightened child, bowing his head.
Like a believer seeking divine mercy, he sought mercy from the High Priest.
The High Priest observed him briefly, then smiled gently.
The mid-ranking priest glanced up at that smile and exhaled in relief.
Yet the High Priest’s smile was only with his lips.
His eyes remained cold.
“I should hear what matter is so urgent as to interrupt my prayers.”
Knowing this was his only chance, the mid-ranking priest spoke at once.
“Langken! Langken is blocked!”
To his relief, the High Priest’s reaction was the one he’d hoped for.
The Temple’s fortunes had declined of late.
The citizenry had erupted in fury upon learning that the Saint, who had announced her Awakening with unprecedented brilliance, had been abused within the Temple’s walls.
They had pruned away useless branches to contain the damage, but they could not prevent the Saint from passing into Imperial hands.
It was a bitter loss.
They had assigned a careful junior priest to maintain the connection, but it yielded little.
The High Priest had attempted various schemes since then to reclaim the Saint.
Yet most bore little fruit, ending in repeated failure. But those failures and opportunity costs carried a price in gold.
The Western Region had contributed funds, but the Temple’s coffers had still been considerably drained.
To replenish the funds unnecessarily depleted because of the Saint, the High Priest had paid special attention to the shipment bound for Schmitz this time.
With the Emperor watching the Temple with hawkish intent, he had pushed hard to fill the quota despite the strain.
And of all times, Langken had to be blocked now.
“On what pretext?”
Even his perfunctory smile vanished.
Backlit by the window, his face was cast in shadow, appearing even more severe.
The mid-ranking priest pretended not to notice the High Priest’s true expression, now laid bare.
Instead, he focused solely on answering, reporting faithfully what he’d heard.
“The Emperor received word of a large-scale smuggling operation and sealed the border, it seems.”
The High Priest’s smile twisted.
“Smuggling happens constantly—the inexperienced Emperor has merely acted rashly on impulse.”
The High Priest fell silent for a moment, then spoke again.
“The Empire has several trade ports. Tell them to investigate other routes.”
If Langken was sealed, other channels could be used.
It was an unexpected complication, but not insurmountable.
The delivery schedule to Schmitz would be delayed slightly, but it could actually aid their negotiating position on payment.
Yet the mid-ranking priest who should have rushed out to deliver the command lingered awkwardly, still standing.
Exasperation flickered across the High Priest’s cold gaze as it fell upon him.
His stare struck like a whip, startling the mid-ranking priest into continuing with words he hadn’t yet delivered.
“The entire Empire’s borders are sealed.”
He poured out the words with eyes squeezed shut.
“What on earth—”
The High Priest lost his composure.
The mid-ranking priest’s eyelids trembled violently, as if he could not bear to open them.
He was already thoroughly terrified.
Yet he still had more to report.
With his eyes still shut and shaking, the mid-ranking priest continued his account.
“The Emperor’s agents are conducting searches focused on merchant vessels headed for Schmitz, it is said.”
The mid-ranking priest barely finished speaking before forcing his eyes open with difficulty.
What met his gaze was the High Priest’s face—twisted into something demonic.

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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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