Unbeknownst to Me, I am Secretly Dating the Emperor - Chapter 148

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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 148
I startled and shoved Edwin away from my chest.
After steadying my voice several times, hoping to sound composed, I called out to the two people beyond the door.
“Just a moment!”
Having bought myself that time, my eyes immediately began searching for a mirror.
As I tidied my disheveled appearance, Edwin grumbled with obvious displeasure written across his face.
“You shouldn’t have answered in the first place.”
“The knock already ruined the mood.”
I wasn’t the sort of person who could simply continue as if nothing had happened with voices stirring outside.
Whether only I had lost the inclination or not, Edwin crossed his arms with a sullen expression.
As a result, several unbuttoned gaps in his shirt revealed the fierce movement of muscle beneath.
For a moment my eyes strayed before I could master myself, but Ibeta and Bes’s voices kept filtering through from outside.
More precisely, Bes’s voice as he conversed with Ibeta.
Ibeta and Bes believed the person I’d been seeing was Everett Rohas.
They thought that Everett Rohas was a scoundrel playing both sides between the Crown Princess and me.
Naturally, the misunderstanding would have to be cleared up eventually.
Since Bes knew Edwin’s face, merely meeting him would resolve the confusion.
But I didn’t want them to find out this way.
‘Bes…….’
I couldn’t predict what Bes would say once he belatedly learned the truth.
I wanted to tell Bes the facts myself when I had the presence of mind to do so properly.
For now, keeping them from running into each other was the best option.
I glanced toward the door once, then pushed Edwin toward the terrace.
“Go on. You know I love you, don’t you?”
“And you want me to leave like this?”
Edwin, who always moved smoothly as I guided him, this time held his ground and didn’t budge.
‘True, asking him to leave like this is a bit much, even by my standards.’
I stopped pushing and instead whispered something that would serve as bait to his ear.
Edwin seemed displeased with the current situation, but quite pleased with the incentive I’d offered.
“You promised. If you break it…….”
Edwin smiled with an ambiguous expression and left the sentence unfinished.
There are two ways to frustrate someone: the first is not finishing what you’re saying, and…….
“Break it and what?”
I pouted and poked Edwin’s ribs repeatedly.
Edwin laughed with an ominous brightness.
“You’ll find out then.”
His voice dripped with such honeyed sweetness that my skin prickled.
I regretted saying anything at all.
Perhaps worried I might take back my words, Edwin bid farewell and vanished.
‘What audacity possessed me to say something like that…….’
I stood frozen, watching his retreating figure—though only for a moment.
Then another knock sounded.
“Lina, shall I come again tomorrow?”
This time it was Ibeta’s voice.
Distracted by Edwin, I’d forgotten about the two of them and rushed toward the door.
“No, it’s fine.”
After fumbling with the handle several times, the moment I opened the door, Bes rushed forward and embraced me.
“Lina!”
He’d hit me with such force that I had to brace my legs to avoid being driven backward.
Barely returning his embrace, words of worry came pouring out in rapid succession.
“Lina, you’re all right, aren’t you? You have no idea how shocked I was when I heard the news!”
Ibeta gently echoed Bes’s concern as he grew excited.
“Bes was very worried about you.”
Not only Bes but Ibeta as well had been concerned, his eyes continuously searching mine to confirm I was truly unharmed.
‘We parted as we were at the tea house and this is the first time seeing them since…….’
As countless events from that brief span flickered through my mind, I laughed awkwardly.
“Of course I’m all right.”
But neither Ibeta nor Bes looked convinced.
Ibeta watched my expression with a dark face, quietly fidgeting with his fingers.
Bes, surprisingly, took on a composed and mature expression and surveyed the surroundings.
After examining the area for a while, Bes asked me in a small voice.
“Are you being watched? You can just move your eyes.”
He barely moved his lips, making it difficult to understand.
I widened my eyes in concentration, but it seems Bes interpreted it differently.
His eyes suddenly flashed with intensity.
Sensing the gravity of the situation, I hastily denied it.
“Watched? Not at all!”
Though I nearly shouted my denial, Bes’s suspicious gaze remained unchanged.
Still, having apparently retracted the “under surveillance” hypothesis, his voice grew louder than before.
“Lina, I heard you ran away and then were caught.”
What followed was every bit as shocking as being asked if I was under surveillance.
‘Wait, I never ran away. I came of my own accord.’
I glanced toward Ibeta and found him waiting to hear what would come from my lips.
‘So they’ve learned everything.’
I needed to correct this.
It was obvious that Ibeta and Bes had discovered my lover wasn’t Everett Rohas but Edwin.
And at the same time, they seemed to know about the strange misunderstanding that had prompted Edwin to take all those bizarre actions.
Following the villa, blankets at the Separate Palace had been flying off nightly too.
“That’s not—it’s not like that.”
I merely stumbled over my words from embarrassment, but the two of them seemed to interpret it as fear.
Ibeta, who had been standing a step behind Bes, came forward and embraced me as well.
“I heard everything from Bes. That His Majesty the Emperor is supposedly a terrifying person. That you might be meeting him against your wishes…….”
“If you want to run away again, we’ll help you.”
These imaginative teenagers had apparently devised an escape plan during my absence.
I pulled both of them into a strong embrace, released them, and smiled as I explained.
“I simply took a vacation with my family. But something got tangled up along the way, and a minor issue arose.”
Once I laid out the general story to prevent further misunderstanding, the darkness began to lift from their faces.
“So you came right away the moment you heard I’d arrived?”
I asked teasingly, and both Ibeta and Bes nodded with identical expressions.
‘How cute.’
Being in their late teens, they were at an age that bristled at being called cute, so I simply cherished them privately.
“If you didn’t want to come back, now would be the perfect time.”
Bes’s eyes, which had softened, suddenly flashed again.
“When the other party thinks everything is resolved and lets their guard down—that’s when the opportunity strikes.”
Ibeta seemed impressed by Bes’s rare display of seriousness and gave him a thumbs up.
I followed Ibeta’s lead and gave Bes a thumbs up as well.
‘When the other party thinks everything is resolved and lets their guard down—that’s when the opportunity strikes…….’
Bes’s words had inspired something in me.
‘If Ibeta is willing, it would be a perfect time to pull one over on the Temple.’
Of course, if Ibeta wasn’t interested, I’d let it drop.
‘I’ll just ask if they’re interested first.’
I carefully invited both of them inside.
“I’ve kept you standing at the door too long. It’s been days since we’ve seen each other—would you like to stay and spend a little more time with me?”
“Yes!”
“That sounds good.”
Both readily accepted my invitation.
The moment we entered the reception room, Bes pointed at the tea table and asked.
“Lina, were you about to have tea?”
I’d set the tray down while doing other things and hadn’t touched it since.
As he mentioned tea, memories of what I’d been doing in the reception room nearly surfaced, but I managed to keep my thoughts on track with sheer willpower.
“Yes, I rode in the carriage all day and barely drank anything, so my throat was parched.”
I offered this shameless excuse, and Ibeta rolled his eyes before speaking as if to himself.
“But there are two cups…….”
“……I forgot I’d already brought one and brought another. I’ll just need to fetch one more!”
Before any more awkward questions could arise, I excused myself to retrieve the tea cup.
Fortunately, neither Ibeta nor Bes pressed further.
We spent the time mainly sharing stories of my vacation in Dietar.
After chatting sufficiently, I carefully broached the real topic.
“Ibeta, did you end up meeting all the people from the Orphanage that you couldn’t see before?”
“Yes, I did. They were all fine. But there’s this child named Yanka whose movements after leaving the Orphanage seem odd. We decided to have him placed elsewhere.”
Ibeta had apparently fulfilled his duties diligently in my absence.
I gave Ibeta a subtle smile before broaching the main subject.
“By any chance, do the people from the Orphanage—including you—have any desire for revenge against the Temple?”
The Temple might be able to hide evidence of the illegal slave trade that occurred in Langken.
But what happened at Peram Temple cannot be concealed.
The Blue Hawk has already secured all the evidence.
‘Once they learn that similar incidents have already occurred, the Halo Effect will amplify their suspicion of the Temple.’

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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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