Unbeknownst to Me, I am Secretly Dating the Emperor - Chapter 150

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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 150
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The next morning, I arrived at work a little earlier than usual, both to discuss what I’d gone over with Ibeta and to consult with Kyle.
I needed to catch Kyle before he got pulled away by matters at the Imperial Palace.
But as I approached the palace grounds, I found myself hesitating.
‘Would it be all right to ask the knights on watch to relay a message to Kyle?’
Kyle spent most of his time shuttling between the Imperial Palace and the Inspection Unit Building.
Because of that, whenever something urgent came up, I’d sometimes ask the knights to get word to him at the palace.
I’d even been to his office there before.
But that had been official business.
‘I suppose this counts as official business too, technically.’
The real reason I’d dragged myself out of bed before dawn to find Kyle wasn’t that it was urgent—nothing that couldn’t wait.
I just wanted to discuss it quietly, away from prying eyes.
‘I’ll be stopping by the Inspection Unit later anyway. Maybe I should just tell him then?’
My resolve, built on the strength of rising before sunrise, crumbled almost instantly.
Kyle was a superior without pretense, one who genuinely respected his subordinates’ opinions.
He wouldn’t have minded if I’d rushed over at dawn with a brilliant idea to share.
But ever since learning that Ed was the Emperor, things that had once seemed harmless now felt fraught.
‘I’m just being paranoid. That’s all.’
I was still wavering outside the palace gates, nearly decided to postpone the conversation, when one of the knights on watch approached me.
I didn’t know his name, but I’d seen his face enough times to recognize him.
He asked politely enough, but his tone was unmistakably interrogative.
“Might I ask what brings you to the Imperial Palace at this early hour?”
It was an interrogation, pure and simple.
The knight seemed to realize it too; his expression grew uncomfortable the moment the words left his mouth.
That’s when I understood: I was behaving very suspiciously indeed.
‘If I say it’s nothing, I’ll look even more suspicious.’
I smiled as innocently as I could manage and explained my purpose.
“Well… I was wondering if Count Simone is here. I have something to tell him….”
“Count Simone?”
The knight looked puzzled for a moment, then his confusion shifted into something like alarm, and he closed his mouth.
With just a gesture, he called over another knight, and his tone became even more deferential than before.
“Martin will see you in.”
‘They’re letting me through just like that?’
This was very different from last time.
Though surprised, I didn’t want to question why they were granting me access—that would only look stranger.
I also chose not to dwell on the fact that I’d never seen either of these knights in Dietar before.
The thought that everyone working in the Imperial Palace knew about my relationship with Ed would have made my dreams troubled for weeks.
‘They probably recognize me and know my identity, so they’re letting me through. That’s all.’
I finished rationalizing and followed Martin toward Kyle’s office.
I kept my eyes forward and walked in silence, deliberately not looking around.
‘Just keep quiet, say what I came to say, and leave.’
But my resolve crumbled almost immediately.
Before I could reach Kyle’s office, I ran straight into Ed.
He appeared suddenly in front of me, still in training clothes—apparently fresh from morning drills.
“Lina?”
Ed spoke my name softly, as if he couldn’t quite believe I was actually here.
Still clinging to dreams of a secret romance, I startled and glanced frantically around.
“Don’t just call out my name like that when there are other people around!”
Somehow, the knight who had been with me moments before had vanished.
The corridor around us was utterly silent—not another soul in sight.
As I looked around bewildered, I realized our guide had simply disappeared.
“I understand the sentiment, but isn’t it a bit much to just vanish like that after offering to guide me?”
As I grumbled, Ed laughed softly, brushing my hair back with a gentle hand.
“We’ve reached the destination?”
The way his eyes crinkled as he smiled suggested he thought I’d come here specifically to see him.
Except for his training clothes, Ed looked immaculate—it seemed impossible he’d been exercising just moments before.
Though apparently something about his appearance bothered him, because he glanced down at himself a moment later.
“If you can wait a moment, I’ll go wash up—”
I gently cut him off before his misunderstanding could deepen.
“Actually, I came to see Kyle.”
Running into Ed was pleasant enough, but I did have work to do.
I was about to suggest we postpone our meeting until after I finished, but something in Ed’s demeanor shifted.
“At this hour? Kyle?”
He masked something roiling beneath the surface with an icy expression—cold as congealing lava.
Others might see a terrifying tyrant’s face, but to me, he was merely a lover childishly jealous even of his friends.
“Of course I’m here to discuss work. And jealous men aren’t attractive.”
At my pointed remark, Ed’s expression shifted back to normal almost instantly.
“I wasn’t jealous—I was just asking.”
It was an excuse no child would have believed, but I let it pass.
Before he could sulk further, I took his hand and explained my purpose in more detail.
Once Ed heard that I’d already gotten Ibeta’s approval, his lips curved into a smile.
He seemed delighted with my plan.
“Sometimes, Lina, you look genuinely wicked.”
He praised me in that sweet, intimate whisper he used when murmuring terms of endearment.
“Does that bother you?”
I asked deliberately, raising one corner of my mouth to match his praise.
Ed’s grin widened, and he pressed kisses to my prominent cheekbones.
“Not at all—it’s impressive.”
‘He said his taste was ordinary, but maybe it’s a bit unusual after all.’
“Then I can go ahead with this, right?”
I asked for confirmation, and Ed answered immediately.
“Yes.”
With the highest authority’s approval secured, it was time to work out the details.
Which meant I needed to talk to Kyle.
‘Ed’s no strategist, that’s for sure.’
This experience only reinforced it: Ed was a textbook case of “a good body means a lazy mind.”
‘I wonder if on the battlefield, he’d just start fighting first and overwhelm everyone with raw power, then leave Kyle to handle the aftermath?’
Even imagining it seemed oddly plausible.
To send this jealous lover away so I could work undisturbed, I asked, as if just remembering:
“By the way, Ed—didn’t you say you were going to wash up?”
‘I need to wrap this up with Kyle while I have the chance.’
I asked partly to buy time for my discussion with Kyle, and Ed’s face flushed crimson almost instantly.
“I was training this morning and saw you pass by, so I came straight here—”
Ed took an awkward step backward, away from me, and looked down at his clothes with obvious embarrassment.
“It’s not because of any sweat smell!”
I rushed to deny it, though judging by his expression, my words weren’t registering.
“I’ll be right back.”
Ed spoke barely above a whisper before he disappeared.
He departed at remarkable speed.
‘When he comes back, I’ll have to reassure him it really wasn’t about that.’
After watching Ed disappear down the corridor, I turned toward the adjoining advisors’ office where Kyle would be.
This was my second visit, but it felt entirely different from the first.
‘If the advisors’ office is connected to the Imperial office, then Ed was nearby the whole time I was here last.’
I felt a faint unease at not having noticed it before.
“Kyle, it’s me. May I come in for a moment?”
The other advisors tended to leave, even if it was late.
At this hour, only Kyle would be in, so I knocked and announced myself without hesitation.
From inside came a loud noise that even the thick door couldn’t muffle; moments later, the door swung open.
“Lina? What brings you here?”
Kyle looked as though he’d been dozing; his face still bore the soft marks of sleep.
Remembering that it was I who’d pushed the Border Closure matter to prevent a black mark on history, I felt a small pang of guilt.
“It’s something I could explain later, but here I am at such an ungodly hour….”
As I trailed off awkwardly, Kyle smiled kindly despite his exhaustion.
“But wouldn’t it be better if I knew sooner? Come in. It’s messy, but I can’t leave a visitor standing in the corridor.”
Since what I had to say wasn’t meant for hallways, I stepped inside the office readily.
His comment about mess proved literal—papers towered like mountains across every surface.
Kyle swept aside some of the paperwork and offered me a chair.
To guarantee him at least some rest, I launched into my explanation with minimal preamble.
Since this was my second time explaining, it came out far more smoothly than when I’d told Ed.
Fortunately, Kyle’s reaction was just as enthusiastic.
His eyes began to gleam as if the excitement alone was enough to chase away all his drowsiness.
“Before we solidify the plan, I should meet with the Saint once.”
He wasn’t doubting my word that I’d confirmed Ibeta’s agreement.
‘He probably wants to ask her for a full course of healing and recovery while he’s at it.’
“Then I should head to work now.”
I rose from my seat tactfully, noting that Kyle desperately needed the Saint’s blessings and healing.
But before we could even open the door, it swung open on its own.
“Lina, have you been waiting long?”
It was Ed, his hair still wet from his hurried wash.

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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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