Unbeknownst to Me, I am Secretly Dating the Emperor - Chapter 152

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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 152
Ed was drawing out a jewelry box covered in purple velvet with one hand.
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, it was far too large to contain a ring.
‘I’d better pretend I don’t know anything.’
He looked far too eager for me to tease him about his transparency.
I gazed at Ed with an air of perfect innocence and smiled.
After a moment, Ed finally succeeded in extracting something from the jewelry box.
It was a Purple Diamond Necklace, its delicate craftsmanship unmistakable.
Ed held the necklace in his hand and spoke with an awkward smile.
“The truth is, I finished preparing it long ago, but I couldn’t bring myself to give it to you.”
He had every reason to hesitate.
For a man born a Serf, a subordinate to an Emperor with no family foundation, to present such a gift was utterly unreasonable.
Among Colored Diamonds, the Purple Diamond was among the rarest of all.
With color this vivid and size this substantial, the raw stone alone seemed worthy of being treasured as a national treasure of some kingdom.
‘Wait, did he actually bring a national treasure?’
As I stood lost in thought, Ed carefully placed the necklace around my neck.
I froze completely, weighed down by the heavy necklace.
Unlikely as it was, the mere thought of moving and dropping it made me feel as though I might faint on the spot.
‘This thing belongs in a museum!’
My nerve was far too weak to receive such a gift—clearly the masterwork of some renowned craftsman—and feign composure.
“E-Ed.”
I stammered his name, tensed and faltering.
Ed laughed, his eyes widening.
“Do you like it?”
A man born the Crown Grandson and now Emperor certainly had a different caliber of boldness.
To present a necklace worth as much as a provincial Fief, only to care whether I was pleased with it—that was the mark of his confidence.
“I do like it, but…….”
I had never favored accessories quite so elaborate.
Yet this transcended mere personal taste in its beauty.
‘Even so, this is a bit much.’
……Excessive.
As I was wrestling with how to refuse, Ed lightly touched the pendant portion of the necklace with his index finger and spoke.
“I’m glad I could give it to you before the Saint’s Debutante.”
It was a gesture of pure goodwill, born from never imagining I might refuse out of discomfort.
‘So that’s why the sudden gift.’
Now that I thought about it, it would complement the dress I’d had tailored for Ibeta’s Debutante quite well.
But the coordination with the dress was far from the largest problem.
‘If I wear something like this, won’t I draw more attention than Ibeta, the actual centerpiece of the Ball?’
The Debutante was tremendously important to Ibeta.
According to the discussion Kyle and I had concluded just moments before, we had decided that Ibeta would summon the High Priest immediately after the Debutante.
Since Ibeta had undertaken no public activities following the incident at the Plaza, her public profile remained low—hence the timing of our decision.
‘Ibeta needs to be the center of attention at the Debutante.’
Ed seemed entirely oblivious to such considerations.
“It’s your Debutante too, after all.”
He was in fact lamenting that he couldn’t do something more grandiose.
When someone like me made a late debut in society, the custom was to pass through quietly and blend naturally in order to avoid standing out.
Had it been otherwise, I shuddered to think what kind of spectacle Ed might have orchestrated.
Ed asked with a wistful expression.
“Will you be my Partner?”
He was certainly using that look knowing full well how I weakened before it.
But I was a person capable of growth.
“You know I can’t, don’t you?”
By Imperial Family standards, Ed had long since passed the age of marriage.
Moreover, he was the only unmated member of the Imperial Family who rarely even attended Balls, distinguished by his exceptional appearance.
If Ed and I attended the Ball together as Partners, it would be the most sensational possible declaration of our romance.
Beyond the matter of drawing to myself the attention meant for Ibeta, I was simply not ready to hurl myself into such chaos.
If it became known that I was involved with Ed, the entire Empire would descend into uproar.
Both those who opposed my relationship with him and those who supported it—everyone.
“I prefer to keep a relationship quiet for as long as possible.”
For that, I needed to maintain secrecy for as long as I could.
Though it already seemed halfway ruined…….
Still, there was an enormous difference between something officially announced and something known only to those who already knew.
“How long is ‘as long as possible’?”
Ed asked in a tone that made his reluctance unmistakable.
“A…….”
I deliberately dragged out the end of my sentence, studying his reaction before answering.
“Year?”
I remembered my past self quite clearly—the one who had only recently thought, ‘I do care for Ed, but isn’t marriage a bit much?’ without any real conviction.
A year was certain to shrink in duration, so I’d wanted to call it long in the first place.
It was a compromise I’d worked out considering both reality and a lover’s patience, but Ed’s face went ashen.
“That long?”
The despair in Ed’s voice was so thick you’d have thought I’d suggested we court for ten years.
‘So it’s not just me who’s developing.’
Ed’s strategy of beauty was also advancing.
But if I allowed myself to be swept away by that expression, I might very well wake up a married woman within the week.
I steadied my wavering resolve and launched a counteroffensive.
“You don’t want to be in a relationship with me?”
My trump card worked brilliantly.
Ed rushed to deny it, utterly flustered.
“Of course not!”
I pressed my advantage while it was fresh.
“Then I’ll go to the Ball with Ibeta this time. And I’ll save the necklace for later. It draws too much attention.”
When I gently declined both the Partner proposal and the gift, Ed’s face fell into disappointment.
But Ed understood my situation well enough.
When I offered a reassuring smile, his expression improved just slightly.
“Even if you’re not my Partner, you promised to stay with me all through the holiday.”
I dangled the carrot again.
But the carrot that had worked so well last night had lost its potency in the interim.
“The holiday’s only two days.”
Ed complained as though two days were hopelessly insufficient.
Two days should be plenty, you unreasonable man!
I felt the urge to change my mind again.
Ed muttered as though talking to himself.
“How many days should I create for a special holiday? A week or so?”
Any working person would welcome such words, but I was not one of them.
If two days stretched into a week…….
I had already grimly confirmed that my stamina was woefully inadequate compared to his.
“Don’t you dare create anything like that!”
At my alarm, Ed laughed broadly and corrected himself.
“I’m joking.”
Then he traced his soft touch along my waist and whispered.
“Instead…….”
His desire.
This was the man who used to blush crimson at merely holding hands.
“What are you saying in broad daylight, outdoors no less!”
I struck his forearm repeatedly with scarlet cheeks, each slap ringing out sharp and clear.
“So it’s all right in bed?”
Ed surrendered his forearm to me willingly and asked with impish intent.
“Absolutely not there either!”
The probability of Ed’s words becoming reality was far too high in that particular location.
He laughed quietly, teasing me, then suddenly pulled me into his arms.
“Then you’ll have to comfort me properly.”
He understood the situation, but emotionally, he couldn’t help feeling hurt.
Ed curled his large frame against me as if trying to fold himself into my embrace.
I held him back as tightly as I could.
Pressed against me, Ed asked in an uncertain voice.
“Do you love me?”
Even knowing the reason I wanted to keep us hidden was simply my own cowardice, he couldn’t help but betray a hint of insecurity.
“I love you.”
I spoke with conviction, hoping the truth would reach him.
“And I think I love you a little more every single day.”
Hearing my confession, Ed finally lifted his head.
“Then that’s enough. But don’t spend time with other men.”
His expression was still dark.
I made a promise to reassure my lover.
“I won’t.”
“You promised.”
Ed broke into a radiant smile.
Without a single shadow.
‘Ah, so his pitiful expression option has been upgraded.’
Realizing belatedly that I’d been played, I let out a hollow laugh, and Ed added as a warning.
“I think I’m the jealous type of man, after all.”
It was a warning aimed not so much at me as at the men who might approach me.
‘What trouble is he planning now?’
But now that I’d come to understand the scale of Ed’s schemes to some degree, even that warning sent a chill down my spine.
“You said a jealous man isn’t attractive.”
I pouted petulantly, just to complain.
“But you said you love me anyway.”
Ed laughed sweetly.
“That’s true.”
The Debutante was only days away.

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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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