Unbeknownst to Me, I am Secretly Dating the Emperor - Chapter 167

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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 167
* * *
The moment I stepped inside, every gaze in the room converged on me.
I rolled my eyes to survey my surroundings without turning my head.
I could see people scattered throughout the ballroom—some shielding their mouths with fans, others twisting their bodies sideways while keeping their eyes fixed on me—whispering to their acquaintances.
‘I’m quite late.’
At a ball, protocol dictated that those of lower status entered first.
Since the person announced before me was some countess, my entrance was indeed tardy.
Bes and Regia had already made their entrances.
Yet the ballroom itself was still sparsely populated.
It wasn’t the kind of tardiness that would draw so many eyes—only a fastidious few concerned with etiquette would disapprove to this extent.
Unable to discern the reason, I withdrew toward a wall some distance from the doorway and quietly observed the room.
Then the knight I’d seen at Ibeta’s debutante ball appeared again, this time dressed as a servant, approaching me.
“Miss Diaz.”
The knight positioned himself to shield the stares of others, speaking quietly—telling me I needed to leave the ballroom.
“I’ll escort you.”
The gravity of his manner gave me no choice but to follow him quietly out of the ballroom.
I felt persistent gazes and whispers trailing behind me, but I didn’t turn back.
Only once we reached a corridor where few people ventured did the knight speak again.
“His Majesty awaits you in that same lounge from before.”
The knight’s tense voice carried an ominous weight.
I asked him carefully.
“Is something wrong? Has word come from the Separate Palace—”
Since I’d attended while leaving Coni unwell, my concern naturally drifted that way.
The knight flinched at the words “something wrong,” then spoke cautiously.
“There is no problem at the Separate Palace.”
So the problem lay elsewhere.
But it seemed the knight wasn’t at liberty to elaborate.
‘I’ll have to hear it directly.’
The reception lounge for the State Marriage ball was the same venue where Ibeta’s debutante had been held.
So this was my second visit to the lounge before me.
The moment I entered, I saw Ed and Kyle—both wearing anxious expressions.
I’d expected Ed, but Kyle took me by surprise.
“Is something wrong?”
I looked between them and asked.
It was the question I hadn’t gotten an answer to from the knight.
As Ed fumbled for words, Kyle opened his mouth first.
Handing me a newspaper.
“Lina, would you read this first?”
I didn’t see the connection between the newspaper and why I had to hide from the ballroom, but I silently unfolded it anyway.
‘Friday’s Society’
Beneath that heading, reeking of tabloid ink, was a crudely drawn portrait of my upper body taking up nearly a full page.
In that sketch, I was resting my chin on my right hand in a way that seemed to flaunt a blue artifact bracelet.
The portrait was rough, but the bracelet—only the bracelet—was rendered with painstaking detail, making it jump out at the eye.
The article title that followed the bracelet made me—
I skimmed the contents in shock. The entire newspaper was filled with rumors of a passionate romance between Ed and me.
Perhaps wary of charges of insulting the Royal Family, the article contained almost nothing about Ed, the Emperor—the vast majority focused on me.
Claims about me being a civil servant trained at the Academy, connections to the Renkels Countess House, personal gossip—these formed the bulk of the piece, though there were also sections devoted to the romance.
There was speculation, written in the overwrought style of serialized fiction, that our romance had begun after I transferred to the Inspection Unit, which was adjacent to the Imperial Palace.
The evidence they presented for this rumor, full of inaccurate details, was the artifact bracelet I’d received from Kyle.
They elaborated at length on how precious the Blue Dragon’s Blessing—a Royal Family Heirloom—truly was, before devoting page after page to speculation that the Emperor had given it as a gift to his beloved.
The newspaper’s name was different, but I remembered the reporter who’d been following me some time ago.
‘Is it that same reporter?’
I could roughly piece together what had happened.
I’d never imagined this bracelet was such a precious national treasure, and I’d simply worn it faithfully.
That reporter must have recognized what my bracelet was and run the story.
‘But why now?’
My hands holding the newspaper trembled, causing the pages to rustle against each other.
In this suffocating silence, it was the only sound.
Ed lowered his head, his expression dark, and apologized to me.
“I’m sorry.”
I smiled at the dejected Ed.
“…It’s fine.”
It wasn’t truly fine, but it wasn’t entirely a lie either.
Honestly, I’d already resigned myself to the fact that Ed and I couldn’t keep our secret romance hidden for much longer.
The method was unexpected, and the exposure was far more dramatic than I’d steeled myself for, but the revelation itself didn’t shock me.
‘We were bound to slip up a few times.’
But refusing to abandon hope entirely, I asked with a prayer in my heart:
“How far has this spread?”
Clinging to the possibility that we might still be able to contain it.
But hope was brutally crushed.
“They distributed it simultaneously across the Capital. We’re doing our best to collect them all, but…”
Faced with the grim reality that I’d become involved in a nation-wide public romance, my lips trembled as I fought to keep my expression steady.
Ed’s complexion darkened further.
“I’m sorry. I thought by now it would be safe to stop tailing that reporter. It was my miscalculation.”
Another apology followed.
Given that Ed likely hadn’t released the reporter without consequences, I found the journalist’s audacity remarkable.
I didn’t blame Ed, who was already reproaching himself.
This was an act of fate, and strictly speaking, Ed was as much a victim as I was.
‘There are only a few options. Direct confrontation, suppress it with force, or maintain stubborn silence.’
Realistically, direct confrontation was the only viable path forward.
‘My marriage prospects have become a one-way street.’
Though I loved Ed, something left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Still, to claim the most beautiful woman on the Continent required courage.
I suppressed my bitter feelings and smiled as prettily as I could.
I had something important to say.
I extended my hand to Ed, who was taken aback by my sudden change of demeanor.
“Will you be my partner tonight?”
‘So what? I’ll have a public romance.’
My resolve, tempered by several trials, had grown unexpectedly strong.
Ed laughed brightly and took my hand, our fingers interlacing.
He asked with a coaxing tone:
“Can I announce that I’m your lover now?”
“Yes.”
Since I’d already made my decision, I answered firmly, refusing to retreat, and Ed’s smile deepened.
Kyle cut in with cold eyes.
“Then we’ll stop collecting the newspapers and move forward with follow-up articles through media outlets favorable to the Imperial House.”
Though he seemed to be speaking to Ed, he was really addressing me.
“Handle that journalist and their newspaper conclusively this time.”
But the response came from Ed.
* * *
“…His Imperial Majesty the Emperor and his companion, Miss Carolina Diaz, shall now enter.”
Only after the attendant finished his lengthy introduction could I finally step into the ballroom.
Much like before—yet somehow different—every eye in the ballroom suddenly fixed on me.
Including the gazes of the Crown Princess, the actual protagonist, and Everett Rohas.
I’d braced myself, but the weight of those stares made me want to collapse.
Yet Ed’s steady arm wrapped around my waist, holding me up.
“You okay? We can leave right now if you’d rather. Just say the word.”
His voice, soft with concern, somehow gave me courage.
“I’m fine. I can do this.”
Since Ed was the only remaining member of the Imperial Family on the Continent—and he disliked parties—the Imperial House’s presence was somewhat diminished, but the royals were still celebrities of a sort.
As for me, I was essentially the protagonist of a classic Cinderella story.
I mustn’t be underestimated.
At the very least, I didn’t want to give the impression of being someone they could easily manipulate.
That way these arrogant nobles would judge me as someone not so simple to control.
I smiled with as much composure as I could muster.
It wasn’t quite the artful smile of Regia, but it seemed decent enough.
Bes, whose eyes met mine from across the room, subtly gave me a thumbs-up.
“Ed, we will dance first, won’t we?”
I asked to bolster my courage, and Ed met my eyes with a smile.
He carefully raised my hand and pressed it to his lips.
“My honor.”
Hushed gasps erupted from all corners of the room.

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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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