Unbeknownst to Me, I am Secretly Dating the Emperor - Chapter 187

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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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Episode 187
Edwin understood at once what Duke Camelot meant by calling himself his “benefactor.”
Both men were remembering the same moment.
The day Duke Camelot had delivered the news of Bliss’s death—his brother whom Edwin had believed to be held hostage and imprisoned.
“I think I’ve already paid the price for learning where my brother’s grave lies.”
Edwin’s tone was contemptuous.
Eight years ago, Duke Camelot had survived because he’d informed Edwin of Bliss’s death to topple Marquess Robertus from power.
Edwin had simply lost his chance to strike at Duke Camelot while consumed with managing the Empire’s far graver condition than he’d anticipated.
The card Duke Camelot held was no longer one that could intimidate Edwin.
Duke Camelot’s eyes died, hollow and dark, as his last hope slipped away.
Edwin raised his sword, ready to slit the Duke’s throat himself, then stopped.
Someone suddenly came to mind—someone far more suited to dealing with Duke Camelot effectively.
Edwin decided to give Duke Camelot to Count Rankels as a gift, partly to shore up the Count’s credentials.
“Let the record show that Duke Camelot died while attempting to flee.”
Edwin retrieved his blade and gave a subtle gesture toward the rear.
“Render him unconscious so he can’t harm himself. Transport him to the Capital.”
A handful of knights struck Duke Camelot at the base of the skull before he could resist, knocking him senseless, then set out for the Capital ahead of the main force.
Over the next three days, messenger pigeons flew back and forth in constant motion.
Most territories surrendered at the mere sight of the Imperial Army’s banners, but several Nobility Faction houses chose to resist, which delayed the dispatches.
Still, victory reports arrived one by one.
Only the final messenger pigeon from the most distant detachment remained—and sunset was nearly upon them.
Anxiety gnawed at him.
He’d already exceeded the week he’d promised Lina by a full day.
Once the sun set, he couldn’t use the Ancient Teleportation Circle.
Edwin gazed up at the sky with growing restlessness.
Helen, observing his agitation, made a suggestion.
“Your Majesty should return to the Capital first.”
Edwin had resolved to remain in place until word arrived that all the Nobility Faction’s leadership had been executed.
It was a decision born from Duke Camelot’s Domain being the Western Region’s center of power.
Edwin’s reputation as the “Undefeated Knight” stemmed not merely from overwhelming martial prowess but equally from his meticulous caution and refusal to drop his guard—traits that were, quite frankly, decisive.
Yet the victor had long since been decided.
Besides, Helen pressed the point that he’d had no real cause to come personally in the first place—and when she struck that final note, Edwin capitulated to the suggestion with a show of reluctance.
The moment he departed the Capital, the tight, furrowed expression melted into a radiant smile.
As the hours wore on and his countenance had grown progressively darker, the knights around him—who’d been watchful for any shift in his mood—finally relaxed.
Edwin set out for the Ancient Teleportation Circle with only a handful of his honor guard.
Seventeen hours had passed since the appointed time with Lina.
‘She wouldn’t have left without me, surely?’
The mere thought stung, and Edwin’s brow furrowed.
‘Impossible.’
Driven by anxiety and a touch of imperial prerogative, Edwin arrived at the Capital just before sunset and made straight for the Imperial Palace.
He rode like a man possessed from the teleportation circle at the city’s edge all the way to the palace gates.
The journey back was faster than the ride west—powered, perhaps, by the simple joy of homecoming.
The escort knights fell behind one by one, but Edwin paid them no mind.
At last, Edwin arrived at the Imperial Palace.
The guards, who hadn’t expected him to arrive so soon, started visibly before recovering their composure and saluting.
Edwin returned their greetings perfunctorily and continued riding.
The Imperial Palace proper soon came into view.
Dismounting at the entrance, Edwin took off at a run on foot.
Evening had fallen by now.
Servants hurrying about to complete their daily duties cast disapproving glances toward the sound of footsteps echoing without dignity through the inner palace.
When they realized it was Edwin, they quietly lowered their eyes.
Edwin paid no mind to the scattered, impertinent stares.
Nothing mattered but meeting Lina a moment sooner.
Edwin threw open the door, breathing hard after what felt like an eternity.
Lina was exactly where he’d hoped—in the Imperial Palace’s Office.
Her shoulders drooped slightly as she gazed out the window.
Moonlight streamed through the glass, suffusing her silver hair with a soft luminescence.
Edwin’s heart surged with longing.
“I’m back.”
At his bright greeting, her silver hair rippled, and violet eyes turned toward him.
Her cool, impassive expression bloomed like a flower into radiance.
Edwin smiled in return.
It had been only just over a week since they last saw each other.
Yet a fierce, relentless longing had consumed him entirely.
His lover’s presence became warmth itself, restoring him to gentle comfort.
Lina approached and threw her arms around him.
“You’re back?”
Despite having emphasized multiple times that it was nothing serious before he left, her voice trembled with concern she’d harbored in secret.
Lina buried her face in his chest to hide her glistening eyes.
Even a tear or two felt as though it soaked through his entire chest.
Edwin concealed his own ache beneath a smile, cradling Lina’s cheek with a tender hand.
He had missed her terribly.
The instant his gaze met those violet eyes, still wet with tears, Edwin felt that he had truly come home.
Eight days of relentless forced marches, and the exhaustion he’d suppressed finally crashed down upon him.
Edwin pressed a light kiss to Lina’s lips, then pulled her into a firm embrace.
Lina patted his broad back gently.
As though saying without words that she understood his heart.
After indulging his quiet neediness for some time, Lina asked softly,
“Is all your work finished?”
Reports from the battlefield must have reached the palace by now.
She seemed to want to hear it from Edwin himself.
Edwin deferred his answer and simply lifted his lover into his arms.
He pulled a chair to the window where Lina had been standing.
She naturally settled onto his lap as he sat.
Edwin grinned like a contented cat, gathering her close.
Lina, as if understanding his need to make up for their time apart, nestled willingly into his embrace.
Ordinarily, she didn’t permit such conduct in a place of work, but tonight seemed to be a rare exception.
Edwin spoke in a tone so tender it would have astonished the knights who’d ridden west with him, recounting the events of the past days.
He omitted anything that might alarm his tender-hearted lover and instead emphasized how scrupulously he’d handled the affair.
His eagerness to end the civil war swiftly had felt like tenderness to Lina—a gentle mercy masked as urgency.
“You’ve worked so hard.”
Lina smiled and pressed a light kiss to his cheek.
Then, with a hint of playfulness, she asked,
“Should I go spend a day with Coni then?”
Edwin had words caught in his throat and could only pull her closer with a sullen expression.
Her clear laughter rang in his ear.
“Not even one day?”
“No.”
His firm refusal only made her laughter grow louder.
“Then I’ll split my time and see you multiple times instead.”
If he objected, he’d surely hear, “A jealous man has no charm.” He could see it coming.
Edwin nodded reluctantly.
Apparently thinking they’d reached an agreement, Lina spoke gently, recounting what had transpired in the palace during Edwin’s absence.
“Many feel the executions of the High Priest and the Black Mages would be better carried out after the Harvest Festival. What do you think, Ed?”
Unlike the Western Region, executing the High Priest and Black Mages immediately would be difficult.
The common people thought of Black Magic as something from children’s fairy tales.
Fanatical followers of the Minos Religion still numbered quite a few.
They believed Edwin had falsely accused the Temple and were working to spread their claims.
Though it hadn’t been particularly effective.
With Edwin victorious from the civil war and returned, the plan was to flow naturally into the festival celebration and give the Empire’s people time to accept the truth.
‘A few more days of delay won’t change anything.’
Well versed in the security of the Imperial Palace Underground Prison, Edwin nodded without hesitation.
He even thought that a brief reprieve might torment the High Priest all the more.
Just as Count Rankels’s vengeance for his lost lover would be merciless, so too would Edwin’s vengeance for his lost father be cruel.

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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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