Unbeknownst to Me, I am Secretly Dating the Emperor - Chapter 197

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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 197
I saw it with my own eyes, yet I couldn’t believe it.
We stood transfixed as the Golem crumbled into fragments before us.
As the Golem broke apart halfway through, the clouded Mana Field gradually lifted, and the sunset sky began to come into view.
Only then did reality strike home—tears of relief glistened in the eyes of the ladies who had stood resolute until now.
I sensed we were all sharing the same emotion in that moment.
We survived.
We did it.
Profound relief and pride washed over me.
As we held our ground against the Golem, my eyes met those of the people watching anxiously from beyond—those who had come to support us.
Of course, my gaze held only Edwin.
I flashed a smile toward the man who must have been anxious waiting outside.
Edwin’s golden eyes glistened with moisture.
‘Perhaps this is the most moving sunset of my entire life.’
But before I could fully savor the relief of survival, someone posed a crucial question.
“Did we really, truly defeat the Golem?”
In that instant, my spine went cold.
It was a warning from instinct.
“Who said that?”
The truth was, it didn’t matter who had spoken.
‘The real problem is that a death flag just got raised.’
The Mana Field, half-dispersed until now, remained opaque, preventing Edwin and the reinforcements from approaching carelessly.
The Golem was crumbling, but fragments of its form still remained.
We ladies—including myself—along with Ibeta and Lucy, who had been so instrumental, had all exhausted our strength.
We’d been clinging to sheer willpower, and now that the Golem was collapsing, the tension drained from us; even raising the bow felt unbearable.
But I had to.
Gritting my teeth, I drew every last ounce of strength from my core and pulled the string taut.
The moment the arrow left the string, I knew.
Whether or not it was an Artifact Arrow, it would strike the remnants of the Golem’s core with perfect precision.
In one final spasm, the Golem tried to hurl the broken fragments of its body toward us, but the moment its core shattered completely, it crumbled to stone dust and vanished.
As the Golem disappeared, the Mana Field finally cleared entirely.
The ladies, who had been frozen in shock watching the Golem attempt to throw its remains, belatedly comprehended the situation and let out belated screams.
Only then did I feel the toll of overexerting my muscles, and my grip on the reins slipped.
Unlike Lucy, I couldn’t maintain balance on a horse using only leg strength.
‘Oh, am I falling?’
My mind, taut with tension throughout, seemed to process everything in slow motion.
As I blinked hazily, I was already tumbling off Nelda.
My eyes rolled helplessly downward, and I saw the overgrown summer brush below.
I was relieved—a fall from this height wouldn’t cause serious injury……
“Lina!”
Edwin called my name and rushed toward me like an arrow.
He caught me in his arms just as I was about to hit the ground.
“Edwin……”
Held in the familiar embrace of my lover, true relief finally came.
Without thinking, I closed my eyes.
* * *
When I opened my eyes again, I was already in my room in the Separate Palace.
My riding clothes, soaked in sweat and caked with dust, had been changed, and whether they’d wiped me down with a damp cloth or not, I felt surprisingly refreshed.
“Edwin, how long did I sleep?”
I stretched lazily like someone waking from a long weekend nap and asked.
“About two hours.”
Edwin answered in a low, drowsy voice.
“That’s hardly any rest.”
I yawned and spoke casually, when Edwin suddenly pulled me into his arms.
My shoulders grew damp.
“Edwin, are you crying?”
I asked, startled, and Edwin denied it in a voice thick with emotion that anyone could hear.
“I’m not.”
For his sake, I pretended his dampening shoulders were merely due to the humidity in the air.
I hugged him back.
“I’m fine. I don’t have any injuries.”
Seeing he was still grave, I teased him lightly, asking if he wanted to check for himself—and Edwin kissed me desperately, like a man who had found an oasis in the desert.
Unlike his usual soft, tender kisses, today’s was hungry.
I welcomed my still-anxious lover willingly, but soon found myself running short of breath.
I gently pushed against his chest to create space.
Edwin yielded easily to my push.
Yet he gazed at me like a wild beast before food, licking his gaze across my face.
“Lina.”
His voice was hot as he called my name, almost urging.
His golden eyes were moist; his lips were flushed.
His gaze never left me for even a second.
His Separation Anxiety had clearly intensified.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and closed my eyes.
“Didn’t you want to finish checking?”
Body heat was a cure-all for Separation Anxiety.
I slowly traced my tongue across lips wet with saliva—whose, I couldn’t say.
Edwin fell easily for this simple temptation.
Clothes for two scattered to the floor, and beneath the bright light, our primal forms were laid bare.
Edwin’s eyes scanned my entire body as though checking that I was truly unharmed, pausing here and there.
After mentioning that Ibeta had visited while I slept, he examined my unblemished skin meticulously.
Though we’d already seen everything, I still felt embarrassed.
When I twisted my body slightly, Edwin stirred anxiously and tried to get up immediately.
“Even if there’s no external injury, there could be internal damage.”
I pushed the half-risen Edwin back down.
“There’s no internal damage either.”
It was thanks to Ibeta’s Holy Power, which had even cured Coni’s reflux esophagitis.
I could honestly say I was in the best health I’d ever been.
‘Besides, this isn’t the right mood for that anyway.’
That was the larger reason, truthfully.
“Still……”
Edwin hesitated and glanced toward the door.
“Really? You’re going to leave like this?”
I gently stroked Edwin’s body, whose words contradicted what his face wanted to express.
His body’s conviction proved far stronger than his reason.
“I don’t think that’s possible.”
Edwin gritted his teeth and panted.
As I continued my teasing touch without relenting, Edwin couldn’t pull away and remained captive in my hands.
“Lina.”
Edwin called only my name in a voice of longing.
Color had returned to his face, which had been pale just moments before.
I intended to tease him just a little longer.
Pretending not to hear Edwin’s call, I continued moving my hands, but apparently he couldn’t endure it any longer, and he grabbed my wrist.
“Stop.”
Edwin’s voice had grown low and heavy.
At any other time, Edwin would have let me go the moment I tried to withdraw, but today my teasing seemed to have been too much.
It was already too late to make an excuse about being tired and back out.
I smiled sheepishly, silently asking for his patience.
Edwin’s left eyebrow arched slightly.
‘He’s not going to let this go easily, is he.’
My suspicion proved correct.
That night, I paid a steep price for teasing a lover already stricken with Separation Anxiety.
* * *
‘Ugh.’
The moment I opened my eyes, I couldn’t tell if it was the day after yesterday or the day after that.
I tried to turn my head slightly toward the window to check the time, but froze.
The price of a day of intense exertion was harsh.
I groaned under muscle soreness far worse than when I’d fought the Golem.
A large hand approached and kneaded my cramped muscles.
“Gently, please. It hurts if you press that hard.”
Edwin’s face flushed as he reduced the pressure and resumed the massage.
The perfect pressure drew an involuntary sigh of satisfaction from me.
I decided to forgive him for whatever grievances I’d harbored from sometime in the early morning hours.
It was partly my own doing anyway.
‘And I did end up remembering the reality I’d been putting off.’
“By the way, Edwin. That Golem yesterday—it couldn’t have appeared naturally. Whose doing was it?”
I suspected the High Priest with high probability, and I was right.
“Both the High Priest and the Dark Mage were found dead. It’s suspected they used themselves as sacrifices in a Monster Summoning Circle.”
“What a futile death.”
I twisted my lips and scoffed at the High Priest mockingly.
It was a pathetic end befitting a villain.
“So what happened to the Hunting Competition?”
With some forty ladies from prominent families in the Empire endangered, it didn’t seem like things would have wrapped up normally.
At least everyone was safe, but the aftermath could have been quite troublesome.
But as Edwin relayed the High Priest’s fate, his expression suddenly brightened.
As if he were delivering good news.
‘What? Good news in this situation?’
What came from Edwin’s lips was completely unexpected.
“It ended well.”
“How so?”
I asked, puzzled, and Edwin lightly kissed my lips before answering.
“Congratulations on your victory, Lina.”
Thanks to defeating the Golem, a high-ranked Monster, I had unexpectedly become the winner of the Hunting Competition.

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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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