Unbeknownst to Me, I am Secretly Dating the Emperor - Chapter 200

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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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Side Story: Episode 2
I led Ed toward the place where the parade was beginning.
People crowded the narrow passage, all heading to see the parade—another highlight of the festival.
At some point, Ed took the lead and began clearing a path.
He was even half a head taller than the men from the north, who already ranked among the Empire’s tallest.
The crowd parted easily, and thanks to that, we secured a spot quite near the front.
“It’s starting.”
Ed whispered to me as he heard the signal from where the parade was beginning.
I felt a flutter of anticipation.
After a short wait, women dressed as Snow Fairies appeared, riding in a large sleigh.
One woman, evidently the main character, wore clothing adorned with particularly lavish decorations and began singing as she approached us.
“Long, endless nights—do you need a lover to warm your cold heart? What’s truly needed to warm the soul is friendship…….”
The girl dressed as a Snow Fairy smiled at me and extended her hand.
“Take it!”
A young woman beside us, apparently a local, gestured and called out.
As people familiar with this parade smiled and urged me on, I found myself reaching out without thinking.
The moment I grasped the hand of the girl in the particularly ornate Snow Fairy costume, the other fairies lifted me onto the sleigh together.
As though waiting for this moment, I was dressed in a Robe Dress in a slightly deeper shade of blue than the other fairies wore.
“Hooray!”
The crowd erupted in cheers.
This was an interactive parade.
I waved slightly at Ed, who still looked somewhat bewildered, and he composed himself, smiling back at me.
‘This is fun.’
I hadn’t expected to be the type to skip out on something like this.
As my eyes sparkled with excitement, the Snow Fairy who had dressed me asked with a smile.
“What’s your name?”
“Lina.”
“That’s lovely, Lina.”
“Come on a journey with us!”
“To a land of pristine snow.”
I’d thought the chatter was meant to ease any tension, but this too was part of the parade.
“What do I need to do?”
I asked a nearby Snow Fairy in a hushed voice.
Recognizing that I was a visitor, the fairy explained the parade simply.
“No, Lina—just enjoy our performance.”
The story told of a young girl living alone and lonely in a small village. The Snow Fairies, moved by her solitude, became her friends.
Though they were sometimes mischievous and capricious, they were her cherished companions.
Then one day, First Love found its way to the girl.
As she fell deeper into love, the girl gradually forgot about the fairies, yet they lingered always at her side.
Ready to embrace her warmly whenever she needed them.
Then came a day when the girl, having quarreled with her lover, wept by a window—and the Snow Fairies appeared, guiding her through a long winter’s night to see their fairy realm, restoring her laughter.
‘Legends that personify a natural phenomenon—snow itself.’
It was a tale fitting for a village where snow accumulated year-round, except for only a few weeks in the height of summer.
The Snow Fairies sang and danced as the parade continued.
I could see Ed following in the direction the sleigh was moving.
‘Wait—aren’t we supposed to have just quarreled, according to the concept?’
I stifled a laugh to myself.
As my gaze kept drifting toward where Ed stood, one of the fairies whispered.
“Why don’t you wave to him?”
It seemed I didn’t need to act after all.
Truth be told, I found riding in the great sleigh so much fun that I beamed and waved toward Ed.
“Kyaa!”
“Wave to us too!”
The children watching the parade got even more excited than Ed.
I alternated waving at the children and Ed.
Each time I waved, cheers erupted, and I never tired even as I waved throughout the lengthy parade.
The parade ended after circling the entire village.
The Snow Fairies sang a song about how morning was coming again and I should return to my lover, gently helping me down from the sleigh.
“Lina.”
Ed caught me as I stepped down, as though he’d been waiting for this moment.
His expression grew darker, as if he’d been somewhat worried about me being lifted away suddenly.
A giggle sounded from behind.
The finale of the parade was fireworks.
As though performed by the Snow Fairies’ Magic, the fireworks were mostly in shades of blue and white, their shapes resembling snowflake crystals.
Everyone’s gaze turned skyward toward the festival’s climax—everyone except Ed and me.
“Did you have fun?”
Ed asked, looking at my face still alight with laughter.
“Yeah.”
Ed smiled, mirroring my own.
Then he asked in a soft voice.
“Do you know the saying that lovers who kiss while watching fireworks never part?”
I gently scolded him for such a transparent line.
“Isn’t that saying specific to fireworks in the Capital?”
But that wasn’t a refusal.
I merely teased him with words while obediently closing my eyes.
I heard him laugh softly before his lips met mine, gentle and warm.
Snow blossoms fell above our heads.
It was the last memory of a vacation I would cherish for a long time.
* * *
High Society in the Capital had stagnated for a long time.
The absence of an Imperial Family lady to lead it for decades was the cause, and a prolonged war had dealt the final blow.
Yet recently, a fresh wind had begun to blow through High Society.
Like new shoots pushing through cracks in a withered tree.
At the center of that wind was the Golem Salon—a social gathering of ladies who had hunted Golems together.
Having crossed the threshold between life and death together, we’d grown quite close.
Those of us with time met frequently to deepen our bonds, eventually establishing a formal salon for regular gatherings.
‘And every member of this Golem Salon happens to be a lady from a key family in either the neutral or imperial faction.’
What began as a casual gathering had quickly established itself as the central axis of High Society.
“Welcome to the Golem Salon’s regular Tea Party.”
Regia, the young lady hosting this gathering, greeted us with elegant grace.
“Please, come in!”
The ladies already present welcomed me in unison.
Though I’d arrived mid-gathering due to an unexpected matter, their faces showed only warmth.
I smiled broadly as I approached the tea table.
“You can sit here.”
Regia guided me to the seat beside Ibeta.
Both Ibeta and Bes greeted me with equally bright faces, waving their hands in welcome.
“Lina, have you been terribly busy?”
“It’s been ages.”
“Truly, you two have both been well?”
I greeted the two of them warmly, as it had indeed been far too long.
As soon as I’d finished the most pressing matters, I’d fled on a half-escape vacation with Ed, and upon returning, I’d been occupied with cleaning up the mess from my past mistakes.
If I’d continued staying in the Separate Palace where Ibeta resided, I might have encountered them in passing, but I’d since moved my residence to the Separate Palace nearest the Imperial Palace.
‘Nominally, anyway—in reality, I spend most of my time at the Imperial Palace.’
Still, I saw them far less often than when I’d shared a residence with Ibeta.
So occasions like this, meeting outside, felt all the more special.
We shared warmth and companionship as we discussed the details of our lives.
This Tea Party was our first gathering since Ed’s and my engagement, so most of the conversation naturally revolved around us.
“By the way, thank you so much for inviting us to the engagement ceremony, Renkels.”
“It was truly such a beautiful ceremony—one I’ll remember for a long time.”
All the ladies present began enthusiastically sharing their impressions of how magnificent the engagement ceremony had been.
Ed, upon hearing that we’d marry whenever preparations were complete, had been ready to hold the wedding the very next week.
I thought Kyle and the attendants who’d struggled to dissuade him and hastily prepare the engagement ceremony would be pleased to hear such praise.
“I should be the one thanking all of you for coming.”
Returning their courtesy gracefully, another wave of effusive comments about how impressive the ceremony had been followed.
Then one of the ladies asked in a casual aside.
“By the way, when are you planning to hold the wedding ceremony?”

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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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