Unbeknownst to Me, I am Secretly Dating the Emperor - Chapter 28

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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 28
“How?”
How exactly was I supposed to be proactive?
Though I carried memories from my past life and had considerable life experience because of it, when it came to romance, I was starting from absolute zero.
‘In my past life, I went to all-girls middle and high school, spent all of university preparing for the civil service exam, barely passed, and then worked myself to death.’
There had been no room in that life for romance whatsoever.
‘Back in school, my teachers said romance would derail my studies. When I was preparing for exams, my online instructors said pursuing love was a shortcut to retaking exams. They all told me to do it later.’
But there was no later.
The Academy I attended in this life was coeducational, but everyone who showed interest in me turned out to be worthless.
Those I’d briefly considered pursuing also fell into that category.
Koni scratched her cheek thoughtfully.
I simply let out a long sigh, sensing no particularly useful answer would come.
“Maybe I should go to the Library and borrow some books on romance?”
In a world without the internet, books were the only source of information.
Speaking aloud to myself, Koni shook her head vigorously.
She looked at me with such pity.
“No way. You can’t find romance books at the Library. That’s not it.”
Koni said firmly, cutting me off.
“Then what?”
“The Bookstore. The Library only has Catalogs, so they’re not up-to-date with current trends.”
“Ah.”
Certainly, zero was better than going negative.
We headed to the largest Bookstore nearby and bought a pile of romance-related books.
Then we studied them just as intently as we would have for exams at the Academy.
Only after reading every single book we’d purchased did I look up and rub my tired eyes.
“So the conclusion is: make eye contact and smile, offer small compliments, subtle physical contact—that’s about it?”
“That’s an excellent summary.”
Koni, who had helped me study these romance books the whole time, agreed.
‘Flirting isn’t that complicated after all.’
“Now that you’ve mastered the theory, it’s time for practice.”
I clenched my fists with determination.
* * *
The next day, wearing clothes Koni and I had shopped for together, I headed to my meeting place with Everett.
As expected, Everett was already there, waiting for me.
“Everett.”
As I approached and called his name, Everett turned his gaze from the direction he’d been looking toward the distant surroundings.
I met his golden eyes, which shone even more brilliantly in the sunlight.
‘First, make eye contact and smile.’
I smiled widely at Everett, crinkling my eyes at the corners.
Everett’s whole body went rigid.
‘Is it working?’
It was an odd reaction, but at least he didn’t seem displeased.
Maintaining my smile, I stepped a little closer to him.
‘Next is the small compliment, right.’
“Everett, you look so handsome today.”
Everett didn’t look handsome just today.
His beauty was unchanging.
‘But that was exactly the example sentence the book gave for small compliments, wasn’t it.’
I lacked the creativity to come up with a different compliment.
‘If it’s used as an example sentence, it must work universally.’
After completing step two—the compliment—I had drawn close enough that he’d normally ask to escort me, but he made no such offer.
His expression was merely distant, as though his mind was elsewhere.
Observing him secretly, I cautiously reached out and took his hand first.
‘Next is subtle physical contact?’
This was the final stage of Flirting as the book had taught it.
This time, there was barely any reaction.
As if he’d turned to stone.
‘Is this not it?’
I tilted my head in confusion.
‘Maybe holding hands isn’t the subtle contact they meant.’
After all, even friends held hands.
The kind of contact the book described for becoming lovers might be something more intimate.
‘For example.’
Gathering every scrap of courage, I released his hand and gently linked my arm with his.
Everett startled like a cat, jerking slightly.
If I hadn’t been holding his arm linked with mine, he would have jumped ten paces away.
‘Am I being too bold?’
Anxious at his violent reaction, I glanced up at him hesitantly.
Just then, Everett—who had been staring straight ahead—turned his gaze toward me.
The movement seemed to warrant a creaking sound effect.
The moment our eyes met directly, it was as if his face received a signal—his cheeks flushed crimson in an instant.
“Diaz.”
He spoke only my name before his words trailed off.
As if wanting to hide his reddened face, he tried to lift his right hand, but his right arm was already locked with mine.
Awkwardly, he raised his left hand instead, covering his face with his large palm.
Between his fingers, I caught glimpses of his flushed cheeks and reddened neck.
His overwhelming embarrassment somehow spread to me as well, and I felt heat rising in my own face.
The bodies pressed together felt as hot as if I were embracing the sun itself.
A heartbeat—whether mine or his, I couldn’t tell—thundered loudly in my ears.
‘This isn’t it either, I guess.’
Though I had been the one to link arms, his reaction was so intense that I felt as though I’d done something shockingly bold.
Watching his expression carefully, I gently unlinked my arm from his.
Then I took a step sideways, putting some distance between us.
Only then did breathing feel natural again.
We stood with two paces between us, both facing away from each other.
Both our faces equally flushed.
The breeze brushing against my cheeks felt colder than the season warranted.
Everett recovered his composure first.
“We… don’t have much time left before the Exhibition Hall opens.”
Everett used the opening time—though several hours remained—as an excuse to speak to me.
“We’ve been standing outside too long. Should we go in?”
But I was equally relieved by his clumsy excuse.
We barely managed to continue the conversation before walking side by side toward the Exhibition Hall.
We didn’t speak, yet both our minds raced.
Near the Exhibition Hall’s entrance, Everett carefully took my hand again.
Even though we’d held hands many times before, including when he’d offered his arm, today felt somehow more nerve-wracking.
‘My heart feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest.’
It was beating so violently that in the rather crowded Exhibition Hall, I felt like my heartbeat was louder than any ambient noise.
I worried absurdly that if I took even one deep breath, my heart might escape along with the exhale.
Hand in hand, we walked silently through roughly half of the Exhibition Hall.
Like robots following a programmed route.
Yet our minds were busy being conscious of each other.
The Exhibition Hall was a space you’d need a good five or six hours to properly tour, and we’d covered only half.
My heartbeat showed no sign of settling even as considerable time passed.
‘I’d probably calm down if I let go of his hand.’
I glanced up at Everett, who was looking straight ahead.
‘But I don’t want to let go.’
I squeezed his hand gently, as if rearranging our grip.
And then, gradually, I began to adapt to the violent beating of my heart.
Just then, a shop selling Catalogs came into view.
As my gaze shifted to a different direction than where I was walking, my steps slowed noticeably.
Everett noticed the sudden change in pace and turned to look at me.
His gaze followed the direction of mine, moving slowly and deliberately.
Everett identified what I was looking at and went very still.
Surely the same scene was playing like a panorama in both our minds right now.
Everett’s pupils trembled faintly.
He seemed a bit embarrassed that I’d caught him having memorized the Catalog beforehand.
‘That was actually kind of cute.’
I laughed silently to myself, keeping it hidden from Everett.
Thanks to that, much of my nervousness melted away.
Enough that I could manage to act casual.
I decided to tease him a little.
“Did you memorize the Catalog again today?”
At my clearly teasing tone, Everett’s gaze dropped to the floor.
With his head lowered, his reddened ears came into clear view.
Once again, my chest felt filled with feathers.
I asked in an even more mischievous tone than before.
“Didn’t you memorize it?”
Everett, who had been exercising his right to remain silent, finally couldn’t hold out against the repeated questioning.
“I just read through it.”
Everett continued sheepishly.
“I don’t understand what makes that Bellows that dwarf was using anything but a hunk of scrap metal, but I wanted to understand what you see in it—why your eyes light up with wonder.”
Everett’s voice grew fainter as he spoke.
Like his courage to bare the truth from deep within was running out.
But at the same moment, Everett’s presence became clearer and more vivid to me.
Honestly, I’d noticed from the second Exhibition Hall visit that he had little real interest in ancient artifacts.
‘But without even this thin connection, we’d have no point of contact at all.’
I simply couldn’t bring myself to tell him he didn’t have to come if it wasn’t fun for him.
Because it felt like we were connected by just a few threads of fate—and if even one snapped, everything would teeter dangerously.
‘But as long as two people have the will, their bond can be sustained.’
Points of contact could be created.
I gently swung our joined hands and made a proposal.
“Next time, let’s do something you like.”
Of course, there would be times after that too.

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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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