Unbeknownst to Me, I am Secretly Dating the Emperor - Chapter 63

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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 63
‘Come to think of it, Bes too.’
Bes was also an illegitimate child of Marquis Robertus.
‘But unlike Ibeta, he was raised in the Robertus Marquis household.’
Ibeta had been abandoned at the Temple, while Bes had been abandoned at the door of the Robertus mansion—that was the difference.
That didn’t mean Bes’s circumstances were better, though.
Like Ibeta, Bes’s mother was also unknown.
Marquis Robertus had taken Bes in, tucked him away in a corner of the mansion, and promptly forgotten him.
True to his nature as an irredeemable villain, he possessed not a shred of ethics.
‘Marquis Robertus had multiple illegitimate children besides Ibeta and Bes.’
The fact that Ibeta and Bes were the same age, born only a few months apart, said everything about how dissolute the Marquis was.
Though he’d taken Bes in, he’d only taken him in—and nothing more—so Bes grew up neglected and abused by the household servants.
‘It’s remarkable that Derek managed to tutor him and that Bes taught himself the Empire’s language.’
For a child without a guardian, mere survival would have been overwhelming in such an environment.
The saintess and Bes shared the common wound of childhood trauma, and despite bearing the half of Marquis Robertus’s blood they both wished to disown, they had quickly become family—that was how the story went.
From a results-based perspective, it was perhaps the only positive thing the Temple had ever given Ibeta.
‘Characters from the original work keep popping up all over the place.’
At this rate, I’d meet everyone except the protagonists.
I stole glances at Bes’s face throughout our meal.
‘I need to treat him well.’
In every sense.
After finishing the delicious lunch Bes had promised, I returned to the Office.
An errand boy who’d been lingering near the entrance spotted me and hurried over with a note.
“I was told to deliver this to Lina.”
I took the note from the boy and unfolded it at once.
“It came sooner than expected, then?”
Assuming it was Coni’s reply—the one I’d been waiting for—I didn’t bother checking the sender.
‘That’s not it.’
“The message to the Outer Palace hasn’t come yet. A knight gave me this one.”
The note was from Everett.
After confirming the sender, I turned slightly away from the boy and smiled softly.
Then, like someone who believed warmth could travel through paper, I traced my index finger lightly across the written words.
It was only a brief couple of lines asking if I could spare some time to meet, but my fingertips tingled.
‘How did he know I had a free moment?’
Not that I would have declined even if I’d been busy.
‘I felt a bit guilty for turning down his invitations so many times lately, saying I was busy.’
All excuses, really.
To be honest, I wanted to see Everett.
I pressed my lips together to contain my smile and waved the note.
I read the two-line message again carefully, and just in case, I even flipped it over.
But nowhere on it were the time or place written.
‘What?’
As a side effect of spending all morning puzzling this out, I suddenly wondered if I should hold it up to the sun or singe it over candlelight to reveal hidden writing.
Fortunately, before I could actually attempt something so ridiculous, the boy called to me again.
“Oh, there’s another note here.”
The boy, who’d been watching me intently, drew another note from his pocket.
“The knight gave me this one too.”
The errand boy handed me the second note.
‘He must have forgotten to include it with the first one.’
I accepted the second note as it was offered to me.
As expected, this one contained the meeting place.
“Thank you.”
Since the time still wasn’t written, I wondered if he’d sent the notes ahead and was waiting for me now.
‘If he sent it early, he must be waiting for quite a while.’
My heart quickened.
I handed the errand boy a few coins and immediately made my way to the location written on the note.
I didn’t see the boy slip the coins into his pocket.
I didn’t see the third note tucked there either, identical to the two he’d delivered earlier.
* * *
Edwin emerged from his conversation with Kyle in high spirits, then immediately changed into his clothes.
The “Everett Rohas” outfit he wore whenever he met Lina.
But once he’d left the dressing room, Edwin came to a halt after only a few steps.
‘Will this work?’
There would be plenty of people who knew his face.
A careless approach would expose him immediately.
‘I shouldn’t be reckless just because we’ve grown closer.’
This situation demanded even greater caution to avoid a needless exposure.
Edwin considered the patrol routes of the guards, selected a location with sparse foot traffic, and quickly wrote out his notes.
This was the first note Lina would receive.
After writing the question about whether she could spare some time, Edwin paused.
The thought struck him that she might not want to.
‘Perhaps she’s been busy and is tired.’
When it came to Lina alone, Edwin was a cautious man.
After a moment’s consideration, he pulled out fresh paper and wrote three different messages.
One note held the location where he would be waiting; another contained a polite request asking her to suggest a convenient time.
Once all three notes were complete, Edwin called over a passing attendant and handed them over.
“For Lina of the Inspection Unit.”
After confirming the attendant had secured all three notes safely, Edwin added further instruction.
“Give her the first note. If she seems hesitant, give her the third.”
The quick-witted attendant asked for clarification.
“So if her reaction is good, I give her the second one?”
Observing Edwin’s attire, the attendant seemed to take him for a lower-ranking knight, and his tone carried a playful edge.
“Correct.”
Edwin nodded readily, and the attendant bowed and set off toward the Inspection Unit.
Edwin watched the receding figure for a moment, then walked slowly forward.
He intended to reach the meeting place first and wait for Lina.
He didn’t know if she would come or if a polite refusal would arrive instead, but his steps were light.
Even the wait tasted sweet.
* * *
‘It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.’
The small garden Edwin had chosen for their meeting lay within the grounds of the Empress Palace, abandoned for decades, so few passed through.
Yet decades ago, it had been known for its intimate charm, and summer tea parties had often been held there.
Even now, without its mistress, it received minimal upkeep and retained a natural freshness.
‘Not bad at all.’
After surveying the modest garden carefully and approving his choice, Edwin sat on a bench with a clear view of the garden’s entrance.
A branch, overgrown from long neglect of pruning, cast a palm-sized shadow across his shoulder.
Leaves rustled gently in the breeze, and birds chirped as if welcoming the rare visitor.
It was a peaceful scene, but it didn’t register in Edwin’s eyes.
His mind had drifted into deep thought.
‘But what exactly am I supposed to do?’
He’d come out boldly, but he had little idea what to do to win Lina’s heart.
His knowledge of romance came only from the boasts of the knights who’d fought alongside him, trading tales on quiet nights between battles.
‘But I know better than to take that at face value.’
Whenever the male knights began competing to brag about their popularity, the few female knights would wear faces that said, ‘I have plenty to say, but I’m choosing not to.’
The information he possessed amounted mainly to a list of warnings: ‘Don’t do this, or you’ll definitely get dumped.’
Without the excuse of an art exhibition or blooming roses, he suddenly found every word and gesture baffling for this sudden, brief date.
Edwin, a man who’d never fumbled at anything, felt the unfamiliar emotion rise in him as he paced restlessly through the small garden.
No clever ideas came to mind.
Growing frustrated, Edwin ran a rough hand through his hair.
As he was kicking at a stone to vent his irritation, footsteps sounded near the garden’s entrance.
“So what happened? Explain it in detail.”
It wasn’t Lina.

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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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