Unbeknownst to Me, I’m Secretly Dating the Emperor — Chapter 29

FOR EXAMPLE...

LIKE HIS MAJESTY THE EMPEROR GIVING YOU A HARD TIME.

...MISS DIAZ.

WHY WOULD YOU SUDDENLY THINK THAT?

Ah...

TH-THAT'S...

WORKING UNDER HIS MAJESTY CANNOT BE AN EASY TASK.

YOU ARE ALWAYS SO BUSY, SIR ROJAS,

AND YOU LIKELY HANDLE CRUCIAL MISSIONS, SO I WAS JUST WONDERING...

I FIND THAT HARD TO UNDERSTAND.

EVEN IF THAT WERE TRUE,

I DO NOT THINK IT WARRANTS ASKING IF I AM BEING TORMENTED.

IS THERE A SPECIFIC REASON YOU WOULD THINK THAT?

HOW COULD I POSSIBLY SAY OUT LOUD THAT HE MIGHT MAKE A MISTAKE

AND GET EXECUTED SOON...!

...I WILL BE HONEST WITH YOU, SIR ROJAS.

I AM JUST WORRIED THAT YOU MIGHT INCUR HIS MAJESTY'S WRATH.

HE IS KNOWN TO HAVE QUITE A CRUEL TEMPERAMENT, AFTER ALL.

AND I HEARD HE HAS BEEN ESPECIALLY ON EDGE LATELY.

IF YOU MAKE EVEN A SINGLE MISTAKE, A SIMPLE REPRIMAND MIGHT NOT BE THE END OF IT...

MISS DIAZ.

DO YOU PERHAPS...

DISLIKE THE EMPEROR?

DISLIKE...?

...I WOULDN'T EXACTLY SAY I DISLIKE HIM.

IT'S JUST THAT IT'S DIFFICULT TO LIKE YOUR BOSS, ISN'T IT...?

I suppose...

B-BUT,

DIDN'T YOU SAY BEFORE THAT YOU DO NOT RESENT HIM?

BY BEFORE...

-ANYWAY, THE FESTIVAL IS HELD BECAUSE HIS MAJESTY WAS BORN...

AND BECAUSE HIS MAJESTY PROTECTED THE EMPIRE,

EVERYONE GETS TO ENJOY THE FESTIVITIES.

...IS HE TALKING ABOUT THE DAY OF THE BALL?

NOPE

NO, I DO NOT PARTICULARLY RESENT HIM NOW, EITHER.

IT'S JUST THAT I DO NOT PARTICULARLY LIKE HIM.

...I SEE.

...SIR ROJAS?

What's wrong?

IT'S NOTHING.

IT SEEMS TO BE GETTING LATE,

SO I WILL ESCORT YOU BACK NOW.

...HOW STRANGE. WE JUST MET A LITTLE WHILE AGO, AND HE ALREADY WANTS TO HEAD BACK.

BESIDES, HE DEFINITELY SAID HE HAD SOMETHING TO TELL ME EARLIER-

-WAIT, COULD IT BE...

BECAUSE I JUST SPOKE POORLY...

...ABOUT THE EMPEROR...

DOES HE NOT WANT TO TALK TO ME ANYMORE...?

...I WAS CARELESS.

SIR ROJAS IS A KNIGHT AND HIS MAJESTY'S AIDE,

SO IT'S ONLY NATURAL THAT HE VALUES HIS LIEGE'S HONOR MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE...!

AND I CALLED HIM CRUEL AND ON EDGE RIGHT TO HIS FACE!

I JUST SAID WHATEVER I WANTED WITHOUT THINKING!!

...SIR ROJAS.

HE MUST BE DISAPPOINTED IN ME, RIGHT?

HE BARELY SPOKE THE WHOLE WAY BACK,

AND HE WOULDN'T EVEN LOOK ME IN THE EYE...

...I WOULDN'T HAVE ANY RIGHT TO COMPLAIN IF HE DUMPED ME RIGHT NOW.

BUT, EVEN SO...

...I DON'T WANT TO JUST LET SIR ROJAS DIE LIKE THIS.

SO THAT SIR ROJAS CAN KEEP SMILING LIKE HE ALWAYS DOES,

SO THAT HE DOESN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT A GRUESOME FUTURE...

...I'LL MAKE SURE TO SAVE HIM.

NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES...!

YOUR MAJESTY!

WHY ARE YOU ONLY RETURNING NOW?!

YOU SAID YOU WOULD BE BACK BEFORE EVENING,

SO WHY DID YOU LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING A WORD—

...DID SOME DISASTER HAPPEN IN THE CAPITAL THAT I AM UNAWARE OF?

...MISS DIAZ.

MISS DIAZ TOLD ME SHE DISLIKES ME.

DID SHE SAY THAT WITH HER OWN TWO LIPS?

NO.

...BUT SHE SAID SHE DOES NOT LIKE THE EMPEROR.

SHE TOLD ME TOBE CAREFUL, SAYING HE HAS A PRICKLY AND CRUEL TEMPERAMENT.

AH... IT IS NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL.

RIGHT NOW, YOUR MAJESTY IS A FIGURE OF TERROR TO THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE EMPIRE'S CITIZENS.

YOU EVEN INTENTIONALLY FOSTERED THAT ATMOSPHERE.

It is only natural for her to think so.

FURTHERMORE, MISS DIAZ IS AN OFFICIAL OF THE IMPERIAL PALACE;

THERE IS NO WAY SHE WOULD LIKE HER BOSS, YOUR MAJESTY.

...MISS DIAZ SAID THE EXACT SAME THING.

BUT IF THAT IS THE CASE,

HOW ON EARTH AM I SUPPOSED TO REVEAL THAT I AM THE EMPEROR?!

...HUH?

WAIT A MOMENT, YOUR MAJESTY.

WERE YOU ACTUALLY PLANNING TO REVEAL YOUR IDENTITY TO MISS DIAZ?

OF COURSE. I CANNOT KEEP HIDING IT FOREVER.

I WILL HAVE TO REVEAL IT EVENTUALLY ANYWAY.

ESPECIALLY NOW THAT WE ARE MEETING SO FREQUENTLY...

...YOUR MAJESTY.

ARE YOU PLANNING TO MAKE HER YOUR EMPRESS?

EMPRESS.

E-

I WOULDN'T GO THAT FAR...

HIS EXPRESSION SAYS IT ALL.

I DO NOT KNOW ABOUT HER, BUT IT SEEMS HE WAS TAKING THIS QUITE SERIOUSLY.

MISS DIAZ IS CERTAINLY A GOOD ENOUGH CANDIDATE FOR EMPRESS.

SHE HAS A HIGH CHANCE OF INHERITING THE TITLE OF COUNT RENKELS,

AND SHE IS HIGHLY COMPETENT HERSELF.

STILL, I SHOULDN’T PRY INTO OTHER PEOPLE’S ROMANCES...

YOUR MAJESTY, WHY DON’T YOU RECONSIDER?

...WHY IS THAT?

IF YOU REVEAL YOUR IDENTITY, YOUR MAJESTY,

MISS DIAZ'S PREJUDICE AGAINST THE EMPEROR MIGHT CHANGE.

HOWEVER, DO YOU THINK SHE WOULD WANT TO CONTINUE YOUR CURRENT RELATIONSHIP AFTER THAT?

EVEN WITH HER OUTSTANDING ABILITIES, THE MISS DIAZ I KNOW...

...POSSESSES A MODEST PERSONALITY, SATISFIED WITH AN ORDI- NARY POSITION LIKE HER CURRENT ONE.

SHE DISLIKES STANDING OUT AND PREFERS STABILITY.

IF SHE HAD KNOWN YOUR MAJESTY'S IDENTITY FROM THE BEGINNING,

SHE WOULDN’T HAVE EVEN GIVEN YOU THE TIME OF DAY.

TH-THEN...

IF MISS DIAZ DOES NOT ACCEPT ME, WHAT WILL HAPPEN?!

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN?

SHE WILL SOON MEET A MAN WITH DECENT QUALIFICATIONS, HAVE A SWEET ROMANCE,

HAVE A WEDDING, BEAR ADORABLE CHILDREN,

AND LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER UNTIL THE DAY SHE DIES-

IS HE FOR REAL...

...I WILL HAVE TO BILL HIM SEPARATELY FOR THAT TABLE.

ANYWAY...

REVEALING YOUR IDENTITY RECKLESSLY MIGHT BACKFIRE.

IF IT COMES TO A POINT WHERE YOU ARE SERIOUSLY COURTING MISS DIAZ,

IT WON'T BE TOO LATE TO TELL HER THEN.

I'm not saying you should hide it forever.

...GOT IT. THANK YOU FOR THE ADVICE, KYLUS.

I SHOULD RETURN TO THE IMPERIAL PALACE FOR NOW.

THAT IS A GREAT IDEA!

Everett Rojas hasn't been able to get off work, you see.

SO I HAVE TO KEEP DECEIVING MISS DIAZ IN THE END.

...THAT STILL WEIGHS HEAVILY ON MY MIND.

BUT...

...I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT WANT TO BE REJECTED BY MISS DIAZ.

LET ALONE WATCHING MISS DIAZ...

...MARRY SOME OTHER BASTARD...

OVER MY DEAD BODY–

AH...?!

ARE YOU ALRIGHT, MISS DIAZ?

...SIR ROJAS?

WHY ARE YOU STANDING THERE LIKE THAT?

YOU SAID YOU WERE RETURNING TO THE PALACE.

IS THERE SOME SORT OF PROBLEM?

YOUR-

-MAJESTY...?