Unbeknownst to Me, I’m Secretly Dating the Emperor — Chapter 31

...HOWEVER, I FEEL LIKE IF I DON'T SAY IT NOW, I NEVER WILL.

MISS DIAZ,

TRUTH IS, I—

...AM CURIOUS ABOUT...

...WHAT YOU DISCUSSED WITH KYLUS.

...DON'T TELL ME.

YOU HESITATED ALL THIS TIME JUST TO ASK ME THAT?

YOU COULD HAVE JUST ASKED ME STRAIGHT AWAY.

BUT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN

A PERSONAL MATTER OF YOURS THAT I SHOULDN'T PRY INTO...

...SIR ROJAS.

WERE YOU JEALOUS OF KYLUS, BY ANY CHANCE?

"J-JEALOUS"...!

THAT'S, I-I MEAN...

...YES.

I WAS ACTUALLY JEALOUS.

BUT I WAS TAUGHT THAT SHOWING JEALOUSY IS NOT A VIRTUE.

SO IT WAS HARD TO BE HONEST ABOUT IT.

SIR ROJAS...

YOU ARE SO OLD-FASHIONED.

O-OLD- FASHIONED...?

THAT'S SOMETHING YOU'D ONLY FIND IN AN ETIQUETTE TEXTBOOK.

EVEN MY PARENTS WOULDN'T SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

BESIDES, IF YOU WERE GOING TO BE THAT STRICT ABOUT ETIQUETTE, YOU SHOULD HAVE SENT A LETTER TO MY HOUSE.

SAYING, "PLEASE ALLOW ME TO COURT YOUR DAUGHTER."

..I have a bad feeling about this!

I DIDN'T THINK THAT FAR AHEAD.

IF I SEND IT RIGHT NOW, IT SHOULD ARRIVE BY TOMORROW MORNI-

NO...

I DIDN'T MEAN FOR YOU TO ACTUALLY DO IT!

I OFTEN FORGET SINCE I JUST LOOK AT HIS FACE,

BUT I CAN REALLY FEEL THE GENERATION GAP(?) IN MOMENTS LIKE THIS.

30S

20S

...STILL, I THINK I UNDERSTAND.

IS IT ALRIGHT TO SEND A LETTER ASKING FOR PERMISSION TO COURT? ...FOR SOMETHING THIS IMPORTANT, I SHOULD VISIT THEM IN PERSON-

WHY DOES SIR ROJAS CARE SO MUCH ABOUT ETIQUETTE?

SINCE HE'S A COMMONER WHO RECEIVED A KNIGHTHOOD,

HE MUST HAVE ADHERED TO ETIQUETTE HARDER THAN ANYONE ELSE SO HE WOULDN'T BE FAULTED...

This is the fish fork.. This one is the meat knife..

...YOU DON'T NEED TO WORRY.

THERE WAS NOTHING FOR YOU TO BE JEALOUS ABOUT.

I ONLY TALKED ABOUT WORK WITH MR. KYLUS.

I DIDN’T HAVE THE ENERGY TO CARE ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE, ANYWAY.

BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, I—

I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU, SIR ROJAS.

SO WHENEVER YOU FEEL ANXIOUS,

JUST THINK ABOUT WHO IS HOLDING MY HAND RIGHT NOW.

...OF COURSE, AN UNMARRIED MAN AND WOMAN HOLDING HANDS ON THE STREET...

...GOES AGAINST ETIQUETTE, TOO.

SHALL I LET GO IF IT BOTHERS YOU?

N-NO!

...I'LL CHANGE MY MINDSET.

Or change the etiquette..

...THEN FROM NOW ON, NO MATTER HOW TRIVIAL IT IS,

PROMISE ME YOU'LL TELL ME IF SOMETHING BOTHERS YOU.

AFTER ALL, WE'RE NOW...

...CLOSE ENOUGH TO SHARE THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.

"CLOSE ENOUGH TO SHARE THOSE KINDS OF THINGS"... HUH.

JUST WHAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP DO YOU THINK THAT IS, KYLUS?

I HAVE AB~SOLUTELY NO IDEA.

I ABSOLUTELY MUST NOT ANSWER.

ANYWAY, SEEING HOW YOUR MOOD HAS IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY,

IT SEEMS YOUR MISUNDERSTANDING WITH MISS DIAZ HAS BEEN RESOLVED WELL.

THAT IS A HUGE RELIEF, BUT...

...EVEN IF I WAS ALONE WITH MISS DIAZ,

HOW COULD YOU SUMMON ME SO INCESSANTLY?!

I APOLOGIZE.

HIS MAJESTY

IS SUMMONING ME.

CONTINUOUSLY SINCE EARLIER

I THOUGHT MY CHEST WAS GOING TO CATCH ON FIRE!

...NO MATTER WHO IT IS, BEING IN A CLOSED SPACE LATE AT NIGHT

WITH A LADY GOES AGAINST ETIQUETTE.

ANYWAY, YOU SAID YOU TALKED ABOUT WORK WITH MISS DIAZ,

HE WOULDN'T HAVE CARED AT ALL IF IT WASN'T MISS DIAZ.

WHAT DID THE TWO OF YOU DISCUSS?

AND WHY DID YOU WRITE HER A LETTER?

...PARDON?

...YOU DID READ IT, DIDN'T YOU?

READ WHAT.

THE REPORT I PLACED RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR DESK A FEW DAYS AGO,

REGARDING THE RECRUITMENT OF NEW MEMBERS FOR BLUE HAWK.

...OF COURSE I READ IT.

I'M ASKING IF YOU CHECKED IT THOROUGHLY TO THE END, NOT JUST SKIMMED A FEW PAGES AND SET IT ASIDE.

U

I KNEW IT.

THIS IS WHY I SPECIFICALLY ADDED A NOTE ASKING YOU TO GO THROUGH IT.

MISS DIAZ IS SCHEDULED TO JOIN BLUE HAWK.

WHAT? ABSOLUTELY NOT.

THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE CHECKED THE DOCUMENTS BEFOREHAND.

YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING, SO I THOUGHT YOU APPROVED,

AND SHE HAS ALREADY SIGNED THE CONTRACT.

THEN MAKE UP A SUITABLE EXCUSE AND TEAR IT UP.

BECAUSE THE WORK AT BLUE HAWK IS TOO DANGEROUS FOR MISS DIAZ.

...DANGEROUS?

Good grief!!

THE ONLY DANGERS MISS DIAZ WILL FACE ARE MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS, DECLINING EYESIGHT, AND INDIGESTION!

I KNOW YOU CHERISH HER, BUT AREN'T YOU BEING FAR TOO OVERPRO- TECTIVE?!

BUT THERE COULD BE RETALIATION FROM NOBLES HOLDING A GRUDGE OVER OUR INVESTIGATIONS.

AND IF SHE ENDS UP WORKING IN THE INNER PALACE,

THERE'S A MUCH HIGHER CHANCE THAT OUR RELATIONSHIP WILL BE EXPOSED.

IF BY ANY CHANCE MY POLITICAL ENEMIES KIDNAP MISS DIAZ...

IF THAT'S THE REASON, IT'S ACTUALLY MORE DANGEROUS FOR HER TO STAY IN THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT.

WE CAN QUICKLY REACH HER IN BLUE HAWK,

BUT THAT ISN'T THE CASE FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS.

...THEN AT LEAST MAKE SURE YOU PROVIDE HER WITH HIGH-QUALITY PROTECTIVE ARTIFACTS.

WE NEED MEASURES TO GUARANTEE MISS DIAZ'S SAFETY.

UNDERSTOOD.

WHAT KIND OF ARTIFACT SHOULD I GIVE HER?

TAKE SOMETHING SUITABLE FROM THE IMPERIAL PALACE VAULT.

TAKE AS MANY AS YOU LIKE.

...I WONDER IF HE KNOWS THAT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE ARTIFACTS IS A VALUABLE ITEM WORTH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF GOLD.

SERVING A LIEGE OVERFLOWING WITH LOVE IS TRULY NOTHING SHORT OF EXHAUSTING~...

...IT'S BEEN A WHILE.

HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WELL...

DUKE CAMELOT?