Unbeknownst to Me, I’m Secretly Dating the Emperor — Chapter 35

...I DEFINITELY FEEL BETTER THAN WHEN I WORKED IN THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT.

IS IT... THE POWER OF GOOD EQUIPMENT?

THEY SAY EVEN A SLAVE IS BETTER OFF SERVING IN A NOBLEMAN'S HOUSE. HOW TRUE...

NOW, THIS IS YOUR DESK, RINA.

WE COMPLETELY REPLACED THE EQUIP- MENT THIS TIME,

AND THIS SPOT IN PARTICULAR IS TOP-OF-THE-LINE.

STARTING WITH THE CHAIR, IT'S THE NEWEST LINE FROM "HAYMAN MILLER"!

HAYMAN MILLER?!!

The most famous furniture craftsman in the capital

NOT TO FORGET, A DESK EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT FEATURE,

AND EVEN A MAGIC LAMP ENCHANTED WITH VISION-PROTECTION MAGIC!

YOU COULD TRULY CALL THIS THE UTOPIA

OF CUTTING-EDGE OFFICE SUPPLIES THAT ALL WORKERS DREAM OF!

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT...!!

IS THAT WHY?

SOMEHOW, EVEN THE TEXTURE OF AN EXPENSIVE DESK FEELS DIFFERENT...

I could even sleep here~

UM, MISS RINA?

IT'S LUNCH TIME NOW,

LET'S HEAD TO THE DINING HALL, SHALL WE?

LUNCH!

WE USUALLY HAVE LUNCH AT THE STAFF DINING HALL.

EVERYTHING OUTSIDE IS TOO FAR,

AND THE STAFF DINING HALL IN THE INNER PALACE IS QUITE DELICIOUS.

WHEN YOU WORKED IN THE OUTER PALACE, MISS RINA...

THE FOOD AT THE OUTER PALACE...

IT TASTES AWFUL, DOESN’T IT?

...IS THAT A QUESTION, OR IS SHE PICKING A FIGHT?

BEEESSSSSS.

DID YOU... THINK BEFORE YOU SPOKE?

WHAT BESS MEANS IS,

"I HEARD THAT THE FOOD AT THE INNER PALACE DINING HALL IS MORE DELICIOUS THAN THE NEARBY ONES, AND I WONDER IF THAT IS TRUE."

...IT PROBABLY MEANT SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES.

SHE NEEDS AN INTERPRETER EVEN WHEN SPEAKING THE IMPERIAL LANGUAGE.

Uu

...I WILL APOLOGIZE ON HER BEHALF FOR BESS'S RUDENESS.

SHE GREW UP IN A RATHER POOR ENVIRONMENT WHEN SHE WAS YOUNG...

SO SHE LACKS A BIT OF SOCIAL SKILLS.

SINCE BESS IS KYLE'S RELATIVE,

AND WE HAVE KNOWN HER FOR A LONG TIME,

WE TEND TO BE A BIT SOFT ON HER.

WAIT A MINUTE... BESS IS KYLE'S RELATIVE?

UM, THEN BY ANY CHANCE...

IS BESS'S LAST NAME... ROBERTUS?

PARDON? THAT'S RIGHT. HOW DID YOU...

...THE NAME BESS IS SO COMMON THAT I DIDN'T EVEN THINK OF IT.

BUT IF IT'S BESS ROBERTUS, KYLE'S RELATIVE AND A MEMBER OF BLUE HAWK, THEN...

SHE IS THE ORIGINAL FEMALE LEAD'S HALF-SISTER...!

MARQUESS ROBERTUS.

THE MOST POWERFUL FIGURE DURING THE LATE EMPEROR'S REIGN,

AND ONE OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO PLUNGED THE EMPIRE INTO A DARK AGE.

HE FELL FROM GRACE WHEN THE LATE EMPEROR WAS PURGED,

BUT HIS EVIL DEEDS ARE CONSTANTLY MENTIONED THROUGHOUT THE ORIGINAL STORY—

AND THE ORIGINAL FEMALE LEAD AND BESS ARE NONE OTHER THAN HIS ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN.

THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT BESS GREW UP NEGLECTED AND ABUSED BY THE MARQUESS'S FAMILY BEFORE BEING SAVED BY KYLE,

WHILE IVETTA WAS ABANDONED AT A POORHOUSE

AND USED BY THE TEMPLE UNTIL SHE DIED.

ANYWAY, BESS LATER MEETS IVETTA,

AND THEY BECOME EACH OTHER'S ALLIES. SHE IS A CRUCIAL CHARACTER.

THEREFORE...

LET'S GET ALONG WELL, BESS.

AS MUCH AS I ROOT FOR THE ORIGINAL FEMALE LEAD,

I SHOULD TREAT BESS WELL, TOO!

I will protect our female lead at all costs..!

BESS'S SOCIAL SKILLS

B-BESS?!!

ANYWAY, KYLE AND BESS BOTH.

I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD SEE THE CHARACTERS FROM THE ORIGINAL STORY THIS CLOSELY.

AT THIS RATE, WON'T I END UP MEETING EVERYONE EXCEPT THE MAIN CHARACTERS~?

I'm somehow moved~

EXCUSE ME...

MISS CAROLINA DIAZ OF THE 5TH INSPECTION DIVISION?

A LETTER ARRIVED FOR YOU FROM THE INNER PALACE.

TO MISS DIAZ.

I HEARD THE NEWS THAT YOU WERE DISPATCHED TO THE INNER PALACE.

SIR ROJAS SENT THIS.

I KNOW YOU MUST BE INCREDIBLY BUSY, OF COURSE,

BUT IF YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE SOME TIME AFTER WORK,

HOW ABOUT THIS AFTERNOON IN THE INNER PALACE...

OH, MY... A LETTER?

WHO'S IT FROM?

UM, IT'S FROM AN ACQUAINTANCE WHO WORKS IN THE INNER PALACE!

I GUESS HE HEARD THAT I CHANGED WORK- PLACES, SO HE ASKED TO MEET UP...

AHH~ I SEE.

ANYWAY, LET'S HURRY UP AND GO.

Lunch time flies by quickly.

COME TO THINK OF IT... SIR ROJAS WORKS IN THE INNER PALACE TOO, RIGHT?

MAYBE WE WILL RUN INTO EACH OTHER MORE OFTEN FROM NOW ON.

IT WOULD BE TROUBLESOME IF WE GOT CAUGHT HAVING AN OFFICE ROMANCE RIGHT AFTER I TRANSFERRED DEPARTMENTS, BUT...

...I WANT TO SEE HIM TOO, SO WHAT CAN I DO?

...PHEW.

THANKS TO KYLE'S SACRIFICE, I MANAGED TO SLIP AWAY AT A REASONABLE TIME.

THERE IS STILL SOME TIME LEFT UNTIL WE ARE SUPPOSED TO MEET, BUT...

IT DOESN'T HURT TO MOVE CAREFULLY.

BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE IN THE INNER PALACE WHO KNOW MY TRUE IDENTITY.

JUST IN CASE,

I EVEN INTENTIONALLY CHOSE A SECLUDED PLACE, BUT...

...THE EMPRESS'S PALACE, HUH.

IT HAS BEEN QUITE A WHILE SINCE I WAS LAST HERE.

SINCE THERE IS NO HOSTESS RIGHT NOW, THERE WILL HARDLY BE ANYONE COMING AND GOING.

OF COURSE, THERE MIGHT BE A NEW HOSTESS AGAIN SOON, BUT...

NO, JUST LISTEN TO ME!

I'M TELLING YOU, IT'S SO FRUSTRATING IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY?!

UGH, ARE THEY MAIDS WHO MANAGE THE PALACE?

OF ALL TIMES, RIGHT NOW...

WHY, WHAT'S THE MATTER?

WEREN'T THINGS GOING WELL WITH SIR MORGAN?

SIR MORGAN?

...DON'T TELL ME IT'S TYRONE MORGAN FROM THE IMPERIAL KNIGHTS?

WHY ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT HIM...

WEREN'T YOU EXCITEDLY BRAGGING ABOUT HIM NOT LONG BACK?

SAYING HE'S THE FIRST MAN OF HIS KIND YOU'VE MET.

YOU SAID HIS BLUNT PERSONALITY MADE HIM SEEM SERIOUS,

AND THAT HIS QUIET NATURE MADE HIM SEEM RELIABLE.

DIDN'T YOU EVEN SAY YOU LIKED HIM BECAUSE HE LOOKED SO MANLY WHEN SWINGING HIS SWORD?

Hah!!

LIKED HIM, MY FOOT!!

I THOUGHT SO TOO AT FIRST.

BECAUSE EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM SEEMED GREAT.

BUT MY THOUGHTS COMPLETELY CHANGED ONCE I ACTUALLY START- ED DATING HIM.

YOU GUYS KEEP THIS IN MIND, TOO!

MEN WITH NO DATING EXPERIENCE ARE...

THE ABSOLUTE WORST OF THE WORST!