I Didn't Know I Was Secretly Dating the Emperor
Today was Sunday.
And not just any Sunday—the kind of day where the sky was a little overcast, making a warm cup of tea feel even more tempting.
With the quiet resolve that this might end up being another wasted trip, I headed toward the tea room. To my surprise, there were no other guests in sight.
“It’s pretty empty, isn’t it? Looks like we got lucky.”
As I was led to the private room with the best view of the garden outside, I whispered the words. Everett answered after a slight pause.
“Yeah. We did get lucky.”
The way his lips curved into a smile a beat too late made him look like a mischievous boy.
Because he’d turned to reply to me, Everett was standing with his back to the window that let in the most sunlight. When he smiled like that, it almost seemed like a halo was shining behind him.
Thump. Thump.
My heart was broadcasting its presence at full volume.
Why so suddenly? Heart. Can you please calm down?
I grew incredibly tense, worried that the heartbeat pounding like a drum might travel through our joined hands and reach Everett.
Like someone reflexively touching an injured spot, my hand instinctively started to move toward the left side of my chest—where my heart was—before I forcefully stopped it.
Is this the national anthem or something? Stop it!
Instead, I secretly took a deep breath, trying my hardest to return my pulse to its normal rhythm.
Inhale. Exhale.
I was so focused on my breathing that I didn’t even notice I hadn’t passed a single person on the way to the private room.
Or that the entire place was eerily quiet, as if someone had rented out the whole building.
Still, thanks to that, by the time the waiter opened the door to the private room, I had managed to put on a mostly calm expression.
“Miss Diaz.”
Everett gestured for me to enter first.
I released his hand—the one that had been escorting me—with as much elegance as I could muster, as if I hadn’t just been completely mesmerized by the sunlight earlier.
Like a knight guarding a lady, Everett followed a step behind me into the private room and pulled out my chair in place of the waiter.
It was the best seat in the house, with a perfect view of the inner courtyard.
“Thank you.”
When I thanked him in a small voice and sat down, Everett gave a light nod and took the seat across from me.
Which meant he was sitting with his back to the courtyard window…
It’s been cloudy all day. Why does the sky suddenly clear up like this?
The moment Everett sat down, as if on perfect cue, the wind pushed the clouds aside, revealing the sun that had been hidden all this time.
The clear, refreshing sunlight of an early summer afternoon shattered brilliantly across his glossy black hair.
And then that same glow traced the elegant lines of his face as he turned to look out the window, startled by the sudden light pouring in from behind him.
It was a double hit.
And the second one was even stronger than the first, coming in with perfect timing.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The heart I had barely managed to calm down was now beating even more wildly than before.
Heat flooded my face uncontrollably.
In the end, I couldn’t hold back anymore and pressed a hand to the left side of my chest.
The heartbeat was so fierce I worried it might crack my ribs. I could feel every powerful throb against my palm.
“Ugh.”
When I let out a small groan and curled in on myself, a startled Everett immediately came to my side.
“Are you feeling unwell? Miss Diaz.”
Everett examined my complexion with deep concern.
I turned my head to the side, avoiding his eyes, and covered my face with my hands.
Your face… is bad for my heart.
I couldn’t possibly say the reason out loud.
The afterimage of that enchanting light still lingered in my eyes, so I couldn’t even look at Everett directly.
I buried my face even deeper into my hands.
At least my palms were cooler than my cheeks.
With my face still hidden in my hands, I hurriedly made up an excuse.
“I-I suddenly choked on something.”
It was a hastily made-up lie, but Everett nodded with a somewhat relieved expression.
“Bring some water.”
Everett ordered the waiter who had been standing by the table to bring cold water first.
Even while the waiter went down to the first floor to get the water, Everett’s worried gaze never left me.
When I still couldn’t lift my face after some time, he must have grown anxious because his eyes kept darting toward the door.
“Should I just go down and get it myself?”
Worried that my flush wasn’t fading but actually getting worse, Everett offered to go down to the first floor himself.
“I’m fine. Really.”
Feeling embarrassed, I finally lifted my head and repeatedly insisted I was okay. Though he looked reluctant, he stayed.
“Your face is still red.”
Everett reached out as if to touch my forehead, then froze.
“This is…”
Startled by his own action, Everett quickly hid the hand he had extended toward me behind his back.
As if doing so could make the moment never have happened.
After standing frozen for a second, Everett seemed to realize how ridiculous he was being and gave an awkward smile.
A soft laugh, like a breeze, brushed against my ear.
He’s too close.
Everett, who had been sitting across from me, had rushed over in alarm at my ‘sudden choking incident’ and was now standing right beside the chair I was sitting in.
Slightly bent forward to check on my condition.
He was so close that if I reached out even a little, I could touch him. The subtle movement of the air between us made the fine hairs on my cheeks and the back of my neck stand on end.
This was the closest we had ever been.
I couldn’t even breathe too loudly, afraid my breathing might sound strange to him.
“Could you step back a little?”
I finally couldn’t take it anymore and asked him to move away.
“Ahem. Could you… give me some space?”
My voice had grown hoarse, cracking at the end.
“S-Sorry.”
Everett left behind an apology that didn’t quite make sense and took a single step back from my chair.
Though his gaze and upper body were still turned toward me.
It was a distance that wasn’t too close, yet not too far—perfectly poised to close the gap at any moment. That was exactly how things felt between Everett and me.
I deliberately avoided his golden eyes, which seemed to want to say something more.
If this goes on any longer, my heart’s going to explode.
Fortunately, the moment of avoidance didn’t last long.
“Excuse me.”
A timely, polite knock sounded at the door.
A moment later, the door opened and the waiter entered carrying a glass of water with lemon slices floating in it.
Everett, who had been glancing at the door every few seconds just moments ago, stared at the waiter with a slightly displeased look.
Then he took another small step away from me.
Like someone who had been doing something they shouldn’t show others and stopped when they heard someone coming.
Since it was a high-end tea room in the capital, a cooling magic stone had been installed, so the private room shouldn’t have felt hot at all. Yet somehow, it felt stiflingly warm.
But perhaps that heat was only felt by Everett and me, because the waiter approached with a professionally kind smile and offered me the glass.
“The sun has come out, so the private room seems a bit warmer. I’ve asked them to adjust the temperature of the magic tool.”
I suppose he thought I was feeling the heat since it was taking so long.
It was a very thoughtful service.
“Thank you.”
I accepted the glass—its surface beaded with condensation from the ice—and thanked him.
The choking excuse had been a sudden lie, but my throat really had been parched, so the water was more than welcome.
I drained the entire glass, leaving only the ice and lemon slices, and finally felt my mind clear a little.
Feeling the heat in my body subside considerably, I spoke to the waiter.
“I’d like to order now.”
Even while I emptied the glass, I could feel Everett’s gaze still fixed on me. But if I turned to look at him, I’d probably need another glass of cold water.
I stubbornly kept my eyes on the waiter alone, as if ordering tea was my top priority.
Only then did Everett return to his original seat across from me.
“I’ll prepare it for you right away.”
After confirming that Everett had sat down, the waiter placed luxurious menus embossed with gold leaf in front of each of us.
The waiter withdrew silently after setting down the menus, leaving nothing between Everett and me as we sat facing each other.
I read through the short menu as carefully as if it were a major textbook from my academy days.
Everett, who had only skimmed through it casually, waited patiently for me to order.
I kept examining the menu until a faint question began to appear on the ever-kind waiter’s face, then finally ordered the first tea listed at the top.
“The same for me.”
Everett continued as if he had been waiting for that exact moment.
The waiter who took our order collected the menus and left.
The sound of the private room door closing felt as loud as thunder.
The time that had felt endlessly long had actually passed in the blink of an eye, because sunlight was still scattering beautifully across Everett’s hair.
I couldn’t bear it any longer and cried out.
With my eyes squeezed tightly shut.
“Um… Sir Rohas!”