I Didn't Know I Was Secretly Dating the Emperor
“Even during the war, there were plenty of times I went a full week without sleep while marching. If I could handle that, this is nothing.”
The words carried a hint of bravado, but they were true.
Edwin really was fine.
He was exhausted from handling the flood of work that crashed over him like a tidal wave, and the nobles constantly wriggling upward like worms whenever they saw an opening irritated him to no end.
But the moment he spent time with Lina and returned to the palace, all of it became bearable again.
Seeing her felt like compensation for every grueling day.
Edwin applied the tiniest bit more pressure to the hand he had been cradling as if afraid he might hurt her.
The moment their palms fully touched—soft and plush everywhere except where she gripped her pen—Edwin felt a little more at ease.
“This much really isn’t difficult at all.”
When Edwin spoke with emphasis, the worry finally lifted from Lina’s face.
“Sir Rohas really does have incredible stamina. I guess that’s what you’d expect from a knight.”
It was an innocent compliment.
Not so much stamina as…
If he ever grew tired, it wouldn’t be a matter of physical strength.
A panorama of countless burdens that gnawed at his mind—burdens so heavy he sometimes thought the battlefield would be preferable—flashed before his eyes.
“Still, please take breaks while you work. Overwork is the enemy of good health.”
At Lina’s concerned words, Edwin simply smiled and pushed those thoughts aside.
Half of him wanted to look cool in front of her.
The other half simply didn’t want to waste a single second of the time he got to spend with her thinking about those headaches.
Instead, he glanced up at the sky and gently urged her forward.
“Once the sun sets completely, we won’t be able to see the roses.”
Although there were streetlamps here and there, the garden was so vast that they couldn’t illuminate the entire space.
Besides, Lina had said this was her first time here.
He didn’t want her first impression of the garden to be in darkness.
I can’t let her regret choosing this place over the lakeside.
Edwin escorted Lina toward the entrance like a proper gentleman.
It was an archway half-hidden among lush ivy vines.
When Lina saw the closed door, she glanced around and whispered,
“By the way… are we really allowed to go in? I think the Summer Rose Garden’s visiting hours are already over.”
There was no one around, yet she spoke in a hushed voice as if sharing some grand secret. It tickled him.
Edwin lowered his voice to match hers and answered,
“The garden is closed to outside visitors once the viewing hours end, but people inside the palace can still enter.”
To prove his point, Edwin pushed open the unlocked door.
“It really opened?”
Lina’s eyes widened slightly.
“I always thought this gate stayed locked.”
She may not have passed this way often, but after four years working in the palace, she had only recently learned the gate even existed.
And she had only just discovered that this archway led to the Summer Rose Garden—one of the capital nobles’ favorite dating spots.
As Lina stepped into the garden, still holding Edwin’s hand, she glanced back at the gate.
“They leave it open after visiting hours. It’s also a passage the gardeners use.”
Edwin gave a brief explanation: the gate stayed closed during the day to prevent visitors from wandering into the palace proper, so it was only opened at night.
“That makes sense. I wouldn’t have seen it open after hours.”
Unless she was taking a short lunchtime stroll on a slow day, there was no reason for Lina—who often worked overtime—to come all the way from the Ministry of Finance to this distant corner of the palace at such a late hour.
At first, Lina listened attentively to Edwin’s words, but the moment they fully entered the garden, her gaze drifted away.
It followed the rich scent of roses carried on the lukewarm breeze.
Edwin’s eyes naturally followed hers.
The summer roses were in full bloom, just as their name suggested.
“Wow, they’re beautiful.”
Lina bent down to take in the fully bloomed roses with wide eyes.
Her small lips parted slightly.
Edwin watched with satisfaction as her eyes sparkled.
The disappointment of not reaching the lake felt a little lighter.
We can go to the lake next time.
His official schedule was packed down to the minute, but he thought he might be able to carve out some time if he tried.
“Sir Rohas, aren’t they just gorgeous? It feels like a secret flower garden from a fairy tale.”
While he was pondering how to make time, Lina, who had been admiring the flowers, turned to look at him.
“You’re right. They’re beautiful.”
Edwin answered readily, his voice a touch higher than usual.
Lina looked at the roses. Edwin looked at Lina. The early evening breeze, carrying the fragrance of roses, swirled endlessly around the two of them.
“I heard this place is usually more crowded with people than flowers, but thanks to you, Sir Rohas, I get to enjoy a nice view.”
Lina seemed to like it here; her mood had brightened. She swung their joined hands lightly as she walked.
Her hair, tied in a single bundle, bounced in rhythm with her cheerful steps.
Edwin let himself be led by Lina’s much smaller hand as they strolled through the Summer Rose Garden.
It was a walk where Lina’s gaze darted between the roses and Edwin, while Edwin’s gaze remained fixed solely on her.
After they had walked halfway through the rather large garden, the sun had already set.
The occasional magic-stone streetlamps had turned on, but as expected, it was quite dark.
Too dark to properly see the flowers.
“Shall we head back?”
“I suppose we should. This place is enormous. We walked so much, but we’ve only seen half of it.”
Lina turned around with clear regret.
Watching her, Edwin began mentally planning to install more lamps throughout the garden.
“We’ll come again next time.”
Next time, he wouldn’t let them have to leave because it had grown too dark.
“I’d like that. It’s close to the palace, too.”
Lina laughed, saying she would have to check the sunset time next time.
Is there any magic that could make the sun set later?
It was the kind of magic that would have been impossible even in the ancient empire, when mana had been far more abundant than now.
After thinking for a moment, Lina asked,
“By the way, Sir Rohas. Do you like roses?”
At some point, Lina had begun occasionally asking what he liked and disliked.
I think it started around the time of the third exhibition.
Edwin, whose tastes weren’t particularly strong in any direction, usually took a moment to consider before answering her questions.
Roses, huh.
Throughout their entire walk in the Summer Rose Garden, what had captured his gaze wasn’t the blooming roses—it had been Lina.
Do I like them?
Edwin’s eyes turned toward the flowers for what felt like the first time that day.
In that instant, a faint, very old memory surfaced.
It was from when he had been three or four years old—much smaller than the rose bushes themselves.
Back when his father had still been the crown prince and he had called the previous emperor “uncle.” It was a peaceful, gentle day.
His mother, Thalia, had loved this Summer Rose Garden.
He remembered how, during the social season when they came to the capital, the family would often come here for outings.
Even after she became an adult, she would occasionally visit with her close noble friends.
However, once she became crown princess, security concerns made it difficult for her to visit a place as crowded as the Summer Rose Garden.
She could have simply closed the garden to the public since it belonged to the imperial family, but…
His mother had been a humble and warm-hearted person.
Rather than monopolizing the Summer Rose Garden that had been open to the public for hundreds of years, she was content to walk through it in the early evening after the visitors had left, holding her beloved’s hand.
And those early evening dates continued even after the two were married and had a child.
Little Edwin had begun joining his parents on their walking route.
The young Edwin had quite liked those times when he could have his always-busy parents all to himself.
The memory was hazy, but the feeling remained vivid.
When the recollection ended, Edwin’s answer was decided.
His golden eyes, softly curved, looked straight at Lina.
“I like them.”