As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover

“

… How about taking a break for a moment?”

“…Alright,” Edward replied as he put down his sword.

Maxion looked at him with a meaningful gaze. “Your Excellency’s skills have improved a lot.”

“I feel it too. To grow this much in such a short time, she’s not only an excellent swordswoman but also a remarkable teacher.”

“I also used to learn from Luize when my master was busy.”

“That sounds like a fun story.”

“It’s not fun.” Luize, who had changed into her training clothes, said as she approached them.

Edward looked at the sword in her hand with a curious expression. “That’s a real sword.”

“From today, you’ll be practicing with both Maxion and me in turns.”

“…The teacher you hired for me might be an assassin trying to work me to death. Are you sure you checked properly, Maxion?”

“…I’ll look into it.”

“…”

Luize smiled faintly as she watched them. Gradually, she started to smile more easily when she was with the two of them.

Seeing her like that, Edward spoke up. “Miss Luize, you’ve been coming later than usual these days. You don’t have to overdo it on days when you have a schedule.”

“Ah, it’s not a big deal.”

“People usually say it’s not a big deal when it’s a big deal.”

“Actually, it’s kind of like that, but I think it will be resolved soon.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

Edward smiled as usual. Luize avoided his gaze with a stiff face. Maxion sighed softly as he watched the two of them. Edward always acted well, and Luize struggled to hide her confusion. So far, nothing major has happened. Still, Maxion thought something was off about them. At least, Edward was definitely not normal. In fact, he was a bit dangerous.

“

, Miss Luize. I hear something interesting will happen tonight.”

The dangerous man spoke. Maxion swallowed hard.

“Something interesting?”

“Yes. Tonight at the outdoor banquet of the Ribelt family, Miss Isella di Annes is expected to receive a marriage proposal.”

“Isella di Annes, that name sounds familiar…”

“She’s currently the lover of Count Cloette.”

“…

right.” Luize nodded with an expressionless face.

From some point on, she had given up memorizing the names of his lovers. After all, even if she didn’t remember them, the names of those in that position would soon change.

Whenever the story of Reiad came up, a dark veil would fall over her face. The suffocating sensation that once felt like it was strangling her heart had improved. However, like a scream echoing deep inside her heart, the trembling sensation still lingered.

“That sounds interesting.”

When Luize replied emotionlessly, Edward, looking at her, spoke. “The Ribelt family is also opening their greenhouse. They are famous for having a variety of plants from all over the world.”

“…”

“You’ll be able to see many beautiful flowers.”

Edward approached her. Luize slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze.

“I heard that there’s a lavender field behind the greenhouse.”

“It’s too early for the flowers to bloom.”

“We’ll have to see to find out. Would you like to make a beat?”

“What kind of bet?”

“Whether lavender flowers bloomed or not.”

“They must not have bloomed. Even the lavender in the sunniest spot of my mansion’s garden hasn’t bloomed yet.”

“Then I’ll bet they have bloomed.”

“What are we betting?”

“How about granting a wish?”

“A wish…”

Edward smiled. Luize nodded calmly and adjusted her sword.

“Okay.”

Edward looked at her and raised his sword. Maxion watched them with a slightly anxious face.

* * *

Edward sat at the table and drank the potion prescribed by the therapist. There was still some time left before departing for the banquet.

Maxion, sitting across from him, spoke up. “I heard Your Excellency only slept for two hours today.”

“You’re keeping track of that too, I see.”

“You seem to be overdoing it lately, not getting enough sleep. Why not rest a bit after Luize leaves?”

“Miss Luize said practicing in the dark might be more helpful than you thought.”

“That’s not wrong, but…”

“It’s less boring to practice than to do nothing when I can’t sleep anyway.”

“…”

“If you’re really worried, how about becoming my sparring partner to tire me out quicker?”

“I’ll consider it.”

“Forget it, Maxion. It’s better for you to get some sleep.”

Edward stared out the window. He thought the night sky would be clear today as well. Yet, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to sleep.

After getting used to sparring with Maxion, Luize had him continue training even on nights when darkness fell. Training in the darkness, where movements were less visible but other senses become sharper.

For some reason, Edward remembered a conversation he had with his swordsmanship teacher in the imperial palace a long time ago.

The swordsmanship teacher looked at Edward with a surprised look for a moment and suddenly burst into laughter.

His teacher seemed to have laughed at his quiet mumbling.

Recently, Edward found himself often thinking of Lensia during conversations with Luize. Although Lensia was just a person he met briefly in his childhood and couldn’t fully remember her face, her short-cut silver hair was quite impressive. Such a hairstyle was uncommon among women frequenting the imperial palace.

Was it because of the same silver hair? Now that he thought about it, they were both his swordsmanship teachers. Their personalities were completely different, but looking at it this way, there were some similarities.

Anyway, since he couldn’t sleep, it was better to continue training. Nights when he couldn’t sleep felt longer than the days, and it was too boring to just let that time pass.

Edward spoke up. “Regarding Count Cloette.”

“There’s no further news, Lord Edward.”

“

?”

“Why are you suddenly digging into his past?”

“It’s not strange to look into someone from the emperor’s faction.”

“But this time, you asked for detailed reports on his private life…”

“It shows that much, huh?”

“…Yes.”

“There’s something bothering me. But on the surface, I’m Miss Luize’s lover.”

“…”

“Pretend you don’t know.”

“Yes.”

Edward checked his watch. He got up from his seat with his watch in his pocket. It was time to get ready for the banquet.

* * *

In the wobbly carriage, Luize pretended to look out the window while keeping an eye on Reiad. Someone was going to propose to his lover tonight. What kind of face would Reiad make knowing his lover was getting proposed to?

Gossip magazines had detailed articles whenever Reiad’s lover changed, so anyone familiar with the society knew his current lover. Nevertheless, she was also curious about the mind of the man proposing to her.

Typically, Reiad’s former lovers ended up in one of three situations. They would disappear from the capital’s society, reappear when the rumors died down, or quickly find a new lover regardless of what others said.

The carriage entered the Ribelt family’s mansion. Breaking the long silence, Reiad spoke. “Luize, you seem happy lately.”

“…I guess it’s because I followed Reiad’s suggestion to have a lover.”

“I’m glad you’re satisfied with my suggestion.”

Reiad smiled inscrutably. Even though she had done nothing wrong, Luize felt uncomfortable seeing his smile.

“… That’s right.”

“It’s a relief.”

Happy to see his wife having a lover. Such a statement could make one think they were a couple for appearances only.

Luize had believed her marriage was the fruit of love, at least for a while. Now, she couldn’t hastily define this relationship. Certainly, it started with love for her, but whether Reiad had the same feelings was unknown.

The carriage stopped. The door opened, and Reiad stepped out first, smiling and offering his hand to her. Soon, his lover would receive a proposal. Luize got out of the carriage with a complicated expression, accepting his escort.

“Have a good time tonight.”

Reiad turned around. Luize quickly grabbed his wrist. He looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“Tonight, if something bad happens…”

“…”

“Call me if you need me.”

Reiad approached her with a smile, as always. He leaned in close to Luize. In a dangerously close distance where their breaths almost touched, he whispered. “Tonight, Isella getting proposed to?”

Luize nodded slowly, surprised, and Reiad replied in an amused tone.

“I know that.”