As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover

“Yes, it’s still the same.”

“I purposely detained the envoy from Pendel. Everyone will attend the meeting.”

“Thank you for your help.”

“It’s fine. Anyway, it will be much easier for me to travel to the Empire once Grand Duke returns to the imperial family. And if the Empire’s situation deteriorates, it will immediately affect my finances. If I use the maintenance funds to support my harem, my brother, the king, might try to kill me.”

Diana’s face was quite serious because she was not joking.

“…And besides, I think you’re a pretty decent person as a friend, so I also want to help you out a bit. Well, I’m going now.” She cleared her throat awkwardly and left the office.

Watching her, he thought of Luize.

Perhaps because of what Luize had said. Diana’s kindness seemed somewhat genuine.

* * *

The Founding Festival lasted for a total of five days. The capital was bustling with merchants, fortune-tellers, dancers, minstrels, and many other people, with crowds gathering from all over the nation to enjoy the numerous attractions. On the first day, the festival began with a simple opening speech. After various events, three individuals who stood out the most during the festival were introduced on the last day.

Near the end of the closing ceremony, the emperor dropped a single drop of his blood onto a magic stone passed down from the time of the founding, marking the end of the event and then holding an after-party in the Imperial Garden. The magic stone only reacted to the blood of the imperial family and was also used to confirm parentage.

The criteria for selecting those who stood out during the Founding Festival were as follows:

First, the person who received the most votes in the most precious item competition held on the second day.

Second, the person who was the last one standing in the survival duel held on the third day.

Third, the person who hunted the largest beast in the hunting event on the fourth day.

The first person showcased their prized possession in front of the imperial citizens on the final day, the second person displayed their skills, and the last person presented the beast they had hunted. The beasts caught during the hunting event were roasted and shared with the citizens after the closing ceremony.

An interesting point was that the identities of the participants were kept secret during all three days, and the identities of the winners were only revealed at the end. The three who revealed their identities then gave speeches in front of the imperial citizens.

Ren, wearing a black bow tie, stood on top of a tall stack of books on the table, placing its front paws on its waist with a proud expression and closing its eyes.

“

,

!

!” [

, finally, it’s time for me to shine! Everyone, be amazed by my greatness!]

“

!”

“Amazing!”

“Handsome!”

The members, now accustomed to Ren’s antics, cheered for him.

Maxion looked at Ren with a worried expression. “…Will it be okay?”

The goal of Luize and her companions was to have all three of the Empire’s representatives at the Founding Festival be Edward’s people. Since it was a public stage watched by the entire empire, it was an excellent opportunity to attract attention.

The first candidate selected was Maxion. As planned, he was going to submit Ren, who would be placed in an egg-shaped iron box.

“Ren might suffocate.”

“

!” [I can hold my breath for 100 years easily!]

Aiven responded to Maxion’s concerns. “…His Excellency cast a spell inside so that Ren could breathe comfortably. The inside is cushioned and cozy, and Ren can even see outside, so it won’t feel confined. Ren can break out of the egg whenever it wants.”

“

!

!” [Petty Maxion! That’s right!]

“…Okay, then.”

Robin, still with a stern face, spoke. “Actually, I’m worried. The perception of black dragons isn’t good since Run devastated the Empire. There might even be talk of killing it before it hatches.”

“…That’s why we decided to reveal that killing a dragon brings a curse.”

“Wouldn’t that just encourage people to become dragon slayer like Lensia? Even if one person sacrifices themselves, their family would gain glory for generations.”

Aiven nodded. “So we adjusted the curse’s target a bit. Instead of the curse targeting an individual, it would affect the entire Empire. Since the former emperor and empress passed away after Run died, and the lives of the citizens have worsened, they’ll have to believe it.”

Robin nodded in understanding. “

, that makes sense. Then they wouldn’t dare to harm it, worried about the consequences. And if anything bad happens, His Excellency can step in and solve it with magic.”

“…Exactly.”

“Anyway, do you think we can take first place in all three events? If we submit a ‘dragon’s egg’ for the first one, everyone might think it’s a joke.”

“…Submitting something fake could lead to execution, so no one has done it yet. Even though the identities are hidden, the participants have tracking magic attached until the end of the competition, so they can be tracked.”

“Is the competition that strict? It’s more serious than I thought.”

“Since it’s an event hosted by the imperial family since the founding, the description of the submitted items also needs to be detailed.”

“I see. How is the judging done?”

“…Submissions are made anonymously, and then ten are shortlisted for voting.”

“Will it make it through? It seems like a joke to me.”

“

! After reading the description, I think it could make it to the finals.” Hendrik suddenly interrupted their conversation.

“

, did you read the description? What does it say?”

Hendrik handed a paper to Robin.

[An egg containing the offspring of the Dragon Run. Inside is the next generation of the black dragon. Expected to be the protagonist of ‘The dragon awakened from a long slumber will dispel the darkness lurking in the Empire!’ If killed, the entire empire will be cursed.]

The content was really straightforward and intimidating.

“Who wrote this?”

“…I did.”

Robin nodded quietly at Aiven’s response. Somehow, he had a feeling it would be Aiven.

Hendrik laughed heartily. “

! It’s concerning but also intriguing, so it might make it to the top!”

“It’ll probably be reported to the Imperial Palace first…”

“The emperor is busy, so he might not check until after the festival ends.”

“You’ve made good use of the Founding Festival. His Excellency and Lady Luize are expected to take the first places in the second and third events, right?”

“Yes.”

“There will be a lot to see.”

Robin nodded with a smile.

* * *

In conclusion, the egg containing Ren made it to the finals without any issues. As soon as it was revealed, it garnered an overwhelming number of votes, and discussions erupted over who the owner of the egg might be.

“…Ren. Congratulations.”

“

!” [As expected of me!]

Ren, finding the egg surprisingly comfortable, often took naps or played inside it, even when it didn’t need to be inside.

The survival duel held on the third day was open to swordsmen, mages, and anyone who used weapons. At first glance, mages seemed overwhelmingly powerful, but they were few in number. Since they mainly used area-of-effect spells, they might do well in the early stages of a group battle, but they couldn’t hold out until the end in a 1:1 duel. Even if they managed to exhaust their prepared spells, they often fell to skilled swordsmen.

“The fox mask won in the end.”

“I figured as much. They were incredibly skilled.”

“I’m really curious about who they are. They said they’ll reveal themselves on the last day, right?”

“Yes. There are already bets going around on who it might be.”

“I wonder if anyone will guess correctly. I have no idea.”

Edward’s group’s plan was going smoothly. Ren had secured an overwhelming lead in the voting competition, and they easily won the survival duel on the third day.

“The last event is the hunting competition, right?”

“Yes.”

Although all the events at the Founding Festival were anonymous, the hunting competition was practically an exception. This was because, for safety reasons, only verified nobles could participate, and they wore masks during the event. The reason for sharing the game with the commoners after the competition was also due to this. The hunting competition was an event they couldn’t attend. Still, for the nobles, it was an opportunity to practice noblesse oblige. At the same time, for the commoners, it was a chance to eat free meat.

“Anonymity doesn’t really matter here.” Diana looked around indifferently.

Tents embroidered with the crests of various noble families were set up all around. Indeed, even if they wore masks, it wasn’t hard to guess which family the participants belonged to based on the emblems on the tents.

“Lindeman…”

Before she could finish speaking, someone emerged from the Lindeman family’s tent. The participant, trying to hide their identity as much as possible, was covered in a robe and had their hat pulled low over their face.

“Wait! You forgot this!”

Someone rushed out of the tent and handed the participant a mask.