As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover

“…You knew?”

“Yes.”

“Are you okay with it?”

“Of course. Did you hear about it from the grand duke?”

“…”

“Well, I thought you would know since one of the Ribelt family’s sons is the grand duke’s knight. The one proposing to Isela is the second son of the Ribelt family.”

“…I see.”

“I guess you didn’t know who was proposing. Luize, don’t make that face. Why are you making a sad face?”

“…”

“She was just a lover. We were just enjoying each other’s company for a while. Even if they seem to be coveting your position, they know better. They know they can never truly become my wife.”

Reiad straightened up. His smile resembles the sun in a painting by an artist who spent decades following the light.

“Entertainment is ephemeral, like a dream on a spring night. There’s no point in dwelling on something that leaves no trace once you wake up. It’s the same reason I don’t cling to those who leave.”

“A dream…”

“But marriage is reality. Like I always return to our mansion, even if I wander for a while. A dream can never overcome reality.”

Luize looked at him with a hardened face. So, all his infidelities were just sweet dreams to him, while to her, they were a painfully harsh reality.

“So, Luize, enjoy the moment. The dream will end when the sun rises.”

Before Luize could respond, Reiad turned decisively and walked away. His figure quickly moved away from her.

“You’re here, Miss Luize.”

Luize, who had been standing in the spot Reiad left, turned towards the voice. There stood Edward, gazing intently at her with a joyful expression.

A dream. Maybe Reiad was right. Since Edward and Maxion entered her life, Luize had been living joyously, as if in a dream. She had taken up the sword again, and each day felt fulfilling, like a reward for her lonely past.

When looking at Edward, Luize’s sense of reality blurred. His unreal beauty and his past as the former crown prince were things she had never imagined she would encounter in Perils. He definitely seemed more like a dream than reality. A delightful dream, unforgettable, even if it lasted only a moment.

“Miss Luize?”

“

, Edward. Sorry.”

“What happened?”

“No. Nothing happened.”

“It sounds like something happened.”

If the relationship with a lover is just a fleeting dream on a spring night, what was their ambiguous relationship without love? Luize thought this while looking at Edward, who was smiling at her.

Could she and Edward become close friends like Maxion?

Just as Reiad’s lovers knew better than anyone they could never become his wife, Luize realized she could never be close friends with Edward. For some reason, Edward and Maxion were different.

“It’s just a nice night. Good for a walk in the garden. It’s a pity it’s crowded though.”

“Then, while people are busy dancing, let’s go check the result of our bet. Everyone will come to the lavender field for the last.”

“Is that okay?”

“It’s an open day for everyone anyway, so why not?”

Luize nodded. She naturally accepted Edward’s escort and began walking.

Passing through the bustling banquet hall, they saw six greenhouses lined up, their doors opened. Couples who headed to the greenhouse early and enjoyed a secret meeting were visible even from outside the windows.

Walking a bit further, a lavender field bathed in moonlight unfolded before them. True to the Ribelt family’s fame for flowers, the field was vast and lush.

The Ribelt family often hosted parties. During the day, when lavender was in full bloom, they held tea parties in the flower field. When the flowers hadn’t bloomed, they opened the greenhouses for evening banquets. Edward must have known this.

Luize headed towards the lavender field.  She leaned over to inspect the lavender. The buds were plump as if about to bloom at any moment, but the flowers hadn’t bloomed yet.

Luize thought Edward had made a bet, knowing he would lose, just to cheer her up. He often seemed to care for others in such indirect ways.

“I won.” She turned around and smiled at Edward, who was standing. Her eyes curved naturally. In this moonlight garden, her silver hair shone brighter than anything else.

Edwards’s face hardened as he watched her.

Since when has it been? Was it at their first banquet when she picked up a tart? Or when she treated his wound? Or when he learned she was a swordswoman? He couldn’t pinpoint it, but Luize had become someone he couldn’t stop thinking about.

It made sense. He always preferred beautiful things, and Luize was undeniably beautiful. Especially her silver hair, which was hard to look away once you saw it.

Behind her beauty, she bore scars no ordinary woman would have, along with incredible swordsmanship and herbalism skills. The more he knew, the stranger it wouldn’t be not to be drawn to her. Despite her abilities, her awkwardness in relationships continued to concern him.

So, this was natural. Anyone in his position would be drawn to Luize. Just as he couldn’t take his eyes off her now.  

Edward hurriedly drew a smile on his face. “No, I won, Miss Luize.”

“What?”

“Look again.”

As Luize turned back to the lavender field again, Edward flickered his fingers.

A faint rose scent filled the air, soon overpowered by the strong lavender fragrance.  The lavender buds in front of her began to burst open. Like ripples on water, the blossoming spread from her, quickly engulfing the entire field. The world seemed to vibrate with the scent of the lavender.

“How is this possible? They were just buds a moment ago…”

“Maybe you saw it wrong.”

“No, there was no fragrance either.”

“You’re right. Actually, I cheated to win my bet with Miss Luize.”

“Cheated?”

“I asked a magician I know to make the flowers bloom in time for our bet. Of course I got permission from the field’s owner.”

“…Just to win our bet?”

“I heard the man proposing tonight was upset that the flowers hadn’t bloomed. I just wanted to help. It’s hard to hire someone who can perform such magic.”

“We’re the only ones here. I don’t feel anyone else’s presence…”

“That’s the magic of making the impossible possible.”

Edward grinned playfully. Looking at him like that, Luize responded. “…That’s underhanded.” Despite her words, she looked quite pleased.

The scene before her was as magical as he described. The rich fragrance, the cool night air, the gentle moonlight— everything was to Luize’s liking.

“Would you like to walk?”

“Yes. I want to go to the end.”

“Let’s go.”

Edward extended his arm. Luize shook her head and walked ahead, with him following, retracting his offered arm. With each step towards the end of the lavender field, Luize occasionally stopped to smell the flowers or admire that no flowers hadn’t bloomed.

“Is the magician close to you, Edward?”

“Yes.”

“Then they must be a good person.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Because only such people would gather around Edward.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes.”

The two reached the end of the lavender field. Luize looked back at the path they had walked. The beautiful lavender field was still there, and far away, the banquet hall of the greenhouse glowed brightly. In front of her, a handsome man with black hair looked at her joyfully.

Suddenly, Luize thought she would never forget this moment. The night was beautiful, the flower field lovely, and the man before her was Edward von Lindeman.

“Thank you.”

“…Even though I cheated to win the bet?”

“But I’m happy.”

“…”

That was when she saw someone entering the lavender field in the distance. Luize’s face grew troubled, and Edward followed her gaze.

“Excuse me, Miss Luize.”

Edward took Luize’s hand and hid behind a tree. The sign of others grew closer and closer. Luize peeked around the tree and whispered to him.

“…Are they the main characters of today’s proposal?”

“Yes.”

With his hands against the three, Edward closely followed her gaze to the man and woman approaching. There was a slight tension on her face when she looked at them. Edward curled his lips at such a sight of her.

“Talles, what’s wrong?”

“Isella, I was wrong.”

“Wrong?” Isella asked again.

Edward and Luize looked at each other. Wasn’t this man supposed to propose to Isela tonight?