As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover Chapter 215

“Just three more lives to extinguish, and I’ll be able to meet you.”

 

The empress dowager gently stroked the coffin. A blue rose bloomed atop it. After gazing at the man lying inside for a long time, she turned her head to watch an old man writhing and dying in one corner of the chamber.

 

When the old man’s movements ceased, the empress dowager opened the pendant she wore around her neck. Inside was a small, black pearl-like orb. In that instant, the old man’s body turned to black ash, which was absorbed into the orb.

 

“Two left.” She twisted her lips into a smile and closed the pendant. Made of Venber, which negated magic, the pendant could perfectly conceal the massive power contained within it.

 

The empress dowager rose from her seat.

 

* * *

Luize prepared thoroughly until the day of the duel. The venue was the training grounds at the Crown Prince’s palace. Contrary to the expectation that the empress dowager would appear and use Marquis Edvin for her purposes, the spectators were mostly ordinary officials working in the imperial palace. Some of the captains from various knight orders, including the White Lion, who held voting rights in this matter, also visited the training grounds.

 

“Hoho, it’s a historic day indeed,” remarked the captain of the Black Mace, the Fifth Imperial Knight Order, with an intrigued expression as he looked straight ahead. He had held his position the longest in the imperial palace. Despite his long tenure, his family’s weak influence meant he had little political power within the palace. However, he was the only one capable of managing the often troublesome members of the Black Mace.

 

The White Lion’s captain came from a prestigious noble family. His family had aligned with the emperor right after his ascension, which helped him secure the captain position. Though it appeared he gained the position easily due to his family’s reputation, in reality, he was exceptionally skilled. Despite being somewhat underrated due to his family’s status as a leading supporter of the emperor, he was indifferent to such matters. Politics, reputation, and romance held no interest for him—only the sword did.

 

The captain of the Black Mace spoke up again. “Are you here to decide who to vote for?”

 

“No. That decision has already been made by my family.”

 

“Of course, you’re not interested in politics, so you’ll just follow your family’s decision. So, are you here to support your teacher?”

 

The captain of the White Lion nodded. Although they had trained at different times, both were known as disciples of Marquis Edvin.

 

The captain of the Black Mace grinned broadly. “Not me.”

 

“Are you interested in Lensia’s daughter?”

 

“Careful, or the crown prince might have you punished for such remarks. I came because there are rumors that she’s inherited her former superior’s swordsmanship. Some even say she surpasses her, but that’s probably an exaggeration.”

 

The captain of the Blue Wall, the Second Imperial Knight Order, surveyed the training grounds with cool eyes. “…She seems relaxed.”

 

The captain of the Black Mace stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Indeed. It’s the first time I’ve seen anyone so at ease in front of our teacher. I’m curious about her skills.”

 

Meanwhile, among those present were the chief chamberlain and the head butler, who had overheard conversations between Edward and Luize. In fact, of the nine people with voting rights in this matter, the five highest-ranking officials in the imperial palace were either present or had sent trusted representatives to observe the duel.

 

“Ahem! What a disgrace this is! Must I keep flip-flopping on the commands of the newly crowned crown prince? It’s not like I’m a trained dog, being made to repeat the same actions. I’m not happy about this. But I trust everyone will vote wisely.”

 

The emperor was an emotional man, and the Imperial faction had always focused on appeasing him without upsetting him. However, the emperor was unaware that this approach only worked when there was only one emperor in the Imperial family.

 

“It looks like it’s about to begin.”

 

Edward, seated at the head, surveyed the audience before speaking. “Marquis Edvin, I appreciate your willingness to give my bodyguard a chance to prove her skills.”

 

“It is an honor.”

 

Marquis Edvin, with unfocused eyes, raised his right arm and bowed his head. Thanks to the rain that had fallen the night before, no one found it odd that the training ground’s floor was damp. The ground had been sprinkled with holy water prepared by Robin.

 

“Both participants, take your positions.”

 

Luize and Marquis Edvin faced each other. Following protocol, they bowed and drew their swords. Edward, with a nonchalant expression, said, “Begin.”

 

The two figures moved swiftly to engage. Clang! As the sound of clashing swords echoed, Luize swept Marquis Edvin’s legs. As the metallic sounds continued to ring out, it was the sharp-eyed captain of the Blue Wall who first noticed something unusual.

 

“…Seems to be trying to trip.”

 

He didn’t specify who, but the captains of the White Lion and Black Mace understood and nodded.

 

“She appears to be struggling on the surface, but her aim lies elsewhere,” said the White Lion’s captain.

 

The Black Mace’s captain agreed. “Her skill is not inferior at all. If my eyes aren’t deceiving me, she even seems to be holding back. Though our teacher is getting on in years, it’s still surprising to witness such a scene. And yet, our teacher seems to be enjoying himself.”

 

The captain of the Black Mace was right. The longer the duel went on, the more focused the marquis’s gaze became, and a deep smile formed on his lips.

 

When Marquis Edvin was still the captain of the First Imperial Knight Order, Lensia had joined the imperial knights. It was obvious that the Fifth Imperial Knight Order had been established to bring Lensia into the palace. Although the emperor was a soft man, Marquis Edvin was displeased that someone whose skills had not been proven was allowed into the imperial knights, so he immediately sought her out and challenged her to a duel.

 

“I heard your swordsmanship is decent. Come, show me what you can do.”

 

The marquis handed her a practice wooden sword. Not using real swords in a duel was a blatant sign of disrespect. Lensia glared at him disapprovingly, sighed briefly, and drew her real sword.

 

“Let’s use this.”

 

“You, how dare you speak to the captain like that…!”

 

The vice-captain, his face flushed with anger, tried to charge at Lensia, but the marquis blocked him with his arm.

 

“Alright, then.”

 

The marquis had expected the duel to be over quickly, but it turned out to be a closely fought match. With his pride on the line, the first duel dragged on for five hours, eventually ending in a draw. The duel had to be stopped because it was time for the night watch, in which Lensia, who was a low-ranking member, was scheduled to stand.

 

The next day, the marquis challenged her to another duel.

 

“Seems like captain has plenty of time. To the point that they don’t care about personal time for a low-ranking member.”

 

Lensia grumbled loudly as she took up her sword.

 

That day’s duel also ended in a draw. This time, it was because the marquis was called away to a meeting after four hours had passed.

 

The next day, the Marquis challenged her again, and again the duel ended in a draw. This continued for days. At first, the knights watched with interest, but as the duels dragged on day after day, they began to pass by with expressions of exasperation. Still, there was one spectator who remained.

 

“Lensia, that guy is a total maniac. Stop dealing with him and just go on a date with me, okay?”

 

“Marquis Servenia, I suggest you leave. I have no intention of stopping until we have a clear winner. Besides, His Majesty has been looking for you.”

 

Allen frowned and glared disapprovingly at Marquis Edvin.

 

“You better be careful not to get injured. I plan to keep you tied to your bed so you can’t get up for a while.”

 

“Is that something the imperial family’s top healer should say?”

 

“It is. Patients need plenty of rest, so I’m just doing what I must. Once Lensia has more free time, we’ll have plenty of time to talk, so it’s a reasonable prescription for both of us.”

 

Allen shrugged nonchalantly. Marquis Edvin looked at him with an incredulous expression.

 

“You’re fuming just because I’m getting in the way of your romance. What on earth do you even see in that woman?”

 

His gaze shifted to Lensia, who was stretching, ignoring everything they said. Allen nodded in satisfaction.

 

“I’ll give you points for not having ulterior motives.”

 

As the two glared at each other, Lensia finished her preparations, stood up, and drew her sword.

 

“Let’s begin.”

 

Everyone expected another drawn-out duel and shook their heads as they left the training grounds. Even Allen was pulled away by his assistant to attend to Emperor Edin. For the first time, there were no spectators at the duel.

 

Clang! The sound of metal clashing echoed several times, and the marquis’s expression darkened.

 

“What in the world…”

 

When he came to his senses, he was lying on the ground, a real sword planted in the ground next to his head. Contrary to everyone’s expectations, this duel ended in less than half an hour.

 

“To be honest, I could have beaten you a long time ago.”

 

“…”

 

“But commoners shouldn’t defeat nobles without good reason, right? That’s why I waited until all the spectators were gone. Next time, instead of throwing wooden swords around and spouting orders, why don’t you train with a practice dummy?”

 

After that day, the marquis ground his teeth and threw himself into training, challenging Lensia to duels again and again. When there were spectators, she would end the duel in a draw or pretend to narrowly lose when Allen wasn’t around, mocking him.

 

The marquis kept training and challenging her until he reached a level so high that no one dared to approach him except Lensia. Everyone began calling him the ‘Empire’s Greatest Sword,’ but the title was hollow as long as he couldn’t defeat Lensia.

 

“Lensia! Let’s duel…”

 

Then, one day, Lensia volunteered to join the dragon subjugation force and set out. Only after she left did the marquis realize how much he had enjoyed their duels and how much he wanted to clash swords with her again.

 

After becoming a dragon slayer, Lensia didn’t return to the imperial knights and disappeared from sight. Nevertheless, the marquis continued training relentlessly, hoping to duel her again one day.

 

When she briefly returned to the imperial palace as the crown prince’s swordsmanship instructor, he immediately challenged her again. But Lensia merely responded with an indifferent remark.