As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover Chapter 216

“Annoying.”

 

That was all she said. And shortly after, Lensia disappeared again.

 

The marquis vowed that the next time, he wouldn’t let her leave so easily and would definitely cross swords with her, waiting for Lensia at the imperial palace, even though she seemed to have no regard for him. But Lensia didn’t return, and he, unable to find a worthy rival in the repetitive daily life of the imperial palace, eventually stepped down from his position as the leader of the first imperial knight order.

 

Clang! The sound of swords clashing echoed loudly in the training grounds. The sparring match had been going on for almost an hour. At first, Luize was focused on bringing him down, but at some point, she started to enjoy the duel. The two figures, fighting fiercely, drew apart.

 

Marquis Edvin spoke in a low voice. “… ‘The Empire’s Greatest Sword.’”

 

On the surface, everyone naturally referred to him as the empire’s greatest sword because he had once defeated Lensia, who had slain a dragon. But that title only brought him shame because he wasn’t the greatest.

 

His lips curled into a smile. “You’ve returned.” The focus on his eyes sharpened.

 

At that moment, Luize struck his sword aside and pointed hers directly at his neck. A hush fell over the training grounds.

 

“Just now….”

 

“Did Lady Servenia win…?”

 

The murmurs of disbelief soon erupted into a massive cheer within the training grounds.

 

Luize, who had ended the sparring match, snapped out of her immersion, startled, and mumbled in a small voice. “Oh, right! I shouldn’t have done that! What should I do….”

 

While Luize was pondering with a troubled expression, Marquis Edvin extended a handshake to her. “I will return the title of ‘The Empire’s Greatest Sword’ to you.”

 

“What?”

 

“I held on to a title that should have belonged to Lady Servenia’s mother for far too long.”

 

Luize shook hands with him, her face filled with confusion. Then, as the marquis turned to leave with a relieved expression, she stopped him.

 

“Um, Marquis Edvin.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Would you like to… spar once more?”

 

He chuckled low at her suggestion. No matter how many times they fought, the result would likely be the same. Even so, he welcomed the offer.

 

“How about we have a gathering today and postpone the sparring for next?”

 

“That sounds good, but… I suppose it could work out somehow at the gathering.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“It’s nothing.” Luize smiled brightly.

 

“Here, you two! Take this! You must be tired, so have a drink.” Robin came running over and handed water bottles to the two who had finished the duel.

 

They both accepted the bottles gratefully.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

And then they drank at the same time. But suddenly, after finishing the water, the marquis swayed.

 

“Gasp…” He choked and soon closed his eyes as if he had lost consciousness, his strength draining from his body.

 

Robin hurriedly supported the marquis with a panicked expression. “He didn’t say he’d collapse…!”

 

Luize whispered in a small voice. “There are so many people watching. What did you put in the water?”

 

“In a hurry, I mixed holy water into it. But I didn’t expect it to knock him out! Aiven said it was a good idea.”

 

“The plan went awry, but the marquis suggested having a gathering, so I thought we could resolve it there. There are too many eyes on us now….” Luize glanced around. The onlookers were watching them with curiosity.

 

Their original plan had been to make the marquis roll on the ground, drenched in the holy water Robin had carefully crafted, thereby breaking the dark magic. It was similar to how he had broken the dark magic on the patients in the underground prison. Now that the temple knew he was here, the use of divine power had become more accessible.

 

Edward approached the flustered pair. “It seems he lost consciousness for a moment due to the confusion in his memory after breaking free from the mental magic.”

 

Snap. With a snap of his fingers, strength returned to Marquis Edvin’s body, and he stood up, regaining his composure, albeit with a confused expression.

 

“…Your Highness?”

 

“Indeed.”

 

The marquis slowly spoke, and his composure returned. “I felt dizzy for a moment and made a mistake. It’s because my age is catching up with me.”

 

“I see. Then, shall we officially announce the winner?” Edward addressed the audience. “The winner: Luize di Servenia.”

 

The crowd erupted in cheers.

 

Having regained his senses after the dark magic was lifted, the marquis confided to Edward and his party at the gathering about the empress dowager’s misdeeds that he had witnessed and heard. Because he had not been entirely stripped of his will, he remembered everything that had happened while he was under the empress dowager’s control.

 

Given that the Marquis had a strong will, it seemed the empress dowager had found him difficult to use. Fortunately, the most malicious act she had commanded him to do was to kill Luize during the duel. However, the empress dowager’s crimes were immense, even based on what he had seen and heard.

 

“It did seem strange. There were many suspicious situations, but I couldn’t hold onto any doubts, and everything the empress dowager said felt like the truth. I am sorry. I will accept any punishment you deem fit.”

 

“You were under the influence of dark magic, so your actions were unavoidable. Rather, it’s fortunate that you didn’t succumb completely and survived. Don’t blame yourself.”

 

Despite Edward’s comforting words, Marquis Edvin spoke with a dark expression. “And today, the empress dowager said she had completed all preparations.”

 

“…I see.” Edward replied in a low voice.

 

After the gathering, Luize, Edward, and their party reconvened.

 

“I heard from Marquis Edvin that the empress dowager has completed all preparations. Now, she is left with two options. Either struggle with the power she has gathered so far or use dark magic to achieve some goal.”

 

Aiven nodded. “…If it’s to resurrect someone, she might have already cast the spell.”

 

“The empress dowager may not be skilled in politics, but she’s not entirely foolish. She must have realized her current situation. Even if she brings someone back to life, it won’t make a difference.”

 

The empress dowager’s downfall was inevitable. Reviving someone now would only increase the likelihood of her demise.

 

“So, I’ve been thinking…. You mentioned that large-scale dark magic requiring such a significant amount of life force could only be used to ‘turn back time or resurrect the dead.’”

 

“…Yes.”

 

“If time is reversed, what happens to everything that’s occurred so far?”

 

“…I don’t know. There has never been a successful case of that magic. That’s why I assumed the empress dowager would aim for resurrection.”

 

“I see. According to the marquis, your assumption was entirely correct.”

 

“Which means….”

 

“When he was engulfed by the mental magic, he once went to a secret garden connected to the empress dowager’s chambers. His role was to escort a near-death knight there. Perhaps to prevent the knight from landing a final blow, the empress dowager brought him along as a guard.”

 

Aiven listened intently to Edward’s words, his face grim.

 

“There was a coffin with blue roses inside. Supposedly, a young man lay in it. The deep emotion in the empress dowager’s eyes as she looked at him was unmistakable.”

 

“Blue roses, you say.”

 

“Indeed. Do you know something about them?”

 

“That is also a type of dark magic. It’s a spell that replicates the appearance of a loved one. It looks real, but it’s like a doll—if touched, it crumbles.”

 

Luize spoke in a low voice. “… I’m curious.”

 

Everyone’s gaze turned to her.

 

Looking at Edward, Luize continued. “There are countless forms of love, as many as there are people in the world. If the empress dowager’s feelings stemmed from love, should we call that obsession love too? I suddenly wonder where the boundary of obsession permissible in love lies.”

 

“What do you think, Miss Luize?”

 

“I don’t know. Whether it’s love or not, the empress dowager harmed others, and that is certainly wrong. While I wouldn’t resort to dark magic to revive a dead person like she did….” Luize took a breath and exhaled slowly. “If I had been presented with a choice right after losing someone I loved, I can’t say for sure that I wouldn’t have been swayed.”

 

“I see.”

 

Hendrik spoke with a face full of interest. “What do you think, Your Highness?”

 

“I would probably choose to meet again in the next life.”

 

“Haha, but meeting in the next life after losing all memories wouldn’t be meaningful, would it?”

 

“Who knows.” Edward’s gaze shifted to Luize. “It might be more meaningful than you think.” His lips curled into a smile.

 

* * *

The next day, many people gathered in the imperial meeting room. The emperor, Edward, and five people holding the highest positions within the imperial palace, as well as Marquis Kasel di Servenia, Marquis Edvin, Count Reiad di Cloette, and lastly, the representative of Count Kalliod, were present. Only twelve people, including the attendants who assisted with the voting, were gathered in the solemn atmosphere as the voting took place.

 

Those who agreed with Edward’s proposal would draw a circle, while those opposed would draw an X—it was a simple vote.

 

“We’ve waited long enough for an obvious result.” The emperor mocked Edward, but Edward’s expression remained unchanged. Clicking his tongue in displeasure, the emperor turned away.

 

“The results… are in.” The attendant checked all nine papers and spoke with a look of surprise.

 

The emperor asked with a leisurely smile. “So, what’s the outcome?”