As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover Chapter 225

[Side Story 2: Vacation – Part 2]

 

“Your Majesty, it would be best if you took me along after all…”

“Since Ren doesn’t seem satisfied with just a nanny, why don’t you stay behind and take care of him, Maxion?”

“…Pardon?”

“Ensuring that I have a peaceful vacation is part of your duties as well, isn’t it?”

“Then please take another guard with you.”

“It’s an unofficial trip, and very few people are aware of it, so that wouldn’t be easy.”

“…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure we return safely.”

 

Maxion sighed softly and looked back and forth between Edward and Ren, deep in thought. It had been a long time since Edward had been so insistent. Besides, if they brought Ren along, the vacation would undoubtedly turn into anything but a vacation.

 

“…Ren, as you heard, I’ll stay here. But I’ll play with you during that time.”

“Ppii?” [Really?]

“Yes.”

“Ppii!” [Great!]

 

Maxion was the only one who could calm down the clingy Ren. In the end, he decided to stay behind and wait for them at the imperial palace. That’s how it came to this moment.

 

“Now we can finally enjoy a vacation alone. Is there anywhere you’d like to go?”

 

“The forest. How about we walk to the lake I used to visit often?”

 

“That sounds good.”

 

After overcoming various obstacles, they finally secured the first day of their vacation. The two arrived at a small cabin in Perils, where Luize had spent her childhood, and entered the now peaceful forest. However, Edward’s expectation of spending the entire day alone with Luize quickly faced a challenge on the very first day of their vacation.

 

* * *

As it turned out, there was another guest at the lake.

 

“Jjijik…”

 

“…Emperor of Kaillon.”

 

Matthias, who was sitting by a tree near the sunlit lake, playing peacefully with a black squirrel on one hand, was startled and stood up. He quickly straightened up to give Edward a formal greeting.

 

“May the glory of the light be with you. Your Majesty Edward E. von Bellord. Emperor of Kaillon. Matthias di Edvin, the captain of the second holy knight order of the temple, greets you.”

 

“It’s been a while. Good to see you. You don’t need to be so formal; I’m not here on official duty.”

 

Matthias’s golden eyes flickered slightly.

 

“Jjyuk.”

 

Quirrel, on Matthias’s shoulder, waved a tiny paw at Luize. Luize quietly waved back at Quirrel.

 

“What brings you here, Sir Matthias?”

 

“The second holy knight order was tasked with inspecting the normalization of Perils and reporting back to the pope. Most of the investigation is complete, and we were checking the final area.”

 

“Jjikjjik.” Quirrel nodded in agreement with Matthias’s words.

 

Luize widened her eyes at Matthias. “You’ve grown quite close to Quirrel.”

 

“Well, we’ve spent a lot of time together.” Matthias responded awkwardly, clearly a bit embarrassed.

 

“Jjijjik.” Quirrel climbed down from Matthias’s body and scurried up Luize’s, rubbing its head affectionately against her neck.

 

Luize gently stroked Quirrel’s cheek with her fingertip. “Quirrel, you haven’t changed. I see you are no longer confined anymore.”

 

“Jjik!”

 

“It usually stays in my pocket, but since this is the beast’s homeland, I’ve let it roam freely for a while.”

 

Luize responded with a puzzled expression.

 

“Do you still call the Quirrel a beast?”

 

“Well…”

 

“Pyuk.”

 

Quirrel sighed and climbed back onto Matthias’s shoulder. It raised its short arms, pointing at both Matthias and Luize in turn.

 

“You want me to call you by a name like that?”

 

“Jjik!”

 

“I’ll call you like that in private.”

 

“I see. I’m glad to hear you’re doing well. But where are the other members of your order?”

 

“They’re in a nearby village. Tomorrow, we’ll be attending a festi—”

 

“Miss Luize.” Edward interrupted Matthias, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “It seems there are already guests here, so perhaps we should take our walk later.”

 

“Huh? But if it’s just the captain, isn’t it fine?”

 

“He mentioned they’re still finishing their work.”

 

“If you’re just taking a quiet walk nearby, it should be fine. My last task here involves fishing.”

 

“Fishing?” Luize looked toward the tree where Matthias had been sitting. There, she noticed some fishing gear commonly sold in the area.

 

“Yes, I was trying to catch some fish to confirm that the lake has fully returned to normal, but I wasn’t having much luck and was pondering what to do next.”

 

“I can help.”

 

“…This lake is known to be a difficult place to catch fish. It’s even harder when there’s a lot of commotion, so I was trying it alone. Do you think you can manage?”

 

“Catching fish used to be my livelihood. I’ll have one in no more than half an hour. How many do you need?”

 

“Just one will do.”

 

Luize smiled brightly and rolled up her sleeves. “Edward, since we’re on vacation, this should be fine, right?”

 

“If it’s something Miss Luize wants to do, I’m always in favor.”

 

“Great. Since fish tend to scatter when they sense movement near the lake, why don’t you and Sir Edvin watch from here while I show off my skills?”

 

Holding a fishing rod, Luize walked to a spot on one side of the lake and settled on a large rock. Edward leaned against a tree near where Matthias had been sitting.

 

It was when Luize started finishing in earnest.

 

“Miss Luize still doesn’t know about the village festival yet.”

 

Matthias looked at him in surprise. “I thought that was why you came here.”

 

“It’s part of the reason. But I’d like it to be a surprise for her until she sees it for herself.”

 

Matthias nodded silently.

 

Within ten minutes, Luize had caught a fish and brought it over. “A forest flounder. It lives in the deep waters of this forest. It glows in the dark, so it’ll look even prettier at night.” She handed the bucket with the fish to Matthias, looking quite pleased with herself.

 

“Impressive.”

 

“It takes some skill.”

 

“As expected of Miss Luize. Well done.” Edward smiled proudly.

 

Matthias accepted the bucket and spoke. “The members who completed the inspection are waiting in the village. Once we’ve compiled the data, we’ll head back to the temple.”

 

“I see. Thank you for your hard work. Please convey my regards to High Priestess Raphaela.”

 

“Yes, of course.”

 

After exchanging farewells, Matthias took the fishing gear and the bucket with the fish and headed back to the village. As he left the forest, a puzzled expression crossed his face.

 

“Come to think of it, they still address each other the same way, even after getting married.”

 

Quirrel, sitting on Matthias’s shoulder, yawned widely as if it were sleepy. “Jyuaaa-Ham.”

 

“Quirrel, if you’re tired, don’t try to balance on my shoulder; just sleep in here.” He placed Quirrel into the front pocket of his uniform.

 

* * *

Night fell faster in the forest than in the capital. After spending the day exploring the forest, Luize and Edward returned to the cabin at dusk. They shared a simple meal, reminiscent of their time on campaigns.

 

Snap. With a snap of his fingers, Edward cleared the old table and sat next to Luize on the sofa in the living room. A fire crackled in the fireplace. Although it was early spring, the beginning of spring in Perils was colder than in the capital.

 

“Edward, do you remember the day Ren was born, when we spent time here with Maxion, the four of us together?”

 

“I remember.”

 

Luize’s voice was filled with excitement as she continued. “That was such a fun time. I think it would be great if we could have a vacation here with everyone next time. The cabin is small, but now that the forest is stable and the front yard is spacious, we could even have a small party there. Everyone from the capital… Ah.”

 

She laughed sheepishly. “But I guess everyone is too used to life in the capital now, so they might find it boring to spend time in a small cabin like this, living a simple life.”