As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover Chapter 238

[Side Story 4: Maxion – Part 3]

 

To cover one’s face within the imperial palace, final approval from the emperor was required in addition to consent from the respective superior of one’s position. In other words, walking around in broad daylight wearing a mask meant that one had received official permission.

 

Because the empress’s knight order had only recently been established, Maxion did not yet know the personal details of its members. However, as the person who served the emperor most closely, it was unthinkable that someone like him knew nothing about the knight who wore a mask.

 

In the palace, anyone hiding their face could easily be mistaken for an assassin. Of course, since the person had been introduced directly by Luize, such a misunderstanding was unlikely, but Maxion still felt the need to understand the situation.

 

“It’s a secret. If Lady Ren follows the lessons well, I’ll tell you at the final session.”

 

“What? That’s too late!”

 

As Ren protested, Karin smiled gently and continued. “Well, there’s one other way. Would you like to hear it?”

 

“What is it?”

 

“If you defeat me in a sparring match, I’ll take off the mask. Then you’ll naturally find out why. You can even try to remove my mask during the spar if you want.”

 

Ren gave her a suspicious look. “Hmph. What if there’s nothing under that mask anyway?”

 

“Well, you won’t know unless you try to take it off, right?”

 

Grr. Ren made a brief groaning sound, then nodded. “Fine! But you have to teach me seriously.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Watching this interaction, Maxion widened his eyes. It was the first time Ren had cooperated with someone this willingly in the palace.

 

“…Ren, are you sure you can handle this on your own?”

 

“What do you take me for? Of course I can!” Ren pounded her chest confidently. “I’ll learn quickly, take off that mask, and go have fun with Luize!”

 

“Alright then.” Maxion smiled softly and patted Ren’s head.

 

Watching this scene, Karin murmured quietly to herself. “…So it was true.”

 

“Huh? What was?” Ren looked puzzled.

 

Karin’s face suddenly turned red as she replied. “I-It’s nothing. Shall we begin?” She guided Ren to the center of the training arena.

 

Now that Maxion thought about it, this was the same place where he had once seen Karin training alone at dawn. Only then did he realize why she had been using a practice sword meant for children.

 

“I hope this works out well.” Watching the two, he eventually turned and headed toward the imperial palace.

 

* * *

Seated at a tea table on the terrace with Maxion, Luize spoke with a regretful expression. “I should have confirmed whether your approval had been obtained. It was my mistake. I’m sorry.”

 

“Since both the dragon and the Purple Twilight Order fall under your command, I can understand how things progressed this way. Orders from the emperor and empress take priority in their respective knight orders. The mask was also for the sake of training the dragon. I wouldn’t say the process was wrong. This case just needed some special checking.”

 

“Still, it was an important matter for the knight order, and bypassing the captain of the imperial knights was careless on my part.”

 

“Since I’m responsible for protecting Your Majesties, it would be better if Your Majesty could be more mindful of these things. But don’t blame yourself too much. I understood the situation as soon as the report came up today, so it’s fine.”

 

“I’ll make sure nothing like this happens again. You must have been quite worried.”

 

“Since you were directly involved, I figured there must be a good reason.”

 

If it had merely been about Ren’s training, Maxion wouldn’t have made an issue of receiving the report late. However, wearing a mask with official approval within the imperial palace was a serious matter. It had to be shared with all knight orders that prioritized safety above all else. Most importantly, since it involved the safety of Edward and Luize, Maxion couldn’t just overlook it.

 

“It was a bit surprising that His Majesty made a mistake too.”

 

Before receiving the official report about Karin’s mask, Maxion had asked Edward directly. Edward had responded nonchalantly, ‘I just signed what the empress told me to.’ He added that it had happened just three days ago and was dealt with hastily in the empress’s chambers, so he simply forgot to inform Maxion.

 

“No matter how much the empress requests it, you shouldn’t handle it like that. Signing something without verifying the captain of the imperial knight’s approval on a security matter.”

 

“Sorry. We almost had a serious breach in imperial palace security. After looking into the matter, it turns out the approval process itself was flawed. It wasn’t meant to exclude you. Since it was about Ren, it went through the empress’s line for the dragon’s education and was missed. I’ll order the relevant departments to correct this.”

 

“Understood. By the way, do you know why that knight needed the mask?”

 

“I heard the knight said it was necessary to teach Ren. Apparently, it’s been effective in keeping Ren engaged with her lessons.”

 

“That’s true.”

 

When Ren failed to defeat Karin with her sword, she began following her around like a stalker, obsessed with removing her mask. Thanks to that, Maxion finally had some breathing room, and Ren’s skills were improving rapidly.

 

“I’m curious what you think of Ren’s new mentor.”

 

“She’s an excellent person. It’s as if she has experience teaching dragons before. She handles Ren skillfully, teaches her solid fundamentals in swordsmanship, and even shows Ren how to move her body properly.”

 

“Seems like I’ve still got a long way to go. Sometimes I think the empress is more suited for this position than I am. She picks things up quickly and has an eye for people. Speaking of which, would you mind if I go see her?”

 

“Absolutely not.”

 

“The longer I live in this palace, the colder you and Luize become.”

 

Edward sounded saddened, but ironically, it was his past self who had raised Maxion to be this way.

 

Coming out of his thoughts, Maxion asked, “Luize. What kind of person is Dame Merden?”

 

After learning that Ren’s mentor was Karin, Maxion had started investigating everything about her. But since she had only recently joined the knight order, there wasn’t much information, nor anything unusual in the members’ notes.

 

“The knights’ records are very limited. But if it’s Luize, you must know the details that aren’t written there, right?”

 

Luize paused, deep in thought. Every knight in the Purple Twilight Order had a long conversation with her during their final interview. Through that, she formed a bond and came to understand who they were as people.

 

“Hmm… You know the territory called Merden, in the western part of the north?”

 

“I remember. She doesn’t have much of a northern accent, but I confirmed she’s from there.”

 

“That’s right. To be precise, she’s Viscountess Merden.”

 

Karin, like most Northerners, was tall and broad-shouldered. At first glance, she appeared to be a mature adult, but she was actually in her early twenties.

 

“She inherited her family at a young age. Her family registry says all her relatives are deceased.”

 

“Yes. Karin is the sole surviving heir of the Merden bloodline. Naturally, she inherited the house.”

 

Maxion nodded heavily. “The records say they fell victim to black magic, most likely one of the sacrifices made by the former emperor.”

 

“Correct.” A shadow fell over Luize’s face.

 

Black magic had corrupted many parts of the empire. While some towns had regained their former vitality, many were still recovering, or had been destroyed beyond recovery.

 

“Still, wasn’t Merden one of the least affected territories?”

 

“That’s because the blood of Merden took the initiative to protect the territory. Only Karin, who was away at the time, survived.”

 

Merden was a small territory surrounded by snow-covered mountains, known for its beauty. In the north, it was common for territories and their ruling families to share the same name, symbolizing their deep historical ties. The Merden family had a profound love for their land and treated their people like family.

 

“It’s hard to say much, but I understand that managing the territory has become very difficult due to the lingering effects of black magic. Still, Karin has been holding things together on her own. In Merden, they train heirs regardless of gender from an early age.”

 

“She’s impressive to manage it alone.”

 

“Right? I heard that monsters born from black magic frequently attacked the territory back then. Many adults died fighting them, leaving behind orphaned children. Karin taught those children swordsmanship from a young age. That’s why she’s so good at working with kids.”

 

“…I see.” Maxion nodded, lost in thought. “But Luize, then how did Dame Merden learn swordsmanship herself? Her skill seems far too advanced for someone self-taught.”