As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover Chapter 64

Luize’s face flushed as if about to burst as if answering his question. For the first time, Maxion looked visibly upset towards Luize.

 

“Enough. Let’s stop talking about that.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I’m not interested. I don’t want to hear it.”

 

Luize nodded quietly, looking shocked. “Okay.”

 

That response felt like a death sentence to Maxion, who finished his meal with a stiff face and went outside alone. Luize followed him belatedly. She tried to talk to him cautiously, but he openly avoided her.

 

“Are you going to keep this up? What did I do so wrong?” Luize, visibly upset, turned away after a while.

 

It was their first fight.

 

* * *

A month had passed since their fight. Maxion thought he should have endured her nonsensical talk about the eyes for another month. However, they didn’t talk to each other, spending time apart except when necessary. Ignored by her completely, Maxion sometimes secretly wiped away tears. He felt utterly rejected without even having confessed.

 

As cold weather receded, warm winds began to blow. Buds on the bare branches grew, and small flower buds seemed ready to bloom at any moment.

 

It was a day when Luize seemed unusually happy. Maxion mustered the courage to speak to her.

 

“…Can I join you to go to the hill today?”

 

“Only if you truly apologize.”

 

“I’m sorry for being overly sensitive towards you. I won’t get angry over trivial things without reason from now on.”

 

“Okay. I’m sorry too. It must have been boring for you to hear my story.”

 

“It’s okay. I like listening to your stories.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Luize smiled brightly.

 

After breaking the ice, it was easier to continue talking.

 

“Why are you in such a good mood today?”

 

“Tomorrow is my birthday.”

 

“…!”

 

Luize climbed the hill, humming.

 

Birthday. It was a day he hadn’t celebrated since his mother disappeared.

 

That night, Maxion stayed up all night on the living room sofa. The next morning, he handed something to Luize with heavy, barely open eyes.

 

“What’s this?”

 

“Birthday present.”

 

The crudely carved wooden object was oddly shaped, with large horns sticking out in all directions and smaller horns protruding diagonally. Luize looked at the wooden piece for a while.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Light.”

 

Luize alternated her gaze between the wooden piece and Maxion. Maxion scratched his head awkwardly. “You said you wanted to steal it home. Since I couldn’t steal it, I made it.”

 

“It’s beautiful.” She smiled like the happiest child in the world.

 

Luize then spent a month talking about the light piece Maxion gave her. That was enough to completely lift his spirits. The light piece he had given her had transformed in her stories into something that shone brighter than any light in the world.

 

* * *

“I don’t think I have much time left.”

 

Allen declared that in the year they turned twelve. Lately, he had coughed almost not at all. Thus, Luize and Maxion thought his illness had healed.

 

Lensia seemed calm, having heard the news earlier. “Starting today, we’ll pause swordsmanship training and spend time together doing various things.” Her serious tone indicated this was no joke.

 

The two grown children reacted differently. Maxion looked bewildered at Allen, while Luize froze in surprise, then tearfully asked, “Does that mean I won’t see Dad anymore?”

 

Being familiar with death due to their lifestyle and lived near the forest of Perils, familiarity with seeing death did not equate to being accustomed to the death of a loved one.

 

“I’ll teach you a secret technique passed down in our family.”

 

Allen had taught Maxion basic first aid and how to treat minor illnesses, but only Luize had formally received lessons as a successor. Maxion tensed up when Allen suddenly mentioned teaching them the family’s secret technique.

 

“Is it okay for me to learn it?”

 

“It’s nothing special. It doesn’t work for everyone. It’s been discreetly shared with close people or strangers, so it’s fine. Besides, you’re family.”

 

Allen’s words warmed Maxion from within.

 

“The technique is called <The Method of Hearing the Departed>. It sounds more grand than it is.”

 

Allen gently stroked Luize’s hair as she watched him intently.

 

“Healers inevitably face many deaths. They might be present for someone’s last moments on behalf of their family or encounter someone who has already passed away. Generations of healers have witnessed the end for many.” He turned his gaze to Maxion. “This is for those left behind. Healing techniques can’t be used on the dead.”

 

“…”

 

“It’s simple. After losing a loved one, you return to your happiest moment with them and have a conversation. If necessary, recreating similar situations is also good.”

 

“…Is that it?” Luize blinked in confusion.

 

“That’s it.”

 

“How do you return to that time? Without the person, how can you hear their voice? What kind of healing technique is that?”

 

“It’s about imagining.”

 

“Why do that?”

 

“For those left behind, the fear of a loved one’s death comes from never being able to meet them again.”

 

Allen’s words made Luize lower her head sadly. Right, her fear also stemmed from the approaching eternal farewell with him.

 

“Why happy memories? Wouldn’t that make you miss them more and feel sadder?”

 

“That’s the most important part, Luize. People facing death regret not what they did but what they didn’t do. Those leaving behind loved ones regret not loving them more. So, the words they wanted to say are more likely to be found in happy times than in blame or sadness.”

 

Allen looked at Luize and smiled gently. “I was proud of you. Don’t be sick. I’m worried. It’s okay to make mistakes; just be genuinely happy. I’m sorry I didn’t express all that better. Still, I loved you.”

 

Listening to his story, Maxion thought of his mother, who had left him. Did she have those feelings for him? Did she love him? Did she wish for his happiness? At the end of many questions, there was no certainty. Maxion then understood Allen’s meaning that it wasn’t universal.

 

“Many healers have died caring for others. Often, healers’ last moments aren’t shared with their families due to the inherent risks of the job. So, this might be wisdom passed down by previous generations of the Servenia family for those left behind.”

 

“Our family had many healers?”

 

“Quite a few.”

 

“But what kind of secret technique is this? If it’s been quietly shared with others…”

 

“A family with a secret technique sounds impressive. Just that fact alone makes it seem like a great family, doesn’t it?”

 

Luize looked at Allen with thin eyes and responded. “… It’s just for bluffing.”

 

“But it’s a relief. If this were a crucial healing technique, and our family monopolized it, many lives could have been lost. It’s meaningless if it’s just our secret. Healing techniques exist to save people.”

 

Luize nodded slowly.

 

“Luize. You’ll meet many new people in the future. You might find someone you love. Make lots of happy memories with them. So that even after parting, you have plenty of memories to look back on. The past creates paths, and the future draws directions. We live towards tomorrow, walking on the path of memories.”

 

“I don’t get the difficult talk. Just stay with me forever so I don’t have to meet anyone else.”

 

Tears welled up in Luize’s eyes again. Allen didn’t answer, just gently stroking her face with his palm.

 

That night, exhausted from crying, Luize went to bed early. Allen, who had stayed up late in the living room feeling unsettled, called Maxion to sit on the sofa.

 

“Lensia thinks you might stay with Luize forever, but I don’t. Maxion, you’ve experienced the outside world, so you’ll surely return there.”

 

“….”

 

Maxion couldn’t respond, feeling like a traitor for agreeing with him. But what he said was true. Over time, Maxion felt increasingly unsure he could live here forever. He longed for the broader world.

 

“Luize shouldn’t leave here. At least not until she’s an adult. Maybe even after that for a while. It’s probably best if she never leaves. So, if you ever leave here, please leave alone.”

 

“…Luize will want to leave too.”

 

Maxion knew Luize longed for the light of the outside world. He didn’t want to leave her here alone.

 

“At least keep Luize here until she’s twenty. Better yet, twenty-three to twenty-five. If Luize leaves and becomes ill, she must return here. Then she’ll get better.”

 

“May I ask why?”

 

“When Luize is old enough to leave, dig under the large rock in the backyard.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Allen smiled and ruffled Maxion’s hair. “You have a dependable side, Young Man. It’s comforting to have a son like you. Take good care of the women in our house. Not for a lifetime, but as long as you stay here.”

 

“Yes.”

 

A few days later, Allen passed away, as he had said. He bid an eternal farewell to his family, looking as peaceful as if deep in sleep. Luize cried openly, Lensia secretly wiped away tears, and Maxion consoled Luize instead of crying. He had grown taller than Luize while staying here, now fitting snugly in his embrace.

 

“I’ll do better, Luize.”

 

At twelve, after experiencing the death of a close one for the first time, Maxion stopped blushing around Luize. Responsibility, not a ticklish heart, and promises he could keep, not unattainable ideals, took root within him.