As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover Chapter 77

The light from the sky lanterns filled the red pupils of the boy looking ahead, shimmering beneath the black hair revealed from under his cloak’s hood. His appearance, glowing beautifully like the sun rising through the dark night, was captivating. It seemed he could bring light even to the perpetually dark seasons of Perils.

 

“Hey, what is your wish, Elliott?”

 

“Then, I’ll wish for the Empire to be a place that meets Lu’s expectations.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Luize smiled brightly, her gaze shifting downward. At the end of the downhill road, where they stood on the stairs, the central square was in sight. Maxion and Lensia, standing at its center, caught her eye.

 

“I think I need to go now. I’ve found my mother and friend. Let’s meet again.”

 

“Yes. Please take care.”

 

“You too, Elliott! Take care!”

 

Luize let go of his hand, waved goodbye, and ran straight ahead. It was only after arriving at the lodging with Lensia and Maxion that she realized she might never meet him again. She didn’t know when she could return here.

 

His face lingered in her memory like an afterimage that wouldn’t fade. The button he had given her went into her treasure box.

 

* * *

After her father, Allen, returns to nature, Maxion leaves Perils. Luize often felt lonely and occasionally melancholic. The repeated pain brought unwanted growth. With fewer people to talk to, she naturally spent more time reading or in contemplation.

 

Death once felt like a distant story, weighed more heavily than she had imagined, and the promise of a reunion, though uncertain of its return, tethered her steps to Perils like a cruel hope. At such times, Luize imagined what advice Allen might have given her.

 

“Even after I’m gone, my love will always be with our daughter.”

 

He would have said, quietly embracing and comforting her.

 

Just being in his embrace, Luize would have felt his love without any words. She deeply missed his warmth.

 

“Luize. Come here.”

 

Lensia began to embrace Luize more often, seemingly sharing the same imagination. Suddenly, Luize thought that as she grew, her mother seemed to become smaller, as if Allen’s embrace would have been the same. Growing up meant moving closer to parting.

 

Life shared with everyone felt like a distant past. The consolation was knowing that both her mother here and her father, who had left the world, loved Luize dearly. The warmth of love remaining in the cabin guided her to tomorrow.

 

Maxion, too, must be well wherever he is. She believed in his promise to return here one day. That thought made the stillness of this place slightly more bearable.

 

“Today, I have something important to tell you.” Lensia continued in a trembling voice. “It seems I don’t have much time left.”

 

Yet, as soon as she seemed to get used to parting, it found to haunt her again.

 

* * *

The winter when Luize turned nineteen was exceptionally cold. The forest was heavily snowed in, and even Perils, which was dark all year round, wore a white garment for once.

 

Lensia had been unable to leave her bedroom for days. Luize stayed by her side except when absolutely necessary.

 

“Aren’t you bored staying here all day? It has snowed a lot.” Leaning on the bed and looking out the window, Lensia spoke.

 

Luize, who had been reading, closed her book. “It’s okay. Mother must be more bored than I am.”

 

“Luize, you tend to prioritize others over yourself. Probably because you’re thoughtful like your dad. But you don’t always have to think of others first. Don’t forget, your best friend is ultimately yourself.”

 

“It’s not someone else, it’s you, Mother.”

 

“Family is an exception, indeed. Just thought it’d be good to remind you. You were like that with Maxion too.” Lensia replied with a clear voice, curling her lips into a smile. “I wonder when he will return. I hope it won’t be long before you’re left alone.”

 

“…”

 

“Sorry, I couldn’t keep my promise.”

 

Luize quietly shook her head, trying hard not to show her eyes brimming with tears, but Lensia had already noticed.

 

“It’ll be New Year’s in a few days; you’ll be an adult then. I’m glad you’ve made it this far.” Lensia paused, then continued with an unusually somber face. “It might be good to live away from here when you’re about twenty-five. Stay here a little longer until then. Check under the rock behind the house when you leave. Try not to look at it until then.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

“And there’s a gift in the last drawer of the nightstand. Check it when you’re bored.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Luize, look at Mom.”

 

Luize wiped her tears with her sleeve and met Lensia’s gaze.

 

“Even if everyone doubts and condemns you, you must believe in yourself. In the end, the only one completely on your side is yourself.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Shortly after, Lensia passed away peacefully, as if she had just fallen asleep a week before the year’s end. Luize had to become an adult a bit earlier than her peers.

 

* * *

What Lensia left in the nightstand drawer was a letter. As if she had foreseen her early departure, her letter started a long time ago. Reading over a thousand letters without pause, Luize learned about the world and discovered Lensia’s inner thoughts she had never known before. However, there were vague sentences here and there, as if she was hiding something important. But every time Luize encountered such parts, she would stare at the words for a long time, yet no answers came.

 

Why hadn’t Lensia taught her how to live outside?

 

Why did she tell her to live here until she was twenty-five?

 

As time passed, these two questions only grew, but there was no content related to them in other letters. For now, all Luize could do was live day by day, waiting for Maxion, whose return was uncertain.

 

Ring. Luize entered a store. “Ma’am, I’m here.”

 

“Oh, Luize. I made fig jam today. Would you like to try some?”

 

“Yes, I’ll take it with some rye bread.”

 

“Okay. Hey, have you thought about settling down in our village? Everyone is worried about you. You know, this area is close to Perils.”

 

Those who frequently interacted with her knew she lived alone. They knew she lived somewhere near the village, but since she didn’t disclose the location, speculation was rife.

 

“I’m fine.” Luize smiled bitterly.

 

Leaving the cabin she had lived in all her life and moving away was not easy for her. Especially since she felt obliged to stay in the cabin in Perils until she was twenty-five in order to fulfill Lensia’s last wish.

 

But the time spent alone turned out to be longer and more daunting than expected, and Lensia’s letters ran out sooner than thought. Even rereading the letters, time only seemed to drag. Her spirit tired first, and loneliness settled in like a disease.

 

The days she spent listlessly alone increased, and she didn’t move around as much as before. She just gathered herbs from the forest or fished to sell in the village, and except for stocking up on supplies, she hardly left her cabin bed.

 

Occasionally, when the stench of the forest grew worse, mad animals would find their way to her home. Driving them away, Luize suddenly felt fear. The terror of possibly facing death alone. The creatures once felt like friends during her childhood, now seemed like violent beings lost in madness, ready to kill her.

 

“…Have I changed?”

 

After experiencing three departures, Luize accepted that both the world and she had completely changed. The only thing unchanged was the cabin, feeling like a prison. She decided to stop thinking about the world and just continued to exist, empty like a doll.

 

* * *

It was a clear autumn day. The season was lively, with crops bowing under their ripe weight and trees laden with fruits. The entire village was in high spirits. Amidst the golden sunlight showering the world, Luize, with a lifeless expression, carried a bucket filled with fish.

 

“…Ah.”

 

It was too late by the time she reacted. Tripping over a stone, she dropped the bucket. The fish spilled from the bucket and flapped around on the ground, staining the nearby surface with water from the bucket.

 

As she swept her wet hair back and bent to pick up the fish, a man’s hand with no calluses extended toward her. “Are you okay?”

 

Slowly raising her head, she saw a handsome man resembling the brilliant sunlight. His beautiful blond hair and blue eyes were as clear and warm as the weather. The hand extended to her reminded her of someone’s soft and warm hand she had once held. He almost seemed like a savior who had come to rescue her.

 

“No, I’m not okay.” Tears quickly filled her purple eyes as she gazed at the man in awe. “Nothing is okay…”

 

Luize bit her trembling lips, trying to catch her breath. She couldn’t cry like a child in front of a stranger. As she took the man’s hand and stood up, “…Sorry for startling you. I’m fine.” Luize barely held back her tears and began to pick the flapping fish back into the bucket.

 

The man silently watched her, then suddenly offered a white handkerchief as she picked up the last fish and stood up. Looking puzzled at him, the man spoke.