As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover Chapter 78

“Use it.” 

 

“I don’t cry in front of strangers.” 

 

“I gave it to you to wipe your hands.” 

 

“Ah.” 

 

Luize took the handkerchief with a flustered expression. As she wiped her hands, the man continued.

 

“My name is Reiad di Cloette. In fact, I gave it to you to wipe your tears. Now that we know each other, it should be alright.” 

 

Luize paused, her movements halting as she seemed to contemplate, then spoke, “… My name is Luize di Servenia.” 

 

It was the first time she introduced herself with her full name to a stranger. She wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks with the handkerchief he gave her. The untraceable tears continued for a while. He quietly watched until her tears stopped, then rolled up his shirt sleeves and picked up the bucket. 

 

“Are you going to sell these?” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“I’ll accompany you. I’ve just finished my tasks. I’ll carry this for you.” 

 

“No, I can carry it.” 

 

“Gentlemen from the capital don’t let women carry such things by themselves.” 

 

“… I guess you came from the capital.”

 

“Yes.” 

 

Luize retracted her hand and glanced at Reiad’s face. He shrugged his shoulders with a clear expression as if this was a natural thing for him. 

 

“Please, then.” 

 

“Sure.” 

 

Reiad, with one hand in his pocket and the other carrying the bucket, followed her. The two exchanged trivial stories about the exceptionally good weather today, the types of fish, or whether she caught them herself.

 

Luize felt surprisingly good, even bewildered by talking to someone she had just met after such a long time. She found her gaze continually drawn to him, especially his fine, golden hair fluttered with the breeze.

 

Suddenly, she wondered what kind of world those blue eyes of his had seen. The city, rumored to be full of monsters, seemed a far cry from this man, who was kind even to a stranger, beautiful, and shone brightly like the city of her dreams. 

 

“How did you end up here?”

 

“My superior told me to fetch something, but the trail ended here, so I couldn’t find it.” 

 

Soon, her questions outnumbered him. His confident walk and refined gestures were as elegant as those of a famous actor, but what truly captured Luize’s attention was his smile. That ambiguous curve that might seem like a sneer at a quick glance strangely stirred her heart.

 

Amidst these peculiar feelings, they arrived at the shop. Luize handed the fish to the merchant. As she paid, the merchant glanced at the tall man standing beside Luize.

 

After receiving the money and leaving the shop, Reiad was still there. Luize didn’t want to part ways with him just yet and head straight home. She hesitated before speaking. 

 

“Thank you for your help. Would it be okay if I buy you dinner as a token of gratitude?” 

 

“Offering to buy dinner sounds like you won’t join me.” 

 

“I didn’t want to impose…”

 

“It would be nicer together. How about we go together?” 

 

“Sure.” Luize quickly agreed, worried he might take back his offer.

 

“But, Lady Servenia, if it’s alright with you, may I speak informally?” 

 

“Yes, please speak comfortably. You can call me by my name.” 

 

After talking, it turned out Reiad was a year older than her. Luize nodded with an expression of wonder.

 

“Alright, then, Luize.” With permission granted, Reiad turned to meet her gaze.   “I know it’s a bit early to say this, but I think I’ve fallen for you at first sight. So, I was thinking of paying for dinner.” 

 

He smiled like sunshine. “If you enjoyed the dinner, would you like to meet again?” 

 

Luize stared at him blankly for a moment before slowly nodding.   

 

The dinner was delicious, and their conversation was enjoyable. That was the first meeting between Reiad and Luize. 

 

* * *

Luize opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was her reflection in the mirror across from her. Mirror Luize was still sitting between the green forest and dark Perils.   It seemed she had dozed off for a moment. 

 

“…Right, that’s how we met.” 

 

After Lensia left the world, during her loneliest times, Reiad appeared at just the right moment to easily shake her heart. She clung to him out of love, blind admiration, or perhaps escape, uncertain of what it really was. At that time, Reiad was her only way out, a rope leading to heaven from hell. 

 

Luize stood up. She met the eyes of her reflection behind her. 

 

The mirror showed her in a wedding dress. A land of hope and opportunity, without a shadow of darkness. That was Luize’s first impression of the capital, Eldran. She wanted to be a happy fool there. 

 

“…Without knowing it was a new prison.” 

 

Would she have been happier if she hadn’t taken his hand then? She couldn’t be sure. Perhaps she would have never left Perils. And even if she had left, she wouldn’t have met Maxion and Edward. Could such encounters then be called salvation? 

 

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

 

No matter how much she reminisced about those who had left or believed in herself, an unquenchable thirst followed her. So, Luize hoped for someone on her side to be beside her.

 

Then, one day in the capital, feeling empty, she reunited with Maxion and met Edward. Joining the Silver Hawk Knights, she made many comrades, and she could meet Servenia’s aunt and cousin. All these events felt like a dream, making Luize’s days fulfilling. Regardless of what they hid from her, she thought of them enough to want to be together.

 

As they all wanted to protect and worry for her, Luize also wanted to protect them. That’s why she couldn’t leave Edward alone in such a place. She wanted to walk shoulder to shoulder with them. 

 

“Let’s snap out of it. What’s the use of dwelling on the past? I can only rely on myself now.” 

 

Luize slapped her cheeks twice with a smack. Just as she was about to hit her cheek a third time, 

 

“Did you cause that handprint on your cheek yourself?” 

 

A familiar voice sounded. Turning towards the direction of the voice, there stood Edward with a gentle smile. He strode towards her.

 

“Um, the handprint is quite evident. If you hit yourself again, I might have to show it to Robin. Since he’s not in the maze, you should decide wisely.” 

 

“…Edward? Is it really you?” 

 

“Yes, it’s me.” 

 

He took her hands, which were lost in mid-air, and brought them down. The warmth wrapping around her wrist was undoubtedly Edward’s. 

 

“I’m the only one reflected in the mirror.” 

 

“It seems only one’s own reflection and scenes from past memories are visible. It’s the same for me.”

 

“I see.” 

 

Just as Luize was about to nod in understanding, she suddenly looked up at him.

 

“Why couldn’t others come out, but you couldn’t? Is it because you can’t find a solution?”

 

“I did find a solution, but I had personal reasons why I couldn’t undo the magic.”

 

“So that was it. Can I undo it then?” 

 

“Perhaps you can.” 

 

“Tell me how. I’ll undo it.” 

 

“Before that, it seems there’s something we need to address.” 

 

“Huh? What…?”

 

Come to think of it, he had told her to leave if he didn’t return within ten days. Luize was here, blatantly disregarding the directive given by him, the head of the expedition. 

 

“… I’m not sure what you are saying.” After finishing her sentence, she fidgeted, gauging his reaction.

 

Edward curved his lips into a smile and replied, “To be honest, I somewhat expected this, but it really happened.” 

 

“Huh?” 

 

“There’s no way Miss Luize would leave me behind, right?”

 

“That’s true.” Luize hurriedly nodded. 

 

“How did you manage to bypass Maxion and come here?” 

 

“I pretended to pack up, mounted a horse, and just raced towards the building.”

 

“And what if you got hurt?” 

 

“I slowed down as I got closer, and I could avoid most injuries if I fell off. As long as I don’t get hurt, Edward won’t harm yourself, right?”

 

“…” 

 

“And strictly speaking, I’m not a member of the knight order. I’m not here to be protected by Edward and Maxion but to protect everyone by joining this expedition. Don’t exclude me like that next time.” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

Luize was taken aback by his straightforward answer.  “Uh… That’s it?”

 

“Yes. Now, as Miss Luize says, you can do as you wish. Go ahead.” 

 

“Aren’t you angry?” 

 

“Not at all.” 

 

“But I disobeyed your order.” 

 

“As you said, Miss Luize, you’re not my subordinate.” 

 

“That’s true…”

 

Luize wore a skeptical expression, but Edward’s face remained unflinchingly steady. 

 

“Then why did you talk like that before we entered here?”