As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover

* * *

Edward’s first dish was perfect beyond imagination. The medium-rare beef tenderloin steak was juicy and plated with roasted potatoes, onions, and asparagus. There was even rosemary on top of the meat, which Maxion hadn’t bought. Alongside were mushroom soup, focaccia, walnut salad, and a small pudding for dessert.

“Maxion, did you buy all this extravagance?” 

“No. I only bought the steak, potatoes, onions, and focaccia.”

As the two looked at Edward in puzzlement, he answered nonchalantly, “The capital’s mansion had many good ingredients today.” 

“…”

“…”

“It was just a few things. It’s hardly noticeable. Besides, I left a note on the butler’s desk recently.” 

“What did you write?” 

“That I’ll be borrowing some things for a while. I didn’t want the innocent servants to take the blame.”

Maxion sighed in relief and headed to the dining table. The table, small for the household, was filled with Edward’s dishes. Maxion sat beside Luize, with Edward across from them.

It had been a long time since Luize had shared a meal at the cabin with others, and the warmth of the food and the house brought a genuine smile to her face. “Let’s eat well.” 

“…It’s been so long since we’ve had a meal together like this.” 

Luize smiled in response to Maxion’s words. “Yes, it is. After you left and mother passed away, I’ve been alone, so it’s very moving.”

She cut a piece of steak and tasted it. The food melted in her mouth like the work of a skilled chef. 

“This is… delicious. It’s so good.” 

“I’m glad you’re satisfied.” Edward smiled beautifully at Luize.

Suddenly, Luize realized how warm this place used to be. Long ago, when Lensia and Allen were alive, and Maxion was always by her side, every day was comfortable and warm. It was a warmth she thought she would never feel again after they left. A hot feeling blossomed from deep within her chest, melting something frozen inside her.

What Luize feared most was not the beasts of Peril, injuries, or illness, but being left alone here for the rest of her life. She was most afraid of being isolated without contact with anyone. She wanted to step into a warm world and have a new family.

People would say that her decision to follow Reiad to the capital was a mistake. Luize herself thought so too. However, that choice turned out to be the right path. It led her to reunite with Maxion and meet Edward, allowing them to be together. The preciousness of the outcome of all those lonely times now was indescribable.

“It’s so delicious…

really.” 

Luize wiped her blurring vision with her palm and resumed eating. But even before she could finish slicing a piece of steak, tears welled up again. She took a bite of the steak, closed her eyes tightly to steady her trembling breath, and hot tears streamed down her cheeks.

When she put down her fork to wipe her tears again, Edward’s hand wiped the tears from her cheek. She looked at Edward across the table with teary eyes. Even though she was so happy and not sad, tears continued to fall.

“…It really is delicious.” 

“I can see that.”

As Luize cried without being able to eat, Edward wiped her tears and responded to her incoherent words while Maxion quietly took her plate and cut the steak into bite-sized pieces for her. He pushed the plate back to her. 

“Eat.” 

“Thank you.” Luize picked up her fork, calming herself. 

“I’ll give you my pudding too,” Maxion said, pushing his pudding towards her. 

Luize blinked in surprise. “Suddenly?” 

“It’s the sincerity of a humble human.” His offhand tone was enough to surprise her. 

“You remembered that?” 

“After being teased for a month after staying here, how could I forget?” 

“Sounds like something interesting happened,” Edward said, wiping away her tears completely.

Luize nodded and began to speak to Edward. “Elliot, you know, when Maxion first came to my house…”

Thus, night descended on the forest cabin.

* * *

For Edward and Maxion, both tall men, the bed was very small. Maxion lay squeezed into a bed that no longer fit him, and Edward lay with his ankles and feet sticking out of the bed, eyes closed. 

“Are you sleeping?” 

“Of course not.”

Red eyes appeared between his black eyelashes. 

“She must have been very lonely here.”

Though there was no subject, Maxion knew exactly who Edward was talking about. 

“She always wanted to go out into the world. It must have been even harder for her after her parents and I left.” 

“I should have found Luize sooner.” 

“It’s not your fault, Lord Edward.” There was a moment of silence before Maxion spoke again. “Now I understand that Luize is someone who straddles the realm of dragons. It explains her unusual strength, her ability to smell the forest, and communicate somewhat with the forest animals.” 

“…”

“Could it be related that Luize can smell your mana?” Maxion asked, and Edward replied. 

“A dragon once said that I have dragon blood. I need to talk to them to find out more, but it might be because of that. It seems I had a dragon ancestor.”

Maxion pondered with a complex expression. If Edward inherited the blood of the mad dragon Run, then Luize’s mother killed Edward’s ancestor.

Lensia used to say while looking at the forest.

For the first time, Maxion hoped she was wrong. He didn’t know which dragon had been resurrected, but he hoped it was Run and that Run wasn’t as mad as before. If Run had revived, then Lensia failed to kill Edward’s ancestor, meaning Edward and Luize could be happy without complications.

“It seems certain that a dragon is trying to resurrect here.” 

“I thought you’d dismiss it as nonsense.” 

“The animals in Peril Forest have changed. The trees that stopped growing are now covering the cabin. It suggests Peril is becoming an ordinary forest because it is a dragon’s territory.” 

“The forest revived because its master returned?” 

“Yes.” 

“It makes sense. Actually, I thought the same. If what you said is true, then the animals in the forest became tamer during my seven-year stay. The resurrection might have started then.”

“If a dragon has really revived, what will you do?” 

“I’ll try to talk to it. I managed once, so twice should be possible.” 

“…Please return safely.” Maxion’s voice was deep and filled with worry. 

“The positive thing is that the dragon was friendly to Miss Luize. It means she has a high chance of surviving in Peril tomorrow.” 

“…”

“No matter what, I’ll protect Miss Luize, so don’t worry too much.” 

“Lord Edward is important to me too.”

“Unfortunately, that’s secondary. But I’ll try my best.”

Maxion turned his head to look at Edward. The 27-year-old Edward was always half-empty, not just because of his missing memories but because he lost his motivation. With his memories sealed, Edward didn’t know why he wanted to become emperor or why he wanted to do most things. Maxion guessed it was all hidden in his lost memories.

Before sealing his memories, Edward confessed his long-held anxieties to Maxion, anxieties of a royal born with duties hiding his true feelings. He lived a precarious 20-year life and a seven-year incomplete life.

“Even if Lord Edward doesn’t become emperor, we’ll follow Lord Edward.”

“…” Edward’s red gaze turned to Maxion. 

“Please return safely.” 

Edward smiled slightly. “I will.”

Maxion spoke sincerely. “…And please take good care of Luize.”