As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover

“…Yes.”

How long had Luize cried in Lorein’s arms? Lorein didn’t ask Luize why she had come to Airen alone.

That was all she said during dinner.

From the next day, Lorein woke Luize up every morning. Then, out of the blue, Lorein started teaching her the latest healing techniques. It took Luize some time to realize that Lorein was doing it for her sake.

Learning about pharmaceuticals and healing techniques allowed her to momentarily forget about Edward. However, whenever she looked up from grinding herbs or took a break to gaze out the window, he would inevitably come to her mind.

Luize was doing better than she thought.

Tonight marked the end of the year. Originally, she had planned to open the box they found behind the house with Maxion on New Year’s Day.

“Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”

“I plan to rest and read my mother’s diary. But Aunt, won’t Kasel feel lonely spending New Year’s alone since you’re here?”

“He’s busy running around the clinic in the capital. He doesn’t put much significance on New Year’s.”

“But Aunt can’t stay here forever.”

“Do you want to come to the capital with me?”

“I’m okay.”

Luize no longer found the capital appealing. Staying there would only make her miss Edward and the Silver Hawk Knights more.

When she first arrived in the capital, she thought everyone living there must be happy. The streets were lively, filled with shops selling fascinating things, and beautiful mansions lined the roads. But living there hadn’t been particularly happy until she met Edward and reunited with Maxion.

Luize had enjoyed her time with the Silver Hawk Knights on their expeditions much more than living in the beautiful capital. Even though camping was uncomfortable, she got dirty and faced danger. Those were the happiest times of her life.

The location didn’t matter. Her happiness depended not on where she was but on who she was with.

“…Alright. I plan to leave for the capital in three days. Luize, you can stay here longer if you want. This is your home, so feel free to think of it as such.”

“Yes, Aunt. Thank you very much.”

“Then tomorrow, since it’s New Year’s, I’ll have lasagna with ragu sauce and focaccia made.”

“Sounds good.”

And so, the last day of the year ended.

After confirming it was past midnight, Luize took out Lensia’s diary.

The key turned, and the lock opened.

Before opening the diary, Luize checked the compartment inside. With a rattling sound, the compartment opened, revealing three envelopes that looked like letters and an unexpected item.

“…This is the cufflink Edward gave me when I was a child. Why did mother have this?”

The golden cufflink engraved with a dragon was something Luize had lost after putting it in her treasure box as a child.

Then she took out the envelopes and was surprised again. One was a letter from Allen, and the other was…

“This has the imperial seal.”

It was sent from the imperial family. Since there was no sign of it being opened, she hesitated to open it. Instead, she opened Allen’s letter first.

The letter contained the same information Edward had told her. The secret of her birth, why her family couldn’t leave Perils, and advice to return to Perils if she became ill, along with a strong warning to be wary of the imperial family.

[When you face difficulties in the world, go to Airen and find Lorein di Servenia. She’s your aunt. She knows about you and will help you.]

Allen had secretly informed Lorein in Servenia about Luize despite Lensia’s distrust of people. He needed someone to help Luize live well outside Perils, even if for a short time.

[I love you, Luize.]

Tears fell and landed on her hand. She quickly folded the letter neatly and put it back in the envelope.

The next envelope she opened was plain white and unsealed.

“…An introduction letter?”

The guarantor’s name was Lensia.

Fioren Academy in Illisen. It was a place she had never heard of before. Allen’s letter didn’t mention anything about the other letter.

“Maybe the diary has the answer.”

Luize opened Lensia’s diary.

* * *

Lensia. A female knight with silver hair that seemed woven from moonlight breaking over a snowy field and blue eyes. From a very young age, her earliest memories began in an orphanage in the seaside village of Illisen.  She was a baby left in a picnic basket at the orphanage’s doorstep. The only things her parents gave her were her small body and a piece of paper with her name.

Illisen had a high transient population, making it impossible to guess who abandoned a child there. Many traveled from afar to leave their children there, so the orphanage was always full.

“Monster Lensia! Stupid tomboy Lensia!”

“Do you want to die? I’ll really get you!”

“Take this!”

The children threw slugs at Lensia.

On rainy days, slugs crawled out in the orphanage garden. Initially, Lensia didn’t think much of it, but soon, she grew sick of the slugs thrown at her every rainy day.

As the number of children increased, an invisible hierarchy formed in the orphanage. Strong boys became the leaders, while strong girls were mocked as tomboys. Among them, Lensia was the most bullied.

“If you’re upset, ask the parents who named you for help!”

Due to the large number of children abandoned in the village, the orphanage was operated in two separate locations. Children who lost their parents as babies were in Fioren, while those who lost their parents after growing up a bit in Avenue.

Lensia grew up in Fioren. Most babies abandoned there had no names, so the head of the orphanage named them. Lily, Peter, Kyle, Sunny… Lensia’s unique name among common ones made her the target of jealousy.

“How childish. Get lost!”

There were two ways to survive there. Either become a lovable child and get adopted quickly, or endure until adulthood with strong power and a smart mind. Lensia was the latter.

Lensia was different from the other girls. Perhaps because she had been ostracized due to jealousy over her name from a very young age, she had a rather rough temperament for a girl. Maybe that’s why. While the children who bullied her got adopted one by one, Lensia continued to grow up in Fioren Orphanage.

Lensia grew strong enough to prevent the boys from bullying her. She read every book in the orphanage—just three shelves—and worked out on clear days. The caretakers at the orphanage were too busy dealing with the children who were sure to be adopted or those with problems, so they had no time to pay attention to her.

“…Lensia, what’s that?”

“A wooden sword. I made it from a broken branch.”

“Goodness. And why is your hair so short? It was your only good feature!”

“The kids kept sticking slugs in my hair, so I cut it short.”

“What’s with those muscles? I didn’t notice until you changed into summer clothes!”

“I got them from lifting rocks.”

By the time the caretakers realized something had gone seriously wrong, it was too late. Lensia had become a far cry from the ‘cute and lovable girl’ they wanted to the point where she could skillfully swing a wooden sword she had carved herself.

“You’re forbidden from all of that starting today!”

“Yes, yes.”

It was the third time she had been banned by different caretakers. Knowing they wouldn’t pay her any attention as long as she stayed out of sight, Lensia did as she pleased.

And so, Lensia turned thirteen. Most of the children who bullied her had been adopted, leaving only the younger, weaker ones in the orphanage.

“Lensia! Is this how you swing it?”

“Probably? I learned from a book too.”

Lensia swung wooden swords with her new friend. Her assertive personality had an inexplicable charm that drew people to her. Because of this, children who admired her began to follow Lensia.