As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover

“How could you know that without playing and just sitting there with your eyes closed in the corner?”

When Hendrik raised the question, Aiven answered in a calm voice, “I can know everything that happens within my barrier, including the order of the cards that were stacked in the middle. It’s that kind of magic.”

“So that’s why you didn’t participate in the game.”

“…Yes.”

Luize responded, and Aiven nodded at her words.

“So, what was the last card?”

Upon Edward’s inquiry, Aiven opened his mouth, “The last card Your Excellency was about to draw was… And the result of the game was…”

“…I see.”

At the same time Luize responded, Maxion returned to the room. To maintain the barrier, Aiven headed back to his original spot, and the four gathered again to start a new game.

* * *

Edward was the one who secured the most victories in the previous night’s game of ‘Dragon’s Amusement.’ Thanks to that game, Luize luckily got a meal voucher that allowed her to enjoy any restaurant and any food for free during her stay in this deployment area. Originally, each person on a mission was given a separate meal budget, but for the sake of fairness, that amount was set aside as personal money, and the chance to get a meal voucher was a pretty good deal.

Hendrik won twice, taking two vouchers, and Maxion…

“Couldn’t win even once. He still can’t play games.”

After staying up all night, Luize headed to the weapon shop. She had the day off today after spending the night by Edward’s side and planned to rest during the day. In order to guard him again tonight, she planned to go to bed immediately after picking up the sword.

“Welcome!

, it’s the lady from before. The engraving is done!”

The weapon shop owner rummaged near the counter and pulled out a small, crude wooden box.

“Are you giving it to your lover?”

“I thought you assumed I was married.”

“At first, I did, but seeing you ordered an engraving with a man’s name, I figured you weren’t married yet. It’s rare to give a weapon unless it’s to a husband.”

“…I see.”

“By the way, are you a member of the ‘Silver Hawk Knights’?”

“No, not exactly a member.”

“I see. I heard that the captain, His Excellency, received the blessing recently.”

“

, right. You were planning to receive it too, weren’t you?”

“Unfortunately, I completely forgot and fell asleep after drinking that day, so I missed it. But now I think it’s better that I didn’t receive it.”

“Why did you change your mind so quickly?”

“My wife isn’t that kind of person, but she’s been unusually forgetful today. I wondered if it might be a side effect.”

“Maybe she’s just having an off day?”

“She’s definitely not that type of person. She’s so smart and thorough. She plans her schedule down to the minute and lives without a single discrepancy. She’s the complete opposite of me.”

“…I see.”

“Anyway, take it. If there’s a problem, come back.”

“Thank you.”

Luize left the shop with the box in her hands, her expression darkening.

* * *

Carlo, the assault captain of the Dawn Wolves mercenary, arrived in Bailey looking twice as haggard as before, just a week after his break-up with his girlfriend, whom he saw with another man right before departure. His relentless journey allowed him to arrive much earlier than the client had suggested, though he was nearly dead on his feet.

“An inn… Let’s see. Here it is.” He dragged his exhausted body into the inn.

The innkeeper approached Carlo with a troubled face, “What to do? We decided not to take any guests for a while, so there are no rooms available. It’s okay if you just want to eat and go.”

“

? But Owner, there are so many customers.”

“The Silver Hawk Knights are staying here as a group. Try the inn right across.”

“

, it’s no choice then.”

Carlo turned towards the inn door, dark circles under his eyes reaching down to his chin. As he stood at the door, it opened on its own.

“

…

.”

The person who entered was a woman with silver hair and purple eyes, dressed in common trousers and a shirt seen among mercenaries, but she carried a silver sword at her waist.

“Sorry, I’ll just pass through.”

“

.”

Carlo stared blankly as the woman walked past him. “Were there such beauties in the Silver Hawk Knights? No, were there women there?”

He tilted his head, puzzled, “I’m sure it feels familiar. A familiar build and appearance. It’s impossible for me, Carlo, to forget a woman I’ve seen once.”

The woman quickly headed upstairs. Her haste suggested she recognized him too. Given his portrait was frequently featured in newsletters, it wasn’t strange for her to know him. But where had he seen this woman?

…

“

Luize de Cloette!” After pondering for a moment, Carlo’s eyes sparkled, and he exclaimed.

Luize de Cloette had often appeared in newsletters after marrying Reiad di Cloette. Especially after his full-fledged infidelity began, she was mentioned time and again, recently becoming involved with the Grand Duke Lindeman, though only mentioned in the text without portraits, so her face had been forgotten. Now, her name was Luize di Servenia, perhaps.

“A swordswoman? That’s a rare occupation.” Carlo scratched the back of his head, “Her appearance was completely different from another person’s level, so I didn’t recognize her. But besides her face, her attire also seems familiar. Not just the swift and light movements, but especially the waist-carried sword, which wasn’t the dull iron color but a rare silver.”

Swords and even scabbards of such a near-white silver were extremely rare. Known for his observant nature towards women, Carlo tilted his head and then turned to leave the inn.

Images related to the swordswoman flashed through his mind. A figure with a similar physique overpowering him with swift, agile movements and precise swordplay. Moreover, that familiar, common training outfit. And that silver sword.

Carlo’s body stiffened as he held the doorknob. Lensia’s Sword was only awarded to champions, which he couldn’t recognize if he had only seen it from a distance during the award ceremony. Desiring that sword, he had entered the swordsmanship competition, so there was no way he could not recognize it.

“Lensia’s Sword.”

He turned back with wide eyes. Luize had disappeared upstairs, but a knight on the first floor was looking at Carlo.

“Could it be? That person was Benny?” His face was filled with astonishment.

Simultaneously, Robin, who had overheard his words, spit out the juice he was drinking in shock.

* * *

Robin tidied up the meal he had been eating and immediately went to find Maxion. “Is it true that Miss Luize is Benny, the winner of the swordsmanship competition?”

“Yes.” Maxion, who was polishing his sword in the room, answered with a nonchalant face.

“That means things could get a lot more complicated.” Robin held his head in his hands. “If the emperor finds out, he will try to use her ex-husband to bring Miss Luize to his side.”

“According to what Lord Edward said, the emperor doesn’t know that Luize is Benny, so we don’t have to worry for the time being.”

“But what if he finds out? Miss Luize already knows too much about us. If the emperor instigates her ex-husband to bring Miss Luize to their side, our losses will be enormous. Not only could we fail in our grand plan, but we could all end up on the execution platform before it even starts!”

“…If that happens, in the worst case, it could indeed turn out that way.”

“How can you be so calm about a life-and-death matter?”

“For now, there’s no risk of being discovered, and Luize isn’t the type to go back to her ex-husband.”

“But still, there’s always the ‘what if.’”

“Even if one day the world turns upside down and Luize sides with her ex-husband, she’s not the type to reveal our secrets.”

“Vice-Commander, no matter how close you are to Miss Luize, this isn’t something that can be decided based on friendship alone. We need objective measures, not just subjective evaluations of people.”

“I’ll discuss this with Lord Edward.”

“Yes, please do.”

“By the way, how did you find out? The only ones who know this in the order are Lord Edward and me.”

“You know Carlo, right? The assault captain of some mercenary squad. He came to this village. I heard him talking while I was having a meal on the first floor of the inn at an odd hour.”

“That’s strange. Carlo belongs to the Dawn Wolves mercenary group. They usually operate around the capital.”