As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover

“I always pay attention to news related to you.”

“As expected of the empire’s top gigolo.” Diana laughed.

“I was worried because you hadn’t visited for a while. Has it been 5 years?”

“Yes.”

Five years ago, she last visited the empire not as ‘Diana rud Seperdel’ but as ‘Ena’ when Edward had moved to his capital residence.

“Did you meet your friend then?”

“Yes. I just came from seeing him today.”

“It’s sad that I wasn’t the first one you visited.”

“Then you should have come with me when I asked you to come with me.”

“I owe a great debt to someone here, and I plan to stay in this place for a while. I want to be someone needed by them.”

“You’re still the same.”

“Come here and rest.”

Diana comfortably leaned next to Ellisian. She closed her eyes.

Returning to Kaillon after a long time, it was still lively and warm. For Diana, Eldran sometimes felt more like home than her own kingdom ever since she was sent here at the tender age of ten.

Diana rude Seperdel. She had two older brothers and two younger sisters. In Pendel, both men and women were eligible for succession to the throne, so Diana, who stood out in various fields from a young age, faced intense competition.

Denis rud Seperdel, her eldest brother, who was twelve years older, sent her to the empire under the guise of studying abroad. The spirited troublemaker intended to return within three years, but that changed the moment she saw the crown prince of Kaillon and, more precisely, the many handsome men around him.

“Welcome, Princess Seperdel.”

His elegantly curved eyes and beautifully lifted lips definitely belonged to a handsome face. But Diana wasn’t interested in such dark appearances.

“Excuse me, Crown Prince.”

Diana’s eyes sparkled. Her voice trembled as she spoke. “Is this heaven?”

At that time, Edward, who was at the end of his obsession with beauty, had many handsome male servants around him. This was because the emperor was horrified to see Edward changing his servants based on their appearances and wondering if he was already interested in the opposite sex. So, he ordered only men to be around him. But Edward, who chose his servants based solely on their looks, was starting to get bored with them since they didn’t meet his standards.

In Kaillon, unlike Pendel, there were many with blond or silver hair, and the servants around Edward at that time had such bright appearances. For Edward, it was just a fading interest, but for Diana, it became a significant turning point in her life.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes.”

“Then I will assign them to attend to the Princess.”

Diana’s eyes shone brightly. “I think we will become good friends, Your Highness.”

“…I think so too.”

Edward thought she would be incredibly annoying. That’s why he politely responded. And later, he realized his thoughts were not wrong.

The princess spent a year in the imperial palace and, at fourteen, bought a mansion in the capital, Eldran, and settled there completely. While attending the academy in name, she continued her private tutoring sessions from Pendel, ensuring she didn’t fall behind in her studies or political theory. However, the problem veered in a different direction.

“

… How could you do this to me, Princess? I, I…”

“Sorry, Rendallio. I love you, but I love Sasha too.”

“Just a few days ago, you said you loved only me!

! Liar!”

A blond beauty cried as he left the mansion.

Rendallio di Orben is the third son of Chancellor Orben. And her new lover, Sasha di Randolph, is the youngest son of Secretary Randolph. The intelligent Diana only took lovers from influential families, avoiding the firstborns. Directly interfering with heirs could lead to marriage, and it was likely they would meet again at official events.

Commoners or children from lesser noble families were comfortably kept by her side as servants or knights. Of course, all chose their positions willingly. Diana provided them with vast wealth and opportunities.

At fifteen, her private business under a fake identity succeeded greatly, amassing a fortune. During her enforced study abroad, she discovered her talent in potion-making, allowing her to achieve everything she wanted without dipping into Pendel’s treasury. Opportunities she couldn’t create herself were obtained by exploiting Edward, making both her real and ‘beauty business’ prosper.

To the empire, Diana was a valued guest and a VVIP customer, constantly bringing in foreign currency, so Edward couldn’t ignore her no matter how bothersome she was, even though she made more money for Pendel from the empire than vice versa.

“Princess Diana, please stop. Chancellor Orben is distressed that his son has been left half-hearted.”

“Rendallio? We started with a clear understanding that I can’t be tied to one person.”

“So you’ll leave it as is?”

“I’ll have to keep him close and appease him.”

“…Do as you please.”

Edward picked up his pen with an annoyed expression.

“More than that, you’re going to send Rudy to the knight academy, right?”

“He’s not without skill. I’ll ask Viscount Forben for a recommendation letter.”

“Yes! Thank you. I won’t bother you anymore and will be on my way.”

Achieving her goal, Diana was about to leave Edward’s office when…

“By the way, Princess Diana. I’ve recently become interested in the potion business and would like to talk to ‘Ena’ from Pendel.”

As she slowly turned her head, her eyes met Edward’s. Realizing her doom in his amused gaze, Diana knew Edward was not one to smile in such a manner.

“It’s a good night for business discussions, isn’t it? Miss Ena.”

Diana, breaking into a cold sweat, sat down opposite him again. That night, she was thoroughly exploited by Edward, leading to a contract she would regret for a long time. That happened when she was sixteen.

The following year, after the empress’s disgraceful death, Edward was dethroned and spent three years in that state. While it seemed he spent his time quietly, he quickly found his place. And upon turning twenty, he lost most of his loyal vassals along with the emperor.

Hearing of the emperor’s death, Diana quickly prepared to return to Pendel before the storm hit. She made a detour to the Grand Duke of Lindel’s territory to check on Edward, her old friend and ruthless business partner. There, in Lindel’s back alleys, she encountered a scene she should never have seen.

“…What brings the Princess to such a sordid place?” Wiping his blood-soaked sword and looking at her with emotionless, blood-red eyes, his voice was eerily calm.

She caught the gaze of the corpses piled in a corner, feeling nauseated by the vibrating scent of blood. That day, she fainted from vomiting and woke up in a guest room of the Lindel Grand Duchy. Only a letter with elegant handwriting was left by her bedside, with no chance to meet him.

She met Edward again 5 years prior when he returned to the capital, visiting him as ‘Ena’. He was the same as before, but the chilling red gaze she encountered lingered in her memory for a long time.

The aroma of warm herbal tea filled Diana’s nostrils. She opened her eyes wide with a stiff face.

“…na, Ena. Ena? Can you hear me?”

“

, yes. I was just reminiscing about the past.”

Diana smiled awkwardly and took the teacup offered by Ellisian, trying to shake off the memory she never wanted to repeat.

* * *

Holding a potion marked with a black X over a cute green caterpillar illustration, Luize smiled proudly. As soon as she sprinkled the potion, the caterpillars crawled out of the roses towards other bushes. Luize picked up a few caterpillars that couldn’t escape the rosebush and placed them in another bush.

“Live happily.” She adjusted her gardening gloves and finished pruning with her garden shears. Gardening had become quite familiar to Luize, once her only hobby when left alone in the Cloete mansion.

After removing her gloves and organizing her tools, she looked up to see a particularly pretty rose that had caught her eye. Hidden among the leaves in a spot invisible from above, the flower stem was bent. She reached out to adjust the rose’s position.

“

.”

Quickly retracting her hand, Luize checked her fingertip. A round drop of blood had formed, pricked by a rose thorn in a moment of carelessness.

“I made a mistake.”

She often got injured tending to flowers rather than wielding a sword. Clutching her finger with mild pain, Luize admired the blooming rose.

Had she been too nosy? It was then she heard someone nearby.

“Luize, you were here.”

“…Reiad?