As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover

Luize was startled as she watched Reiad approach her. Naturally, she thought he was just a passing gardener, not expecting him to appear.

Reiad had returned from the imperial palace, dressed in the finest uniform bestowed by the emperor. The uniform was splendid, but there were no medals on his chest.

Now Luize could tell what he was going out for just by looking at his clothes without having to ask about his schedule, quickening her intuition to avoid unpleasant truths about other women’s appointments.

“What brings you to this part of the garden?”

Lately, she had been consciously avoiding him, realizing her unhappiness and accepting that their marriage could not return to happier times. Seeing Reiad made her heart tighten and race with anxiety. Anxiety, depression, lethargy – she had felt these more than happiness during their marriage. Yet, she hadn’t declared her departure because she was unsure how to conclude their relationship.

Abruptly suggesting divorce didn’t sit right with her, as it might feel like a sudden notice from his perspective. Ending things well was as important as starting them. Luize hoped to at least maintain minimal courtesy in their farewell.

“I thought it might be nice to take a walk with you after a long time.” He extended his hand to her with a beautifully serene smile.

Despite his sunny smile, Luize could no longer feel the same warmth; it seemed more like a prelude to pain, a warning that he would soon plunge her into misery.

“I hurt my hand. Let’s just walk.”

“Alright, then.”

Reiad casually withdrew his hand, not bothering to check where or how she was injured. It was typical of him.

Leaving her equipment in the box, Luize began walking through the garden with Reiad, who spent the time making trivial conversation about the nice weather and a new shop in the city alleys. His expression was always calm, his smile as beautifully serene as ever.

Luize stopped walking. “…Does dragging out the conversation mean it’s difficult to bring up the main point?”

“Luize, what are you talking about?”

Luize clenched the hem of her dress tightly, feeling the pain from the rose thorn prick on her finger. Blood seeped onto the fabric of her dress without her noticing as she lifted her head.

“You always start with a long preamble when you have something difficult to say.”

“…Did I do that?”

“Yes.”

“Well, it is a difficult story. I’ve been pondering how to bring it up without hurting you, my dear.”

Luize looked up at Reiad. “What could it possibly be—”

“How about we get a divorce for a while?”

His question, cutting off her words, erased the pain in her finger from her mind. She stood frozen, and he continued.

“Don’t worry. I plan to remarry you after about half a year. Think of it as a short trip away. I’ll arrange a place for you to stay near the capital during this time. I’m mentioning this because you might be curious, but I can’t tell you the reason.”

Luize bit her lower lip, and after a long hesitation, she slowly answered. “Give me some time to think.”

“I can’t give you much time. Is a week alright?”

“…Three days will do.”

Luize turned and left the garden, eager to escape the place.

* * *

Reiad watched Luize’s departing figure, wondering if things were going awry.

“No, that can’t be.” He chuckled, shaking his head.

Luize was the perfect wife he had wanted. She was naïve enough to sign any contract he put in front of her, gentle enough to overlook anything he did, lacked the ability to live independently, and although her acquaintances were a temporary annoyance, they would soon be gone. Even if she was of common birth, having noble blood through a side branch wasn’t bad. After all, she carried noble blood. 

But her reaction must have been an attempt to preserve some dignity. It was a common response for women to try to maintain their pride in such ways.

“Remarry, huh.”

By the time they planned to remarry, the troublesome former crown prince and his aide would no longer be in this world. He would receive a new estate and wealth, making it unnecessary for him to live as before. That also meant there would be no reason to remarry Luize.

“My Luize, now you will truly become my wife.”

For some reason, he couldn’t envision anyone else waiting for him in this mansion.

“Just bear with it a little longer, and don’t cause any trouble,” Reiad murmured, thinking of the annoying former crown prince.

Luize, who had disappeared from sight, didn’t answer.

* * *

Despite the tears blurring her vision, Luize kept walking without properly wiping them away. She felt ashamed and angry. His words, making her efforts over nearly three years seem worthless, had been so insignificant to him. All her efforts to maintain their relationship, overlooking the wounds received, and even becoming one of Edward’s lovers were futile struggles.

Those were her words on the day she decided to become a fake lover for Edward. What victory? There was hardly a fight to begin with.

For Reiad, Luize was merely a being easily dismissed with a word. Discussing last respects was ironic when she had no influence over him.

Embarrassed, Luize admitted her poor judgment of people. Reiad was the worst as both a husband and a person.

“…Even so, this isn’t how it should end.”

Initially, she thought having lovers was normal among the nobility of the capital. Everyone except her treated Reiad’s actions as natural, so Luize, feeling awkward and uncomfortable, kept her peace, not wanting to disrupt this tranquility herself.

Being alone in Perils was terribly lonely and hard, so if she could avoid that, anything seemed acceptable. That sentiment led her to feel guilty about using Reiad, prompting her to try even harder to be good to him.

Somewhere deep down, she might have harbored a faint hope of returning to how things were at the beginning. But now, even if he returned to being the man who only had eyes for her, her heart was worn out.

“Anyway, it was going to end.”

Yet, it still hurt.

Luize wiped her tears and turned to the corner. Unaware she had entered an unfamiliar alley, she was suddenly caught by various bird sounds.

She had wandered into a bird market without realizing it, absorbed in her thoughts.

“Cutting the tendon like that won’t do! Are these two canaries the last? I’ll handle it myself.”

Her shoulders jerked at the deep, sharp voice. Luize looked toward the source and saw a bird seller. He was cutting the wing tendons of the birds. She had heard that people in the capital did this to prevent their pet birds from flying away, ensuring they could never fly freely again.

Luize rushed over to the seller. “Are you about to cut the wing tendons of these two canaries?”

“Yes?

, yes. One is a female caught from the wild and tamed, and the other is a male, previously kept without its tendons cut. Would you like me to cut them for you right now?”

“No, don’t! I’ll buy them.”

The seller’s expression brightened. “Looking at their feather color, you can tell they’re top quality. If kept in the same cage, they won’t sing, but if you separate them, they’ll sing beautifully. They’re 55 silvers each, but I will give a pair to you for 1 gold.”

Luize began to search her pockets, then stopped. In her haste, she hadn’t brought any money, which was technically still her soon-to-be ex-husband’s. The only personal assets she had were under the name ‘Benny’ for the prize money sent to the Lindeman mansion.

Seeing her troubled face, the seller’s expression hardened. “Don’t tell me you don’t have any money? And you seem to be alone.”

“That’s…”

“Here’s the money.”

A deep voice sounded beside Luize, and a large hand suddenly appeared next to her. A gold coin was held between the long, thick fingers. The fair skin and the grace in its movement revealed an undeniable elegance. Among those she knew, only one person had such hands.