As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover

“If the emperor had ties to the temple even before it was revealed that he was the legitimate son of the late emperor, then that connection must have started when he was quite young. There’s no way the empress dowager wouldn’t have known.”

“The empress dowager? Right.”

“Considering the emperor’s personality, he wouldn’t have made such a bold choice easily. The empress dowager also seems frail on the surface.”

“

? Now that you mention it, that’s true. She lived quietly, so why did she suddenly get persuaded by the temple? Besides, there’s no way the temple could have known the emperor had imperial blood unless the empress dowager told them.”

“So, it seems one of them might be pretending.”

“

…!” Robin’s face showed a mixture of surprise and realization.

“I think it’s the empress dowager, who doesn’t often participate in public activities. What do you all think?” Edward looked toward Maxion, Hendrik, and Aiven.

“I think the same.”

“

, so that’s how it is. I also believe that if it’s one of them, it’s likely the empress dowager.”

“…Me too.”

Edward smiled contentedly and then turned to Luize. “That’s what they think. By the way, this is Miss Luize’s idea.”

All eyes turned to Luize, who blushed slightly and responded.

“To be honest, I thought everyone would say it was a ridiculous idea. I just speculated based on my mother’s experiences… It’s also strange that there aren’t high-ranking priests permanently stationed in the imperial palace if this was all orchestrated by the temple.”

“That’s true!”

“We completely overlooked that part. That’s impressive.”

“…” Aiven simply nodded in agreement as the others praised Luize for identifying such a crucial fact.

“Your Excellency, do you think you can survive until the end of the survival duel on the second day? You’re not planning to reveal that you’re a mage, right? Of course, I’m sure you’ll manage without it being obvious, but it’s been a while since you’ve used a sword.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Luize responded with a bright expression. “We’re all going to train hard together this time, so he won’t even need to use magic.”

“…That’s how it’s going to be.”

“

…”

“

…”

“…

.”

The three men simultaneously let out exclamations that were almost sighs.

“You’ll all join in, right?”

“…Luize, just so you know, I’ll probably be busy taking care of Ren.”

“It’s fine. Edward translated for me, and Ren said it’d take naps or watch from a corner of the training ground during the training sessions.”

“

!” [That’s right!] Ren suddenly popped out from Luize’s lap and poked its head onto the table.

“

…”

And so, until the day before the Founding Festival, the hellish training continued, and Edward was able to survive until the end without using much magic this time.

After returning to the mansion following his victory, Edward removed his fox mask and murmured. “…I could have won even without magic.”

Although he used magic for an overwhelming victory, Luize’s short-term hell camp had certainly been effective.

* * *

Thus, the emperor received first aid from Luize, and the two returned to the gathering point with the beasts they had hunted along with the other members of the emperor’s faction.

“T-Thank you.”

“It’s an honor for my family to have treated Your Majesty. My cousin will be very envious.”

“

, about what happened earlier… That… It could be misunderstood.”

“Come to think of it, what was Your Majesty about to say earlier? I was too focused on treating you to hear it. I think I heard the name ‘Lindeman.’ Did you have a message for my fiancé?”

“No! No, I didn’t.” The emperor’s voice rose unnaturally.

Luize, maintaining a calm expression, politely bowed her head and continued. “And during a hunt, it’s common for muscles to cramp, which could easily lead to injury. It can happen to anyone, so don’t worry. I’ll make sure to inform the attending doctor so Your Majesty can recover quickly.”

“

, thank you.”

“It’s only natural as a Servenia. The greatest honor for our family is to ensure the safety of Your Majesty.”

“

. Indeed, that’s a very Servenia-like answer.”

The emperor quickly forgot his embarrassment and laughed heartily. Given the distance between them and the fact that she had just dealt with three beasts, it was understandable that she hadn’t heard him clearly.

One of the Emperor’s followers cautiously spoke up. “Wait, does that mean Lady Servenia took down these beasts?”

“

?

, yes.”

“

, lying isn’t good. Surely, it was His Majesty who did the hunting.”

“

.

…” The emperor hesitated to answer. He seemed to wish Luize would attribute the hunted beasts to him.

After a moment of consideration, Luize spoke up. “It seems His Majesty indeed hunted the bear and the boar. I was lucky enough to take down the wolf. My memory is a bit hazy, but I clearly remember the last moment when I caught the wolf.”

Those who heard her explanation looked back and forth between the emperor and Luize with surprised expressions.

“Even one beast is impressive. How did you do it? Come to think of it, your sword looks familiar…”

“

, it’s my mother’s sword. I received it from the last champion of the swordsmanship tournament.”

“From that Benny person? Were you close?”

“He was my mother’s disciple, but he passed away recently due to illness. I discovered it too late…”

“I see. That must have been difficult.”

Luize naturally explained how she had come to possess Lensia’s sword. Fortunately, all the questions were included in the prepared examples. She felt relieved as she continued.

“It couldn’t be helped. And catching the wolf was purely luck. My mother did teach me swordsmanship, but it all happened so quickly that I don’t remember it well. I just remember thinking I might die, and everything became a blur…” Luize’s face turned pale. She pretended to shiver unnaturally and wrapped her arms around herself.

“I’m sorry. I won’t ask any more questions. By the way, I thought the grand duke would participate, but you came instead, Lady Servenia.”

“I said I wanted to do it. I even wore high-heeled shoes and shoulder pads to disguise myself until the hunt started. Still, if I had known it would turn out like this, I would have participated more comfortably.”

“

, you were completely unrecognizable.”

When the designated time arrived, the hunt concluded, and the tallying of the game began at the gathering point. The nobles applauded the emperor with bewildered expressions. They seemed to find it hard to believe that he had caught two such fierce beasts, especially with the barrier broken.

“The winner is… the rabbit mask!”

“What?”

“What did you just say?”

The emperor’s faction members couldn’t believe their ears. After all, hadn’t the emperor caught two of the largest beasts?

“The largest of the three beasts—the bear, the boar, and the wolf—was the great wolf. Although it’s easier to catch than the other two, those are the rules…”

“

, I see! Too bad for me.” The emperor accepted the results graciously. He was satisfied with Luize’s humble demeanor, attributing two of the beasts to him. After all, even though the wolf was larger, the two beasts he had supposedly caught were more challenging to hunt.

The nobles each thought similarly as they looked at the emperor and those surrounding him. And a significant number of the moderates naturally shifted their support toward Edward.

The emperor’s emotional and pitiful behavior contrasted starkly with Luize’s calculated actions. The two were complete opposites, making them think of Edward when they saw her. Moreover, some began to believe she was a fitting match for the imperial family.

Whatever the nobles were thinking, Luize breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

* * *

It was the last day of the Founding Festival. The sky was clear blue, and the emperor sat in the highest seat, looking down at the imperial citizens who gazed up at him. Although he hadn’t managed to deal with the grand duke during this festival, he was confident that Edward wouldn’t dare to cause trouble in front of so many people. Besides, hadn’t he caught two enormous beasts during this festival and shared them with the citizens? Now, he only needed to bask in the applause, be praised as the greatest Emperor in history, and close the ceremony. After all, the entire nobility of the Empire, Princess Diana of Seperdel, the Pendel delegation, and even the senior priests from the temple were all present.

As soon as the emperor spoke, families of those suffering from sleeping sickness who were admitted to the Servenia-affiliated hospital even started applying for discharge. His position grew more secure by the day.

Recently, his close confidant Reiad had also become engaged to Diana rud Seperdel, the princess of Pendel. The gifts he sent were perfect, even in his own opinion.

“

!” He tilted his chin up and cleared his throat in satisfaction.

The closing ceremony reached its climax.

“Now, let us reveal the identities of the ‘three people who stood out the most during the festival.’ Please step onto the stage!”

Luize in the rabbit mask, Edward in the fox mask, and finally, Maxion, holding a large egg with a plain mask, stepped onto the stage one by one.

“First, remove your masks and reveal your identities!”

The three of them simultaneously raised their hands to their masks. Just before removing it, Edward smirked. It was time to return to the Imperial Palace.