I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 103

Then, like a madman, he suddenly flung open the door to the secret passage.

The dark and narrow passage where they shared their first kiss.

The cramped and sweltering space of that night, when no amount of kissing felt like enough, when they had longed to get closer and closer.

Ekian walked into the corner of that secret passage where he had pressed her against the wall and poured his body heat into her again and again.

With every step he took, it felt like he was suffocating, like his chest was tightening.

Sure enough, the black ribbon that had covered her eyes—placed there by his own hand—was lying there, neatly folded.

Being black, it wasn’t easily noticeable unless one looked closely. It was even tucked away in the corner, and if he hadn’t searched carefully, he would’ve missed it entirely.

Ekian picked up the ribbon with trembling hands.

Thud. A letter folded inside the ribbon fell to the floor. When he unfolded the small piece of paper, it was filled with Judith’s round and neat handwriting.

[Dear Master,

Just in case, I’m leaving this letter behind.

First, I want to apologize. I said with my own mouth that the chances of pregnancy were low, but I got pregnant that day in the annex.]

It was the moment when all the suspicions he had carried as mere assumptions turned into certainty.

Ekian felt his heart pounding.

When she first came to the Mayus ducal residence, the phrase ‘pregnant with Ekian’s child’ had sounded so unfamiliar, but now, it had become a reality.

‘Then why…’

Even his fingertips tingled.

‘Why apologize first… why on earth…’

[If you don’t want the child and don’t want to find me, I suppose there’s nothing I can do.

That would be kind of trashy, but still, it can’t be helped. I don’t even know your face, so how could I possibly know your heart? Of course, I will take full responsibility for our child myself.

Still, even so, I’ll make sure to live my whole life being careful, so as not to cause you any inconvenience. I’m good at things like that.

A child born to parents who didn’t want them and had to live constantly under someone’s scrutiny—one like me—is more than enough.]

The tone of the letter was cheerful. Just like her usual self.

But in it was a strange resignation, and somewhere within, a tinge of low self-esteem.

[Of course, if you come to find me and the child, we’d be able to talk plenty.

That’s why I’m writing this letter while imagining the worst—that you’ve received it, but choose not to find us. What I’m about to say now is what I truly want to express, so please remember it well.]

Curious to know what came next, Ekian caught his breath.

Judith didn’t seem to have even the slightest intention of asking him to take responsibility for her or the child.

[Master, you were the second desire and fear to come into my life.

The first was my parents. As a child, I wanted their love but feared being cast aside as a nuisance, so I behaved quietly.

And so, I vaguely understood. That such relationships couldn’t last, and that someday my parents would leave me.

So when I ended up alone at seventeen, it was frightening, but I’d braced myself for it for so long that I could accept the situation with some composure.

The second was you, Master. I was curious about you, but I was afraid that if I found out who you really were, you’d leave me, so I never even saw your face.

So I suppose I’ve been abandoned a second time. But I’m not alone anymore, so I can live my life more bravely now.]

The words saying that she was used to being abandoned by someone dear, and that it was fine, made Ekian’s chest ache.

How could it be fine? She’d already experienced that pain once.

At the same time, the very idea that she had lumped him together with someone like Elizabeth felt like a personal insult.

Just how little had she trusted him—or how little did she believe she truly knew him?

But in the end, all of it had been his own doing.

There had been countless chances to tell the truth, but because of his foolish desire to offer her a better version of himself and a better future, he had pushed her away.

It was all his fault. Ekian felt like his heart was being scraped raw as he gasped for air.

[In the past, you may have thought that my ability to accept everything was merely a form of resignation.

Thank you for saying that back then. You were the first person in my life who tried to understand me and stay by my side until the end.

With those memories, I desired you as much as I could within my limits, and I’m satisfied with that. I’ll resign myself to the regret of not fully knowing you.

Even if you’ve decided not to look for me and my child, I sincerely hope you live well. I, too, will live well with my child.]

Ekian saw in that letter a girl who had swallowed so much within herself.

Even the heart of Judith, who had left without ever seeing his face.

She hadn’t left out of consideration for him, but because she was afraid of what line she might cross. That’s why she left without a word.

Because of that, it truly felt like she could live well without him. No matter how much she loved, she could turn away without lingering—because resignation was her specialty.

But the very fact that he was the subject of such resignation made Ekian’s chest feel tight.

He felt like no matter what happened, he could never resign himself from her.

The long letter now had only its final paragraph left.

[But to protect this child, I plan to leave for a faraway place. I don’t know where exactly, but I intend to visit the Shrine of the Last Priestess first.

The Last Priestess told me to return if I ever faced hardship and had nowhere to go. I believe she will surely show me a path.

P.S. Do you know anything about the son of the Last Priestess?

The Last Priestess told me she had wronged her son and asked me to please make him happy.

I should have granted her request immediately, but I was too busy living my own life and forgot. Looking back now, I realize I’ve been quite shameless.

If you’re planning to come find me, I hope you’ll also learn about the son of the Last Priestess.]

Ekian blinked in disbelief at the contents of the letter.

The fact that she had left without a destination was already shocking. If something supernatural had indeed occurred at the Shrine of the Last Priestess, it made sense that no one could find Judith.

And… the Last Priestess had asked Judith to make her son happy?

Then what was his birth mother thinking when she left behind her final power? Could hiding Judith have been part of her design?

Ekian jumped to his feet the moment he finished reading the letter.

When he first arrived in the capital, everyone had looked at him with dread, expecting a disaster.

But in truth, Ekian hadn’t caused the commotion they’d feared.

That was because he had spent the past few months uneasy and anxious, as if something like this was bound to happen.

For some reason, it felt like something terrible was waiting for him in the capital.

He had dismissed it as illogical and irrational, but when he heard the news of the divorce, he realized that his unease and anxiety had been justified.

He was the son of the Last Priestess, known for her foresight. Could that bloodline have passed to him as well?

Now that the hallucinations he had heard and the visions that flickered in his sight for no reason had all become reality, he couldn’t help but wonder if it had all been a warning from his mother.

That if he continued clinging to what was unimportant, a future in which he would lose what truly mattered would unfold before his very eyes.

‘…Mother.’

Ekian dashed out the door.