I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 104

‘If you left behind your final power because you felt sorry for me…’

Several servants ran after him, but none could stop him. He dashed straight to the stables and mounted his horse.

‘Please, let me see her again.’

Without even hearing the shouts calling him from behind, he galloped toward the Shrine of the Last Priestess.

Praying, praying that there would be some kind of answer.

***

Was it because of the pregnancy, or because it was the first time she had felt at ease?

These days, she would get drowsy at the drop of a hat.

Judith was dozing off in a hammock behind the cabin, bathed in the afternoon sun.

Even in sleep, the scent of herbs drying in the sun and the chirping of birds in the distance felt peaceful.

In the shallow slumber, she dreamed. A lucid dream, in which she was aware it was a dream.

In the dream, Master with black hair was crying. It seemed like he was calling her name—or maybe the child’s.

Judith had never been one to dream much, but ever since arriving here after becoming pregnant, she sometimes had dreams like this.

Dreams of Master suffering and searching for them. His face was blurry and hard to make out, but he was in pain, looking for them.

‘Ah… we’re doing fine…’

What surprised her a bit was that seeing Master like that strangely brought her peace of mind.

Because it gave her confidence that, unlike the worst-case scenario she had braced for, Master wouldn’t just ignore them thinking, ‘I never wanted this child…’

For someone who had prepared herself for the possibility of abandonment, it was a relief.

She had vowed to raise the child strong and resolute even without Master, but… in truth, she had wanted him by her side.

No matter how accustomed she was to resignation, she still wished the child had a father.

When she used to work as a tutor, she had visited peaceful households of commoners.

Among them was a kind husband who read fairy tales aloud to the belly of his pregnant wife, who was expecting their third or fourth child.

Lately, those gentle scenes kept coming to mind—perhaps Judith envied them. A partner to wait for this child together.

So she hoped Master would come looking for them. Now, she felt that even if he appeared unsightly, it would be fine. No, even if she never saw his face for the rest of her life, it would be fine. As long as he stayed by her side.

‘Baby.’

Even in the dream, Judith thought:

‘Because I had this dream, I feel like I wasn’t abandoned. So I’m thankful for this dream…’

Maybe because she kept dreaming of Master searching for her and the child, it started to feel like she would definitely meet him again someday.

It was the unexpected benefit of these frequent dreams.

At the same time, Judith had another thought:

‘Ah, I…’

Even in such a peaceful place, in such safety, spending such warm days with Castin—

‘I… am not okay.’

When you see someone you love in pain, you’re supposed to feel sad or hurt—but if instead, you feel relieved, that means… Judith herself was suffering.

In truth, she was lonely, afraid, and desolate. She was desperately doing her best to bury those feelings and look away.

How long had she been wandering in that dream? She was jolted awake by Castin’s urgent voice.

[Yuth, Yuth!]

[Yes?]

Judith’s eyes snapped open, and she sat up in the hammock. Castin rushed over with a troubled look on her face.

[What do we do about this?]

The flustered expression on Castin’s face was one Judith had never seen before. She asked calmly:

<What’s wrong?>

<Ah, well… Setan delivered this.>

Setan was a peddler of stolen goods who wandered around this area.

Judith had also bought baby shoes from Setan once. She couldn’t resist how tiny and cute they were when she saw them.

<They say the Arten region beyond the mountain is in chaos right now. Because of barbarian raids, there are many injured, and apparently not enough doctors.>

<Ah, really?>

Judith searched her memory.

She hadn’t been living here that long, but her days in the Empire already felt like a previous life.

In any case, Arten was a region the Emperor had inspected, and it was said to be frequently invaded by barbarians even in normal times.

In fact, trade with this area was difficult now because of the barbarians blocking the way.

<That’s why they even came to me, a foreigner. I told them I’m an herbalist, not a doctor, but they said they need any skilled person they can find.>

Judith lowered her eyes and fell into brief thought.

‘Something’s strange. Not enough doctors? If the Emperor is there, it wouldn’t be odd if he had already gathered all the doctors in the area.’

Doctors, in a way, were resources too.

But for there to be a shortage of resources in the Emperor’s location—that was unthinkable.

This place was so remote that there was no way to get more detailed news about the Empire.

<They say if I agree to go, they’ll even assign an escort to safely take me there by carriage… And apparently, the barbarians are in disarray right now.>

<Really? Are you sure? Isn’t it dangerous?>

<They said the nature of the attacks is different from before, and the barbarians seem to be lost. They kept emphasizing that there’s no need to worry about further raids.>

Hesitation flickered on Castin’s face.

Originally, the road to the Empire had been cut off due to the barbarians, but if knights from Arten were escorting them directly, the journey wouldn’t be long or dangerous. It might be worth going.

Judith stared quietly at Castin’s wavering face and then asked with a gentle smile:

<Castin, you want to go, don’t you?>

<Well… the truth is, I have the ability to help people, and sitting still feels wrong.>

Castin was a good person, and had she not been living with Judith, she would have accepted the offer right away.

She was someone who believed she should use her abilities to help others, even without compensation, if lives were at stake.

But her hesitation was because of Judith.

Judith was pregnant, a foreigner in this village, and it was only natural to feel uneasy about leaving her alone.

Sensing Castin’s heart, Judith spoke gently:

<Could I go with you, Castin? I may be pregnant, but you said I’m in the stable period. Wouldn’t a journey like this be possible?>

If she wanted to know what was going on in the Empire, the best way was to go there directly. She had been curious about the events unfolding within the Empire for some time now.

<I could say I’m your assistant. Besides, they’re even sending an escort and a carriage, so it seems like a good opportunity.>

The fact they were seeking doctors all the way out in this remote region was troubling. It felt like something was off, as though the territory was ownerless.

It seemed like the people below were anxiously scattering requests for help to nearby areas because there was no official superior to turn to for aid.

‘Could it be… has something really happened to the Emperor? Everything definitely seems strange.’

The future she once knew could no longer be called a future. After all, Alteion was alive and had awakened, and Ekian hadn’t secretly gone on a mission either.

They could have launched a surprise attack and done something to the Emperor right away.

And what Castin said next only strengthened Judith’s suspicions.

<From what I heard, it seems like there’s no lord, either. Things seem chaotic, will it be alright?>

<Is that so? If anything, maybe I’ll be able to learn more amid the confusion.>

If the Emperor was dead, then there was no need for her to hide anymore. She could simply observe the situation for a while and visit Hud’s clinic if needed.

It was far, yes, but she had also been feeling sorry for continuously relying on Castin.