I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 113

***

Hud was drenched in sweat as he taught the class. A few new kids had shown up after hearing that he’d be teaching, which made him even more nervous than usual.

‘Ah.’

After the two-hour class ended, Hud was practically exhausted.

‘How does Judith do this so well?’

If he said that to her, she would surely laugh and reply, “But Hud is better at treating patients, right?”

Everything felt lighter around her.

Maybe that lightness was why she could be pregnant alone without the father and still seem so okay.

He had tried asking indirectly a few times, but Judith never said anything about the child’s father.

She had simply said, “That’s why I had to divorce Ekian Mayus in a hurry,” which made it seem like the child wasn’t Ekian’s.

But Hud had decided to stop wondering who the father was. Even after spending several days together, Judith still didn’t see him as a man.

She found him comfortable and relied on him to some extent, but it felt no different from how she treated Castin.

To be honest, he had hoped to become someone she could lean on in a moment of weakness, but he hadn’t found even the slightest opening. Maybe it was because Judith treated everything so lightly.

Hud was no exception to that lightness. If he told her, “I’m going back to the Soden Marquisate now,” she would probably just wave and say, “Alright, it was fun. See you next time.”

‘Maybe I should buy some cheese.’

After all the students left, Hud sat blankly for a moment, then slowly got up.

‘She seemed to enjoy it this morning.’

They had stocked up on groceries last night, but since Judith was eating well these days, he wanted to have extra on hand.

‘Is she feeling unwell? Why did she say she couldn’t teach today?’

She was someone with a strong sense of responsibility, so skipping class suddenly was worrying. It was especially unsettling because he knew she wouldn’t share her problems with him.

‘Maybe I should get some fresh eggs too…’

Hud tried to suppress his unease as he left through the school gate and headed toward the market. Normally, they would find time to go together, but it was his first time going alone.

He didn’t realize someone was stealthily tailing him.

***

There were many markets in the Arten territory—it was that large.

Among them, the one Hud and Judith frequented was the closest to the lord’s estate. It had the best goods, the freshest produce, and was the largest market in the region.

Thanks to Castin coming as a medical volunteer, they had been given a government house near the lord’s estate, so naturally, they shopped at the nearest and largest market.

Usually, when shopping, Hud silently stood behind Judith and carried the bags.

Everyone was kind to Judith and wanted to talk to her.

That’s why Hud never imagined people at the shops would talk to him when he went alone.

“Where’s Miss Yuth? You two always come together! Why are you alone today?”

Hud could easily imagine the students lining up to visit if he said, “She’s sick.”

So he answered as naturally as possible.

“Ah, well… she had some personal matters today. I shouldn’t really say more than that.”

Well, a single-person household still counts as a household.

Technically, it was Judith’s situation, but saying it like this wasn’t a lie.

“I see. Still, you two always looked so good together!”

The woman selling eggs clicked her tongue.

“But didn’t Anne bring a bunch of eggs just a few days ago?”

“Ah, yes. But I thought maybe she’d eat better if they were fresher. She hasn’t been enjoying them like the omelet I made that first day.”

“Oh my, how sweet. If only my husband were half as thoughtful as you, Doctor.”

Hud tilted his head slightly at that moment.

Did the woman selling eggs really think her relationship with her husband was the same as his and Judith’s?

But he didn’t want to correct her. Because it didn’t feel bad.

The woman grinned and gave Hud’s back a hearty slap.

“If you keep sticking together like that, you’ll end up as a couple. Make sure you come back together tomorrow like usual, got it?”

“Yes, I understand.”

Hud received the eggs with a good feeling.

But at the cheese shop, they said the same thing.

“Didn’t Miss Yuth say yesterday she wanted this? Are you buying it again? Must’ve really liked it, huh?”

“Ah, yes. Could you give me a bit more today?”

The cheese vendor chuckled heartily. “You two look great together. Reminds me of when I was newly married. I used to close up shop just to walk my wife home. She used to be an accountant for the knight order, you know? I’d wait out front for her every single day—just like you.”

“Haha… Well, we just live under the same roof, so it sort of happened naturally.”

Hud laughed awkwardly, but he wasn’t displeased, and a faint blush rose to his ears. The vendor continued speaking with a similar tone.

“Taking walks together, buying things like this—that’s happiness. Right? That’s the kind of life young couples should have. When you’re living like that, who cares about lords or kings, right?”

“Well… yeah.”

Hud answered, feeling his lips curl into a smile without even realizing it.

Apparently, the market folk hadn’t said such things earlier out of deference to Judith’s pregnancy.

Now he was constantly hearing comments of the same nature, paired with unfamiliar kindness.

Even at shops he passed by without stopping, he heard similar remarks.

“Oh dear, you look so lonely walking alone! Be sure to come back with Miss Yuth next time!”

“You two are always together, right? Is Miss Yuth not feeling well today? Send her our regards. Tell her we’re worried.”

“She’s not sick? Maybe just feeling a little off? Well, I guess things have been a bit chaotic in the territory with the Grand Duke’s visit.”

Hud nodded without much thought.

He had heard the rumor that the Grand Duke had arrived unexpectedly.

The sudden revelation that the important guest who was supposed to arrive in about three days turned out to be the Grand Duke was a bit surprising.

Hud didn’t know the man said to be the Crown Prince’s younger brother. He had never heard of him in the capital or in the Soden Marquisate.

But he was more concerned about Judith, who had uncharacteristically declared she wouldn’t go outside, so he didn’t bother to find out more.

Even back when he lived on the farm, he hadn’t paid much attention to people in power.

Besides, he’d spent the whole morning preparing for the class Judith had entrusted to him, with no time to step outside. This was the first time he’d seen anyone new that day.

“A lot of outsiders came in too. The Grand Duke brought quite the entourage. They’re going on about all sorts of weird stuff, something about the Grey Master or whatever—I didn’t get it at all.”

“Right? Over in the next market, there’s even talk of a masked weirdo wandering around. Seems like a few crazies slipped in.”

Hud half-listened, letting the words in one ear and out the other.

All he could think about now was how he wanted to quickly get back to Judith.

He placed the eggs and cheese into his bicycle basket and pedaled off, more agilely than the day before.

***

A coastal village in the east.

“Ron! Ron!”

Ron stumbled into a small shop.

“Ron! What on earth—”

Elizabeth rushed to support him in alarm.

The child burst into tears at the sudden chaos inside the house.

“Quiet!”