I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 117

“But I was Ekian Mayus’s wife, and now I’m pregnant with another man’s child—how could he possibly like me? Try thinking rationally.”

“You once liked a man whose face and name you didn’t even know. Was that something that could be explained rationally?”

“You really want to bring that up right now? Where’s your conscience? Where’s your sense?”

“I’m sorry.”

Ekian bowed his head.

Still, he felt a sense of relief inside as her face now showed some sort of emotion—albeit angry.

Her blank expression had always been the scariest thing to him.

“So…”

Ekian looked quietly at Judith, whose eyes now blazed, and asked, “It must have been hard… right? Is the baby… okay?”

“……”

“I understand what kind of feelings led you to write that letter… but Judith, the truth is, I was really happy and excited when I heard about the baby. I just wanted to see you as soon as possible.”

At the mention of the baby, Judith’s expression became very complicated.

“I’m truly sorry for not being by your side during such an important time. If you’ll give me a chance, I’ll dedicate my life—truly, my whole life—to making it right.”

Ekian wanted so badly to say a thousand things about the baby, but Judith’s increasingly complex expression made him hold his tongue.

He feared it might sound like he was using the child as a pretext to pressure her into reconciliation.

In truth, he wanted at least to place his hand on her belly—he wanted to whisper to the baby that he was sorry, that he would always stay by their side from now on.

He barely restrained that impulse and forced himself to look away from her stomach.

Then, what caught his eye instead were her now fuller-than-usual breasts, the soft curve of her neckline, the pale skin peeking out from her simple dress.

So Hud had been seeing this provocative sight every day.

Blood rushed once more and his breath started to grow ragged.

Honestly, he wanted to just hold her and take her straight back to the manor this very moment…

Judith placed a hand to her forehead and murmured, “I’ve been waiting for the Master to find us. But to be honest…”

Judith shut her eyes tight and added, “Seeing Ekian’s face again… it’s really uncomfortable. I haven’t been able to adjust to the disconnect.”

“If you’re having trouble adjusting, I’m willing to wear the mask when we meet for a while.”

“Did you really just say that?”

Judith became angry again. Then with a short sigh, she turned her head.

“If there’s nothing else left to say…”

Judith’s voice had always been gentle, lively, and kind—but now it was sharply barbed.

“Please give me some time to think. To be honest, I’m not okay at all. I haven’t fully processed what’s happened yet.”

“Then… would it be alright if I just stayed here and watched?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve missed you so much… I’d just like to keep looking at you until you’ve sorted through your thoughts.”

An expression of disbelief crossed Judith’s face.

In the end, she abruptly stood and opened the door.

“Let me be direct. I’d like you to leave. The more we talk, the angrier I get.”

The moment she opened the door, Castin and Hud, who had been eavesdropping with their ears pressed to it, tumbled awkwardly into the room.

Judith shut her eyes tightly and shouted, “Out, all of you!”

At the shout of the pregnant woman, everyone had no choice but to take the hint and leave.

And when Ekian let out a long sigh and exited the house—

“Your Grace.”

One of his subordinates quickly approached. His face was grim, as if something serious had happened.

“There’s something urgent to report.”

***

Judith sat holed up in her room, lost in thought.

She had imagined the day the Master would come. Ever since leaving the Mayus estate, she had thought of it constantly.

But never—not once—had she imagined a day like this.

‘The Master is Ekian Mayus? And he turns out to be a prince? The son of the Last Priestess, no less?’

It was simply absurd. All those days when she met Ekian during the day and the Master at night now felt like someone’s elaborate prank.

‘And I even read all kinds of books right in front of Ekian!’

Back then, trying to seduce the Master, she had piled up and read books like How to Get a Lover and Women Men Like.

She hadn’t thought much of reading those in front of Ekian, since she didn’t have any particular reason to hide it from him.

‘How embarrassing! So mortifying!’

At the same time, all the subtle things she had overlooked began to fall into place.

Judith had never really understood why the Emperor was so obsessed with eliminating her, but she had vaguely assumed it was because she was Mayus’s weakest point.

Now that she knew Ekian was the son of the Last Priestess, it made perfect sense.

After all, Judith was the only person who had elicited a response from the Shrine of the Last Priestess.

If she were the Emperor and heard that, she’d have found Judith troubling too.

Just then—

Knock, knock.

After a moment’s pause, Hud’s hesitant voice came through the door.

“Um, Judith.”

The door creaked open and Hud poked his head in.

“I know you said you wanted to be alone… but you still have to eat dinner, right?”

Next to him, Castin held a plate and added,

<You can’t skip meals, Yuth. A lot of time’s passed already.>

Judith let out a deep sigh. Truthfully, she had no appetite at all, but she figured she had to eat for the baby’s sake.

Taking her silence as agreement, Hud and Castin quietly sat down in front of her.

Fresh salad, omelet, and sausages were placed on the table.

<Here, eat a little.>

Castin offered a fork.

<We’re probably going to have to leave soon, anyway.>

<What? What do you mean?>

<An official announcement just came out—they found the bodies of His Majesty the Emperor and the lord. It looks like His Grace the Grand Duke is going to become the new lord of this land.>

<Ah…>

<We were just temporary aid, after all. Time to return to our places. It’s not like we were really needed for medical relief.>

Castin chuckled as she said this.

<But your husband is seriously funny. Wandering the streets in that mask—everyone was saying there’s some lunatic walking around.>

<…Really?>

<Yeah, and there’s a rumor going around that the Grey… something Information Master or whatever has come. Is he someone famous in the Empire?>

Judith poked at her salad with her fork and bit her lower lip.

Ekian, in his own way, had done everything he could.

He had moved to announce the Emperor’s death quickly, had gone around Arten in his ridiculous Master outfit, knowing how it would look, and even spread the rumor that the Grey Information Guild Master had returned…

Even if he hadn’t come looking for her directly, she probably would’ve come out of hiding after hearing the rumors.

But he couldn’t wait even that little bit and ended up chasing after Hud. His desperation had come through again in that moment.

‘But still—it’s Ekian!’

She wouldn’t have cared if it had been a complete stranger, but why did it have to be Ekian? Her ex-husband, of all people.

‘To get pregnant by your husband, then divorce him… What kind of ridiculous situation is this?’

She rubbed her forehead and let out a deep sigh.

Watching her closely, Hud cautiously asked, “Judith, so… is His Grace the Grand Duke really the father of the child? Did he deceive you and make it look like an affair…? Was he playing a double role…?”

“It’s ridiculous, right?”

Judith let out a breath and dropped her fork with a clatter.

“After Young Duke Ekian Mayus came back, we shared a room—and with that handsome face, he kept trying to seduce me every day. I did everything I could to resist, not to fall for that face… and now I feel like a complete fool.”