I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 120

There was something odd about Ekian’s behavior. Judith surely sensed it too.

But knowing her personality, she likely didn’t ask because he hadn’t brought it up.

Perhaps the reason she didn’t accept him right away wasn’t the fact that he had deceived her in the past—but the strange sense of discomfort he gave off now.

Hud stood dazed, staring out the empty entrance for quite a while.

***

After publicly announcing the Emperor’s death, the lord’s residence began to be openly referred to as the Grand Duke’s manor.

Because Ekian had begun acting as though he were its rightful owner.

And upon returning to that residence, Ekian received a report from his subordinate with a grim expression.

“Elizabeth Dale has boarded a freight wagon heading for the Arten territory.”

“…Any companions?”

“None. Ron Dale and Petro Dale remained at home.”

In truth, Elizabeth was little more than a countrywoman with nothing of value.

But because he had sensed something disturbingly eerie about her, Ekian had placed surveillance on her all along.

That this woman was Judith’s birth mother gave him a deep sense of conflict.

He wanted to eliminate her immediately, but felt that he couldn’t.

While Judith had been in the capital, there had been one occasion when she’d lashed out sharply at him.

He later learned that seeing Isabella and the Marchioness of Soden searching for their son had left her feeling down, reminded of her own birth mother.

It had led to their first real argument. Even Judith had later admitted, during their carriage ride back to the Shrine of the Last Priestess, that she had overreacted.

“Honestly, I’ve had my sensitive moments, too…”

That meant her birth mother was still an unresolved variable in Judith’s heart.

‘And yet she won’t just live quietly.’

Why was that woman coming to Arten now?

‘Not even the Emperor knew Judith was in Arten. There’s no way a mere commoner like Elizabeth could’ve figured it out.’

It didn’t seem like she was coming to harm Judith. If that were the goal, a middle-aged woman wouldn’t be traveling alone.

‘Then… could she have figured out my identity?’

That level of deduction was possible. The resemblance to the Emperor, the sudden appearance of a Grand Duke, his actions to protect Judith—there were clues.

‘Is she here to meet me, then?’

In any case, it wasn’t good news for Ekian.

Having met Elizabeth in person, he sensed she could be more troublesome than expected.

‘That woman, in the end, still…’

Meanwhile, all of Ekian’s orders were proceeding smoothly.

He feigned having only just found the bodies of the Emperor and the lord, began preparations for the lord’s funeral, and sent the Emperor’s remains to the capital.

Soon, a state funeral would be held, and Arten would officially become a Grand Duchy.

The lord of Arten had neglected the territory while trailing the Emperor everywhere, which worked heavily in Ekian’s favor.

Even though he’d only handled the urgent matters so far, the people of the land had few complaints.

Thanks in large part to his command that all his knights and attendants treat the townspeople with civility, public anxiety had rapidly settled within just half a day of his arrival.

Aside from one complaint about “a masked weirdo ruining the town’s aesthetics,” there were no other serious issues.

“Also… about the barbarians. The investigation teams have returned. Here are the reports they submitted.”

Ekian had brought all his subordinates with him to this place.

Those who had worked under him through the Grey Information Guild, and those who had remained loyal at the Mayus estate despite five years of absence.

Both groups were far more capable than the knights once under the lord of Arten.

Though the last barbarian raid had been orchestrated by Alteion, in truth, many barbarian groups did roam near Arten.

Ekian had ordered investigations into that as well.

He believed that the frequent raids were lowering the quality of life for the territory’s residents.

Even Alteion had once suggested that quickly resolving the barbarian issue would help Ekian swiftly establish himself as the region’s rightful ruler.

“It would be troublesome if other barbarian tribes attacked the undefended territory in the meantime. Of course, if you fend off such attacks, it’ll be even easier for you to settle in Arten…”

Ekian read through the report with a cold gaze.

The subordinate spoke cautiously, “So, the conclusion is… It seems the former lord of Arten deliberately left the barbarians unchecked. So the people would remain anxious and follow orders more obediently.”

That explanation made the situation clear.

Frequent evacuations, followed by the lord showing up with knights to drive off the barbarians, would naturally make the people think, ‘We need the lord.’

It also made it easier to raise taxes under the pretext of barbarian threats and to skim military funds.

The money collected this way was spent to stay in the Emperor’s favor.

With death looming over them daily, the people had no time or energy to think about education or self-improvement.

As a result, they hadn’t learned how to seek solutions when angry or how to logically protest injustice.

Perhaps that’s why, even as the lord’s death was announced and the funeral held, the people showed little sorrow.

With no surviving family, the funeral was all the more quiet.

“So in the end, the threat wasn’t even that severe.”

“Yes. If we act properly, it should be easy to subjugate them. However, since the barbarians can’t distinguish much between heaven and earth, they seem to be preparing a raid upon hearing of the lord’s death.”

They didn’t realize the Grand Duke who had come to replace the lord was the one who would dig their graves.

‘His Highness the Crown Prince was right. He said the remaining barbarians would cause trouble, thinking they could raid an undefended territory.’

Ekian’s resolve remained unchanged—he would crush them completely and declare the territory safe.

But a new variable had emerged.

Elizabeth’s appearance.

‘The more Judith’s life shines, the more that woman clings to her shadow.’

All the more reason not to let Judith encounter Elizabeth—especially while she was carrying a child…

‘I want to make her Grand Duchess right away.’

To be honest, it wouldn’t be difficult to forcibly seat Judith as the Grand Duchess.

Given her personality, if Ekian pushed for it, she would likely accept—for the sake of the child.

She was someone who generally accepted everything.

If he insisted he couldn’t leave the baby as they were and demanded his rightful share as the father, Judith would likely be deeply disappointed—but she would still go along with it.

Of course, his top priority was not to do that to Judith.

But there was a problem.

‘If I make her Grand Duchess without any preparation, there’s no telling what Elizabeth might demand from her.’

No doubt, under the pretense of “family,” she would put Judith in a very difficult position.

Though she was a mother who abandoned her child, seeing a Grand Duchess rejecting her own birth mother at the door wouldn’t sit well with the people. And Ekian knew Elizabeth was the kind of woman who could manipulate that sentiment expertly.

‘I can’t leave her alone any longer.’

Ekian’s sharp eyes narrowed.

‘Even if she’s Judith’s birth mother, I can’t let her roam free any longer.’

That woman needed to pay for her crimes.

So he had to use this situation.

His mind raced, searching for a way to deal with her without affecting Judith.

‘Then I’ll need to set a trap. Which means I’ll have to step away from the territory for a while…’

As mentioned in the earlier report, he had a legitimate reason to leave the territory.