I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 126

‘Bold, aren’t they. Lending that kind of money without collateral… That rookie’s hopeless, too.’

Ron shook his head inwardly as he eavesdropped on the harsh conversation between the loan sharks.

From what he heard, they were truly vicious, and they seemed likely to collect the debt no matter what.

‘You should never get involved with people like that in the first place.’

He was so afraid of making eye contact with them that he moved his gaze to the window instead.

The large and wealthy, yet long-stagnant territory of Arten was now just up ahead.

***

Elizabeth waited with an anxious face for a response.

If Judith was indeed inside that Grand Duke’s manor as the future Grand Duchess…

‘I just have to plead in front of people, say it was all a misunderstanding. That I only ran away because I couldn’t bear your father’s abuse, that I didn’t know about the debt.’

If they drove away her birth mother in rags, people were bound to say, “Sure, the circumstances are sad, but isn’t that too much? How could she do that to her own mother…?”

There would be those on Judith’s side, but there would surely be others who weren’t. If there were more of them, even the slightest coldness from Judith would brand her as “a woman who throws away her own mother,” making it difficult for her to handle anything.

Judith was wise, and she would surely realize that.

Moreover, she had always longed for a mother’s affection. If Elizabeth simply conveyed the message, “I want to get along with you now,” her heart would surely waver.

“Well… hmm.”

The Grey Information Guild agent grinned and said, “Judith Mayus, that is—she is not inside the Grand Duke’s manor.”

“…Ah!”

A gasp escaped Elizabeth’s lips.

No wonder—the dates didn’t line up! No way someone could go through early pregnancy twice.

That meant the Grand Duke had a bizarre taste for sure!

Going all out to get a woman with red hair and green eyes pregnant before marriage…

Just as Elizabeth’s eyes sparkled and she sank into thought—

“If you happen to have something to say to His Grace the Grand Duke…”

The guild agent smiled.

“He will soon arrive in the territory. Perhaps you could speak to him before he enters the manor?”

“Before… he enters the manor?”

“Yes. The future Grand Duchess is currently staying at the manor, after all.”

“Oh.”

Elizabeth immediately understood what he meant.

Of course, no one would want to talk about their former wife in a house with a new fiancée.

“If you wish, we can arrange a meeting for you.”

The guild agent smiled kindly.

“You’ve paid 70 million gold up front—offering this much service is only fair. We also want to maintain good relations with His Grace.”

“Oh my, thank you very much.”

Elizabeth smiled sweetly. Spending that large sum in advance had definitely been worth it.

“Then please wait here for a moment.”

The agent rose slowly. The tea and cookies he’d offered were of such fine quality that Elizabeth was thoroughly pleased.

“When His Grace the Grand Duke arrives, our personnel will discreetly guide him to our guild. Then we’ll create an opportunity for you to meet him.”

“He’s arriving soon?”

“Yes. Everyone believes he’ll arrive this afternoon, but in truth, His Grace should be reaching the borders of the territory by now. He’s traveling extremely fast.”

They even knew that! The Grey Information Guild was truly competent.

“To think… the Grand Duke, who just defeated the barbarians, is coming here straightaway?”

The agent replied confidently, “Of course. You’re Judith Ailan’s mother. Naturally, he’d want to meet you.”

***

“Teacher! I’m serious!”

Anne stood in front of Judith, her face flushed red, speaking excitedly.

“They say His Grace the Grand Duke has already arrived at the border! The plaza is in chaos. It’s already packed with people trying to see him. I’m sure he’ll give a speech, right?”

“What? A plaza? Is there such a place?”

“Ah, you wouldn’t know, Teacher! Well, you’ve only just come to our territory!”

Anne laughed brightly.

“The plaza is across the main road. At a glance, it looks like farmland, but there’s a path that slopes down, and it can hold quite a lot of people. Usually, the lord gives speeches there. There’s a magical amplification device embedded in the platform, so even if you speak softly, everyone in the plaza can hear clearly!”

“A speech platform? Ah, so that’s what it was.”

“But it seems the new Grand Duke doesn’t know about it. He built a temporary structure over the platform. Some kind of information guild from the capital set up a branch there, but they say it’ll be dismantled soon! Ah, but that’s not the important part. Wait, wait.”

Anne, who had been chattering excitedly, suddenly straightened up in surprise. Then, with sparkling eyes, she continued.

“That woman you told me to keep an eye on just entered that place!”

The mention of the information guild triggered something.

It was a word Judith couldn’t ignore.

Judith took a deep breath. Then slowly asked, “Do you know the name of that information guild?”

Anne replied cheerfully, “The Grey Information Guild!”

***

Elizabeth, face anxious, had already emptied two plates of cookies while waiting for Ekian.

It had been a long time since she had tasted such fine food—she couldn’t help but keep reaching for more.

‘Once I finish negotiating with the Grand Duke, I’ll be eating like this every day.’

The guild had assured her that Ekian would come to meet her. That could only mean he considered Judith a nuisance.

‘Of course he would. Imagine people laughing about how his ex-wife looks just like his new woman.’

As Elizabeth hummed to herself, waiting for the third plate of cookies—

“Mrs. Dale.”

The guild agent knocked and entered.

“His Grace the Grand Duke has arrived. He wishes to keep the conversation brief. He’s entered the territory in secret.”

Elizabeth’s eyes sparkled as she shot to her feet.

The bait had worked!

***

“He’ll definitely come here, won’t he?”

The plaza was crowded with people.

“Of course. It’s a historic moment—driving out the barbarians. If it were the old lord, he’d have summoned everyone already.”

“Right, he used to give speeches for hours every time he repelled them.”

No one had ordered them to gather—it was instinctual.

Up to now, the lord of Arten had summoned the people every time he battled the barbarians and repeated the same words over and over.

How hard he and his knights worked to protect them from the barbarians, why taxes needed to be raised, how they should raise their children to become brave knights who would defend the territory…

Everyone had suffered through those tedious speeches.

But this time, the Grand Duke’s achievements were so remarkable that the residents had voluntarily flocked to the plaza.

And there was another reason too.

A rumor that the Grand Duke was incredibly handsome.

And another rumor.

“He’s Miss Yuth’s baby’s father, right?”

“That’s why Miss Yuth has kept quiet all this time…”

“No wonder. Miss Yuth never seemed like an ordinary commoner. What kind of commoner knows everything so well?”

“Exactly. I heard she even helps with administrative tasks. There must’ve been a story behind it.”

The residents had already felt fondly toward ‘Miss Yuth’ even before the Grand Duke arrived.

Naturally, they were full of curiosity about the Grand Duke who had begun treating her like a Grand Duchess.

“He’s better than Mr. Hud, right?”

“If he’s not more attentive than Mr. Hud, I won’t accept this marriage.”

“What will you do if you don’t accept it? Still, I agree. If he doesn’t cherish Miss Yuth like Mr. Hud, then I can’t approve either.”

They all murmured like fathers marrying off their daughters.

Then—

“Ahem, so then…”

A low male voice suddenly rang out. The people gathered in the plaza immediately fell silent.

They had already heard enough speeches in this plaza to recognize the distinctive timbre of an amplified voice.