I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 136

Meanwhile, someone else was feeling complicated for a different reason.

That someone was Karl.

‘No one should let their guard down. We must not let anything go wrong.’

It couldn’t be helped. The situation was far too complex for a young boy to understand. So no one had properly explained it to Karl.

He was simply told, ‘Your brother made a big mistake, there was a misunderstanding, and Judith had to leave. But actually, your brother is a prince, so now they’re living together in the Grand Duchy.’

All the blanks in between were left for him to guess at through passing remarks. Even the oddly timed pregnancy was a complete mystery to Karl.

“Then when will I get to see my niece or nephew?”

“Sometime early next year.”

“…Isn’t pregnancy supposed to be nine months? That’s what the books say?”

“U-uh… W-well. Oh my, isn’t it time for imperial history class? Let’s stop science here for today.”

No matter how much he asked the teachers, he never got a proper answer. Ben and Isabella just said, ‘It’s all your brother’s fault. One way or another, it’s his fault.’

Then wasn’t the divorce Ekian’s fault, too?

“Look here. History tends to repeat itself. What happened in ancient times happened again in the early empire, and then again after 200 years…”

“Why does that happen? Why can’t people learn from the past?”

“But isn’t that the essence of human affairs?”

Karl found his tutor’s teaching so frustrating he could hardly bear it.

Ekian kept making mistakes. Really, one after another.

And then he got married again. Judith forgave him and accepted him again.

Just like when Ekian first appeared at the Mayus ducal estate and she didn’t even say a single word of resentment, like ‘Why are you only showing up now, when you’re the father of the baby?’

‘Aren’t these the same things happening all over again?’

Karl was wrapped in unease all by himself.

‘If no one else will stop this cycle, I will!’

No matter how much he lectured Ekian, it was no use. He kept saying, ‘Brother, you really need to treat Sister-in-law better,’ but all he got in return were calm responses, so there was nothing to argue against or correct.

So Karl changed tactics. He would now keep talking to Judith about Ekian’s good points.

“Um, Sister-in-law.”

So he waited until Judith finished talking with Melanie and then quickly grabbed her.

“I have something to tell you.”

“Oh? Yes, of course.”

Judith smiled brightly and sat beside Karl in the garden. Just like when Judith first came to the ducal estate, Karl felt at ease.

She was the kind, warm person who had saved him from Sera and comforted him by saying, ‘It’s okay.’

…Honestly, she was far too good for his brother.

“Sister-in-law, I know my brother’s not exactly the best husband.”

Judith looked surprised. “H-how do you know that? Don’t tell me—you were his wife in a past life?”

Judith blinked and slowly edged away from Karl.

“You’ve come from your past life to challenge the current wife, right? Like, ‘Let’s see how well you live with my husband,’ something like that.”

“Good grief! Sister-in-law! You can tell just by watching what’s happened so far!” Karl shouted with a bright red face before realizing he’d fallen for her teasing.

Judith smiled and scooted back over to sit next to him. “Well, it just didn’t sound like something a child would say. I thought maybe you had an adult’s memories.”

“Kids know a lot, too! I’m grown-up enough!”

Karl crossed his arms and huffed. Judith tilted her head and went, “Hmm.”

“Getting angry when someone calls you a child just proves you are one.”

“I-I’m not angry, I’m just stating facts. Anyway!”

Though Judith still had a big smile on her face, Karl cleared his throat and spoke seriously.

“I think my brother will make a good father.”

It was his own desperate move.

Until now, Ekian had kept repeating the history of being a ‘bad man,’ but being a father was a brand-new role!

“Wow.”

Judith widened her eyes in surprise.

“H-how do you know that? Don’t tell me—you’ve seen Ekian raise another child? Did you call me here to secretly report that to me…?”

“No!”

Karl jumped up again.

“He, he, he, he raised me!”

Worried there might be a misunderstanding, Karl quickly continued, “You know there’s quite an age gap between me and my brother, right? He really raised me well. Gentle but strict, fun but always keeping the rules.”

“Oh ho.”

“He’s incredibly good at raising kids, so you don’t need to worry about parenting. Mother even said raising me was so easy thanks to him.”

Judith smiled as if intrigued. Karl thought, This is it, and kept going.

He told her about the first time he lied and how Ekian responded, about the first time he let him ride a horse, how many books he read to him, and how thoroughly he taught him to read and write…

“So, Sister-in-law.”

Karl spoke passionately.

“He’ll be a really good father. You’ll see a different side of him. I swear. It’s guaranteed by the past!”

“I see.”

Judith smiled gently and nodded.

“I understand. Thank you. But, Young Duke.”

“Y-yes?”

Karl knew from experience.

The words that came after ‘but,’ ‘however,’ or ‘still’ were always the important part.

As soon as he sensed that, Karl fell silent and looked up at Judith.

“From what I can tell, Ekian is still lacking as a brother. To leave his little brother feeling this anxious.”

“What?”

“What’s making you anxious?”

Judith smiled kindly and took Karl’s hand.

“Don’t talk about your brother—tell me about yourself. What do you want to say to me?”

“Uh… um…”

Not about his brother?

Karl’s eyes wavered.

‘But I came here to talk about him… and now I’m being told not to…’

And only then did he realize what he truly wanted to say. Karl took a deep breath and looked down as he murmured, “Sister-in-law, please don’t leave again…”

His voice had lost confidence and grew small.

“I mean, I know it wasn’t your fault, but I still felt kind of sad… Everyone just said I was a kid and didn’t explain anything, kept saying it was a secret, and only the adults knew…”

Tears welled up in his eyes. A warning bell rang inside the boy.

With his brother already falling short, if the younger brother also started whining like a child, Judith might find it too much and leave again.

‘I have to act as mature and unbothersome as possible…’

Just as he was about to look up and say never mind—

“I’m really sorry about that.”

Judith smiled kindly and wiped the corners of Karl’s eyes.

“There’s a younger child in my belly, so I couldn’t take care of you, Young Duke. You must’ve been so confused. I actually wanted to apologize in person. When adults make children anxious because of adult matters, it’s always the adults’ fault.”

He shouldn’t cry, but tears suddenly streamed down. He was supposed to be a genius boy, and now he felt so ashamed and embarrassed.

Even so, Judith’s soft and calm voice had the power to unlock the heart that had been tightly shut with anxiety.

“I’ll never leave your brother’s side again.”

Judith extended her pinky.

“Unless he does something truly terrible, then I’ll report it to you first. Then you won’t have to be so anxious anymore, will you?”

Karl sniffled once, then hooked his pinky around Judith’s.

Judith said with a smile, “Please come visit your nephew often. I think he’s going to take after his parents and really love his uncle.”

At last, a smile spread across Karl’s tear-streaked face. Judith tilted her head and continued, “The age gap isn’t too big, so I think he’ll treat you like an older brother…”

At that, Karl widened his eyes. “Huh? It’s a boy?”

“Ah.”

Judith gasped.

“Oh no. That was supposed to be a secret.”

“Huh?”