I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 138

Judith decided to think positively.

After all, Karl’s gloom had lifted. Seeing a child all downcast just didn’t sit right.

“Uncle will really play with him like a big brother,” Karl said excitedly. “Of course, there’s a big age gap, but I’ll return to childhood again.”

He even declared his resolve as if he were some great adult.

“I will keep the secret.”

He clenched both fists with a determined face.

“About the fact that my nephew’s gender has already been revealed!”

Amazingly, he had also convinced himself why it should be a secret.

“It’s because of my mother, right?”

“Y-your mother?”

When Judith asked back, Karl smirked knowingly and said, “Mother bought a bunch of stuff for a baby girl. Even though she said it’s too early to know the gender.”

Several wagons had arrived carrying baby items. They said the territory, having just come out of war, wouldn’t have the latest baby goods.

There were a ridiculous number of clothes. Clothes for a boy, clothes for a girl—both. When asked why she bought so many, Isabella nonchalantly said, ‘I just bought whatever I liked.’

What was even more surprising was that Ekian didn’t say, ‘What do you mean buying both when we don’t even know the gender?’

No one mentioned the excessive spending. After all, even combined, it wasn’t a large sum for Isabella. In fact, Ben simply remarked, ‘If spending that much made your mother happy, then it was worth every coin.’

“It’d be a shame to make her throw things out the moment she arrives. Our family doesn’t really mind, but Sister-in-law is kind-hearted.”

“Ah… Well.”

Judith nodded absentmindedly.

“I suppose that’s true… Yes. That’s right.”

In any case, Karl’s gloom had completely vanished, so the baby in her belly had soothed his uncle’s feelings just by revealing one piece of information.

Still, Judith made a vow to herself.

‘Next, I’ll tell Ekian. It was a slip of the tongue that Karl found out first, but still, Ekian is the child’s father…’

She had faith. Even if the baby was a boy, Ekian would never be disappointed. No matter the lingering shadows of his past, he was strong enough to overcome them.

***

She had definitely made up her mind, but…

“Judith!”

After thoroughly scolding Ekian, Isabella immediately came looking for Judith. Judith, too, rushed into Isabella’s arms as if she had been waiting.

Although they had already greeted, embraced, exchanged blessings, cried, and laughed at the wedding hall, there were still things to say now that the ceremony was over.

“I really gave Ekian a piece of my mind. He tried to slip away like a fox, though…”

Isabella said, bristling.

“I’ll make sure to straighten him out every time I come to my senses. How dare that sinner try to marry my daughter-in-law with nothing to show for it?”

“That last part was really strange, Mother. Ahaha…”

“Anyway.”

Isabella’s eyes swept over Judith with concern.

“How’s your morning sickness? Even if it’s the stable period, pregnancy symptoms differ for everyone. Are you craving any particular foods or old favorites? Any abdominal tightness?”

Judith was momentarily startled. Then she was swept up in a strange emotion, realizing it was the first time she’d been asked such specific questions by a woman who was both ‘family’ and had ‘experience with childbirth.’

It made her think—this must be what a mother would do.

“Have you found a wet nurse?”

“A… wet nurse?”

Judith echoed with a trembling voice. Now that she thought about it, she had one too. She had grown up as a noble family’s young lady, so it was natural. But she had never been given detailed information about her wet nurse.

She had simply been there since Judith was young and was replaced by tutors around the age of seven. The wet nurse had a daughter about the same age, and Judith vaguely remembered they lived together. But since it had been so long and no one had formally explained it, her memory was unclear.

“Uh… I think the butler gave me a sort of list the other day…”

Judith murmured as she searched her memory. She did recall receiving such a list, but since the due date was still far off, she had set it aside. She had thought establishing the territory’s school was the higher priority.

Then Isabella took her hand and said, “Let’s look through it together. A wet nurse is an important matter. You haven’t been here that long, have you? We should discuss this together. And these things involve a woman’s body, so it’s not really something to consult Ekian about.”

Judith’s heart began to stir.

The fact that she now had a senior in pregnancy and childbirth who would treat her concerns as their own was a source of incredible relief.

“Do we need to find a wet nurse already?”

“Of course. I’m sure the list the butler gave you includes expectant mothers with similar due dates to yours. That’s because the babies will share milk. We don’t know the conditions of those mothers either, so you need to select a few candidates in advance. And even then, once the baby is born, you’ll have to choose again.”

“R-really?”

“Naturally.”

Only then did Judith realize she hadn’t really imagined what would happen after the baby was born. She had never even seen a newborn before.

That made her realize just how important a wet nurse could be. It was no wonder Isabella had made it a priority.

“You’ll have to meet and interview them, too. You can do that while I’m here. It’s better to have two people’s judgment, don’t you think?”

Even then, Isabella didn’t say anything like, ‘This is something your mother should be doing.’ Her tone made it clear she saw it as her responsibility. Judith found herself feeling grateful all over again.

“And aren’t you having trouble sleeping? It gets harder once the belly grows. I used to keep a long pillow by the bed—I had one custom-made and brought it with me.”

Isabella continued, “Your dress is pretty, but it must be uncomfortable around your stomach. The guests are all enjoying themselves now—shall we change your clothes first?”

“Yes!”

Since it had been a bit uncomfortable, Judith nodded right away. In the meantime, Isabella coldly waved off Ekian, who had begun to hover around them, saying, ‘Go tend to the guests.’ Then she requested the wet nurse list from the butler.

She even instructed the butler to find out whether anyone in the household smoked, how many children the woman had borne, and her general nutritional state.

“The mother can only rest easy if she fully trusts the wet nurse.”

Isabella stated clearly.

“If even one thing causes worry, the mother won’t be able to rest comfortably.”

Judith could feel Isabella’s care for her in every word. Isabella muttered, seemingly dissatisfied with the list.

“Good grief… The Grand Duchy is huge, but why are there so few applicants?”

The butler quickly replied, “We haven’t officially begun recruiting yet. The manor doesn’t even have designated rooms for the wet nurse and her child yet…”

“The well-being of the wet nurse and her child matters too. When we do interviews, it should be good enough to make those who were hesitant want to raise their child here. The wet nurse’s room must be properly arranged.”

Isabella gave thorough instructions.

“Hmm. If there’s a wet nurse with a child of the same sex, that would be ideal. I brought some items that are specific to one gender—it’d be great to use them.”

“Pardon? You mean those expensive ones?”

“A good wet nurse is worth the cost. I actually brought plenty, anticipating this.”

The butler looked alarmed, but Isabella spoke firmly.

“But… it’s still too early to know the baby’s gender. Still, since I don’t know this territory well, I’d like to personally review the candidates as soon as possible.”

Judith glanced around.

Even though she had meant for Ekian to be the second person to know the baby’s gender… wasn’t this more of a practical issue?

“Um… It’s a boy.”

In the end, Judith confessed the truth to the butler and Isabella.

But the fourth person! The fourth must be Ekian! It has to be!