I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 148

They were clearly well-dressed, tall, and neat boys. Though none of them seemed particularly enthusiastic about their masks, as every one of them wore the same lion mask.

It didn’t seem like they had deliberately come to the fountain garden, as they tilted their heads and looked around.

Judith, who had been sitting by the fountain deeper inside the garden, hesitated for a moment.

‘Maybe I should just leave?’

But it was the lion masks who had taken the wrong path.

‘If that’s the case, won’t they leave soon?’

She had no intention of making way for them, but she also didn’t want to awkwardly interact. Besides, Judith didn’t have a single noble boy she was close to.

“Let’s go, nothing interesting here.”

“But there’s even less over there. All the ladies are gathered near that fortune-teller.”

“Isn’t the fortune-teller leaving soon? They said he’d only stay for an hour.”

They seemed to be a group of boys who enjoyed chatting with girls. Judith knew the type well enough.

Noble boys in their mid to late teens who cared a lot about their appearance and acted showy in front of girls.

“By the way, does that fortune-teller really talk that harshly? Must be fearless. If our youngest, Ines, had gotten such a fortune, she would’ve slapped him.”

“Now that you mention it, that lady was pretty calm. Getting insulted like that in front of everyone—she could’ve cried.”

It seemed these boys, like Anais, Garnet, and Judith earlier, also knew who was who. The anonymity was only partial. Naturally, they began gossiping about the “unlucky lady.”

“Was it the owl mask? That was a strange mask too.”

“That’s a barn owl. Owls have ears, apparently. That one didn’t.”

Upon hearing this conversation, Judith decided to hide. She absolutely did not want to reveal herself here.

Of all things, the owl mask was conspicuous enough to stand out more than Judith, who normally didn’t wear a mask.

If she got caught here, they’d definitely swarm around and say things like, “Are you crying, my lady?” and bother her.

So she carefully crouched down and moved further in, curling up tightly.

‘Maybe I should’ve just gone home.’

If she had to hide like this anyway, perhaps curling up in a corner of her own garden would’ve been better.

As Judith held her breath, the boys kept approaching, walking deeper into the garden.

‘Darn it. I thought they’d leave soon.’

She had expected them to leave quickly since the place was boring. But they were too caught up in chatting, walking forward without even looking around.

‘At this rate, I’ll be discovered.’

Judith bit her lower lip. Being caught like this, all curled up, would be even more embarrassing.

Of course, no one knew who was behind the owl mask, but the mask didn’t hide shame.

‘Ah, whatever.’

With a heavy sigh, she simply gave up.

‘If I get caught, so be it. I’ll pretend to cry. If I sob and say I want to be alone, they’ll probably leave me alone.’

Then the rumor, “The lady who got the bad fortune earlier was crying in the fountain garden,” would surely spread throughout the banquet. It would be one more juicy story for them to enjoy, but Judith decided not to care.

It was at that moment.

“That fortune-teller must be gone by now.”

The tallest boy among the lion mask group spoke. He hadn’t said a word until now, but he stood in the center of the group.

Even with the mask on, he looked the tallest and most solidly built, and Judith’s eyes had been drawn to him first.

With a relaxed voice, the boy made a suggestion, “Let’s head back.”

It was a half-hearted suggestion, but as if by magic, the boys immediately stopped walking. That alone told Judith he was the most influential among them.

“Huh? Should we?”

“Yeah, let’s go back. This place doesn’t seem related to the banquet anyway…”

Everyone turned around at once. Judith unconsciously let out a sigh of relief. The boys exited the fountain garden in a group.

‘Good.’

Watching their retreating backs, Judith lightly brushed the dirt off the tips of her shoes.

‘I’ll head out after a bit, too.’

It had been an oddly nerve-wracking situation.

She figured she’d go out later, greet Garnet and Anais, then take off her mask and wander the streets for a while before heading home in the evening.

But just as the boys reached the garden’s exit—

“Hey, you all go ahead?”

The tall boy, the apparent leader, spoke gently.

“I think I dropped my handkerchief back there.”

One of the boys responded immediately, “I’ll go with you! It’s nothing big. Or I could just wait here.”

The tall boy shook his head firmly. “No. It might not have fallen in the fountain garden. If it’s not here, I’ll retrace my steps elsewhere. I really want to find it, and I’d feel pressured if you all waited.”

“The banquet’s probably getting started now! I’ll lend you mine. It’s just a handkerchief, don’t worry about it.”

“It was embroidered by my mother.”

“Ah, is that so? Then forget what I said and make sure you find it!”

“Yeah, thanks.”

In the end, only the boy who had first suggested leaving remained, and the rest of the boys exited the garden. Judith groaned inwardly.

‘Ugh, now this is awkward.’

Looking for a handkerchief? That meant he might search thoroughly, even where Judith was hiding. Wouldn’t that make things even more embarrassing?

But there wasn’t much she could do. If she was going to get caught anyway, better by one person than many.

As she was thinking that, a shadow suddenly fell over her head.

“Get up.”

Judith was startled.

She hadn’t even noticed the boy approaching. Wasn’t he just talking with the others?

She hadn’t sensed a thing—not even a hint of his presence—and the distance was considerable, too!

“Sorry to interrupt your rest.”

The boy calmly extended his hand.

“I won’t come back. If it’s because of us, you don’t have to leave.”

At that moment, Judith realized how considerate he was being.

He spoke informally, likely knowing she was younger, but even so, he wrapped “hiding in this state” in the polite phrase “interrupting rest,” and instead of saying “you don’t have to keep hiding,” he said “you don’t need to leave,” preserving her dignity.

“Ah… yes.”

Judith took his hand and stood up. His gloved hand was very large. Though the lion mask covered his expression, his voice alone suggested his face was probably gentle.

“Thank you.”

“Mm.”

The boy tilted his head slightly.

“You’re not crying? Your voice sounds fine.”

“Pardon?”

“Your friends were all worried you were hiding somewhere crying.”

“Oh.”

Judith slowly withdrew her hand from his and answered, “I didn’t really believe it… I just don’t like being the center of attention.”

“I figured as much.”

The boy replied with a chuckle.

“You said you didn’t mind no matter what the fortune-teller said… I found that kind of interesting. I don’t remember exactly what the fortune was, but I do remember your playful attitude. That stood out.”

Judith quietly looked up at the plain lion mask. Tilting her head slightly, she replied, “So… finding someone else’s misfortune entertaining—what does that say about your character…?”

“Huh?”

The boy was flustered in an instant.

“No, that’s not what I meant! I-I thought you said you didn’t believe in it… I-I don’t believe in it either!”

Judith said with a laugh, “I was joking. You seemed to enjoy jokes.”

“Huh?”

“I figured I owed at least that much to someone who protected my rest.”

As Judith lifted her chin and explained, the boy stood there blankly for a moment before letting out a clear laugh.

Then, as if he’d forgotten about leaving, he sat down beside the fountain where Judith had just been.