I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 153

The Mayus ducal estate in the capital.

“Alex is coming? Really?”

Hearing the news, Karl clapped his hands in excitement.

“My goodness, he takes after me! Smart from a young age, called a genius and everything!”

Isabella and Ben looked at their son with complicated expressions.

It was good to see their son happy, but having to watch his consistently arrogant attitude was exhausting.

“My brother and sister-in-law must have it easy. They’re raising such a clever child. It’s practically effortless, I suppose,” Karl said with a grin, resting his chin on his hand.

Isabella felt her insides boiling, but she held it in for now.

It was because of advice from those around her that said if she refuted every word of a child going through puberty and scolded him, he would just shut his mouth completely.

Moreover, Isabella and Ben had once suffered greatly when Karl closed himself off. They had been completely unaware that a maid named Sarah had been secretly abusing him.

If it weren’t for Judith, it was terrifying to think how Karl might have turned out. He wouldn’t have eaten, wouldn’t have read, and would have shut himself in his room, unable to function as a person.

Compared to that, he now ate well, read well, and got along with various people, didn’t he?

On top of that, Karl was cunning, so in front of noble children, he acted pretentiously to manage his reputation.

That was why these days, he had developed a hobby of hiding his identity and mingling among commoner children, freely showing off.

Isabella and Ben were extremely worried. In fact, they had once secretly written a letter to Ekian asking for advice.

[I ran away from home, after all….

At the very least, I think it’s most important to make sure he doesn’t keep secrets from his parents. If you trust him and watch over him, won’t he eventually gain a major realization and mature?

He’ll come to understand that the world doesn’t work so easily according to his will.]

Ekian had sent that reply for the time being, but in truth, he was also worried that Alex might grow up the same way.

[But… Alex is still young, so there’s a chance he won’t grow up like that, right?]

No matter how much the two parents worried, Karl felt a strong bond with Alex.

Alex, like Karl, had been exceptionally quick-witted from a very young age and understood situations quickly.

“From what I’ve seen while hanging out with commoner kids, there isn’t a single four-year-old as clever as our Alex. My brother and sister-in-law are truly blessed. If he grows up like me, what is there to worry about?” Karl said proudly.

Isabella wanted to say that that was exactly what they were worried about, but she barely held herself back.

She calmed her anger, recalling the guilt of not being able to properly care for him when he was young.

“We should take Alex along too.”

“Hm?”

“I’ll show everyone just how smart my nephew is.”

Of course, when Karl mingled with commoner children, bodyguards hiding their identities were always stationed nearby, so it wasn’t dangerous. But bringing along Alex, who was only four?

“They’ll all be amazed, won’t they?”

Karl muttered with a grin, his face full of anticipation.

“They’ll make stunned expressions, saying they’ve never seen such a clever four-year-old before. Just thinking about it makes me proud.”

“Karl, but then you’d be watching Alex by yourself the whole time… Taking care of a child isn’t easy.”

“What’s so hard about it? Alex isn’t an ordinary child. He’s a genius like me.”

Isabella and Ben looked at each other with troubled eyes.

“Well… let’s ask Ekian and Judith about that.”

***

A few days later, Ekian and Judith arrived carrying Alex.

Karl let out an exclamation when he saw Alex in Ekian’s arms as he stepped down from the carriage.

“My goodness, he’s gotten even cuter!”

No one could deny that. With his plump cheeks and bright smile, Alex looked like a tiny angel.

Isabella and Ben, who had been constantly weighed down by worries over their son’s puberty, also broke into wide smiles for the first time in a while and rushed over to the child.

“Alex!”

Alex smiled brightly and waved his hand.

“Grandma! Grandpa!”

With a moved expression, Ben quickly took Alex into his arms.

Watching that, Karl clutched his chest and shouted, “Look at that! What four-year-old speaks that clearly? As expected, he’s a genius who takes after me!”

“Kaaaarl!”

“Yes, Alex! It’s your uncle!”

The over-the-top welcome continued. Judith and Ekian looked at each other and shrugged.

“We got pushed aside in an instant.”

“Seriously. No one’s even welcoming us.”

Behind Ben, Isabella, and Karl, who were all delighted and focused only on Alex, the couple took a step back and laughed helplessly. Isabella shouted quickly.

“You’re only realizing that now? Hurry up and go on your date!”

Ben also chimed in without even looking at them.

“No one here is here for you. So go enjoy your time together and come back late! Even if you come back early, there won’t be any dinner.”

Watching that, Ekian took Judith’s hand.

As their interlaced fingers tightened, Judith’s cheeks flushed.

Even though they were a married couple who lived together every day, being in the capital made everything feel a little different.

And right in front of them was the Mayus ducal estate.

She recalled the time years ago when she went back and forth through the secret passage with Master, brushing past him, hiding together in a cramped wardrobe, careful even with their breathing.

Back then, without even knowing his face or his voice, she would feel so nervous and excited whenever she faced him.

And yet, she had consciously tried not to look at her husband, Ekian, when he finally appeared with that sculpted face.

It was because she felt uneasy sharing a room with her husband while her heart was directed toward someone else.

Thinking about it now, those were such wasted days.

In the end, after walking a long path together hand in hand, the Mayus ducal estate standing before them had become a place that stirred her heart in a completely different way.

Inside, their child would run around and be loved….

“What are you doing? I said get going already!”

“Wait a second!”

At Isabella’s sharp command, Karl quickly called out.

“Brother, I’ve been playing with commoner kids lately. Can I take Alex there too? The knights are all hiding nearby, so it won’t be dangerous!”

At that, Ekian tilted his head and replied, “It should be fine… but won’t it be hard for you, Karl? If you’re playing with commoner kids, you can’t bring a nanny along. A child watching a child….”

It was the exact same thing Isabella had said.

Karl said proudly, “Alex and I aren’t ordinary children. It’ll be fine. What’s there to worry about? Raising a genius son isn’t hard for you either, right?”

At that, Ekian’s expression turned strange. Judith quickly lowered her head, struggling to hold back her laughter. While Isabella and Ben pressed their foreheads with troubled expressions, Ekian quickly composed himself and answered.

“Alright, Karl.”

His eyes gleamed softly.

“Alex is very smart, just like you. He speaks well and is much sharper than children his age. Have a good time.”

Then he whispered to Judith, “Let him get a proper taste of it.”

Judith felt like her face would burst from holding back her laughter. Ekian shrugged and added, “Then shall we go on a date in the meantime? To our hearts’ content.”

Then, with a sly smile, he said to Isabella, “May we stop by the ducal residence for a moment? We can’t go out like this, so we’ll wash up, change clothes, and leave right away.”

“Hmph, I’ll allow that much. Go and enjoy yourselves. Staying out overnight is fine too.”

In the end, Judith and Ekian entered the ducal residence, mingling among their beloved family.

Because Ben quickly took Alex to his room, they couldn’t even greet their son.

“Well… we’ll see him tonight anyway.”

In truth, they were tired from all the traveling, but Judith and Ekian were restless.

They needed to make the most of their time alone.

They changed into simple clothes that commoners would wear, which they had prepared in advance.

Wearing a modest floral dress, Judith felt like she had returned to being a twenty-year-old private tutor wandering the alleys.

“Let’s go.”

Ekian, even wearing glasses for disguise, held out his hand.

“To play at being lovers.”

Come to think of it, they had never once been in a relationship that could truly be called that of lovers.

Judith took Ekian’s hand with an excited voice.