I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 157

Judith’s eyes widened at the information price doubling in an instant.

“Oh my, really? That’s great!”

Judith clapped her hands in delight, then quickly shut her mouth and raised her brows as if she’d just realized something.

“Ah, um. Did I look too happy about someone else’s marital discord just now? Please keep it a secret, Master.”

Ekian laughed soundlessly behind his mask.

He found Judith somewhat fascinating.

At such a young age, she handled multiple tutoring jobs and lived in a cramped boarding house, yet she was always bright.

Ekian had also started living alone at seventeen. He built the information guild from nothing and began earning a living.

The reason he started the guild was simple. It was a job where covering his face wasn’t strange.

He hadn’t been that bright at seventeen.

Well, that was why he could give 2 gold.

Seeing that smile put him in a good mood.

It wasn’t as if he raised the price for no reason at all.

“Then I’ll see you next time. Thank you, Master.”

Judith stood up and greeted him cheerfully. Ekian gave a slight nod.

After she left, Louis came up from the lower floor.

“Master.”

Louis was one of his right-hand men who had been with him since the founding of the Grey Information Guild. He was also the one who had first brought Judith to him.

“About that young lady. She acts like she’ll bring something impressive, but so far there’s been nothing of note, has there?”

It was true.

Even the Palena baron couple’s divorce she brought today was like that.

Even if they divorced, nothing in the world would really change. They didn’t run a business together, they weren’t a legendary beauty and heartthrob causing scandals everywhere, and their discord wasn’t significant enough to affect anything.

Judith consistently brought only that kind of information.

“She knows you are a minor, so I thought there might be something behind her… but it seems she just got lucky.”

Louis frowned and crossed his arms.

“I don’t think you need to deal with her personally. Please send her to me from now on.”

Is that so?

Resting his chin on his hand, Ekian fell into thought.

He was busy, after all, and didn’t meet just anyone.

There were no clients who came to him with information worth only 2 gold.

He could pass her off to Louis….

For a moment, Judith’s smile crossed his mind.

“Oh my, Sir Louis! You’ll pay 2 gold? My goodness, thank you! I’m so happy!”

Then that crescent-shaped eye-smile would be directed at Louis.

“Then I’ll be going now! I have lessons. I have four classes this afternoon! Isn’t it tiring? Well, I’m just glad I can at least earn this much. I have to pay interest and rent, after all!”

Her busy schedule would be shared with Louis as well. Then Louis would gradually start thinking that young lady was ‘impressive.’ He wasn’t sure what exactly was impressive, though.

“Hmm.”

Ekian let out a low sound.

“No. I’ll handle it.”

At the low reply, Louis tilted his head.

“Pardon?”

He looked like he couldn’t accept it.

“But Master, aren’t you already busy enough without that baron’s daughter? We investigated her background, and there’s nothing at all! There’s nothing special, and no one backing her either.”

Louis was completely right. But Ekian explained calmly.

“Louis, think about it carefully. If I only meet big players and don’t deal with a young lady who brings small bits of information like that, when would I ever rest?”

“…Pardon?”

“Dealing with big players is extremely draining. But trivial information isn’t.”

“Th-then, wouldn’t it be better if you just rested instead of meeting that baron’s daughter?”

“That’s not easy for me. I keep thinking about information. Only when trivial information comes into my head can my thoughts rest.”

Louis looked unconvinced.

Ekian cleared his throat once and continued, “In order for me to get some rest, it’s better if I continue to handle that young lady myself.”

Now that he said it, it really did seem that way.

The information Judith brought wasn’t anything important, so it was easy to treat it lightly.

It definitely wasn’t because he enjoyed meeting Judith.

And besides, wasn’t it true that she brought information from angles no one else could? What if she ended up bringing something truly remarkable someday?

“And you have plenty of work to do as well, Louis.”

Thinking about it, it seemed he hadn’t been paying much attention to employee welfare.

“I can’t increase your workload any further. I was already considering hiring another person.”

“Pardon? Since when?”

In truth, it was a thought he had just now, but Ekian answered solemnly, “It’s been a while.”

This conversation definitely wasn’t happening because he never wanted to hear Louis say something like, ‘I’ll take care of Miss Judith from now on,’ ever again.

Well, anyway, that was how it was.

***

After what seemed like a peaceful yet precarious three months had passed, one night.

Ekian quietly set out with Louis.

It was the day of the <Regional Information Guild Gathering.>

Ekian found this gathering extremely bothersome, but he had no choice but to attend in order to run the guild.

This gathering, where information guilds from the same region met to exchange various bits of information, was essential for those running such organizations.

Among them, information was money, so they didn’t exchange anything truly crucial. Even so, everyone agreed that regularly sharing information they might have missed made it easier when dealing with ‘ordinary people.’ Creating the impression that they knew everything when clients came was important for attracting business.

“Oh, the Master of the Grey Guild has arrived.”

As always, Ekian appeared at the meeting place wearing a mask, and the guild leader, Lawrence Seikers, welcomed him warmly.

“Please, have a seat.”

As soon as Ekian joined last, the meeting began as if they had been waiting for him.

It was time for everyone to lay out the bits of information they each had.

Ekian also had plenty he could mention at times like this.

“There seems to be hidden discord between Baron Palena and his wife.”

These were exactly the kinds of information Judith had sold.

“And… it seems the Count of Oratanon’s glass greenhouse has planted yellow roses this time.”

At that moment, Lawrence cut in with a grin.

“Master of the Grey Guild, I have a question.”

“Anything.”

As Ekian responded leisurely, Lawrence interlaced his fingers and said, “That information… it was Miss Judith who brought it, correct?”

For a moment, Ekian’s shoulders flinched.

“A fallen baron’s daughter who frequently visits an information guild… she seems quite suitable for bringing trivial information about noble families.”

It wasn’t a secret that Judith often came and went from the Grey Information Guild, especially among those in the same line of work.

When Ekian said nothing, Louis glanced at him before answering.

“That’s correct. She earns gold by bringing in information that isn’t particularly important.”

“I thought so.”

Lawrence grinned.

“Master of the Grey Guild, if that information isn’t particularly useful to you… would you be willing to connect Miss Judith to me?”

Ekian frowned. He hadn’t expected such a proposal at all.

“Unlike you, our guild actively involves itself in the affairs of noble families… and if she’s someone who has traded with you for a long time, we can trust her as well.”

In reality, Ekian had been avoiding involvement in noble affairs because he didn’t want to get entangled with the Mayus ducal family.

“If you connect Miss Judith to us, we’ll pay double the market price for whatever information she brings. From that, you take a 20% commission. Sounds like a win-win, doesn’t it?”