I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 158

Ekian crossed his arms and remained silent for a moment. Louis, seated beside him, began to fidget in his seat.

Isn’t this practically free money!

Lawrence picked up his cigar and continued, “These are the kind of details that are useful when making conversation while approaching noble families. And one more thing.”

It was already well known that he was a cigar enthusiast.

“I’m also very curious about where and how that information comes from.”

As he spoke slowly, he let out a long stream of cigar smoke.

“I have a feeling that if we really dig into it, something will come up.”

That was something Ekian had always been curious about as well.

Where on earth did Judith get that kind of information?

From what he could tell, she seemed to have cut off contact with any noble acquaintances.

Of course, he had tried to investigate from the shadows before. But nothing substantial turned up, so he gave up.

It wasn’t that important, and the information didn’t seem significant enough to warrant the effort.

Ekian shrugged. “I’m not sure. I failed to find out myself. It won’t be easy.”

“Well, that’s because…”

Lawrence let out another puff of smoke and grinned.

“The Master of the Grey Guild is far too gentlemanly.”

Behind his mask, Ekian’s expression stiffened slightly.

“Failing to extract proper information from a helpless young girl… that just means the Master of the Grey Guild is too naive to handle information properly.”

Ekian bit down on his lower lip.

What Lawrence meant was abduction, extortion, and threats. After all, no one would need to worry about consequences no matter what they did to Judith.

“I acknowledge that you’re highly capable, Master of the Grey Guild.”

Brushing back his graying hair once, the man who had survived long in this field spoke leisurely.

“But you’re still young.”

“Young? What do you mean…?”

Ekian had never revealed his age publicly. So hearing not ‘young’ but ‘a child’ caught him off guard.

Lawrence leaned in and whispered so that others wouldn’t hear, “See? That was exactly the reaction of a child.”

Ekian ground his teeth slightly.

“Of course, within a few years, you’ll become a major force. I’ve been in this field long enough to know how to judge people.”

Lawrence added calmly, “That’s why I have a personal fondness for you. You remind me of my younger self.”

From behind his mask, Ekian glared sharply at him. It wouldn’t be seen anyway, but as if he could tell, Lawrence shrugged casually.

“You’re still young, so there are things you don’t understand yet. Your ability is undeniable, but you lack experience. Don’t take it personally. When you reach my age, you’ll start to see what I see.”

Ekian didn’t like where the conversation was going. So he replied in a firm tone.

“In conclusion, I will decline the deal you proposed.”

Perhaps it was an unexpected answer, as Lawrence frowned slightly.

But soon, he tilted his head and curled his lips with interest.

“If I ask for the reason, will you tell me?”

“Well.”

Ekian replied with his arms still crossed.

“If you’re willing to pay for it.”

“Is that so? How much?” Lawrence asked back casually, and Ekian replied evenly.

“As the price, you won’t lay a hand on Miss Judith.”

He planned to explain the reason after securing the promise first.

In truth, he decided to refuse the deal the moment he heard it.

He couldn’t send Judith to Lawrence. Because Judith was a non-smoker.

And he vaguely remembered her saying she disliked cigarette smoke.

“There’s a bit of a cigar smell on my clothes, right? The parent at the house I just visited was smoking….”

He clearly remembered how Judith’s nose wrinkled slightly when she said that.

“It’s not bothering you, is it? If you can’t stand it, please tell me. I’ll step outside a bit longer to air it out. I actually don’t like cigarette smoke either.”

If Lawrence dealt with Judith directly, how much would she suffer from that man’s cigar smoke?

Whatever else, Judith was still a minor.

He couldn’t expose a minor to secondhand smoke.

Of course, taking a 20% commission just for connecting them was a great deal….

‘Still, a person’s life is more important.’

What if Judith were one of those rare individuals whose lungs were weak and whose lifespan was rapidly shortened?

Of course, the probability was small, but it wasn’t something that could be ruled out entirely.

Therefore, he absolutely couldn’t accept this deal.

It wasn’t because the thought of not seeing Judith anymore left him feeling strangely empty, or because he couldn’t imagine it.

This was not personal, but a refusal on humanitarian grounds.

Just as Ekian was preparing his long explanation, Lawrence, who had been staring at him, suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

“Ahahaha! Ahahahahaha!”

It was the first time Ekian had ever seen Lawrence laugh so openly. Despite Ekian’s cold reaction, Lawrence kept laughing loudly for quite a while.

Afterward, Lawrence wiped at his tears with a sly smile and said, “Ah, Ekian. So you’re a man after all.”

“What are you saying…?”

“Alright, alright. Hahaha.”

Lawrence patted Ekian’s shoulder.

“I won’t touch Miss Judith. I don’t have a hobby of harming a woman another man has his eye on.”

Ekian shook his head fiercely. “W-what do you mean! That’s not the kind of relationship we have.”

Having one’s eye on her? What kind of talk was that about a business contact….

Besides, Judith didn’t know a single thing about him, not his face, not his name.

In such an uneven flow of information, to secretly harbor feelings for a client alone would be nothing short of creepy.

“Absolutely not.”

Ekian emphasized once more.

“Well, sure.”

Lawrence smirked.

“Either way, I understand. That young lady must have her own kind of charm. Do your best.”

Then he stood up and spoke cheerfully to the others.

“Well then, it looks like everyone’s here. Shall we begin the meeting?”

Ekian wanted to protest to Lawrence, but no suitable words came to mind. And it seemed their private conversation was over as well.

So Ekian, in a slightly sulky mood, looked over the meeting materials.

In any case, nothing had changed, so it was fine.

Judith would come again to sell him trivial information, and no one would know how she obtained it. As long as that routine continued, that was enough.

So Ekian was satisfied.

***

The townspeople were well aware of Ekian’s existence, the man who walked around wearing a mask.

It wasn’t unusual for someone to hide their face with a mask, whether they were the master of an information guild or a noble’s escort knight, or something along those lines.

So at least the townspeople didn’t find it strange. If anything, they thought of it positively.

They said that the man wearing that black-and-silver mask was the master of the Grey Information Guild, that he wasn’t particularly harmful, and that he contributed in many ways to the economic development of the local community.

Thanks to that, Ekian was able to move around the town quite freely without worrying about others’ gazes. When meeting lighter clients, he sometimes met them outside the guild, and sometimes he would come out just to buy something for a change of pace.

So one night.

It wasn’t particularly strange that the landlady of the boarding house where Judith stayed spoke to him as he passed through the alley.

“Hmm, aren’t you the Master of the Grey Guild? Where are you headed?”

The landlady asked casually as she shook out laundry in front of the house. Ekian also answered indifferently.

“I’m going to buy an evening paper up ahead. Sitting in the office all the time feels stifling.”

“I see.”

The landlady glanced at him and smiled playfully.

“The room is dark, but Miss Judith has come home safely. So don’t worry.”

Ekian frowned slightly beneath his mask.

He had no idea what kind of context that statement came from.

“…Why are you suddenly telling me about Miss Judith’s safety? Is there some particular reason?”

When he asked suspiciously, the landlady yawned and replied, “There is a reason, of course.”