I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 20

Judith suddenly felt embarrassed and blushed deeply. The dress she had worn from the boutique earlier was entirely different from the clothes she usually wore.

It was made of soft, elegant fabric adorned with sparkling beads. The color suited her skin tone perfectly, and even the accessories purchased as a set matched her well. Her hair, styled down in a graceful manner, made her look like a completely different person.

Karl muttered in amazement, “My brother must have liked beautiful women…”

“Oh, thank you.”

“But he ran off after doing something so awful…”

Judith laughed awkwardly at Karl’s remark.

They had all agreed not to tell Karl that the pregnancy was fake. They believed he was too young to know the full truth. As a result, Ekian had been reduced to a terrible person in his brother’s eyes.

“Right, Hud? Don’t you think my sister-in-law is pretty?”

When Karl asked Hud, the young physician blushed slightly and nodded. “Yes, I… I agree.”

“Take a rest, and then come down to the dining room. Let’s have dinner together,” Isabella said, clearly satisfied with Judith’s appearance.

“I’ll assign you a maid soon.”

“Oh…”

Judith hadn’t had a maid since she was young, so she wasn’t sure if having one would be convenient or uncomfortable.

While Judith hesitated, Karl waved his hand. “See you at dinner later!”

Karl cheerfully said goodbye and left the room with Hud and Isabella.

Finally alone, Judith let out a deep sigh and carefully sat on the edge of the bed, looking around the room.

It was neat, tidy, and well-maintained—a perfectly organized room. This was Ekian’s room, the room of the Young Duke. The fact that she would be staying in someone else’s room felt surreal.

At that moment, she heard the familiar thumping sound.

‘Is this another secret passage? Could there really be one in Ekian’s room too?’

Judith cautiously stood up and approached the bookshelf where the sound had come from.

“…Master?”

A voice came from inside the bookshelf.

“Take out the second book from the third shelf.”

“Oh… okay.”

“Then the third book from the fifth shelf.”

“Yes.”

“Then the second book from the first shelf.”

When Judith followed the instructions and pulled out the three books, the bookshelf slid open silently.

“Oh my goodness.”

Judith was startled and stared at the Master standing inside the hidden space.

At this point, he seemed to be able to sneak around the entire mansion without being detected.

“Is everything connected here too?” she whispered in surprise, but the Master simply stared at her without responding.

“Master?”

“……”

“Snap out of it. What’s wrong?”

“…Oh.” The Master murmured awkwardly, “I was… um, just surprised…”

“What?”

Judith asked in confusion, and the Master let out a soft sigh. His mask made it impossible to read his expression, which only added to her frustration.

‘I wonder what he’s thinking…’

Thinking of Karl and Hud from earlier, Judith suddenly asked, “Why? Are you stunned by how pretty I am? Falling for me, maybe?”

“…What?”

“Well, hold off until after I get divorced. I’m a responsible contract wife, you know.”

Judith smiled brightly after her playful comment. Besides, she needed the Master’s help at this point.

“Master.”

“Yes.”

“I wanted to ask you something while you’re here. Do you know Bart Kallon?”

“The Duke’s personal physician?”

The Master, having regained his composure, replied, “He was an assistant physician for five years and has been the primary physician for about ten years. His medical skills are exceptional.”

“So, an assistant period is required. But why didn’t that young physician, Hud, have an assistant period?”

“Because he’s such a genius that the family didn’t want to risk losing him to another family,” explained the Master calmly.

He then added, “Though that’s just my guess.”

“Hmm. Does Bart Kallon have an assistant?”

“He doesn’t. That’s why they have two physicians.”

“Oh, I see.” Judith nodded thoughtfully.

Technically, she could just do her job and let everything pass. Whether the Duke and Duchess died a year later didn’t really matter to her.

But the price of the dress she had received today was probably enough to convince her to do something in return.

‘Besides, it feels a bit unfair. Hiding for 15 years and then killing someone under the guise of a physicianr…’

Murder was a terrible crime to begin with, and standing by while it happened would weigh heavily on her conscience. She didn’t want Karl to grow up as an orphan either. Ever since she figured out Bart Kallon’s true identity, Judith had already made up her mind.

‘I’ll expose him.’

She couldn’t just stand by and watch people die from a conspiracy. But the problem was, she wasn’t a physician and couldn’t know all of Bart’s prescriptions. Plus, the Duke’s health was a highly confidential matter.

‘There’s one strange thing, though.’

Judith thought for a moment.

‘If I were Bart, wouldn’t I have poisoned Karl too? Why only kill the Duke and Duchess?’

It didn’t make sense that Bart would only kill his assigned patients. The Duchess received treatment alongside Karl, so it wasn’t like Bart didn’t have the opportunity. He should have been able to poison Karl too.

‘Bart mainly monitors my health. He also oversees the nutritional balance of all family members, including the fake pregnancy, which Hud will handle.’

Then a thought crossed her mind.

‘Karl suffers from frequent stomachaches, and Hud prepares his medicine daily.’

Could it be that the medicine Hud prepares acts as an antidote? And Bart doesn’t know about it?

Having formed her hypothesis, Judith looked back at the Master.

“Master.”

“Yes.”

“Would you be willing to help me? You owe me for saving your life, after all.”

“What do you need help with? Just tell me.”

The Master responded readily, and Judith answered with a thoughtful look.

“The Duke, Duchess, and Karl are all at risk of being poisoned.”

The Master didn’t reply immediately. His masked face gave away nothing.

So Judith continued, knowing she had to make her case. “I want to stop this. Poisoning people is wrong.”

“…Poisoning? Who…?”

The Master’s response came after a slight delay, and Judith calmly answered, “Thankfully, it’s not too late yet. So I want to catch the culprit and prevent the poisoning in advance. But I need your help. Please help me.”

***

When Judith arrived and entered Ekian’s room, Ekian, hiding in the secret passage, felt strange.

He had thought he would never return to this place. It was a place he longed for, but had vowed never to set foot in again. If Judith hadn’t said, ‘Karl is in danger,’ he wouldn’t have come back.

But Karl was in danger. His younger brother meant that much to him.

Once he had taken the first step, the rest came too easily.

‘This is a passage only heirs know about…’

When Ekian turned 15, the Duke of Mayus had shown him all the secret passages within the mansion. It was a sign that the Duke had acknowledged Ekian as the true heir.

The passages allowed access to any part of the mansion, as well as a way out.

In a way, it was as if the Duke had entrusted the lives and secrets of everyone in the mansion to Ekian. He could still hear the Duke’s gentle voice in his mind, carefully explaining everything so that he wouldn’t forget.

Ekian had always admired the Duke, but back then, he had been especially proud to have such a perfect father. As he followed his father down the dark passage, 15-year-old Ekian had vowed to protect the Mayus family no matter what.

‘Just for today, I’ll see how things go and then leave again.’

That was his resolve at the moment.

There was no point in coming back often. It would only intensify his longing. Disappearing entirely was the best thing for everyone. The Duke and Duchess seemed to be doing this because they wanted him to return, but his resolve to stay away remained firm.

Yet they had given Judith his room.

It made sense, but…

‘It feels a bit strange.’

Watching Judith settle into the room he had once occupied felt odd. This would now be her space. She would sit at the desk he had used, sleep in the bed he had slept in, and bathe in the tub he had used…