I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 21

No matter how hard he tried not to think about it, Ekian couldn’t stop the thoughts from naturally flowing through his mind.

‘It’s all because of what Judith said.’

She had asked if he liked her, then told him it wasn’t the right time. Those words… they had a way of throwing him off completely.

She was truly talented at catching people off guard. What was strange, though, was that her question—’Do you like me?’—didn’t make him feel bad. In fact, it hit him right where it mattered, making his heart feel restless.

And on top of that…

‘I knew she was beautiful before, but…’

He had always thought she had a delicate, pretty appearance. However, her lack of makeup, her tired complexion, and her hastily tied-up hair had masked her beauty.

But now that Isabella had done everything in her power to dress her up, Judith was truly stunning.

It was surprising to see how her modest, worn dress had hidden such a graceful figure beneath. If she attended a banquet dressed like that, it was obvious that many men wouldn’t be able to take their eyes off her. Even Ekian had been speechless for a while, too shocked to speak.

When he saw the smooth, pale skin peeking through the slightly revealing neckline of her dress, his heart raced. It reminded him of the times they had been pressed together in the secret passage.

‘This won’t do. It’s dangerous.’

Ekian thought to himself.

‘I shouldn’t come back to the mansion anymore.’

The secret passage and his frequent meetings with Judith were becoming dangerous.

Strange thoughts were filling his head, and he knew all too well that these thoughts would soon lead to something close to greed.

What if he just left and pretended none of this mattered?

His parents would be happy, and he could face Judith without the mask.

And Judith was, at least on paper, his wife. She had even liked him in the past…

He was afraid of giving in to the strange desires and longings he was trying to ignore.

But then, Judith said something shocking.

“All three members of the Mayus family are in danger of being poisoned right now.”

Her words were like a bolt from the blue, pulling Ekian back to reality as if cold water had been poured over him.

“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.”

There was no choice to be made.

This was his family—more precious to him than life itself.

His family, whom he had been willing to disappear from the world to protect.

“Tell me what I need to do, Judith.”

His voice was hoarse as he spoke to her, standing in his own room and looking at the woman who had now become his wife.

“What do you need me to do?”

***

At the same time, in the Duke of Mayus’s office.

“She’s far too precious to be wasted like this. If she were a commoner, it wouldn’t matter, but she’s a noblewoman with a title, and it feels wrong to ruin her chances of marriage.”

Isabella was sipping tea as she spoke to her husband.

“How about we arrange a marriage for her ourselves later? Even if she’s remarrying, the Mayus name should allow her to marry into a decent noble family.”

Her husband remained silent. Isabella sighed and continued, “She’s quite pretty, diligent, and seems to have a kind heart.”

She hadn’t been able to say these words directly to Judith because it was too embarrassing.

“She seemed to take good care of Karl yesterday as well. Karl was able to overcome it bravely. She even reminded me that, no matter how much of a genius he is, he’s still just a child.”

Isabella gripped her teacup with a troubled expression. “She managed to grow up so well, despite having irresponsible parents who left her with so much debt.”

“Hmm.”

“Ben.”

The Duke, Ben, finally spoke when Isabella couldn’t hold back and called his name.

“You seem to like the girl quite a bit.”

“…Ahem.”

Isabella darted her eyes. She was slightly resentful of Ben for emphasizing to Judith that she was only temporary, especially after Judith had promised to do her best. But she couldn’t show it, as she had said the same thing when she first met Judith.

However, on the flip side, Ben might eventually come to feel the same way she did.

Perhaps the reason she wanted to help Judith even more was that she couldn’t shake the memory of the girl’s calm expression when she responded, ‘I knew this would happen.’

Isabella blinked and asked her husband, “What about you? What do you think of her?”

“There’s nothing to think. In a few months, she’ll just be a stranger again.”

Ben’s words were indifferent.

To him, she was a girl he had only seen once. There was no reason to have any interest in her.

Being more indifferent than Isabella, Ben didn’t believe that anything they did would bring Ekian back. It was a heartbreaking thought, but if Ekian was the man Ben knew him to be, he was certain of it.

Either way, they would have to let Judith go eventually. If that meant arranging a good marriage for her later, as Isabella suggested, it was of little consequence to him.

“If arranging her marriage will put your mind at ease, then go ahead.”

Ben’s response was half-hearted as he took another sip of tea.

“But isn’t the cost of the dress you bought today a bit too much for a poor girl like her?”

“Hmph.” Isabella pouted and muttered under her breath, “And yet, if you grow to like her, you’ll be the one showering her with gifts.”

***

The next morning, Ben was in his office. He had returned from his territorial inspection and needed to catch up on paperwork. He also had to finalize the marriage registration for his son.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Your Grace?”

Ben flinched at the unfamiliar voice of a woman. As he tried to recall who it was, the voice continued.

“It’s Judith Ailan. May I come in?”

It was the woman pretending to be pregnant with Ekian’s child—his temporary daughter-in-law.

“Come in.”

As soon as Ben gave his permission, Judith entered. A maid carrying a tea set followed behind her.

“Oh, it’s nothing urgent.” Judith spoke softly, “I just wanted to discuss something regarding the marriage registration.”

“Hmm.”

If it was a trivial matter, Ben was ready to tell her to leave, but since it was official business, he decided to listen. He looked at her impassively.

After all, it couldn’t be easy to agree to something like this—pretending to be pregnant and then getting divorced. If Judith wanted to back out, Ben was willing to let her.

“Please, sit.” Ben gestured toward the table. “I already have tea. There’s no need to prepare another cup.”

There was already a cup of tea on his desk. It was the same tea his personal physician, Bart, prepared for him every morning and evening.

Bart managed the Duke’s health, adjusting the ingredients in the tea based on Ben’s condition. Bart also handled the nutrition and health management for the entire family, including Isabella and Karl, who drank the tea every day as part of their care.

Ben trusted Bart completely.

After Ekian’s disappearance, Ben and Isabella’s health had deteriorated due to the emotional strain. But after Bart began prescribing the tea, Ben’s health had improved. Isabella, too, said the tea helped her sleep and brought her peace of mind.

“Oh, I received my own tea this morning too.” Judith smiled brightly as she held up her cup. “Bart personally checked my condition and prescribed this for me. He didn’t go into detail, but he said it was designed to address any nutritional deficiencies I might have.”

Ben gave a curt nod, not particularly interested in the tea. Sensing that Ben was waiting for her to get to the point, Judith smoothly shifted the conversation.

“The thing is… my birthday was just a week ago.”

“Hmm?”

“But if we announce the pregnancy, it will look like I got pregnant while I was still a minor. Although such things aren’t unheard of, wouldn’t it be a concern for the Young Duke’s reputation?”

Ben frowned as he thought it over.

It wasn’t something he had considered. But the girl had a point. She was showing concern for Ekian’s honor, even though it wasn’t her problem.

It was thoughtful of her to be concerned about the Mayus family’s reputation, even though he had never even met Ekian.

“Well, we could time the announcement closer to the official date of death…”

But then—

“Just a moment, Your Grace.”

Judith, who had just finished her tea, suddenly frowned.

“This… this doesn’t taste right.”