I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 3

Three years later.

Judith, her red hair tied back and dressed in a comfortable cotton dress, energetically opened the door of the Grey Information Guild. The attendant, who had been reading a newspaper, stood up as soon as he saw her.

“You’re here,” he greeted Judith with a kind smile. “The Master has been expecting you.”

The treatment she received now was vastly different from three years ago.

Three years ago, Judith had boldly summoned the Master to meet her. Since then, she had become one of the few key clients who could meet the Master directly.

‘Of course. All my information has been accurate so far.’

Although she couldn’t do much to change things before the original story began, she had been able to sell small bits of information here and there. Upon careful recollection, Judith realized that many of the original novel’s narrators occasionally mentioned past events in passing.

While she didn’t have any groundbreaking business ideas or investment tips, she did have useful tidbits like these:

“The Baron and Baroness of Palena have had issues since before their marriage. They’ll likely divorce someday.”

This was derived from a line in the novel that said, ‘The Baron and Baroness of Palena eventually divorced due to long-standing issues from before their marriage.’

“There’s a secret rose garden in the Count of Aten’s estate. It’s part of his private hobby, and he has many rare varieties there.”

This information came from the line, ‘The Count of Aten had kept a secret rose garden in his estate since childhood.’

Naturally, Judith had been cautious when selling her information.

She avoided anything that could disrupt the original flow of the story, fearing it might throw off her own plans. Therefore, she only sold trivial information about side characters that didn’t affect the plot.

As a result, the accuracy of her information was high, but its price wasn’t particularly high. Just enough for her to pay off the interest on her debt and barely sustain her daily life.

Still, because of the accuracy, the Master always insisted on meeting Judith personally and paid her a fair price.

“Baron, you’re here.”

As Judith confidently entered the Master’s room, he greeted her directly.

He handed her a large bouquet of roses and spoke gently, “Congratulations on coming of age.”

Today was Judith’s twentieth birthday, the day she officially became an adult.

“Oh, thank you.”

The extravagant bouquet contrasted with her simple outfit, but Judith happily accepted the roses and smiled brightly.

“But I don’t remember telling you my birthday.”

“Running an information guild requires knowing such things,” responded the Master in a calm voice. “Especially since you’ve already figured out my age, my lady.”

The Master of the Grey Information Guild.

Judith didn’t know his name, and she only ever called him “Master.” He always wore a mask, so she had no idea what he looked like. He also wore gloves, so she couldn’t even guess the shape of his hands. His hair color seemed to change each time they met, leading her to believe he wore a wig. All she could be sure of was his lean yet solid physique.

The Master watched her silently as she accepted the bouquet, then suddenly asked, “So, how exactly did you figure out my age?”

“I told you, I just guessed. How could I have known you were really a minor?”

The Master made a skeptical sound as he sat down, not entirely convinced. In truth, Judith didn’t know his exact age. She had only deduced that he had been a minor three years ago.

This deduction came from a line in the original novel:

‘At the time of the fire, the leader of the Grey Information Guild had just barely reached adulthood. He died far too young. If he had lived, the political landscape might have been different.’

Judith’s intuition had been correct. Though she still didn’t know his exact age, she figured he couldn’t be more than two years older than her.

Regardless, it was clear that he was extremely capable, having established and grown the information guild to this point at such a young age. Although, in the original story, he died tragically young…

“When we get to know each other better, you can tell me the truth.”

The Master spoke smoothly, not believing for a second that Judith had simply guessed.

“And perhaps you can also explain how you get such accurate information.”

“I told you, I just pick things up while wandering around trying to pay off my debt. That’s really all there is to it.”

Judith shrugged and sat across from him. With a glint in her eyes, she got straight to the point.

“Today, I have some information to sell, and I’m looking to buy some as well.”

“Oh?” the Master let out a sound of interest. “This is the first time you’ve wanted to buy information.”

“Yes, it is. But the information I’m selling today is quite valuable, so it should cover the cost.”

“Well, I’m already intrigued. Expensive information, you say?” said the Master in his usual smooth voice.

His voice was both deep and soothing, but it had a curious quality: the moment you turned away, it became hard to remember. Judith assumed he was using some sort of magical artifact to conceal his true identity. He was clearly committed to keeping his identity a secret, and Judith shook her head internally at the thought.

“So, what information are you looking to buy?” asked the Master asked, his voice flowing like silk.

Judith blinked and replied, “Ekian Mayus.”

“…What?”

“I need information on Ekian Mayus.”

Ekian Mayus—the older brother of the villain in the original story, who was only briefly mentioned as having run away and disappeared.

He was the Young Duke of the Mayus family, known for his exceptional abilities.

No one knew why he had abandoned his seemingly perfect life and run away. No one knew what he had been doing since then. That mystery was never revealed, even by the end of the novel.

The only thing certain was that the Mayus family was desperately searching for him. Even his younger brother, the future villain, was eagerly awaiting his return.

“Hm.”

The Master paused for a moment.

“You mean Ekian Mayus, the Young Duke who has been missing for nearly five years?”

“Let’s be clear. It’s not quite five years yet—it’s almost five years.”

According to the empire’s laws, if someone had been missing for five years, they would be officially declared dead. Once that happened, Ekian’s younger brother would inherit his title as Young Duke.

If that happened, it would be difficult for Ekian to reclaim his title. Even if he returned, it would require mutual consent and a vote by the council of vassals.

What’s more, since he had run away voluntarily, the council might decide that he had no intention of reclaiming his title, and his claim could be dismissed outright.

“In any case, yes, Ekian Mayus. I need information on him.”

The Mayus family was doing everything in their power to prevent his death from being declared.

Judith didn’t know why the family was so desperate to keep Ekian’s position intact, given that he had run away. Still, they were going to great lengths to protect his title as Young Duke.

But time was running out, and the five-year deadline was fast approaching…

So the Mayus family had come up with an absurd plan: to create a fake woman, claim she was carrying Ekian’s child, and recognize her as their daughter-in-law.

The direct descendants of the Mayus family had a unique aura, which the head of the family could sense even in an unborn child. If the duchess could claim that the unborn child was proof that Ekian had been alive recently, it would buy them time and delay the declaration of his death.

‘I’ll take that spot as the fake daughter-in-law,’ Judith thought, recalling the plan she had been formulating for years.

In the original story, the Mayus family had given that role to a malicious maid, who ultimately ruined the young villain’s character…

‘I’ll just take the money and leave quietly.’

The Mayus family, with all its wealth and power, was Judith’s lifeline—a way to finally pay off her enormous debt. At the same time, she was curious about Ekian Mayus, the man she would soon claim to be carrying a child for.

‘After all, if I’m going to lie about being pregnant with his child, it would help to know a little about him, right?’

Judith’s sparkling eyes looked directly at the Master, who sighed deeply.

“Why the sudden interest in that man?”

“Oh.”

Judith decided to reveal a little, knowing it would all come out eventually.

“I’m a bit… interested in him.”

“Of course, you must be interested if you’re asking for information. But what sort of interest…”

As the Master calmly sipped his tea, Judith cut him off mid-sentence.

“Romantic interest.”

After all, she was going to pretend to be pregnant with his child, so for her, it was only natural.

“I’m romantically interested in him.”

“Pfft!”

The Master spit out his tea in surprise.