I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 34

Judith stared blankly at the portrait.

[At first, I, too, was blinded by rage and placed a terrible curse on that child.]

“Ah… what do we do now?”

Judith’s voice reflected her sorrow as she glanced at the storm raging outside the window.

“If it’s a curse that even you, Priestess, deem severe, then it must be extraordinary… Is your son also nearby?”

At those words, the Priestess stifled a chuckle before answering again in a compassionate tone.

[No, he isn’t here. If he is anywhere, he’s by your side.]

“Pardon?”

Judith was startled and asked, her voice trembling, as the gentle voice continued.

[I cursed my child with a great spell and died shortly after. And immediately, I regretted it. He was the unwanted child of a hateful enemy, but still, he had grown in my womb for nine full months…]

“Ah…”

[In the future I glimpsed, my child perished miserably in despair. Only my grudge remained, and so I searched through the storm of time for someone to save him.]

Judith instinctively realized that the chosen person was her. She now understood why the Priestess had suddenly given her knowledge of the future.

Thanks to that insight, Judith managed to carve out a path from a life crushed under a mountain of debt, though she had never expected this backstory.

[That’s why I revealed the future to your younger self. But I had no way to meet you, so I kept waiting, hoping to see you at least once like this.]

“I see… Thank you, Priestess. Thanks to you revealing the future, I was able to save my life.”

Judith offered her thanks and blinked as she asked, “But how can I save your son? If you tell me, I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Her earnest words were met with a faint chuckle, followed by a soft response.

[You already have.]

“Huh? Me?”

[Yes. But the reason I waited until today to meet you like this was…]

The trembling floor gradually steadied, and the voice grew fainter.

[To make a personal request.]

“…Pardon?”

[Please make my son happy.]

The words were cryptic.

Judith blinked in confusion, unable to make sense of the statement.

[Now that even this shrine, my sole connection to the world, has disappeared, we shall never meet again.]

The wind outside the window calmed, and the voice became a distant echo.

[And Judith, I hope you find happiness too.]

Everything felt like a dream. Judith didn’t even think to rise as she crawled toward the portrait.

[Come back when you have a hard time. I will guide you.]

Those were the final words.

Thud.

The portrait of a beautiful woman, once resplendent with vibrant colors, fell straight to the floor. In an instant, as if it had aged decades, the once-intact painting faded and blurred, its brilliance dimmed.

“…What?”

It was as if the world had shifted in an instant.

The shrine, once beautiful and mysterious, now lay in disrepair. Cobwebs filled the corners, and the once-blooming flowers were wilted and lifeless.

The candles that had burned brightly were melted to nothing, and thick dust covered the shelves. The shrine had transformed into an abandoned ruin.

“…Priestess?”

Judith was frozen in disbelief when suddenly—

Bang! The door burst open, and someone entered the shrine.

“Judith!”

The voice was unfamiliar. Startled, Judith looked at the figure gripping her shoulders.

A solid build, a white mask, and jet-black hair…

“…Master? Is that you?”

The Master flinched slightly, cleared his throat several times, and urgently asked her while looking into her face.

“Are you hurt anywhere? Are you okay?”

It was a peculiar voice, one more familiar to Judith, disappearing as quickly as it was heard. Blinking her eyes in a daze, Judith finally responded.

“I’m not hurt, but… what brings you here, Master?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Obvious?”

“Obviously…”

The Master, who had started to answer confidently, hesitated when someone peeked through the broken door.

“Miss, are you hurt anywhere?”

“Are you okay? What on earth happened here?”

It was the Marquis and Marchioness of Soden, who had been standing behind Judith in line. Both had kind and gentle expressions.

Much like Hud.

“What is… this?”

“The inside is a mess too.”

The Marquis and Marchioness entered and looked around. The shrine, once pristine and beautiful to the point of being unnerving, was now completely dilapidated.

“Miss, let’s leave with your boyfriend. This place looks like it’s about to collapse.”

The Marquis spoke in a worried tone, and Judith stood with the Master’s support.

“Boyfriend?”

The Marquis chuckled heartily. “He’s been watching you from afar and ran in like lightning the moment something went wrong. Isn’t that what a boyfriend does?”

Judith looked at the Master supporting her and quietly asked, “Is that true?”

“……”

The Master said nothing.

In any case, Judith left the shrine with the Master’s help. Though she wasn’t injured, her legs were weak from lying prostrate in fear for so long.

Outside, the scene was even bleaker. The tulips that had bloomed beautifully were withered, and only barren weeds remained.

To make matters worse, as they left, a section of the wall collapsed with a loud crash.

“Miss, are you truly all right?”

The Marquis asked again, looking at the scene.

“Honestly, when you dashed ahead to cut in line, I found it a bit annoying. But after all this, I’m left speechless.”

While watching nearby, it seemed that the Marquis and Marchioness of Soden had noticed Judith, who had quickly rushed forward to take her place in line when they appeared.

Judith nodded awkwardly. “Yes, I’m fine. But there’s something I need to discuss with you.”

The Priestess’s request aside, Judith had a separate goal for meeting the Soden couple. She might not have another chance to speak with them so freely.

Besides, the Priestess had said, “Doing good deeds is always fine.”

“May I have a moment of your time? It won’t take long.”

“With us?”

Both the Marquis and Marchioness were surprised.

The Marquis muttered in disbelief, “Is that all right? That young man seems more urgent…”

“Oh, he’s not my boyfriend.”

Judith hurriedly corrected the misunderstanding, letting go of the Master’s hand.

The Marquis chuckled and said, “Unrequited love, then? Miss, you might want to give him a chance. It’s rare to find someone willing to risk running into danger for you.”

“Oh, I’m married.”

Judith’s words froze the Marquis’s pleased expression. The Marchioness sighed deeply and nudged her husband in the ribs.

“You just had to bring up something painful. It seems like a love that couldn’t be, quietly watching from the sidelines.”

“Indeed…”

The Marquis awkwardly scratched the back of his head before addressing the Master respectfully.

“I apologize for the misunderstanding. But it’s best to let go of feelings for a married woman.”

The Master sighed softly beside Judith. Whatever had brought him into such an awkward situation, it was clear he didn’t enjoy it. Judith quickly changed the subject.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Judith Mayus.”

“May…Mayus?”

The name shocked both the Marquis and Marchioness. Though they didn’t recognize Judith’s face, they couldn’t fail to recognize the name Mayus.

The Marchioness murmured in disbelief, “Could you be… the one who… registered a marriage? The one who… is pregnant?”