I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 44

On the day of the Imperial banquet.

Under Isabella’s meticulous supervision, Judith was undergoing an all-out transformation to become as beautiful as possible.

“Today, you are the daughter-in-law of Mayus.”

Isabella spoke sharply, even snorting with determination.

“I will make sure no one dares to speak ill of you.”

At the same time, her words carried the assumption that many people would, in fact, gossip about Judith.

And that was true. In a way, Judith had been abandoned despite being pregnant with Ekian’s child. Since Ekian had yet to return, she was making her debut in high society accompanied by quite the scandal, one that was particularly damaging for a noblewoman.

It was only natural for Isabella to take this matter seriously.

“Put on everything you can—enough to make it look like you’re in the prestige of the Mayus family!”

“Yes!”

At first, Isabella had only considered Judith as a business transaction. However, as time passed, she found herself increasingly troubled by the scandal that Judith would have to carry for the rest of her life.

In truth, she wanted Judith to live under the protection of the Mayus family forever, enjoying a life of prestige. But she could not force a young woman in her prime to remain a widow. Eventually, Judith would have to marry another nobleman. To ensure everything remained proper, the staged pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage could not be erased from the narrative.

“Ah… Judith.”

As Judith finished dressing up beautifully, her partner, Hud, blinked in astonishment.

“You look truly… um.”

Seeing Hud’s ears turn red, Judith burst into laughter.

“You can just say I look beautiful. It feels a bit awkward, but well, it is an Imperial banquet.”

“Y-yes. You look beautiful. Really beautiful.”

Hud stammered, unable to meet her gaze properly. Watching this, Isabella became certain.

‘Hud… likes Judith. But Judith doesn’t seem to think much of it.’

Indeed, Judith was too preoccupied with what was to come that evening to pay any attention to Hud’s reaction.

In truth, she had no real interest in stepping into high society. This was merely part of her contractual obligation with the Mayus family, no different from fulfilling a job requirement.

‘Will His Highness the Crown Prince be safe today…’

In the original story, the Crown Prince was supposed to be assassinated today—of course, orchestrated by the Emperor.

The Crown Prince was kind-hearted. Even though he had heard countless warnings that his father was plotting against him, he refused to believe them. Or perhaps, he simply did not want to believe them.

That was why he was caught off guard by today’s assassination attempt, suffering grave injuries that left him incapacitated for years. With his prolonged recovery uncertain, the original story began from that point.

In the novel, the male and female protagonists joined forces to overthrow the Emperor and aid the Crown Prince. By then, the Crown Prince had already reached middle age, but he still managed to defeat his father and restore peace to the empire.

‘I can’t wait that long!’

Regardless, the Crown Prince was destined to be a wise ruler. If he set his mind to it, he had the capability to oppose the Emperor.

‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend… The Crown Prince must survive this banquet.’

However, Judith had no connection to him. She had no way to approach him.

She would inevitably attract attention tonight, as the noblewoman rumored to be pregnant. In such circumstances, moving discreetly was nearly impossible.

Moreover, the Crown Prince would never listen to a stranger’s warning. That was why she had mentioned to the Master, ‘If only Ekian Mayus were here.’

Upon hearing the full story, the Master calmly provided a solution.

“I understand the situation well. You have nothing to worry about, Judith.”

“Huh? So suddenly?”

“Among my business contacts, there is someone close to His Highness the Crown Prince. I will take care of it.”

He did not explain the details. However, Judith knew the Master was an exceptionally capable person. Since he had told her not to worry, she was certain he would resolve the matter.

Such trust existed between her and him.

Even if it was simply an exchange of information and money, their business had remained consistent for three years.

‘Trust builds through repeated dealings, friendships form from trust, and eventually, those friendships may turn into affection.’

Deeply trusting him, Judith made a silent vow to herself.

‘Once this issue is resolved, I might finally be able to leave the Mayus household with peace of mind and start making a move on the Master.’

And the Master, believing that a man was not the entirety of one’s life, fully understood the lingering attachments and affection she had for the Mayus family.

Even if she left the Mayus household and became romantically involved with him, he seemed capable of handling things just as he was doing now, should she still care about the Mayus family.

He was, in many ways, an ideal match.

The Master might not realize it, but her feelings for him were growing deeper and deeper. She was well aware of this. That was why she had even taken a book titled How to Seduce a Man from the library of the Mayus mansion.

‘I’ll read it after the banquet.’

That wasn’t all. In fact, she had borrowed numerous similar books, such as How to Approach That Man as a Lover, Everything About Romance, A Book for Those Who Want to Love, and 121 Secrets to Success in Unrequited Love.

Judith had always been a diligent student. It was only natural for her to thoroughly study any subject she was unfamiliar with in advance.

‘Who knows if there’s even a case of someone falling for a masked man…’

Regardless, since she was filled with thoughts of the Master, she had little interest in Hud.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Isabella, looking determined, glanced between Hud and Judith before speaking.

“I understand that the best scenario would be for me to step back… but given the circumstances, I will introduce Hud Soden, the Young Marquis, as someone I arranged to accompany you in Ekian’s place.”

Her reasoning was sound. Hud, too, had agreed.

“The Duke rarely attends banquets anyway… let’s just make an appearance and leave quickly.”

Since Ekian’s disappearance, Ben and Isabella had completely withdrawn from social gatherings, something they had never been fond of to begin with. However, given the situation, Isabella had to attend this time to formally introduce Judith to society.

And so, they arrived at the Imperial banquet hall.

Judith immediately felt countless gazes falling upon her.

Curiosity, intrigue, discomfort, and even scorn.

Isabella, standing by Judith’s side, said, “Wait here for a moment. I must greet His Majesty the Emperor.”

She let out a deep sigh, clearly reluctant. “Still, since I’m here, as the representative of the family, I must at least make an appearance before His Majesty.”

With Ben absent, Isabella was the acting representative of the Mayus family.

“And I think…”

She looked at Judith with concern and continued, “You would do well to stay away.”

The meaning behind her words was clear: The Emperor is dangerous. I don’t want you attracting his attention.

Recognizing Isabella’s concern for what it was, Judith nodded. And so, she was left alone with Hud.

The banquet had yet to officially begin. Guests had gathered in small groups, engaged in conversation.

Since Hud’s identity as the Young Marquis of Soden had not yet been formally announced, most attendees still regarded him as “the physician of the Mayus family.”

People cast sidelong glances at them. Judith, maintaining her composure, sipped her water. However, the moment Isabella stepped away, the whispering around them became outright gossip.

“Oh my… it must be true.”

“I always wondered how she paid off that debt, but she really turned her life around like this.”

“Goodness. In the end, she succeeded, didn’t she? But since the Young Duke is still missing, doesn’t it seem likely that she used some kind of potion to forcefully conceive?”

She had been prepared for it, but hearing it spoken so plainly still made her heart sink.