I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 45

Among them were many noble ladies who, at seventeen, had turned Judith away when she desperately sought to borrow money after losing her parents.

Back then, when they had refused her with uncomfortable expressions, Judith had never once resented them. She had always thought it was understandable.

But now… now, she felt a little resentful and quite disillusioned.

It was one thing for them not to help her in difficult times, but did they really need to envy and mock her just because she had become the daughter-in-law of the Mayus family?

As the blatant whispers grew louder, Hud furrowed his brows and stepped forward.

“Excuse me, but—”

“No.”

Judith quickly grabbed Hud’s arm.

“Don’t say anything, Hud.”

Forcing a smile, Judith looked at him.

Though she, too, had the urge to snap back at them, stopping Hud took priority.

“After this banquet, you will become the heir to the Marquis of Soden. You mustn’t get involved in gossip because of me.”

“I don’t mind.”

Hud firmly furrowed his brows.

“At the very least, isn’t it wrong to say such baseless things right in front of someone? If calling out inappropriate behavior makes me a subject of gossip, then I don’t care.”

“But I care.”

Judith shook her head with a bright smile.

“I told you, I will fulfill my role as best I can.”

As she explained to Hud, the momentary anger swelling within her began to settle.

“Enduring such criticism is part of my job. I knew this from the beginning.”

Saying it out loud actually made her feel better. After all, she had always feared the light more than anything else in the world. Compared to that, these insults were nothing.

She had endured far worse to pay off her debts. Remembering that brought her back to reality and helped her regain composure.

“However, I do think staying close to you might not be a good idea.”

Judith sighed.

“I feel like I’m being painted as the seductress of the century. If I end up ruining your prospects for marriage, that would be a problem. Right now, people only see you as the Mayus family’s physician, but once they learn you are the Young Marquis of Soden, there will be plenty of rumors about tonight.”

“Marriage prospects…”

Hud chuckled as if he found it amusing.

“Then you’ll have to take responsibility, Judith.”

“Sorry, but I don’t have any good friends to introduce you to. The people I once considered friends are all standing over there.”

Judith responded casually, assuming Hud simply meant he wanted her to introduce him to someone suitable.

“Then why don’t you take responsibility yourself?”

“That’s not possible. I must remain faithful to my husband, Ekian Mayus.”

From the start, Judith considered any romantic entanglement with Hud an impossibility. As the heir to the Marquisate of Soden, he was destined to marry a high-ranking noblewoman. According to the original story, he had likely been engaged since birth.

“Judith.”

After a brief pause, Hud spoke, “Have you ever met Young Duke Ekian Mayus?”

Until now, Hud had never pried too deeply into Judith’s situation. He had merely assumed that this was all a contractual arrangement between Judith and the Mayus family.

But at this moment, he was curious.

“Or do you have no connection to Young Duke Ekian Mayus at all? Did you agree to become the wife of a complete stranger, or was there something more?”

“Ah.”

Judith blinked in slight discomfort.

While Hud was a trustworthy person, he was still not part of the Mayus family. It didn’t seem wise to reveal everything to him. Some level of discretion was necessary.

Inevitably, the truth that she was not actually pregnant had been revealed, and those aware of it also knew she would soon be divorced and leave the Mayus family estate…

“I liked him.”

In the end, Judith decided to repeat the lie she had once told the Master.

“A long time ago… back when I was just an ordinary baron’s daughter without debt, I admired him from afar. He was handsome and charming. It wasn’t anything special. There must have been plenty of young ladies like me.”

As she spoke, Hud’s expression hardened slightly, but Judith failed to notice.

“But it’s not as if I was ever passionately in love with him… I should move on, after all. Anyway, that’s all I can say.”

She left the rest up to Hud’s own interpretation.

Claiming she had liked Ekian before was an easy excuse, one that didn’t require any real evidence.

Even as they talked, the glances directed at Judith and Hud had not disappeared.

The overwhelming attention made Judith feel quite burdened. She let out a small groan and thought to herself,

‘It’s all because Mother dressed me up too extravagantly.’

Of course, all this gossip would fade once Isabella returned. Judith had intended to wait until then, but realizing that she might be causing trouble for Hud, she decided to step away for a while.

“Hud, I’m going to step out for a bit.”

To prevent any strange rumors from spreading later, it was best to put some distance between them. As she placed her water glass down, Hud spoke seriously.

“I’ll come with you, Judith. No matter where you’re going.”

“…I’m just going to the restroom.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“Alright.”

Judith smiled and turned away from Hud. The moment she started moving, she could feel the renewed wave of gazes following her.

‘Keep your expression neutral, keep it neutral.’

If she looked flustered or displeased, that would only fuel the gossip.

She resolved to ignore the whispers but didn’t want to give them any more reason to gossip.

Fortunately, there was a simple way to maintain a calm expression.

‘Distract yourself, think of something else.’

And finding a distraction was easy.

‘Has the Master handled things well? He said he would meet with His Highness the Crown Prince on his own.’

If the Master succeeded, the Crown Prince would completely turn against the Emperor tonight. That would be an enormous advantage for the Mayus family.

‘I believe in you, Master.’

Judith smiled faintly and muttered inwardly,

‘I’ll do my best to ensure the peace of the Mayus family, so that I can focus on courting you without worries.’

***

At the back of the grand Imperial banquet hall, beyond a secret pathway hidden behind the walls.

The protagonist of tonight’s banquet, Crown Prince Alteon, stared in disbelief at the man before him.

“…Ekian?”

The Crown Prince, Alteon, with his jet-black hair, spoke with a trembling voice.

“Ekian Mayus? Is it really you?”

A few days ago, Alteon had received a mysterious letter. He usually did not accept private correspondence, but this letter had been sent through the emergency contact method he had only shared with his closest friends, so he had no choice but to read it immediately.

The contents of the letter were simple yet shocking.

It stated that his long-lost friend, Ekian Mayus, was alive and wished to meet at the Imperial banquet.

[Before I disappeared, Your Highness secretly took me to a special place to celebrate my birthday. Let’s meet there at 7 p.m., before the banquet begins.]

The handwriting was undoubtedly Ekian’s. But more than anything, the moment Alteon read that sentence, he became certain that Ekian was truly alive.

On Ekian’s sixteenth birthday, Alteon had personally taken him to a secret location that no one else knew about. He had chosen that place because it was the best spot for a private conversation.

Shortly after that, Ekian had vanished without a trace, as if he had never existed.

“How… what on earth happened?”

Alteon blinked slowly, staring at the young man before him.