I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 46

The man, unmistakably Ekian, was wearing a mask that covered his entire face. However, instinctively, he knew that this was his long-time friend.

Ekian was quite a bit younger than him. Nevertheless, he was wise, lively, and easy to converse with, making them close and trusting companions.

“…Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Finally, a voice flowed out from behind the mask.

Alteion let out a deep sigh. It was indeed the voice of the dear friend he had long yearned for.

“It has been a very long time.”

Ekian slowly gave a formal bow.

“Have you been well during this time?”

His tone was relaxed yet carried a noble accent. Without realizing it, Alteion pulled Ekian into a firm embrace.

“Ha, truly… It is you. It really is you.”

“The security of the Imperial Palace was too strict. I wanted to visit in advance, but unless it was the day of the banquet, I could not enter.”

That was true. If nowhere else, the Imperial Palace was not a place one could enter easily.

However, the banquet day, when numerous nobles arrived, was a different matter. Since many attendants accompanied the nobles, even outsiders could roam the palace without drawing attention.

Of course, the guards were strict and checked those entering and leaving, but that too was a simple matter if the Crown Prince, Alteion, had made prior arrangements from within.

“Thank you for being alive.”

Alteion spoke, deeply moved, as he patted Ekian’s back.

Though he did not express it, Ekian, too, was experiencing a surge of emotions. For the first time in five years, he had revealed his identity to an old acquaintance. It felt as if he had rediscovered his long-forgotten place.

Moreover, from what he had learned, Alteion was his half-brother. Just as he was about to sincerely express his joy at meeting him—

“So, in the end, all of it was true.”

Alteion spoke in a low voice.

“Pardon? What do you mean…”

“The rumor that you impregnated a promising young woman and then abandoned her.”

Alteion pulled away from the embrace and shook his head with a troubled expression.

“To be honest, I thought there must have been some issue. Well, I even considered whether the Duke of Mayus had lied about sensing Mayus’s aura in the baby just to delay reporting your death.”

Alteion’s guess was, in fact, correct. Looking at the flustered Ekian, Alteion clicked his tongue.

“I thought you would rather die than act so irresponsibly… You’ve become a complete scoundrel. You are no longer the Ekian Meius I once knew.”

Then, staring at Ekian as if looking at a troublesome fool, he let out a deep sigh.

“You mentioned you had urgent business with me in secret. Did you perhaps come to borrow money?”

It was the perfect demeanor of an old friend dealing with a debauched rogue. Ekian’s emotional moment crumbled entirely.

“I do not know how much you need, but if it is for something unscrupulous…”

“That is not the case.”

In the end, Ekian had no choice but to answer sternly.

“It is nothing of the sort.”

“If not, then have you taken refuge in some questionable religious sect… or are you in a situation where you need me to sell something for you?”

“Neither is the case.”

Ekian let out a deep sigh.

“The reason I have remained in hiding and come here today is to warn Your Highness of the danger you will face tonight.”

“Hmm?”

Alteion furrowed his brows and tilted his head.

“Tonight? At my birthday banquet?”

“Yes.”

Ekian nodded gravely.

“After the banquet speech ends today, one of Your Highness’s guards will attack you. I do not know the name, but I have learned that it is the knight who is to stand behind Your Highness, on your right.”

“…Ekian, that is an excessive jest.”

Alteion responded slowly.

“Sir Sekan is loyal to the Imperial Family. His Majesty the Emperor personally bestowed him upon me…”

“Haven’t you been slowing down a lot these days?”

At Ekian’s sharp question, Alteion hesitated.

“Your swordsmanship isn’t what it used to be. And today, your vision is likely even blurrier, and your reactions slower.”

“…You…”

“You are gradually being poisoned. After the banquet ends, send a sample of your blood in secret to a physician outside the palace for testing and request an antidote. Of course, it must not be the imperial physician.”

Alteion bit his lower lip. Ekian continued speaking.

“Make sure to wear armor beneath your banquet attire. And be wary of your right side—if an ambush comes, dodge immediately. Even if your senses have dulled, staying alert will allow you to evade.”

“……”

“Listening to me won’t cost you anything. You understand, don’t you? If nothing happens, just consider it the ramblings of an old friend and remain cautious.”

As Ekian calmly advised him, Alteion slowly lowered his head. After a moment of silence, he asked slowly.

“…Is it His Majesty?”

His tone suggested he had somewhat expected this. But Ekian knew he had simply ignored it all this time, unwilling to confront it.

The knight personally assigned by the Emperor and the imperial physician handpicked by him.

Not being able to trust either of them meant that the Emperor was behind it all.

“I discovered it while secretly running an information guild.”

Ekian spoke in a bitter voice.

“Please be careful, Your Highness.”

“Ekian…”

“I will take my leave now.”

Ekian still had no intention of revealing his true identity to Alteion. Or rather, he saw no necessity in doing so.

Even if I were to tell you that I am your half-brother, it would only complicate things further.

In truth, Ekian had yet to make up his mind.

Though a prince by birth, he had distanced himself from the imperial family, and though raised as the Young Duke of Mayus, he had resolved to keep his distance from them as well.

He had intended to live as a complete outsider, uninvolved in such affairs.

To cause harm to no one, to be a burden to no one.

But everything had started to waver the moment Judith appeared.

Yes, it was all because of that one woman.

Ever since she had officially become Ekian Mayus’s woman on paper, he wanted to stand naturally by her side.

He wanted to protect the loved ones she cherished and cared for them together.

And so, he kept looking back at the things he had once abandoned, and he harbored resentment toward the one who had made him turn away.

“I cannot stay for long.”

Ekian spoke with a slightly cracked voice as he looked at Alteion.

“You must leave soon as well, Your Highness. You are the main character of this banquet.”

“…Indeed. The banquet will begin soon.”

Even so, Alteion could not take his eyes off Ekian.

“Ekian, is there no way for me to contact you?”

“I will reach out to you when the time is right.”

“And if I don’t know when that will be?”

“It is difficult to say.”

“Then, one last request.”

Alteion took a step closer to Ekian and spoke, “I want to see your face… Just once, could you take off your mask?”

Ekian let out a faint sigh.

Then, slowly, he removed his mask.

In truth, he had expected this from the moment he decided to come here. He had prepared himself for the fact that if Alteion did not trust him, he would have to reveal his face.

As he removed the mask, under the night sky, brilliant golden hair and red eyes were revealed.

He had originally had black hair, but for today, he had dyed it back to the golden shade of the past. Although expensive, hair dyes did exist in the empire, so obtaining one had not been difficult.

“You…”

Alteion murmured in a trembling voice.

“You really did grow up to be quite handsome. For a moment, I wondered if you wore the mask because you had become hideous compared to your younger days, but that is certainly not the case.”

Ekian let out a small laugh as he ran a hand through his hair.

And then, something caught his eye.

The banquet had not yet begun, but in the distance, standing alone on a balcony, was Judith.