I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 59

“Damn it…”

Anais furrowed her brows and muttered.

“What the hell is going on?”

She had handled plenty of cases like this before. That was why she had thought it would be easy—suppressing evidence and manipulating witnesses with money and power.

“We approached the first candidate family, but they flatly refused. They said Lady Judith was an excellent tutor and was very fond of their child… They have no relatives who could be threatened, and since the couple is well-off thanks to their work as skilled interpreters, they aren’t financially vulnerable either. They won’t cooperate.”

Her subordinate sighed and continued the report, “The second candidate family initially seemed interested, but they suddenly received an investment and no longer needed the money. They said they have no desire to commit a crime when they’re not financially desperate.”

“Where did they suddenly get investment money from? Damn it…”

“That’s what I’d like to know. And as for the third candidate, they emigrated recently… The fourth candidate seemed promising since we could pressure the husband, who worked at a government office, with forced disciplinary action, but at the last moment, he resigned. Apparently, he inherited some land and decided to become a farmer.”

The fifth and sixth candidates were the same. Somehow, the timing was always off, or they suddenly came into good fortune, causing them to reject Anais’s proposal.

Any attempts to threaten them economically or through family ties had already been preemptively resolved. Annoyed, Anais furrowed her brows.

“Then, aside from her work as a tutor, was there any other job she did? Surely there must be something undocumented.”

“Ah, about that.”

Her subordinate spoke seriously.

“We did manage to find another job Lady Judith Mayus had in the past. It wasn’t recorded anywhere initially, but we stumbled upon this information by chance.”

“What is it?”

“Well… It seems she sold information to an intelligence guild.”

Anais narrowed her eyes. “An intelligence guild? You mean one of those places that buy and sell information?”

“Yes!”

The subordinate nodded.

“Specifically, it was the Grey Information Guild. Not many people get to meet the Master there directly, but she was one of the few who had personal dealings with him.”

“What kind of information was she selling?”

“That, we don’t know. But it seems she visited the guild quite frequently. It was located in the same alley as the boarding house where Lady Judith lived.”

“She went there often… Hm.”

“But now, the Grey Information Guild is about to shut down.”

“Shut down? Why?”

“They claim it’s due to financial difficulties. They’ve been holding on, but they finally decided they can’t continue.”

“Oh?”

Anais’s eyes gleamed. People with no money, those struggling with debts—these were the kind of people she excelled at exploiting.

“The Master? Tell me everything you know about him.”

“That’s a bit of a problem.”

Her subordinate responded hesitantly.

“Hardly anyone has seen his face. Even those who have met him only recall encountering a masked man. He was very careful to ensure that even his voice wasn’t memorable.”

“Hm?”

Anais furrowed her brows.

“What kind of place hides its leader’s identity so thoroughly?”

“I’m not sure. However, despite all the secrecy, the guild still ended up bankrupt, so it seems the Master wasn’t as capable as his reputation suggested.”

“Hmm.”

Anais’s eyes shone with intrigue as she read through the report her subordinate handed her.

“From what I know, most intelligence guild masters are former informants who accumulated enough wealth to go independent in their 40s or 50s.”

“That’s usually the case.”

“Then this Master is likely the same, isn’t he?”

“That seems to be the general assumption. Based on scattered bits of information, he’s rumored to be a middle-aged man.”

“A struggling, financially troubled, relatively unknown man whom Judith visited often…”

Objectively speaking, this was a much better option than bribing the families where she had tutored. Especially since there were no nosy bystanders who would step forward, saying, ‘That doesn’t seem right.’

“Good.”

Anais smirked and crossed her arms.

“Make contact here.”

***

‘Ugh.’

Judith rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.

‘This is a bit of a problem.’

It would have been better if she could meet Master sooner. The ten days Master had mentioned felt much longer than she had expected.

‘Each day is going by just fine.’

Over the past ten days, Judith had grown quite accustomed to life with Ekian. Now, waking up in the morning and exchanging a bright, “Did you sleep well?” had become routine.

Normally, the Mayus Ducal House gathered for at least one meal a day, but with Ekian around, it felt as if the household had become even fuller than before.

Karl still glared at Ekian and threatened, “You better treat my sister-in-law well for the rest of your life!” but even that was adorable.

Having someone by her side all the time was more reassuring than she had expected. Even when she went for walks, Ekian occasionally joined her.

“You’re busy, you don’t have to go out of your way to spend time with me.”

“Well, I just want to go on a date.”

“What?”

“You just go about your day as usual. I’ll consider it a date.”

While having a lively conversation with Ekian, Judith would sometimes be startled.

‘No wonder he’s popular. Wow, he’s charming, witty, and above all, incredibly handsome. Just looking at him makes time fly by.’

Ekian was both humorous and exuded a masculine allure. He was well-mannered, and spending time with him was genuinely enjoyable.

“So, how about it?”

“How about what?”

“Has there been any change of heart? You haven’t seen that man in quite some time, have you?”

“Well, whenever I feel like wavering, I look at the big, sturdy trees in the garden and ground myself.”

“Then I should plant some reeds along the walking path—to encourage your wavering heart.”

Despite everything, thanks to the effects of his medication, Ekian remained an absolute gentleman while sharing a room with her. He was kind and considerate, yet his gaze never once held any hint of desire. Over time, Judith became more comfortable being in the same room with him.

A few days ago, when it was particularly warm, she had fallen asleep in a slip dress. When she woke up, one of the straps had slipped down, yet Ekian had shown no reaction whatsoever—his expression no different from if he were looking at a plate of fries.

He even nonchalantly adjusted her shoulder strap with a completely neutral expression.

And so, by this morning, things had progressed to this level.

“Um, Lord Ekian, could you tie this ribbon for me?”

“Sure.”

Judith casually asked him to tie the ribbon at the back of her dress, and Ekian did so in the driest, most matter-of-fact manner possible.

“By the way, I’d prefer it if you just called me Ekian.”

His actions may have been neutral, but his words certainly weren’t.

“Isn’t it odd to use such formal honorifics with your husband?”

“Ah, yes… I suppose so.”

It was true that Judith had grown more comfortable around Ekian. But she still couldn’t shake the feeling that he was like a man who had stepped out of a painting.

A man who had suddenly appeared in her life without any logic or build-up, claiming he would be her ‘prince on a white horse.’ A man who, just by standing beside her, showered her with affection and offered her everything the grand Mayus Ducal House had to offer.

He was nothing like Master—the one who had gone through hardships with her, argued, reconciled, and built a relationship over time.

“So, Ekian.”

On the morning of the tenth day, Judith spoke up immediately.

“I think I mentioned this before, but I’d like to meet the Master of the information guild I used to work with. May I go see him today?”

“Ah.”

Ekian smiled like a picture.

“Go ahead.”