I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 6

“Ma-marriage?”

The Master, who had been coughing for a while, asked in shock, “To the Mayus Ducal family?”

“Yes.”

When Judith answered, the Master couldn’t hide his confusion and said, “But… the young master is only eight years old?”

“Not the young master. Besides, child marriage is legally prohibited, isn’t it?”

“But… I thought the Duke and Duchess had a good relationship?”

“Not the Duke. Besides, the empire practices monogamy, doesn’t it?”

“Then… who are you talking about?”

“The Young Duke.”

“Wait, Lady Ailan, are you talking about Ekian Mayus?”

“Yes.”

Judith thought that the Master’s astonished reaction was understandable. Declaring she was going to marry someone who was missing didn’t sound reasonable to anyone.

She spoke firmly, intending to prevent any unnecessary debate, “You said you didn’t know anything about Ekian Mayus, right? Then continue not knowing.”

“But how can you marry someone who’s missing?”

“It will happen.” Judith smiled brightly as she spoke, “Has any of my information ever been wrong?”

***

Still somewhat panicked, the Master returned to the Grey Information Guild.

He staggered into his room, closed the door, and let out a hollow laugh as he sat down.

“Marry Ekian Mayus?”

From the very first time he met her, Judith had been an extraordinary woman full of surprises. Lately, she had been making even more shocking statements every day.

Even though the literal bombs had all been removed, his mind felt like it had just been hit by one.

From her absurd declaration that she liked Ekian Mayus, whom she had never spoken to, to now talking about marriage.

“A marriage without a husband?”

The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

Given that she had even gone to the Mayus estate today, she likely intended to gain their approval. But could that even happen?

The Mayus family boasted power comparable to the imperial family. They weren’t people Judith could manipulate or deceive at will.

And from what he had observed, Judith Ailan was a righteous and decent person. She wasn’t the type to scam the Mayus family.

“But that makes it even more illogical.” The Master muttered in confusion, “Marrying the Young Duke… What on earth…?”

Alone in his room, the Master took off his mask. The mask, which had covered his head down to the back of his neck, fell with a light thud.

His concealed black hair flowed softly like the night sky. A clean forehead, dark and sharp eyebrows, cold yet deep eyes, and a chiseled nose were revealed.

His eyes, crimson like they were soaked in blood, and his sharp jawline and curved lips formed a striking harmony.

“How exactly does she plan to marry me?”

The Master of the Grey Information Guild.

In his late teens, he had hidden his identity, founded the guild, and risen to the top of the underworld.

No one, not even his closest associates, had ever seen his true face, and no one knew he was a master swordsman, as he had never displayed his skills.

His true identity, unknown to all, was Ekian Mayus.

In a few days, it would be five years since he ran away from the Mayus estate.

In other words, after five years of being missing, he would soon be declared legally dead.

‘That’s how it should be. There’s no place for me in the Mayus family.’

Ekian closed his eyes, thinking of the Duke, the Duchess, and his younger brother Karl.

‘I must disappear.’

If he didn’t, the Duke and Duchess would never name Karl as their heir.

Since childhood, Ekian had been supported by the vassals. Unless he was officially declared dead, leaving Karl to inherit the title would be nearly impossible.

‘There’s not much time left, but… marriage, how does that even make sense…?’

Ekian couldn’t understand what Judith Ailan was thinking. But her confident words remained vividly in his mind.

“Has any of my information ever been wrong?”

Judith and Ekian had never officially crossed paths.

Naturally so, as when Ekian was still at the Mayus estate, he barely had time to meet other high nobles, and he didn’t enjoy social gatherings, so he never mingled widely.

‘Besides, Judith Ailan was a noblewoman buried in debt… Wait.’

Suddenly, Ekian realized something, and he touched his forehead.

In his shock from Judith’s declaration, he had forgotten the very reason he went to see her that morning.

He had originally intended to pay off her debt for saving his life!

But he had been so flustered that he forgot to mention it.

There had only been a few moments in Ekian’s life where he had been so startled that he forgot his purpose.

He glanced at the clock and thought, ‘It would be awkward to visit her again now. She’s probably teaching by now.’

Ekian roughly knew what Judith’s daily routine looked like. She worked hard every day, struggling under her mountain of debt.

Though she was managing to repay her interest by selling information to him, she still needed money for daily living expenses.

Even the cheapest boarding house required rent, and she had to afford basic clothing and food.

So, Judith usually worked as a visiting tutor, staying busy teaching noble children etiquette—something she had been educated in well herself.

‘Most people would have given up by now, but she’s an extraordinary woman. Hardworking, optimistic, and never losing hope.’

Despite working so hard, the thought of paying off her principal debt never seemed to cross her mind. Yet Judith never showed a hint of despair. She never once complained to him about her situation.

It was as if she had some plan in mind, calmly going through her days without any fuss. Her consistency had left a deep impression on him.

‘I’ll go see her tomorrow. No, I’ll invite her here. That way, I can hand her the check immediately.’

Ekian, unaware of how much he had been thinking about her, mentally planned his next day.

‘And I need to ask her in more detail about this marriage plan.’

Because of the investigator inquiring about the explosives, he hadn’t had the chance to have a proper conversation with Judith earlier. He couldn’t discuss such matters in public, so he had left hastily.

So, he decided to invite her over to discuss things privately and get to the bottom of it.

Ekian immediately picked up a quill.

He wrote a letter asking her to visit the Grey Information Guild the next day and sent it to Judith through a messenger.

The next day, Judith arrived at the guild late in the evening.

“I’m a bit late, sorry.”

Her expression was bright and lively.

“I just came back from the Mayus estate. I was supposed to go two days later, but the duchess urgently summoned me.”

He already knew that Judith had been called to the Mayus estate early in the morning. Ekian had spent the entire day anxiously waiting for her.

After all, he didn’t have any sources inside the Mayus estate.

While he gathered intelligence on everything else, he had deliberately excluded the Mayus family from his operations, avoiding any lingering attachments.

“What were you doing at the Mayus estate all day? I heard you were there from early morning.”

“Oh, I was busy filling out the marriage registration.”

“…What?”

“The marriage registration should be completed by tomorrow.”

For a moment, Ekian felt like he had been hit over the head.

He truly hadn’t imagined he could be this shocked in his life.

“…What? N-no, h-how…?”

“The news will spread across the capital soon, but I’m telling you first out of loyalty.” Judith spoke cheerfully, “The Mayus family will announce soon that I’m pregnant with the Young Duke’s child.”

Ekian quickly retracted his earlier thought that nothing could shock him more than the marriage registration.

Because this time, he was even more stunned.

It was almost like panic.