I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 63

Ekian was startled by the situation unfolding before him.

“Judith?”

He steadied the staggering Judith and sat her back down at the table. Only then did he notice the wine bottle and glass on the table.

“What happened here? Why are you so drunk?”

It was immediately clear that Judith was heavily intoxicated—her flushed face, slightly unfocused eyes, the faint scent of alcohol, and the redness creeping down her neck.

“Ah.” Judith smiled brightly and answered, “I’m not drunk at all.”

She looked completely drunk. Absolutely.

Even more so than when she had been drinking with Hud before.

“It was just half a bottle of wine. I only had a taste. I used to be fine even after drinking this much.”

“Do you know that the alcohol content varies between different wines?”

“Alcohol content? What’s that?”

Ekian checked the wine bottle with a look of despair. It was one of the strongest wines available.

Judith mumbled defensively, “I just wanted to taste it. It was for a guest. I couldn’t serve something bad, so I kept sipping to check, but then…”

“When did I ever ask for alcohol?”

“Didn’t you?”

Judith grinned playfully.

“You made such a fuss when I drank with Hud.”

Ekian had no retort for that.

“You were upset about it. So let’s have a good time together too…”

Judith flashed him a teasing smile. Watching her, Ekian let out a deep sigh. He realized that he could never let her near any stronger drinks.

He could only hope Hud never saw her like this. Drunk and giggling, she was utterly adorable, and her slightly slurred speech was charming.

“Anyway.” Judith poured him a drink and asked, “What did Anais say?”

“Do you really think this is the right time to have that conversation?”

Ekian asked, laughing incredulously.

“Are you even in the right state for such an important discussion?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Judith shot him a challenging look.

“I told you, I’m perfectly fine. And we met specifically to talk about this. Honestly, I’ve been curious.”

“Well, it is our most pressing issue.”

Ekian took a sip of the wine she handed him. It had a rich flavor but was indeed quite strong. If she had consumed it too quickly, it was no wonder she was so intoxicated.

“Anais is preparing a scandal about you.”

“Oh my.”

“She initially planned to accuse you of having an illegitimate child with one of the parents of your former students. She intended to find a child from an orphanage and bribe a parent to support the claim.”

Judith’s eyes widened. The scheme was even more malicious than she had anticipated. If the story involved an affair from several years ago, it would mean she had been a minor at the time.

Judith murmured, “That would certainly damage the reputation of the Mayus Ducal House. Since the Duchess publicly declared her favor for me in high society, if such a scandal broke out, it would make the Mayus family look foolish. People would mock them for not seeing it coming.”

Still, she tilted her head slightly in confusion. “But that wouldn’t be a decisive blow. Maybe she just dislikes me.”

“You say that so casually?”

“Well, I thought something like this might happen.”

Judith lowered her head with a slight frown.

“If she had just waited a little longer, I would’ve left after the divorce anyway…”

“Regardless.”

Ekian firmly cut her off.

“We reached the parents before she could, disrupting her plans. Ultimately, she turned to me to propose another scheme.”

“To you, Master?”

“Yes.”

Ekian explained seriously.

“She wants to claim that ever since your family’s downfall, you’ve had a secret child with the Master of the information guild.”

“Good heavens.”

“Since you’ve had formal interactions with me even after marrying into the Mayus family, she saw me as the perfect scandalous partner. The rumors would be even more scandalous with me involved.”

Right.

Judith and Master had officially met at the shrine of the last priestess, and even the day before she entered the Mayus Ducal House. And just yesterday, Judith had gone to visit him herself.

“She wanted me to expose myself as your hidden lover, claiming that we were still maintaining our relationship.”

“What…?”

Judith’s jaw dropped in shock.

Ekian, too, had been momentarily taken aback by Anais’s proposition. It was practically the same as asking Judith’s current husband to play the role of her secret lover.

If he went along with her plan, it would mean Judith had been falsely accused of carrying someone else’s child not once, but twice. It was beyond absurd.

“Anais is a truly ruthless woman who doesn’t care about means or methods.”

Ekian frowned as he spoke.

“She even instructed me to stage a scandalous encounter with you—to be caught red-handed, no matter what.”

“That woman is insane…”

Just as Judith slowly opened her mouth to speak, there was a sudden knock at the door.

“Sister-in-law?”

Ekian’s heart sank instantly.

“It’s Karl.”

Judith’s eyes widened like saucers.

Why’s Karl here at this hour? By now, he should have already been asleep!

“I saw that your lights were still on… Are you upset because of my brother?”

Ekian and Judith exchanged panicked glances.

Karl must have felt pity for Judith—having an older brother who ‘got someone pregnant, ran away, then returned after a few days only to stay out overnight again.’ He must have come to console his sister-in-law.

Just as Judith was about to say something, Ekian quickly covered her mouth.

“No, you can’t.”

He whispered so that only she could hear.

“You’re clearly drunk. Do you want to announce to the entire estate that a pregnant woman has been drinking?”

“Then what do we do?”

Judith rolled her eyes in panic before hastily suggesting, “Then hide! Make it look like you’re not here!”

Ekian nodded. He quickly grabbed the wine bottle and glasses and shoved them into a drawer.

“Sister-in-law?”

Meanwhile, Karl knocked a few more times.

“Sister-in-law? Are you okay?”

Judith swiftly scribbled a note that read, ‘I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk.’ It was a simple excuse.

Then, grabbing Ekian’s arm, she pushed open the bookshelf door.

“Sister-in-law! Nothing bad happened, right? I’m coming in!”

The moment Karl’s worried voice rang out, the two of them slipped into the secret passage.

The door to the hidden passage closed at the same time Karl entered the room.

Ekian and Judith found themselves pressed together in the cramped space. Through the narrow gap, they could see Karl scanning the room, muttering, “Huh? She’s not here?”

Neither of them dared to make a sound.

“A walk?”

Karl noticed the note on the table. Judith and Ekian held their breaths, remaining perfectly still. The passage was so narrow and dark that they were practically embracing.

“If she went for a walk, where would she have gone?”

Karl tilted his head and walked toward the window, peering outside. Ekian and Judith could feel their pounding hearts in the silent space.

They had been in a similar situation before—hiding in Karl’s room. That had been difficult enough, but now…

‘What is this?’

Ekian suddenly felt a rush of confusion.

‘Why… why is this happening?’

He had taken the suppressant Sandra prescribed. Just this afternoon, he had looked at Judith without feeling anything.

According to her, the effects should have lasted for a while longer.

So why was his desire suddenly flaring up now?

“Sister-in-law must be feeling miserable.”

Karl muttered dejectedly, making no move to leave.

“I should leave her a note, too.”

He sat at the table and began writing something on a notepad. It looked like he had no intention of leaving anytime soon.