I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 65

The next morning.

“You’re insane, Judith.”

Judith couldn’t get out of bed. Not because her body was heavy, but because her heart was.

“What do I do now…? I must have really lost my mind.”

There was no doubt that she had drunk too much. Otherwise, she would never have found such courage. Tying a blindfold over her own eyes and pressing her lips against him—her usual self would never have done such a thing.

“What is Master thinking?”

Judith buried her face in her pillow and squeezed her eyes shut.

“He must think I become overly responsible when I’m drunk. Please, let that be the case.”

And then, there was something else gnawing at her guilt—Karl’s letter from last night.

[Dear Sister-in-law, you must have had a difficult night.]

Actually, it had been a really good night…

[I worried that you might feel lonely, so I came to check on you.]

Far from being alone, she had been closer to someone than ever before…

[The brother I know is a responsible man. There is absolutely no way he would have another woman.]

Karl, it’s not your brother. I was the one with another man.

[Staying out overnight doesn’t mean anything happened.]

Something definitely happened…

[When he returns, we will make sure to discipline him properly. He’s married now, so he must never do something so irresponsible again.]

Perhaps I am the one who needs discipline.

Judith let out a deep sigh and stifled a groan. But what made her feel even more pathetic was that, despite everything, she couldn’t erase the memories of last night from her mind. Even as she berated herself, she felt no regrets.

It was the first time she had experienced such impulsive heat. For the first time, Judith realized that she could feel this way, that she could have such desires.

“Haa… ha…”

Last night, as she clung to him, she had barely managed to ask, “Did that… help at all?”

“Help?” Master’s voice, mixed with rough breaths, carried a hint of amusement.

Judith, on the verge of tears, muttered, “W-we did that for so long…”

It had been an incredibly long kiss. She had no sense of how much time had passed.

Of course, she knew there was more beyond that. But after the urgent exchange of kisses, Master had not taken things further.

“If this was enough, then… does that mean it worked?”

Then, his soft lips brushed against hers once more, a light touch. Then another, on her cheeks, her earlobes, her jawline, and the bridge of her nose.

A series of gentle kisses rained down on her before he whispered in a husky voice, “That’s not how this works. This is far from enough.”

“Then…”

“But for tonight, this is as far as we go.”

Master stroked her cheek as he spoke.

“You’ve had too much to drink, and I know better than to take advantage of someone in that state.”

Judith’s cheeks burned red. It felt as if she had been the one clinging to him.

Master let out a bitter sigh and added, “To be honest, I knew I shouldn’t have even done this much.”

Had he hesitated because of Ekian? Because, even if just on paper, she was still another man’s wife?

“From now on, I’ll just be a shameless man without a conscience.”

Master let out a deep sigh before covering her lips with his once more. By the time her lips felt numb, he had gently gathered her into his arms.

“For now, you should rest. We’ll discuss what comes next later.”

Her body was already too exhausted to resist. She could do nothing but let herself be held by him.

“Tomorrow night, Ekian Mayus won’t be returning. I will come to you again tomorrow night.”

He quietly laid her down on the bed.

“Sleep well.”

Ekian gently brushed Judith’s hair and slowly sat up. As the warmth between them dissipated, he let out a sigh and cupped her cheek with a grin.

“This won’t do. Just one more time.”

Before she could respond, his lips covered hers once more. The last thing she remembered was the mix of soft bedding and his rough yet relentless touch blending with the heat of their bodies.

That was what had happened the night before.

“I must be out of my mind. What do I do now?”

In the end, Judith abruptly sat up and smacked her own cheeks. Even so, the memories of last night kept replaying in her mind.

“Think about something else. Let’s think about something else.”

She took a deep breath, opened the window, and let the cold air hit her face.

If Anais was preparing a scandal involving her and Master, then she needed to be ready as well.

Since Ekian wouldn’t be coming today either, she wanted to present herself more composed when meeting with Master later—this time, with a proper plan.

‘Is there a way to handle this quietly, as if nothing happened?’

Honestly, she held no particular resentment toward Anais. Surprisingly, even in this situation, she didn’t feel any animosity. She simply didn’t want to bring trouble to the Mayus Ducal House.

Why did she not even feel hatred? She pondered the question, and the answer came quickly.

If she was being hated for being ‘the Young Duchess of Mayus,’ then there was nothing she could do about it. This had never been her place to begin with. She had lied about a nonexistent child, she had received love through knowledge of a future that wasn’t truly hers.

So it was only natural for people to feel that she had taken a place beyond her worth. Judith herself felt the same. That was why she had little interest in Anais.

However, just as she was regaining her composure, speaking with Karl, and preparing to start her morning routine—

“Young Madam.”

A maid approached her politely and handed her something.

“The Countess of Anitas has sent an invitation.”

The Countess of Anitas—Anais.

But why?

“Huh?”

“The Countess is hosting a garden party soon. It appears to be an invitation to that event.”

Judith blankly accepted the invitation. It was the first time she had received a noble’s garden party invitation since her family had fallen.

[Dear Judith, Young Duchess of Mayus,]

As she read the elegantly penned invitation, Judith’s eyes widened.

It contained an apology for previously ignoring her and expressed a desire to rekindle their past friendship with warm, affectionate words.

[In truth, many of your old friends have been hoping to reconnect with you. We saw this as a perfect opportunity, so we’ve all come together to prepare this event. Please, do consider attending.]

In other words, a garden party was being held for her, and everyone knew about it.

Judith felt as if she had just received a challenge instead of an invitation.

***

“What?”

Ekian heard something completely unexpected.

Sandra replied calmly, “That’s exactly what I said. The medication I gave you last time will no longer work.”

That morning, Ekian had rushed to Sandra, demanding another dose of the suppressant. But Sandra had immediately shaken her head.

“You must have taken the neutralizer I gave to the Young Madam. That drug stays in the body for a long time, and you’ve likely built up a resistance to it. Even if you take another suppressant, it won’t have any effect.”

“Are you serious? There’s really no other solution?”

Sandra answered nonchalantly, “It’s not a critical period anymore, so you should be fine. But if you’re really uncomfortable, there are other ways to manage it. You and the Young Madam could come to an agreement on certain boundaries—”

“Enough.”

Ekian clutched his forehead and staggered slightly.

“Forget it.”

His worst fear had been confirmed. Judith had unknowingly given ‘Master’ the neutralizer, thinking it was a nutritional supplement.

The sky seemed to darken around him. He had no confidence that he could keep sharing a bed with her and still hold himself back.