I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 71

‘That was quite an entertaining sight.’

Melanie had actually been invited thirty minutes later than the current time.

However, she knew Anais’s methods all too well. Typically, Anais would gather her allies early to create an atmosphere of humiliation directed at a single person, ensuring that the later arrivals would be influenced by the mood already set.

Originally, Melanie had no particular feelings toward Judith. She had only attended because Alteion was curious and wanted her to observe Judith carefully. Additionally, she intended to use this outing as an opportunity to discreetly search for a physician.

‘Judith will probably be called in a bit earlier. To truly understand her, I need to arrive ahead of schedule as well. Otherwise, I might be swayed by something I didn’t witness firsthand.’

So, knowing it was somewhat impolite, she had arrived before her scheduled time. There, she was able to witness firsthand how Judith was being humiliated by Anais.

At that moment, Melanie felt deeply displeased. The scene of someone being ridiculed for having a lower status yet securing a higher-ranked husband reminded her too much of her own past.

Now, she had children, and everyone knew how well she and Alteion got along, so no one dared to slight her. However, when she was first chosen as the Crown Prince’s bride, she had endured much ridicule in similar social gatherings.

“Are you really going to become the Crown Princess?”—doubtful voices had whispered.

“Could someone as utterly ordinary as Melanie truly rise to that position?”—jealousy had fueled their scorn.

Back then, Melanie had simply endured. She had endured, endured, and ultimately, she had reached her place today.

Enduring would have been the conventional course for Judith as well. After all, time would eventually silence the mockery. Once she gave birth to the Young Duke of Mayus’s child and continued to hold her place, the ridicule would fade on its own.

But instead, Judith had boldly slapped Anais across the face!

‘I like her!’

Melanie was thrilled.

‘I like her so, so much!’

She had maintained her composure while delivering a decisive blow, all while standing confidently despite being the center of attention.

As a fellow expectant mother, however, Melanie couldn’t just stand by and watch Judith remain drenched. Catching a cold would be dangerous since she couldn’t even take medicine.

So she had stepped forward, readily offering her spare dress.

‘I don’t know what Ekian Mayus is thinking, but one thing is certain—she’s an incredibly captivating woman.’

The garden party resumed as if nothing had happened. The guests formed small groups, chatting and enjoying refreshments.

Melanie smiled as she glanced at Judith, who was now seated beside her.

Judith had dried herself off with a towel and changed into Melanie’s dress. It was slightly loose, but it fit well enough.

The room she had been given didn’t have a bath, so she couldn’t wash up properly. However, given that she didn’t have her own maids with her, bathing at someone else’s estate would have been uncomfortable anyway. Neither Melanie nor Judith had bothered to ask for a different room with a bath.

“I’ll have the dress cleaned thoroughly and return it to you.”

Judith spoke politely, bowing slightly.

“I truly appreciate this kindness. I will never forget it.”

“Well, we expectant mothers should help each other. May I ask how far along you are? Since this is my second, my body feels heavier much faster.”

Melanie had already taken a liking to Judith and wanted to grow closer. Fortunately, they shared the common experience of pregnancy, making conversation easy.

However, instead of responding excitedly about her condition, as Melanie had expected, Judith smiled awkwardly.

‘Hmm?’

She quickly erased her hesitant expression and smoothly replied, “If you’re feeling unwell, I could introduce you to a physician. He used to be the attending physician at the Mayus Ducal House, and I can personally vouch for his skills.”

“Oh? I’m not unwell, but… Wait, did the Mayus family’s physician leave?”

Judith had not mentioned anything about her physical condition, but Melanie was somewhat curious about the Mayus Ducal House’s former physician. If he had worked for the Mayus family, then his skills were certainly guaranteed.

“Yes. Thanks to me, he was able to find his biological parents and return to his hometown. Even so, he promised to repay his debt and said that if I ever needed him, he would come to me anytime, anywhere.”

Judith smiled brightly as she spoke.

At that moment, Anais, the host of the garden party, tapped her wine glass lightly, signaling for attention.

“Is everyone enjoying the party?”

Anais smiled smoothly as she spoke.

“To make this gathering even more delightful, I have invited a very special guest. A certain someone you all must be quite curious about.”

Melanie’s eyes widened with intrigue. She had a good idea of who this ‘certain someone’ was.

Among the many young women present, a masked man who had been attracting attention for some time was now standing beside Anais.

***

When Judith had arrived and was doused with water at the main entrance—

Ekian had happened to witness the scene by chance. From that moment on, he had been unable to take his mind off of her.

However, when Judith had subtly signaled to him, ‘Do not step in,’ he had restrained himself. Since this gathering had been set up to create a scandal between them, it would not have been wise to openly acknowledge her in front of everyone.

Even so—

‘Is ignoring her really the right thing to do?’

In truth, the fact that the Master of the Grey Information Guild had a connection with Judith was not something that could be hidden forever.

She had never been particularly secretive about her past dealings, and anyone with enough interest could easily find out that Judith had once relied on an information guild during her difficult times.

“So, let’s just act naturally. Like we’re simply acquaintances. If we pretend we don’t know each other at all, it might actually seem even more suspicious.”

“That does make sense. If we feign complete ignorance, people might think we’re deliberately hiding something.”

For that reason, they had already agreed—if they crossed paths at the garden party, they would acknowledge each other briefly, maintaining the appearance of a casual acquaintance.

Ekian had roughly envisioned how that interaction would go. A friendly greeting, an exchange of pleasantries, a bit of relaxed small talk.

But it seemed Judith had a different idea.

‘Is this what she considers a professional level of acquaintance?’

Judith had given him a slight nod in acknowledgment, but her expression remained stiff. No matter what he said, she responded only briefly before walking away.

Following after her and trying to continue the conversation would have been ridiculous, so Ekian had no choice but to mingle with others.

Since he was the only masked man at a gathering full of young noblewomen, people naturally approached him out of curiosity. On top of that, Anais had made a spectacle of introducing him as ‘the key guest of honor’ for the event, fueling even more intrigue.

Casual conversation was something he was well-versed in, so blending in was not difficult. However, his attention kept drifting toward Judith.

Wasn’t the water too cold?

Her hair was soaked through, forcing her to let it down—was she alright?

Humiliating Anais with childhood memories was one thing, but hearing such harsh words in front of so many people must not have been pleasant.

Still, it didn’t make sense for her to be avoiding him just because she was in a bad mood.

After all, she was chatting away with Melanie, smiling brightly.

“A moment ago, were you alright?”

In the end, Ekian couldn’t hold back and approached her.

“The new dress suits you well.”

But instead of responding, Judith simply flashed him a quick smile before standing up.

“Thank you. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Then she briskly walked off toward the restroom.

Did she really have to go this far to avoid him?

Just a few days ago, she had blindfolded herself and clumsily pressed her lips to his cheek. Yet now, she was acting like a completely different person.