I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 78

From the moment Ekian returned, Judith no longer had any reason to remain here. However, she had simply stayed because Ekian had casually asked her to.

“You’re like a child playing happily with a toy, but the moment someone says, ‘Let go of that,’ you immediately drop it and walk away without ever looking back.”

Judith had never deeply reflected on herself before. But the moment Master spoke those words, she felt as if he had described her perfectly.

She was moved that he had seen a part of her she had never even examined herself.

“Don’t do that to me. If you want something, say you want it. If you want to play more, say you want to play more. At the very least, turn back once and look at me.”

She wanted to respond to those words.

The thing she wanted was him. The one she wanted to be with was him.

Of course, she had enjoyed being the daughter-in-law of the Mayus family, but from the beginning, she had known that it was never truly hers.

She needed something of her own. Something that had never existed in her life before.

And she wanted that to be him.

Even though he had never once removed his mask before her, it didn’t matter. If that was what he wanted, she was fine with it as it was.

The reason she never sought to uncover his identity wasn’t out of courtesy—it was out of fear.

Fear that if she learned the truth, their relationship would change into something entirely different.

‘Yes.’

As Judith stepped into the grand mansion, she thought to herself.

‘Now, I can finally live the life I want.’

Ekian had returned, and Alteion had survived in good health. She had fulfilled her duty to the Mayus Ducal House.

She had done enough for Ben, Isabella, and Karl, who had cared for her. She liked them as people, and even without being tied together by the false bond of ‘Mayus,’ she felt that they could still greet each other with a smile.

‘I won’t stay in a position just because someone else wants me to. I will find my own place.’

She looked deep into her heart. The only reason she had stayed in this position was because Ben, Isabella, Karl, and Ekian had wanted her to… Had she ever truly believed it was her rightful place?

Not even once.

‘Now… I need to grow, too.’

By being with Master, she had effectively cut off her own retreat.

She wasn’t shameless enough to continue holding onto the title of Ekian’s wife after crossing the line with another man.

Now that she had gone through with it, no matter how much Karl or Isabella might pity her, she felt she could leave without hesitation.

Even if Ekian tried to guilt-trip her with words like, ‘Are you trying to turn me into even more of a wretch?’ she felt she could close her eyes and firmly say, ‘Even so, I want a divorce.’

Even if Master didn’t feel the same way about her, leaving the ducal estate was still the right choice.

Judith took a deep breath.

Now that things had come to this, she wanted to tell Isabella first. Ekian was not someone she could meet just because she wanted to see him, anyway.

“Judith, how about a warm cup of tea?” Isabella asked, linking her arm with hers. Her eyes were filled with concern.

Isabella Mayus.

The first person to offer her a contract to become part of a false family. The one who had paid off all her debts and fiercely protected her from being trampled by anyone.

But when Judith saw the way Isabella looked at Ekian, she understood.

That Isabella could never truly be a mother to her.

Even though Isabella cared for her, Judith would never be as important as Ekian. And truly, that was only natural.

Nevertheless, the first person she wanted to tell about her decision to end this marriage was Isabella. Just as she had first become entangled in this family through her.

Judith linked arms with Isabella, squeezing gently as she nodded. “Yes, Mother.”

Then, she softly added, “Actually, there’s something I’d like to tell you.”

“To… me?”

Seeing the slight tension in Isabella’s expression, Judith smiled bashfully.

And even at this moment, she found herself wondering—

What was Master thinking? Had he woken up by now? What did he want to do next?

***

It felt like he had been dreaming for a long time.

Ekian stared blankly at the note in his hand. It was written neatly and precisely.

One thing was certain—he had been utterly pathetic until now.

“Actually, I like you. I don’t know anything about you, but still, I do.”

Of course, he had assumed Judith liked Hud. That was why he had been so afraid—afraid that she would tell him she wanted to go to Hud Soden, now the Young Marquis of Soden.

“Honestly, I wished you wouldn’t pretend not to know.”

He had thought she wanted to forget that night, so he had pretended along with her. But as time passed, he realized that wasn’t the case at all. When he assumed she had forgotten, he had felt bitter. In the end, unable to suppress his emotions, he had brought it up first.

Just as Judith had pointed out, he was impossible to keep up with. He had wanted to bury the moment at first, yet he had grown resentful when she acted as if nothing had happened. He was completely pathetic.

Now, he finally understood why he had been so foolish, why he had wavered, unsure of what he truly wanted.

“I wanted to try it once more. When I’m not drunk.”

He had never been true to his own desires.

The very desires Judith had spoken of so plainly had always been his own as well.

He had wanted to do it again, to hold her more, to embrace her fully, to pull her even closer.

But his fear had outweighed his desires. He had turned away, terrified that she would leave him for Hud Soden, who had everything. He had wanted to be the shell of ‘Ekian Mayus’ for just a little longer, if only to remain in her life.

“Ah…”

A small groan escaped him.

“You’re like a child playing happily with a toy, but the moment someone says, ‘Let go of that,’ you immediately drop it and walk away without ever looking back.”

If Judith was like an indifferent child—

Then he was a sobbing child, terrified that the beautiful bird that had suddenly flown into his cage would leave. Instead of asking it to stay, he had desperately shut all the windows, fearing it would lose interest and fly away.

‘Could someone really love me, no matter who I am?’

Ekian blankly pondered.

He was afraid. His birth mother had abandoned him with a curse, and his father sought to kill him at every opportunity. The only reason he had been kept alive was because his father was curious to see whether his mother’s curse would truly bring down House Mayus.

Because of that, Judith had nearly suffered at Anais’s hands.

And the torment would only intensify. The emperor would never allow Ekian Mayus to return and support Alteion.

‘From the moment I was born, I was cursed. Even now, I have no idea what to do with myself… And yet, would she still stay by my side?’

In truth, he had never been certain. He despised himself as well.

However, continuing to deceive her like this would be true betrayal.

She had left without ever seeing his face, even saying, ‘I’ll wait until you’re ready.’

If she learned the truth, she might leave him.

But…

He had to tell her.

He didn’t want to keep making the same mistakes.

And to stand before her as himself, fully and honestly, he needed to first accept his own existence—something he had never truly done before. Though that, too, would not be an easy task.

‘Judith, actually, I’m Master. Ah, why did I hide it? Well… because I’m the cursed prince. Huh? Who knows about this? Just me… Wait, what? You think I should see a doctor first?’

If he blurted out everything all at once, Judith would never believe him. If she didn’t dismiss him as a complete lunatic, that would already be fortunate.