I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 79

In any case, he couldn’t continue pretending to be the perfect, ignorant Young Duke Ekian Mayus just to win Judith’s heart. Doing so wouldn’t change her feelings for him either.

He had two identities.

One was Young Duke of Mayus. Originally, he had never intended to remain in the Mayus Ducal House permanently. He believed Karl was the more legitimate heir, and now, he had returned only because of the emperor’s threat.

The other was Master of the Information Guild. But he couldn’t live this way forever either. Ekian’s face was already too well known. Living while hiding his identity was impossible, and if he were to wear a mask for the rest of his life, he wouldn’t even be able to walk into a restaurant with Judith openly.

Running away to a remote countryside was not an option either. He was not a criminal, and there was no reason for Judith to live that kind of life with him.

‘More than anything, if things remain as they are now, Judith will continue to be a target of the emperor…’

As long as the emperor knew of Ekian’s existence, Judith would always be used against him, no matter where she went. He couldn’t stand by and let that happen.

He had to find a place where he belonged, somewhere he could keep Judith safe. And the best defense was always a strong offense.

He abruptly stood and prepared himself.

To protect Judith, he was ready to face head-on what he had been avoiding his entire life.

***

The rose garden was peaceful and beautiful. Judith had dismissed the maids and sat across from Isabella, sharing tea.

“…Mother.”

After taking a few sips of the fragrant tea, Judith finally spoke slowly.

“What I wanted to tell you is…”

“Go on.”

Isabella looked at her with a gentle smile.

“Say whatever is on your mind.”

Faced with a rare smile that she knew was never given freely to others, Judith spoke without hesitation.

“Um… I want to get a divorce now.”

Once she started, the words poured out effortlessly.

“Honestly, I know that Lord Ekian wanted me to remain as Young Duchess a little longer. That’s why I stayed a few more days… But now, I don’t think my presence in this household is necessary anymore. It may be an inconvenience to him, but still…”

“Judith.”

Isabella frowned slightly and interrupted her.

“Don’t talk about Ekian. Tell me about you.”

“…Pardon?”

“Are you saying you no longer like us?”

“Ah, no!”

Judith frantically waved both hands.

“That’s not it!”

“Then has staying in this house become unbearable for you?”

“Not at all! I love you, Father, and Karl very much. As for Lord Ekian… well, I don’t really know. But…”

Looking at Isabella’s visibly tense face, Judith took a deep breath.

If she hadn’t gone all the way with Master, she wouldn’t have been able to say so firmly, ‘I will leave.’

In truth, she had nowhere to go at the moment.

“But…”

She exhaled shakily before continuing, “I… have someone I like.”

Isabella’s eyes widened slightly.

“Of course, it’s not Lord Ekian… That’s why I want to get a divorce first and regain my freedom. He already knows that I’m not actually pregnant, and he also knows that I have nothing to do with Lord Ekian.”

“Oh my…”

“I don’t know if he’ll accept me. But still, I want to return to my own life… After all, this marriage was never real. I want to go back to being myself and create a real family of my own.”

At that moment, Judith thought that Isabella might actually get angry.

After all, hadn’t she stayed at the Mayus Ducal House while harboring feelings for another man?

Moreover, they had truly considered accepting her as their ‘daughter-in-law.’

If Isabella were to slap her, she felt she would have no choice but to quietly offer her other cheek in acceptance.

Just as she lowered her gaze, unable to meet Isabella’s eyes—

“I see.”

Isabella spoke softly.

“I see… I understand.”

“…Pardon?”

“Honestly, I had hoped you would just continue to stay in this house. Especially since Ekian said he wanted to remain married to you. I wished that you would hold onto him, and that he would hold onto you in return.”

Isabella let out a deep sigh. Though her voice had been calm at first, a trace of frustration began creeping in.

“But that fool! He only talks about staying married in name, then spends the night elsewhere repeatedly, and doesn’t even escort you to a garden party… If it were me, I wouldn’t want to stay in such a marriage either.”

She huffed, exhaling sharply. Judith felt strangely embarrassed that Isabella’s anger wasn’t directed at her but at Ekian instead.

“My son acts like that, and yet! How could I possibly ask you to stay married to such a fool?”

“Ahaha…”

In truth, Ekian had been quite considerate to her, and he wasn’t exactly terrible, but…

“Judith.”

Isabella fixed her gaze on Judith and grasped her hand firmly.

“I want you to be happy. If that idiot causes trouble, I’ll personally knock some sense into him, so you just go and live your life.”

Her voice was filled with sincerity.

“Mother…” Judith sniffled unconsciously.

Isabella tightened her grip and smiled. “With my son being such a mess… Of course, you should find someone better. This marriage wasn’t one of love to begin with. But I do like it when you call me ‘Mother.’ I’d love for you to keep calling me that.”

In the end, tears streamed down Judith’s cheeks.

It was strange. She had expected to feel guilty and ashamed, but she had never thought she would feel this sad.

Had she not gone all the way with Master, she might have clung to Isabella, saying, ‘I’ll just live here forever as a cherished maid without a husband!’

“I’ll make sure you get a generous alimony settlement.”

Isabella lowered her voice as she added, “That’s very important.”

“Mother, the Mayus family has already given me so much…”

“Do you think that amount is worth the lives of our three family members?”

Isabella frowned, clearly displeased.

“And don’t back down needlessly in front of the man you like either! What’s the point of being so meek?”

Judith smiled slightly at her words. “In any case, Mother, thank you so much. I thought you might be angry…”

“After everything you’ve done for us, why would I be?”

Isabella smiled gently.

“I’d love for you to stay close to us, but of course, I wish for your happiness above all else. Will we still be able to meet from time to time?”

“Yes, of course.”

Judith nodded vigorously. Then, with a sigh, she added, “I just hope the Young Duke will accept it as well… In the end, he’s the one who has to sign the divorce papers, and until now, he’s been firmly against it. That worries me.”

“Don’t worry about him.”

Isabella scoffed and shook her head.

“That boy never acted like a proper husband to you, so what could he possibly argue? Though, I must admit, I am a bit concerned about how he’s been acting lately. I’m not sure he’ll behave rationally.”

“I’m also worried about Karl and Father…”

“Ben will agree with me, and Karl will just see it as Ekian getting what he deserves. Karl had been saying for a while that this day would come.”

“Ah…”

“At least Karl will learn from his brother’s mistakes. Hopefully, his own marriage won’t turn out the same way.”

“Ahaha…”

“So just focus on your own happiness. Understood?”