I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 80

Before she knew it, Isabella’s voice had taken on a playful tone, and Judith couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Seeing her smile, Isabella belatedly asked, “By the way, was everything alright at the garden party today? I was really worried about it…”

“Ah.”

Judith answered nonchalantly, “The Countess wanted to use me to tarnish the reputation of House Mayus, but I left before she could.”

“What? Oh my, goodness…”

Judith shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t worry. I took care of it before leaving. There’s no way I would sit back and let myself be a burden to Mayus.”

Then, squeezing the hand she was holding with Isabella, she added, “You’re like family to me.”

They weren’t truly family, but they were people who had given her warmth.

So much so that, for a moment, she had wished that place had truly been hers.

***

Late at night.

On the secret rooftop of the imperial palace where they had once met during a banquet, Ekian stood, gazing into the distance, waiting for Alteion.

“Ekian!”

Alteion, who had come after hearing from Melanie that she was planning to introduce the former physician of House Mayus, called out to him warmly.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“Not at all.”

“Well… Your wife told Melanie that she would introduce Mayus’s former physician. Did you hear about that?”

“Ah, yes.”

Ekian nodded calmly. Whatever personal feelings he had about Hud, it was true that the man had exceptional medical knowledge and could be trusted to maintain discretion.

“I didn’t think of him since I have no acquaintance with him, but if Judith asks, he’ll probably agree. I also know he’s quite skilled.”

Alteion chuckled good-naturedly. “Haha. That’s truly fortunate. Both you and your wife… You are my saviors.”

He patted Ekian’s shoulder affectionately. Then, settling comfortably on the rooftop, he spoke again.

“So, you said you had something to discuss with me?”

Ekian sat beside Alteion, just as they used to in the past. Alteion looked at him and continued.

“Actually, I had something I wanted to say as well. May I go first?”

“Of course.”

“Do you know anything about Garceia?”

“…Garceia? Isn’t that the peninsula in the far east?”

Ekian tilted his head at the unexpected question. Garceia was a distant, unremarkable region.

“The emperor’s informant was sent to Garceia. And he’s a highly capable one. This isn’t an ordinary situation. But according to the information we have, there should be no reason for him to go there. So what exactly is happening…?”

Alteion frowned, shaking his head.

“What’s more, he was dispatched immediately after receiving intelligence on the garden party. I’m worried that this may be related to Judith Mayus—or to you.”

At that moment.

The mention of ‘Judith Mayus’ triggered a flash of thought in Ekian’s mind.

“Do you want to know about your mother?”

“No. She abandoned me anyway.”

“But wouldn’t it be better to confront her, even just to express your resentment? Do you really not want to see her at all?”

Back then, Judith had looked deeply conflicted.

It wasn’t quite resentment or anger, but something else entirely. Now that he thought about it, it had been pain.

“If I request it from you, will you find her for me?”

“I am the Master of an information guild. And since you’re a valued client, I’ll do it free of charge.”

“Oh my, what an honor. I’ll let you know if I ever feel ready.”

Judith brushed off the topic with a joke, saying she needed to mentally prepare herself.

But Ekian knew the truth.

She would never be ready to face her birth mother.

The wounds from her childhood ran too deep, to the point that she could not even be angry—only avoidant.

Feeling sorry for her, he had once secretly asked an informant to look into it.

“She is presumed to be on the eastern coastal region. That was the last trace of her whereabouts. Would you like me to investigate further?”

“No, that’s enough.”

The eastern coastal region was vast. There was no need to delve further.

However, one of those places was Garceia.

If the emperor, after receiving information on Judith, had sent someone toward where her birth mother was…

Ekian’s expression darkened.

“…I think I understand.”

“Hm?”

“Judith’s birth mother is probably there.”

“Her… mother?”

Alteion’s eyes widened. He crossed his arms, as if realizing the severity of the situation.

“She was separated from her mother at a young age, it seems. But wouldn’t the emperor try to use her as leverage? If she still has any maternal feelings left, she might take her own life before she’s used against Judith.”

Ekian muttered slowly, “She has no maternal feelings. That’s the problem.”

She was a woman who had neglected Judith as a child, wasting time unable to decide anything, then fled when a crisis struck, abandoning her daughter.

If the emperor made her an offer, she would make a decision not for Judith’s sake, but for herself.

Alteion’s expression darkened. “Then we don’t have much time. As you know, the emperor is cruel and ruthless. He will use Judith’s mother in the most vicious way possible.”

Ekian completely agreed. “If she doesn’t hesitate for even a moment and makes a decision that will harm Judith…”

Everyone had weaknesses. The kind that struck so deep they sent a person into panic.

To Judith, that weakness was her birth mother.

She resented her, yet she could not escape her shadow. No matter what choice her mother made, Judith would be hurt.

If her mother suddenly appeared, demanding money from the Mayus family in the most disgraceful manner or fabricating a nonexistent past…

“I can already think of more than twenty wicked schemes the emperor might try.”

Alteion spoke with concern. Ekian, too, could easily imagine Judith’s birth mother going around causing trouble, claiming, ‘I am the mother of the Young Duchess of Mayus.’

The Mayus family could cover it up without issue, but the pain Judith would endure was another matter entirely.

‘As expected.’

Ekian squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again.

‘The moment she became entangled with Ekian Mayus, Judith’s life became more difficult.’

If she had never gotten involved with him, this wouldn’t have happened to her.

“For now, let’s discuss this further later. I also want to hear what you have to say.”

The moonlight illuminated the quiet night. The rooftop of the imperial palace was silent, with no one else around.

“Yes, then.”

Ekian nodded, his expression tense. His face remained as composed as ever, but Alteion somehow felt that he looked incredibly sad.

“Your Highness.”

Ekian gazed at Alteion with his crimson eyes.

“The reason I am telling you this… is to discuss my future path.”

“Hm?”

“I want to acknowledge my bloodline and claim my rightful place.”

“…What?”

“I want to exist as someone undeniable.”

With the most complicated and conflicted expression Alteion had ever seen, Ekian reached into his coat and pulled out a dagger.

Alteion barely had time to react.

Without hesitation, Ekian sliced his own arm.

“Ekian!”

Alteion shouted in alarm.

But then—

“…Huh?”

The moonlight shone down, and before Alteion’s astonished eyes, Ekian’s wound began to heal rapidly.

Under the glow of the moon, the cut closed as if it had never been there.

Alteion stared, dumbfounded.

A wound healing under moonlight…

That was the defining trait of the imperial bloodline.

Moreover, it only manifested in direct descendants.