I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 82

Ekian slowly nodded.

Although Alteion had been very worried, it didn’t seem to be a particularly difficult task.

“It seems easier than I thought,” Ekian said calmly. “I’ve been hiding my identity for a long time. Concealing my presence is nothing, and under the moonlight, even my wounds heal completely. The Lord of Arten doesn’t know of my existence, so if I strike on a moonlit night, I should be able to subdue him easily. However.”

“However?”

“I must stop by Garceia first.”

The emperor’s informant had already departed for Garceia.

“I need to act in advance to ensure Judith’s birth mother doesn’t make any moves.”

Even now, what worried him the most was the possibility of Judith getting hurt.

“Then there’s no time… the emperor’s informant already left. They’ll likely move very quickly.”

“I’ll go now.”

“Now?”

“Yes. If I tell my parents, they’ll worry. I’ll just go.”

Ekian spoke slowly. He had no intention of telling the Duke and Duchess Mayus that he was going to assassinate the emperor. How tormented would they be until he returned?

“Then what about your wife? Do you not intend to tell your wife?” Alteion asked, eyes wide.

Ekian replied with a pensive look, “Ah. She’ll worry too, so I plan to tell her only part of it and leave.”

After that, he thought until his head hurt. How could he keep Judith from worrying, and yet avoid hurting her?

‘I can’t tell her that I’m going to stop her birth mother from causing trouble.’

If Judith found out, she would be unable to sleep, consumed by worry and guilt.

‘I can’t tell her I’m going to assassinate the emperor either.’

That meant he also couldn’t tell her that he was a prince. But what kept bothering him was that he hadn’t properly held her even after their first night together.

In the end, Ekian wrote two letters.

One was written under the Master’s name.

[Judith,

I’m truly sorry things have turned out this way.

Something urgent came up and I had to leave the capital.

But I want to be with you always.

I’ve hidden many things out of fear that you wouldn’t accept who I am.

But I’ll muster the courage, and next time we meet, I’ll take off my mask.

Do you remember when I called you a child with no drive?

Looking back, I was the one pretending to be a toy in front of you.

Constantly anxious about being abandoned, nervous that you’d leave if you found out how pathetic I really was.

Please, I beg you, wait just a little longer.

I will walk to you on my own two feet, take your hand, and lead you to my place.]

And the other was written in Ekian’s own name.

He briefly informed Isabella and Ben that he would be away for a while and added a note: ‘If Judith says she wants a divorce, do everything you can to stop her and give her this letter.’

***

Several days passed.

In that time, Judith received two important letters.

One was from the Master. Judith read and reread the letter.

When she thought about why she read it so often, she realized—it was the first time she had ever received such a long letter.

No one had ever written to her with such heartfelt words.

Every sentence carried genuine emotion, so even the line that said “we won’t be able to meet for a while” didn’t sadden her at all.

Because he’d come back.

Someone who left with such feelings would surely return as soon as he could.

There must’ve been a reason he wore a mask. Since he said he’d come back after settling the matter that kept him from taking it off, of course she wanted to wait.

‘This actually worked out, didn’t it?’

Judith thought cheerfully.

‘I’ve got time before the divorce.’

However, the divorce did not go smoothly. Judith tried to request a divorce from Ekian, but she couldn’t see his face.

According to Isabella, he had secretly left somewhere again to carry out a command from the Crown Prince.

“I honestly… I’m truly speechless. I don’t even have the face to look at you. You really are going all the way with this.”

Isabella huffed, pressing her forehead.

But surprisingly, Judith didn’t really hate Ekian for it.

Because the fact that he was following the Crown Prince’s command meant he was likely plotting something against the Emperor.

‘Could he have gone to the Arten region?’

Judith wondered to herself.

‘It’d be good if he weakened their forces a bit over there.’

The Emperor had also left for Arten, vacating the capital. In the meantime, rumors spread in the capital that Anais had been abandoned by the Emperor. Having suddenly been cast aside from her position as the Emperor’s concubine, she was now suffering greatly due to the many enemies she had.

‘Arten is a key region for the Emperor’s power…’

It was a fertile granary, an area perfect for enriching the Emperor’s reign. If Ekian had gone there, she hoped he could drive a wedge between the Lord of Arten and the Emperor.

In any case, there was no knowing when Ekian would return. She sincerely hoped he’d come back soon. It would be so convenient if he returned before the Master and cleanly took care of the divorce.

“It’s alright, Mother. I can wait.”

So, even as she comforted the angry Isabella, Judith remained calm.

She had no real feelings for Ekian, and though she expected he had gone to a dangerous place, she wasn’t particularly worried. He was an exceptionally capable man, and she simply assumed he’d manage just fine.

The knights of House Mayus unanimously praised him, saying, “There are truly few knights on this continent who could defeat Lord Ekian.” Some even said that if the Mayus territory were a conflict zone, Ekian would’ve already taken care of it entirely.

The second important letter Judith received after sending off Ekian came from Hud.

On the day she returned from the garden party, she had already placed a letter in Hud’s mailbox.

[Hud, would it be possible for us to meet secretly as soon as you can?

There’s something you absolutely must see.]

If Hud could even cure Alteion’s body, then she truly would owe nothing more to the “original story.”

In truth, Judith had spent quite a bit of time thinking when she was alone.

Why had she been so eager to step in and get involved in so many things?

Of course, it stemmed from her affection for House Mayus—but more fundamentally, it was because she understood that the “original story” was a chance and a gift granted to her by the Last Priestess.

It wasn’t because she was special, or because she had foreseen the future through her own power. And so, she felt indebted to that stroke of luck.

It had been an ability she’d received through someone’s kindness, by sheer chance. Thanks to it, she hadn’t ended up being chased by loan sharks or dragged to dangerous places. Above all, even during those dark times, it had allowed her to hold on with hope.

She had wanted to repay the Last Priestess, but since she had no way of doing that, she resolved to be of at least a little help to this world.

At this rate, too many people would suffer due to the Emperor’s misdeeds—she wanted to change that future, so that everyone could live in peace without fear.

But just because she remembered the “original story” didn’t mean she knew every part of the future. In fact, many things had already changed because she had intervened.

‘If I stop here, then I’ve done enough. From now on, I think I can pursue my own life without regrets.’

A normal life—something she had never once had since the day she was born.

But there was still one thing that weighed on her heart. The Last Priestess had clearly asked her to make her son happy.

And yet… she had no idea who that son even was. She had assumed she’d naturally come to know, given it was the Last Priestess’s request, but that had been a mistake. Not a single piece of information about him had reached her ears.

‘I’ll ask the Master when he returns.’

She vaguely resolved.

‘I’ll ask him to find out whether the Last Priestess has a son.’