I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 85

“Ah, well… um…”

Hud looked confused.

Seeing that hesitation cross his face, Melanie was certain.

‘He was definitely planning to talk more with Judith after I left! That’s clearly regret on his face!’

Realizing that, she was even more determined not to leave the two alone.

‘Judith is even pregnant… This is seriously reckless love. It’s already way beyond what can be excused as a ‘maybe’!’

“There are hardly any chances like this to meet and be alone so freely!” Melanie clenched her fist and shouted.

This was clearly an annex belonging to House Soden, so of course Hud, as the host, should remain the longest.

Melanie and Judith were technically his guests.

But Melanie, now that it had come to this, decided to go all the way and play the villain.

“It’s too noisy outside! And since we moved secretly, we can’t exactly suggest going somewhere else!”

She raised her chin boldly, hoping Hud would understand.

“I really want to have a women-only conversation!”

Melanie wasn’t usually like this, but at this moment, she had no choice but to act unreasonable.

‘Whatever. I outrank him anyway.’

She had never once used her status as Crown Princess in this kind of way, but she wasn’t going to feel ashamed about it.

‘This is… all for the family.’

Right now, her brother-in-law Ekian was away on an extremely dangerous mission. So her acting a little strange was a small price to pay!

At last, Judith—glancing back and forth between Hud and Melanie—spoke gently, “Hud, Her Highness the Crown Princess and I still have some things to talk about. Could you possibly return first?”

Of course, a trace of confusion lingered on Judith’s face. But perhaps out of consideration for Melanie, she didn’t show it openly.

“…Alright. I understand.”

Hud responded begrudgingly. Melanie exhaled sharply and cheered inside.

‘See that?! When I said it, he hesitated like a bear, but the moment Judith asked, he said okay right away!’

If another woman ever treated Alteion that way…

There was absolutely no way she could leave the two of them alone. Melanie felt even more confident in her actions.

“Then, Judith.”

Looking regretful, he pulled something out and handed it to Judith. It was a rather thick letter.

Melanie stared at the letter. Hud, enduring her glare, smiled.

“This is just… I felt regretful, thinking I wouldn’t see you for a while, so I wrote it.”

“Ah, yes.”

Judith smiled as she accepted the letter, then added apologetically, “I didn’t prepare anything… What should I do?”

“It’s fine.”

Hud scratched the back of his head with a bashful smile.

“R-really.”

Melanie thought, Even that stammering, flustered tone is genuine! and gave Hud a cold glare. She wanted to snatch that letter and inspect its contents, but that would truly be overstepping.

Still, Judith seemed entirely unbothered, and if there really had been anything between the two, she probably wouldn’t have brought him here in the first place—so Melanie was somewhat reassured. Hud would soon head back to the provinces, and Ekian would return, and peace would be restored.

Squeezing between Judith and Hud, Melanie forced a smile and said, “Well then, farewell.”

Even the maid she had brought with her was now looking at her oddly.

In the end, Hud left the Soden annex as though he had been kicked out.

‘Wait a second.’

Watching his retreating back, Melanie suddenly thought,

‘What are we even going to talk about alone?’

They weren’t that close yet. There wasn’t even anything in particular she needed to say to Judith—and certainly not something important enough to warrant kicking Hud out.

She had even declared that it was something only women could talk about.

‘Wh-what could that even be?’

Her mind went blank for a moment, but she quickly found an answer.

They were both pregnant, weren’t they? Maybe they could talk about pregnancy and childbirth.

‘This is Judith’s first pregnancy, so she must be curious about a lot. I’ll just share all sorts of things!’

That way, even her reason for sending Hud away would make some sense. She admired her own quick thinking.

***

‘Wow.’

Judith thought to herself, slightly flustered.

‘What’s going on with my charm…’

Honestly, it was true that she had been of help to Melanie. She had approached her at a difficult time and offered timely assistance.

And since Alteion and Ekian were close, it was reasonable to assume that Melanie would treat Ekian’s wife kindly.

But she hadn’t expected her to cling so strongly, saying things like “I want to talk with you alone.” She’d thought Melanie was someone sensible, mild, and socially experienced…

‘She really must like me.’

And Judith decided not to see that affection as strange. So once Hud left, she smiled gently at Melanie.

However—

“Well, we’re both pregnant. That’s why I wanted to chat.”

At the unexpected topic, Judith flinched for a moment.

“It’s your first pregnancy, right? You must be curious about a lot of things. Childbirth sounds scary too… Is there anything you’re wondering about?”

Sadly, Judith hadn’t studied symptoms of pregnancy or details by week.

She’d mostly stayed in the Mayus estate and thought it wouldn’t be of any use. And up to now, it hadn’t been.

Recently, she had only been thinking about divorce, so even more so.

Melanie smiled warmly and said, “How many weeks along are you, exactly? Oh, your belly hasn’t grown much. I was like that with my first too.”

Judith, sweating inwardly, decided to steer the conversation so Melanie would keep talking about herself. Doing her best not to show her panic, she replied as if walking on thin ice.

“Since this is your second child, Your Highness must feel more at ease. How did you feel during your first pregnancy? I’ve been feeling anxious and a little unsettled…”

“I was really anxious too. Given my position, I wanted to get pregnant as soon as possible. I felt that only by giving birth would I truly be the Crown Princess… Though now that I actually have a child, that whole idea feels a bit silly. Still, I was very worried something might happen to the baby.”

Fortunately, Melanie began speaking about herself without any suspicion.

“My menstrual cycle is extremely irregular, you know? So I thought, just like the rumors say, it would be hard for me to conceive.”

Judith’s cycle had also been very irregular. When she was still a baron’s daughter, she’d once seen a doctor.

“Hmm, in cases like this, it can be difficult to conceive.”

Then her mother had frowned and said,

“Really? Isn’t there any way to fix it?”

“Well, it’s not impossible, just difficult. The chance can be increased by having intercourse more frequently than other couples.”

Judith had been fifteen at the time, anxious and afraid. But she’d been grateful that her mother even showed concern and called a doctor, so she hadn’t said a word.

But after the doctor left, her mother, showing no emotion, said this and walked right out of the room:

“Keep this a secret so it doesn’t lower your marriage value. Good families will expect children to continue the line.”

Her mother didn’t seem the least bit upset, and that had hurt a little.

While she was briefly recalling that time, Melanie continued speaking.

“But the palace doctors say that, contrary to popular belief, many people with irregular cycles don’t have any particular problem conceiving.”

Huh?

Judith’s heart suddenly began to beat uneasily.