I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 86

At fifteen, when that doctor said, “This child will have difficulty conceiving”—

Judith had never forgotten those words. When told to keep something secret, it stuck in one’s mind even more.

He had said it would be difficult, not impossible, so she had taken it positively, thinking, If I just have intercourse often enough, the odds might increase a little.

In fact, on the day she had been with the Master, she had even whispered confidently:

“It’s okay… it’s a safe date, and the doctor said I naturally have difficulty getting pregnant…”

She had been the one who stopped the Master, who had hesitated at the last moment, and pulled him into her warmth.

“They say if the timing’s right, it can happen in one go. It’s just that my timing is irregular, so it’s hard to predict.”

Melanie giggled and thought, cheeks slightly red, ‘I really did do well in sending the man out, didn’t I?’

“That’s something they discovered recently, so it’s a bit different from what’s written in older medical texts. That’s why I worried more than I needed to.”

Something discovered recently?

Judith forced a smile and began quickly counting the days in her head.

In terms of number, it had happened several times, but in essence, it was just over the course of a single day, and according to the medical texts she knew, it had been a low-probability day.

She had always believed she had difficulty conceiving, and since the timing was also supposedly safe, she hadn’t considered pregnancy a possibility.

But… if Melanie was right?

The medical books Judith had read were naturally quite old. Being ‘refined’ educational books, they were by nature long-established publications.

The doctor who examined her at fifteen had also been old and had likely shared information outdated by newer research trends.

Anxiously, she began counting the dates. Her heart started to pound.

‘My expected period… has already passed.’

Because her cycle was so irregular, she hadn’t thought much of it until now.

At that moment, Melanie’s story continued.

“Still, I was very anxious. I had almost no symptoms during early pregnancy, so I’d wake up fearing the baby inside had quietly left me… Do you know what I did then?”

Judith replied with a soulless laugh, “Ahaha. What did you do?”

Melanie said, excited, “I told the smartest maid I had to study medicine! Isn’t that funny? At the very least, to check if the baby was still there… They say doctors can sense the unique magic energy of a fetus. That’s how they can tell the baby’s condition.”

“I-is that so?”

“Yes. Even if one isn’t a professional, as long as they can feel the presence of two magical auras, that’s enough… I had her study with that in mind. So I used to ask her every single day if the baby was doing okay. I couldn’t keep bothering the palace doctors every day, asking them to check, you know.”

Her eyes crinkled gently. Then she spoke lightly, “And funnily enough, that maid is this girl here.”

The maid behind Melanie gave a shy smile and lowered her head slightly.

Since she had been the only servant to accompany Melanie to Hud’s annex, she was clearly a maid Melanie trusted deeply.

“That was already years ago… That child now talks, walks, and even does cute things.”

Judith saw the affection flickering in Melanie’s brown eyes.

It was warm and blind, yet also the kind of love that brought happiness to oneself. The layers of love, worry, joy, and awe that had built up since the baby had been in the womb were all richly embedded in those words—“cute things.”

Surprisingly, as she looked into those eyes, the anxiety that had been rattling inside Judith began to quietly calm down.

“Judith, the truth is, I was a completely insignificant daughter of an unremarkable count’s family. I wasn’t talented, I wasn’t pretty, nor was I particularly brave or outgoing. I was just one of those ordinary women you can find anywhere in the world.”

Melanie added with a soft expression, “But I came this far by becoming a mother and wanting to protect my child.”

The sincerity in her words was so vivid that Judith stared at her, almost spellbound.

“To be honest with you, Judith, I don’t necessarily want His Highness the Crown Prince to become emperor, nor do I feel I must become empress, nor that my son must be the next emperor.”

That much Judith already knew. With a strange aching in her chest, she nodded.

“But I do these things because I have to protect my children. Even while pregnant, I came out into the chaos of the festival carrying the Crown Prince’s blood, risking my life and my father’s to obtain the antidote… Because if I don’t, my family will be in danger.”

“…Yes.”

“I’m sure Young Duke Ekian Mayus is the same. He surely wants to be by your side more than anyone, but because he has to protect the child in your womb, he’s stepped away from his family for a while. With his personality, he probably didn’t explain much, but… I hope you can understand his heart.”

Only then did Judith begin to understand why Melanie had shared all this with her.

At the same time, she realized that Ekian hadn’t run off again like some reckless delinquent—he had genuinely gone because of imperial business.

Melanie must have wanted to defend Ekian, who had once again left behind his pregnant wife.

“Someone as average and timid as I was became the most extraordinary person because of my child… So how do you think someone as capable as the Young Duke must feel?”

At Melanie’s words, Judith slowly nodded.

At that moment, as she quietly mulled over every word—

A thought suddenly came to her.

She would have to make a decision eventually.

The question “Could I possibly be pregnant?” had been lingering in her mind.

She had no particular symptoms, but Melanie had said she’d had none in early pregnancy either…

She couldn’t keep pretending there was a child when there wasn’t. Either way, she’d have to eventually announce a miscarriage, proceed with the divorce, and that meant she’d need to make that announcement at some point.

But if—by some chance—she had conceived on that night with the Master…

‘I can’t go to a doctor. If I’m pregnant, I won’t be able to hide the number of weeks. And if rumors spread, it’ll be a disaster.’

Which meant she couldn’t miss this opportunity. Melanie’s maid wasn’t a doctor—she wouldn’t be able to tell the fetus’s condition or gestational age.

She could only detect the presence or absence of the fetus’s magical energy.

If there was no child, Judith could start preparing to announce the miscarriage. But if there was…

Then she’d need to prepare for what came next—immediately.

“Um…”

Judith looked calmly at Melanie.

“Your Highness, in that case, may I ask one thing as well? It’s not difficult…”

She swallowed dryly and then tried her best to smile naturally.

“If your maid can check whether my baby is doing alright… I’d like to know too.”

She was so tense she even trembled in her breath. But Melanie didn’t notice, and beamed brightly.

“I completely understand that feeling. It’s awkward to ask the ducal physician every day at House Mayus, isn’t it? People might gossip that you’re overbearing, as if using pregnancy to climb the social ladder…”

Then she turned and signaled to her maid. “You heard that, right? Go check on her, would you?”

The maid smiled at once and replied, “Yes.”