I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 99

Ekian wanted to return to Judith as soon as possible, reveal that he was Master, and beg for her forgiveness.

If she turned him away in anger, he planned to cling to her until she took him back. In the end, he had hidden his identity all the way through, so it was only natural for Judith to be angry.

So he sent a message to Alteion through a swift courier, reporting the successful completion of their mission, and mounted his horse to return to the capital.

‘It’s all over. All of it.’

Judith would surely ask him, ‘Why did you hide it?’ And of course, she had every right to.

He was ready to confess the ugliest and most shameful parts of himself.

He’d done it because it seemed like she still liked the Ekian Mayus of the past. Because he hadn’t wanted to reveal his disgraceful background. And because…

He was afraid she’d be taken by Hud Soden.

He feared she’d want to live with someone kind and safe, someone who posed no danger.

So he’d wanted to become that kind of safe man first—one who deserved to stand by her side—before revealing everything and asking to stay by her.

But now, he would confess that he had been wrong, that he was lacking, and pour out everything with complete honesty.

He planned to reveal it all thanks to Judith’s courage in confessing her feelings first, because her one step toward him had shown him how laughable and selfish his worries truly were.

Thinking of standing before her as Master, unmasked and no longer blond but simply Ekian, made his heart pound as if squeezed tight.

But only a few days after he began racing toward the capital—

Ekian learned of his divorce in a village he stopped at just to sleep, not far from the capital.

And it was in the most absurd way possible: by overhearing mercenaries chatting at an inn.

“What? Your wife had a miscarriage? Then hurry home! Is money the problem right now?”

“Go be with your wife right away. If not, you’ll end up divorced like the Young Duke of Mayus.”

Ekian, traveling alone with his hood up, felt his pupils shake. At first, he thought he’d misheard. But the conversation that followed was no hallucination.

“Yeah! So what if he’s from House Mayus? No wife can live with a husband like that.”

“They even say the ducal house gave her a hefty settlement. Must’ve been pretty bad.”

Before he knew it, Ekian was walking toward the mercenaries and asked in a trembling voice,

“Excuse me…”

Even though he was certain he’d misheard, his heart was pounding with anxiety.

“What do you mean by that?”

He prayed they were just spouting nonsense, playing a cruel joke on someone.

But the mercenaries’ answer was indifferent and brutal.

“Oh, you must not know? It’s all over the capital. The Young Duke of Mayus’s wife miscarried and ended up divorcing him!”

“We all thought she was just trying to snag some money with that pregnancy… but even with a fat settlement, would staying in that house have been better? Everyone agrees now—she really was just a woman who loved him.”

Divorce? They divorced? So Judith and Ekian…?

Ekian felt like he’d been struck in the head.

***

Time passed, and news of the emperor’s disappearance reached the capital.

He had gone on an inspection trip to the Arten region and was caught up in a barbarian attack. Now, both the Lord of Arten and the emperor’s whereabouts were unknown.

Fortunately, the barbarians had been driven back with help from the neighboring territory. But the emperor, who had fled among the commoners, couldn’t be located by the neighboring lord either.

Since both the Lord of Arten and his aides had also vanished, people assumed they simply hadn’t returned yet.

Alteion, who had secretly been informed of both the emperor and the Lord of Arten’s deaths, quickly took control of the imperial palace.

He began compiling lists and conducting investigations, starting with nobles loudly insisting the emperor was still alive.

He was convinced they had been embezzling under the emperor’s protection.

In fact, citizens in such territories were suffering under high taxes and unreasonable military service. Arten was a prime example.

Even in the midst of this chaos, Alteion searched tirelessly for Judith. First, he naturally sent people to the Marquisate of Soden. He quickly identified Hud Soden’s alias and began investigating that clinic.

“…Judith?”

But Hud, instead, turned pale and asked back in shock.

“Did something happen to Judith?”

If he were acting, then it was quite the performance.

“I knew she was planning to divorce after the miscarriage. But… Judith is… Judith is missing?”

And really, if he were pretending, there was no need to mention he already knew about the divorce plans after the miscarriage. Alteion’s aides conducted several more searches and interrogations, but they truly couldn’t find any trace of Judith in the Marquisate of Soden.

In fact, not just there—nowhere at all.

From the perspective of Alteion and Melanie, this was a state of emergency. Despite being pregnant with her second child, Melanie eventually rolled up her sleeves and visited the Duke of Mayus’s residence herself.

“Ah…”

Isabella greeted Melanie with visible reluctance. The age gap was large, and to be honest, they had no real relationship at all.

“Didn’t I tell you? Judith left for the Marquisate of Soden.”

“She’s not there!”

“Then could you wait a little longer? She said she was going to take her time and travel leisurely.”

“But we can’t track her down at all. Where did she go after leaving the Mayus estate…? No, why did the Mayus send her away in secret in the first place?”

“Because Judith wanted it that way. As Your Highness the Crown Princess knows, that child hates being the center of attention. Do we need to make a spectacle of her by announcing to the whole world that she miscarried and got divorced?”

“Madam!”

Melanie finally burst out in anger.

“It wasn’t enough that you forged the divorce papers without Young Duke Ekian’s knowledge, how could you let her disappear so irresponsibly! What will you do when Young Duke Ekian returns?”

Isabella’s eyes widened in disbelief. Melanie, panting, continued her furious outburst.

“Of course, he irresponsibly got her pregnant and only showed up much later!”

Isabella was not one to back down. To be honest, she could’ve turned Melanie away at the door the moment she barged in, crown princess or not.

“And even after returning, he didn’t protect Judith when she became a target of the social circle!”

Still, she agreed to meet her for one reason only—because Melanie was pregnant.

“And even then, he never gave Judith, who cared for others so sincerely, a single ounce of help!”

While Melanie raged, Isabella folded her arms with a look that said, Let’s see how far you go.

“He didn’t even show his face when she miscarried that precious child… but!”

Melanie’s voice grew weaker as she continued. It was obvious to anyone that the one who needed to answer for this was Ekian.

“He… even after the miscarriage… he didn’t stay by her side either, b-but that, that, th-that must have been… surely, he had his reasons… very valid reasons…”

“I see.”

Isabella calmly looked at Melanie and asked, “You say you care for Judith, so let me ask: If Judith were your own sister, would you tell her to go through with the divorce? Or would you have her stay here forever, drying up like a doll, waiting endlessly for Ekian?”

“…Well… b-but, Young Duke Ekian truly loves Judith…”

Melanie muttered, then sighed. She knew the answer better than anyone.

“Yes. That’s the Young Duke’s deeply personal feeling…”

In the end, Melanie left the Duke of Mayus’s residence empty-handed. At the same time, she realized something.

Judith had been genuinely loved in this house. Isabella’s firm attitude paradoxically proved it.

The Mayus Ducal House had made that decision out of true consideration for Judith.

It meant that Judith was a good person.

“Judith.”

Melanie murmured, pressing her forehead.

“Where on earth are you? Just let us know where you are, please. If the Young Duke arrives in the capital like this, it’s going to be total chaos…”