I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 136

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Meanwhile, there was someone whose heart was complicated in a different way.

It was Karl.

‘Everyone shouldn’t let their guard down. If we’re not careful, things could go wrong.’

It couldn’t be helped. This situation was far too complex for a young boy to understand. So no one had given Karl a proper explanation.

He had only heard ‘Your brother made a big mistake, and there was a misunderstanding from that, so Judith had no choice but to leave, and actually your brother was a prince, so they went to live together in the Marquis’ Domain.’

The countless gaps in between could only be guessed at through passing remarks. With even the pregnancy period becoming like a riddle, everything was full of questions for Karl.

‘When will I be able to see my nephew?’

‘The due date is scheduled for early next year.’

‘…Isn’t the pregnancy period 9 months? It says so in the book?’

‘Uh, um… That, well, um. Oh my, it’s time to study the Empire’s history now, isn’t it? Let’s finish science here.’

No matter how much he asked the teachers, he couldn’t get proper answers. Ben and Isabella only said ‘It’s all your brother’s fault. Anyway, it’s all his fault.’

Then wasn’t Judith’s divorce also all Ekian’s fault?

‘You see. History tends to repeat itself. What happened in ancient times happened again in the early days of the Empire, and after 200 years it happened again…’

‘Why does that happen? Why can’t people learn from past events?’

‘But isn’t that the essence of human affairs?’

The tutor’s teaching was so unsettling that he really couldn’t stand it.

Ekian kept making mistakes. Really, he kept doing it.

And then he got married again. Judith forgave him again and accepted him.

Just like when Ekian first appeared at the Meius Mansion, she didn’t say a single word of resentment like ‘Why are you only showing up now when you’re the child’s father?’

‘Isn’t this going to be the same things happening over and over again?’

Karl was consumed by anxiety all by himself.

‘I have to stop this repeating history!’

No matter how much he lectured Ekian, it was useless. Even when he kept insisting ‘Brother really needs to treat sister-in-law well,’ only gentle responses came back, so there was nothing to argue about or teach.

So Karl changed his strategy. To continuously preach Ekian’s virtues to Judith.

“Um, sister-in-law.”

So Karl waited for Judith to finish her conversation with Melanie, then quickly caught Judith like lightning.

“I have something to tell you.”

“Oh my? Yes, of course.”

Judith smiled brightly and sat side by side with Karl in the garden. Karl felt as comfortable as when Judith first came to the Duke’s Mansion.

The kind and warm person who had saved him from Sera and comforted him saying ‘It’s okay.’

…Honestly, she was too good for his brother.

“Sister-in-law, I know that brother is somewhat lacking as a husband.”

Then Judith was startled.

“How… do you know that? Don’t tell me you were Ekian’s wife in a past life?”

Judith slowly moved away from Karl while blinking her eyes.

“I suppose… a past life wife has come to pick a fight with the current life wife, right? Something like ‘Let me see how well you’re living with my husband.'”

“Oh, come on! Sister-in-law! You can tell just by looking at what’s happened so far!”

Karl’s face turned red as he shouted, and only then did he realize he had fallen for Judith’s prank.

Judith grinned and came back to sit next to Karl.

“Well, it’s clearly not something a child would say. I thought you had adult memories or something.”

“Children know everything they need to know! I’m grown up enough!”

Karl huffed and crossed his arms. Judith tilted her head with a ‘hmm.’

“Getting angry at being called a child means you’re really young, you know?”

“I’m not angry, I’m just stating facts. Anyway!”

Judith still had a face full of laughter, but Karl cleared his throat and spoke seriously.

“Our brother will probably be a good father.”

It was his trump card, so to speak.

Until now, he had repeated the history of being a ‘bad man,’ but the new role of being a dad was a first!

“Wow.”

Judith widened her eyes and showed a surprised expression.

“How… do you know that? Don’t tell me you’ve seen Ekian raising other children? Are you calling me here now to make a secret report…”

“No!”

Karl jumped up again.

“Brother raised me, me, me, me!”

Worried there might be some misunderstanding, Karl began speaking rapidly.

“You know there’s a big age gap between me and brother, right? Brother really raised me well. Affectionately yet strictly, fun yet keeping what needed to be kept.”

“Oh ho.”

“He’s amazingly good at raising children, so you don’t need to worry about childcare. Mother also said that raising me was so easy thanks to brother.”

Judith smiled with interest. Karl thought ‘This is it’ and continued speaking.

How Ekian reacted when he first told a lie as a child, when he first let him ride a horse, how many books he read to him, how meticulously he taught him letters…

“So sister-in-law.”

Karl argued passionately.

“He’ll really raise children well. You’ll be able to see another side of brother. I really guarantee it. There’s a proven past!”

“I see.”

Judith nodded gently with a soft smile.

“I understand. Thank you. But Young Duke.”

“Yes, yes?”

Karl knew from experience.

That the words after ‘but,’ ‘however,’ and ‘although’ were really important.

It was when Karl tensed up immediately and looked up at Judith with his mouth shut.

“From what I can see, Ekian is still lacking as a brother. To still make his younger brother this anxious.”

“Huh?”

“What are you anxious about?”

Judith smiled kindly and took Karl’s hand.

“Not about your brother, let’s talk about Young Duke. What Young Duke wants to say to me.”

“Uh… um…”

Not about brother?

Karl’s eyes wavered.

‘I came here to talk about brother… But she’s telling me not to talk about brother…’

And only then did what he really wanted to say come to mind. Karl took a deep breath and muttered while looking down.

“Sister-in-law, you can’t leave again…”

His voice became small without confidence.

“Actually, I mean, I know it wasn’t sister-in-law’s fault, but I was a bit hurt… Everyone said I was just a child and wouldn’t tell me properly, just saying it was a secret, only the adults knowing…”

Suddenly tears welled up. Instantly, warning bells rang in the boy’s mind.

His brother was already lacking, and if even his younger brother whined like a child, Judith might find it bothersome and leave again.

‘I need to act as mature as possible, and not be annoying…’

It was when he quickly raised his head to say no.

“I’m really sorry about that.”

Judith smiled warmly and wiped Karl’s eyes.

“There’s an even younger child in my belly, so I couldn’t take care of Young Duke too. You must have been very confused. I actually wanted to meet you and apologize in person. When adults make a child anxious with adult matters, it’s unconditionally all the adults’ fault.”

He shouldn’t cry, but tears suddenly started flowing down. For a supposedly genius boy, it was so embarrassing and shameful.

Nevertheless, Judith’s soft and calm voice had the power to open the boy’s heart that was tightly closed with anxiety.

“I won’t leave your brother’s side again.”

Judith held out her pinky finger and said.

“No. If brother does something terrible enough to make me leave, I’ll tell Young Duke first. Then Young Duke won’t have to worry until then, right?”

Karl sniffled once and hooked his pinky finger with Judith’s.

“Please come visit your nephew often.”

Judith said with a bright smile.

“He’ll probably take after his parents and come to love his uncle very much.”

A smile finally appeared on Karl’s tear-stained face. Judith tilted her head and continued speaking.

“Since the age difference isn’t that great, he’ll probably follow the young duke around like an older brother…”

At those words, Karl’s eyes widened as he asked.

“What? It’s a boy?”

“Oh.”

Judith gasped.

“Oh no. That was supposed to be a secret.”

“What?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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