I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 148

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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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They were clearly well-dressed, tall and handsome boys. Though they all seemed to lack enthusiasm for masks, as they were all wearing identical lion masks.

As if they hadn’t particularly wanted to come to the fountain garden, they tilted their heads and looked around.

Judith, who was sitting by the fountain inside the garden, hesitated for a moment.

‘Should I just leave?’

But those lion masks were the ones who took the wrong path, weren’t they?

‘Then won’t they leave soon?’

She didn’t intend to deliberately make way for them, but she didn’t want to awkwardly face each other for no reason either. Judith didn’t even have a single noble young person she was close with.

“Let’s go, there’s nothing here.”

“But there’s even less over there. The young ladies are all crowded around that fortune teller.”

“Won’t that fortune teller leave soon? I heard she’s only staying for an hour.”

It seemed like they were a group of boys who enjoyed flirting with girls. Judith was well aware of their habits too.

They would be noble young men in their mid-to-late teens who cared a lot about their appearance and used slightly arrogant speech when in front of girls.

“By the way, does that fortune teller really speak so harshly? She must have no fear. If my youngest sister Ines had received such a fortune, I would have slapped her first.”

“Come to think of it, that young lady was calm. If someone had been verbally abused like that in front of others, she might have cried.”

These young nobles, like Anais, Gernet, and Judith earlier, seemed to all know who each other were. It was only half-anonymous at best. They naturally began chattering about the ‘unfortunate young lady.’

“Was it an owl mask? The mask was strange too.”

“It’s an owl. The one with ears is supposed to be an owl. That mask didn’t have ears.”

Hearing that conversation, Judith decided to hide. She absolutely didn’t want to reveal herself here.

Unfortunately, the owl mask was so distinctive that it stood out even more than Judith, who usually didn’t wear masks.

If they caught sight of her here for no reason, they would surely swarm over and pester her with comments like ‘Are you crying, young lady?’

So she carefully crouched down and moved further inside, curling up her body.

‘Maybe I should have just gone home.’

Wouldn’t it have been better to spend time cramped in a corner of her home garden rather than hiding like this here?

While Judith was holding her breath, the young nobles were gradually coming deeper into the garden, approaching her direction.

‘Oh no. I thought they’d leave soon.’

She thought they’d leave quickly since it was a boring place. But they were just moving forward without looking around, busy chatting.

‘At this rate, I’ll be discovered.’

Judith bit her lower lip hard. Being caught in this crouched position would be even more embarrassing.

Of course, no one would know who the owl mask was, but the mask couldn’t hide her shame.

‘Ah, whatever.’

She sighed deeply and just gave up.

‘If I’m caught, I’m caught. I’ll pretend to cry. If I sob that I want to be alone, they’ll probably leave.’

Then rumors would spread throughout this banquet that ‘the young lady who received a bad fortune earlier was crying in the fountain garden.’ It would create one more entertaining topic of conversation, but Judith decided not to care.

That’s when it happened.

“I think that fortune teller has probably left by now.”

The tallest boy among the lion mask group spoke. He was a young noble who had been standing in the center without saying a word until now.

Even with a mask on, he was the most handsome and sturdy-looking, so he was also the boy who first caught Judith’s attention.

The boy suggested in a leisurely voice.

“Let’s head back.”

It was a suggestion made without much sincerity, but miraculously the boys’ footsteps stopped. From that alone, Judith realized he was the most influential person in that group.

“Hm? Should we?”

“Yeah, let’s go back. This place doesn’t seem to be related to the banquet either…”

They all turned around in unison. Judith unconsciously sighed with relief. The boys all rushed out of the fountain garden like that.

‘Good.’

Watching the boys’ retreating figures, Judith brushed the dirt off the tips of her shoes.

‘I should stay a bit longer and then leave too.’

It had been a strangely nerve-wracking situation.

She thought she’d go out later, greet Gernet and Anais, then just take off her mask and wander the streets before going home around evening.

But just as the boys were heading back to the fountain garden exit in a group.

“Ah, would you all like to go ahead?”

The tall boy who seemed to be the leader spoke gently.

“I think I dropped my handkerchief back there.”

Then one of the boys immediately replied.

“Let’s go together! It’s nothing much. Or we could wait here for a bit.”

“No.”

The tall boy shook his head firmly.

“I might not have dropped it in the fountain garden. If it’s not here, I’ll go elsewhere and retrace my steps more. I really want to get it back, but if you’re waiting, I’ll be distracted.”

“But the banquet is about to start in earnest! I’ll lend you one of mine. It’s just a handkerchief, don’t worry about it.”

“My mother embroidered it herself.”

“Oh, really? Then forget what I said and definitely find it!”

“Yeah, thanks.”

So only the boy who had first suggested leaving remained, while the rest rushed out of the fountain garden. Judith groaned inwardly.

‘Ah, this has become troublesome again.’

Looking for a handkerchief? Did that mean he would thoroughly search this place where Judith was hiding? Wouldn’t that make things even more ridiculous?

But well, there wasn’t much she could do about it. If she was going to be discovered by someone anyway, one person was better than several. While thinking this, a shadow suddenly fell over her head.

“Stand up.”

Judith was startled.

She hadn’t even noticed the boy approaching. No, more importantly, hadn’t he just been saying goodbye to the other boys?

She hadn’t felt his presence at all, and there was quite a distance between them!

“Sorry for disturbing your rest.”

The boy leisurely extended his hand.

“We won’t come again. If it’s because of us, you don’t need to leave your spot.”

At that moment, Judith realized the boy was being very considerate of her.

Perhaps because he knew she was younger than him, he spoke casually.

But he wrapped ‘hiding in this state here’ in the elegant phrase of disturbing her rest, and even expressed ‘you don’t have to keep hiding’ as ‘you don’t need to leave your spot,’ protecting her dignity.

“Ah… yes.”

Judith took the boy’s hand and stood up. The gloved boy’s hand was very large. She couldn’t see the boy’s expression because of the lion mask, but just from his voice, she could tell the face underneath would be quite gentle.

“Thank you.”

“Mm.”

The boy tilted his head slightly.

“You weren’t crying? Your voice sounds fine.”

“Pardon?”

“Your friends are all worried that you might be hiding somewhere crying.”

“Ah.”

Judith gradually withdrew her hand from the boy’s and answered.

“I don’t particularly believe it… I just didn’t like being the center of attention.”

“I thought so.”

The boy answered with a laugh mixed in.

“No matter what the fortune teller said, answering that it was fine was… quite interesting. I don’t remember the fortune teller’s story well, but I remember that your playful attitude was quite amusing.”

Judith quietly looked up at the utterly ordinary lion mask. Then she tilted her head and answered.

“That… finding it amusing to watch someone else get cursed, your character…”

“Huh?”

The boy was instantly flustered.

“That’s not what I meant! Since you said you didn’t believe it either… I don’t believe it either!”

“I was joking.”

Judith said with a laugh.

“You seemed to like jokes.”

“Huh?”

“I wanted to do at least this much for someone who protected my rest.”

When Judith explained while lifting her chin, the boy stood there dazed for a moment, then laughed with a clear sound.

Then, as if forgetting to leave, he sat down beside the fountain where Judith had been sitting just moments before.

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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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