I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 151

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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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Special Side Story 1. Karl’s Child-Rearing

The child grew healthily in Judith’s womb. And after a full nine months, a baby of average weight was born.

It was a boy with black hair and red eyes, looking exactly like Ekian.

Contrary to Judith’s worry that he might dislike a child who resembled him, Ekian held the baby and stood there in a daze for a long time.

The newborn cried loudly with his first breath, but Ekian looked as if he was wandering in a dream, unable to hear even that noise.

Seeing Ekian taking in every detail of the child’s tiny fingers and the shape of his crying mouth, Judith finally burst into laughter. Just from his expression and face, she realized her worries had been truly unnecessary.

Ben named the child. After being holed up in his study for days in deep thought, he came up with a surprisingly ordinary name.

“How about Alex?”

Ben said seriously.

“It’s… a bit common, but historically, many rulers with this name in this region were greatly loved. The Meius family has actually received a lot of criticism without doing anything wrong, so I want our grandson to be loved by many people no matter what.”

At those words, Karl shrugged his shoulders.

“We’re not blood-related anyway.”

The cute eight-year-old child had now turned nine and developed a habit of cynically mocking the world like an adult.

“Did Father also dislike being criticized so much? I thought you didn’t care.”

Isabella smacked the back of nine-year-old Karl, who spoke like he was nineteen.

“It’s all because of you! I’m worried you’ll get criticized too!”

Ben also sighed, feeling the difficulty of raising children.

“Looking at how you’re growing up, you seem likely to smoothly continue the Meius lineage of being criticized.”

They too were staying at the Marquis’ Domain to match Judith’s due date. While Judith was in labor, they stood in the corridor, and even when the baby’s first cry echoed through the door and down the hallway, they couldn’t bring themselves to open the door and just paced around nervously.

While Ben, Isabella, and Karl were bickering, Alex finished his vigorous first cry, yawned, and fell asleep.

The midwife smiled brightly, saying he was surely a gentle baby.

“Then I’ll move the baby to his room.”

“Yes.”

Judith nodded weakly with a smile. Her voice was hoarse from screaming so much during labor.

The wet nurse, whom Isabella had personally interviewed and carefully selected, took Alex away.

Ben and Karl, who had been frantically waiting in the corridor, rushed over when the baby appeared.

Unlike Ben and Karl, who stood at a distance without daring to touch him, gazing at the child as if enchanted, Isabella cooed at the baby once and then immediately entered the room where Judith was lying.

“You worked hard, Judith.”

Isabella smiled brightly while brushing away Judith’s sweat-soaked hair.

“You really worked hard. Did it hurt a lot?”

Judith was exhausted and breathing heavily when she finally shed a tear. Facing Isabella’s face, an unexpected sense of kinship suddenly washed over her.

Isabella must have gone through this same pain and suffering when she gave birth to Karl.

A different kind of relief from when Ekian held her hand tightly and kept repeating ‘I didn’t know it would hurt this much, we won’t have a second child’ began to gently fill her.

“The baby is so beautiful. You worked hard carrying him carefully for nine months. I’m proud of you.”

Isabella whispered while wiping away Judith’s tears.

Actually, during labor, Judith had this thought for a moment.

My mother must have struggled like this when giving birth to me.

But even in this moment, I’m worried about our child having a hard time coming into the world, so when did my mother start hating me so much?

But after giving birth and seeing Isabella’s face, those sad feelings began to gently dissolve.

“Mother, thank you…”

Judith said in a cracking voice.

“I never had a mother who loved me, but being able to meet a mother-in-law like you… I’m so fortunate. I’m truly happy.”

“Mother-in-law?”

Isabella shook her head and smiled brightly.

“I’m not your mother-in-law anymore. Ekian and I are strangers now, so just think of me as your real mother. Would it be okay if I adopted you?”

Thus Isabella wanted to make Judith her real daughter and dismissed 17 years of raising her adopted son with the word ‘strangers.’ Ekian, who had been moved, immediately objected.

“That won’t do.”

“You had two mothers who loved you! Can’t you give Judith even one? How heartless.”

“…Oh, please. Mother.”

“Mother? Who are you to call me mother?”

Judith listened to Isabella and Ekian’s conversation and ended up laughing brightly.

It was a joyful day to meet her baby, who was born with everyone’s blessings and whom she already missed…

But above all, she was happy to have given birth surrounded by such warm love.

Originally, she had planned to give birth alone without Ekian and raise the child by herself, thinking she would pour out all this love she felt now…

Judith laughed brightly for a long time in the endless affection pouring toward her and her child.

That evening, Judith went to see the baby with Ekian. The baby was sleeping soundly.

After dismissing the wet nurse who was watching over the baby, Judith and Ekian gazed at the baby for a while.

“…It feels… strange somehow.”

Ekian was holding Alex as preciously as if holding a fragile glass bottle when he suddenly murmured.

“Since I was seventeen, I thought a day like this would never come for me…”

“What kind of day?”

“Marrying the woman I love, having a child normally… things like that.”

Judith understood those words immediately. She too had thought that a normal life had become distant from her when her father died leaving debts.

“Whether I’m a Marquis or Marchioness doesn’t matter at this moment… It feels miraculous that I created new life with the woman I love.”

Ekian murmured as if dreaming, and Judith smiled and replied.

“Being a Marquis family is very important. If I had given birth and raised him alone, Alex would be lying on my shabby bed right now, unable to even dream of such nice clothes or a wonderful nursery. A midwife or wet nurse would be out of the question… Huyd and Kastin would have been by my side at best.”

“Stop imagining that.”

Ekian said in horror.

“It’s too terrible.”

Ekian kept grumbling about why she had to say such realistic things on such a good day. Yet he kept making a fuss about how such a lovable creature could exist.

“He’s wrinkled and ugly since he was just born.”

Judith assessed coldly.

“They say he’ll get prettier when he gains some baby fat.”

“How can you say such harsh things about our baby? He’s already the most beautiful baby in the world.”

Ekian lost his composure. However, Judith didn’t dislike Ekian being blindly infatuated with their son. So she smiled brightly and took in the sight of the two of them.

It was truly a scene she would never forget until she died.

The sight of the two men she loved more than life together.

“…Yes. Love him to your heart’s content.”

Judith murmured while crossing her arms.

“Looking at Father and Karl… it seems like a relationship that won’t last many years anyway…”

These days, Ben and Karl bickered every day. It was because Karl, now nine years old, kept acting like a precocious old man.

Of course, there was no doubt they were a loving family with a good relationship, but Ben was always sad, saying ‘my cute son keeps talking like an adult.’

“Father really…”

Ekian shrugged his shoulders.

“What will he do when Karl hits puberty?”

“Didn’t he already experience your puberty?”

“I was well-behaved and then ran away from home.”

“Oh, now that I think about it, you caused a huge incident during puberty.”

“Thinking about it now, I could have opened up to my parents and discussed it with them, but I think I ran away from home because I couldn’t control my emotions due to puberty.”

Ekian murmured with thoughtful eyes.

“But Karl is fast at everything… so puberty will probably come earlier too.”

“That should be interesting to watch.”

Judith rolled her eyes and let out a light sigh.

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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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