I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 20

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

Judith suddenly felt embarrassed and her face flushed red. The dress she had worn from the fitting room earlier was completely different from the clothes she usually wore.

It was full of soft, elegant fabric and sparkling beads. The color matched her skin tone well, and even the accessories she had purchased as a set…

Even her hair was elegantly let down, making her look like a completely different person. Karl muttered with a dazed expression.

“Brother liked pretty women…”

“Oh my, thank you.”

“But to do such terrible things and then leave…”

Judith smiled awkwardly.

They had all decided not to tell Karl that ‘this pregnancy was fake.’ They thought Karl was still too young to know such circumstances. Thanks to that, Ekian had become trash in his younger brother’s eyes.

“Isn’t that right, Hugh? Our sister-in-law is pretty, right?”

When Karl asked Hugh, Hugh nodded with a slightly flushed face.

“Y-yes, she is.”

“Rest a little and then come down to the dining room. Let’s have dinner.”

After hearing Hugh’s answer, Isabella looked at her appearance with satisfaction and spoke.

“I’ll assign you a maid soon too.”

“Ah…”

It would be the first time having a maid since childhood, so she couldn’t even guess whether it would be comfortable or uncomfortable. While Judith hesitated, Karl waved his hand.

“Then see you later in the dining room!”

Karl greeted her cheerfully and left the room with Hugh and Isabella.

Finally alone, Judith sighed and carefully sat on the edge of the bed, then looked around.

A neat, clean, and well-maintained tidy room. The young duke’s room where Ekian had stayed all along. The fact that she would be staying in someone else’s room felt strange.

That’s when it happened. She heard a familiar tapping sound.

‘Is this also a secret passage? Don’t tell me there’s one in Ekian’s room too?’

Judith carefully stood up and approached the bookshelf where the sound came from.

“…Master, by any chance?”

A voice came from inside the bookshelf.

“Pull out the second book on the third shelf.”

“Ah… yes.”

“Next, the third book on the fifth shelf.”

“Yes.”

“Then the second book on the first shelf.”

When she pulled out the three books as he instructed.

Suddenly, the bookshelf opened silently with a sliding sound.

“My goodness.”

Judith was startled and looked at Master standing in the secret space.

This person, at this rate, couldn’t he just appear and disappear anywhere in the Duke’s Mansion?

“Is this connected here too?”

She whispered in surprise. However, Master just stared at her blankly without giving any answer.

“Master?”

“…”

“Snap out of it. What’s wrong?”

“…Ah.”

He muttered reluctantly.

“I was so… um, surprised…”

“What?”

When Judith asked as if incredulous, Master let out a light sigh for a moment. It was frustrating because she couldn’t read his expression since he kept wearing the mask.

‘What on earth is he thinking…’

Judith suddenly asked, thinking of Karl and Hugh from earlier.

“Why? Because I became too pretty? Like you’re totally smitten or something?”

“…What?”

“Still, please restrain yourself. Until the divorce. I’m a responsible contract worker, you know.”

Judith spoke cleanly and then smiled. She had been needing Master’s help anyway.

“Master.”

“Yes.”

“Since you’re here, let me ask you something. Do you know Bart Kalon?”

“You mean the Duke’s Mansion’s personal physician?”

Master regained his composure and spoke.

“He would be someone who was an assistant for 5 years and a personal physician for about 10 years. His medical skills are excellent.”

“So an assistant period is necessary. But why didn’t that young man Hugh have an assistant period?”

“He’s such a genius that they probably didn’t want him to be stolen by other families.”

Master explained calmly.

“Though I’m just guessing about everything.”

“Hmm. Then does Bart Kalon also have an assistant?”

“He doesn’t have an assistant. That’s also why they have two personal physicians.”

“Ahhh.”

Judith nodded with a thoughtful expression.

Well, actually, she could just quietly do her job and let it pass. Whether the duke and duchess died a year later or not.

But just the value of this dress she received today would be considerable, so she wanted to earn her keep.

‘And it’s kind of despicable. Lurking for 15 years and then killing. And doing it while posing as a doctor.’

Murder was already a bad thing, but it would be mentally difficult to just watch it happen. It was also somewhat troubling that Karl would grow up as an orphan.

Judith had made up her mind from the moment she figured out Bart Kalon’s identity earlier.

‘Let’s expose that person.’

She couldn’t just watch people die from conspiracies. But the problem was that she wasn’t a doctor, and she couldn’t know all of his prescriptions. The duke’s health condition would be completely top secret.

‘But there’s one strange thing.’

Judith fell into thought for a moment.

‘If I were Bart, wouldn’t I have killed Karl too? Why did he only kill the duke and duchess?’

It didn’t make sense that he only killed the patients he was in charge of. The duchess received treatment from Hugh along with Karl.

Even saying there was no opportunity didn’t make sense. Bart definitely said he sees all family members.

‘Bart is mainly looking after my health. Besides that, he’s also responsible for the nutritional balance of all family members, so your fake pregnancy will also be looked after by Hugh for now.’

Then a thought crossed her mind.

‘Especially Karl has severe stomach problems, so Hugh makes medicine for him every day.’

Could the medicine Hugh made have a detoxifying effect? And Bart doesn’t know about that detoxifying effect?

Having set up all her hypotheses, Judith looked at Master again.

“Master.”

“Yes.”

“Do you have any intention of helping me? Um, in return for the life I saved?”

“What should I help you with? Please tell me anything.”

At his readily agreeing answer, she replied with thoughtful eyes.

“Right now, all three members of the ducal family are in danger of being poisoned to death.”

Master had no response. She couldn’t even tell his expression because of the mask.

So Judith had no choice but to continue saying what she needed to say.

“I want to help them. Poisoning is a bad thing, isn’t it?”

“…Poisoning… who…”

Master’s reaction came a beat late. She spoke calmly.

“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem too late yet. Anyway, so I’m trying to catch the culprit beforehand and prevent the poisoning, but I need Master’s help. Please help me.”

When Judith arrived and entered Ekian’s room.

Ekian, who was hiding in the secret passage, felt a little strange.

He thought it was a place he would never return to. A place he missed and longed for, but he had left with the determination to never set foot there again.

If Judith hadn’t said ‘Karl is in danger,’ he would never have returned here. But Karl was in danger. Karl was such a precious younger brother to him.

Once he started to set foot here, the next step was too easy.

‘Originally, this is a path only known to heirs…’

Ekian learned all the secret passages inside the Duke’s Mansion from Meius Marquis when he turned fifteen. This meant that the Marquis recognized Ekian as his true heir.

Paths that could take him close to anywhere in the Duke’s Mansion and also lead him outside.

In a way, it was no different from entrusting him with the lives and secrets of everyone in the Duke’s Mansion. The Marquis’s voice, kindly teaching him each detail so he wouldn’t get confused, rang clearly in his ears.

He had always respected the Marquis, but at that time, he was truly proud to have such a perfect father. Watching the reliable back of the Marquis guiding him through the dark paths, fifteen-year-old Ekian vowed to protect his beloved Meius no matter what.

‘Just for today, I’ll see how things proceed and never come again.’

That was Ekian’s mindset.

There was no point in coming frequently. It would only deepen his longing. His disappearing like this was for everyone’s sake.

The Marquis couple seemed to be doing all this because they wanted his return, but his resolve not to go back remained firm. Yet the Marquis couple had given Judith Ekian’s room.

In a way, it was natural, but…

‘It’s a bit strange.’

Judith entering the room where he had always lived felt unfamiliar. Now Judith would be living in his room.

Sitting at the desk where he used to sit, lying on the bed where he used to lie, using the bathtub he used to use…

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