I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 4

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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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“R-r-romantic interest?”

The Master, who always sat like a painting in his usual composed manner, asked with a rare tone of surprise. Judith shrugged her shoulders as she replied.

“Yes. Did Master think I was just a woman who only thinks about money while paying off debts?”

Though it was actually an accurate description of herself, Judith continued speaking brazenly.

“Ekian Meius Marquis was famous for being handsome and perfect in every way.”

Of course, Judith had never actually seen him. Ekian Meius wasn’t someone that Judith, who was just an ordinary baron’s daughter, could meet.

But since Ekian had been such a famous figure who drew attention from a young age, it was easy to pretend she had seen him from afar or heard about his reputation somewhere.

“What’s wrong with being interested in a perfect man?”

When Judith asked nonchalantly, the Master fell silent for a moment. Since he wore a mask, his expression was completely unreadable. He remained quietly lost in thought before suddenly speaking.

“…As far as I know, Ekian Meius Marquis has never met Baron Ailan.”

“We were never formally introduced or met.”

Judith answered calmly.

“I didn’t have the connections to introduce me to Ekian Marquis. But I did watch him from afar.”

Judith’s childhood experience in high society couldn’t be called excellent, even as a lie.

Usually, noble ladies who cherished their daughters would use distant connections to introduce them to young noble heirs like Ekian.

However, Judith’s mother had no particular interest in her. Though she did arrange various tutors to educate her since she was nobility, that was all.

Looking back now, the packed schedule of lessons her mother arranged for Judith seemed like another form of neglect. While Judith was stuck with tutors, her mother was busy being stuck with a certain servant.

But she hadn’t paid much attention to such things from a very young age. After all, learning was enjoyable, and she was quite an excellent student until even those tutors stopped coming because they weren’t getting paid.

“So you even know that I’ve never once exchanged greetings with Meius Marquis. The Grey Information Guild is truly impressive.”

Judith said with wide eyes.

“Master knows a lot about Ekian Meius Marquis, don’t you?”

“…Well, I wouldn’t say I know a lot…”

Anyway, he was the person who would become her husband on paper, and knowing even small clues might be helpful later. Judith rapidly fired off questions.

“Why exactly did he run away from home? What is he doing where now? Don’t you know where he was last spotted?”

Of course, since a child couldn’t be pregnant forever, the fake daughter-in-law act couldn’t last even eight months. In the original story, the Meius Duke and Duchess fabricate a miscarriage and then process a divorce.

‘And while doing that, she receives an enormous settlement under the pretext of an initial payment!’

Later, after the villain had fully grown up, she lived very luxuriously until he came to find and kill that maid who was his fake sister-in-law and had abused him.

‘If only I could take that position… my debt would be over.’

Of course, she would become a divorcee on paper and the fact that she had once been pregnant would be known throughout high society, but that wasn’t important to Judith. If she couldn’t pay off this debt immediately, she wouldn’t even be able to live normally right now.

“Hmm.”

The Master, who was usually clear-cut, clicked his tongue as if troubled and spoke quietly.

“I’m sorry, Lady. The truth is, I don’t know much.”

“What? But you knew so well that he and I never met?”

“That’s old news, and I know nothing at all since he went missing. Probably not just me, but no information guild would know.”

The Master drew a firm line.

“Meius Marquis is a young man who left the Meius Ducal House on his own feet. The Meius Ducal House should forget him quickly too.”

“Hmm, but everyone in the Empire knows that the ducal house can’t forget the Marquis…”

“It would be natural for five years to pass quickly, a death declaration to be issued, and for Ekian Meius to become a name that doesn’t exist.”

“How can you say that.”

Judith shook her head and argued back.

“How could they make such an outstanding child into a non-existent name? They would want to wait as long as they possibly can. While maintaining a place for him to return to somehow.”

“Anyway, that too would end once a death declaration is issued. Then they’ll gradually forget.”

Judith shrugged her shoulders. Thinking that the Master didn’t know the Meius Ducal House well.

‘They’re already thinking of a fake pregnancy to extend it by five years.’

Of course, it was such an ingenious manipulation scheme that no one could think of it. When Judith didn’t agree, the Master spoke in a low voice, cutting her off sharply.

“Anyway, I have no information about that person that I can give you. I’m sorry.”

Judith lowered her eyes and took a sip of tea. Had Ekian really gone somewhere and died? Is that why he didn’t appear until the end of the original story?

Come to think of it, the villain did reminisce later, ‘Brother must be dead. Otherwise, he would have come to stop me long ago.’

Thinking about it, if he had been alive, he would have heard that a woman carrying his child had come to the Meius Ducal House, yet he never showed himself until the end in the original story.

‘I guess treating him as a non-existent person is right…’

Seeing that even the Master said he had no information, it seemed there was no need to particularly consider Ekian as a variable. While Judith was lost in thought, the Master cleared his throat and spoke.

“But… how exactly did you… that, romantic interest in the Marquis… hmm.”

“Ah, the Marquis was very popular.”

She brushed it off casually.

“I’m just one of them, you know.”

“…Still, seeing that you’re looking for him even now that he’s missing… you must have deep feelings…”

The Master stammered as if newly shocked.

“But there’s really… no connection…”

“He was handsome.”

“No, but for such a reason…”

“I care a lot about appearance. A whole lot. That’s just personal preference. He looked handsome even from afar. Extremely.”

Judith, who had already lost interest in Ekian, spoke carelessly out of annoyance.

“So I just wanted to learn more about him to commemorate becoming an adult.”

Anyway, there would be no change to the plan. Rather, the thought that she could perfectly fit into that ‘fake daughter-in-law’ position from the original story became more solid.

‘Then I should start moving soon.’

Now that she had come of age, she needed to quickly snatch that position before the ducal house made a maid into a fake daughter-in-law.

‘Strike while the iron is hot, I should visit the ducal house tomorrow.’

Since things had come to this point anyway, there was nowhere left to retreat. Now that she was an adult, if she couldn’t pay her debts, the dark organizations might sell her to an even worse place.

“I’m truly sorry I couldn’t be of help, Lady.”

The Master spoke gently.

“But didn’t you say you also had information to sell?”

“Yes, that’s right. It was very expensive information… but it doesn’t balance out.”

Judith shrugged once and then picked up the parchment and quill pen placed on the table. Actually, there was information she had definitely wanted to convey to the Master today.

As she quickly drew something on the parchment, the Master raised his eyebrows with interest.

“This… looks like a map of this neighborhood.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

After roughly completing the map, Judith marked one building with a star.

“Here.”

She looked at the Master and spoke.

“There are large quantities of bombs stored here. If they’re not dealt with right now, this street will be blown up soon.”

“…What?”

“Please go check it out and handle it well.”

The building she pointed to was exactly the black market shop. Bombs had been illegally stored there, and when they accidentally exploded, disaster would strike this street.

‘That’s when I die, the Grey Trading House people die, and only the female protagonist who was running errands survives.’

That was the beginning of the original story.

‘The female protagonist doesn’t need to suffer unnecessarily either. It would be good if the people on this street lived too.’

Judith didn’t have the ability to handle all of that. But the Grey Information Trading House could.

“Please add the price of this information to my account later.”

She stood up with a bright smile.

“Make sure to properly credit me for that value. Got it?”

Though she didn’t know how much they would credit her, she thought the price of that information would be worth the Master’s life anyway.

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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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