I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 42

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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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2. The Returned Husband

The imperial palace banquet was approaching. It was a celebration banquet for the Crown Prince’s birthday.

The Crown Prince was a rational and just person, but he was also someone who constantly faced restraint from his own father, the Emperor.

‘His Highness the Crown Prince is a good person though.’

He was a kind person who even embraced Karl, the villain from the original story, with goodness.

The problem was that he was too kind, making him easily fall into traps set by his own father, the Emperor.

The Emperor would ruthlessly assassinate his own son, the Crown Prince. Just like what he had been doing to the Meius Ducal House, it would be through gradual poisoning.

Thus, the empire would suffer chaos under the Emperor’s long tyranny.

‘Until the female protagonist and male protagonist grow up…’

The current Crown Prince was old enough to ascend to the Emperor’s throne, but the Emperor planned to remain on the imperial throne for a long time to come. And then the Crown Prince would die first.

Actually, Judith wasn’t particularly interested in the imperial palace banquet. Her only goal was to be introduced as the daughter-in-law of the Meius Ducal House.

She even thought of it as a type of work.

She was someone who would eventually leave the Meius Estate, and she would live a life far removed from such high noble families.

Whether the Emperor’s tyranny continued or not, whatever tragedy occurred in the Imperial Family, it wasn’t her concern once she had paid off all her debts. However…

“Sister-in-law, please try this. It’s really delicious.”

Every evening.

Everyone in the ducal house would gather together for dinner.

Each time, Karl would sit next to Judith and diligently take care of this and that with his small hands like fern fronds.

“I’ll take good care of you in place of my brother too. When my nephew is born, I’ll play with him really hard!”

Karl cursed Ekian, who didn’t return every day, while staying by Judith’s side.

“That necklace is pretty. I should commission a ruby necklace in the same design too.”

“Mother, I really have enough jewelry…”

“What are you talking about? What does it matter if you feel you have enough? I don’t think it’s enough.”

Isabella would give Judith a gift at least once a day. It was her own way of expressing interest and affection, unable as she was to speak gently.

That wasn’t all.

“Just find out their names.”

Meius Marquis, that is, Ben, would quietly say a word or two when Karl wasn’t around.

“I’ll somehow match you with someone. Anyone decent will do.”

“What? Oh, anyone?”

“Yes. Can’t the Meius family do that much? I’ll pick someone good with half-decent looks and family background.”

“But… looks and family background aren’t everything. In this situation, I can’t even get to know their personality…”

“You don’t need to look at personality.”

Judith felt like she might faint at Ben’s words.

“I’ll make them grovel before you anyway. Do you think I won’t provide follow-up care?”

Ben truly considered Judith his life’s savior.

No, beyond a life’s savior, he regarded her as the Meius family’s benefactor.

If they had actually been poisoned to death, the family itself would have been shaken. The thought of closing his eyes leaving young Karl behind was simply horrifying.

Above all, Judith was quite happy at the Meius Mansion.

It wasn’t simply because her debt had disappeared, because her room was excellent, or because the meals were delicious.

It was because an atmosphere full of affection surrounded her without giving her time to be bored. She was experiencing this kind of stability for the first time.

That’s why…

‘The Emperor will continue to target the Meius family. He already considers them such a thorn in his side that he planned to poison them.’

That fact kept bothering her.

Since she had twisted the original story, she couldn’t know what methods the Emperor would now use to tighten the noose around the Meius family.

Meanwhile, the Meius Ducal House couldn’t prepare with full force either. Most of Meius Marquis’s capable subordinates were still searching for traces of Ekian.

‘Surely, I could just leave like this…’

So Judith’s heart grew heavier day by day.

‘I could just leave here and try dating Master or something… I could just live an ordinary life…’

It seemed like Master liked her.

Even if he didn’t like her, there seemed to be plenty of potential for things to work out. No man would rush in like that for a woman he had no interest in whatsoever.

In fact, lately, he came to see her almost every night.

It wasn’t anything major. But he would come every night and ramble on about trivial things before leaving. Usually stories about people from the streets where he used to live.

Since there had been an incident where their relationship became strained when she once told him not to come, Judith hadn’t said ‘don’t come here’ since then.

It did make her feel a bit guilty that an intruder was coming and going from the Meius Ducal House every night. But she rationalized to herself that it should be okay since Master’s knowledge of the secret passage had ultimately saved the Meius people.

Because he visited every night, she had to keep telling Huyd, who came with wine, ‘Sorry. I’m tired…’

Anyway, if Master was definitely seeing her as a woman, then after leaving the Meius Ducal House soon, she should focus on getting along well with him…

Focus… she should focus…

‘But what about the Meius Ducal House now?’

Even though it was a place she was scheduled to leave, she was worried.

It wasn’t that there were no countermeasures, which made her feel even more concerned. If she used the future she knew, there were sufficient strategies to prepare for the Emperor’s tyranny in advance.

‘But crucially, I don’t have much information I can use directly. When it comes to dealing with the Imperial Family, someone like me with no connections can’t make a move. Unless it were Ekian Meius, who was raised as a high noble from the beginning.’

Judith anxiously bit her nails.

When she first came to the Meius Estate, she hadn’t given it much thought. She had simply thought lightly that she just needed to use the situation to pay off her debt.

But after directly facing these people and becoming humanly entangled with them, she couldn’t help but become increasingly concerned. Even though they were, in a way, using her too…

She had nowhere to confide her complicated feelings. After all, everyone around her was connected to the Meius Ducal House.

‘Oh, wait.’

Judith, who had been lost in thought while looking at the beautiful dress Isabella had sent her, slowly blinked.

‘There’s one person I can meet every day who has absolutely no connection to the Meius Ducal House!’

It was Master.

It seemed like she could consult with him about her worries.

Ekian went to the Meius Mansion every night. Honestly speaking, he felt no guilt. It was his own room, after all.

Of course, even without guilt, there was discomfort. This wasn’t why he had left home…

But every night, Huyd would knock on Judith’s door and say, ‘I can’t sleep well, would you like a glass of wine?’ so he had no choice.

Judith would be having a conversation with him, then say ‘Oh my’ and send him away with words like ‘I’m a bit tired today. Sorry.’ But if Ekian hadn’t been there, she would certainly have said ‘Yes, come in’ and conversed with him without any concern.

Therefore, he had to somehow guard that room every day until Judith fell asleep.

Even so, his mind wasn’t at ease. After all, Judith and Huyd were living together under the same roof all morning and day, and they were still maintaining a good relationship with each other.

He even knew they had matched their dress codes to go together as partners to the imperial palace banquet.

‘…Damn it.’

As the banquet day approached, Ekian couldn’t help the irritation rising within him.

The new personal physician hired by the Meius Ducal House was scheduled to start work from the day of the imperial palace banquet, and Huyd was to stay at the Duke’s Mansion until then.

The reason Huyd had decided that was probably all because of Judith. Now that the ‘commoner’ status that had been blocking his heart was resolved.

With such a frustrated heart, when Ekian visited Judith as usual.

“Excuse me.”

Judith opened the conversation first with a serious expression.

“I have something to consult about, Master.”

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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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