I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 44

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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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The day of the Imperial Palace banquet.

Judith was putting all her effort into becoming beautiful under Isabella’s commanding leadership.

“You are Meius’s daughter-in-law today.”

Isabella spoke sharply, even snorting through her nose.

“I’ll make sure no one dares to gossip about you.”

At the same time, this statement was premised on the fact that many people would certainly speak carelessly about Judith.

That was also true. In a way, Judith was in a position of being abandoned despite even becoming pregnant with Ekian’s child. This was because Ekian still hadn’t appeared. It was practically like debuting in high society with quite fatal scandals as a noble young lady.

So it was natural for Isabella to put force behind her eyes.

“Put on everything we can so you can at least borrow Meius’s prestige!”

“Yes!”

Isabella too had initially thought of Judith merely as an object of transaction. However, as time passed, she found herself in a position where she couldn’t help but worry about the scandals she would have to bear for life.

In her heart, she wanted to let her live comfortably under Meius’s shadow for life, but still, she couldn’t make a young person in their prime into a widow. Eventually, she would have to remarry another noble heir. For the entire process to be proper, the fact that she divorced after becoming pregnant and then miscarrying couldn’t be erased.

“Ah… Judith.”

And seeing Judith who had finished dressing up beautifully, her partner Huyd blinked his eyes.

“Really… um.”

Seeing Huyd with reddened ear tips, Judith giggled and laughed.

“You can say I’m pretty. It’s a bit awkward, but well, it’s an Imperial Palace banquet.”

“Yes, you’re pretty. You’re beautiful.”

Huyd stammered, unable to look properly into her eyes. Seeing this, Isabella was certain.

‘Huyd… likes Judith. Judith doesn’t seem to have any particular thoughts about it.’

Indeed, Judith was inwardly quite nervous about what would happen today, so she had no particular interest in Huyd’s reaction.

In fact, she had no interest in showing her face in high society either. That was just like a task she had to do necessarily since she was employed by the Meius Ducal House.

‘I wonder if His Highness the Crown Prince will be safe today…’

According to the original story, today the Crown Prince would face an assassination attempt. Naturally because of the Emperor.

The Crown Prince was a good person, so even though he heard many stories from those around him that the Emperor was trying to harm him, he didn’t believe it. No, perhaps he didn’t want to believe it.

Then today he would face an assassination attempt and actually get seriously injured. This would make him almost unable to move for several years. After several years passed and it became certain that the Crown Prince couldn’t recover properly, that’s when the original story began.

In the original story, the female and male protagonists joined forces to defeat the Emperor and help the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince at that time was already approaching middle age, but still managed to overcome his father the Emperor and make the empire peaceful again.

‘How can I wait until then!’

Anyway, the fact that the Crown Prince had the makings of a wise ruler remained unchanged, and it was also true that he was someone who could confront the Emperor if he set his mind to it.

‘The enemy of my enemy is my ally… The Crown Prince must be safe during this banquet.’

But Judith had no connection to the Crown Prince. There was no way for her to become acquainted with him either.

She would anyway be announced as pregnant and draw many people’s attention today, and in that situation, moving while avoiding people’s eyes was nearly impossible.

Moreover, the Crown Prince wouldn’t listen to words from a woman he was seeing for the first time. That’s why she had said to Master, ‘It might be different if Ekian Meius were here.’

But Master, after hearing the whole story, calmly provided a solution.

“I understand the situation well. In that case, Judith doesn’t need to worry.”

“Huh? Suddenly?”

“Among my business contacts, there’s someone close to His Highness the Crown Prince. I’ll try to resolve it through that connection.”

He didn’t tell her about the detailed method. However, Judith knew that Master was quite a capable person. Since he told her not to worry, he would surely resolve it and return.

Such trust existed between her and him.

In a way, even though it could be called a simple act of giving information and receiving money, they had conducted business with the same attitude for 3 years.

‘That’s how business becomes trust, trust becomes friendship, friendship becomes affection.’

Trusting him deeply in her heart, Judith resolved inwardly.

‘Once this matter is resolved, I might be able to comfortably leave the Meius Ducal House and try to make a move on Master.’

And Master had shown an attitude of fully understanding the lingering attachment and affection she held for the Meius Ducal House, saying that men weren’t everything in life.

Even if she left the Meius Ducal House and became his lover, if she continued to care about the Meius Ducal House, he seemed like he would handle it well as he did now.

In many ways, he seemed like someone with whom everything would work out well.

Master might not know, but her feelings were gradually deepening. She was fully aware of this fact. That’s why she had also brought books like ‘How to Seduce Men’ from the library in the Meius Mansion.

‘I should read them after the banquet ends.’

That wasn’t all. In fact, she had also borrowed plenty of books like ‘How to Approach That Man as a Lover,’ ‘Everything About Romance,’ ‘A Book for Lovers Who Want to Love,’ and ‘121 Secrets for Successful One-sided Love.’

Originally, Judith was quite a model student. Therefore, thoroughly studying in advance about fields she didn’t know well and had no experience in was natural for her.

‘I don’t know if there will be cases of falling for a masked man among them…’

Anyway, being so full of thoughts about Master, she couldn’t help but have little interest in Huyd.

“Now, let’s go.”

Isabella looked back and forth between Huyd and Judith with a determined expression.

“I know it would make a good picture for me to step aside, but… given the situation. I’ll introduce Huyd Soden, the Marquis’s heir, as someone I arranged as Ekian’s substitute.”

Her words made sense. Huyd agreed as well.

“The Duke doesn’t come to banquets often anyway… Let’s just show our faces and return quickly.”

Since Ekian’s disappearance, Ben and Isabella had completely cut off social events they had been reluctant to attend anyway. However, this time, given the situation, only Isabella planned to accompany Judith and just introduce her to high society.

When they arrived at the Imperial Palace Banquet Hall like that.

Judith immediately felt the gazes focused on her. They all contained curiosity and wonder, along with some embarrassment and contempt.

“Wait a moment, dear.”

Isabella, who was staying by her side, said.

“I’ll go pay my respects to His Majesty the Emperor.”

Isabella sighed deeply with a face that showed she really didn’t want to do this.

“Still, since we’re here, the family representative must make an impression on His Majesty the Emperor.”

With Ben not present, Isabella was Meius’s representative.

“And in my opinion…”

Isabella looked at Judith with a worried face and said.

“It would be better if you don’t come.”

She could well understand the hidden meaning in those words. It meant ‘The Emperor is a dangerous person, so I don’t want to make him pay attention to you unnecessarily.’

Knowing this was consideration, Judith nodded. Thus she was left alone with Huyd.

The banquet hadn’t started yet and people were gathered in small groups having conversations.

The fact that Huyd was the Soden Marquis’s heir hadn’t been officially revealed yet, so people only knew Huyd as ‘the ducal house’s personal physician.’

People glanced at them sideways. Judith endured those gazes and calmly drank water. Once they realized Isabella had disappeared, they immediately began whispering openly.

“Oh my… it must be real.”

“I wondered how she would pay back all that debt, but she’s reversing her life this way after all.”

“My goodness. She succeeded in the end. But seeing that the young Duke continues to be missing, maybe it’s a child she forced by feeding him love potions?”

Though she had prepared herself, the content was even more explicit.

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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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