Chapter 5
Chapter 5
The next morning.
Judith had recalled her past life, but she had still lived in this world for twenty years.
That meant she'd reached a point where hardly anything could surprise her anymore.
However...
'This is insane. Absolutely insane.'
She was on the verge of hyperventilating after entering Duke Meius's residence.
'How can something be this magnificent and extravagant...?'
With each step she took, she felt almost unworthy. The gleaming marble floors, the enormous tapestries adorning every wall, the beautiful stained glass filtering sunlight...
Even as a baroness, she hadn't been completely isolated from noble society, yet she'd never imagined a residence of such lavish scale. No wonder the Meius family was said to rival the imperial household itself.
"Good morning, Baroness."
The butler greeted Judith the moment she entered. Having already received word of her circumstances from the gatekeeper, he spoke politely yet firmly.
"My apologies, but I understand you don't have a prior appointment."
Judith blinked at the butler.
She hadn't naively assumed the Duchess would see her just because she came unannounced.
The Duchess of Meius wasn't someone a minor noble like Judith could meet simply by requesting an audience.
Given that any letter she sent would likely have been ignored, showing up unannounced first thing in the morning had been her only option.
'Even with her usual schedule, she should be at the residence in the morning.'
Currently, Duke Meius was away inspecting his duchy. Meaning this was the perfect time to negotiate with the Duchess alone.
The Duke and Duchess were famously devoted to each other, so if the Duchess agreed to something, the Duke would undoubtedly approve as well.
That's exactly how it had happened in the original story too.
Upon the Duke's return from inspection, the Duchess had been the one to suggest: "What if we have a maid pretend to be carrying Ekian's child? That could buy us several months."
"Yes, you're correct. I'm well aware of how presumptuous this visit is."
Meeting the butler's rigid posture with composure, Judith responded calmly.
"But I must see Her Grace. It concerns Young Duke Ekian Meius."
At her words, the butler's eyes flashed. His expression turned noticeably colder as he spoke in a low voice:
"Baroness, topics regarding the Young Duke are... absolute within these walls."
His tone now carried a clear warning, completely different from his earlier polite professionalism.
"There could be great reward... or equally great wrath."
Mentioning 'Ekian Meius' might grant immediate audience with the Duchess, but presenting false information or using it as a hollow excuse would invite retaliation many times over.
"You may convey this message to Her Grace."
Judith smiled brightly, undaunted as she replied:
"Tell her I know Young Master Ekian couldn't eat pomegranates as a child."
The butler stared at her with a momentarily startled expression before speaking.
"I will escort you to the parlor. Please wait."
Ekian couldn't eat pomegranates as a child. Like many children his age, there was no profound reason—he simply found pomegranates disgusting to look at. Of course, by his mid-teens, he'd started eating them without issue.
In hindsight, it was truly useless information—so trivial and outdated that few outside the family would know it.
'This appeared in the original story when the villain briefly reminisced about his brother while looking at a pomegranate.'
Come to think of it, the villain—this household's second son—must be in the ducal residence right now.
He had definitely said something like, If only my brother were here, things wouldn't have turned out this way. Yet, Ekian never appeared until the very end of the original story.
Even if Judith stayed here for months as his fake wife, he likely wouldn't show up.
As Judith sank deep into thought, the sharp click of heels echoed.
When she looked up, an elegant middle-aged beauty was already staring at her. Judith's gaze lingered blankly on the woman's immaculately pinned platinum hair and intricately crafted hair ornaments before she jolted upright and bowed.
"I greet Her Grace, the Duchess of Meius."
"At ease, Baroness Aillan."
The moment they sat facing each other, maids swarmed in, serving tea and refreshments.
Each piece of tableware was exquisitely decorated, but Judith was too tense to swallow anything properly.
And for good reason—this moment would determine the rest of her life. She had waited three years imagining this very instant.
"The pomegranate story was quite intriguing," the Duchess said coolly.
"Let's not waste time. You claimed to have something to tell me."
"Yes, Your Grace."
"I trust you're aware of how desperately we long for Ekian. Speak."
"Yes."
Judith placed her hands on her knees and spoke as confidently as she could.
"If you remove the bricks at the headboard of the Young Duke's bed, you'll find a small compartment. Inside is a letter he wrote to his parents as a child."
The Duchess's complexion changed instantly. She urgently rang a bell.
"Remove the bricks at the headboard of Ekian's bed at once."
Judith waited calmly, and before long, a maid returned with a worn piece of paper. The Duchess's hands trembled violently.
'In the original, the villain finds it later... but since it's not crucial, I'll use this information first.'
She remembered it being an utterly ordinary letter—warm precisely because of its simplicity, thanking his parents for raising him and wishing them happiness.
'They were such a loving family... So why did he run away when he grew up, Ekian Meius?'
Judith couldn't fathom it. Because she had never lived in a family that loved one another.
Hadn't she stayed in the barony until the end, despite her parents' indifference, only to inherit their debts? She doubted she'd ever understand Ekian.
To Judith, the Meius family was utterly unfamiliar, and Ekian a man she couldn't begin to comprehend. Now that she was here, that fact struck her with renewed clarity.
Meanwhile, the Duchess, who had been dabbing at her tears while reading the old letter, slowly raised her head. Then she asked in a low voice:
"Baroness, how on earth did you know about this? Have you met Ekian? Where is Ekian?"
Her breath trembled as she spoke again with desperate eyes.
"If you could just let me see Ekian one more time, our Meius Ducal House would do anything for you. Anything at all."
Judith stared blankly at her.
It was astonishing how someone who had always carried such an elegant and aloof aura could appear so desperate.
She couldn't even begin to guess what circumstances could have driven Ekian Meius to leave this loving family behind and never return.
"I..."
Looking at that desperate face, Judith spoke in a cracked voice.
"While I do have this information about Lord Ekian... I also know something else."
"What? What is it? What else? Hmm?"
"It's about what Your Grace is currently planning."
"...Hmm?"
"To temporarily prevent his death from being reported—the plan you've been considering."
The Duchess's face froze completely. Judith continued slowly:
"I believe Your Grace will also need time to look into my background. I'll visit again in two days. We can discuss matters further then."
It didn't seem like good manners or strategy to reveal everything today. After all, the other party knew nothing about her yet.
The Duchess would easily uncover through her investigations that Judith was burdened with massive debt.
Then she wouldn't even need to explain why she was proposing this deal.
The Duchess looked at Judith and spoke slowly:
"Then come again in two days. I'll keep my morning schedule open."
"Thank you."
Judith bowed politely and stood up.
'Whew, I was really shaking. The pressure was no joke.'
Judith staggered toward her small boarding house.
Since she had visited the ducal residence early in the morning, it wasn't even noon yet. But when she reached the alleyway, chaos had broken out.
"Did you hear? There were apparently tons of explosives over there!"
"One wrong move and this whole alley could've been blown to bits!"
The crowd buzzing with excitement was clearly reacting to the information she had given the Master yesterday.
'Looks like the Master handled it really well,' Judith thought to herself, smiling quietly.
Now, unlike in the original story, everyone in this alley had essentially survived. Herself, the female lead, the extras, and the people from the Gray Information Guild.
'What a relief. At least I managed to prevent the disaster.'
Just as Judith broke into a bright smile, a tall, masked young man suddenly approached her.
"Lady Aillan."
She could tell who it was just by the mask. Grinning, she looked up at him.
"Master?"
"I've been waiting for you," he said softly.
"Where have you been since this morning?"
"Ah, the Meius Ducal Residence."
"Huh? What business would you have ther—"
"It's a secret, but I think you'll find out soon enough anyway, so I'll tell you now."
Judith said cheerfully:
"I'm thinking of marrying into that family."
At the same time, the Master choked violently.