Chapter 51

Ekian Meius.

Golden hair neatly groomed, vivid red eyes. A noble face imbued with an air of cold beauty, his strong frame exuding an undeniable presence.

'Ah, right. He looked just like this.'

A long time ago, before her family had fallen, back when she was a baron's daughter, she had glimpsed him from afar.

The face she had seen then looked exactly like this.

Yet now, he had matured, and an even stronger masculine charm radiated from him. Judith had always believed she could remain indifferent to anything, but she could not shake the astonishment of seeing such a breathtakingly handsome man for the first time.

"How could I have been well!"

Tears streamed down Isabella's face.

"How could I possibly have been well after you disappeared like that... How..."

Judith watched her closely.

She thought she knew Isabella well, but she had been mistaken. She had never seen Isabella so overwhelmed with emotion. The way her shoulders trembled and tears fell uncontrollably reminded Judith of her own mother, who had once turned her back and fled, leaving a young Judith behind.

"No, never mind. I'm just grateful that you've come back. Let's go inside, shall we? When did you even arrive...? Your father has been waiting for you so desperately. And Karl... Karl will be so happy... He must be asleep by now, but still."

Isabella rambled on, at a loss for what to do. Ekian patted her shoulder gently and smiled faintly.

"I understand, Mother. Let's talk inside."

Then, slowly, he turned his head toward Judith. Judith felt as if his gaze was piercing right through her.

"We'll also have plenty of time to talk inside, my wife."

A shiver ran down her spine at the word"wife."The man standing before her exuded an overwhelming masculine presence. The raw intensity of it made her tense up, her throat going dry.

"We have plenty of time."

Chapter 3: I Already Have Someone I Like

Judith anxiously paced inside the room.

After returning to the ducal residence, Ekian had immediately gone to meet with Isabella and Ben.

Judith, unsure of what to do, had wandered aimlessly until Ekian had politely told her, "You should go in and rest first."Awkwardly nodding, she had come into this room.

'...This isn't even my room. Strictly speaking, it belongs to someone else who has just returned.'

But she had nowhere else to go.

So, she ended up in Ekian's room. The house was in chaos—of course, it was. Ekian had suddenly returned after five years.

The conversation seemed to be dragging on, as no one had come looking for her. Only a maid had rushed in excitedly to help her wash and change into indoor clothes.

"Congratulations, young madam."

The maid spoke with genuine joy.

"He's really back. The child will be so happy."

Judith could only give an awkward smile, unable to respond properly.

She had no idea what was being discussed between Isabella, Ben, and Ekian.

They must be talking about her as well, right?

How would Ekian react to this woman he had never met before, who had pretended to be carrying his child?

From the way he had treated her earlier, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he didn't seem hostile. Did he believe Isabella had orchestrated all of this?

'What happens now? What's going to happen next?'

Her mind went blank. She had never anticipated this scenario.

Ekian had returned.

'I was a fool. I trusted the original story too much. I believed there was no need to prepare for something like this.'

She had no idea why the original plot had changed, but one thing was clear—she had altered the future, both in small and significant ways. One of those changes had unexpectedly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠led to Ekian's return.

'Even Master had asked me about it many times...'

In truth, there had been someone who had once posed the question—what if Ekian returned?

That person had been Master. Master had always spoken with the implication that Ekian might still be alive.

Every time she thought about it, she found herself ridiculous for having been so certain that it was impossible.

'Ridiculous. Ridiculous. Master is incredibly capable, and yet I dismissed his warning just because I thought I knew a bit about the future.'

Master was someone who knew the Meius family well, a man so formidable that he even communicated with the Crown Prince. When such a man had spoken of Ekian's possible survival and asked, "What will you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠do if Ekian Meius returns?"she should not have brushed it off so easily.

Regret came flooding in.

'Ugh, and of all times, Master isn't here either.'

Master usually snuck in through the secret passageway every night, but tonight, there was no sign of anyone approaching.

If Master were to knock from behind the bookshelf now and enter, she could at least discuss what to do next.

'Is he busy today?'

Well, it was possible. Today, he had met with the Crown Prince and even prevented an assassination attempt.

And since Judith had also attended the banquet, he might have assumed she would be too exhausted and decided not to come.

'The news that Ekian Meius has returned will spread everywhere by tomorrow, won't it?'

He had stood right at the main gate of the ducal estate, making no attempt to conceal himself. No, he hadn't returned with any intention of hiding in the first place. That confident entrance.

'That means Master won't be able to come to this room anymore. This was originally Ekian's room.'

Judith ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

'That means we won't be able to meet anymore. No, how could this sudden separation come upon me like this!'

In the end, she had to leave the ducal house and go directly to the Gray Information Guild herself. But she was still under subtle surveillance, making it difficult to move freely!

'...Or is that not the case?'

A thought struck her, and her eyes widened.

'If Ekian has returned, doesn't that mean I'm free?'

Ekian Meius's return meant that she no longer had to concern herself with the affairs of the Meius family.

Most likely, from today onward, Crown Prince Alteion would confront the Emperor head-on.

If Meius House joined him, it would be a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠done deal. After all, Ekian and Alteion were known to be close.

This meant the Emperor would no longer have the capacity to target Meius, and Meius, in turn, could respond with full force.

'Ekian Meius won't be declared dead anymore. He's actually back now.'

In other words, she was no longer needed.

She had planned to announce a miscarriage and leave the Ducal House of Meius at an appropriate time anyway, but now, that timing had simply moved up.

'Yes.'

Judith lightly slapped both cheeks to gather her thoughts. Taking everything in stride and looking on the bright side had always been her strength.

'What's done is done. I just need to think about what comes next. I've repaid my debts, and I can become free even sooner than expected.'

With that realization, she found herself missing Master even more.

She slumped into a chair, and her eyes landed on something.

It was a book she had borrowed from the ducal library, titled How to Seduce the Man You Like. In fact, she had borrowed quite a few similar books.

Preparation was key for anything, and Judith prided herself on being an excellent student.

'Right.'

Judith opened the book, trying to steady herself.

'From now on, the affairs of Meius are no longer my concern. I need to focus on my own future.'

With that decision, it was best to start planning for life after leaving the Ducal House of Meius. As she took a deep breath and began flipping through the pages—

Knock, knock.

A sudden knock echoed in the room.

"Y-yes!"

Judith, despite having done nothing wrong, jumped to her feet in surprise.

"May I come in?"