Chapter 87
Chapter 87
'Phew...'
Ekian swept back his hair and let out a deep sigh. The golden hair he'd had the entire time at the ducal estate was now black as night.
The dye he used was something applied every other day when he washed his hair. So after several days without it, his natural hair color had returned.
Jet-black hair made disguises far more convenient.
Everyone believed that Ekian Meius had golden hair, so it was quite effective for hiding his identity.
Everything was going well.
Thanks to Alteion's meticulous arrangements, he had easily made contact with the eastern barbarians.
"So if we pretend to invade the Arten region, you'll accept us as imperial citizens, is that correct?"
They were a faction of the barbarians who had lost power in internal struggles and were now on the verge of being killed by their own kind. Alteion had skillfully manipulated them and set up the entire scenario.
And before arriving in the East—
Ekian had successfully rushed ahead to meet Elizabeth Dale.
Just recalling the moment he met her made his brow furrow.
"At least our Petro... please, just our Petro... this child truly knows nothing. Please, I beg you."
She had already been threatened and coaxed by one of the emperor's agents. In the end, Ekian had to threaten her further.
The emperor had likely promised her greater financial compensation, so the only leverage Ekian had was her family.
He told her plainly that if she did anything to harm Judith, he would not spare her son or her husband.
Elizabeth begged him in tears."To think I'm being threatened like this just because our Petro had the wrong sister... that's just too cruel..."
"The wrong sister?"
"Isn't that what it is?"Elizabeth said, her face filled with resentment and outrage."She should've just lived quietly—why did she have to get involved with some enormous house like Meius and cause trouble for the rest of her family?"
Ekian stared at her silently before asking, "Do you even consider Judith family?"
Hearing that, Elizabeth flinched and bit her lower lip.
Ekian thought of Judith, who had grown up under such a woman only to be abandoned in the end, and sighed inwardly.
He couldn't bring himself to eliminate her, knowing she was Judith's birth mother.
Of course, mere threats weren't enough to ensure peace of mind. So Ekian also used the magical artifact he had received from Alteion.
"This is one of the imperial magical artifacts that only imperial family can use. Every single thing you do will now be recorded in the imperial log, so don't even think of trying anything."
The artifact was a rare ancient relic—the only one Alteion possessed. It hadn't been used in hundreds of years, but Alteion had willingly handed it over to Ekian.
"No matter what orders you've received from the emperor, do nothing for one month. After that, you may do whatever you wish. I promise."
Just then, the emotion that flickered across Elizabeth's face was regret. Ekian realized she had intended to get rid of Judith and take the emperor's reward.
Seeing that, Ekian regretted not arriving sooner.
He should have locked her away somewhere so the emperor's informant couldn't reach her at all.
Still, it was fortunate that he had left immediately after hearing from Alteion and managed to find her just hours later. At least he had reached her before she took any action.
Just as Elizabeth had been about to act on her meeting with the emperor's agent, Ekian had arrived.
"But remember—if you make a foolish move, your life and the lives of your entire family will be gone in an instant. If you have any sense, you should know exactly what's going on right now."
A member of the imperial family who could overturn the emperor's orders in an instant—it meant another imperial faction was involved in this fight.
If one had even a bit of sense, they would of course choose the option to"wait a month."After all, the emperor's command could be delayed for that long. Fortunately, Elizabeth didn't seem foolish, and reading the regret that flashed across her face, Ekian felt confident of his success.
'Elizabeth's husband, Ron Dale, isn't home right now... Even if he finds out, there's no direct link to Judith, so he's likely to be misled.'
And now, Ekian had arrived in the Arten region and was standing before the emperor.
'I'd wanted to see Judith's face one last time before leaving... But it was the right decision to depart immediately. That woman would've thrown Judith into ruin without even blinking.'
Seeing Elizabeth had reminded Ekian of Judith's childhood dream, which she had revealed at Anais's garden party.
[♡ Judith Aillan's Dream ♡
I will become a good mother.
I will love my child more than anything in the world.]
Only now did he feel like he understood the essence of that dream.
At the time, Anais's dream had been to become Ekian's wife. Ekian had no interest in her at all. In the end, young Anais had dreamed of something she couldn't have.
In the same way, young Judith had also dreamed of what she herself had never received: to become a good mother in place of her own.
Ekian recalled her cheerful yet earnest confession, which had seemed almost impossible to grasp.
Now that he had left abruptly, claiming urgent business—what must Judith be thinking?
Knowing her as he did, she was probably waiting without much thought—or even if she had thoughts, she would give up quickly.
Judith was the type to give up easily, but she tended to stay positive, so she would likely remain calm. She might ask for a divorce, but even that he had already prepared for.
His every move had been the best he could do. Looking back, he had no regrets.
And yet, he still felt anxious and uneasy.
Was it because she wasn't by his side?
The more he felt that way, the more he steeled himself to finish the task quickly and return.
He would give her something that was hers alone. Her own family, her own land, her own status...
Ekian's eyes deepened as he thought of Judith.
Melanie's maid immediately took Judith's wrist.
"Ah... like this?"
Judith was a little flustered. She had never received this kind of check-up before.
The maid said awkwardly, "This is just the easiest way for me. It's easier to feel the magic along with the pulse here... Since I'm not a certified physician."
"Oh, of course. That's fine."
Judith smiled gently.
In that brief moment as the maid held her wrist—
Judith's heart pounded wildly. She hadn't felt this nervous in a long time. Honestly, even when she had told Isabella she would become their contract daughter-in-law, she hadn't been this anxious.
The maid, still holding her wrist softly, smiled."The baby is doing well."
Hearing that, Judith suddenly felt detached from reality.
"There's nothing to worry about."
Melanie and the maid both wore calm, peaceful smiles.
Judith took a deep breath.
"I see."
She had expected her voice to tremble, but surprisingly, it came out steady. Her wildly beating heart also began to settle.
"That's a relief."
Her body felt like it was floating. In a flash, she recalled the past few days. She really had behaved like a pregnant woman at the Meius Ducal Residence, so there was nothing weighing on her conscience.
'No drinking, no medicine, no overexertion... Everything's okay.'
She had never felt more relieved.
"Well then, Judith."
Yet the situation still felt unreal. As Judith blinked in a daze, Melanie spoke,
"I shouldn't be away for too long, so I'll head back now."