# Chapter 11
Judith had never seen the Master as a man before.
How can she do that? She didn't know his face or voice. Whatever magic item he was using, it was making his voice disappear from her memory after a short while. He wasn't even wearing any perfume she could recognize.
In short, none of her senses – sight, touch, smell, taste, or hearing – provided her with any information about him. However…
'He seems to have a good build.'
Now, standing so close to him in the dark, she could clearly feel the heat of his body and his tense muscles.
Judith swallowed dryly as a thought crossed her mind.
'...He has a great physique, doesn't he?'
She knew he was tall, but she didn't expect him to be so physically fit.
After all, he usually wore a loose black coat that hid the details of his body.
'He must be practicing a lot...'
Judith was relieved that the darkness hid her features; She was sure her face would betray her thoughts.
Being so close to him in the dark made her powerfully aware that she was alone with a man.
Her heartbeat quickened—a strange sensation for her, as she was always busy earning a living and had no time for men.
It seems that the master was not immune to this either. She could hear the tension in his stifled breathing.
“But... I don't know if you'll understand this, but...”
Judith paused for a moment, trying to choose her words carefully.
"I've always lived my life according to what other people wanted from me. Being a noble, I was supposed to act a certain way, speak a certain way, and think a certain way."
She spoke softly, sensing the darkness surrounding her, as if she were talking to herf more than him.
“Marrying Ekian Mayus as part of this fake plan has no effect on me. In fact, I see it as an opportunity to free myf from the restrictions imposed by my noble title.”
There was a short silence, and then she added with a slight smile, “Honestly, I didn’t think I would get married to begin with. So, I don’t see any loss.”
The master felt some hesitation before he responded in a low voice, “You are an extraordinary person, Judith.”
She couldn't see him, but she felt that his voice was filled with something like respect or admiration.
“Maybe… but I think this is what enables me to do what needs to be done now.”
Then, with a sense of finality, Judith squeezed the master's hand slightly and said, "Let's finish this. I don't care about the marriage records or anything else. What I care about now is protecting Karl."
“Is this happiness?”
Judith was a little girl then, but she could see the smile she had never seen on her mother's face when she was with her father.
Every time she watched her mother and the servant from afar, she felt like a stranger to this scene. It's as if she's observing a life that belongs to someone else entirely.
“In the end, I think I learned a lesson from all of this.” She continued in a calm but steady voice. “A noble marriage, or even marriage in general, means nothing if there is no respect or happiness.”
The master remained silent, listening to every word without interrupting.
"Maybe that's why I don't care much if I register a fake marriage or get divorced later. Because in the end, marriage is just something on paper. What's more important is what I do with my life now."
Judith looked into the darkness, remembering her mother again.
“Even if it was wrong for my mother to run away with that servant, she seemed happy in a way I had never seen before. And I think I want to be like her in this aspect at least – to find my own way, whatever it may be.”
The master felt the depth of her words. She seemed, at that moment, to be talking about more than she was frankly saying.
“Judith…” he whispered softly. “I think you are stronger than you realize.”
She smiled in the darkness, even though he couldn't see her. "Maybe. But I know I won't live my life according to other people's rules. That's for sure."
If her mother had been a commoner, perhaps she could have married that servant and lived a happier life. If this was what she really wanted, why didn't she have the courage to run away with him before she married her father?
In the end, her mother found the courage to run away after the death of her noble husband and the heavy debts that fell upon them. That was when she ran away with the servant.
Observing her mother's happiness and suffering from afar, Judith had decided long ago that she would never live like this.
"I wouldn't mind marrying a commoner. As long as he's a responsible, beautiful man who can take care of his family, that's enough for me."
“…You wouldn’t mind marrying a commoner?”
“Yes. Honestly, my father was a noble, but if all nobles were like him, I would rather not marry them. The only things I inherited from him are debts and a title. If I could choose, I would rather not give birth to his daughter at all.”
Of course, if she had been born into a rich and powerful noble family, that would have been a good thing. But to Judith, the title of Baronet Aylan was just a uess, empty shell.
Most nobles considered preserving their family's honor to be their highest priority.
Even though Judith was the sole heir to the Elan barony, whenever she thought about the barony, she felt as if she was floating in space without a connection. It was as if the title itf shouldn't have existed in the first place.
Her feelings increased after she remembered the original story.
For the common people, divorce or remarriage was not considered a disgrace, so Judith was not concerned about recording a divorce in her records.
Their conversation was interrupted when the teacher suddenly stopped walking and whispered, “We have arrived.”
In the complete darkness, the master carefully guided her hand. He hit something, and soon a soft light began to seep through the crack.
“We're inside the closet.”
As expected, the boy's clothes hanging above them swayed slightly as they entered.
“You should be able to see and hear what's happening in the room from here.”
The master pointed to the crack in the door. Without needing to be told, Judith and the Master pressed together close to the crack to peer through.
Through the crack, they saw a young boy. He was eight years old, with blond hair and blue eyes, cuddling his teddy bear.
Judith's eyes widened as she looked at the little boy.
'Oh my God, how wonderful!'
The little villain had not yet grown into the obsessive, tormented character who would cling to the heroine. He was simply cute.
His chubby cheeks, shiny blonde hair, and bright blue eyes made him look like a little prince from a fairy tale.
“It's nice,” Judith murmured without thinking.
The gentleman beside her nodded. “Yes, right?”
“Yes, he is very nice.”
Judith was able to understand why Ekian was so attached to his younger brother. Karl was sitting quietly, holding his teddy bear while reading a book.
For a moment, there was silence between them. Judith was feeling increasingly nervous, but she couldn't help herf. The proximity to the master made her feel uncomfortable, and his size made it even more obvious.
The master let out a light sigh, as if trying to regain his composure. “Okay,” he said after a moment. “I'll move.”
He moved a little, but even then, there wasn't much room to move in that tight space. The tension between them continued, and they were both very aware of their closeness to each other.
The master asked in a low voice, “Is this better?”
“Yes,” Judith answered, trying to sound calmer. "Thanks."
She could feel his presence behind her, even though they were no longer as close as they had been in the beginning. Her heart was still pounding, but this time due to a different kind of uneasiness. She was grateful for the space she had, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel more f-conscious.
There was silence again, as they watched Karl in the dim light. Judith couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency about the situation. Time was ticking, and she didn't know what would happen next.
"There are better ways to describe a person's size, you know? Why did you have to say I was big? And stop fidgeting."
Despite their mutual whispers, neither of them tried to move away from the rift. When they started arguing, Judith felt a little stubborn and didn't want to give up her place.
"I can barely move. What's wrong?"
“However, being this close, and you moving...”
Suddenly, the master's words faded away. I felt his breath hitch, unsteady and hesitant. The sudden silence surprised her.
'We... are very close, aren't we?'
The master's arms were now almost encircling Judith, as if he were holding her in place. She became acutely aware of the strange atmosphere, and could hear her heartbeat echoing in her ears.
"Yes."
The master let out a calming breath.