# Chapter 18
“Well, at any rate, Judith, you are still young,” said the gentleman in a low voice, still holding his brow—whether he was disturbed by the insult or by Judith’s imagination. “There is no need to rush into thinking of marrying again.”
Judith murmured bitterly in response to his words, “Well, I don’t have a family now, so I want to start one as soon as possible.”
This had always been her thinking.
"All the families I grew up in were a mess. But it wasn't my fault. I didn't choose them."
Judith continued quietly, "So, I think if I choose my family this time, it'll be different. Just because it was messy once doesn't mean it'll always be this way. I want to try again."
In fact, she had been a little envious of Isabella earlier, when she was angry for Karl.
Judith had dealt with Karl knowledgeably and rationally, but Isabella allowed her emotions to take over, so she expressed her anger fully. Although Judith handled the situation wiy, it was clear that Isabella loved Karl more deeply.
Judith had never experienced this kind of love from her parents. If she can't receive it, she at least wants to be able to give it.
“Okay, sir, if you like me, I will give you a chance. But I don’t know whether you will meet my expectations or not.”
She spoke as if she were doing him a favor.
“I don't care about social status. Even if you're a commoner, as long as you're hardworking, wealthy, and responsible, that's all that matters.”
At that moment, a groan came from outside the vault door.
"Oh my God, is he having a nightmare? I'll check on him. See you later, sir. You can leave whenever you want."
Judith was surprised, quickly said goodbye to the master and left the wardrobe. Then she gently wiped Karl's forehead, who looked like he was having a nightmare, then quietly turned off the lights and left the room.
The next day, Judith received another invitation from the Mayos family. This time, the invitation was from the Duke himf, not the Duchess.
[My wife explained the situation to me. I accept your proposal with gratitude, Baroness. It seems that I already owe you a great debt regarding the Karl matter.
Come today, and we will complete the official marriage registration procedures.
Given the current circumstances, certain actions will be required.]
‘Ah.’
Judith immediately understood what the Duke meant.
The process of publicly announcing her pregnancy with Ekian's child will involve specific procedures that are unique to the Mayos family!
The Maios bloodline carried a special energy, which only the head of the family could feel. This meant that there was no need for a paternity test, and the head of the household was able to manipulate the situation as needed.
Therefore, it was not the Duchess but the Duke who had to carry out the actual procedure.
So today, Judith had to meet the head of the Maios family, the Iron-Blooded Duke Maios.
“Judith, so today...”
And once again, the master was sitting in front of her, having appeared in her boarding house that morning. (Boarding house, perhaps you mean the room in which there is a bathroom, kitchen, and living room)
Due to his massive frame, Judith felt cramped in the small room. I was surprised to find that she didn't mind him being close to her. Maybe it was because she had lived alone for so long.
The master looked at the letter with her and simply said: “Let’s go together.”
"my lord." Judith looked at him and asked frankly, “Aren’t you busy?”
“I'm busier than ever.” The master smiled as he replied, “As I told you before, I do not have any agents within the Maios Lands. Currently, there is something that is being handled very discreetly within the Duchy.”
“Hmm.”
“As the head of the Information Syndicate, it is my duty to ensure that I understand the secret accurately.”
It seemed logical, so Judith nodded. After all, he would use the secret passage, and no one would notice. It didn't really matter to her.
"Okay, do what you want. But sir, do you really love me?"
“Why are you saying that again?”
“I was just wondering… because yesterday I said I like hardworking guys, and now you seem to be working extra hard.”
“I've always worked hard.”
“Right. I was just curious. Forget I asked.” Judith shrugged and gave him one last warning. "But even if you love me, don't show it until after my divorce is finalized. Let's not make things awkward."
She wanted to make this clear in advance.
“I am a responsible person. As long as I am officially married to Ekiyan on paper, I will fulfill my duties as his wife.”
When they snuck into Karl's room and ended up so close, even she felt a little strange. Since then, their relationship quickly became closer.
If Master took off his mask and turned out to be incredibly handsome, she thought she might feel something for him too.
But at least, while she was still married, she didn't want anything to happen.
“Okay then.”
Judith smiled cheerfully and stood up.
"I'll see you at Mause's. Well, I won't, but we'll be there together."
‘Awesome.’
Judith stood in front of the Maius family mansion again, and thought to herf. Since her first visit, she had returned to the palace almost every day. After all, this would be her future home.
When Judith entered the palace, she heard voices.
“Judith!”
“My brother’s wife, my brother’s wife!”
Isabella and Karl were sitting in the garden, and when they saw Judith, they rushed over to her.
‘Huh?’.
In an instant, they were standing on either side of her. Karl even grabbed her arm and smiled cheerfully.
Isabella raised her chin and said, "It's not like I was waiting for you or anything. I didn't get a chance to thank you properly yesterday, so I came early!"
Judith smiled awkwardly and nodded. She was starting to feel for Isabella.
Not only was Isabella showing her affection for Karl, she was just someone who awkwardly expressed her affection to everyone. She was kind of a tsundere.
“Also, about my behavior yesterday! It bothered me, so I came to meet you!”
As Karl looked at Isabella, he smiled gently and said: “I came out because I wanted to meet you, my sister-in-law. Let’s go.”
Thus, Judith was dragged along with the Duchess and Karl as they headed to the palace. The servants and maids were looking at her in amazement, whispering among themves.
This continued until they reached the living room.
Duke Maius, who was reading the newspaper, frowned when he saw them. “Hmm. I knew you and Karl liked this girl, but...”
Judith was astonished when she saw Duke Maius. He was a stunning middle-aged man who lived up to the title of “Iron-Blooded Duke.” His noble blond hair and piercing blue eyes were particularly impressive.
“This is the first time I've seen you both love someone so much at the same time.”
Despite his calm tone, his gaze was sharp. He made no effort to hide the fact that he still didn't trust Judith. His cold and calculated demeanor made it clear that he was ready for confrontation. He was the type of person who didn't let his guard down easily, even within his family.
Judith smiled softly and thought to herf. 'But they all seem to be fine. In the original story, they were supposed to die suddenly within about a year.'
The Duke and Duchess showed no signs of illness or anything unusual. In the original story, they died suddenly of illness about a year later, leaving Karl to inherit the title at the age of nine. But now, they seemed to be a completely healthy and normal family.
“Sit down.”
"Yes."
Judith sat down politely, and Isabella glanced at Karl before speaking.
“Karl, don’t you have lessons?”
“Yes, I will go when the time comes. I just wanted to greet my sister-in-law before I leave.”
Karl quickly left to meet his teacher. With only Judith, the Duke and Duchess remaining in the living room, the Duke wasted no time and got straight to the point.
"I heard it all from Isabella. She already gave you the down payment, didn't she?"
“Yes, and I am very grateful.”
“Okay, let's get started quickly before Ikian is officially declared dead.”
Without any further conversation, the Duke rang the bell. Shortly after, two men entered the room.
One looked to be in his late thirties, while the other looked to be about the same age as Judith. They were both wearing doctor's coats, indicating that they were family doctors.
“These are the Mayus family doctors,” the Duke explained to Judith calmly. “Since it is impossible to deceive them, we will need to keep this matter a secret among those present.”
"concept."
At a signal from the Duke, the two doctors stood next to him. The younger doctor, who looked about Judith's age, introduced himf. With his soft brown hair and kind, handsome face, he seemed like a nice person.
“Hello, my name is Ayoud Ramis. I am twenty-one years old and have been working with the Mayos Medical Corps for two years now.” (Ayoud is also hood in Arabic, but the letter H is not always ha)