# Chapter 19
Is he twenty-one years old and already two years into his profession? This meant that he started working for the Duchy right after graduating from the Medical Academy.
Judith's eyes widened in astonishment when Isabella interjected, "He is talented and has never lost his first place in the medical academy. We brought him with a high salary in the Duchy of Maios. He mainly takes care of me and Karl. Karl in particular suffers from frequent stomach pains, and Ayud prepares medicine for him daily."
Judith nodded, impressed. Just from the explanation, it was clear that Ayoade was an exceptional individual. Considering how high the medical academy's tuition fees were, even if he was a commoner, he must have been from a well-off family.
“Yes, I look forward to taking care of you.”
When Judith smiled, Ayoade's ears turned slightly red.
Then the other doctor who was standing next to Ayoade spoke, "Hello. I'm Bart Kallon, and I've been working for the Mayos family for fifteen years now."
‘Huh?’.
“I spent five years as an assistant before becoming the chief physician.”
Judith's smiling face stiffened slightly.
'Bart Callon? If Bart Callon…’.
The Duke was drinking tea, and spoke coldly: “Bart mainly monitors my health. He also cares about the nutritional balance of the entire family, so he is also the one who will check your ‘pregnancy’.”
Judith swallowed dryly as she stared at Bart's gray hair and yellow eyes. She was so confused that she couldn't respond immediately.
Her mind was racing with thoughts.
‘If I don’t deal with this man, Duke Mayus will be in danger soon.’
I knew who he was.
The Mayus Family had a power similar to that of the Imperial Family. It had history, honor, wealth and military power. In other words, she was a thorn in the emperor's side.
‘And the current Emperor particularly hates the Maios family.’
In the end, Karl, who will become the villain, will face the imperial family in a dangerous confrontation. In the end, Karl will fall at the hands of the Emperor and will never meet the heroine...
'If it's Bart Callon, isn't he an exceptional confidant?'
Judith only remembered his name because of the original story.
Bart Callon. He was known for his expertise in the field of toxicology and was an exceptional physician.
He was the emperor's secret agent, and later, he posed a threat to the hero as well!
In the original story, it was clearly written: "I served His Majesty loyally. For more than 15 years, I remained in hiding and finally fulfilled His Majesty's wish."
Judith swallowed hard.
'So the place he's been hiding for over 15 years is Maius' Palace?'
It made sense, considering the sudden death of the Duke and Duchess just a year later… .
Her mind worked quickly, and the theory began to take shape.
After the death of the Duke and Duchess, nine-year-old Karl inherited the family and slowly led it to ruin.
‘The Emperor must have targeted the Mayus family from the beginning…’
While Judith was deep in thought, the Duke picked up a feather with a cold face.
“The process is not very complicated. There is one document that confirms that the child in the womb carries the energy of the Mayus family, and I personally signed it.”
He handed her the document he had prepared in the living room, which contained the details he had just explained in a concise manner.
Judith returned her attention and read the document carefully. The Duke signed it elegantly with his own pen.
“One pregnancy confirmation certificate states that the Baroness is pregnant with a child.”
This document was also prepared in the living room. The certificate had two signature lines, as it required approval from both doctors.
It seemed that the Duke could not rely on only one opinion, and for this reason both doctors were called.
“I apologize for forcing you to forge these documents,” the Duke said, though he showed no remorse at all. His tone was merely formal.
“But please understand that this is for the parents.”
There is no doubt that both doctors were well paid.
“The Duchess paid off my astronomical debts easily and in a short time...”
Judith glanced at the doctors' faces. It wasn't hard to imagine how much money the Duke spent to keep them quiet.
'They must want to continue working here, given the generous salary they receive.'
Hood and Bart both signed the confirmation certificate. It was so simple that it seemed unexciting.
“Okay, then.” The Duke spoke as he slowly rested his chin on his hand, “My assistant will handle the rest of the papers… Once the marriage registration is completed, Baroness Judith Elan must remain at the palace here.”
“There is no need for such formalities, Your Honor,” Judith said, adjusting her posture. “Please feel free to call me Judith.”
“Well, because we will be a family for the next few months,” the Duke emphasized the phrase “a few months,” reminding her that their relationship was temporary.
“I'll have someone bring your things from your boarding house.”
The Duke's tone was professional and far from condescending.
“Ahm.” Suddenly, Isabella interrupted, “The Baroness… I mean, Judith. Your dresses seem a bit old and you don’t have many of them, don’t you?”
“Oh yes...”
Judith was struggling to keep up with her loan payments, so she wasn't paying much attention to clothes.
Although she always tried to dress nicely while working as a teacher, she was unable to afford new dresses.
“You can't walk around the Duchy of Maios dressed like this.”
Isabella raised her chin and continued: “Even if it is a temporary position, you must take responsibility and introduce yourf accordingly.”
“Of course,” Judith responded enthusiastically. “I intend to do my best.”
“Then get ready, we're going shopping!”
…For a moment, Judith wondered if this was really happening. But as she said, she had to take her role as temporary daughter-in-law seriously.
In the end, she found herf practically being dragged out of the living room by the Duchess.
The rest of the day was a blur, as the Duchess took Judith to several shops.
By the time they reached the second store, everything seemed mysterious. She tried on dress after dress, and the Duchess bought everything.
“Hmph!” Isabella wrote on a check and mumbled, "I haven't had a chance to shop with a daughter, so don't think I'm doing this because I love you! I'm just doing what I want! But this yellow dress really looks good on you."
The Duchess spent an astronomical amount of money. The store's tailor asked, clearly curious, hesitating: “Excuse me, but who is this young woman...?”
“She will be my daughter-in-law.”
“Huh, excuse me?”
Everyone in the store was shocked, but Isabella, as arrogant as any noblewoman, ignored their surprise and focused only on Judith.
“Okay, this looks good. Can you finish the adjustments quickly? Put it on now. Let’s get rid of the rags you brought.”
They did not return to the palace until the evening.
By then, all of Judith's simple belongings from the boarding house had already arrived. However, the room she was assigned was unexpected.
“This is Ikian’s room.”
Perhaps it was not so unexpected.
Judith nodded in bewilderment as she stood in front of the huge room, which was about ten times the size of her boarding house room.
“Of course, it is intended for his wife as well.”
Even though Ikian had been gone for almost five years, the room was quite clean and didn't feel abandoned. It was clear that the room was in good condition while he was gone.
With her arms crossed, Isabella looked into the room and spoke, “You will stay here.”
"Yes…".
Judith nodded, still dazed, and Isabella looked around the room thoughtfully.
“I hope Ekyan comes back soon.”
“…As I mentioned, please don’t get too hopeful,” Judith said gently. “But… if he comes back, I will divorce him immediately, as I promised. I don’t want to prevent him from marrying someone else.”
Of course, in noble society, remarriage was often seen as a shame. However, with Ikian's appearance and stature, it was clear that he would overcome such a flaw easily.
“I promise there won't be any trouble because of me.”
At that moment, we heard a knock on the door.
“Sister-in-law, I'm here!”
“Ah yes. Come in.”
Karl entered the room with the young doctor, Ayoade. When Karl saw Judith, his eyes widened in astonishment.
“…Huh?”
Karl blinked in surprise and spoke softly, “Sister-in-law… you seem like a completely different person.”