# Chapter 42
The time for the imperial banquet was approaching, and it was a celebration of the Crown Prince's birthday.
The Crown Prince was a reasonable and good person, but he was always under surveillance and restrained by his father, the Emperor.
“His Highness the Crown Prince is a really good person.”
Even Carl, who was portrayed as the villain in the original story, received him kindly.
The problem was that he was too kind, which made him vulnerable to his father's machinations. In the end, the Emperor assassinated his son without mercy. Using the same slow poisoning method he had used against the Maios, he brought chaos to the empire through his long tyranny.
'Until the two heroes, male and female, were fully established...'
Although the Crown Prince had reached the age that qualified him to assume the throne, the Emperor did not intend to give up his position any time soon. In the end, the Crown Prince died before him.
In fact, Judith wasn't much interested in the imperial banquet. Her only goal was to be introduced as the daughter-in-law of the Maios family.
She considered this part of her work obligations.
After all, she was someone who would eventually leave the Mayus family and live a life far removed from such high-ranking noble families. Whether the Emperor's tyranny continued or a tragedy occurred in the imperial family, none of that mattered to her once her debts were paid.
but… .
“Sister, try this, it’s delicious.”
Every evening...
The Mayos family gathered to have dinner together. During these meals, Karl would sit next to Judith and take care of her carefully with his little hands.
“I will take care of you instead of my brother. When my nephew or niece is born, I will play with them every day!”
Karl constantly cursed Ekian for not returning while remaining loyal to Judith's side.
“This necklace looks beautiful. I should order another ruby necklace with the same design.”
“Mom, I have enough jewelry already...”
"What does it matter? I don't care whether you think it's enough or not. I don't think it's enough."
Isabella would give Judith something at least once a day. It was her way of expressing her care and affection, even if she couldn't express it well.
And that was not all.
“Just find me a name.”
Duke Mayus, Ben, would say that quietly sometimes when Karl wasn't around.
"I'll make sure you meet someone. Anyone will."
“What? Um, is there anyone?”
“Yes, the Maius family cannot fail at such a simple thing. Find someone with decent appearance and respectable lineage.”
“But… appearance and lineage aren’t everything. I can’t evaluate character in this situation...”
“No, you need to.”
Judith felt faint at Ben's words.
"Do you think I won't make sure it fits? Do you think I won't be able to manage after that?"
Ben looked to Judith as the true savior, not only of his life, but of the entire Mayos family.
If they had actually been poisoned, the family would have fallen into disarray. The thought of leaving little Carl alone was terrifying.
Above all, Judith finds herf unexpectedly happy in the Mayus family. This was not because of paying off her debts, or because of the luxury of her residence, or because of the delicious meals.
A warm and passionate atmosphere constantly surrounded her. For the first time, I felt stable. And for this reason...
‘The Emperor will continue to target the Maius family. He already considers them a thorn in his side to the point that he plans to poison them.'
She couldn't stop worrying about this.
After twisting the original story, Judith had no idea what measures the Emperor might take next to tighten his grip at the Maius family's throats.
Moreover, the Maios Family was unable to devote their full resources to preparing against the Emperor. Most of their skilled assistants were still searching for traces of Ikian.
‘I have to leave and move on…’.
However, Judith's heart became heavier day by day.
‘I can leave, start a romantic relationship with the master, or live a normal life…’.
It was clear that the master had feelings for her.
Even if he didn't, their relationship was full of opportunities. No man would risk his life for a woman he doesn't care about.
Lately, he'd been visiting her almost every night. It was nothing important, but he would come and share trivial stories with her and then leave. These stories were usually about people from the neighborhood where he lived.
At one point, she asked him not to visit her, and their relationship briefly became strained. From then on, Judith avoided saying to him: “Don’t come here.”
Although she felt a little guilty when she learned that an intruder visits Maius' mansion every night, she justified it by reminding herf that the secret passage he used saved the family. Sure, this was acceptable.
Because of his nocturnal visits, Judith often found herf saying to Ayud, who was bringing wine, “I'm sorry, I'm so tired...”
However, if the master really saw her as a woman, she just needed to focus on doing a good job with him after leaving the Maios family.
She just had to….
I just had to….
'But what will happen to the Maius family?'
Even though she was doomed to leave, she couldn't stop worrying about them.
It's not as if solutions don't exist. Using her knowledge of the future, she was able to help the family prepare to face the Emperor's tyranny.
'But the problem is that I don't have enough information to take action on. Confronting the imperial family requires relationships that I do not have. If it had been about Ekian Mayus, who grew up as a high-ranking noble, it would have been different.'
Judith bit her nails anxiously.
When she first arrived at Maios Palace, she had no important thoughts. She intended to simply take advantage of the situation to pay off her debts and move on.
But after meeting the family and forming real relationships, she couldn't help but care about them more. Although they were also exploiting her in some ways….
She had no one to tell her complicated feelings to, everyone around her was connected to the Maios family.
'I am waiting…'.
When Judith looked at the beautiful dress Isabella had sent, she blinked slowly.
‘There is one person I meet every day who has no connection to the Mayus Family.’
He was the master.
Maybe she could discuss her concerns with him.
Every night, Ekian would visit Maios' palace. Honestly, he didn't feel guilty about it. Isn't this technically his private room?
Of course, even if he didn't feel guilty, there was an undeniable feeling of uneasiness. This was not the reason he left home….
However, Ayoade would knock on Judith's door every night and ask her: "I'm having trouble sleeping. Would you like to have a glass of wine?"
Judith, in the middle of her conversation with him, would suddenly say, “Oh,” and then say, “I’m a little tired today. Sorry,” before dismissing Ayoade. But if Ekian was not there, she would undoubtedly say, “Yes, come in,” and talk to him without thinking.
For this reason, Ekian felt obligated to guard the room until Judith slept.
However, he couldn't completely shake his feeling of uneasiness. After all, Judith and Ayud spent the entire morning and afternoon under the same roof, maintaining an undeniably close relationship.
To make matters worse, they were planning to attend the imperial banquet together as partners, and even coordinating their dress code.
'...Damn you.'
As the day of the banquet approached, Ekian found it increasingly difficult to contain his growing frustration.
The newly appointed doctor of the Mayus family was scheduled to begin work on the day of the imperial banquet. Until then, Ayoade remained in the palace.
There is no doubt that the reason Ayoade made this decision was because of Judith. The barrier of being a “commoner” had been dissolved, and there was nothing to hinder his feelings anymore.
Carrying this heavy frustration, Ekian visited Judith's room as usual.
“Wait a minute.”
Judith began the conversation with a serious expression.
“I have something I want to consult you about, sir.”