17.
Karl sat on the edge of the bed, sipping warm cocoa. As he did, he cast a contemplative glance at the woman keeping watch by his side.
‘She really… seems like a good person.’
Judith was there with him. She didn’t force him to talk, nor did she press him about the earlier ordeal. Instead, she lightened the mood, pointing out small curiosities among the books and items in the room to help him settle.
‘I used to think Sarah was a good person, too. But this lady? She feels genuinely kind.’
Isabella had gone deep into the heart of the Ducal Mansion to interrogate Sarah. With her permission, Judith had remained behind, the only one keeping Karl company.
She had suggested it herself, claiming that her years as a private tutor had given her a knack for connecting with children.
‘Honestly, I still can’t believe it. Did Sarah really say those cruel things to me?’
‘Then take your time to process it while she’s gone. Decide for yourself what is right.’
‘Slowly?’
‘Yes. There’s no need to rush. Being able to grow at your own pace is a child’s privilege.’
Karl had never heard words like that before.
Everyone called him a genius. Because of that, they demanded he move with lightning speed. *Since you’re a genius, do this. Since you’re a genius, finish that.* Even Sarah would subtly prod him: ‘Young Master, you’re a genius, so you understood what I meant right away, didn’t you? You must act like that starting tomorrow.’
Judith had said the exact opposite. Hearing her made his heart feel strangely light.
Karl took another sip of cocoa and looked up at her. “Then, when will Baron Aylan start living here?”
It was a sudden, baseless question, but Judith replied with a gentle smile.
“Hmm… after I discuss it with the Duke, and once the marriage is officially registered and announced.”
Originally, all of this was meant to happen today, but the schedule had unraveled once Sarah was apprehended. The Duke, having returned from an inspection of the Duchy, had immediately joined the Duchess for the interrogation, pushing back his meeting with Judith.
Karl stared at her for a moment before offering a bashful smile.
“Then, can I call you Sister-in-law?”
“Ah.”
Judith smiled kindly and nodded.
“Of course. That would be the case.”
“Then please, treat me comfortably. And call me by my name—Karl.”
Karl’s blue eyes shone with earnestness. “If you are carrying my brother’s child, you are family. By the way, is my brother doing well?”
“Uh… well, I’m not entirely sure about that right now.”
“Ha…”
Karl let out a heavy sigh and bowed his head. “I apologize on his behalf.”
“O-oh, no, you don’t have to.”
“I didn’t teach him to be like that…”
“Hm?”
“If he ever returns, I will scold him severely. Sister-in-law, don’t you worry about a thing.”
Karl couldn’t fathom what Ekian had done. To act with such a lack of responsibility—it was truly worse than his eight-year-old self. It must be that his brother had grown up poorly after leaving home.
To abandon such a smart, kind, and thoughtful woman…
If Ekian had done something he couldn’t take responsibility for, then it was only natural for the Mayous Ducal House to step in. Hadn’t Judith said earlier that Ekian leaving meant he was ‘entrusting his parents to her’? If so, it meant there were even more people to protect on his brother’s behalf.
Karl silently resolved, ‘I must protect our niece or nephew and my sister-in-law.’
* * *
Judith stood up slowly only after watching Karl fall into a deep sleep. Just as she was about to leave, pulling the blanket up to his chin, she heard a sharp thumping sound from inside the closet. It was clearly deliberate.
‘It’s Master.’
He must have slipped in through the secret passage, listening to the conversation the entire time.
Judith checked to ensure Karl was sound asleep, then walked quietly on her heels and nudged the closet door open. The masked Master sat cramped among the children’s coats.
“Master? Why were you following me if you didn’t have any work to do?”
“I wanted to rescue you if anything happened. Just get inside.”
Fearing Karl might wake, Judith quickly ducked into the closet. Once she clicked the door shut, they were pressed tightly together in the narrow, dark space, much like before.
“How did you do it?”
Master sounded genuinely curious about how she had brought the Duchess to the scene at the perfect moment. Judith found him strangely impatient, but answered nonetheless.
“I sent a letter suggesting she prepare a tea time in the garden.”
“I see.”
“Sarah had planned to meet Karl in the rear garden after his meal to give him an emetic. Timing it was easy enough; I just needed to catch them in the act.”
Judith explained it as if it were a simple task.
“I appeared at the appropriate moment and told the Duchess that I had taken a wrong turn on my way to her. I mentioned I’d seen a strange scene in the rear garden and asked her to come check it with me.”
After all, the person who could punish Sarah most severely was the Duchess. And regardless of her temper, she was the one who could offer Karl the most sincere comfort.
Though the Duchess seemed a bit more volatile than Judith had anticipated, it was a family matter that needed to be brought to light.
Master didn’t answer; he kept his gaze fixed on Judith.
‘What?’
His mask obscured his expression, and the silence stretched, thickening the tension. As she shifted her posture, he let out a soft, ragged sigh.
“Thank you, Judith.”
“Yes?”
“Just… thank you.”
“For what?”
“I heard everything you were saying to Karl. That… that was very warm.”
He seemed to be carefully choosing his words. They had been trading for three years, yet this was the first time he had spoken with such vulnerability.
“You seem like a good person.”
Inside the narrow closet, Master whispered, “Judith, you.”
As always, his low voice didn’t linger in her memory; it seemed to evaporate in the heat of the closet. Yet, Judith could tell the atmosphere between them had shifted. Recently, the raw, human emotion brimming behind his words was becoming impossible to ignore.
Judith looked straight at his mask.
“Master.”
After a beat of silence, she asked, “Do you happen to like me?”
“Yes?”
“Did you fall for me because of what happened today?”
She leaned closer. Master drew back in surprise, but pinned inside the closet, he had nowhere to retreat. Looking flustered, he hurriedly muttered, “Wait a moment, Judith.”
“Is it because I’m smart? And on top of that, warm-hearted?”
“Ah, that’s not it…”
“But the timing isn’t very good. I’m about to become a married woman.”
“I am, of course, aware of that…”
“I’m a responsible person, so I don’t want to take a lover while I’m living at the Ducal Mansion.”
“Judith, I…”
Judith grinned at his mask.
“But I’m not refusing you outright.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know anything about you—not your face, your voice, or your name—but if you think you’d like to try something with me, show me your face in a few months. If everything seems fine, I’ll consider you as a remarriage partner.”
“Wait. Judith.”
Master, who had been stuttering, suddenly stiffened.
“Are you already thinking about remarriage?”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t it a bit early to think about remarriage when we haven’t even registered the first one yet?”
There was a palpable hint of bewilderment in his voice. Judith, also feeling slightly flustered, argued logically.
“Isn’t that natural? I have no debts now, and I’ll have plenty of money once this job is over.”
“H-however…”
“I’ve lived my whole life suffering, so isn’t it okay to have a little romance?”
At her words, Master remained silent, apparently taken aback, before interrogating her.
“Wait. Didn’t you say you liked Ekian Mayous? You were quite clear about that last time.”
“That’s ancient history. I’ve already forgotten him.”
“Already? No, what kind of person is so fickle? Your heart is like a sheet of paper!”
“It’s been almost five years since that person went missing.”
“…St-still, if you really loved him!”
“I don’t think I liked him that much. In fact, he might even be dead.”
“He could be alive.”
“That’s possible. But unlike five years ago, he might have become incredibly ugly, right?”
“Ha, so you’d dump him immediately if he became ugly? Why are you so cruel?”
“Why are you getting angry? Ah, have you ever been dumped for being ugly? If so, I’m sorry.”
“…”