23.
That night, in Ekian’s room where Judith was staying.
Judith sat across from Master, who had come to visit in the dead of night.
Master had played a pivotal role in signaling the perfect timing earlier that day. He could have departed once his task was done, but he had insisted on lingering well past midnight just to speak with Judith.
“How did you know?”
At Master’s question, she only shrugged.
“I think I saw that man named Bart when I was wandering the streets a long time ago. I believe I heard him mention lurking around to carry out a poisoning, or something of that nature.”
Since he wore his mask as usual, Judith couldn’t read his expression. However, he seemed more somber than ever.
“……I really thought he was a man of the utmost loyalty to the Ducal House.”
“I don’t think so.”
She shook her head.
“I doubt he had even a shred of loyalty to the Ducal House from the moment he first arrived.”
“What?”
“I don’t know why he was ever considered loyal…… but wasn’t it all a facade? If it wasn’t a lie, then he must have harbored malicious intentions from the start.”
Judith yawned and waved her hand dismissively.
“Anyway, you should go. Master must be exhausted; you need to rest.”
“I am not particularly tired.”
“But it’s a bit improper to be alone like this in a lady’s room. It looks as if you’re trying to compromise me.”
“What……? If a man and woman are talking alone in a room at night, does that always imply one is making a move on the other?”
Just then, there was a knock.
*Knock, knock.*
“Judith.”
The voice from outside the door belonged to someone quite unexpected.
“Do you have a moment?”
It was Hyude’s voice.
“I would like to speak with you for a moment.”
“Ah, yes.”
Taken aback, Judith answered quickly.
“Please, wait a moment. Let me tidy up.”
Then, she gestured urgently for Master to retreat. Master shrugged, clearly finding the situation absurd, and whispered,
“Are you actually going to let him in?”
“What? What do you mean?”
“There’s no one else in the room right now, is there? And you’re just going to stay alone with that man?”
“And what’s wrong with that?”
“He even knows that you have no real relationship with Ekian, doesn’t he?”
“So? What about it?”
“If he tries to make a move on you…….”
“Oh, stop it.”
Flustered, Judith poked Master’s back—*thump, thump, thump.*
“You said earlier that talking alone at night doesn’t always imply someone is making a move.”
She had thrown his own words right back at him. Despite this, Master did not seem willing to leave. Judith stepped hard on his foot and threatened him.
“Are you going or not? From Hyude’s perspective, he would naturally want to talk to me. Things have erupted like this, after all.”
The elite doctor had failed to notice what Judith—a woman with no knowledge of medicine—had figured out. Naturally, he would feel that something was amiss, or at the very least, want to exchange a few words with her.
If not that, he might be seeking information about the herb shop where she used to work. There was sufficient reason for his visit, so Judith didn’t find Hyude’s arrival that surprising.
However, Master stared at her with wide eyes, clearly displeased at being shooed away.
“Wrap a shawl around yourself. No, where is that dress you used to wear? That would be perfect.”
“The Duchess threw it away.”
Just then, Hyude’s voice echoed from outside once more.
“Is there a problem, Baroness?”
At those words, Master let out a hollow laugh.
“Baroness? Ba-ro-ness? You’re staying in Ekian’s room like this, yet it’s not Duchess, but…… Baroness?”
Judith began to push him toward the bookshelf, saying,
“Why are you acting like a husband suspecting his wife of an affair? Don’t be so pathetic and just leave.”
Master seemed deeply shocked by the word “pathetic.” Taking advantage of his momentary hesitation, Judith opened the secret passage in the bookshelf and stuffed him inside.
Only after the bookshelf door slammed shut with a heavy *thud* did Judith clear her throat.
“Please come in, Hyude.”
A sleek-looking young man with brown hair and green eyes carefully opened the door and entered.
“Excuse me, Baroness.”
Just as Master had pointed out, Hyude looked a bit awkward using her title. He rolled his eyes, clearly troubled by how to address her. Since he knew she was a fake daughter-in-law, it was difficult for him to call her Duchess.
Judith smiled brightly to ease his distress.
“I find it a bit awkward to be called Duchess, too. Until the marriage registration is complete, just call me Judith. Feel free.”
“Ah, then I shall.”
Hyude smiled, looking relieved. Judith blinked and asked,
“Did Bart confess anything?”
“No. His interrogation by the Duke has only just finished. Or, perhaps it isn’t over. Knowing the Duke’s temperament, he might start again in an hour or so.”
“I see. Please, sit.”
Judith led him to the table where she had been sitting with Master just moments before.
She had thought him handsome before, but up close, Hyude possessed a truly kind, steady presence. His fair skin, slim build, and tall stature suited his doctor’s coat perfectly.
“First, I would like to offer my gratitude, Judith.”
Hyude said with a grave expression.
“Looking back, I feel ashamed. I am the attending physician for the Mayous Ducal House, yet I didn’t even know what the family members were consuming.”
“Oh, come now. It couldn’t have been easy to analyze Bart’s prescriptions. How could a junior who has only been here for two years suspect his senior’s work?”
“Ha, I appreciate your understanding, but…….”
As Judith comforted him, Hyude looked troubled. Then, he asked the question she had anticipated.
“But might I know the name of that herb shopkeeper? If he is someone who shares such information even with a layperson, I would like to meet him.”
“Ah…… well, what to do.”
Everything was within her predictions, so Judith smiled and replied.
“He already left for a foreign country. He earned quite a lot of money, you see. As you know, in this Empire, no matter how much money a commoner has, they can never become a noble. He wanted a title, so he went to a place where he could buy one.”
“Ah.”
Hyude looked disappointed. Even so, he gazed at her with a face full of goodwill.
“It might sound like an excuse, but Bart actually tormented me quite a bit and excluded me from the prescribing process…… so it was difficult for me to take the initiative.”
Hmm, I see. Judith nodded slowly, as the situation was easy to imagine.
Bart had wanted to handle everything as the sole physician; he must have found it annoying to have another person on staff. He probably tried everything in his power to drive Hyude away.
“Oh my, that must have been very difficult……. But given your skills, Hyude, you could have gone anywhere even if you had left the Mayous Ducal House.”
“Well…….”
Hyude smiled bashfully.
“It’s because of the money. No other place pays as well as Mayous.”
Indeed. That was one thing Judith agreed with wholeheartedly. Nowhere else threw money at their subordinates like Mayous did.
“In fact, signing off on the pregnancy confirmation for you…… one could say it was an act of abandoning my conscience as a doctor…….”
Judith, the very person who made him abandon that conscience, felt a stinging sensation in her chest.
“But he took good care of me with hush money, so I had no choice.”
Hyude said with a pained look.
“I have seven younger siblings to support…….”
“Pardon?”
“The money from selling the farm paid for my medical school tuition, and for a long time, the second child has practically been responsible for the livelihood of the others while I was at the Medical Academy. Now it is my turn to provide for them.”
“Ah, no…… if I may ask, what about your parents?”
“They ran a small farm, but they passed away when I was young.”
Wait a moment.
Surprised by this unexpected revelation, Judith’s jaw dropped. She began to watch Hyude closely.
Seven younger siblings, responsible for their livelihood, parents who died on a farm…….
Judith tried to maintain a friendly smile and hide her sudden panic.
‘This man, could it be…….’
She quickly recalled the contents of the original novel.
A male lead slightly older than Karl. This man, Hyude, seemed to be the lost older brother of that male lead!
In the original, a passage like this had appeared:
「It was only much later that House Shoden could find clues about their lost eldest son.
He had gone missing on the streets, and a farm couple had taken him in and raised him as their own.
That much was fine, but when the farm couple died, the eldest son had to take care of seven siblings.
Thus, the eldest son, who had originally made a name for himself as a talented doctor, had already left for a foreign country where he was paid more.」