30.
Master seemed momentarily speechless at Judith’s words. Seizing the opening, she continued gently.
“From now on, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t come by so often, and if you could refrain from doing things like this. It’s not that I dislike you, Master, but for some reason, I feel guilty toward the master of this house.”
“What is that supposed to mean? Are you afraid of being caught? If so…”
“Just imagine a stranger wandering around your home without permission. As the owner, that’s a chilling situation, isn’t it? Up until now, we could say it was for the sake of the family, but unless it’s absolutely necessary, please use official channels to contact me.”
Judith pointed out the issue, grounding her reasoning in logic. Master crossed his arms, tilted his head, and asked.
“Official channels?”
“Yes. You know, going through Hyude, for instance…”
“It seems Hyude Lamis is closer to you than I am now.”
“Isn’t that how it’s always been? Hyude and I live under the same roof.”
“That may be true, but let’s not take it that far.”
His tone was distinctly displeased. Since she had been on her way to see the Duchess anyway, Judith didn’t press the matter and immediately asked the reason for his visit.
“If you have business with me, could you tell me quickly? I need to go ask Mother for permission to go out.”
“M-Mother, you say…”
“Mother is what she told me to call her.”
Judith shrugged, answering nonchalantly.
“It’s not your mother, so why are you reacting so strangely? I call her ‘Mother’ because I’m the daughter-in-law.”
“Well…”
Master remained silent for a moment before adding with a faint smile.
“…I see.”
“To be honest, she seems like a much better person than my own mother, so even though I’m just a temporary daughter-in-law, I don’t feel much resistance to calling her that.”
Judith spoke as if making an excuse, her eyes darting away.
“Um… was it strange for me to bring up my own mother? It’s not like you can compare mothers… would it be weird if I said this to someone else?”
“I wonder.”
Master answered slowly to her earnest question.
“I’m not sure. In my case, the woman who gave birth to me and the woman who raised me are different. I only found out about the existence of the one who gave birth to me quite recently.”
“Ah.”
Judith wore a surprised expression for a heartbeat before quickly masking it. She was inwardly shocked that Master had talked about himself for the first time, but she couldn’t show it. Even on the night he had barged into her room claiming he’d discovered the ‘truth,’ he hadn’t told her anything at all. She hadn’t asked him, either; the matter was too grave.
Noticing that Judith felt uncomfortable, Master shifted the subject, busying himself with tidying the books on the shelf.
“Where are you planning to go?”
She had no intention of hiding it, and since he was the head of an Information Guild, he would find out soon anyway. Judith answered honestly.
“To The Shrine of the Last Priestess.”
At that answer, Master’s movements stopped instantly. He slowly turned his face toward her.
“The Shrine of the Last Priestess?”
His slow voice sounded chilling. Judith shivered involuntarily and stepped back.
“Why are you going there?”
“Ah…”
Judith swallowed hard, rolled her eyes, and answered.
“To pray for the well-being of the child in my womb…”
“We all know the child doesn’t exist, don’t we?”
“I also wanted to ask something personally…”
“I have heard that no one has ever received an answer from The Shrine of the Last Priestess…”
Master asked sharply.
“Does this have something to do with the fact that the Marquis and Marchioness Shoden, who have arrived in the capital, visit that shrine every morning?”
Judith flinched and bit her lower lip. It was this very morning that she had asked Master, of all people, about the Marquis and Marchioness Shoden. It seemed it would be difficult to brush this off with a lie.
“Well, Master.”
In the end, Judith said firmly.
“Don’t I have no obligation to tell you everything I do?”
This time, it was Master who flinched. He was silent for a moment before saying slowly.
“…That is true. Since Judith entered the Ducal Mansion as a fake daughter-in-law, I think I’ve overstepped my bounds because I found it so fascinating.”
At his calm words, it was Judith’s turn to blink.
“Ms. Judith is merely hired here, and yet I acted as if we were real family… I was confused.”
Judith slowly nodded. Everything Master said was true. That was something she knew better than anyone.
“If you have no urgent business to discuss, I shall go and ask for permission to head out now.”
Despite that, hearing it from a third party made her feel foolish for having spent all day worrying about finding the biological parents of Hyude, a servant of the Ducal Mansion. To think that she, a temporary hire, was rolling up her sleeves to solve the problems of the Ducal or the Marquis House.
Between the two sets of parents who loved their children dearly, Judith suddenly felt isolated. The Duke and Duchess Mayous and the Marquis and Marchioness Shoden were desperately waiting for their children. But there was no one waiting for Judith. Once all this was over, she would be alone again.
The emotions she had tried so hard to ignore surged within her.
“As you said, I am a fake and a temporary hire, so I have to ask my employer for permission whenever I do anything.”
Perhaps that was why her voice sounded cold, even to her own ears. As soon as she turned and opened the door, she felt regret for having spoken so sharply. However, when she turned back to offer a parting word, Master was already gone.
‘What was that?’
Judith bit her nails and sighed.
‘I was strange today, but Master was strange, too.’
Even though they bickered, they had always gotten along well. This was the first time their conversation had felt so disjointed. It was clear why: they could not reveal their honest, inner thoughts.
Judith couldn’t bring herself to tell Master, ‘I feel pathetic because I’ll eventually end up alone.’ Meanwhile, Master had blurted out the fact that ‘You are a fake,’ which had caused emotions unsuited for their dynamic to spill out.
‘In that case, is there something Master couldn’t tell me, too?’
She thought, relaxing her shoulders.
‘Ever since the story of the last priestess came up…’
* * *
Ekian stayed up the entire night. It was because of his own irrational behavior.
When Judith had asked for his business, he had nothing to say. Because, in truth, he had no business at all. Ever since Hyude had come to see Ekian claiming he ‘had someone he liked,’ he had been in a foul mood. Although he had managed to crush Hyude’s morale by resorting to underhanded methods, he hadn’t been able to focus on anything once he realized the two of them would be inside the same mansion.
He was away, but Hyude was inside. And he knew the truth: that she was not pregnant. He felt worse thinking about Judith, who had been laughing and sharing drinks with Hyude as if nothing were wrong.
Even the fact that he had delivered the letter to Hyude bothered him. It meant they would meet again.
‘No, why is Hyude Lamis closer to Judith than I am?’
Considering he was Ekian Mayous—her husband on paper—it was truly absurd. Half out of spite, half on impulse, he had visited her room. But he had been forced to hesitate at Judith’s rather cold words.
*Don’t I have no obligation to tell you everything I do?*
That was the essence of their relationship. Trading partners who had lived together plainly for three years. In the end, they were strangers. A relationship where they didn’t have to say things they didn’t want to, where there was no need to share everything. A relationship where if the contact were severed, they would just accept it.
Ekian had completely forgotten that. From the moment she became his wife on paper, from the moment she began living in his room and truly started living like a member of the Mayous family, he had been under the foolish, solitary illusion that they had an incredibly special relationship… that even though they were connected by a contract, it was as if they were a real married couple.
*Since Judith entered the Ducal Mansion as a fake daughter-in-law, I think I’ve overstepped my bounds because I found it so fascinating. Ms. Judith is merely hired here, and yet I acted as if we were real family… I was confused.*
She was a fake. Someone who would leave. She was only hired to be his wife.
He had overstepped his bounds far too much without even revealing his own identity. He had even shown defensive aggression toward Hyude, as if he were encountering a man trying to steal another man’s wife.
Looking back after taking a step back, it was a truly ridiculous sight.