The Imperial Banquet was approaching. It was the celebration of the Crown Prince’s birthday.
Though the Crown Prince was a reasonable and righteous figure, he was also under constant surveillance by his father, the Emperor.
‘His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince is a truly good person.’
He was a kind soul who had even embraced the original villain, Karl, with benevolence. The problem was that his kindness made him an easy target for the traps set by the Emperor.
The Emperor had cruelly assassinated his own child. It was the same method he had used on the Mayous Ducal Mansion—slowly poisoning him to death.
Because of this, the Empire would eventually fall into chaos under the Emperor’s long tyranny.
‘Right up until the time the heroine and the hero grow up…’
The Crown Prince was currently of an age sufficient to ascend to the throne, but the Emperor had no intention of stepping down. And so, the Crown Prince died first.
In truth, Judith had little interest in the Imperial Banquet. Her only goal was to be formally introduced as the daughter-in-law of the Mayous Ducal House.
She thought of it as a form of labor.
She was someone who would eventually leave Mayous, and she expected to live a life far removed from such high-ranking noble families.
Whether the Emperor’s tyranny continued or not, or what tragedies befell the Imperial Family, was none of her concern once her debts were paid. However…
“Sister-in-law, please try this. It’s truly delicious.”
Every evening, the family gathered at the Mayous Ducal Mansion for dinner.
Whenever they did, Karl would sit next to Judith and busily tend to her with his small, fern-like hands.
“I’ll make sure to take care of you, even on behalf of Hyung. And when my niece or nephew is born, I’m going to play with them so much!”
Karl guarded Judith’s side every day, cursing Ekian for not returning.
“That necklace is pretty. I shall commission a ruby necklace in the same design.”
“Mother, I really have enough accessories already…”
“What are you saying? What does it matter whether you feel you have enough? I don’t have enough.”
Isabella would give Judith a gift at least once a day. It was her own way of expressing interest and affection, as she lacked the skill to speak softly.
That wasn’t all.
“Just find out his name.”
Duke Mayous, or Ben, would silently drop a word or two when Karl wasn’t around.
“I’ll make sure to pair you up with him somehow. Anyone is fine.”
“Pardon? A-anyone?”
“Yes. Don’t you think the Mayous Ducal House can manage at least that much? Just pick someone with a decent face and a good family background.”
“W-well… a face and family background aren’t everything. In this situation, I wouldn’t even be able to tell what his personality is like…”
“There is no need to look at his personality.”
Judith felt like she might faint at Ben’s words.
“I’ll make sure he’s the one fawning over you regardless. Do you think I wouldn’t even provide after-care?”
Ben truly thought of Judith as his lifesaver. No, he considered her beyond that—he viewed her as the savior of the Mayous Ducal House.
In reality, if they had been poisoned, the entire family would have teetered on the brink of collapse. Just the thought of closing his eyes and leaving young Karl behind was horrific.
Above all, Judith was quite happy at the Mayous Ducal Mansion.
It wasn’t simply because her debts had disappeared, or because her room was splendid, or because the meals were delicious. It was the affectionate atmosphere, which left no room for boredom, that wrapped around her. She had never felt such stability before.
Therefore…
‘The Emperor will continue to target Mayous. He has viewed them as an eyesore enough to plan a poisoning from the start.’
That fact kept nagging at her.
Since she had twisted the original story, there was no telling what methods the Emperor would use next to tighten the noose around Mayous.
In the meantime, the Mayous Ducal House couldn’t even prepare with their full strength. Most of the Duke’s capable subordinates were still searching for traces of Ekian.
‘Clearly, I should just leave as it is…’
Because of this, Judith’s heart grew heavier with each passing day.
‘I could just leave here and try to pursue a romance with the Master… then I could just live an ordinary life.’
It seemed the Master liked her.
Even if he didn’t, the possibility of things going well seemed sufficient. There was no man who would jump into danger like that for a woman in whom he had not a shred of interest.
In fact, he had been coming to see her almost every night lately.
It wasn’t for anything grand. But he came every night to chat about trivial things before leaving. They were usually stories about people from the streets where they used to live.
Having once told him not to come and ended up straining their relationship, Judith had not voiced those words since.
She felt a bit guilty that an intruder was frequenting the Mayous Ducal Mansion every night. But she rationalized it by saying that, since the Master had saved the people of Mayous thanks to the secret passageways he knew, this much was fine.
Because he came every night, she had to keep telling Hyude, who brought wine to visit her, “I’m sorry. I’m tired…”
Regardless, it was certain that the Master saw her as a woman. So, after leaving the Mayous Ducal House, she should focus on…
Focus on… she should be doing that, but…
‘What about the Mayous Ducal House now?’
Even though it was a place she was destined to leave, she was worried.
It wasn’t as if there were no countermeasures, which made her heart weigh even heavier. If she used the future she knew, there were indeed ways to prepare in advance for the Emperor’s tyranny.
‘But crucially, I don’t have much information I can use directly. If it’s about dealing with the Imperial Family, I can’t move as someone with no connections. Unlike Ekian Mayous, who grew up as a high-ranking noble.’
Judith bit her nails anxiously.
When she first came to the Mayous mansion, she hadn’t thought much of it. She had thought lightly that she would just use the situation to pay off her debts.
But after meeting these people and becoming intertwined with them, she couldn’t help but care more and more. Even if they, in a way, had been using her…
She had no place to pour out her complex heart. After all, everyone around her was connected to the Mayous Ducal House.
‘Ah, no.’
Judith, who had been lost in thought while looking at the beautiful dress Isabella had sent her, blinked slowly.
‘There is someone I can meet every day who has absolutely nothing to do with the Mayous Ducal House!’
It was the Master.
It seemed she should go to him for advice.
* * *
Ekian went to the Mayous Ducal Mansion every night. To be honest, he felt no guilt. It was his own room, after all.
Of course, even if there was no guilt, there was discomfort. This wasn’t why he had left home…
But every night, Hyude would knock on Judith’s door and ask, “I can’t seem to sleep; would you like a glass of wine?” so he had no choice.
Judith would be talking with him, then with a “Oh,” she would send him away with words like, “I’m a bit tired today. I’m sorry.” But if Ekian hadn’t been there, it was certain she would have said, “Yes, come in,” and continued the conversation as if nothing were wrong.
Therefore, he had to guard that room in any way he could every night until Judith fell asleep.
Even so, he couldn’t put his heart at ease. Regardless, Judith and Hyude were living under the same roof throughout the mornings and days, and they still maintained a good relationship with each other.
He even knew they had matched their dress codes, promising to go as partners to the Imperial Banquet.
‘…Damn it.’
As the day of the banquet approached, Ekian couldn’t help the irritation rising within him.
The new physician hired by the Mayous Ducal House was scheduled to start working from the day of the Imperial Banquet, and Hyude was to stay at the mansion until then.
The reason Hyude had decided that must have been because of Judith. Now that the “commoner” status that had been blocking his feelings was resolved, he was bolder.
It was while Ekian was visiting Judith as usual with such a frustrated heart.
“Excuse me.”
Judith opened the conversation first with a serious expression.
“I have something to consult you about, Master.”