44.
On the day of the Imperial Banquet.
Under the direct command of Isabella, Judith was putting all her effort into becoming beautiful.
“Today, you are the daughter-in-law of Mayous.”
Isabella said sharply, her tone bristling with intensity.
“I will make sure no one dares to gossip about you.”
The statement carried an unspoken truth: many people were already sharpening their tongues against her.
It was inevitable. Despite carrying Ekian’s child, Judith was effectively a cast-off. With Ekian’s whereabouts unknown, this was essentially a debut into high society shadowed by a devastating scandal.
Isabella was determined, however.
“Wear everything you can, so that even if it’s just the prestige of Mayous, you can shoulder it!”
“Yes!”
Initially, Isabella had viewed Judith as nothing more than a subject of a transaction. But as time wore on, she found herself unable to ignore the weight of the scandal Judith would have to endure for the rest of her life.
If she had her way, she would have kept her tucked away in luxury under the shadow of Mayous forever. Yet, she couldn’t leave a young woman in her prime to a life of widowhood. Eventually, she would need to remarry. To ensure that process remained legitimate, they could not simply erase the fact that she had been divorced following a miscarriage.
“Ah… Judith.”
Watching Judith emerge, fully transformed, her partner Hyude blinked in surprise.
“Truly… um.”
As Hyude’s earlobes flushed crimson, Judith laughed aloud.
“You can tell me I’m pretty. It’s a bit awkward, I know, but well, it is an Imperial Banquet.”
“Y-you’re beautiful. You really are.”
Hyude stuttered, unable to meet her eyes. Witnessing this, Isabella grew certain.
‘Hyude… likes Judith. And Judith doesn’t seem to have any particular thoughts about it.’
In truth, Judith was so preoccupied with the tension of the day that Hyude’s reaction barely registered.
She felt no genuine desire to show her face in high society. It was merely a duty she had to perform as an employee of the Mayous Ducal Mansion.
‘I hope His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince stays safe today…’
According to the original story, the Crown Prince would face an assassination attempt today—an order issued, of course, by the Emperor.
The Crown Prince was good-natured; even after hearing warnings that the Emperor intended to harm him, he refused to believe it. Or perhaps he simply did not want to.
Because of this, he would be attacked today and sustain injuries severe enough to leave him bedridden for years. As those years bled away and it became certain the Crown Prince would never fully recover, the plot of the original story would officially begin.
In the original work, the female lead and the male lead would eventually join forces to defeat the Emperor and assist the Crown Prince. By then, the Crown Prince would be middle-aged, yet he would manage to overcome his father and restore peace to the empire.
‘How can I wait that long!’
Regardless, the Crown Prince was the material of a sage king, a man capable of standing against the Emperor if he set his mind to it.
‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend… The Crown Prince must be kept safe during this banquet.’
But Judith had no connection to the Crown Prince. She had no clever way to even introduce herself.
In any case, she would be presented as a pregnant woman today, drawing every eye; it would be near impossible to slip away from the crowd unnoticed.
Furthermore, the Crown Prince would never listen to a woman he had just met. That was why she had told the Master, “If only Ekian Mayous were here, it might be different.”
However, after hearing the whole story, the Master had calmly offered a solution.
“I understand the situation well. Then, Judith, you don’t need to worry.”
“Yes? All of a sudden?”
“Among my business contacts, there is someone close to the Crown Prince. I will resolve it through that channel.”
He did not explain the mechanics of his method, but Judith knew the Master to be a man of immense capability. If he told her not to worry, he would certainly get it done.
Such was the trust between them.
Though it might be viewed as a simple transaction—information for money—they had dealt with one another consistently for three years.
‘That’s how it goes—you trade, trust builds, that trust becomes an acquaintance, and that acquaintance turns into affection.’
Trusting him deep in her heart, Judith resolved herself.
‘Once this matter is resolved, I might finally be able to leave the Mayous Ducal Mansion with peace of mind and make a move on the Master.’
The Master maintained a philosophy that men weren’t everything in life, and he showed enough understanding for the lingering attachment she had toward the Mayous family.
Even if she left the mansion and became his lover, if she still worried about the Mayous family, it seemed he would handle it well, just as he did now.
He was a partner with whom everything seemed destined to go well.
She wasn’t quite sure about the Master’s feelings, but her own heart was growing deeper. She was acutely aware of that. That was why she had brought a book titled 121 Secrets To Succeed At Unrequited Love from the library at the Mayous Ducal Mansion.
‘I’ll read it once the banquet is over.’
That wasn’t all. She had borrowed plenty of others: How To Seduce A Man, How To Approach That Man As A Lover, Everything About Love, and Books For Lovers.
Judith had always been a diligent student. It was only natural for her to study thoroughly beforehand for a field she didn’t know much about and had no experience in.
‘I’m not sure if there’s a case in there for someone who fell for a man wearing a mask, though…’
Regardless, with her mind full of thoughts about the Master, she had no real interest in Hyude.
“Now, let’s go.”
Isabella said, glancing between Hyude and Judith with a determined expression.
“I know it would look better if I were to step aside… but given the circumstances, I will introduce Hyude, the young heir to the Shoden House, as if I had brought him to stand in for Ekian.”
Her logic was sound, and Hyude had already agreed.
“The Duke doesn’t usually attend banquets anyway… let’s just show our faces and leave quickly.”
Since Ekian had vanished, Ben and Isabella had completely cut off the social events they had once avoided anyway. But this time, Isabella planned to accompany Judith only long enough to introduce her to high society.
When they arrived at the Imperial Banquet hall, Judith immediately felt the gazes pinning her down. Every single one was filled with curiosity, intrigue, a touch of embarrassment, and contempt.
“Wait here for a moment.”
Isabella, who had been guarding her side, paused.
“I must go pay my respects to His Imperial Majesty.”
Isabella sighed, her face showing she would rather be anywhere else.
“Even so, now that we are here, as the representative of the family, I must make my presence known to the Emperor.”
With Ben absent, Isabella was the sole representative of Mayous.
“And in my opinion…”
Isabella looked at Judith with a worried face.
“It would be best if you didn’t come along.”
Judith understood the hidden warning: The Emperor was a dangerous person, and Isabella did not want to draw his attention to her.
Knowing it was an act of consideration, Judith nodded. She was left alone with Hyude.
The banquet had not yet begun, and the guests were gathered in small groups, murmuring.
The fact that Hyude was the heir of the Shoden House had not been officially revealed, so the crowd knew him only as the ‘doctor of the Ducal Mansion.’
People cast sidelong glances at them. Judith endured the stares and drank her water calmly. As soon as they noticed Isabella had disappeared, they began to whisper openly.
“Oh my… I guess it’s true.”
“I wondered how she’d pay off all that debt, but in the end, she’s turning her life around like this.”
“Goodness. She really did succeed. But considering the young Duke is still missing, I suppose it’s a child forced upon him, perhaps by using some kind of potion?”
She had braced herself, but the cruelty of the gossip was sharper than she had imagined.