# Chapter 20
Suddenly Judith felt embarrassed and her face turned red. The dress she had worn from the store earlier was completely different from the clothes she usually wore.
The dress was made of soft, elegant fabric decorated with sparkling beads. The color was a perfect match for her skin tone, and even the accessories purchased as a set were perfect for her. Her elegantly styled hair made her look like a completely different person.
Karl murmured in astonishment, “My brother must have a thing for beautiful women...”
“Oh, thank you.”
“But he escaped after doing something terrible...”
Judith laughed awkwardly at Carl's comment.
They all agreed not to tell Carl that the pregnancy was fake. They thought he was too young to know the full truth. As a result, Ekian turned into a terrible person in his brother's eyes.
“Well, Ayud? Don’t you think my sister-in-law is pretty?”
When Karl Ayode asked, the young doctor's face flushed slightly and nodded. “Yes, I… I agree.”
"Take a rest, and then come to the dining-room. Let us have dinner together," said Isabella, clearly satisfied with Judith's appearance.
“I will hire a maid for you soon.”
“Oh…”
Judith hadn't had a maid since she was young, so she wasn't sure whether having one would be convenient or inconvenient.
While Judith hesitated, Karl waved his hand and said: “See you at dinner later!”
Karl said goodbye happily and left the room with Ayoade and Isabella.
Finally alone, Judith let out a deep sigh and carefully sat on the edge of the bed, looking around the room.
The room was clean, tidy and well arranged, a perfectly organized room. This was Ekian's room, the young duke's room. The fact that she would be staying in someone else's room seemed unreal.
Knock knock.
At that moment I heard a familiar voice.
'Is this another secret passage? Is it possible that there is one in Ekian's room as well?'
Judith stood up carefully and approached the bookshelf from which the voice came.
"…my lord?".
A voice came from inside the bookshelf.
“Take the second book off the third shelf.”
"oh well."
“Then the third book from the fifth shelf.”
"Yes."
“Then the second book from the first shelf.”
When Judith followed the instructions and took out the three books, the bookshelf silently opened.
"Oh, my God."
Judith was surprised and began to look at the Sith who was standing inside the hidden space. At this point, he seemed to be able to sneak around the entire palace without being detected.
“Is everything connected here too?” She whispered in surprise, but the master simply stared at her without responding.
"my lord?"
"Get out of there. What's wrong with you?"
“…oh.” “I was... um, just surprised...” the master muttered awkwardly.
“What?”
Judith asked in confusion, and the Master let out a slight sigh. His mask made it impossible to read his expression, which made her even more frustrated.
'I wonder what he's thinking...'
Thinking of Karl and Eud from before, Judith suddenly asked, “Why? Are you amazed by how beautiful I am? Maybe you’ve fallen in love with me?”
"…What?".
"Well, wait until I get a divorce. I'm a responsible wife, you know."
Judith smiled cheerfully at her joking comment. Moreover, she needed the master's help at this point.
"my lord."
"Yes."
"I wanted to ask you something while you're here. Do you know Bart Callon?"
“The Duke’s personal physician?”
"He's been an assistant physician for five years and been the chief physician for about ten years. His medical skills are exceptional," the master replied after regaining his composure.
“So, there is a need for a period of assistance. But why did that young doctor, Ayode, not get a period of assistance?”
“Because he is so genius that the family did not want to risk losing him to another family,” the master explained calmly.
He then added: “Although this is just a guess on my part.”
"Mmm. Does Bart Callon have an assistant?"
“No, that's why they have two doctors.”
“Oh, I see that.” Judith nodded deeply.
Technically, she could have just done her job and let it all go. It didn't really matter to her whether the Duke and Duchess died one year later.
But the price of the dress she got today might have been enough to convince her to do something in return.
'Besides, I feel like it's a bit unfair. Hiding for 15 years and then killing someone under the guise of a doctor…’.
The murder was a terrible crime from the beginning, and standing idly by while it happened would have weighed heavily on her conscience. She also didn't want Karl to grow up an orphan. Since she discovered Bart Callon's true identity, Judith had already made up her mind.
'I will expose him.'
She couldn't stand by and watch people die because of a conspiracy. But the problem was that she wasn't a doctor and couldn't know all of Bart's prescriptions. Moreover, the Duke's health was a strictly confidential matter.
'There's something strange, though.'
Judith thought for a moment.
'If I were Bart, wouldn't I have poisoned Karl too? Why should I only kill the Duke and Duchess?'
It didn't make sense for Bart to only kill patients who were assigned to him. The Duchess received treatment alongside Karl, so it wasn't like Bart didn't have the chance. He should have been able to poison Karl as well.
‘Bart is basically monitoring my health. He also supervises the nutritional balance of all family members, including the false pregnancy, which Ayud will handle.'
Then an idea came to her mind.
‘Karl suffers from frequent stomach pains, and Ayoade prepares his medicine daily.’
Could the medicine prepared by Ayoade serve as an antidote? And Bart doesn't know that?
After forming her hypothesis, Judith looked at the teacher.
"my lord."
"Yes."
“Do you want to help me? You owe me for saving your life, after all.”
“What do you need help with? Just tell me.”
The master answered immediately, and Judith answered after a moment with a look of deep thought.
“The Duke, Duchess and Karl are all at risk of poisoning.”
The master did not respond immediately, and his masked face did not reveal anything.
So Judith continued, knowing she had to prove her point. "I want to stop this. Poisoning people is wrong."
“...Poisoned? Who...?”
The master's response came after a slight delay, and Judith calmly replied: "Fortunately, it's not too late yet. So I want to catch the culprit and prevent the poisoning in advance. But I need your help. Please help me."
When Judith arrived and entered Ekian's room, Ekian, who was hiding in the secret passage, felt strange.
He thought he would never return to this place. This was the place he longed for, but he swore never to set foot there again. If Judith had not said, “Karl is in danger,” he would not have come back.
But Karl was in danger, and his younger brother meant a lot to him.
Once he took the first step, the rest came easily.
‘This is a place known only to the heirs...’
When Ekian was fifteen years old, the Duke of Maios showed him all the secret passages within the palace. This was a sign that the Duke had recognized Ekian as the true heir.
The corridors allowed access to any part of the palace, as well as exiting it.
In a way, it seemed as if the Duke had entrusted the lives and secrets of everyone in the palace to Ekian. He could still hear the Duke's gentle voice in his mind, carefully explaining everything so as not to forget.
Ekian had always admired the Duke, but at that time, he was especially proud that he had such an ideal father. As he followed his father down the dark corridor, 15-year-old Ekian vowed to protect the Mayos family no matter the cost.
'Just for today, I'll see how things go and then leave again.'
This was his decision at that moment.
There was no point in going back often. This will only intensify his longing. Complete disappearance was the best thing for everyone. The Duke and Duchess seemed to do this because they wanted him back, but his decision to stay away remained firm.
But they gave Judith his room.
It was logical, but...
'I feel a bit strange.'
It was strange to watch Judith settle into the room she once occupied. This has become her space now. She would sit at the desk he was using, sleep in the bed he was sleeping in, bathe in the bathtub he was using….