# Chapter 21
No matter how hard he tried not to think about it, Iqian couldn't stop the natural flowing thoughts in his mind.
'It's all because of what Judith said.'
She asked him if he loved her, then told him it wasn't the right time. Those words were… able to get him completely off topic.
She was really talented at surprising people. But the strange thing is that her question - “Do you love me?” -It didn't make him feel bad. In fact, the question was very touching, making his heart feel anxious.
And on top of that….
‘I knew she was beautiful before, but…’
He always thought she had a beautiful and delicate appearance. However, her lack of makeup, her tired skin, and her hastily tied hair all masked her beauty.
But now that Isabella had done everything she could to decorate her, Judith was truly stunning.
It was surprising to see how her modest, worn-out dress was hiding such a graceful figure underneath. If she attended a banquet dressed like this, many men would obviously not be able to take their eyes off her. Even Eqian was unable to speak for a while, so shocked and astonished that he couldn't speak.
When he saw her soft, pale skin showing through the slightly exposed neckline of her dress, his heartbeat quickened. It reminded him of the times they had been stuck together in the secret passage.
'This won't work, it's dangerous.'
Ekian thought to himf.
'I shouldn't return to the palace anymore.'
The secret passage and his frequent encounters with Judith have become dangerous.
Strange thoughts were filling his head, and he knew very well that these thoughts would soon lead to greedy action.
What if he just left and pretended it didn't matter?
His parents will be happy, and he will be able to face Judith without a mask.
Judith was, at least on paper, his wife. She even had a crush on him in the past...
He was afraid to give in to the strange desires and aspirations that he was trying to ignore.
But then, Judith said something shocking.
“All three members of the Mayos family are at risk of poisoning now.”
Her words were like a bolt from the sky, pulling Ikian back into reality as if cold water had been poured on him.
“Fortunately, it is not too late. So I want to catch the culprit and prevent the poisoning in advance. But I need your help. Please help me.”
There was no choice to be made.
This was his family – more valuable to him than life itf.
His family, who he was willing to disappear from the world to protect.
“Tell me what I should do, Judith.”
His voice was hoarse as he spoke to her, and he was standing in his room looking at the woman who was now his wife.
“What do you want me to do?”
At the same time, in the office of Duke Maios.
"It's too precious and shouldn't be wasted like this. If she were a commoner, it wouldn't matter, but she's a noble woman with a title, and it seems wrong to ruin her marriage chances."
Isabella was drinking tea while talking to her husband.
“What if we arrange her marriage ourves later? Even if she marries again, the Maios name should allow her to marry into a respectable noble family.”
Her husband remained silent. Isabella sighed and continued: “She is very beautiful and hardworking and seems to have a good heart.”
She was unable to say those words directly to Judith because she was too embarrassed.
"She seemed to take good care of Karl yesterday too. Karl managed to get through it bravely. She even reminded me that, no matter how brilliant he is, he's still just a kid."
Isabella held her teacup with a confused expression. “She managed to grow up well, despite her irresponsible parents who left her with a lot of debt.”
“Hmm.”
“Between.” (And I may not know)
Duke Ben finally spoke when Isabella couldn't clear her throat and called his name.
“You seem to like the girl very much.”
“…Ahem.”
Isabella shot her eyes angrily. She was upset with Ben for assuring Judith that she was temporary, especially after Judith had promised to do her best. But she couldn't show it, because she had said the same thing when she first met Judith.
However, on the flip side, Ben might end up feeling the same way you did.
Perhaps the reason she wanted to help Judith more was because she couldn't get rid of the memory of the girl's calm expression when she replied: “I knew this would happen.”
Isabella nodded and asked her husband: “What about you? What do you think of her?”
"No, I won't think about it too much. In a few months, it'll be weird again."
Ben's words were indifferent.
To him, she was just a girl he had only seen once. There was no reason to care about her.
Because Ben was more indifferent than Isabella, he didn't think anything they would do would bring Ikian back to life. It was a heartbreaking thought, but if Ekian was the man Ben knew, he was sure of it.
However, they had to leave Judith in the end. If this meant arranging a good marriage for her later, as Isabella suggested, this was of no importance to him.
“If arranging her marriage will put your mind at ease, then do it.”
Ben's reaction was cold as he took another sip of his tea.
“But isn’t the price of the dress you bought today a bit high for a poor girl like her?”
“Hmph.” Isabella frowned and murmured softly, “However, if she comes to love her, you will be the one to shower her with gifts.”
The next morning, Ben was in his office. He had returned from the regional inspection and needed to complete some paperwork. He also had to finish registering his son's marriage.
At that moment, we heard a knock on the door.
“Your Honor?”
Ben shuddered when he heard an unfamiliar woman's voice. As he tried to remember who the woman was, the voice continued.
“I'm Judith Ilan. May I come in?”
The woman pretending to be pregnant with Ekian's child was his temporary daughter-in-law.
“Come in.”
As soon as Ben gave permission, Judith entered. She was followed by a maid carrying a tea set.
“Oh, there's nothing urgent.” Judith spoke softly, “I just wanted to discuss something regarding marriage registration.”
“Hmm.”
If it was a trivial matter, Ben would have been prepared to tell her to leave, but since it was a formal matter, he decided to listen. He looked at her indifferently.
After all, it wasn't easy to agree to something like this – pretending to be pregnant and then getting divorced. If Judith wanted to back out, Ben was willing to let her.
“Please, sit down.” Ben pointed towards the table. “I've already had my tea. There's no need to make another cup.”
There was already a cup of tea on his desk. It was the same tea that his personal physician, Bart, made for him every morning and evening.
Bart was responsible for the Duke's health, adjusting the ingredients of the tea according to Ben's condition. Bart was also responsible for the nutrition and health management of the whole family, including Isabella and Carl, who drank tea every day as part of their care.
Ben trusted Bart completely.
After Ekian's disappearance, Ben and Isabella's health deteriorated due to psychological stress. But after Bart started prescribing the tea, Ben's health improved. Isabella also said that the tea helped her sleep and gave her peace of mind.
“Oh, I had my own tea this morning too.” Judith smiled cheerfully as she held up her cup. "Bart personally examined my condition and prescribed this to me. He didn't go into detail, but said it was designed to address any nutritional deficiencies I might have."
Ben nodded, not particularly interested in the tea. Because she felt that Ben was waiting for her to get to the point, Judith smoothly changed the course of the conversation.
“The truth is, my birthday was only a week ago.”
“Hmm?”
"But if we announce the pregnancy, it will look like I got pregnant while I was still a minor. Although such things are not unheard of, wouldn't that be a concern for the young Duke's reputation?"
Ben frowned when he thought about it.
This was not something I expected, but the girl was right. She expressed concern for Ekian's honor, although this was not her problem.
It was nice of her to be concerned about the Maius family's reputation, even though she had never met Ekian.
“Well, we can time the announcement closer to the official date of death...”
But then-
“Just one moment, Your Honor.”
Judith, who had just finished drinking tea, suddenly frowned.
“This tea… seems a bit strange.