# Chapter 24
“Yes, I'm sure. That's why the co-hero goes abroad to look for his brother, and during that time, Karl does everything in his power to win over the female lead, even resorting to dirty tricks!”
There cannot be two stories with such a unique surprise. Judith swallowed dryly. This meant that the man in front of her, Eud Ramis, who she thought was a commoner, was actually… .
'He's the Marquis's son! It's not Ayod Ramis, it's Ayod Soden!'
In the original story, after the death of the Duke and Duchess of Maios, Ayud left for a foreign land, and found a job in a place that paid as well as Maios!.
At the same time, the Marquis Soudin, the parents of the novel's heroine, were desperately searching for their missing eldest son. (I'm not sure whether they meant the novel's heroine, the hero, or a second or third hero, I don't know, because the English translation has many errors.)
“I often think of my younger brothers whenever I see Young Master Karl.”
Ayoade continued with a gentle smile, unaware of Judith's inner thoughts.
“It's a bit embarrassing, isn't it? Just a doctor seeking money to feed his family...”
“No, not at all.” Judith shook her head seriously and gestured with her hands. “You put up with it because you love your family so much. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for you, especially with someone as evil as Bart harassing you while planning to poison the Duke and Duchess...”
At her words, Ayud's lips trembled slightly.
“You are someone who endured all this for your family. This is not embarrassing; “I think it's very touching.”
“Oh…”
“I was chased by loan sharks, and I worked eight hours every day just to survive. I know how difficult it is to bear the burden of money. So I can never think badly of you because of that.”
Judith's words caused Ayud to stare at her for a moment, then smiled, his ears turning slightly red. “In a place as luxurious as this palace… I didn’t think I would find someone who would understand. “It's surprisingly relaxing.”
“What might comfort you? look at me; "I'm pretending to be pregnant for money."
Judith continued the conversation smoothly, while thinking to herf, 'If this kind, hard-working young man's real parents are a Marquis and a Marchioness, I feel I must help him.'
Now that her debts were paid and she would soon have a lot of money, and since Ayud had helped her so much, it seemed like the least she could do.
'Ayud, I will help you find your real parents soon.'
She smiled determinedly.
'I always pay off my debts.'
Ikian was walking towards the secret passage.
Originally, he had come to eavesdrop on Judith's conversation with the young doctor, Eud.
Of course, eavesdropping on a private conversation was wrong.
'But this is my room, isn't it? I'm just listening to a conversation in my room.'
However, interfering in Judith's personal affairs was not right.
'But Judith is my wife on paper. It's only natural that I care about her.'
To make matters worse, Ayoade Ramis was annoyingly handsome.
Suddenly, Judith's words came back to him. She said that she would seriously consider marrying again after the contract ended, even if the man was a commoner, as long as he was hardworking and capable.
What is disturbing is that Eud Ramis meets all of these conditions.
‘He didn’t even call her “ma’am”!:.
Moreover, Judith had given him permission to call her by her name.
However, during the three years they had dealt with each other in the Information Guild, they had never called each other names.
Ekian was feeling increasingly disturbed and decided to eavesdrop on their conversation. But what prompted him to return to the secret passage was none other than Hood's comment.
"No, the Duke has just finished his interrogation. Well, perhaps it's not over yet. Knowing the Duke, he might start again within the hour."
According to Ayoade, the Duke was not in the cell at the moment. This meant that Bart was locked up alone.
Although guards are present, they can be knocked unconscious using a sleeping drug. Ekian had to get to the cell.
He needed answers from Bart. After all, when he was seventeen, he had never doubted Bart's loyalty.
'Judith was right all along. 'I didn't know anything.'
Just as he didn't know what Sarah was capable of, he had no idea that Bart would betray him either.
In the end, Judith was right about everything. As Ekian walked towards Bart, he couldn't stop thinking about her.
He had once thought she was a smart, hardworking young customer, but now… .
'You saved my life.'
He bit his lip under his mask.
'You saved Karl, and you saved my father.'
While these thoughts were running through his mind, Ekian was struck by another realization: he had just referred to the Duke and Duchess as his parents.
How could he not think of them as his parents? They have always provided him with a stable home, even going so far as to forge a marriage certificate to keep him close to them.
'I trusted Bart.'
He thought bitterly.
'I trusted his loyalty to Maius. I thought it was best for everyone to leave...'
He remembered the words Bart said to him when he was 17 years old, words that still resonate with him.
“Young Duke, I am loyal to Maius. That is why, even though I respect and admire you personally, I must say this for Maius’ sake.”
These words were said in the middle of the night, when Bart visited Ekian secretly, and he bowed his head.
“You are not the biological child of the Duke and Duchess.”
That night, thunder boomed, and lightning bolts split the sky.
Ikian, a teenager with golden hair and red eyes – eyes that looked like Ben and Karl’s – was stunned.
“If you don’t believe me, stop drinking the tea I made for you. I added a chemical to the tea that changes the color of your hair.”
"…What?".
Indeed, after a few days of not drinking tea, Ekian saw black tips begin to grow in his hair. The feeling of devastation, as if the world had collapsed around him, was still fresh in his memory.
“Tell me, Bart.” “Who are my real parents?” Ekian muttered under his breath.
“This...”
When Bart answered this question, Ekian finally understood why Bart asked him to leave for Maius. This was the reason why Ekian said to Judith: “Bart is loyal to the Maios family.”
But now he was questioning everything.
If Bart wasn't loyal to the Maius family, why did he ask Ekian to leave for Maius? Why did he reveal this secret?
Questions piled up one after another, and he needed answers.
Upon his return to the Maios estate after nearly five years, Ekian's outlook darkened.
Judith has shaken the foundations of his entire life, his entire life has been turned upside down because of the woman who has become his fake wife.
Bart was lying on the floor of the cell, gasping for breath.
The Duke's interrogation was brutal, he had expected it, but the pain was too much.
But Bart had already swallowed the poison. No one knew it yet, but soon the poison began to take effect in his body, and he would die.
Who would have thought that this woman worked for a herbalist?
Bart clenched his teeth, panting heavily.
If he had another year, he could have completely eliminated the Duke and Duchess. He even mixed Karl's tea with poison, leading to the end of the Mayo Dynasty.
He regretted it deeply, for he hated the name Maius with all his being.
'Your Majesty...'
Bart cursed silently.
‘Please destroy the Maius family…’.
It wasn't out of loyalty, it was pure hatred for the name.
At that moment, the guards outside Bart's cell collapsed one by one.
'What is this?'.
Bart frowned and looked up, shocked to see a figure standing silently in the doorway.
“Long time no see, Bart.”
There was a tall young man standing among the fallen guards, standing upright and calm. Despite the mask, Bart was able to tell who he was.
“Oh, you've never seen that look before.”
The young man took off his white mask. The faint moonlight illuminated his face as he entered the cell. His jet black hair and cold red eyes, combined with his muscular build and aristocratic features, gave him the appearance of a graceful but deadly monster.
“Huh...”
Ekian Bart remembers being 17 years old. Although he was a wonderful young man, he was still on the cusp of adolescence.
But now, Ikian had become more mature, and his aura had become more dominant and distant than before. Bart's knees trembled, and he couldn't help but mutter under his shaky breaths.
“Young Duke… Ekian.”