# Chapter 44
On the day of the imperial banquet.
Under Isabella's careful supervision, Judith underwent a comprehensive transformation to become as beautiful as possible.
“Today, you are Maius’s daughter-in-law.”
Isabella spoke sharply, even grunting with determination.
“I will make sure no one dares to speak ill of you.”
At the same time, her words carried the assumption that many people would actually talk about Judith.
And this was true. Somehow, Judith was abandoned despite being pregnant with Ekian's child. Since Ekian had not yet returned, her debut in high society was accompanied by a great scandal, a scandal that was particularly devastating for a noblewoman.
It was natural for Isabella to take this matter seriously.
“Wear whatever you can, just enough to make it look like you're part of the prestigious Mayos family!”
"Yes!"
At first, Isabella viewed Judith as nothing more than a business transaction. As time passed, she found herf increasingly disturbed by the scandal that would carry Judith with her for the rest of her life.
In fact, she wanted Judith to live under the protection of the Maius family forever, and enjoy a high life. But she could not force a young woman in her prime to remain a widow. In the end, Judith had to marry another nobleman. To ensure that everything continued to go well, the induced pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage could not be erased from the narrative.
“Ah… Judith.”
When Judith finished dressing in her beautiful clothes, her partner, Ayoade, nodded in amazement.
“You look really… um.”
When Judith saw Ayoade's ears turn red, she burst out laughing.
“You could say I look pretty. It might seem a bit embarrassing, but well, it's an imperial banquet.”
“Yes, you look beautiful, really beautiful.”
Ayud stammered, unable to meet her gaze properly. When Isabella saw this, she became sure.
‘Ayod… loves Judith. But Judith doesn't seem to care much about it.'
In fact, Judith was too preoccupied with what was going to happen that evening to pay attention to Ayoade's reaction.
In fact, she had no real desire to enter high society. This was just part of her contractual obligation with the Mayos family, no different from fulfilling the requirements of the job.
“Will His Highness the Crown Prince be safe today...?”
In the original story, the Crown Prince was supposed to be assassinated today, of course, orchestrated by the Emperor.
The Crown Prince was kind-hearted. Although he heard countless warnings that his father was conspiring against him, he refused to believe them. Or maybe he simply didn't want to believe her.
That's why he was surprised by the attempt on his life today, as he suffered serious injuries that left him incapacitated for years. With his recovery uncertain, the original story began from there.
In the novel, the male and female heroes come together to overthrow the Emperor and help the Crown Prince. By then, the Crown Prince had already reached middle age, but he still managed to defeat his father and restore peace to the empire.
‘I can't wait that long!'
However, the Crown Prince was destined to be a wise ruler. If he determined to do so, he had the power to oppose the Emperor.
'The enemy of my enemy is my friend... The Crown Prince must survive this banquet.'
But Judith had no connection with him, and had no way of getting close to him.
She will undoubtedly attract attention tonight, as the noblewoman has been rumored to be pregnant. Under these circumstances, moving with caution was almost impossible.
Moreover, the Crown Prince would never listen to a stranger's warnings. That's why I mentioned to the master, “If only Ekian Mayus were here.”
After the master heard the whole story, he calmly offered the solution.
“I understand the situation very well. You don't have to worry about anything, Judith.”
“Huh? Suddenly?”
“Among my business relationships, there is someone close to His Highness the Crown Prince, and I will take care of him.”
He did not explain the details. However, Judith knew that the master was an exceptionally competent person. Since he told her not to worry, she was sure he would figure it out.
There was trust between her and him.
Even if it was just an exchange of information and money, their business had been going on for three years.
'Trust is built through repeated interactions, friendships are built from trust, and eventually, these friendships may turn into affection.'
She trusted him deeply, Judith silently vowed to herf.
‘Once this problem is resolved, perhaps I will finally be able to leave the Mayus Family with peace of mind and start moving towards Master.’
The master believed that a man was not everything in a person's life, and he fully understood the attachments and affection she had for the Maios family.
Even if she left Maius' house and became romantically attached to him, he seems to be able to handle things the way he does now, if she still cares about Maius' family.
He was, in many ways, an ideal partner.
The Master may not have realized it, but her feelings for him were growing deeper and deeper. She was well aware of that. That's why I took a book called “How to Seduce a Man” from the library of Maios Palace.
I will read it after the banquet.
And that was not all. In fact, she had borrowed many similar books, such as “How to Treat That Man as a Girlfriend,” “All About Romance,” “A Book for Those Who Want Love,” and “121 Secrets to Success in Unrequited Love.”
Judith was always a diligent student. It was natural for her to study any subject she did not already know well.
‘Who knows if there is a single case where someone fell in love with a masked man…’
However, since she was full of thoughts about the master, she did not have much interest in Ayud.
“Okay, let's go.”
Isabella seemed determined, and glanced between Ayoade and Judith before speaking.
“I understand that the best case scenario for me is for me to retreat… but given the current circumstances, I will introduce you to Ayud Soden, the Young Marquis, as someone I have arranged to accompany you to Ekian’s place.”
Her reasoning was sound, and Ayoade agreed with her as well.
“Anyway, the Duke rarely attends banquets… Let’s show up and leave quickly.”
Since Ekian's disappearance, Ben and Isabella have completely withdrawn from social gatherings, something they were not fond of from the beginning. However, given the situation, Isabella had to attend this time to formally introduce Judith to the community.
And so they arrived at the Imperial Banquet Hall.
Judith immediately felt countless gazes falling on her.
Curiosity, jealousy, discomfort, even contempt.
“Wait here a moment,” said Isabella, standing next to Judith. “I must greet His Majesty the Emperor.”
She let out a deep sigh, clearly hesitant. “However, since I am here, as a representative of the family, I must at least appear before His Majesty.”
With Ben's absence, Isabella became the acting representative of the Maios family.
“And I think...”
She looked at Judith worriedly and continued: “It would be best if you stayed away.”
The meaning behind her words was clear: The Emperor is dangerous. I don't want you to attract his attention.
Realizing how worried Isabella was, Judith nodded, and so she was alone with Ayoade.
The party had not yet officially begun, the guests gathered in small groups, engaged in conversations.
Since Ayud's identity as the Young Marquis of Soden had not yet been officially announced, most of those present considered him the “Maius Family Doctor.”
People gave them sideways glances. Judith, careful to maintain her composure, sipped the water. But the moment Isabella turned away, the whispering around them turned into outright chatter.
“Oh my God… this must be true.”
“She always wondered how she paid off that debt, but she really changed her life in this way.”
“Oh my God. In the end, it worked, didn’t it? But since the young duke is still missing, doesn’t it seem likely that she used some kind of potion to forcefully get pregnant?”
She was prepared for this, but hearing it so clearly made her heart drop.