# Chapter 45
Among them are several noble ladies who rejected Judith at the age of seventeen when she desperately tried to borrow money after losing her parents.
At that time, when they rejected her with uncomfortable expressions, Judith never resented them. She always thought it was understandable.
But now… Now, I felt a little dissatisfied and completely disappointed.
It was unacceptable for them not to help her through difficult times, but did they really have to envy and mock her just because she became the daughter-in-law of the Maios family?
As the shrieking whispers became louder, Ayud frowned and stepped forward.
“Sorry, but-”
“No.”
Judith quickly grabbed Ayoade's arm.
“Don't say anything, Ayoade.”
Judith forced a smile and looked at him.
Although she, too, had the desire to strike back at them, stopping Ayoade took priority.
“After this banquet, you will become the heir to Marquis Suden. You must not get involved in rumors because of me.”
“I don't mind.”
Ayud frowned hard.
“At the very least, isn’t it wrong for them to say such baess things in front of someone? If criticizing inappropriate behavior makes me the subject of rumors, then I don’t care.”
“But I care.”
Judith shook her head with a bright smile.
“I told you, I'll do my part the best I can.”
As she explained to Ayoade, the momentary anger swelling within her began to subside.
"It's part of my job to take such criticism. I've known this from the beginning."
In fact, saying it out loud made her feel better. After all, she feared the light more than anything else in the world. Compared to this, these insults were nothing.
She has endured much worse to pay off her debts. She remembered that, which brought her back to reality and helped her regain her composure.
“However, I think that staying close to you may not be a good idea.”
Judith sighed.
"I feel like I'm being portrayed as the seductress of the century. If I end up ruining your chances of marriage, that will be a problem. Right now, people only see you as the Maios family doctor, but once they know that you are the young Marquis of Soden, there will be a lot of rumors about tonight."
“Marriage prospects...”
Ayud laughed as if it was amusing.
“Then you have to take responsibility, Judith.”
“Sorry, but I don't have any good friends to introduce you to. The people I once considered my friends are all standing over there.”
Judith responded casually, assuming that Ayoade simply meant that he wanted her to introduce him to someone suitable.
“Then why don’t you take responsibility yourf?”
"This is not possible. I must remain loyal to my husband, Ekian Mayus."
From the beginning, Judith considered any romantic involvement with Ayoade impossible. As the heir to Marquis Soden, he was destined to marry a high-ranking noblewoman. According to the original story, he was likely betrothed from birth.
“Judith.”
After a short pause, Ayud spoke, “Have you ever met the young Duke Ekian Maius?”
So far, Ayoade has never delved into Judith's situation. It was only assumed that all this was a contractual arrangement between Judith and the Maios family.
But at this moment he was curious.
“Or do you have no connection with the young Duke Ekian Maius at all? Did you agree to become the wife of a complete stranger, or was there something else?”
"Yes."
Judith nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable.
Although Ayud was a trustworthy person, he was not part of the Maios family. It was not wise to reveal everything to him. It was necessary to exercise some caution.
Inevitably, the truth that she wasn't actually pregnant was revealed, and those who knew about it also knew that she would soon divorce and leave the Mayus family's estate… .
“I loved it.”
In the end, Judith decided to repeat the lie she once told the Master.
“A long time ago… when I was just an ordinary baron’s daughter with no debts, I admired him from afar. He was handsome and charming. He was nothing special. There must have been a lot of young girls like me.”
As she spoke, Ayoade's facial expression hardened slightly, but Judith failed to notice it.
“But it's not like I was passionately in love with him… I have to move on, anyway, that's all I can say.”
I left the rest to Ayoade's own interpretation.
Her claim that she had loved Ekian before was just an easy excuse, one that required no real proof.
While they were talking, the looks directed at Judith and Ayoade did not disappear.
The intense attention made Judith feel very heavy. She let out a little groan and thought to herf,
'All because my mother dressed me in expensive clothes.'
Of course, all these rumors will die down once Isabella returns. Judith intended to wait until then, but when she realized that she might cause trouble for Ayud, she decided to stay away for a while.
“I'm going out for a bit.”
To prevent any strange rumors from spreading later, it was better to have some distance between them. As she placed the cup of water on the floor, Ayoade spoke seriously.
“I'll go with you, Judith, no matter where you go.”
“...I'm just going to the bathroom.”
“Please, go.”
"good."
Judith smiled and turned away from Ayoade. The moment she started to move, she felt a new wave of stares following her.
'Keep your expressions rigid, remain impassive.'
If she looks upset or upset, it will only fuel the rumors.
She decided to ignore the whispers but didn't want to give them any more reason to gossip.
Fortunately, there was a simple way to maintain a calm expression.
'To distract myf, I'll think about something else.'
Finding a distraction was easy.
'Did the master handle things well? He said he would meet His Highness the Crown Prince alone.'
If the master succeeds, the Crown Prince will turn against the Emperor tonight. This would be a huge advantage for the Maios family.
'I believe in you, sir.'
Judith smiled faintly and muttered to herf,
'I will do my best to ensure peace for the Maius family, so that I can focus on your engagement without worry.'
At the back of the Grand Imperial Banquet Hall, behind a secret path hidden behind the walls.
The hero of tonight's banquet, Crown Prince Alteon, was staring at the man in front of him in astonishment.
“…Ikian?”
Crown Prince Alteon, with jet-black hair, spoke in a trembling voice.
"Ekian Mayus? Is that really you?"
A few days ago, Alteon received a mysterious message. He didn't usually accept private correspondence, but this message had been sent through an emergency contact that he only shared with his closest friends, so he had no choice but to read it immediately.
The content of the message was simple but shocking.
He stated that his long-lost friend, Ekian Maius, was alive and wanted to meet him at the imperial banquet.
[Before I disappeared, His Highness secretly took me to a special place to celebrate my birthday. Let's meet there at 7 p.m., before the banquet starts.]
There is no doubt that the writing was in Ekian's hand. But most of all, as soon as Alteon read that sentence, he became certain that Ekian was truly alive.
On Ekian's sixteenth birthday, Alteon personally took him to a secret place that only he knew. He chose this place because it was the best place to have a private conversation.
Shortly after that, Ekian disappeared without a trace, as if he had never existed.
‘How…what happened on Earth?’
Alteon nodded slowly, looking at the young man in front of him.