Chapter 05
The next morning.
Judith had remembered her previous life, but she had still lived in this world for twenty years.
That meant she had reached the point where very few things in this world could truly surprise her anymore.
But…
This is insane. Absolutely insane.
The moment she stepped into the Mayus Ducal Estate, she felt as though she might stop breathing.
How can something be this extravagant… this magnificent…?
Every step she took felt undeserved.
The gleaming marble floors, the enormous tapestries hanging on every wall, the beautiful stained-glass windows illuminated by sunlight…
Even as a baroness, it wasn’t as though she had never interacted with other noble families before. But she had never imagined a mansion on this scale.
There was a reason the Mayus family was praised as a house comparable to the imperial family itself.
“Greetings, Baroness.”
The person who welcomed Judith as soon as she entered the estate was the butler. Having already received information about her from the gatekeeper, he spoke politely but firmly.
“My apologies, but as far as I know, you do not have an appointment.”
Judith blinked as she looked at him.
She had never expected to be able to meet the Duchess simply by showing up.
The Duchess of Mayus was not someone a lower-ranking noble like Judith could meet whenever she wished.
Even if Judith had sent a letter beforehand, there was a high chance it would simply have been ignored. That was why she had come here unannounced early in the morning.
At the very least, she’ll be at the estate in the morning.
At present, the Duke of Mayus was away inspecting his territory.
In other words, it was the perfect time to negotiate with the Duchess alone.
The Duke was famous for being deeply devoted to his wife, so if the Duchess approved of something, the Duke would almost certainly agree as well.
That was how it had been in the original story.
When the Duke returned from his inspection, it was the Duchess who first suggested:
“What if a maid pretends to be pregnant with Ekian’s child? That would buy us a few months, at least.”
“Yes, that’s right. I know it was rude of me to come without notice.”
Looking directly at the upright butler, Judith answered calmly.
“But I absolutely must see the Duchess. It’s about Young Duke Ekian Mayus.”
At her words, the butler’s eyes sharpened.
His expression grew noticeably colder as he spoke.
“Baroness, the subject of the Young Duke is an absolute matter within this estate.”
Unlike his earlier courteous and professional demeanor, his tone now carried an unmistakable warning.
“It may earn you a great reward… or it may provoke great anger.”
Mentioning the name Ekian Mayus would certainly secure her a meeting with the Duchess.
But if Judith provided false informationāor if this was merely a pretext to gain an audienceāshe should be prepared for severe consequences.
“If you could relay this message to the Duchess.”
Judith smiled brightly and replied without the slightest intimidation.
“Tell her that I know why Lord Ekian couldn’t eat pomegranates when he was a child.”
The butler stared at her in surprise for a moment before speaking.
“I will escort you to the reception room. Please wait there.”
Ekian had been unable to eat pomegranates when he was young.
Like many children his age, there was no profound reason behind it.
He simply thought pomegranates looked disgusting.
Of course, once he reached his mid-teens, he had no problem eating them.
It was a completely trivial piece of information.
Yet because it was so insignificant and so old, very few people outside his family knew about it.
It was mentioned in the original story when the villain looked at a pomegranate and briefly reminisced about his older brother.
Come to think of it, that meant the villainous second son of this household was probably still living here right now.
Judith distinctly remembered him saying something along the lines of:
“If only my brother had been here, none of this would have happened.”
And yet Ekian never appeared throughout the entire original story.
Even if Judith spent several months here pretending to be his wife, he probably still wouldn’t return.
Lost in thought, she suddenly heard the sharp click of approaching footsteps.
When she looked up, a gorgeous middle-aged beauty was already gazing at her.
For a moment Judith found herself staring blankly at the woman’s platinum-blonde hair, elegantly swept upward, and the exquisitely crafted ornaments woven through it.
Then she hurriedly rose to her feet.
“It is an honor to meet you, Duchess Mayus.”
“Please, sit comfortably, Baroness Ailan.”
The moment they sat across from one another, several maids rushed in and laid out tea and refreshments.
Everything was beautifully decorated and luxurious, but Judith doubted she could swallow any of it.
This meeting would determine the course of her future.
She had spent three years waiting for this exact moment.
“I found the pomegranate story quite interesting.”
The Duchess spoke in a cool voice.
“Let’s dispense with formalities. You said you had something to tell me.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“I trust you understand how desperately we want information about Ekian. Speak.”
“Yes.”
Placing her hands neatly on her lap, Judith forced herself to sound confident.
“If you remove a brick from the wall behind the headboard in Lord Ekian’s old bedroom, you’ll find a hidden compartment.”
The Duchess immediately stiffened.
“Inside is a letter he wrote to his parents when he was a child.”
The Duchess’s expression changed at once.
She rang a bell urgently.
“Go to Ekian’s room immediately. Remove the brick behind the headboard.”
Judith waited calmly.
Not long afterward, a maid returned carrying a single worn piece of paper.
The Duchess’s hands trembled.
The villain discovers it much later in the original story, but it wasn’t particularly important. I might as well use that information now.
If Judith remembered correctly, it was an ordinary yet heartfelt letter.
Thanking his parents for giving birth to him and raising him.
Wishing them happiness.
Simple words, but warm ones.
They loved each other so much. Then why did Ekian Mayus run away after growing up?
Judith had no answer.
She had never lived among a family that loved one another.
She herself had remained in the baron’s estate despite her parents’ indifference because she had nowhere else to go.
In the end, she had even inherited their debts.
Perhaps she would never understand Ekian.
The Mayus family was completely foreign to her.
And Ekian was a man she couldn’t begin to comprehend.
Standing here in this place only made that fact clearer.
Meanwhile, after quietly shedding tears over the old letter, the Duchess slowly raised her head.
Then she asked in a trembling voice:
“Baroness… how do you know about this? Have you met Ekian? Where is he?”
Her breathing shook with desperation.
“If you can allow me to see Ekian just one more time…”
She looked at Judith with pleading eyes.
“The House of Mayus will do anything for you.”
Judith stared at her blankly.
It was astonishing.
A woman who had radiated such dignity and cold elegance moments ago now looked utterly desperate.
What kind of circumstances could have kept Ekian Mayus from ever returning home despite being loved this much?
Judith couldn’t even imagine.
“I…”
Looking at the Duchess’s desperate face, Judith spoke carefully.
“I know information like this about Lord Ekian.”
“And?”
“And I know other things as well.”
“What things? Tell me.”
“The matter you’re currently considering.”
“…What?”
“The plan you’re contemplating in order to postpone his declaration of death.”
The Duchess froze.
Judith continued calmly.
“I believe Your Grace will need time to investigate me as well.”
She stood.
“I’ll return in two days. Perhaps then we can discuss matters further.”
Revealing everything today would neither be courteous nor strategically wise.
The Duchess knew nothing about her.
It would be easy enough for her to investigate Judith and discover her enormous debt.
Once she did, she would naturally understand what Judith hoped to gain from this arrangement.
The Duchess regarded her quietly before speaking.
“Then come again in two days. I’ll clear my morning schedule.”
“Thank you.”
Judith bowed politely and departed.
Whew. That was terrifying. The pressure was unbelievable.
Judith staggered toward her tiny boarding house.
Since she had visited the estate so early, it was still not yet noon.
But when she entered her neighborhood alley, chaos had broken out.
“Did you hear? There were explosives everywhere!”
“They say the whole street could have been blown to pieces!”
People were buzzing with excitement.
Clearly this was the result of the information she had given the Master yesterday.
Looks like he handled everything perfectly.
Judith smiled quietly to herself.
Unlike in the original story, everyone in this alley would survive now.
She would survive.
The heroine would survive.
The extras would survive.
The people of Gray Information Guild would survive.
Thank goodness. At least we prevented the disaster.
Just as she smiled to herself, a tall young man wearing a mask stepped in front of her.
“Lady Ailan.”
She recognized him instantly from the mask alone.
Grinning, she looked up at him.
“Master?”
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
His voice was gentle.
“Where have you been so early this morning?”
“Ah, the Mayus Ducal Estate.”
“…Pardon? Whatever for?”
“It’s a secret.”
Judith smiled brightly.
“But you’ll probably find out soon anyway, so I’ll tell you in advance.”
Then she cheerfully declared:
“I think I might marry into that family.”
At the same moment, the Master choked violently.
