I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 165

Karl was startled.

Fatigue could be seen layered across cute little Alex’s face.

It wasn’t the face of the seven-year-old who had been laughing and running away from Ekian wearing a lion mask earlier.

This was the Alex Karl knew. Sharp, intelligent, and mentally far more mature than his age.

In truth, when Rose suggested ‘hide-and-seek or tag’….

Alex politely said he liked it, but those things had never really been his preference.

Originally, Alex preferred reading books and discussing their contents, or appreciating paintings and occasionally trying to recreate them.

Just like Ekian and Karl when they were young.

Although they weren’t related by blood, both Ekian and Karl in childhood hadn’t been particularly active personalities. Separate from whether they were physically capable, they simply preferred activities that used their minds.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen with Brother?”Karl asked while being mindful of Rose, who looked startled.

Alex let out a deep sigh. “It’s honestly terrible. I can finally breathe a little because you came…. Father’s been really strange lately.”

Karl rolled his eyes for a moment.

“I know Father loves me…. But lately, it’s seriously excessive. He can’t stand seeing Mother and me together. It’s like he’s competing with her, trying his absolute hardest to play with me. I can’t even say anything.”

Alex continued with a serious expression, “Last time, I absentmindedly said I wanted a horse, and I got gifted an entire horse ranch…. He even named it Alex Horse Ranch and put up a signboard. I was so embarrassed, but I had no choice except pretend to be happy….”

At those words, Rose swallowed a groan. This was complaining on a completely different level from what a flower shop girl could handle.

“I think he feels pressured to treat me even better than he treats Mother.”

Alex continued seriously, “It’s true that I’ve been closer to Mother all this time. But that can’t be helped. Mother personally handles my education.”

In reality, Judith herself was an excellent teacher, so she took full responsibility for Alex’s education. Of course, there were times when Ekian helped, but Ekian didn’t particularly have talent when it came to teaching his knowledge to a child.

“Lately, maybe because he’s even become competitive about that, he brought in a new private tutor. He even said that if I dislike having a tutor and still want to learn from family, Father will personally teach me himself. He said that if he’s bad at teaching, he’ll even learn teaching methods from the tutor.”

By the time he finished speaking, Rose unconsciously trembled.

“Th-That’s severe….”

“Right?”

Alex continued with a tearful face, “They say this is called obsession. I read it in a book. Apparently, it’s a feeling you can have toward someone you love very, very much.”

“Oh my….”

Rose clicked her tongue while clasping both hands together.

At that moment, Karl’s mind went blank.

‘Obviously, when I get married, I’ll act exactly like my brother too. If I had to put it into words, it’s basically… the family tradition or something. Even if you didn’t want to become like that, you’d naturally end up that way.’

It hadn’t even been that long since he’d just said those words!

Meanwhile, Alex innocently continued chatting with Rose.

“So I’m really happy Uncle and Sister came. If I say I’m playing with Uncle and Sister, Father will probably leave me alone a little too.”

“You’re way too mature, Alex….”

Since Rose had already met Alex before, she forgot she was supposed to use formal speech and spoke with pure admiration. Karl didn’t bother pointing it out. He simply liked that Rose treated him and his family comfortably.

“You could express that you dislike it, but you’re enduring it out of consideration for your father. You’re even trying hard to play along so he can enjoy himself too.”

“That’s right. I love Father too.”

Alex answered maturely. Watching him, Rose became deeply thoughtful. In her own way, she wanted to come up with a solution to the child’s problem.

After thinking hard, her eyes sparkled as she asked, “Hmm… then how about asking them to have a younger sibling?”

It was the result of a sixteen-year-old girl seriously pondering the issue.

“Your father probably won’t be able to obsess over both children equally, so you’ll be able to breathe a little easier.”

Alex slowly nodded. “To be honest, I used to dislike the idea of a younger sibling. I felt like they’d take my parents away from me…. But now I really wish I had one.”

The boy, exhausted by his young and energetic father’s sudden obsession, let out a sigh.

“If possible, I’d like a younger sister. If a younger brother who takes after Father is born and becomes obsessed with me too, that would be troublesome.”

Karl, who had experience obsessing over his older brother in the past, cleared his throat awkwardly.

That was because he’d liked his older brother Ekian so much that he even once deliberately made himself throw up food he normally enjoyed, after being manipulated by the maid Sarah.

“Anyway, Alex.”

Karl decided to smoothly change the subject.

“Do you want to go see fossils with us tomorrow? Rose and I are planning to go on an outing.”

But there was a slight risk.

If, just as Alex said, Ekian was currently obsessed with his son, and on top of that deliberately forcing situations together in order to connect Rose and Karl, then there was a high chance he wouldn’t let Alex join tomorrow’s outing.

“You absolutely have to come with us, alright? Say that I insisted you come too.”

Actually, going alone with Rose didn’t sound… entirely bad, but Karl truly treasured his nephew Alex.

Besides, seeing how comfortably Rose talked with Alex, if the three of them went on an outing together, maybe things could return to how they used to be.

Even now, compared to how they acted in the capital, she was already behaving far more naturally around him.

“Thank you, Uncle!”

Alex cheered, then took a bite of chocolate cake and smiled happily.

***

At that same time, in Judith’s room.

“Are you alright? You really are alright, right?”

Ekian was restlessly pacing around, even breaking into a cold sweat.

Judith, who had just spent a long time vomiting, smiled weakly.

“Yes, I’m alright.”

She stroked her still-flat stomach and let out a sigh.

“This child is different from Alex…. I think they might have a bit of a temper.”

Surprisingly, Judith was suffering from morning sickness.

She definitely hadn’t experienced any morning sickness when pregnant with Alex, but just as the retired elderly doctor had said, ‘You never know,’ this pregnancy had become completely different from the first.

In particular, Judith couldn’t eat properly.

Her empty stomach was fine, but whenever she ate something, she would throw it up not long afterward. The only things she could manage relatively well were fruits.

Since guests had come, she couldn’t skip the banquet, and because she needed to eat at least something, she took a few bites, only for her body to react immediately.

Following Judith’s wish not to inform others yet, Ekian kept his mouth shut, but he was deeply worried.

“Baby, is it because you’re still adjusting? Or because you want to let us know you’re here?” Ekian gently said while stroking Judith’s stomach.

Judith felt embarrassed, but apparently she didn’t dislike his talking to the baby either, because she softly ran her fingers through his hair.

“But your mother’s having a hard time, so go a little easy on her, alright?”

Honestly, talking to a stomach that gave no answer was incredibly embarrassing.

Even so, he didn’t hold back because he felt guilty that he hadn’t even been able to do small things like this during Alex’s pregnancy.

Part of him also wanted to repay this moment, when Judith had felt alone, several times over compared to others.

However, he was also trying his hardest to draw Alex’s attention away by any means possible, in case Judith’s suffering was noticed.

Because he worried Alex would become anxious if he started thinking, ‘Is Mother sick?’