I Faked a Pregnancy, but My Husband Returned - Chapter 171

Karl was horrified.

“W-W-What happened? Is everything alright? Huh? Is Coral okay?”

“It’s alright.”

Judith personally calmed Karl down.

“It’s just… just morning sickness.”

Meanwhile, Ekian quickly had the tray taken away.

Fortunately, eggs had still been fine until now, but apparently Coral had now decided to reject eggs too.

Judith said with an awkward smile, “Coral’s quite picky about food. It’s like they know they’re in a position where they’re allowed to be fussy…. Alex wasn’t like this at all.”

“Then should we have breakfast prepared again with fruit instead? “Or is there something else you want to eat…,” Ekian asked with a worried expression.

Normally, asking for fruit would’ve been the obvious thing, but Judith hesitated briefly.

There actually was a food she’d been craving earlier.

Strangely enough, it was something that came to mind together with old memories because Karl had brought up Sarah.

Judith glanced around cautiously before speaking, “Well, um…. When I stayed briefly at the Mayus ducal estate before, there was a crème brûlée that used to be served often for dessert, and suddenly, I really want to eat that. I remember thinking it was incredibly delicious the first time I tried it at the ducal estate.”

Karl instantly jumped to his feet. “Ah, crème brûlée! I’ll have the head chef make it immediately!”

At the same time, Ekian hurriedly rolled up his sleeves.

“I’ll go into town. You like the bread from the bakery run by Anne’s father, so maybe you’ll like the crème brûlée made by Anne’s father even more!”

After that, the two of them hurried out.

Judith watched the backs of the two men rapidly disappearing into the distance before letting out a quiet laugh.

Then she carefully whispered to the child who now finally had a nickname.

“The two of them are making such a fuss…. Right?”

But a short while later.

Unfortunately, Judith ended up saying this in front of the two men who each returned carrying a crème brûlée.

“Um… I’m sorry.”

She truly didn’t want to do this, but her stomach churned so badly that she couldn’t manage more than a single bite.

“I don’t think… this is the taste I wanted.”

Karl and Ekian’s faces instantly turned pale.

Judith muttered with guilt written all over her face, “Really… I’m sorry. I’ve never been picky in my entire life, so I don’t understand why I’m suddenly like this….”

Then Karl spoke up, “It’s because Coral takes after Brother. So Sister-in-law absolutely doesn’t need to feel sorry.”

And he immediately began enthusiastically exposing stories about Ekian’s childhood.

“Brother’s tastes were unbelievably picky. Even without allergies, there were lots of foods he refused to eat. He was sensitive to smells too, and if the ingredients in a dish changed, he noticed right away. That’s why Mother always paid close attention when hiring chefs.”

Judith immediately seized the opportunity.

“Oh my. In that case, let’s say I’m not the picky one, Coral is.”

Because a pregnant woman’s mental health was important.

Ekian let out a deep sigh.

“Since it’s a child who takes after me, I suppose I have to take responsibility. I’ll somehow find the exact crème brûlée you want.”

At that moment, the door burst open and Alex came running in.

“Mother, Father!”

Alex’s expression was urgent.

“Doctor Lawrence has returned!”

Lawrence was the grand ducal estate’s attending physician.

In other words, he was the doctor who’d gone abroad because the two of them weren’t able to have a child, only to hurriedly book a return ticket after hearing the pregnancy news not long afterward.

“He definitely said it would take a long time….”

Anxiety flickered across Alex’s face.

“Nothing urgent happened that made him rush back, right?”

Lawrence had originally said he would arrive this afternoon.

But Lawrence himself must’ve been so anxious that he hurried over and ended up arriving in the morning instead.

Not long afterward, Lawrence appeared carrying his medical bag in a rush.

“Your Highness the Grand Duchess!”

Even while panting heavily, he tried his best to maintain composure.

“May… may I examine you immediately?”

***

After Lawrence’s examination ended.

“Now it’s alright to talk about it freely, right? About our Coral!” Karl said with a huge grin.

Lawrence said that not only was the pregnancy certain, but both Judith and the baby were perfectly healthy. He also added that she was already moving past the earliest stage and entering a stable period.

“The morning sickness should gradually improve, though it differs from person to person. Since this is your second pregnancy, labor may begin a little earlier than the expected due date. I’ll inform you again when the time approaches,” said Lawrence while prescribing medicine.

Judith and Ekian both smiled brightly as they looked at each other.

Hearing Lawrence’s words made them feel completely reassured.

Alex, who’d also been extremely tense, broke into a huge smile at the news that he would be getting a younger sibling.

“My goodness, so that’s why Father kept trying so hard to treat me extra well? And here I was… just thinking Father was obsessing over me for no reason….”

Now that everything had been honestly revealed, it was nothing more than a lighthearted little incident.

Ekian stroked Alex’s hair as he spoke, “I just hoped you wouldn’t feel hurt. Because you’re the first miracle that came to us.”

At the same time, he felt slightly sorry that Alex hadn’t been able to help choose the nickname together with them, but Alex absolutely loved Coral’s nickname.

“I already found a whole bunch of coral fossils with Sister Rose!”

Rose, who had somehow ended up joining in on the family celebration, smiled quietly.

“I need to find even more coral fossils for our Coral! I want to tell my younger sister how much her older brother waited for her!”

“Hmm, Alex.”

Judith cleared her throat before continuing, “It could still be a younger brother. Why are you calling Coral your younger sister?”

The child answered honestly, “Because I want a younger sister! If a younger sister like Sister Rose comes out, I’ll treasure her so much!”

At those words, Rose’s face flushed bright red. Then she fidgeted nervously and whispered, “How could you compare the precious bloodline of the Grand Ducal family to me! Young Master Alex, please don’t say things like that!”

“Why are you suddenly talking formally to me again, Sister?”

“It’s just… suddenly it feels like I’ve become part of a family event….”

In truth, Rose alone had become extremely awkwardly out of place in this situation. Judith shook her head and took Rose’s hand.

“You know that Coral’s lovely nickname was chosen thanks to you, right? So please don’t think that way, Miss Rose. You may not realize it, but you mean far more to our family than you think.”

Judith had no intention of bringing up the story involving Sarah, but she still felt grateful toward Rose. Rose darted her eyes around awkwardly.

“B-But still… I don’t know if it’s really alright for me to stay here… and celebrate together like this….”

In reality, Rose’s status wasn’t much different from that of the maids, so she seemed extremely burdened by gathering together with nobles and celebrating the Grand Ducal family’s private matters.

It was obvious she suddenly wanted to hurry back home because of the overwhelming difference in status she was feeling. After all, she had only come because she simply wanted to see fossils.

However, an even greater misfortune was approaching Rose.

Not long afterward….

“What? You wanted to eat that crème brûlée?”

Because Ben, the Duke of Mayus, came galloping over on horseback.

“The chef who worked at the ducal estate back then has already retired. So I went to find the bakery his son runs and asked him to make it the same way his father used to. Here, Judith! I really hope it suits your taste. Hmm? Our Coral has to like it too, right?”

Ben hurriedly held out the box containing the crème brûlée he’d personally obtained. The moment he read Ekian’s letter saying that Judith was pregnant with their second child, the baby’s nickname was Coral, and asking him to continue sending crème brûlée if the ducal estate chef was still working, he immediately rushed over.

“Isabella already left too! She’ll arrive soon by carriage!”

Rose’s face turned pale at the thought that she’d suddenly become involved in a gathering where the entire family was assembling.