“Y-You mean… a rational interest?”
The Master, who always sat like a living painting in his usual serene composure, asked with a rare note of surprise. Judith shrugged lightly and replied.
“Yes. Did you think I was just a woman who only worries about repaying debts and counting money?”
It was, in fact, an accurate description of herself—but Judith continued with playful audacity.
“Eckian Meyus, the Viscount, is famously perfect in every way, isn’t he?”
Of course, she had never actually met him. Eckian Meyus was someone a mere baroness like Judith could never hope to encounter.
Still, Eckian had been famous since childhood, so pretending she’d seen him from afar—or heard his reputation—was easy enough.
“So what’s the problem with being a little curious about a perfect man?”
Judith asked calmly. The Master remained silent for a moment. Wearing his mask, it was impossible to read his expression. After a pause, he spoke suddenly.
“…As far as I know, Viscount Eckian Meyus has never met Baron Ailan.”
“Formally introduced? No, of course not,” Judith answered smoothly.
“There was no one in my network to introduce me to him. But I did watch from a distance.”
Judith’s early experiences in society were hardly impressive, even if she lied about them.
Usually, doting noblewomen would arrange introductions for their daughters to young nobles like Eckian. But Judith’s mother had shown little interest in her. She had teachers for Judith’s education, but that was all.
Looking back, Judith thought the dense lesson schedule might have been a form of neglect. While Judith was occupied with her tutors, her mother was busy with a single servant.
But Judith had never minded. Learning was enjoyable, and she had been a capable student—until her tutors left unpaid and abandoned her.
“Anyway, I see you’re aware I’ve never even been properly introduced to Viscount Meyus. Gray Information House is impressive indeed.”
Judith’s eyes widened.
“You know quite a lot about Viscount Eckian Meyus, don’t you, Master?”
“…Well, not exactly a lot…”
Technically, he would be her husband on paper, and even the smallest clue might be useful later. Judith fired off questions rapidly.
“Why did he run away? Where is he now? Do you even know where he was last seen?”
Of course, she couldn’t pretend to be pregnant forever—the ruse as a fake daughter-in-law would last less than eight months. In the original story, the Duke and Duchess of Meyus faked a miscarriage and processed the divorce.
‘And they’d receive an enormous alimony as a deposit!’
Later, after the villain had grown up, she would live comfortably while seeking out the cruel maid who had tormented her as the fake daughter-in-law.
‘If I could just get there… I could pay off my debts for good.’
Even if the society knew she had been divorced and once pregnant, it didn’t matter to Judith. What mattered was immediate survival—if she couldn’t repay her debts, she couldn’t live normally.
“Hmm.”
The usually decisive Master clicked his tongue, clearly troubled, and spoke quietly.
“I’m afraid I don’t know much, Lady.”
“What? Even though you know we’ve never met?”
“That was long ago. Since he went missing, I know nothing. And not just me—no information house would know.”
The Master drew a firm line.
“Viscount Meyus left the Meyus Dukedom of his own accord. They will want to forget him as quickly as possible.”
“Hm. But everyone in the Empire knows the dukedom can’t forget him…”
“Eventually, five years will pass, a death declaration will be issued, and the name Eckian Meyus will cease to exist naturally.”
“How can you say that?”
Judith shook her head in protest.
“You don’t erase a child so exceptional from existence. They’d wait as long as possible, keeping a place for him to return.”
“Well, once the death declaration is issued, it’s over. Gradually, they’ll forget.”
Judith shrugged, assuming the Master didn’t know the dukedom well.
‘They’re even planning a fake pregnancy to extend the five years.’
It was an ingenious manipulation. When Judith refused to comply, the Master spoke in a low, firm tone.
“In any case, I have no further information to offer about him. I’m sorry.”
Judith lowered her eyes and sipped her tea. Had Eckian truly died? Is that why he never appeared in the original story?
In the story, the villain later reflected, “My brother must be dead. Otherwise, he would have come to stop me.”
If he had lived, he would have known a woman was carrying his child—but he never appeared.
‘Treating him as nonexistent makes sense.’
Even the Master had no information, so Eckian was not a variable worth worrying about. Lost in thought, Judith was brought back by the Master clearing his throat.
“But… how did you… develop a… rational interest in the Viscount?”
“Oh, he was popular,” she deflected lightly.
“I was just one among many.”
“…Yet you still seek him even now, missing? You must have cared deeply…”
The Master stumbled over his words, clearly shocked.
“But there was… no real connection…”
“He’s handsome.”
“But… for that reason alone…”
“I pay a lot of attention to looks. A lot. That’s just my preference. Even from afar, he was incredibly handsome.”
Having lost interest, Judith spoke casually.
“I just wanted to know a bit more now that I’m of age.”
Her plans remained unchanged. If anything, she was now more certain she could assume the fake daughter-in-law role in the original story.
‘Time to make my move.’
Now that she was an adult, she had to secure that spot before the dukedom recruited a maid as the fake daughter-in-law.
‘Strike while the iron’s hot. Tomorrow, I’ll go straight to the dukedom.’
There was no turning back. As an adult, failure to pay debts could mean being sold to darker organizations.
“I truly apologize for not being of more help, Lady,” the Master said gently.
“But didn’t you mention you had information to sell?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Valuable information… but it’s no longer profitable.”
Judith shrugged and picked up the parchment and quill on the table. She had information she was determined to deliver today.
As she sketched quickly, the Master raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
“This looks… like a map of the neighborhood.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Judith marked a building with a star.
“Here.”
She looked at the Master.
“This building has a large stockpile of bombs. If not dealt with immediately, this street will be destroyed soon.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Please go and handle it carefully.”
The building she indicated was a shop used for black-market trades. Bombs had been stored there illegally, and a single mishap could wreak havoc across the street.
‘And that’s how the original story began—people would die unnecessarily, including the Gray Information House staff, leaving only the heroine alive.’
‘No need for that. It’s better if these people survive.’
Judith could not handle it herself, but Gray Information House could.
“Pay me for this information later,” she said with a smile as she stood.
“Make sure you pay properly, understood?”
She figured that whatever the payment, it would be worth the Master’s life itself.
