The Crown Prince tried to hug her out of reflex, but someone stood in front of him and Saiki, forcing the Crown Prince to step back.
Psyche's downfall was only a matter of time.
It was none other than Clint who caught her, and he responded to the Crown Prince with a fierce glare.
“Your Majesty, this woman is my wife.”
From afar, it looked like the Crown Prince was playing a trick on his wife, and Clint quickly returned with a very unpleasant expression.
He was worried about Saiki's cold behavior these days, so the appearance of the Crown Prince who looked like a playboy made him extremely sad.
Moreover, he was shocked by Saiki's state in his arms.
Saiki's face was pale. Despite the fact that she was pregnant and her stomach was convex, her limbs were so thin that it did not look like she was carrying a pregnant woman at all. It was a strange feeling.
'Did I not care enough about my wife?'
Clint thought he was paying enough attention to Saiki.
Because he thought he was providing her with the best possible environment, and she thought that was a great blessing.
But Psyche was so thin it was as if she didn't get any attention. Even her body was cold
Suddenly Clint became suspicious.
"I never imagined she would be left unattended to. This is strange."
He used the best quality ingredients and served quality food at every meal.
On the other hand, the figure was too thin for Saiki, so he didn't feel any better.
The Duke was not even willing to greet the Crown Prince. He barely thought about what he wanted to say before turning back to the Crown Prince, and finally turned back with the least amount of respect for the Crown Prince.
“The Duke has a wonderful wife, I am so envious.”
The Crown Prince said behind his back, smiling:
It wasn't worth fighting over, ignoring it was enough.
However, the Duke was pathologically sensitive to the words “royal” or “personal.” It was the same even if it was the Crown Prince who would become Emperor in the future.
He couldn't bear it when others looked at his own.
Although he was a prince who had the Emperor's support,
However, he was known to be a fool. The nobles only outwardly bowed to him and treated him poorly. Therefore, the Duke dared to say something that should be ignored.
“Be content with what you had in the imperial court.”
"What?"
The Crown Prince asked with an expression of dissatisfaction with the Duke's sharp statements.
“…”
The prince burst out laughing at the sight of the duke so full of hostility toward his superiors.
“You seem to be talking nonsense?”
“Please take this as advice from your loyal followers that it is better to abandon the habit of coveting others.”
However, the Duke did not lose. A cold, sword-like word fell at the Crown Prince's distance.
This was a stark contrast to his behavior when dealing with Saiki. It was like a different person.
The Crown Prince, on the other hand, was second in command to the Emperor in this country. At the same time, he met nobles who pretended to respect him from the outside, despite the fact that they all looked at him with pity. But the Duke was relentless.
There were also rumors that the Duke's sword, which had a terrifyingly cold nature, could cut ghosts. This was the Crown Prince's first encounter with the Duke in this way, and he seemed to be at a loss.
Clint was now dissatisfied with everything, with the lightness of the woman holding his heir in his arms.
Crazy eyes looking at his wife. There wasn't a single thing he liked. However, as the confrontations with the Crown Prince escalated here, the outcome did not appear to be of any benefit.
Clint turned away from him.
“This is impossible even if it concerns Your Majesty. Then, excuse me.”
He waved goodbye before turning and walking away.
The Crown Prince looked at Saiki for a long time.
***
Maybe it was because she was in the carriage, her head was ringing. Psyche, who had been knocked unconscious by Zavia's scent, was wandering past for some reason.
The moments when she first met the Duke, who would later become her husband, passed by with lightning speed.
In the past, she had always smiled faintly in front of the Duke.
Why was I smiling?
It felt ridiculous now, and it made her stomach hurt.
Her beautiful memories from the past disappeared in an instant, and she felt bitter about the reality that turned into a nightmare in an instant.
The headache made her frown without her realizing it.
Soon the dream of the past became a reality and landed right in front of her feet.
Why didn't you think of that? Why couldn't she guess why he was so cute? She frowned involuntarily. Her consciousness was gradually waking up.
“…My wife…before she notices…I have to deal with this quickly.”
She complained in her ears. She closed her eyes, pretending not to hear. However, the Duke closed his mouth as soon as he realized that she had regained consciousness. She opened her eyes slowly.
“My wife, are you awake?”
As her vision gradually began to improve, she saw Clint looking at her with a very worried expression. Saiki felt suffocated as soon as she saw him.
Psyche sat quietly in the bedroom and fell into deep meditation. On the day she returned from the ball, what did the Duke say in the carriage? She bit her nails and her lips in frustration.
“Before I notice…?”
What does it mean to get it taken care of quickly? The baby's due date was approaching, and his words sounded as if he was going to kill the baby as soon as it was born.
Why… Saiki burst into tears at the thought of being cornered. It was because the gentle man's face suddenly appeared in her mind.
Even if it was all a lie, there were times when she wanted to rely on that kindness.
“This is not the time to get emotional about this.”
She patted her cheek with both hands. She needed to keep her mind sharp. I've wasted too much time on it already.
She calmed down and regained her senses. She had decided that day to run away, but she did not know where she would go. Even if she was hiding in this country, there was no place that the Duke's eyes and feet could not reach. Also, just deciding where you were going wasn't a good idea.
“First… I will also need living expenses...”
Psyche looked at the door.
“I cannot give birth or raise a child in a shabby place...”
She muttered to herself and then turned her head. She didn't know anything else, but she had to protect the child.
“Later, if that's really the case. Even if I escape and get caught again, this child is the only one who can continue with her life.”
He was a man crazy about offspring, perhaps reluctant to kill the mother of an already grown child
In the first place, she had no intention of completely escaping the man who ruled this country. If he was determined to find her, he would do anything to do so. She calmly organized her thoughts.
Where is the best place to protect herself?
A place you know well. The only place she knows is around the Viscount's castle, which is now in ruins. The mountains were rugged, and if you tried to hide…!
If she was determined to hide, there was no better place than her hometown. The only place she knows better than the Duke is there.
"How can I count the expenses? The jewelry and dresses are so eye-catching."
She was struggling to find a better way on her own. Suddenly, she felt her heart skip a beat as she thought of returning to her hometown. While she was making her plans step by step, a servant hurriedly came to her.
“This is my lady.”
"Yes?"
She suddenly jumped out of her seat like someone who had been caught doing something bad. The astonished servant looked at her curiously and then quickly explained to her why he had called her.
“Oh, you have a visitor.”
"a guest?"
Clint had hated people coming in and out of the Duke's house since he was a kid. But was he expecting a guest to arrive without notifying him?
Clint had been away for a while, so she had to greet the guest instead.
It was not until I went down to the drawing-room and examined the person, that I discovered that the person who had appeared was an uninvited guest.