It was Rachel Halston.
She was sitting in the reception room as if she were the owner of the place, and Saeki unintentionally frowned at her.
"my lady!"
Sitting on the edge of the sofa with her back arched and her legs extended to the side made her not look like a cultured noblewoman.
She looked at Saiki and quickly stood up.
“I expected Clint to die, but I didn't expect his wife to die.”
Saiki raised her eyebrows again at those words and lowered them.
“He is called Duke Valentine here.”
"Yes?"
“This means that you should not use the Duke’s name in public.”
"Oh! Oh. You were rude."
Saiki sat on the couch across from Rachel, ignoring her embarrassed laughter. Whether she liked it or not, she was already tired of dealing with this woman until Clint came along.
“Oh, I brought precious tea leaves as a gift for my visit. I was planning to give them to Duke Clint, but since his wife is here, can we have a cup of tea together?”
Rachel was the first to notice the embarrassment between them, so she smiled and reached for something. Psyche pointed roughly at the maid standing next to her. Then one of the standing maids took what Rachel had given her.
The two sat awkwardly facing each other. Rachel was the first to break the awkward silence.
“You are very lucky, ma'am.”
Am I lucky? I?
Her husband tries to kill her. She wasn't lucky at all. Psyche looked at her with a wry smile. Rachel continued speaking without hesitation.
“That, have you heard the rumors about Count Bisek?”
When Saiki looked at her without answering, she continued.
"Well, it seems that Count Bisque brought a woman from somewhere. I'm not sure if he let her in, but she kicked out the countess and her son. I'll get her a job in the government. Moreover, the right to succeed her son's title has been taken away as well. It's really ridiculous, isn't it?"
Saiki just shook her head, wondering why she had told her that.
I think men should be like that. If you are crazy in love, you will not be able to recognize your child and your spouse. But the Duke isn't like that, so you don't have to worry about that. I envy you."
Rachel laughed exaggeratedly. Psyche was at a loss, and didn't know what to say, but a simple refreshment table arrived just in time. A teacup filled with Rachel's delicate tea leaves was quickly placed in front of them.
The light green tea water flowed transparently. Rachel looked at Saiki for a moment and then quickly raised the teacup in front of her.
“Mmm… it smells so good!”
Rachel was making a fuss on her own, smelling the scent of the tea she'd brought. After all, she was a guest, so Saeki sighed again, picked up the teacup, and covered her mouth with the other hand, terrified by the stench.
“Huh?”
Rachel looked at Psyche with her eyes wide open as she enjoyed the scent.
“This...”
Psyche put down the teacup loudly, not knowing that she was so sullen.
It was Zavia tea leaves.
“Maybe this woman...”
Zavia leaves are not good for pregnant women. Saiki pushed the teacup away as she fought the nausea that caused her to want to vomit. Rachel looked a little embarrassed.
“Zafia tree leaves… Pregnant women like me, oh…”
Finally, she couldn't help but moan and put a handkerchief to cover her mouth.
“This…what happened?”
They heard an unfamiliar voice between them. Clint, who appeared just in time, saw Saiki's pale face and headed to the reception room.
When Saiki saw Clint, she was relieved that she no longer had to stay in the reception room, so she jumped up and stood up. It was because she wanted to leave as quickly as possible from this place filled with the disgusting scent of Zavia leaves.
"Are you okay? Rachel. What else did you do?"
Clint looked at Saiki carefully. She waved her hand violently, covering her mouth with one hand, feeling as if she was about to open her mouth. It was like her saying she was going.
“Oh.”
Psyche stepped aside from the table. Suddenly Rachel shouted at Clint who was trying to support Saiki.
"What are you doing...Clint, no, Duke. Do you know how much this tea costs?"
Rachel said with a sad face.
“Don't say anything strange, sit here. My wife, my wife. Are you well?"
Clint, who had been very critical of Rachel, supported Saiki.
He personally carried her to the bedroom.
Her head was dizzy, she couldn't walk properly, and she was out of her mind, so Saeki remained lying on the bed without knowing how she got to the bedroom.
“I called the doctor.”
“Ah…”
She felt as if the tense vision had returned to her as the smell faded as she lay down.
Saiki took a deep breath as she looked at the ceiling, a cold sweat forming on her forehead.
She thought she would buy some time. She said helplessly to Clint, who was standing next to her with a worried expression.
“Mrs. Halston will be waiting for you. Help yourself. "It would be good to have the doctor here."
Psyche urged him to go quickly.
“No, I’ll wait for the doctor’s report… You’ve been down a lot lately, and you don’t seem to be in good health, so I’m worried about the baby.”
Saiki let out a frustrated laugh at him.
“Yes, it is dangerous if something goes wrong with the baby.”
“Yes, so I hope you're not overdoing it.” Why don't you avoid the next banquet? “I will write to Her Majesty the Empress and ask her to understand the matter.”
Psyche was startled by these words and jumped, but fell again because her head was spinning.
“Ah…”
“Be careful!”
“I…I’m going to the banquet.”
“Do you have to go?”
Of course, she had no chance of escape except in this case.
After trying to hide her thoughts, Saiki said with a smile.
“When I have a baby... I won't be able to move for a long time and will have to stay at home. I think this will be my last outing...”
At this moment, Clint showed concern and then nodded.
“I didn't think about it. But I can't accompany you, so you have to bring Alexa.”
“Alexa?”
“The doctor has arrived.”
Even though she stated that she hated the Escort Knights, she was unable to continue the conversation due to the doctor arriving before she could even argue with him.
********
“How long have these symptoms lasted?”
The doctor carefully examined Saiki's body and asked.
“The symptoms...never recurred.”
“I'm glad to hear that. Your premature birth may have been very weak, but you'll be fine if you continue to rest.”
“Too early?”
“Yes, it is better not to walk around, walk as little as possible, and lie down as much as possible. I will make sure you have fresh herbs every evening.”
“…”
Saiki felt lucky that Clint left the bedroom after the doctor entered.
If Clint were here, she would be stuck and lying in bed.
Let alone a banquet, she was sure she wouldn't be able to move.
“Okay, get out.”
She left the doctor and rubbed her stomach, and in the meantime she was maintaining her health, but the sudden change was most likely due to her constant exposure to Zafia leaves.
So she wasn't worried. I assumed it would only happen once. It was even more urgent to pay for living costs after escaping.
I thought over and over again, and felt suffocated inside, so I went for a short walk outside. The Duke said he would reconsider, and one day Alexa stopped being by her side. Of course, there were other conditions attached to this.
She returned from the party and the next day the Duke called her.
“I want to be alone until I give birth.”
The Duke sighed when Saiki asked him with sad eyes.
“Okay, let me fix it. But when a child is born, there is no promise at all. My wife, please understand that this is all for my wife and children.”
"… Good."
This made Saiki feel lonely again. The air outside was fresh after so long. She went to her usual place for a walk in the park. Her favorite place was the garden, which was close to the main gate.
The afternoon sun, which was just setting, was warm. She organized her thoughts one by one as she walked.
It seemed as if it would be better to exchange jewelry or dresses for expensive herbs or spices. There were some light and expensive herbs that were as expensive as a rare diamond. An unfamiliar voice floated in her ear as she thought about this.
"Mmm. Although I don't know what I'll do?"
"What?"
“That's why I want to bother you like this.”
Hearing the voice that sounded like it was seducing a man, Psyche recognized the woman in the garden. She quickly approached the sound. As soon as Saiki passed the elegantly decorated tree, she managed to bump into Clint and Rachel, who were a bit confused. She narrowed her eyes and focused her gaze on them.
"wife?"
“…”
Rachel placed her hand on Clint's chest. Clint stepped back when he met Saiki's indignant gaze.
“You look like you're having fun here?”
“Oh, you must have misunderstood him. It's just me.”
They are fun people. Psyche had no desire to question what kind of relationship she had with her husband.
“Keep doing what you're doing.”
She's thinking of running away anyway, so there's no need to heat things up like this.
She was walking recklessly. She heard Clint follow her from behind, but Rachel seemed to catch him again. While they were arguing, Psyche was walking in the park wherever she could.
This was the first place she saw while walking. Saiki looked around with a slightly puzzled expression.