When the prince motioned for Psyche to leave the bedroom, she thought she wanted to bring Rachel. Psyche hurriedly left the room, and the prince spoke to her with a tender look in his eyes, choosing his words carefully, and began to say the things he had wanted to say all along.
“The Duke has requested your return ever since you disappeared. But it was not right for me to meet him before you woke up. I have been refusing his requests until today.”
At the part where he said “I have to meet the Duke” he looked at Saiki’s reaction again.
“…”
When Saiki didn't say anything, the prince felt embarrassed, and scratched his cheek with a puzzled expression.
"I'm not the king, so I can't continue to ignore the Duke's requests endlessly. I'm sorry. Even if I were the prince, I can't pretend not to know the Duke... in situations like this."
The prince didn't really like this situation. He was angry with himself for the choices he made regarding Saeki, because he wasn't proud of his actions in front of the Duke.
But he wouldn't get angry with Saiki. Everything was a result of his bad choices, and he couldn't blame anyone else.
Saiki looked at his face silently and opened her mouth slowly.
“I understand. It's okay. Please meet him. I'll leave before he arrives.”
With an emotionless look in her eyes, Saiki spoke without any tone in her voice. She did not care about the prince's attitude or tone; It wasn't her interest from the beginning. The prince, who knew how Psyche saw herself, felt frustrated and kept his mouth shut.
“…”
“When do you think he will arrive at the palace?”
Saiki asked.
“He seems to be staying in the capital. He seems to have heard something. He seems to know you are here.”
“I will leave before he comes.”
Saeki was firm and cold. However, she would react the same way no matter who she talked to. She had no reason to stay here any longer, and she didn't want to meet Clint either. But the prince, who had hesitated, finally opened his mouth with a troubled expression.
“...Do you have to go?”
Suddenly, a sad look appeared in the prince's eyes. Saeki was not particularly impressed by his attitude.
Naturally, the prince himself knew that this request was forced.
Their arrangements were not properly agreed upon in the first place.
The prince had to meet her in peace.
If that had happened, Saiki might not have lost her child, and she might have stayed by his side and kept the promises they made.
But now, the prince's words no longer had any power over Psyche.
And she…
I no longer wanted to see the prince.
For losing her child...
And she didn't blame him.
She wished she could ask him why he didn't come on time, why he didn't keep his promise. She felt like she could do anything if she could find her baby.
But even if she did, her child would not come back. She just wanted to leave this place. Her sense of loss was so overwhelming that she couldn't do anything.
“…”
Psyche did not respond to his words. Or there was no need to consider his offer.
“I will find you a place to stay in the palace. I will protect you from the Duke.”
The prince seemed to be pleading, but to Saiki, it all seemed insincere. She had already lost her child, and no matter how gentle his words were, would she be able to hear them?
“…”
“Saiki...”
There was no response to the prince's call, so he added a few more desperate words, useless words.
"Or let's try talking to the Duke. He's not a bad person."
Psyche, who was experiencing intense grief over the loss of her child, also had another problem to think about.
Her problem is with the Duke.
Psyche barely opened her lips, her lips, which were opened, looked pathetic.
“He… he won’t accept me losing our child.”
After saying this, she fell more and more into despair.
She didn't have the strength to think straight now.
“Saiki...”
He called her name with a serious look in his eyes, and when his gaze met hers, there was a strange feeling in her eyes, a mixture of anger and sadness.
“Your Highness.”
"Yes."
She hesitated, but for the first time, she responded with a slight smile.
“I can't blame you for losing my baby.”
“…”
Saiki spoke with a sad look in her eyes as she poured out her words.
“If you were by my side, I would have blamed Your Highness. Why didn’t you come to our meeting place earlier? I still regret this situation thousands of times.”
Maybe she didn't know that she might actually consider it his fault. Psyche hated both the prince and Psyche. She tried hard to hide her true feelings and said:
“…”
“Why wasn’t I wiser? Why did I act like that? Even now, that time is still stuck in my mind and won’t go away… It’s as if I lost my child because of you… Oh, I’m sorry.”
The soul burst into tears again.
Perhaps if the prince had delayed longer, Psyche would have died. But she couldn't just be grateful to him.
She lost her child, and that's why she can't trust anyone anymore.
Not only the Duke, nor the Prince either.
So, the palace was not a safe place. Most importantly, if the Duke made up his mind, he could freely enter the palace and find Saiki.
So…
She had to leave.
Her escape from the Duke wasn't quite complete yet.
"I'm sorry."
The prince couldn't say anything but apology. When he saw Saiki collapse in front of him again, he couldn't say anything else to her.
It seemed like everything was his fault, the result of his bad choices.
That night, when Saiki appeared, broken and injured, she hesitated for a long time.
He did not know that this would cause him great regret.
An irreversible choice...this kind of choice he might regret for the rest of his life.
“…”
Finally, when he saw her crying, he opened his mouth again.
“Then I will make sure you leave safely. I will make sure I send you safely to your hometown.”
“Oh…”
Saeki, who had barely stopped her tears, wiped them away and looked at him.
“Your Highness, I can’t trust you anymore.”
In the end, she had to do everything herself.
Now that she no longer had a child to protect, she decided not to depend on anyone.
“…”
“Please let me go alone.”
“…”
Her words made the prince feel cold inside.
Knock knock
At that moment, we heard a knocking sound from outside, and the usher announced
“Miss Rachel Halston has arrived. May I let her in?”
The prince looked at Psyche, and silently asked her what she should do. Saiki finished wiping her tears and calmed herself down. Then she showed a firm expression.
“Please let her in.”
The prince nodded in response.
“Should I stay with you?”
“Yes, please do that.”
Psyche got out of bed, wrapped herself in a shawl, and stood firmly by the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened and Rachel Halston entered the room. I first greeted the prince with a respectful gesture.
“Your Highness, are you okay? I am Rachel Halston, and it is an honor to meet Your Highness.”
She gracefully lifted her skirt and bowed respectfully. Her appearance was completely unexpected.
The prince, with a slightly uncomfortable expression, agreed to the greeting with a simple nod before turning away slightly and observing the two.
Without any greetings or formalities, Psyche approached where Rachel was standing.
Her steps sounded like a threat, causing Rachel to unintentionally take a step back.
Suddenly, Saiki clenched her fist and gestured as if she was about to hit Rachel's stomach.
Rachel was surprised but didn't turn away.
Psyche didn't stop and hit Rachel's stomach hard.
"Oh! What is this? How impudent!"
“Saiki!”
The prince was shocked and rushed towards them
Psyche hugged the worn-out Rachel and whispered in her ear.
"Don't try to trick me now. You. I know you're not pregnant."
Rachel's face turned pale in response to these words.