Psyche suspected that the reflection in her retina was a false image of the person standing in front of her. The presence of such an incredible person made her wonder if she had somehow traveled to the past.
Tears gathered in her eyes from the overwhelming shock.
In an instant, I recognized him.
A man she cannot forget, and cannot erase from her memory.
Duke Clint Valentine and her husband.
'Why is the Duke here...?'
'How did he find this place...?'
Various thoughts ran through her mind for a moment.
Meeting him in such a place and under such circumstances was truly unexpected.
Deep down, she had never ruled out the possibility of him finding her, but she deliberately denied it. She didn't want to think about him.
Their eyes met delicately.
Clint narrowed his eyebrows and pointed at Sherritt with an outstretched finger.
“W-what is this kid?”
Before Saiki could answer the previous question, he asked again.
Sherritt was surprised, rushed after Psyche, and whispered, “Scary...”
His face showed a mixture of curiosity, confusion, and relief at finding Saiki, creating a strangely complex expression.
“Why does this child call the lady “Mom”?”
“…”
Psyche exchanged glances between the Duke and Cheret, who were hiding behind her.
The fact that the two of them were in front of her was incredible in itself.
She took Sherit in her arms and hugged him tightly.
“It doesn't concern you.”
"I don't care? A child calls the lady 'Mommy'!"
After a while, he expressed his confusion in an angry tone.
In response, Psyche stood up, holding Sherritt in her arms.
For some reason, the first thought that came to her mind was that she should run away with Sherrit.
This was her priority more than any other ruling.
Without knowing where the strength came from, she turned away from him, holding Sherit in her arms.
When she turned away from Clint, his face immediately filled with confusion.
If it had been any other time, he would have caught her quickly. But Clint couldn't think straight because of the little girl's presence.
Maybe he heard the rumors about her having a miscarriage.
'But why a child...?'
Furthermore, the child unambiguously calls Psyche “mom.”
‘Um?’
Suddenly Clint's mind went haywire.
He initially thought he would find Psyche, restore her as a duchess, and return to Valentine's estate.
'Has a baby appeared?'
'Who was the other party?'
With thoughts like these, he couldn't bring himself to catch Saeki in front of the child.
When he saw Saiki walking quickly away, he finally followed her.
Psyche wanted to escape from the Duke.
At first she was surprised to meet them, and began to worry about what might happen if he treated her and the baby badly.
“Oh…!”
In her haste, she tripped and caught her foot on a protruding ledge.
"Yes…!"
Sherritt clung to her tightly, causing their center of gravity to shift as they fell to the ground. She closed her eyes tightly as their bodies fell to the ground.
“…?”
She felt weightless, as if her body was floating in the air.
“Ma’am, be careful.”
Clint quickly caught up with her, gripping her arm tightly and exerting force.
Without his help, she would have almost fallen to the ground with Sherritt in her arms.
Taken by surprise, Saiki quickly regained her balance, pulling her arm from Clint's grip.
She's initially surprised by the fact that Clint is the one helping her get back on her feet.
Clint let out a soft sigh and then spoke, looking at her and Sherritt at the same time.
"Firstly."
After taking a deep breath, he spoke again.
To Saiki, his behavior seemed to be suppressing his anger.
“For now, let's go back and talk.”
Clint thought it would be best to return her to Valentine's estate first.
And…
If the child she was carrying was really Saiki's child...
He was frustrated with the thoughts running through his mind about what to do about this. Despite his frustration, he decided that taking Psyche to Valentine's house was a priority.
Saiki, whom he met several years later, had changed greatly from before.
There was no sign of her wearing luxurious dresses and exuding an aura of comfort.
Of course, she remained beautiful and elegant, but there was something more elusive about her.
Clint wasn't happy with the change.
When he suggested returning, Saeki, who had remained silent, suddenly turned and faced him.
“If it's because of the child, that's fine, let's take the child now.”
The word “for now” carried a certain weight.
Saiki avoided looking at him.
“I won't go.”
“What did you just say!”
“I said I wouldn't go.”
When Saiki stated her categorical refusal, Clint burst out laughing awkwardly.
“If this disappearance is enough, let us return, ma'am.”
“…”
“We are still husband and wife.”
“…?”
Upon hearing this, Psyche trembled in surprise.
After losing her child and hiding for so long, she thought he would abandon her easily.
The fact that he had been searching for her for so long was incomprehensible.
As they faced each other in silence, Clint's companions, including Alexandro, gradually began to appear.
As expected, the person who welcomed Saeki most warmly was Alexandru.
"Oh my God! Madam!"
He looked like he was about to greet her excitedly, but Clint motioned for him to stop.
Like a dog wagging its tail when meeting its owner, Alexandro squirmed as he watched the situation between them tensely.
Clint broke the silence and spoke again.
“Alexandru, guide the lady.”
"concept!"
“I said I wouldn't go!”
Clint's eyes turned stern at her words.
“There's something to discuss about the baby.”