Faced with Clint's overly confident attitude, Saiki found herself at a loss for words.
Whether it was when they first met again or while eating, she didn't pay much attention to him, but seeing him after a long time, he somehow seemed more intense.
“Did he lose weight?”
His black hair, like the night sky, and his pale skin stood out contrastingly. It wasn't like the illusion of his jawline becoming more defined.
Unconsciously, she thought about these thoughts before shaking her head.
'Who cares who at this moment?'
“This is the lady’s room?”
When Saiki asked him, Clint burst into a bitter laugh.
"Isn't this my wife's room? Where is the husband who enters his wife's room with permission?"
“We…”
Psyche tried to respond with, “We're not a couple,” but it got stuck in her throat.
Because, aside from him leaving, if Clint hadn't officially ended their relationship, they were considered a couple.
“We are still a couple.”
“…”
With Saiki remaining silent, Clint approached.
“I couldn't take it any longer.
Of course we are a couple, but it has been a long time since my wife has lived apart from me. Adjusting may be difficult for her. I hope you understand this rudeness.”
It was like an order to just listen. As Saiki was about to confront him, he continued talking, interrupting her.
“Anyway, what about this kid?”
“…?”
“The child we saw that day, we temporarily withdrew, but how much patience did it take for us to endure until today to ask about him?”
He was asking about Sherritt.
But Saiki didn't want to answer him.
She didn't think that was his business.
However, Clint seemed to have run out of patience, with a face that seemed to have reached its limit.
"Why don't you reply?"
“You don't need to know.”
“Could it be my baby?”
“…!”
Saiki did not expect this idea to suddenly occur to her. She couldn't help but burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of the idea.
Just when she was trying to find a suitable response, Clint suddenly interrupted her.
“Our child is not dead”
“…”
With those words, Saiki lost all her strength.
She didn't expect such a conversation to happen here, and she felt like she had been stabbed in the gut in her weakened state.
Carelessly saying that the child is dead.
After all, he was a man who did not hesitate to say that he had killed his wife.
Regardless of this fact, Saiki finds herself trapped once again in that past.
She couldn't imagine that she would have to confirm a truth she had never faced before, and she felt like her heart was being torn apart again.
How could he talk about the death of a child so simply, and with an expression that had not changed at all…
'I choose my words carefully, but that doesn't mean the baby will come back, right?'
And I knew the truth too.
Although his words were mostly true, the harsh and painful reality was not something Saiki wanted to face. She lost the strength to resist, especially regarding the missing child.
No matter how hard she tried to forget, the memory remained ingrained in her mind, making it the most painful experience in her life, and time did not bury it.
Psyche fell onto the bed, exhausted, while Clint stood in front of her.
“If so, I have nothing more to say. Leave.”
With eyes empty of any soul, Saiki answered dryly.
“Ha.”
Clint pressed his fingers to his forehead in frustration.
“It's my wife's baby.”
Although Saiki didn't answer, he seemed to reason that way.
But she had neither the desire nor the strength to correct his wrong ideas.
“Think about what you want.”
“Is it that bastard’s child?”
“…?”
Clint's suddenly harsh words were completely unexpected. I was momentarily taken aback by his usually elegant and courteous demeanor.
Saying such things was completely strange to him.
“What are you talking about?”
Saiki couldn't understand his words at all.
Alastair's mansion housed a small population, including employees, and even with stablehands, men were scarce.
So, the idea of receiving “strange looks” was beyond her understanding.
“This man who always accompanies the lady. Is he a knight who always carries a sword?”
Saiki then realized that Clint was referring to Claude.
Psyche found it ridiculous that he would look at her and Claude that way.
“Are you talking about Claude? Claude and I...”
“Claude?”
Clint raised an eyebrow at Saiki calling Claude in such a casual way.
“Where did you pick a guy with a similar name?”
“No, that's not it!”
Oddly enough, their names were similar, but Psyche felt a loss even in what was left of her dignity.
Then she imagined what Claude had been like during their time apart, and how he had looked at her.
No matter how much she thought, there was no action that could be construed as a romantic relationship between them.
It was completely ridiculous. Psyche couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the idea.
Clint, on the other hand, was burning with anger.
“Is this funny, ma'am?”
“…”
Clint took a step closer, and Saiki involuntarily raised her gaze.
“If you don't like it, don't even think about it.”
"It doesn't matter."
Psyche stopped laughing and looked at him, but Clint took a few more steps to stand directly in front of her.
The distance between them instantly narrowed.
Even though the night was bright, Clint's shadow cast a shadow over Saiki, making the place even darker.
“Ma’am, just come with me.”
"Go? Where?"
Clint closed the gap further.
Saiki felt uncomfortable, so she deliberately averted her gaze.
But this seemed to bother him, and Clint approached her and grabbed her chin to make her face him.
This behavior was completely different from the Clint she knew. Psyche was never treated harshly by him, even during their intimate moments.
Even in the darkness, Saiki could notice that his eyes, like a clear blue sky, were looking at her. There was a strange feeling in them.
Moreover, with Clint's grip on her jaw, Saiki couldn't avoid his gaze.
"You should go back to where my wife belongs. Four years is a long time to be gone, isn't it?"
“I won't come back...!”
When Saiki felt uncomfortable, Clint tightened his grip on her jaw further.
“I don't care if it's that crazy bastard's child.”
“…!”
Clint seemed to have almost gone crazy.
Suddenly, he knelt down, making his eyes reach the same level as hers.
At such a close distance, even his ragged breathing was palpable, making it difficult for Saiki to breathe.
“Isn't it time to have my next baby?”
His eyes sparkled madly, and he looked like he was about to lose control. In response, Saiki forcefully pushed his hand away.
She had never seen Clint in such a state before.
He wasn't such a cruel man to begin with. Could he have changed during the time they were apart?
Saiki touched her jaw and suddenly stood up.
“I have nothing more to say to you. Please leave.”
“Why?”
Clint even mocked and mocked her.
His unfamiliar appearance made him seem like a different person.
Psyche didn't want to show her confusion under his pressure.
“Just leave.”
“Don't test my patience any longer.”
“When did you do that...!”
“I want to take my wife with me now, even against her will.”
He emphasized every word forcefully.
“I'm putting up with it one way or another.”
“….”
After taking a deep breath, he slowly stood up.
Their eye levels became similar again.
Suddenly, Clint turned around and started laughing.
Saiki was unable to regain her composure in the gap between anger and laughter.
She didn't know how to respond.
"wife."
“Don't call me that.”
“Why don't we call a wife a wife?”
“….”
Clint still had a smile on his face.
Saiki tried to back away, crashing into the bed and collapsing onto her back.
Without missing a beat, Clint climbed on top of her.
His situation was strange.
“Avoid me!”
"Why? Are you afraid?"
He had a ferocious look as if he was about to devour her.
Clint grabbed Saiki's hands with his own, rendering her unable to move.
Psyche couldn't do anything.
“Our contract is not yet over. Don't you know, my dear wife?”