It was a scary statement.
In this place, he wasn't expected to bring up the contract.
If he claims the contract isn't over yet, Saeki has nothing to say from her perspective.
Realizing that her confident demeanor had been shaken, Clint added more words.
“Maybe I should remind the lady, it's about my contract to have my child.”
“…”
Saiki deliberately turned her head away from him.
The situation was not appropriate.
They were a married couple, and the contract was a convenient pretext to bind them.
In fact, Clint's gentle treatment of her was just his way.
If he was going to do something using the contract as an excuse, Saiki would have no way to resist.
But she wasn't planning on taking advantage of him here, so she tightened her grip and tried to push him away.
His eyebrows temporarily frowned due to the bruises on his hand, but he quickly returned to his usual state.
“Don't move, you'll just bruise your wrists for no reason.”
Unlike the evil Saiki, his voice was noticeably calm.
Although she tried for a while to escape from his embrace, she did not succeed.
He just looked at Saeki who was lying underneath him.
At his dry expression, Saiki felt even more insulted.
“Oh…”
I sighed involuntarily.
Her face turned red from the effort she made to get free, and her hot breath kept coming out of her mouth.
In return, Clint, who showed no change in his facial expression, continued to look at her for a long time.
“Leave me.”
“…”
After observing her silently for a while, Clint began to gently stroke her wrist with his thumb.
It felt strange.
“W-what are you doing...!”
As he silently caressed her wrist, he raised her left hand to his mouth.
“…!”
He kissed her deeply from the inside.
His very warm breath touched her. It was a completely unfamiliar feeling.
It felt like the inside of her hand was burning badly.
With a distinct gesture, Clint continued to raise the corners of his mouth slightly and met Saiki's gaze.
For no apparent reason, her face turned red, as if it was about to explode. She felt like her ears were burning.
While maintaining eye contact, Clint began to gently run his lips over her knuckles, between her fingers.
It was as if he was leaving a mark on what belonged to him.
Psyche found this seemingly insignificant action extremely embarrassing and did not know where to direct her gaze.
“Oh…”
He slowly got up after wetting his lips with her hand, looked at her calmly and spoke.
“See you tomorrow morning, ma'am. I think next time will be in our bedroom.”
“W-What is this…!”
He smiled like a crescent moon, finished his speech, and left the room without looking back.
Without turning around, she left the place as if she had seen a ghost. Saiki, who had been sitting on the bed for some time, inadvertently slapped her cheeks.
“Really, I feel like I'm going crazy.”
Clint wasn't the person she knew. Although it was true that he did not cross any boundaries without her approval, his actions today were somewhat reckless…
Above all…
“Why did he kiss my hand in such a strange way...”
Saiki inadvertently thought of Clint. The piercing look that seemed to penetrate her still felt warm on her face. Moreover, the hand he kissed still seemed to retain its warmth.
“…”
She considered this a baseless idea, so she shook her head vigorously.
She couldn't sleep for a long time.
❖ ❖ ❖
Psyche kept tossing and turning in her bed, almost staying up all night. She couldn't go to see Child in the morning. She had many thoughts, and was afraid to say something strange.
However, she could not neglect her duties. Since the visit was from the Duke, I decided to have breakfast early to receive him.
She met him by chance right in front of him.
"my lady!"
Alexandro received her more warmly than anyone else. However, Saiki nodded in response and didn't bother pretending to recognize him.
Clint's face, as he stepped aside to let her in alone, looked remarkably elegant compared to her disturbed appearance.
"Well… it's always been like this. Even after a rough night…"
Suddenly remembering the past and feeling her cheeks burning, she avoided Clint's gaze.
I thought it was ridiculous to bring up such memories.
The strange handshake recalling yesterday's incident, Saiki went inside alone.
"Good morning."
Clint greeted her with a clean, fresh face, businesslike as if nothing had happened yesterday. Ironically, Psyche was more surprised by her calm attitude than anything else.
Feigning indifference, Saiki gave him a formal salute.
“Wasn't it cold at night?”
Although the night at Alister Castle was not colder than the capital, it seemed colder considering the size of the castle and the small population.
Instead of sitting still, Clint walked closer to Saiki.
“Thanks to you, it wasn't cold at all.”
He approached her and greeted her with a kiss on one hand.
The person who made the most fuss about this was none other than Helen.
“Oh my God, is this the dukes’ salute?”
Clint laughed at her words and returned to his seat.
"Is this correct…?"
“Haha, the Dukes’ greetings are always fresh.”
Ignoring Clint's denial, Saiki glared at him.
Clint found her look amusing, so he laughed again and sat back in his seat.
An elegant breakfast appeared on the table in no time.
Instead of eating the soup, Helen looked at Psyche with sparkling eyes.
She had been excited about all things Duke since yesterday. Stories about the glamorous life of a nobility in the capital were fascinating to women her age.
"Oh, really, the capital is another world. What else is there? I couldn't hear much about the capital yesterday, so I was very curious!"
But Clint couldn't answer her question.
After a moment of silence, Alexandro intervened.
“There's nothing special in D.C. Well, people live the same life everywhere.”
“Really? But is there still something fashionable among young girls or noble ladies these days?”
Helen asked what things girls her age were interested in, causing Alexandro to scratch his head awkwardly.
“Direction…um.”
Alexandro also had to think for a moment as he had no interest in this area.
Then he suddenly remembered a story he heard while gathering the latest information.
“These days, things like astrology and black magic are popular among the noble ladies of the capital, but I don’t believe in them much.”
“Oh, an unexpected trend! What are the uses of these trends?”
Helen still had a curious look.
“Well, predicting relationships with a loved one or predicting ways to conceive a child.”
He said without thinking too much, and Alexandro glanced at Clint and added hastily.
“But strictly speaking, black magic is strictly prohibited in the capital.”
“But can you still do it?”
He replied.
“As long as it's not actually hurting anyone, you can't organize it just for fun.
If you make something more difficult to access, people's enthusiasm for it will only increase. So, we allow this level to be just for fun.”
“Oh, I see...”
After nodding quietly, Helen quickly turned her gaze to Clint.
“Then, Your Highness, have you ever heard of lady luck through astrology?”
“Cough, cough.”
It was Psyche who was taken aback by Helen's obscene comment.
Her wish that she had been waiting for during the quiet meal time was not fulfilled at all.
With every word Helen said, even Alexandru found himself speechless.
Above all, he realized that interfering between Clint and Saiki could only lead to trouble, so he decided to quietly keep his mouth shut.
“Ma’am, ma’am, you seem to enjoy interesting stories.”
Clint, who had been drinking, laughed and opened his mouth with a sly smile.
Helen, who had not noticed the pleasant atmosphere, spoke again.
“I heard that you are single now! From what I know, many nobles in the capital are getting married quickly...”
“Helen!”
In the end, it was Saeki who couldn't bear to ask Helen that he had never heard before.
“What a rude question during mealtime. I apologize. Please continue.”
Psyche apologized politely, and Helen pouted her lips.
“No, I was curious about my lady too.”
"What?"
At Clint's introduction of a new topic, Helen burst into excitement again.
“I haven't mentioned it yet, but I'm currently looking for my lady.”
“Oh really?”
Psyche was surprised by Helen's questioning face, and felt somewhat disappointed.
Since every one of Helen's comments was insufferable, even Alexandru found himself at a loss for words.
In particular, he knew that he might not be able to distinguish the bones if he stepped between Clint and Saiki, so he calmly decided to keep his mouth shut.
“Ma’am, are you here? I didn’t mention I was looking for my wife right now.”
“Oh, is that so? Did you find it?”
Psyche felt like grabbing Helen's head when she heard that.
But Clint, with a sly smile, took another sip of water and licked his lips with his tongue.
From Saiki's perspective, his actions seemed unnaturally slow.
“Yes, I found it.”
“Oh really?”
Helen was disappointed but still curious, and her face showed a hint of dissatisfaction.
“Well, where is the Duchess?”
At this question, Claude and Alexandru, standing next to him, sighed together.
Still finding it amusing, Clint slowly turned his gaze to Saiki.
"Isn't she here? Right in front of me."
“…!”