"What? What did you say?"
Alexandro left early before sunrise, and stood in front of the hall with a puzzled look on his face, unable to understand Clint's words.
He had to ask again in disbelief because Clint's words were hard to believe.
“I said we would go to the ducal estate now.”
"truly?"
Suddenly, Alexandro made a dumbfounded expression upon hearing Clint's statement about returning to the ducal estate.
He vaguely remembered that Clint had said just yesterday that he would probably stay longer in Alistair's castle.
“No, isn’t it the day before yesterday?”
“Am I dreaming?”
Alexandro blinked, looking at Clint.
“I have made all the preparations. I will take the lady and her child with me. Do the same as soon as you are ready.”
"truly?"
“I won't do it again. Hurry and follow me.”
With just a few words, Clint disappeared from Alexandro's sight.
He felt as if he had been struck by lightning as he walked up to the hall to eat a delicious breakfast, and Alexandru stood there in amazement.
[Eve: Poor Alexandro]
Then he learns of the situation late from the newly arrived Claude.
“Oh my God, did something like this happen? Don’t you know about it and go to sleep...”
Alexandro clutched his head in frustration.
In the midst of the chaos, he felt sad that he was able to sleep so deeply and comfortably while everyone was in such turmoil.
The doctor here couldn't do anything about the situation. So, the Duke quickly prepared to go to his personal doctor and offer Shillard to him.
“….”
Alexandro scratched the back of his head.
“Is this...well, can we say it's a good thing?”
While it was certainly a good thing for Saiki to return to the Duchy, there was no guarantee that their relationship would be smooth.
“I will take care of things here. Please inform the Lord, or rather the Duchess.”
"concept."
Alexandro replied with a somewhat embarrassed expression.
“I will come when things settle down here.”
“No, no! If you are more comfortable here! There is no need to come to the property, especially with the complicated situation!”
Since Claude was still considered Schilder's father and Psyche's former fiancé in Alexandro's mind, he felt it necessary to ban Claude from entering the estate.
If Cloud was allowed into the Duke's estate without good reason, Alexandro felt that this could lead to his death.
“Do you really hate me that much?”
Claude, noticing the atmosphere, asked without looking away.
“Ha-ha-ha.”
In response, Alexandro laughed awkwardly to ease the tension.
"There's something going on. I should know about it."
Claude squinted his eyes, speaking threateningly to Alexandro.
"Good…."
"Good?"
Feeling unsure, Alexandro closed his eyes and spoke.
“The situation where one woman shares two men is unacceptable in our country!”
“…?”
Claude tilted his head, as if he couldn't understand.
“I'm telling you, the Duke I serve has no interest in sharing a woman with another man!”
"Really? With whom? Who is this woman?"
Claude's words seemed like a puzzle to him.
“Yes! This is the lady who is the Duke’s wife!”
"What? What on earth are you talking about?"
Only then did Claude realize the meaning and covered his head.
“Was this a silly, novel-like fantasy?”
He realized there was a big misunderstanding, but it was already too late.
But this time was different.
"child?"
She felt as if she had met her child in a dream, a child a little older than her.
It was a girl.
A girl with silver hair.
Her eyes were similar to Clint's, and were a very beautiful blue color, like a clear dawn or the deep abyss of the ocean.
The child, who looked exactly like Shellard's age, was smiling sweetly.
Even though she couldn't touch it, she felt as if she could reach out and embrace it immediately. Feeling as if she could meet her immediately, Saiki extended her hands.
“My baby!”
But the child disappeared like an illusion.
“My baby!”
As if she was being chased from somewhere, Psyche, terrified and shocked, stared expressionlessly into the air.
She blinked her eyes slowly.
“Ah…it was a dream.”
“Did you regain consciousness?”
She looked down at the empty air, and Clint was there.
“…”
Unlike the day when Shellard was in pain, Saiki, who regained her sanity, felt a mixture of emotions when she looked at Clint, the first person she saw.
She remembered that she had cried and fainted in front of him, and on the other hand she felt embarrassed about that.
Trying to appear indifferent, she got out of bed and leaned on the headboard.
“Where is this?”
She looked around, pushed her loose hair back, and saw a very familiar sight.
“It's the lady's room.”
“…?”
For a while, she thought she was back in the past.
It was definitely the room she stayed in in the ducal palace.
The scene, unchanged, seemed strange and frightening.
“Why am I here...”
“I brought you here because they couldn't fix your baby in this place.”
Clint answered calmly as he sat on the chair in front of the bed with his fists clenched.
"Ah! Shillard!"
Only then did Psyche, who remembered, try to get out of bed and go to Schildard.
But she was stopped by Clint.
“The doctor examined the child carefully. She is now resting after the treatment, so there is no need to visit her.”
“Shirley, is he okay?”
"…I'm fine."
Psyche leaned quietly on the bed.
Her own room in the ducal palace, to which she decided never to return.
It was a weird feeling to come back like that.
It felt strange lying on the bed with Clint sitting in front of her.
But at least Shellard was okay.
But that doesn't mean she trusts Clint.
To her, he was still just a man trying to kill her.
So she spoke calmly.
“What is the cost of treating a child?”
The Clint she had seen before was that kind of man.
A man who did not move without gain.
A man proposed a contract, saying he would give an equivalent price if she gave birth to a child.
A cruel man tried to kill her when the baby was born and she was no longer needed.
Therefore, she didn't think he was being nice out of good faith.
"…price?"
Clint, sitting with his fists clenched, raised his eyebrows.
He thought she was going to express her gratitude or something, but she was asking him what she should do.
"Are you asking me what you can do for me? I know you don't move for nothing. Did you treat the child because you had something you wanted from me?"
“….”
Clint was surprised.
While it was true that he was quickly assessing situations and judging people based on profit, he had not expected to hear those words from Saiki.
In the first place, Schildard was not saved by any special expectations.
Saiki's piercing words left Clint feeling somewhat uneasy.
“The price, you say.”
“….”
Saiki's gaze, fixed on him, stirred up more emotions in Clint.
“The price must be repaid with your body, ma’am.”
He didn't originally mean to say such a thing.
He prepared the words.
Words like: "Was losing a child that sad? I'm sorry I couldn't be with you then. It's our responsibility, and I hope you're not suffering alone." And similar feelings.
But the words only came out twisted.
The words were formless, sharp and piercing, like thorns, stabbing into the other's heart.
“…With my body. What the heck…”
Psyche was confused by Clint's words.
“You have to fulfill the contract, right?”
“….”
“You must bear my successor.”
Saiki bit her lip at his words.
Even after so many years, he hasn't changed at all.
No, it seems to have become more severe.
The man who had been so kind and brave to her was gone, and he didn't even seem to recognize her as a person.
“Wasn't that our deal?”
“Hold… ha.”
It was frustrating.
To get involved in a contract again.
To add to that, since he treated Shillard, Psyche couldn't refuse.
She examined Clint's face slowly.
Her lips are stubbornly closed, eyes staring through them.
There didn't seem to be any sign of him slowing down.
Moreover, after all that talk about contracts and children in Alistair's castle, it seemed sincere.
Unconsciously, Saiki swallowed dryly.
"Okay. This contract. Looks like it's time to end it now."
“You should deal with it honestly.”
“….”
Clint curled his lips into a smile.
“The lady seems keen to finish the contract quickly, so let's get to it. Let's say once a week since we agree to share the bed.”
"….What?"