Chapter 7

The Crown Prince tried to hold her reflexively. However, someone stepped in front of him and Psyche, forcing the Crown Prince to step back.

Psyche’s fall was only a matter of time.

It was none other than Clint who caught her. He shot back at the crown prince with fierce eyes.

“Your Majesty. This woman is my wife.”

From a distance, it appeared that the Crown Prince was playing a trick on his wife, and Clint had quickly returned with a very unpleasant expression.

He was worried about Psyche’s cold demeanor these days, so the appearance of a Crown Prince who was like a playboy made him very unhappy. Furthermore, he was shocked by Psyche’s condition in his arms.

Psyche’s face was pale. Despite the fact that she was pregnant and her belly was convex, her limbs were so thin that he didn’t seem to be holding a pregnant woman at all. It was a weird feeling.

‘Did I not have enough interest in my wife?’

Clint thought he was paying enough attention to Psyche. Because he thought he was providing her with the best, the best environment, and she thought it was a great blessing.

But Psyche was so thin ​​as if she had received no attention. Even her body was cold

Clint suddenly became suspicious.

‘I never thought she’d be left unattended. That’s strange.’

He used the best quality ingredients and provided quality food for every meal.

On the other hand, it was a figure that was too thin for Psyche. So he didn’t feel any better.

The Duke didn’t even want to greet the Crown Prince. He barely chewed on what he wanted to say before returning to the Crown Prince, and he finally turned back with the least respect for the Crown Prince.

“The Duke has a delightful wife. I’m so envious.”

From behind his back, the crown prince said with a smile.

It wasn’t even worth fighting for. Ignoring it would have been enough.

However, the Duke was pathologically sensitive to the words ‘mine’ or ‘my person.’ It was the same even if it was the Crown Prince who would become Emperor in the future.

He couldn’t stand it when other people looked over his own.

Despite being a prince with the emperor’s support, he was known for being a fool. The nobility only bowed to him on the outside and treated him poorly. Therefore, the Duke dared to say something that should be disregarded.

“Be content with what you had in the imperial court.”

“What?”

At the Duke’s sharp remarks, the Crown Prince asked with a displeased expression.

“… ”

The prince burst into laughter at the sight of the Duke full of hostility to his superiors.

“You seem to be talking nonsense?”

“Please regard it as advice from your loyalists that it is best to give up the habit of coveting others.”

However, the Duke did not lose. A cold, sword-like word fell at the Crown Prince’s distance. It was a stark contrast to his demeanor when interacting with Psyche. He was like a different person.

The Crown Prince, on the other hand, was a man second only to the Emperor in this country. Meanwhile, he had met nobles who pretended to respect him on the outside, despite the fact that they all looked at him pathetically. But the Duke was relentless.

There were even rumors that the Duke’s sword, which had a terrifyingly cold disposition, could cut through ghosts. It was the Crown Prince’s first encounter with the Duke in this manner, and he seemed at a loss for words.

Clint is now offended by everything. The lightness of the woman holding his heir in his arms.

And the eyes of a crazy man looking at his wife. There wasn’t one thing he liked. However, as the confrontations with the Crown Prince escalated here, the result did not appear to be of any use.

Clint turned away from him.

“It’s impossible even if it’s your majesty. Then, excuse me.”

He waved goodbye before turning around and walking away.

The Crown Prince looked at Psyche for a long time.

***

Maybe it was because she was in the carriage, her head was ringing. Psyche, who had lost consciousness due to the scent of zavia, was wandering in the past for some reason.

The moments when she first met the Duke, who would become her husband, passed like a lantern.

In the past, she was always smiling faintly in front of the Duke.

‘Why was I smiling?’

It just felt silly now, and it made her stomach ache.

The pleasant memories of the past that she had forgotten disappeared in an instant. Her mouth was bitter at the reality that turned into a nightmare in an instant.

A headache made her frown unknowingly.

Soon, the dream of the past became a reality and landed right in front of her feet.

Why hadn’t she thought of that? Why couldn’t she have guessed why he was so nice? She grimaced involuntarily. Her consciousness was gradually waking up.

“… Wife… Before she notices… I have to deal with it quickly.”

She doubted her ears. She closed her eyes pretending not to hear. However, the Duke shut his mouth as soon as he realized that she had regained consciousness. She slowly opened her eyes.

“Wife, are you awake?”

As her vision gradually started to brighten, she saw Clint looking at her with a very worried expression. Psyche felt suffocated as soon as she saw him.

Psyche sat quietly in the bedroom and fell into deep contemplation. The day she came back from the ball. What did the Duke say in the carriage? She bit her nails with her lips in frustration.

‘Before I noticed…?’

What does it mean to take care of it quickly? The child’s birth date was approaching. His words sounded like he was going to kill the child as soon as he was born.

Why… Psyche burst into tears at the thought of being cornered. It was because the man’s kind face suddenly came to mind.

Even if all of that was a lie, there were times when she wanted to lean on that kindness.

“This is not the time to be swayed by this.”

She tapped her cheek with both hands. She needed to keep her mind alert. She had already wasted too much time on him.

She calmed down and regained her rational thoughts. She had decided on the day she would run away, but she had no idea where she would go. Even if she was hiding in this country, there was no place where the Duke’s eyes and feet did not reach. Also, simply deciding where to go was not a good idea.

“First… I will also need living expenses… ”

Psyche looked at the door.

“I can’t give birth or raise a child in a shabby place…”

She mumbled to herself and turned her head. She didn’t know about anything else, but she had to protect the child.

‘Later, really if. Even if I escape and is caught again, this child is the only one who can carry on her life.’

He was a man crazy about posterity He may be reluctant to kill the mother of an already grown child.

In the first place, she had no intention of completely running away from the man who ruled this country. If he’s determined to find her, he’ll go to any length to do so. She organized her thoughts calmly.

Where is the best place to protect herself?

Where she knows best. The only place she knew was around the castle of the Viscount, which was now in ruins. The mountains were rough, and if she try to hide…!

If she was determined to hide, there was no better place than her hometown. The only place she knows better than the Duke was there.

‘How should I come up with the expenses? Jewels and dresses are too conspicuous.’

She struggled to find a better way alone. The thought of going back to her hometown suddenly made her heart flutter. As she was making plans step by step, a servant came to her in a hurry.

“That, Madam.”

“Yes?”

She suddenly jumped up from her seat like someone caught doing something bad. The startled servant looked at her curiously and then quickly explained why he had called her.

“Ah, you have a visitor.”

“Guest?”

Clint had disliked people entering and exiting the Duke’s residence since he was a child. But he was expecting a guest without giving her a notice?

Clint had been gone for a while, so she had to greet the guest instead.

And it wasn’t until she went down to the reception room and checked the person did she find out that the person who appeared was an uninvited guest.