So the Duchess Disappeared

37. Traces of a Woman

Psyche was so startled that she quickly pulled her upper body backward. She almost fell and barely managed to regain her balance, but for a moment, it felt like they would touch.

Claude, who had been watching the two, involuntarily opened his mouth wide. If Clint had extended his hand to grab something, even Psyche’s hair would have been within his reach.

“Why are you doing what you shouldn’t?”

Inexperienced Alejandro stepped forward. He approached Clint, glanced around, and shrugged his shoulders.

“There’s nothing here. It would be better to explore elsewhere quickly.”

“….”

Clint’s eyebrows lifted. There seemed to be something bothering him.

“The lady’s…”

He mumbled to himself again but soon gave up. After scanning the surroundings once more, he turned away from Psyche.

“Let’s just go back. This place feels like a ruin.”

“Right? We should quickly go and find the lady. If we go further north from here, we’ll surely reach the castle.”

Alejandro walked slowly beside Clint, desperately trying to accommodate himself to Clint’s mood. He appeared optimistic, adding that they could find Psyche. But he didn’t even know if Psyche was in front of him.

After they left, Psyche, her legs weakened, sank to the ground where she stood.

“Lady!”

Claude quickly supported her.

“Ha… that was so surprising.”

She held her trembling hands together, trying to stop the shivering.

In truth, she was also nervous when dealing with Johnny inwardly. Although she had tried to appear stronger, she was secretly holding back her trembling emotions. It was the first time she had expressed her opinions this strongly, and she was holding onto her nervousness.

However…

During such a moment, Clint’s unexpected appearance.

It was tolerable that he didn’t collapse right there on the spot.

“You did really well, lady.”

Claude smiled and spoke gently.

“I was so scared that I was shaking inside.”

“What? Don’t exaggerate.”

“I’m serious!”

Claude joked to ease the tension while gently helping Psyche, whose body was still trembling slightly.

“Ha….”

Stifled breath burst out all at once. Nevertheless, she steadfastly held her ground, even if she was an empty-handed beggar who hadn’t seized anything.

She had preserved what her father left behind.

Suddenly, Psyche’s eyes welled up with tears.

“It was too… frightening.”

Both Johnny and the Duke who came to find her.

It was a series of unexpected events that she couldn’t handle even if she exerted her wit.

She endured alone in silence, firmly standing against the pitiful reality.

That was all she could do.

“Even that alone is truly remarkable.”

Claude sincerely complimented her.

Psyche’s eyes welled up with tears in response.

She reassured herself that it was okay.

From where everyone had left, she lifted the heavy heart that had been sitting alone.

“….”

“They’re all gone now. Surely, you are the owner of this castle.”

Claude chuckled and spoke.

It was hard to believe.

Because, for the first time, she had achieved something on her own…

Psyche was immediately engulfed in a strange feeling.

It was joyful, yet bitter at the same time.

So much had been lost until now.

Now, she promised herself not to lose anything anymore.

❖ ❖ ❖

Four years had passed.

Psyche had become a proud lord of Alister, and Claude had become her reliable aide.

Shiret had grown considerably and turned into a cute child.

In case the Duke came looking for her again, she decided to use the castle on the side as her residence.

Although she had to bring some distant relatives and a few side-branch heirs to Alister Castle in the process, the results were not bad. It wasn’t bad for keeping Johnny in check either.

She changed her name and lived a new life.

Now, it felt like she had returned to a somewhat ordinary life.

She couldn’t afford a luxurious noble life, but her heart was more at ease than before.

Of course, when she was alone, she couldn’t help but think of Clint or the baby she lost, and it was agonizing. However, she decided not to dwell on these thoughts.

She had already let go of the severed ties.

Since it was impossible to bring back the departed baby by thinking about it.

She believed that doing her best in the given reality was all she could do.

“Ma… no. My lord. What should we do with this? Should I put it here?”

Claude, accustomed to the title of “lady,” scratched his head awkwardly and asked.

“Don’t ask me; ask Shiret.”

“Oh, should I?”

Claude, holding a large gift box, entered and stopped when Psyche spoke.

“Yeah. It’s Shiret’s birthday. The protagonist’s preference is the most important.”

Psyche said as she looked at documents in the study. Claude, holding the gift box, approached her after putting the gift in a corner.

Then he suddenly took the pen she had and grabbed it.

“What are you doing?”

With an annoyed look, Psyche raised her eyes from under her glasses, which had slipped down her nose.

“Shiret probably wants my lady, or rather, my lord, to play with him the most… you know…”

He made a displeased face.

“You know I’m busy.”

“That’s not it, right? I think you’re just worried that Shiret might get attached to you while playing. Later, you’ll make excuses like you have to separate when he finds his parents again.”

“….”

Avoiding Claude’s gaze, Psyche seemed annoyed.

That was indeed the case.

Psyche genuinely liked and adored Shiret, but there was always the worry about what to do if his parents were to appear someday and ask for him back. While she naturally thought he should return to his biological parents, a corner of her heart couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Moreover, as Shiret grew older, his attachment to Psyche, almost like a mother, became more troubling for her.

Nevertheless, the more Shiret behaved like a child following her, the more she hesitated to maintain a distance.

Claude, being observant, was well aware of her actions.

“You don’t have to do that. Just cherish him enough without unnecessarily causing him emotional pain,” Claude said, as if making a request.

“….”

Psyche wanted to do that too. However, there was another reason for her.

The more Shiret followed her like a mother, the more she couldn’t bear the thoughts of the baby she lost.

Since Claude was unaware that she had lost a child, he hadn’t considered that aspect.

Reluctantly, Psyche nodded.

“By the way, Shiret is turning three soon. Hasn’t it been quite a while since he started talking? It’s slow, except for those babyish sounds. Please pay more attention,” Claude said.

“….Alright, alright, stop nagging.”

Psyche frowned.

“Ma-aaa!”

At that moment, the study door burst open.

The child who came rushing in, blushing cheek to cheek upon seeing Psyche, was Shiret. He promptly rushed towards her, swinging both arms.

“Come on, Shiret. Be quiet when coming in. The lord is busy,” Helen, Psyche’s cousin and Shiret’s chaperone, followed him.

“No, it’s okay. I was just taking a break. Shiret!”

As Psyche reached out her arms, Shiret, as if he had been waiting for it, immediately embraced her.

Holding a bunch of documents, Helen struggled to put them down on the table and brushed her hands.

“Oh, Claude is here too.”

“Yes, I was about to leave now. Carry on with your conversations.”

After giving a satisfied look at Shiret hugging Psyche, Claude exited the study.

Helen, watching him leave with a longing gaze, turned her attention back to Psyche and Shiret.

“Ma, ma-aa.”

Shiret’s plump cheeks were tinged with a rosy hue. Not knowing what was so good, he continued to play with Psyche’s hair, giggling.

Seemingly bothered, Helen approached them and mumbled, as if to be heard but not quite heard.

“Sister isn’t even your real sister—”

“Ssh! Don’t say such things anywhere!”

However, Psyche stopped her with an angered expression.

“Fine, fine.”

Helen surrendered, raising both hands in a gesture of surrender.

“Anyway, Sister, you really should consider an heir.”

“An heir?”

“Yeah. Even if you remarry, you should pass on the lordship. Don’t you think? After all, Sister has gained her position through so much hardship. Don’t you agree?”

She asked twice if Psyche agreed, looking displeased with Shiret the entire time.

“Are you suggesting giving the lordship to a child with no noble blood?”

“Helen!”

“Ah, okay, I got it.”

As Psyche scolded her, Helen added with a smirk, “But Sister, I’m serious.”

“Kyaah, maa-aa-“

Shiret, still sitting on Psyche’s knees, continued to play with her fingers.

“Do you understand what she’s saying?”

Psyche sighed deeply. Helen’s words made sense, but she wasn’t ready to remarry.

“Oh, by the way, didn’t I hear something yesterday? A noble came down from the capital? A really high-ranking one. How about catching a high-ranking noble and remarrying?”

“What?”

Psyche stood up without realizing it, surprised by those words.

“Wah, ooaaah!”

Suddenly falling from her knees, Shiret began to cry in surprise.

“Sister! He’s crying!”

“Oh, so… sorry. Shiret, come here. Are you okay? I’ll hug you.”

“Woong… sniff.”

As Psyche comforted Shiret, he quickly stopped crying.

Watching the scene, Helen opened her mouth again.

“I heard they were looking for someone. Anyway, it seemed like that.”