So the Duchess Disappeared

50. Wicked Man

Psyche tried to pass by, pretending not to see him.

There was no need to meet him, and it would only bring up unpleasant memories from the past.

So, Psyche naturally avoided the Crown Prince’s gaze and looked at Shilard.

“Shilard, should we go back now?”

“Uh-huh! Mummy, we go back?”

Shilard looked around and expressed concern for Psyche.

She faintly smiled and nodded, “Yes, it seems we’ve walked for too long. Shilard, you’re so brave.”

“Yup! I’m brave!”

With that, Psyche turned away from the Crown Prince.

However, the intense gaze he directed at her was unsettling.

Alexa, who was accompanying Psyche, noticed the Crown Prince and stepped in front of Psyche and Shilard.

But, the Crown Prince had already approached them.

“P-Psyche, is it you?”

“….”

Psyche, to once again feign ignorance, took a step forward.

But the Crown Prince was persistent.

“Could it be you’ve returned?”

“….”

Prince Layton stared at Psyche with a gaze full of lingering affection.

He seemed somewhat confused by Shilard’s presence, but meeting Psyche appeared to be more surprising.

A few more steps, and Psyche, thinking she could no longer ignore him, stood her ground.

Then, she turned towards Layton.

“I greet His Highness, the Crown Prince.”

Psyche greeted him with a simple bow, looking at him with a calm expression.

Various emotions played on Layton’s face.

But Psyche wasn’t curious about his feelings at all.

Encountering Layton from the beginning to the end was uncomfortable for her.

After walking a few more steps, Psyche stopped, feeling she couldn’t ignore him any longer.

Then, she turned her body towards Layton.

“Your Highness, I greet you.”

Psyche greeted him with a very modest salute.

Layton’s face revealed various emotions.

But Psyche was not interested in his emotions at all.

The mere fact of encountering him from the start to the end was entirely unpleasant for her.

She was repulsed by the fact that even after several years, he still wandered around the Duke’s mansion and his strange gaze as he looked at her. She disliked his face, which seemed to imply an apology.

“I hope that our chance encounter in a place like this ends today. Your Highness. I need to go back now.”

“Did you reconcile with the Duke?”

“….”

The Crown Prince suddenly asked, as if curious about the relationship between her and the Duke. Although Psyche tried to turn the conversation into a way of saying that they shouldn’t meet again, it didn’t seem to register with him.

“That’s a matter between a husband and a wife. I don’t feel obligated to discuss such matters with Your Highness.”

Psyche’s sharp words made Layton awkwardly laugh.

“Ah, sorry. I made an inappropriate comment. Sorry. But it’s still worth it for the Duke to work hard to find you.”

“….”

Psyche raised her eyebrows at that.

Who knows how sincere the Duke was in looking for her.

Even after all this time.

‘A man obsessed with his successor.’

Psyche wore a stern expression.

The Crown Prince, as if he had some duty, began to chatter.

“The Duke almost killed Rachel. So now, he can’t even breathe near the capital.”

“What?”

Here’s the translation of the provided Korean text into English:

He realized that he was a man who would surely seek revenge if he knew that he had lost a child because of Rachel.

He was very sensitive to matters related to his successor.

Although he tried to kill himself, excluding the child, he did not realize that killing Rachel was not as difficult as he thought.

However, for Psyche, there was a slight relief in the fact that Layton did what she couldn’t do—seeking revenge.

Unlike his attempt to kill himself, his anger towards Rachel was justified.

“I’ve never seen you lose your composure like that. You used to be a man who was as cold as ice in everything. You never wavered in anything… probably because you lost a child. Ah.”

Layton, who was murmuring to himself, stopped talking when he saw Psyche’s face distorted at the mention of losing a child.

“Sorry, I misspoke.”

“Can I go now?”

As she tried to leave, he quickly grabbed her.

“Rachel! You’re deeply remorseful.”

Layton’s words were ironic.

She didn’t want to hear more.

Psyche hadn’t ruled out the possibility of encountering the Crown Prince or Rachel when she returned to the aristocracy.

But meeting them at such an unexpected and early time, Psyche was not emotionally prepared to face them yet.

She hadn’t decided how to handle them.

However, Layton’s words of being remorseful sounded too hypocritical. While Psyche was grappling with complex emotions, Layton couldn’t resist opening his mouth again.

“So, about that…”

Psyche interrupted him. She couldn’t stand his absurdity.

“If Rachel feels remorse, she should come to me and say it herself.”

“…That’s true.”

“What about you? Do you think Rachel is the only one at fault, and she’s the only one who did something wrong?”

“Well, that’s not…”

In an instant, Clint’s face darkened.

“I feel the same about both of you. And…”

“No, that’s not it. In case Rachel comes back.”

“Come back? Where? Does that woman dare to come back to the territory where I am?”

“…?”

Layton hesitated to speak, then carefully chose his words.

“Oh, no. I was just worried about any unforeseen circumstances.”

Psyche’s piercing gaze made him finally close his mouth.

“As long as I am in the territory, Rachel will never come back.”

“Yeah, sorry.”

“Mama! Don’t fight!”

Psyche’s subdued voice seemed unusual, and Shilred, who was watching, burst into tears and intervened.

“We’re not fighting. Shall we go, Shiri?”

Psyche turned to Shilred, her face softening.

“Yay! Let’s go!”

Shilred, for once, brightened up.

“…Mama?”

The Crown Prince hesitated at the word ‘mama.’ His expression, tinged with strange emotions, showed disbelief.

He alternately looked at Shilred and Psyche.

He couldn’t find the right words.

But it seemed like Layton could see through what he was thinking.

Psyche didn’t want to think about what he might be thinking.

In addition, she had a lot to do.

Now that she had brought Shilred to the aristocracy, she wanted to actively find her parents.

The reason she didn’t tell the Duke that Shilred was not his son was also related to that.

‘I have to adjust to him until he sees his successor.’

So Psyche thought that he was accommodating Shilred because he hadn’t seen his successor yet.

If Shilred knew that he wasn’t Psyche’s child, it might have been a different story.

Psyche didn’t want to clear up that misunderstanding for now.

She had no intention of getting pregnant for a while.

Also, Psyche considered her persistent search for Shilred’s parents as her own atonement.

About her deceased child.

Having already lost a child once, how agonizing would the days be if Shilred’s birth parents were looking for him? In this way, she projected her emotions.

Anything was fine. If Shilred found his birth parents, even a little, it seemed like some guilt would be washed away.

Suddenly, Layton’s voice, suggesting that Rachel might come back, crossed her mind.

Quietly returning to the mansion, she burst into anger.

“Rachel is coming back?”

Without realizing it, she spoke out loud.

Alexa, who was sitting in front, turned her surprised gaze.

“Why?”

Having aligned herself with the Duke’s side in the aristocracy, Alexa vaguely knew the situation but pretended not to and asked.

“Because I’m angry. Why would she come back here? She has something to do with what happened.”

Psyche cut through everything and just vented her feelings.

No matter how much she thought about it, it was an unforgivable emotion.

Alexa responded slowly.

“Just prevent her from coming back. No. Even if she does come back…”

“Even if she does?”

“Make sure she can’t stay here.”

Perhaps because he was a knight, his words were eerie.

Psyche’s eyes sparkled.

Fortunately, Shilred seemed tired; as soon as he got on the carriage, he fell asleep.

“If the lady straightens out the social circles.”

“Social circles?”

“Yes. I heard that noblewomen who used to tighten social circles often kept someone with a bad reputation or a disliked person from entering banquets.”

“Oh.”

Psyche nodded approvingly.

It was a valid point.

She usually had little interest in things like social circles or noblewomen’s gatherings. Since she didn’t grow up in the royal palace, and already married, she wasn’t curious about the romantic entanglements of noble men and women.

She also knew very well how influential a noblewoman’s impact on social circles could be.

Usually, it was centered around the empress or a highly influential noblewoman with excellent charm and people skills.

“Alexa, you don’t attend banquets often, but you seem to know quite well?”

“Hahaha, I’ve seen and heard some things.”

Satisfied, Psyche laughed.

The current social circles had lacked a central figure for quite a while.

Suddenly, a thought crossed Psyche’s mind.

The influence she could have if the Duke ever tried to kill her again, the impact she could have as his successor.

‘Exactly!’

She suddenly brightened up.

Among the women in aristocracy, they might appear to be just laughing and waving fans, but it wasn’t so. They were a large force moving with valuable information.

‘If you underestimate women, you’re in big trouble.’

She asked with a bright smile.

“Who is currently the most influential among the noblewomen?”

Alexa widened her eyes. Then, slowly opened her mouth.

“Who else, it’s the Duchess.”