So the Duchess Disappeared

59. All Eyes

Outside, the sound of Alexa starting the carriage could be heard.

“…”

The three of them ended up going to the palace together without a choice.

Psyche sat dumbfounded by this absurd situation, simply keeping her mouth shut.

Shilard, on the other hand, happily sat close to Clint, continuously laughing out loud.

‘If someone saw us, they’d think he’s really his father.’

Psyche made a slightly uncomfortable face.

For some reason, Shilard seemed to really like and follow Clint.

Even during the few days they hadn’t met, he had been singing Clint’s praises to that extent.

“Uncle, why haven’t I seen you lately?”

“…”

Clint sat across from Psyche, arms crossed, silently staring at Shilard.

“I missed you, Uncle! What about you?”

“…”

With no response from Clint, Shilard launched an indiscriminate attack of affection as if he didn’t care.

“Uncle, didn’t you miss seeing me?”

“…”

Then, Clint soon looked embarrassed.

“Tell me, Uncle!”

Shilard seemed determined to hear Clint’s answer.

Clint felt awkward.

While it was easy to feign emotions in front of adults, he had never dealt with raw emotions like a child’s. The clear gaze of the child seemed to pierce through him, making him uncomfortable. Reluctantly, he made some vague remark.

“It’s not always good to show all your emotions.”

Unable to bear the strange conversation any longer, Psyche finally intervened.

“Shilard, did you miss seeing Uncle?”

Shilard blinked and vigorously nodded his head.

“Yeah!”

Psyche couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiastic response, feeling her heart melt a little.

Shilard really seemed to have missed Clint quite a bit.

“Shilard, Uncle Clint likes you too!”

“He really missed seeing him, so could you at least respond?”

Psyche nudged Clint, urging him to say something.

“Do you really have to verbalize such feelings of missing someone?”

“Ugh, really.”

Clint, who didn’t want to express his true feelings in front of the child, narrowed his eyebrows irritably.

Psyche, knowing Clint wouldn’t respond, tried to placate Shilard.

“Oh, Uncle must have missed Shilard too, right?”

Shilard’s eyes sparkled with joy.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Psyche knew Clint wouldn’t respond, so she tried to appease Shilard.

He had always thought of Clint as a man who had a hard time expressing emotions and was unpredictable. Today wasn’t much different. Shilard’s presence alone softened the atmosphere.

“Wow!”

But Shilard seemed to enjoy it too much and now clung to Clint.

His neatly combed hair and sharply raised jacket collar quickly became disheveled.

Psyche was taken aback.

Wasn’t he a man with a touch of obsessive-compulsive disorder who didn’t like touching other women? If Shilard messed up his clothes, would he resent it? She quickly reached out to pull Shilard away.

“Oh my, Shilard, don’t bother Uncle like that.”

“It’s okay. Leave him alone.”

Surprisingly, it was Clint who stopped her.

“…”

He let Shilard do as he pleased as if it didn’t matter.

But anxious Psyche couldn’t just let it go.

It would be troublesome if Shilard continued like this even after arriving at the palace.

So, she pulled out her secret weapon.

“Shilard, you’re not a baby anymore, are you?”

“Shilard’s not a baby?”

“Yeah, you have to act like a big brother, right?”

“Yeah! Shilard’s a big brother! I’m a big bro!”

Finally, Shilard, who had been laughing, suddenly sat up straight and acted like an adult as if to say, “When did that happen?” As soon as the word “big brother” came out, he behaved as if he were an adult. 

When he stopped playing around, the carriage suddenly fell into silence.

❖ ❖ ❖

The carriage continued on for a while toward the palace.

Shilard, playing alone behind them, grew tired and fell asleep.

So, Psyche and Clint had to endure the awkward atmosphere.

But even trying to sleep had its limits.

Anyway, Psyche wanted to express her gratitude to Clint for bringing Shilard along, but seeing him emitting a chilly atmosphere, she couldn’t muster the courage to do so.

As they spent time aimlessly, they soon arrived at the palace.

The carriage stopped in front of the main gate, and the captain of the palace guard came out to greet them.

They got off the carriage and were instructed to stay in the reception rooms assigned to each of them until it was time to enter the banquet hall.

“Wow-“

As soon as they entered the reception room, Shilard exclaimed in admiration at the glamorous interior.

“Wow.”

Helen, who entered belatedly, also exclaimed in admiration.

She accompanied Psyche to assist her at the banquet, along with Alexia.

It was her first time at the palace, and such a magnificent banquet was even rarer for her to see, so her face was full of excitement.

The reception room of the Duke and Duchess was not just one room; it was as large as a small mansion.

Helen was amazed.

Psyche was relieved that the rooms were separate. It was because Clint went to a different room than them.

Seeing this, Helen approached Psyche cautiously and asked.

“Until when will you and your brother-in-law maintain this awkward relationship?”

“Helen…”

“Oh, sorry. I was supposed to call him Duke.”

“Don’t use the word ‘sister.'”

“Ah, okay. Old habits die hard.”

Helen looked around nervously as if she was being watched.

Then she spoke again.

“When we came in earlier, people were giving us weird looks. It made me feel uncomfortable.”

“That’s…”

Psyche glanced subtly at Shilard.

It was an expected reaction from the aristocrats.

Noble families never ceased to spread rumors about the relationship between the Duke and Duchess.

The role of the emperor seemed to play a significant part in this.

“If we want to show Shilard to the queen, there’s no choice.”

Since the quarrel with Clint, Psyche had been trying to find a way to meet the queen separately, but as he was treated as a state guest, he couldn’t meet her without the palace’s permission.

Moreover, it was even more impossible to bring a child with an unclear status.

The only way was to accompany Shilard to the open banquet.

“Why are they glaring at us like that? Are the aristocrats in Huangtu always like this?”

“Yeah, so Helen, be careful about your manners and don’t speak recklessly.”

Psyche advised Helen as well, not wanting to say anything about bringing Shilard.

Psyche quietly organized her thoughts.

There was no way to stop the rumors from spreading among the aristocrats.

But since Shilard wasn’t her child, and eventually the truth would come out, it would be possible to change the atmosphere at once. In a way, Psyche was aiming for that.

In society, as important as the power and position one possessed were the topicality and influence.

There was no other way to draw attention as much as being at the center of aristocratic gossip.

Wasn’t the aristocracy a race that loved talking about others and enjoyed twisting their weaknesses?

“It will be clear who acts recklessly.”

Most of all, when it was revealed that Shilard wasn’t Psyche’s child, where would the balance of power tilt?

It would be an exciting turn of events.

Since Psyche had decided to exert influence in society, she was truly ready to dive in.

When she left the Duke’s house, she was just the Duchess in name, but now she didn’t want to be just that. The influence as a Duchess could be another means of protecting herself.

However, Helen, who didn’t know Psyche’s inner thoughts, didn’t like the idea of Psyche being criticized for no reason.

“Sister, why don’t you just clarify things?”

“What?”

“Shilard is also your child-“

“Helen!”

Psyche interrupted her before she could finish speaking.

She had a worried look, wondering if Clint, who might be in another room, had heard them.

“Don’t say strange things like that.”

Psyche frowned, and Helen reluctantly nodded her head.

Although Psyche, who was cautious in everything, said so, Helen didn’t like the situation.

Among women, the Duchess was the second most powerful figure after the Empress.

Since the Empress’s influence was minimal now, if Psyche, the Duchess, wanted, she could dominate society.

However, because Shilard was becoming a major obstacle, Helen was not pleased with that.

“Maybe Sister has her reasons for thinking that way. But still…”

“Don’t even mutter a word about Shilard. Got it?”

Psyche warned firmly with an angry expression.

“Okay…”

Finally, Alexia entered.

Fortunately, it seemed that she hadn’t heard their conversation.

“It’s time for the banquet to begin. You should move to the banquet hall.”

“Already? Shilard, let’s go.”

Psyche tightly held Shilard’s hand and headed to the banquet hall.

Clint, who had tidied up his appearance again, stood by her side.

Behind them, Alexia, Alexandro, and Helen followed in a line.

Many people had already arrived at the banquet welcoming the Queen’s visit.

Most of them were high-ranking nobles invited by the Emperor himself. As Clint and Psyche entered, they looked around eagerly, taking in the atmosphere.

The gaze of the nobles toward the Duke and Duchess was as strange as expected.

Moreover, with Shilard accompanying them, they seemed even more surprised.

The rumors had spread uncontrollably after the Emperor’s visit.

Psyche ignored their gazes and walked forward.

Shilard, who was in such a crowded place for the first time, held Psyche’s hand tightly, seeming somewhat nervous.

They soon arrived at the royal seat where the Emperor and the Queen of Tarang stood.

Then the Emperor stood up and warmly greeted them.

“Oh, here is Valentine, the Duke who plays a pivotal role in our empire. The Queen already knows him, right?”

The Emperor introduced the Duke to the Queen first.

Then, with a gentle smile, the elegant Queen looked at them.

“Yes, indeed. We’ve already met. I’ve received a lot of help from him.”

The Queen seemed quite appreciative of Clint. Then she glanced at Psyche standing next to him.

Her gaze soon stopped at Shilard.