Throwing out seductive words casually was very lighthearted, but it was also in keeping with the image of a prince. He spoke with a certain amount of seriousness, but it was unlikely that his true intentions could be conveyed.
Taking it as a natural joke, Saiki made her expression hard and spoke.
“I… I just wanted to say that I feel like I got a chance to repay the favor you owed me last time.”
"Oh, really? That's too bad."
The prince pursed his lips in what looked like disappointment.
Psyche has deliberately kept all employees out of this.
When she first mentioned that she would face the prince, the maid naturally opposed her. However, she couldn't keep the prince waiting forever, so in the end, things went the way Saiki wanted.
When I heard talk about divorce or something like that, I felt very relieved because it was just between them.
Saiki ignored his words and returned the teacup to its place in front of her.
“If it doesn’t matter to you, please don’t talk about divorce, as I have no intention of remarrying the prince.”
Upon hearing this, a slight blush crossed the prince's face.
“Oh, my God. Really? Did you really fight? Well, the other day… People were saying the vibe between you two was weird. It’s comforting.”
The prince's words, in which he added "it's a relief" to someone else's misfortune, made Psyche laugh derisively.
It wasn't a lie that their relationship wasn't good, but hearing it from someone else's mouth like this wasn't exactly pleasant.
She had no room to play with his playful words. Psyche took a look at the prince's face and spoke, as if testing the waters.
“If I were to make a somewhat unreasonable request, would you be willing to agree to it?”
Perhaps it was a somewhat surprising topic.
However, Psyche was secretly pinning her hopes on the day she “saved the prince’s life.”
As I expected.
“You saved my life... What could be so unreasonable? Just say so.”
Hearing his words, Saiki hesitated for a moment.
She couldn't trust him completely, but there was no other way to escape from this place.
In fact, she didn't quite believe he was the prince.
She lived with a husband whom she couldn't trust from the beginning, so she didn't trust anyone. This was her state of mind. It was just trying to clutch at straws.
And perhaps, instead of the contract-bound relationship with Clint, a deal with the prince who saved her life might be more reliable.
She chose her words carefully and spoke carefully.
“Please let me out of the Duke’s residence.”
"What?"
The prince made an expression of astonishment, not in jest, but in genuine disbelief. His raised eyebrows reflected his mood. He simply couldn't believe what had happened.
“If Your Majesty agrees to what I want, I will have to stay in the palace for a while. I will need to make sure no one finds out that I am staying there. I will return to my hometown as soon as the rumors about my escape from the Duke’s residence subside.”
“…”
“I don’t know how long it will take, but I will do my best to provide Your Highness with the knowledge I have during my stay in the palace.”
If he gave her the lessons she wanted so badly, would she be able to hide and escape the Duke's house?
These days, the Duke had a great reputation, but wouldn't the palace be fairly safe?
Moreover, if she could stay by the prince's side and fulfill his wishes, it seemed like a reasonable deal.
Although she was initially hesitant about the relationship that started as a deal with Clint, at the moment this feels like the strongest card she can hold.
“…”
Psyche carefully watched the prince's facial expressions.
The prince, who seemed to be taking everything lightly a moment ago, now had a serious face. His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at her without blinking.
“What is the reason?”
The cheerful look on his face disappeared, and he asked seriously.
But…
“Don't ask about it.”
Psyche answered firmly, and the prince laughed dryly.
“That's right. The important thing is that you won't talk about this, right? Well, that's what I like about you. Everything has its reasons.”
The prince slowly relaxed his expression, and nodded.
He leaned back from his position towards Saiki, put his hands behind his head and finally surrendered.
“Okay.”
“Huh?”
"It's okay. I'll let you out. How do you want me to help you?"
Saiki was left speechless by his response, because he seemed to accept it so easily.
She didn't know if he would actually accept her offer; Maybe that was a risk on her part.
"What's the date then? You must leave as soon as possible so that the Duke doesn't find out. Tonight?"
Psyche responded with a decisive look and a nod.
“Tonight.”
When the prince heard this, he couldn't help but be surprised.
❖ ❖ ❖
Although it may seem that the prince did nothing on the surface, the position of the prince was actually of great importance.
He initially suggested that they leave together when she was about to escape from the Duke.
He stressed that this would be the most comfortable and direct way to leave. However, Saiki didn't want to give the impression that she was leaving together
She didn't want to ask questions like, "Why was it complicated with a guy?"
Psyche did not want to repay the strange relationship that had developed between the Duke and Rachel. She also did not want to spark rumors about her being with the prince without any reason.
She may not have known much about politics or affairs, but she was aware that considering the Duke an enemy would put even the Emperor in a difficult position.
She decided to leave the duke's palace alone in the middle of the night when everyone was asleep.
The prince agreed to this and provided her with a safe escape route. He had already prepared the way, removed the Duke's knights in advance, and even put Psyche to sleep with a sleeping potion she originally had.
Even though they were knights, Saiki hoped that no one would be harmed by her actions.
Eventually, night fell.
She made sure the staff around Marina paid attention to her and entered her room.
"Marina, thank you. You should take care of yourself."
After taking one last look at her dear room, Saeki turned away.
And so the duke's wife disappeared.
**********
'...Unbelievable.'
As soon as she left the Duke's Palace, Psyche looked around as she walked quickly. The cool night air wrapped around her like a hug.
The surroundings of the Duke's Palace have been transformed into an artificial forest to prevent unauthorized entry from all sides.
The prince had said that he would be waiting for her at the entrance to the forest, making it seem like an easy escape once she got there.
“Cold...it's so cold.”
The feeling of liberation was fleeting. However, the night forest looked rather eerie and frightening.
For no apparent reason, she felt like someone was following her.
“This is strange.”
She muttered to herself, moving on her own.
She made sure that no one could follow her, and yet, the unpleasant feeling of eyes watching her still haunted her.
I thought it was just her imagination playing with her.
However, the strange feeling did not leave her, so she quickened her steps.
Her anxiety seemed to press on her lower abdomen, and the pain gradually began to increase
“Oh…”
She felt a chilling sensation around her neck.
It seemed as if the darkness of the night would swallow everything from the top of her head to her toes.
The entire night sky that entered her narrow field of vision only increased her fear.
I got worried and started running.
It didn't take long for her to lose her breath.
“Panting, panting.”
Her breath almost reached her throat.
It felt like the black forest was swallowing the sky.
Everything around her was dark, and the sharp shadows of the tall trees above were constantly invading her perception, exacerbating her fear.
As she ran, the shadows of the trees seemed to lengthen, as if they were extending their branches to follow her. The terrifying, monster-like forest, combined with the darkness, increased her fear.
“Hyuk, haha.”
The silence of the forest, with its stillness, made even the sound of the wind sound like the roar of a storm.
Her senses became sharply alert.
That's why I heard a strange sound.
Daddak, Pat.
Urgent sound of someone running.
Someone was chasing her.
“Someone is following me!”
She felt afraid, so she changed her steps, and she continued to feel that she was being followed, so she had to start running again.
It was a desperate, life-threatening race.
Due to exhaustion, she felt as if her legs were about to collapse, and her vision became blurry. She barely managed to regain her composure.
“Haha!”
Her breath wafted in the cold air outside, obscuring her vision. However, she couldn't worry about that.
She kept running without stopping.
“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
A short, piercing scream involuntarily escaped her lips.
Her heart was beating fast, and her whole body was beating strongly. However, she had to keep moving.
“If they catch me I will die!”
The fear that gripped her chin was the only driving force behind her relentless rush.
Her body was already covered with cuts and bruises.
Her mouth was dry, her throat was dry, and she couldn't feel her feet.
“Hyuk, hyuk!”
The black sky turned a shade of yellow.
But she didn't stop.
She believed that she would reach the place where she promised to meet the prince soon.
And that's when it happened.
She felt the sensation of something hot flowing between her legs.