Psyche tried to pass, pretending not to see him.
There was no need to meet him, it would only bring up unpleasant memories from the past.
So, Psyche naturally avoided the Crown Prince's gaze and looked at Shillard.
“Shilard, should we go back now?”
"Ahh! Mama, shall we go back?"
Shillard looked around and expressed his concern for Psyche.
She smiled slightly and nodded, “Yes, it seems we have walked too long. Shilard, you are very brave.”
"Yes! I'm brave!"
Psyche turned away from the Crown Prince.
However, the intense look he directed at her was unsettling.
Alexa, who was accompanying Saiki, noticed the Crown Prince and stepped in front of Saiki and Shillard.
But the Crown Prince had already approached them.
“S-Saiki, is that you?”
“….”
Saiki once again took a step forward to feign ignorance.
But the Crown Prince was adamant.
“Is it possible that you are back?”
“….”
Prince Layton was looking at Psyche with a look full of residual affection.
He seemed a little confused by Shillard's presence, but meeting Saiki seemed even more surprising.
After a few more steps, Saiki thought she could no longer ignore him, so she stood up.
Then she headed towards Layton.
“I salute His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Psyche greeted him with a simple bow, looking at him with a calm expression.
Different emotions played on Layton's face.
But Saeki wasn't interested in his feelings at all.
Meeting Layton from start to finish was uncomfortable for her.
She disgusted him with his wanderings around the ducal palace, even years later, and the strange looks he gave her. I hated his face, which seemed to suggest an apology.
“I hope our chance meeting in a place like this ends today. Your Majesty. I must return now.”
“Have you reconciled with the Duke?”
“….”
The Crown Prince suddenly asked her, as if wondering about her relationship with the Duke. Although Saeki tried to turn the conversation into a way of saying that they should never meet again, he showed no interest.
“This is a matter between husband and wife. I feel no obligation to discuss such matters with Your Highness.”
Saiki's sharp words made Layton laugh awkwardly.
"Oh, sorry. I made an inappropriate comment. Sorry. But it's worth the Duke's effort to find you."
“….”
Saeki raised her eyebrows at that.
Who knows how sincerely the Duke was searching for her?
Even after all this time.
“A man obsessed with his successor.”
Saiki wore a stern expression.
The Crown Prince began chattering as if he was assigned a mission.
“The Duke almost killed Rachel. And now, he can't even breathe near the capital.”
"What?"
He realized that he was a man who would definitely seek revenge if he knew he had lost a child because of Rachel.
He was very sensitive about matters relating to his successor.
Although he tried to kill Psyche, except for the child, he did not realize that killing Rachel was not as difficult as he thought.
However, for Psyche, there was slight comfort in the fact that Layton did what she couldn't do — seek revenge.
In contrast to his suicide attempt, his anger toward Rachel was justified.
"I've never seen you lose your composure like that before. You were an ice-cold man through everything. You didn't hesitate at anything... Maybe because you lost a child. Oh."
Layton, who was whispering to himself, stopped talking when he saw Saiki's face distort at the mention of losing a child.
“Sorry, I misspoke.”
“Can I go now?”
When she tried to leave, he quickly grabbed her.
"Rachel! You're so sorry."
Leyton's words were sarcastic.
She didn't want to hear any more.
Saiki did not rule out the possibility of facing the Crown Prince or Rachel when she returns to the aristocracy.
But upon meeting them at such an early and unexpected time, Saiki wasn't emotionally ready to face them yet.
Haven't decided yet how to deal with them.
However, Leyton's words of remorse seemed very hypocritical. While Psyche struggled with complicated emotions, Leyton couldn't resist opening his mouth again.
“Well, about that...”
Psyche interrupted him. She couldn't stand his ridiculousness.
“If Rachel feels remorse, she should come to me and say so herself.”
"…This is correct."
'What about you? Do you think Rachel is the only one at fault, and the only one who made a mistake?”
“Well, that's not…”
In an instant, Clint's face darkened.
I feel the same way about you both. And…
No, this is not the case. In case Rachel comes back.
“Back where? Does this woman dare to return to where I am?”
“…?”
Leyton hesitated to speak, then chose his words carefully.
“No, I was just worried about any unforeseen circumstances.”
Saiki's piercing gaze finally made him close his mouth.
“As long as I'm in this area, Rachel will never come back.”
“Yes, sorry.”
"mama! Don't fight!
Psyche's low voice sounded unusual, and Shillard, who had been watching, burst into tears and intervened.
“We are not fighting. Shall we go, Sherry?”
Psyche turned to Shillard, her face becoming more gentle.
“Yay! Let's go!"
Shellard shone for the first time.
“…Mama?”
The Crown Prince hesitated at the word “mama.” His expression, tinged with strange emotions, was one of disbelief.
He looked alternately at Shilard and Psyche.
He couldn't find the right words.
But it seemed that Layton was able to see what he was thinking.
Saiki didn't want him to think about what he might think.
In addition, she had a lot to do.
Now that she had brought Schildard into the aristocracy, she actively wanted to find his parents.
The reason she didn't tell the Duke that Shilard wasn't his son was related to that as well.
“I have to adapt to him so that he can see his successor.”
So Psyche thought he was accommodating Schildard because he had not yet seen his successor.
If he had known that Shellard was not Psyche's son, the story might have been different.
Saiki didn't want to clear up this misunderstanding at the moment.
She had no intention of getting pregnant for a while.
Additionally, Psyche viewed her continued search for Shilred's parents as her atonement.
About her deceased child.
Having lost a child, how hard would the days be if Shilred's real parents were looking for him? In this way, she expressed her feelings.
Everything was fine. If Schildard had found his real parents, even just a little, it would seem as if some of the guilt would go away.
Suddenly, Layton's voice came to her mind, suggesting that Rachel might be back.
She calmly returned to the palace, and exploded in anger.
“Rachel coming back?”
Without realizing it, she spoke out loud.
Alexa, who was sitting in the front, turned her gaze in surprise.
“Why?”
Having allied herself with the Duke's side of the aristocracy, Alexa vaguely knew the situation but she pretended not to know and asked.
"Because I'm angry. Why does she come back here? Everything happened because of her."
Psyche broke through everything and unleashed her emotions.
No matter how much she thought about it, it was an unforgivable feeling.
Alexa responded slowly.
“Just keep her from coming back. No. Even if she does come back...”
“Even if I did?”
“Make sure she can't stay here.”
Maybe because she was a knight, her words were strange.
Saiki's eyes sparkled.
Fortunately, Shellard looked tired; As soon as he got into the carriage, he fell asleep.
“If the lady straightens her social circles.”
“Social circles?”
“Yes. I heard that noble women who kept their social circles close would often prevent a disreputable or unpopular person from entering banquets.”
“Oh.”
Psyche nodded in agreement.
It was a valid point.
She didn't usually care about things like social circles or gatherings of nobles. Because she had not grown up in the royal palace, and was already married, she was not interested in romantic relationships between nobles.
She also knew very well how influential a noble woman was in social circles.
Usually, it was about the Empress or a highly influential noblewoman with excellent charm and people skills.
“Alexa, you don’t attend parties often, but you seem to know it well?”
“Hahaha, I saw and heard some things.”
Psyche laughed.
Current social circles have lacked a central figure for a long time.
Suddenly, an idea came to Saiki's mind.
The impact she could have if the Duke tried to kill her again, and the impact she could have as his successor.
'Exactly!'
She suddenly brightened up.
Among women of the aristocracy, it may seem that they are just laughing and cheering, but this was not the case. Be a powerful force that carries valuable information.
“If you're belittling women, you're in big trouble.”
she asked with a bright smile.
“Who is the most influential among noblewomen at the moment?”
Alexa's eyes widened, then she slowly opened her mouth.
“Who else, it's the Duchess.”