So the Duchess Disappeared

22. The Most Important Thing

The duke had been searching for Psyche for the past ten days. There was nothing else he could do.

The last ten days had felt relentless, as if he had been in a trance, and he was consumed by immense anger over Psyche’s disappearance, yet he didn’t know the cause.

As expected, the assassins couldn’t enter the duke’s estate.

In the first place, they hadn’t sent someone capable of entering the estate.

Therefore, he grew more concerned about the danger they posed. Those who couldn’t enter the estate but had set up an ambush in the forest posed a significant threat to Psyche when she escaped.

The way everything seemed to conspire to threaten Psyche was eerie.

Everything seemed suspicious.

So Clint worried even more.

What if something happened to Psyche?

What if something terrible happened to Psyche’s child?

He spent his time in a state of mindlessness.

He didn’t even know how much time had passed.

The duke, who had never berated his knights before, was furious and scolded them.

But no matter how angry he got and how many knights he dispatched, they couldn’t capture Psyche.

Nowhere could they find her.

And then came the news, and it was devastating.

A knight who had been searching day and night for several days approached Clint cautiously.

His face was filled with worry.

“What is it?”

Clint was the first to speak to the knight, who hesitated in front of him.

He needed to hear something, anything.

Despite Clint’s question, the knight hesitated for a long time before finally speaking with difficulty.

“Um… we found a body.”

The word “body” alone made Clint feel like the world was vanishing before his eyes.

He had sent the knights to search, and the news felt like a bolt from the blue.

He barely held his composure and asked, “A body?”

The knight shrank back at the icy tone, as if Clint could kill him at any moment.

“It’s a pregnant woman’s body. Her face is severely disfigured, but… it’s, um, she…”

“Hurry up and tell me.”

“The body is wearing the duchess’s clothes.”

“What.?”

It’s an unbelievable statement.

There’s no way.

It can’t be that easy to die.

He barely suppressed the feeling of going insane. Yet, there was no result from the search in the forest.

At the time of the duchess’s death and the duke’s estate being in mourning, Advisor Alexandro approached.

“Your Grace, I’ve heard that the duchess met the Crown Prince just before she left.”

This news, delivered to him as he sat dejectedly in his study, where everything was in disarray, stirred him back into action.

Despite being tired from searching the forest all night, he opened his eyes wide and got up.

The Crown Prince.

A man who openly disliked the increasing power of the duke’s faction.

He knew that the Crown Prince was working behind the scenes to clean up the noble factions that had grown too large before he became emperor. But he didn’t know how the Crown Prince would approach the duchess.

At the very least, he thought he could do something through him.

Upon hearing the news that the Crown Prince had been seen visiting, he prepared to meet him right away.

“I’ll meet him today.”

However, at the duke’s request, the Crown Prince had been postponing the meeting with various excuses.

He was growing impatient.

He needed to confirm the life or death of Psyche and their child. Living day by day wasn’t really living. It felt like his lifeblood was drying up.

What in the world…?

Why had things gotten this bad?

In this crazy situation, the fact that Psyche might still be alive or not was suffocating him.

“Your Grace, are you spending the night here again?”

“The damn Crown Prince is hiding something. It can’t be my wife.”

He said it like he was spitting out the words.

“It’s already been ten days. It might be better to go back…”

“If I wait just one more day, I’ll mobilize the army.”

“What?”

Astonished, Alexandro couldn’t continue speaking.

The duke was a man who wouldn’t speak words he didn’t intend to carry out.

His words were deadly serious.

“Are you saying you’ll commit treason…”

“But the author must’ve written some useless pages. If he hadn’t, he would have met me for sure. He definitely kidnapped Psyche.”

“But…”

“I value my family the most. After that, it’s the damn people who talk about justice and the country.”

“…”

As Alexandro searched for the right words to respond, the door to the reception room where they were opened wide.

Appearing in the doorway was the Crown Prince’s servant.

The man who had conveyed the Crown Prince’s refusal many times and disappeared was now coming in with a noticeably embarrassed look on his face.

In response to his entrance this time, Clint drew his sword.

Swish. The sound of the blade being unsheathed was sharp.

“If you make another feeble excuse this time, you’ll have to give up your life.”

At his words, the frightened servant trembled and quickly lowered his head.

“No! His Highness the Crown Prince has summoned you.”

“Ha.”

In the duke’s chilling gaze, the servant respectfully bowed and quickly left the reception room.

“Prepare yourself and come out. We’ll accompany you.”

❖ ❖ ❖

Finally, Clint and Alexandro, who had tidied up their appearances, made their appearance.

The servant still had a frightened look on his face.

He knew that the duchess had been with the Crown Prince, and knowing that the duke had been sharpening his sword and searching for Psyche for the past ten days, he was even more worried.

He wished that the duchess wouldn’t be there when the duke went up. With that hope in mind, the servant purposely walked slowly.

However, the duke, who saw through the obvious ruse, impatiently said, “Could you walk a bit faster? How long does it take to get from here to there?”

“Sorry, I apologize.”

The servant felt as if he were breaking out in a cold sweat all over his body, even though it was just his nervousness.

When the duke urged him, they arrived at the door in no time.

The servant hesitated and wavered, unsure of what to do.

“Why are you hesitating? Open the door already?”

“Well, we must announce you first. Please wait a moment.”

It was important to inform that the duke had arrived.

“You’ll know I’m here. You know that I’m going to meet you. Just open it.”

When the duke ordered, the servant quickly blocked his way.

“But, you still need to be announced!”

“Then announce me.”

His gaze was extremely cold. When he stared, the servant felt that he might not be able to speak, but with all his might, the servant shouted.

“Your Highness! Duke Valentine has arrived!”

And at the same time, the one who kicked the door open was the duke himself.

“What…!”

Of course, upon hearing the command to come in, the frightened servant had been about to go inside. But the duke’s actions left the servant bewildered and perplexed.

But the situation inside was even more chaotic.

The servant sighed and covered his face, unable to bear to open his eyes.

❖ ❖ ❖

When the Duke opened the door, he witnessed an unbelievable sight.

Psyche was there.

The relief of seeing her alive was accompanied by a surge of anger.

Rachel was lying on the ground, subdued by the guards, and the Crown Prince…

The Crown Prince was kneeling in front of Psyche.

It was an utterly bewildering and inexplicable situation.

“What is this?”

He strode into the room.

Psyche, who had been wearing a chilly expression, turned her gaze.

Psyche and Clint locked eyes for a moment, but Psyche suddenly looked startled and then rushed away.

“Wife!”

“Guards! Stop the Duke! Quickly!”

At the Crown Prince’s peremptory command, the guards blocked the Duke’s path.

Observing Psyche running away, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

The woman who should have looked quite full was… strangely emaciated.

Her tired face, roughened skin, and sad expression etched into his heart like a knife.

He stood still for a moment, as if all his senses had been paralyzed.

Everything that was happening around him felt slow, as if time were moving at a crawl, and Psyche’s expression and demeanor were imprinted in his mind.

“Get out of the way!”

Only after Psyche disappeared from his sight did he snap out of it. He unexpectedly drew his sword from his waist.

As he unsheathed his sword, the guards who had been blocking his way to stop him retreated with a start.

The Duke was a man with no equal in swordsmanship within the Empire.

Who would dare stake their life and confront him?

Then, this time, the Crown Prince rushed at him.

He wanted to help Psyche escape at least once, no more.

“Have you gone mad!”

The Duke pushed the Crown Prince aside.

“Let Psyche go! That woman wants to leave me!”

At the Crown Prince’s words, the Duke, who was just about to follow Psyche, stood frozen in place.

He didn’t move a muscle, as if he had been nailed to the spot.

With a bluish, sickly face, he took a step, as if he had remembered something.

He pointed his sword at Rachel, who was cowering in the corner.

“Rachel. This time, I won’t spare you. You’ll have to tell the truth about everything you’ve done.”

As his chilling words pierced through, Rachel’s complexion suddenly changed.

The woman who had been confident in front of Psyche and the Crown Prince now looked as if her gaze had turned dark, trembling as if she were about to die.