So the Duchess Disappeared

26. Disposing of the clothes

Perplexed, the emperor hastily called for Clint again.

“Duke!”

“….”

He did not respond even when the emperor called. In this situation, he had to personally fetch Psyche.

What didn’t please him? He had given the best, and he wondered what the dissatisfaction was. 

“Duke!”

The emperor called him again. Since the guards were all watching, he couldn’t afford to ignore the emperor twice. The duke slowly turned in response to the call.

“I mentioned that I would go and check.”

“Uh, well… I understand. I’ll make arrangements for your position later regarding this matter.”

Once again, Clint remained silent.

“Then, be well.”

The duke made a formal gesture and turned away completely.

To find Psyche, his wife.

❖ ❖ ❖

“Ah…!”

Psyche felt the need to quicken her pace even though no one was chasing her. She felt as if someone was following her for no reason. It might be because of the trauma from that day…

While vaguely thinking about it, she briskly continued walking.

Fortunately, there was no one to stop her throughout her exit from the palace.

Whether it was fortunate or if Crown Prince Leighton had already arranged it, she couldn’t know.

Even if the prince had changed his mind and was now helping her, she decided not to dwell on those thoughts, knowing that the situation wouldn’t change much.

She cautiously looked around.

In the palace entrance that the Crown Prince indicated, there were truly no personnel guarding the door.

“Now, at this point…”

Even though the Crown Prince kept his promise, it felt even more bitter for Psyche.

The day she lost her child.

Because if he had kept his promise that day, perhaps she could have saved the child.

So, his consideration did not feel grateful at all. Instead, resentment grew stronger.

To stop herself from being engulfed in depressing thoughts, she forcefully lifted her head.

“Let’s quickly leave the palace for now…”

Muttering to herself, she exited the castle gate alone.

❖ ❖ ❖

“Hmm.”

First of all, she thought she should change into something less conspicuous. It felt even more noticeable because she had hurriedly left without any preparations.

“Well, then.”

Even though she had planned and prepared in advance, nothing went as expected.

Moreover, she couldn’t find anything she had prepared for the future when she left the Duke’s residence.

“At least…”

Psyche glanced around at the clothes she was wearing. They looked quite luxurious. The robe given by the Crown Prince didn’t seem easily obtainable.

“I should sell this.”

It wasn’t suitable to wander around in noble attire when fleeing. It seemed wise to dress as inconspicuously as possible.

It would also provide travel expenses, making it a win-win situation.

“Where do you sell clothes?”

Psyche turned her gaze around as she entered the bustling streets. It seemed that the area near the palace was still not drawing much attention, probably because it was a place where nobles frequently strolled.

Scanning the surroundings, she noticed a shabby clothing store at the end of the street. It seemed better to avoid salons or designer shops that were frequented by many nobles.

She covered her face as much as possible, walking occasionally, heading towards the clothing store.

“Welcome!”

Even though it was broad daylight, there was only the owner inside the clothing store.

Though there were no customers, the man greeted Psyche warmly.

“You’re the first customer today!”

He stood up, full of enthusiasm.

“What are you looking for?”

Psyche, trying to keep her status as discreet as possible, was being cautious with her words, hoping to leave the store as soon as possible.

“According to our store, we have everything you might need!”

“Ah…”

Psyche nodded slightly and surveyed the inside of the store. There were modest garments hanging along one wall, not as flashy as those targeted at nobles.

It seemed like a good place to blend in with the crowd.

Psyche purposely avoided making eye contact with the man and pointed to a dress in the corner.

“That one… Can I have that?”

Wanting to speak casually, she quickly added to her words.

“…Hmm?”

“Haha. Why are you so uncomfortable? You seem like a noble. Just speak comfortably.”

‘Noble’… that word left a bitter taste in Psyche’s mouth.

What would be left of me if the title of ‘Duchess’ were taken away?

Psyche suddenly felt awkward.

The reason for her increased sense of despair was her arm that bore the mark of the lost child.

‘Surely… I must have had a very angry expression.’

Thinking so, Psyche looked down at her quite plump belly. Even if she returned to him, she shouldn’t, and even if she did, he would never forgive her, she thought.

Then, suddenly, she became angry.

The one who should be most saddened by losing a child is herself!

‘…’

But she decided to postpone anger and sorrow for now. She believed that in the future, there would surely be an opportunity for her to reveal her identity to him.

Though it felt like tears would flow at any moment from the pain of losing a child, Psyche, who was not in such a situation, bit her lip to suppress her emotions. She turned her gaze quickly, trying to hide her emotions.

“Is this what you mean?”

The dress hanging in the corner was very shabby, an indigo dress that covered her from head to toe, quite different from what nobles wear.

“Yeah… Ah, give me that one.”

She had never raised her voice to a stranger before, making her speech seem awkward. Still, now that she had to break free from her status.

The shopkeeper seemed indifferent to Psyche.

“Oh, you’re going to wear it… You’re going.”

“Ah~ Can I?”

Psyche went into the shabby, separated room, quickly changed into the dress, and came out. Reflected in the glass, she looked quite pitiful.

She tightly wrapped her distinctive silver hair with the robe.

‘Returning to the way it used to be.’

She calmly organized her feelings and left.

“And sell this too.”

“Should I?”

The man cheerfully accepted the dress Psyche had been wearing. He quickly recognized that it was a high-quality silk dress, and there was no reason to refuse.

The owner of the pawnshop asked Psyche various questions, but she remained silent.

It was natural for her behavior to arouse curiosity. It wasn’t a place frequented by nobles, and selling valuable clothes to buy shabby ones was not a common sight.

But she quickly took the money and headed out.

She didn’t like the inquisitive gazes sticking to her. She wanted to go to a place where nobody knew her, and now she was starting to miss her hometown.

Fortunately, the pawnshop offered a fair price for the clothes, so she could cover her travel expenses.

“Now…”

She looked around and headed towards the place where she could catch a carriage.

She deliberately chose to take the way back.

She didn’t want to be caught by the Duke. She planned to catch a carriage to ‘Randel,’ which was in the opposite direction of Alister territory where she was born and raised. She intended to change carriages without saying a word, even if someone followed her.

In case she was caught, she wanted the information to leak that she was heading to Randel. Psyche deliberately made sure that everyone around heard that she was heading to Randel before quietly getting on the carriage.

❖ ❖ ❖

It was late at night.

Unable to sleep, she sat on a plank at the front of the carriage, which had no seats, and looked out through the gap.

‘When should I get off and change?’

It had been about half a day since they started running.

The carriage, which had departed in the afternoon, was now running through the forest at night.

The weather, approaching early autumn, was quite chilly.

Unable to sleep, the people on the carriage, about twenty-eight in total, looked around as if naturally and their eyes turned toward Psyche sitting at the front.

Eight people, including Psyche, were on this small carriage. Among them, a total of five people were riding. An elderly couple, Psyche, a young woman with a covered face, and a well-armed man who seemed to be a mercenary due to his sturdy appearance.

Contrary to his profession, he had a surprisingly handsome face.

As they traveled in silence, Psyche found herself unintentionally observing the people she was now accompanying. It wasn’t intentional; they were the only ones to focus on.

The kind-looking elderly couple seemed to feel pity for Psyche, as they had been looking after her since the carriage departed.

“Miss, what business brings you all the way to a distant place like Randel?”

“Oh…”

Since Randel wasn’t her actual destination, Psyche just smiled ambiguously.

She didn’t particularly want to engage in conversation with anyone.

Anyway, in a day or two, she would get off the carriage and head towards the Alister territory.