So the Duchess Disappeared

30. The Unwelcome Encounter

Having easily dealt with the band of thieves as if catching a swarm of flies, they surveyed their surroundings.

The carriage was half-tilted and in disarray, stuck in the ground. The horses had long since fled, and besides the band of thieves gathered to plunder the carriage, there were no shadows of people in sight.

Originally, the road to Alister Territory wasn’t this dangerous.

“What’s the situation in Alister Territory that the band of thieves has come down this far?”

Clint looked around with a serious expression.

“Well… The lord is no longer there. It might not have seemed like a big deal when he was there… but having a framework that encompasses them and not having it makes quite a difference.”

“Is it that severe?”

Clint felt a slight sense of responsibility for taking Psyche with him at that moment.

But at that time, going with Clint was the best option for Psyche. Even if she stayed in the territory, there weren’t sharp resources, and she might have starved to death. Moreover, she had to escape from Jonnier, who was a threat to Psyche at that time.

However, the land without the lord soon turned into a place overrun by bandits, with crime escalating.

The Alister Territory, with its rugged terrain and scarce plains, was a place where nobles, armed with knowledge of plants, used to assist peasants. But with that gone, people naturally suffered from hunger.

Those starving turned to join the bandits, and incidents like robbing passing carriages or attacking villages became more frequent.

In many ways, it was a vicious cycle.

“Hmm.”

Clint furrowed his brow.

“Don’t worry too much. The lady probably knew as well. There simply wasn’t any other choice.”

“…”

Clint unintentionally thought that when Psyche returns, they should revisit the territory together.

Later, once again realizing that she was not by his side, he found himself in unnecessarily complicated emotions.

“I heard that the lady did her best for the people of the territory at that time. I heard she suffered because the relatives of the lord did not provide assistance… Don’t dwell too much on it.”

Alejandro, quick-witted, noticed Clint’s unfavorable mood and quickly added a comforting remark.

As Clint remained silent, averting his gaze, Alejandro thought there was no need to continue discussing Psyche’s story and smoothly changed the subject.

Just to prevent sparks from flying into sensitive areas.

“It seems to be more or less in order. What should we do now?”

“Search the surroundings. Thoroughly.”

He commanded.

When Clint instructed Alejandro to ‘search,’ it was none other than Psyche he meant.

After all, she was the reason they came to this place.

The knights they brought with them were in the process of clearing the surroundings. Upon hearing this, Alejandro took the first step towards the carriage.

“Come here. I will inspect the carriage.”

Their actions were clearly captured in Psyche’s view.

Feeling as if they were searching for her, she trembled with fear and covered her mouth.

‘I can’t be discovered here!’

She silently screamed within herself.

Cloud, who was present, also sensed the change in Psyche’s atmosphere. Unlike before, she now wore an anxious expression, with a pale complexion and trembling eyes.

Cloud quickly grasped that Psyche had some connection with the two men who had just appeared.

If Psyche had been alone here, she might have already given away her presence to Clint and Alejandro.

Cloud was now putting all his effort into not revealing their presence in this place.

Though he didn’t know who the man in front was, it was certain that he was an extraordinary expert.

Taking advantage of Cloud’s presence, Alejandro, who was unaware that Psyche was here, put away the sword he had drawn to deal with the bandits and carefully inspected every corner of the carriage.

Having gone unnoticed, he ran back to Clint and said, “It seems the Duchess did not ride in this carriage!”

Upon hearing this, Psyche clenched her lips even tighter.

‘As expected, he’s looking for me…!’

In a way, it seemed more strange that he wasn’t searching for her.

A deranged man, chasing after his wife who fled with their child, abandoned and left to roam freely.

Especially a woman who lost her child while running away.

Psyche thought he would catch her and hold her accountable.

She thought even the slightest sound might escape, so she covered her mouth with one hand and held her breath.

Clint, with piercing eyes, looked around before furrowing his brow.

“Are you sure? What if she ran in another direction?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll go ask if anyone has seen her to check if anyone is still alive.”

“The lady has a distinctive face, so everyone should remember after seeing her once. Check for witnesses. There might be people hiding nearby.”

“Understood.”

Alejandro began to meticulously search the surroundings.

It seemed he hadn’t discovered the side where Cloud was yet, but it was only a matter of time before he was exposed.

Once the knights who followed the Duke started searching the area, it would happen quickly.

Psyche became increasingly uneasy.

Then it happened.

The baby she held in her arms began to stir.

It seemed the effects of the sedative had worn off.

Psyche quickly cradled the child in her arms.

She didn’t want to be caught here and forced to return to the Duke.

“The baby seems to be waking up.”

Cloud whispered very softly into her ear.

‘How did I manage to escape…!’

Psyche composed herself calmly.

If the baby woke up and cried, all the effort she had put in so far would be in vain.

‘What should I do…!’

Psyche alternately looked at the baby and the Duke.

Alejandro changed his direction toward her.

“……Hmm……”

The baby in her arms, seemingly waking up, let out a faint whimper, as if about to cry any moment.

‘No!’

She suddenly remembered the stories she had shared with the maids during her pregnancy.

‘When a well-fed baby occasionally wakes up and seems to cry, sometimes giving them something to suck or bite on can make them fall back asleep quietly.’

Listening to the words of a middle-aged maid who had raised five children, Psyche paid attention.

After all, she would soon become a mother herself.

‘Oh, really? That’s interesting.’

‘Yes. Sometimes, they want to suck on something to sleep, not because they are hungry.’

‘Ah, I see.’

Taking advantage of the opportune conversation that came to mind, Psyche reached out.

Since the baby had just fed…

“Ugh, ugh, uaa…! Uhm!”

Psyche quickly placed her index finger into the baby’s mouth, who was stirring as if about to cry.

Hoping the baby would stay quiet.

With wide-open eyes, the baby seemed to think that what entered its mouth was milk at first but soon realized it wasn’t.

In no time, the baby made a face that it might cry again.

‘Ah… No…!’

A shadow fell over Psyche’s face.

“My lord!”

It was then.

Someone hidden in the bushes on the opposite side of Psyche revealed themselves.

Initially, it seemed like a member of the same group of thieves, hiding and seeking help from the Duke’s party to deal with the thieves.

“There’s someone here!”

At the sound, Alejandro’s steps, who was about to walk towards Psyche, came to a halt.

The knights brought the person who had been hiding noisily.

Alejandro also naturally redirected his steps toward that direction.

“…Phew.”

Psyche breathed a sigh of relief that she had held back.

The baby, who seemed like it might cry again, was satisfied with having something in its mouth and was smiling happily at Psyche.

Looking at the baby now, it was undeniably cute.

While Psyche was turning her attention to the baby, someone who had been hiding approached the Duke.

It was the old man who was on the carriage.

He seemed to have luckily hidden well.

He looked flustered, not knowing what to do when facing a noble.

“This is Duke Valentine. Show some respect.”

One of the knights spoke threateningly, and Clint raised his hand to stop him.

“Respect? No need for that. Don’t bother with unnecessary things. Aleks.”

As if annoyed, Clint signaled Alejandro, who had come closer.

He quickly approached and asked the old man in front.

“About this height, thin, and a woman with silver hair, have you seen her?”

Alejandro gestured to his chest.

“She has a fair complexion and is quite noticeable…”

When he blurred the end of his sentence, the old man seemed to be thinking hard.

He made a show of thinking deeply.

He remembered that there was a pretty lady in the carriage, but he thought hard since she had her face and head partly covered with a robe, and he couldn’t tell if she had silver hair.

As the old man seemed to take some time, Alejandro added.

“Speak properly. She is the Duchess.”

The old man’s face turned contemplative.

Then, he quickly prostrated himself on the ground.

“Oh, my! I, I have never met such a great person!”

He didn’t even dream that the lady he rode with was that Duchess.

Psyche, who had not noticed her robe falling off while escaping, realized it and looked flustered.

At the same time, the gaze between her and Cloud met.

With just about that height…

A beautiful lady with shining silver hair.

“S-Seriously.”

Cloud’s complexion turned pale.

With the keen eyes of a mercenary, he quickly realized who the woman standing in front of him was—the ‘Duchess’ the nobles were looking for.