Chapter 2: Escape Plan

2. Escape Plan

I decided to think about the future.

I had no regrets about my relationship with the Duke. Wasn’t it just a contract anyway?

With that in mind, the date to run away was quickly set.

I grabbed a quill and started to scribble.

Exactly two weeks later, the day the banquet was held in the Imperial Palace seemed most appropriate.

There was a condition in setting the day of the run away.

First, the possibility of escaping with a heavy body from the heavily guarded Duke’s mansion was almost zero. So when I went outside, I had to run away.

There are two opportunities; a social ball in a few days and a banquet at the Imperial Palace in two weeks.

‘Which day is better?’

Being a Duchess, it was cumbersome to move freely anywhere. So, it was perfect for me to go out on the pretext of an official meeting.

Second, the Duke must not accompany me. The Duke was a very smart, quick-witted person. If he was by my side, it would have been difficult to escape the surveillance.

‘The Duke decided not to go to the banquet.’

Psyche circled the word Banquet.

I will go to the social ball accompanied by the Duke, but not with the banquet held in the Imperial Palace. The banquet hosted by the Empress was a gathering of noble wives, to which only married women could enter.

The men, of course, could not come. Moreover, the Duke had work starting from the day the banquet was held, and he said that he was going overseas.

So he wouldn’t be able to immediately notice I had run away. It was also related to the first reason. Even if I run away from the Duke, it’s useless if he follows me right away.

So that was the most appropriate day. Psyche, set all the plans perfectly, thought so.

‘Never let the Duke know that I’m thinking of running away.’

There are still about three months left. Until then, I decided to act as calmly and naturally as possible.

“Whoo.”

I took a deep breath.

I didn’t want to share the pain with my baby. If there was only one thing I got from my marriage to the Duke, it would be the new life in my womb.

It was simply a product of a contract, but the meaning of the baby’s existence was greater for Psyche than expected. It was a strange feeling.

It was a very strange thing to carry a new life in my womb. At first, there were many times when I felt uncomfortable because my body did not feel like mine.

‘At first…… surely it was.’

Even though it was just a contractual relationship, she still found it strange. In the midst of such confusion, the Duke treated her with the utmost respect.

“Wife, please sit here.”

“Wife, it is cold. Come on in.”

“Wife, you must not skip breakfast.”

There was a time when she was happy for a moment to see the Duke visit her regularly and check on her every morning.

The relationship between the Duke and Psyche was contractual, but the relationship between the Duke and his bloodline was different. Maybe he acted like that because of the baby?

At that time, I thought that I could experience the happy family I could only dream of.

But it was all acting.

Looking back, he never revealed his true feelings to me. He’s always been kind on the outside. In fact, it’s just a deceptive attitude to get an heir.

‘You can’t have a child without a mother.’

She sat still and shook her head.

‘I have to leave this place for the sake of the baby and for myself.’

However, I had no intention of living as a single woman and having a hard time giving birth.

‘To do that, I have to go to a place with a good environment. I also have to raise money.’

Even if I can’t give the same thing the Duke could give me, I will raise my child well.

So I need a more meticulous and well-planned plan.

‘It will be quite expensive if I sell the jewelry I have. By the way…… my belly is already quite big, so I won’t be able to carry much.’

Psyche opened a small drawer under the bedside table.

“I should have asked for more jewelry.”

She didn’t know that she would regret the past when she refused the gifts the Duke had offered her. Fiddling with the necklace in the drawer, she found a small bouquet of flowers dried next to the jewels.

“Oh, it’s amazing to make a perennial herb into a bouquet here…… People here seem to be ignorant of herbal medicine and plants.”

knock knock knock.

Startled by the knock, Psyche quickly fixed her shawl.

My cheeks are red because I’m so focused. Looking out the window, the bright yellow sun was already setting behind the mountain. It looked as if the sun had melted in the sky.

‘Oh, I didn’t know it was already evening.’

She forgot that once a week she used to have dinner with the Duke, it was today.

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After patting her cheeks with her hands, Psyche said, “Come in.”

Then, one of the maids quietly opened the door and came in and reported, “Madam, the dinner is ready. The Duke said he was going first. Should I guide you?”

“No. I’ll go by myself.”

“All right.”

It took mental preparation to treat the Duke casually.

She took a deep breath and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

‘No need to be nervous, act as usual, as usual.’

She stood up from her seat after calming her expression once more. That was because she couldn’t make the quick-witted Duke suspicious even in the slightest.

Thinking so, she unknowingly had reached the dining room.

“Whoo……”

“What makes you so nervous?”

Psyche was startled by a voice whispering in her ear from behind.

“Wife?”

The maid said that the Duke would go to the dining room first.

“Ah, I, I thought you were already here.”

“Then why are you so surprised?”

“That, that! It’s because Your Grace seems to be making fun of me!”

At that, the Duke chuckled.

“Is that so? I just wanted to surprise my wife. Let’s come on in and eat.”

He reached out from behind and opened the door. Psyche was embarrassed because she was suddenly locked in his arms.

“You’re shy.”

He lightly put his hand on her shoulder. It looked friendly.

At one time I felt it was just his duty to be so kind to me. It would have been better if it was. Now that I found out the truth, it all felt like a fake.

“Sit down, wife.”

He kindly pulled out the chair. The Duke of Valentine was an impeccable gentleman. He was also the groom of every woman’s dream. He has status, wealth, and appearance.

But now it all feels useless. At his kindness, Psyche glanced at him and smiled.

“Now that you’re here, this place becomes brighter, wife.”

As soon as he sat down, the prepared meal began to be served.

Originally, they had to sit facing each other at the end of the very long table, but the Duke asked Psyche to sit close to him.

Back then, I thought it was very romantic, but now I think it’s for surveillance.

“How are you doing?”

Even though they were only a contracted couple, he always looked at Psyche’s condition and situation. He was meticulous and did not forget to always make sure that there was no shortage of money, and to give her a new dress as a gift every month.

On the surface, he really is a kind husband. Psyche was sick of just thinking about it.

I know he said he was going to kill me. He said that a little while ago. How can he sit with such a look on his face? I was scared of his sweet face more than anything else.

But Psyche smiled as if nothing had happened.

“Well, Your Grace has always taken care of me, so it’s perfect.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

The Duke smiled picturesquely. Simple but colorful appetizers are served at the table. Tomato soup sprinkled with finely ground walnuts came out.

The Duke smiled as he suggested, “Tomato and walnut were said to be good for pregnant women, so I prepared it.”

“Yes.”

Psyche, who unwittingly answered curtly out of laziness, quickly smiled and added, “Thank you for always caring for me.”

“Of course I have to.”

His kindness did not end there. The Duke took the steak, cut it into bite-sized pieces, placed it in front of Psyche, and smiled softly. Psyche’s mind became more complicated by that action.

‘You can’t be weak by this, Psyche.’

Psyche looked at the steak in front of her and calmed her complicated mind. The Duke who was slicing the steak again said, “Oh, wife. About the Imperial Palace banquet……”

When the Duke suddenly spoke of the banquet, which he had no interest in, Psyche’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What surprised you so much?”

“Ah, you said you were not interested in banquets where women gather, so it was surprising.”

She escaped the crisis as calmly as possible and smiled as usual.

But that was also for a while.

At the Duke’s next words, Psyche lost her composure and dropped the knife she was holding.

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