Chapter : 06
“A Debt”
Having grown up in an environment surrounded by layers of dense mountains, Psyche had learned about medicinal herbs from a young age and was very familiar with them.
Thinking it wasn’t a particularly difficult question, she opened her mouth at once.
“Your Highness brought it with you, didn’t you?”
Sensing—albeit belatedly—the source of the smell that had been lingering around the Crown Prince, Psyche answered his question with one of her own.
After marrying the duke, she hadn’t had the leisure to pay attention to plants and had simply forgotten. In the past, she would have known the moment she arrived at the banquet that the Crown Prince was carrying Jabia leaves.
“I’ve dulled a lot.”
She made a subtle expression. At her words, the chief attendant asked with a puzzled look,
“Pardon?”
“Jabia tea leaves. It seems Your Highness had them on you.”
Only then did the attendant slap his forehead hard.
“Ah. He said they were extremely difficult to obtain. He had a cup this morning and kept them with him, but I never imagined he’d bring them all the way here…”
It was exactly the sort of thing someone considered an eccentric in the imperial family would do.
Jabia leaves themselves had a very distinctive, strong fragrance, and in distant lands they were even used as spices. Ordinary people might overlook it, but they could not escape the trained sense of smell of someone who had spent years studying plants and learning to distinguish their scents.
“Please tell His Highness that after brewing tea from Jabia leaves, he must refrain from alcohol.”
As Psyche turned away, she added one more thing,
“A small amount of poison can sometimes be neutralized by cold water or ice, so remember that as well.”
She explained calmly. Unlike at first, when he had been wary of her, the attendant thanked her repeatedly.
He also did not forget to ask her to forgive his earlier rudeness. Psyche forced a smile, and with that, she quickly turned away from the Crown Prince. Beads of sweat dotted her face.
“……”
Psyche deliberately ignored the duke’s gaze, which was fixed on her with a very peculiar expression as he stood with his arms crossed, and began to walk slowly.
She could feel that her physical condition wasn’t good. The duke’s scrutinizing stare was unpleasant, but more urgently, she needed to leave this place quickly.
Jabia leaves were not good for pregnant women. A brief exposure was fine, but prolonged exposure was too much. Perhaps because of that, her body felt heavy. On top of that, her headache suddenly worsened, and her expression stiffened. Alexa looked at her with concern as she walked slowly. Psyche suddenly staggered.
“Are you feeling unwell, madam?”
Alexa asked at once and moved closer. Then Clint, who had been following beside them with a very sour expression, spoke slowly.
“Let’s go back.”
Psyche made a strange face at his words.
“Already?”
“Yes. In that condition, I don’t think you can stay any longer. Wouldn’t it be hard on both you and the child?”
“……”
Normally, it would have sounded kind. But right now, it only sounded like he was talking about the child, and it didn’t sit well with her.
“So that’s all I am to him—a body carrying his child…”
Psyche let out a long sigh. Part of her wanted to stay longer just out of spite toward Clint, but she herself could feel her condition worsening rapidly, so she nodded without complaint. It wouldn’t do to cause a scene by staying longer.
Clint let out a conspicuous sigh and supported her. As they were leaving the garden where the ball was being held, Clint suddenly stopped, as if remembering something.
“Madam, I’m sorry. Just a moment.”
Leaving her standing at the entrance to the garden, he hurried off somewhere at a brisk pace. He seemed quite pressed for time.
Alexa quickly took Psyche from him and supported her. Psyche stared blankly at the duke’s retreating back. Whatever could be so urgent that he would leave his heavily pregnant wife, who wasn’t feeling well?
Once she let go of her expectations of him, it strangely didn’t bother her at all. After all, their relationship was nothing more than a contract. It was only because of his excessive kindness that she had unconsciously leaned toward him. She had known from the beginning that she shouldn’t trust him.
She should have thought that way sooner. If you don’t trust anyone in the first place, life is much easier. She had learned that from what happened to her parents… and had resolved to live believing no one.
It seemed she had forgotten after enjoying a bit of a comfortable life.
Psyche let out a soft, bitter laugh.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to steady her churning stomach. It felt slightly better—or maybe not. Just as she was about to think that she wanted to lie down anywhere at all—
Someone suddenly called out to stop them.
“Hey.”
The tone was extremely disrespectful for addressing a duchess, and both Psyche and Alexa frowned at the same time. It was language rarely heard in a gathering of nobles, so it was surprising—but unexpectedly, it was the Crown Prince who had called out.
She had heard rumors that he was free-spirited and willful, but she hadn’t expected this much. The Crown Prince, who just moments ago had looked as though he were on the brink of death, now stood before Psyche with a completely different expression.
“Just as I heard—you’re a great beauty.”
He spoke with a playful expression. Only belatedly realizing that the compliment was directed at her, Psyche quickly straightened up, lifted the hem of her dress, and responded with proper courtesy.
“Thank you.”
“I’m the one who should be thanking you.”
The Crown Prince smiled brightly. His moon-cool silver hair and forest-deep green eyes suited each other perfectly, making him a strikingly handsome man. When he smiled, Psyche forced a polite smile in return, flustered.
But as if he didn’t care about her discomfort at all, the Crown Prince kept locking eyes with her—then suddenly bent one knee before her.
It was the sort of action a man might take when proposing to a woman, reciting a knight’s oath, or pledging loyalty to his lord. Everyone was shocked. Not only Psyche and Alexa, but the surrounding nobles as well.
The one kneeling was the Crown Prince, after all. The most shocked of all was Psyche. She covered her mouth with both hands and hurriedly tried to stop him.
“Your Highness! What are you—!”
“I owe you my life, so at least let me do this.”
If Clint had seen it, he would have been utterly startled.
“This puts me in a difficult position, Your Highness. Please stand up!”
As Psyche spoke as if she were on the verge of screaming, the playful face broke into a grin again.
“Oh? If my benefactor is uncomfortable, that won’t do.”
He stood back up, brushing off his knee, and asked,
“I came to thank you—and because there’s something I’m curious about.”
The Crown Prince kept smiling, making it impossible to read his thoughts. Psyche, who was naturally wary of strangers, couldn’t simply take his interest in stride. She felt extremely uncomfortable in this situation. Even though he was the one she had saved, all she wanted was to leave as quickly as possible.
“Where did he go?”
She made her discomfort obvious as she searched for the duke. Even so, the Crown Prince continued speaking as though it didn’t concern him at all.
“Are you usually well-versed in poisons and things like that?”
“It’s because the place where I was born and raised was a forested region with many trees and herbs, so I’m familiar with them.”
“Still, it’s unusual for a young noblewoman raised in comfort to know such things.”
He showed an excessive amount of interest.
“In the place where I grew up, it was ordinary.”
“Even so… you really seemed like an expert. Especially with poisons.”
When the Crown Prince smiled mischievously, Psyche carefully composed her expression and replied in a flat tone, trying not to show any emotion.
“That’s because…”
She held her breath once, then exhaled.
“My adoptive parents both died from poison.”
The weight of the meaning contained in her toneless, casually spoken words was so heavy that the Crown Prince was momentarily at a loss for words.
“Ah.”
At the completely unexpected answer, a faint ripple passed over the Crown Prince’s face—someone who seemed as though he would never be shaken—before disappearing.
“I wasn’t trying to make you recount such a past. I apologize.”
“It’s all right…”
Psyche unconsciously frowned. The scent of the Jabia tree was too strong on him, and her headache was growing worse.
She didn’t want to continue this playful conversation any longer. She slightly bent her knees in a brief bow, offering her farewell first.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
She hurried to step away from him. But the Crown Prince quickly reached out toward her again. Psyche barely avoided his hand and looked troubled.
“I told you—I owe you my life.”
The Crown Prince continued, his hand suspended in the air.
“Someday, you might have a favor to ask of me too, don’t you think? When that time comes, I’ll drop everything and run to you.”
At those words, Psyche took a step back and glanced at him quickly.
“Very well.”
At her response, the Crown Prince burst into laughter. Most noblewomen would have demurred with “It’s nothing” or “That’s not necessary,” but Psyche’s bold acceptance of the debt left a strong impression.
“See? I knew you were different.”
“Well then…”
Suddenly feeling even more nauseated, she turned away at once. As she stepped back, the ground seemed to sway and lurch toward her eyes. The world spun.
“Madam!”
Hearing a familiar voice from somewhere, Psyche felt a sense of relief—and collapsed where she stood.
End Of Chapter : 06
