SDD 01

Chapter : 01

“The Truth She Learned”

Duchess Psyche Valentine was sitting in the ducal estate, her face grim, carefully planning her escape.

It was because of a truth she had learned only a few days ago.

Psyche had gone to the duke’s study, intending to knock because she had something to say to him. She froze in place.

She had heard her own name.

“Psyche is….”

The rest of the words were muffled, as if she couldn’t quite make them out—until they suddenly became clear.

“When that woman gives birth, we’ll kill her.”

She couldn’t believe that the unfamiliar voice ringing in her ears—like tinnitus—belonged to her husband. Her heart began to pound as she wondered if she had misheard.

Without thinking, she looked down.

Her belly, now clearly rounded, was impossible to miss. It had already been well over six months since she conceived.

“Ah…”

A scream like a dying gasp echoed inside her head.

“Kill… who?”

Psyche replayed what she had heard.

“He definitely said he’d kill the woman after the child is born.”

Trembling with anxiety, she tried to grasp the meaning. It was right after he had spoken her name. Her heart raced so violently that she couldn’t calm down.

And yet, when she thought about it again, the idea that he would try to kill her didn’t feel all that strange.

Her relationship with the duke was a contract marriage—a marriage made in exchange for her bearing him a child.

There was no love or affection, but he had promised her that if she gave birth to his heir, he would at least grant her a comfortable life, free from fear of death. And she had believed that promise without question.

There had been only one condition in their contract.

That she bear him a child to carry on his bloodline.

“Does that mean… once the child is born, I’ll no longer be needed?”

The thought left her dizzy and disoriented.

Up until yesterday—no, even this very morning—hadn’t he spoken happily about their future after the child was born?

Had all those words and actions been lies?

Goosebumps rose all over her body, and she shuddered.

With a bitter, hollow expression, Psyche stroked her belly. Unconsciously, her grip tightened. At the same time, her legs gave out, and she staggered.

Click.

“Oh! Your Grace!”

The one who caught her just before she collapsed was Alessandro, the duke’s closest aide, who had just stepped out of the study. Supporting her with difficulty, he looked at her pale face in alarm.

“Your Grace, is something wrong?”

Psyche pushed him away and stepped back, biting her lip. Even his courteous concern now felt like nothing but hypocrisy, making her nauseous.

No—he was simply like his master.

“The Duke is inside. Shall I announce you?”

She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. If she saw her husband now, she felt she might lose control.

“No. He’s busy. I won’t disturb him.”

Holding her belly, she hurried away. Tears threatened to spill.

Lost in resentment toward the duke, she barely remembered how she made it back to her room. She collapsed onto the bed and stared blankly into the air for a long time. Then she slapped her cheeks sharply with both hands.

“There’s no time to be sad.”

Now that things had come to this, she had no intention of letting the duke have his way. She wanted him to feel what it was like to lose, right before his eyes, the very thing he desired most.

What he cherished above all else—

That life was inside her womb.

Slowly, Psyche stroked her belly. Warmth spread beneath her hand. With quiet sorrow, she spoke to the child in her heart.

“Let’s go. Let’s get out of this terrible place.”

She stood up at once and began to plan her escape from the ducal estate.

Sitting quietly in her room, Psyche recalled the day she had first arrived at the ducal estate.

As she prepared to leave, memories of her arrival naturally resurfaced.

“How did I ever end up marrying that man?”

She let out a bitter chuckle at the irony of her situation.

“I never even planned on getting married in the first place.”

She slowly glanced around the bedroom that had now become familiar, feeling something strange stir within her.

“At first… he was persistent. He had such a proud face—like someone who would never beg anyone for anything.”

That had been her first impression of the duke.

Psyche had originally been the eldest daughter of a wealthy count’s family. But when she was young, an unfortunate accident took her parents from her. At a time when she was powerless, interference from collateral relatives caused her family to fall into severe decline.

By the time she was old enough to understand what was happening, all that remained was a vast castle she couldn’t even properly maintain.

Despite her noble title, she often worried about her next meal, and sometimes even thought she might die like this. Then, one day, the duke suddenly appeared and proposed a marriage contract.

“Are you Miss Psyche Alistair?”

The man, impeccably dressed, stood in stark contrast to her shabby castle. The worn marble beneath his feet only made his polished shoes stand out more. It was an unforgettable sight.

Of course, she didn’t believe him at first.

That he was a duke.

That he was offering her a contract marriage.

Yet he came to see her day after day, patiently persuading her. He even recovered the property that had been taken by her relatives. With nothing left to lose and starvation looming anyway, she eventually accepted his offer.

At the time, she thought him a truly gentlemanly man.

“Clint Valentine.”

She had no dowry to bring with her, yet she didn’t have to lift a finger—from the smallest details to the wedding itself, he handled everything. She only had to sit still.

Back then, she thought that was wonderful, not knowing what lay beneath.

“How ridiculous.”

Psyche laughed softly, bitterly. How joy from the past could turn into tragedy in the present.

The man who had spoken her name while thrusting dazzling jewels before her had been refined, handsome—someone who seemed perfectly at home in high society.

His luxurious clothing was rare in her rural surroundings, but more striking than that was his appearance: pale skin contrasted sharply with jet-black hair, accentuating his cool, aloof face.

And his eyes—clear, icy blue, like frozen glass.

Long legs, a straight waist, broad shoulders—his proportions were flawless. Even Psyche, who knew little about men, could tell that his tightly fitted shirt concealed a solid, well-built body.

With an indifferent expression, he had proposed in a thoroughly unromantic way. She rejected him immediately—she couldn’t trust a stranger.

But he didn’t stop.

He came again and again, never showing desperation or humiliation. It was strange. She consistently refused him.

“I have no intention of marrying you, Your Grace.”

One day, after yet another rejection, he asked her:

“May I ask why?”

“Then may I ask why you wish to marry, Your Highness?”

At her counter-question, he grew serious.

“For an heir.”

The calm, concise answer surprised her.

“So… all I need to do is give you an heir?”

She liked that he didn’t speak of love or emotions. The duke nodded, then repeated his stance.

“I don’t trust people. I don’t wish to be entangled with others through an institution like marriage.”

At those words, the duke smiled brightly—a smile she hadn’t expected. Before she could even process it, he stepped closer.

“Then let our relationship be a contract.”

“A contract?”

Clint had lived his entire life in a position where a command was enough to get anything he wanted. He had thought a blunt proposal would suffice. From the beginning, he had approached her not for marriage itself, but for his own purpose.

With confident composure, he continued.

“Yes. I promise you a comfortable life. All you need to do is bear me an heir.”

It seemed like a fair trade. A marriage of emotion was burdensome, but a transaction—one where no trust was required, only exchange—felt clean and simple.

In fact, it seemed better that way.

“That… doesn’t sound bad.”

After that, everything proceeded swiftly. The night before Psyche left her hometown, Clint, who had come to escort her, spoke.

“Since we’ll be living as husband and wife, there’s one thing I want you to know.”

When Psyche quietly looked at him, he continued.

“What do you hate the most?”

“Why are you suddenly asking what I hate?”

She laughed at the unexpected question under the quiet moonlight.

“I may not be able to give you what you love most, but I won’t do what you hate.”

She liked that answer very much. Anyone could say they’d give everything or do only what she liked—but keeping such promises was difficult. Promising not to do what someone hated felt far more realistic.

Without hesitation, she answered, turning her gaze to the sky. The night was as dark as his hair, stars scattered across it. Soft moonlight settled between them.

“I hate it most when someone I know dies. And I also hate it when someone I know kills another person.”

She thought of her parents’ miserable deaths—betrayed by the person they trusted most—and shook her head, unwilling to linger on the memory.

“And… I especially hate it when someone close to me dies.”

“Then I simply won’t die.”

At his playful response, she laughed without realizing it. It was a short, trivial exchange, yet she thought him a man who knew how to treat others sincerely.

She had believed that even if their marriage wasn’t overflowing with love or happiness, it would at least be peaceful and stable.

But it wasn’t.

How could it be?

There had been good memories once—but they were quickly buried, shapeless and helpless, beneath the tragedy of reality.

The memories of their first meeting had vanished without a trace, leaving only the horrific words she had just heard echoing in her ears.

“When that woman gives birth, we’ll kill her.”

The voice haunted her relentlessly.

Looking back now, the contract had been strange from the start. He had given far too much.

All he needed was an heir to succeed him. What he truly required was a woman he could kill after she gave birth—someone whose death would raise no questions.

And she had simply been the perfect fit.

A chill ran through her.

Psyche quickly shook herself free from the past.

Now, it was time to leave him behind.

End Of Chapter : 01