Chapter : 02
“The Plan to Escape”
She decided to think about the future.
She told herself she had no lingering attachment to her relationship with the duke. After all, hadn’t it only ever been a contract?
Once she framed it that way, the date of her escape was decided quickly.
Holding a quill, she carefully wrote things down and examined every detail.
Exactly two weeks from now—the day a banquet would be held at the Imperial Palace—seemed to be the most suitable.
There were conditions for choosing the day she would run.
First, escaping from the heavily guarded ducal estate while carrying a heavy, pregnant body was nearly impossible. That meant she had to escape while she was already outside.
With that in mind, the candidates narrowed down to two days: a social ball to be held in a few days, and the palace banquet two weeks later.
“Which day would be better?”
As the duchess, she couldn’t freely go just anywhere. An official gathering that served as a pretext for going out was ideal.
Second, she must not accompany the duke. He was extremely perceptive and had sharp instincts. Staying by his side would make it difficult to escape his watch.
“The ball is one he’s attending with me, so that won’t do.”
Psyche circled the word banquet she had written down.
The social ball required the duke’s presence, but the palace banquet was different. Hosted by the Empress, it was a gathering exclusively for married noblewomen.
Men were not allowed to attend. Moreover, the duke had said that starting on the day of the banquet, he would be traveling abroad on business.
He wouldn’t be able to immediately realize that she had fled. That tied into the first condition as well—there was no point in escaping if he could simply chase after her right away.
That day was the most perfect choice.
Having laid out her plan flawlessly, Psyche resolved one thing.
“I must never let the duke realize that I’m planning to run away.”
Her due date wasn’t far off. About three months remained. She decided she would act as calmly and naturally as possible until then.
“Phew.”
She took a deep breath.
She didn’t want to burden the child with her pain.
If there was one thing she had gained from her marriage to the duke, it was the new life growing inside her.
Though it was the product of a contract, the child’s existence meant far more to her than she had expected. It was a difficult yet wondrous feeling.
Carrying a life was a strange thing. At first, her body hadn’t felt like her own, and she had often been uncomfortable.
“At first… it definitely was.”
Even if it was for the sake of a contract, it had felt unsettling. And amid that confusion, the duke had treated her with great care.
“Your Grace, please sit here.”
“Your Grace, it’s cold. Please go inside.”
“Your Grace, you mustn’t skip breakfast.”
There were times she had even felt happy, seeing the duke visit her every morning as if inspecting her condition.
Though their relationship was based on a contract, she had thought perhaps blood ties truly were special. She even believed they might be able to give the child the image of a happy family that anyone would dream of.
And so, gradually, her affection and attachment to the child grew. To the point where she truly wanted to give the child the very best.
It wasn’t some grand, dramatic maternal instinct—but without question, the child had become precious to her.
And yet, to think that it had all been an act.
Looking back, he had never once revealed his true intentions to her. He had only ever been kind on the surface.
Realizing that his attitude had been nothing more than deception to obtain a child left a bitter taste in her mouth.
“I can’t make a child without a mother.”
She sat still and slowly shook her head.
“For the child’s sake—and for mine—I have to leave this place.”
But she had no desire to live a life of hardship, giving birth and raising a child alone without support.
“If that’s the case, I need to go somewhere with a good environment. And I need money.”
Even if she couldn’t give the child everything the duke could, she refused to raise her child in poverty or humiliation.
That meant she needed a more thorough, carefully constructed plan.
She thought long and hard.
“If I sell the jewelry I have, it’ll fetch a good price. But… it’s bulky. I can’t take much with me.”
Psyche opened a small drawer beneath the bedside table.
“I should’ve asked him to buy me more jewelry.”
She never imagined she would regret refusing the gifts he occasionally offered, thinking she didn’t want to burden him unnecessarily. As she absentmindedly touched the necklaces inside the drawer, her gaze caught on a small dried bouquet placed beside the jewels.
“Oh, right… I thought it was fascinating that they made bouquets out of planeria herbs here…”
Suddenly, Psyche slapped her knee.
“The people here seem rather ignorant when it comes to herbalism and plants. I can use that.”
Thinking it was a brilliant idea, she quickly began to flesh out her plan.
Knock, knock, knock.
Startled by the sound, Psyche hurriedly adjusted her shawl. She had been so absorbed that her cheeks were flushed. Looking out the window, she saw the golden sun had already sunk behind the mountains, as if it had melted into the sky.
“Ah… when did it get so late?”
She and the duke had dinner together at least once a week, and she had forgotten that today was that day.
“Of all days, today…”
Out of habit, she patted her cheeks lightly before answering.
“Come in.”
At her words, a servant quietly opened the door and spoke.
“Your Grace, dinner is ready. His Grace said he has already gone ahead. Shall I guide you?”
“No. I’ll go on my own.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She needed to steel herself before facing the duke as if nothing were wrong.
She took a deep breath and checked her expression.
“There’s no need to be nervous. Just like always. Just like always.”
After straightening her clothes, she stood up. Her face seemed unnaturally flushed. Determined not to give the perceptive duke any cause for suspicion, Psyche tightened her resolve.
Still, being cautious by nature, she felt slightly shaky. By the time she reaffirmed her determination, she had already reached the dining room.
“Haah…”
“Why are you so tense at a mere dinner?”
The voice, whispered close to her ear from behind, made Psyche jump.
“Your Grace?”
It was the duke—who was supposedly already inside.
“Ah—y-you said you’d be here first.”
“No. You seem particularly startled today.”
“Well! That’s because Your Highness keeps teasing me!”
At that, the duke laughed soundlessly.
“Is that so? I simply felt like surprising you. Come, let us go inside.”
Reaching out from behind, he opened the door himself. It almost looked as if he were enclosing her in his arms, and Psyche flustered.
“You’re shy.”
Lightly placing a hand on her shoulder, he guided her inside. He looked affectionate.
There had been a time when she believed his tenderness toward her was merely a duty. If it had truly been just duty, that would have been better. Now that she knew the truth, everything felt like an act.
“Please, sit, my lady.”
He even pulled out her chair for her. Following his lead unconsciously, Psyche suddenly looked at her husband.
Duke Valentine was a flawless, impeccable gentleman.
He was the kind of groom every woman dreamed of—status, wealth, and looks.
But now, all of it felt meaningless.
She gave a brief nod of thanks and forced a smile.
“When you smile, the room seems to brighten, my lady.”
He spoke sweet, practiced words and returned to his seat. As soon as he sat, the prepared courses began to arrive one by one.
Normally, they would sit facing each other at opposite ends of the long table, but the duke insisted she sit close beside him, claiming that sitting far apart felt too impersonal.
At the time, she had found that terribly romantic. Now, she wondered if it had simply been a way to keep her under watch.
“Nothing unusual lately, I hope?”
Even in their marriage of appearances, he always paid attention to her condition. If her personal funds ran low, he replenished them without fail, and he never forgot to gift her a new dress each month.
To an outsider, he was the perfect husband.
It made her feel sick.
Knowing that he had spoken of killing her—just moments ago—how could he sit there wearing such a flawless expression? His gentle face was terrifying. Still, she forced herself to smile.
“With how attentively you care for me, how could anything be wrong? I’m well.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
The duke smiled like a painting. A simple yet elegant appetizer was laid out. Tomato soup sprinkled with finely ground walnuts was served. Smiling, the duke urged her to eat first.
“I had it prepared because I heard tomatoes and walnuts are especially good for pregnant women.”
“Yes…”
Her voice stretched unconsciously, and she quickly added with a smile,
“Thank you for always being so considerate.”
“It’s nothing. It’s only natural.”
His kindness didn’t stop there. He cut his steak into bite-sized pieces and deliberately pushed the plate toward her, taking hers instead. He smiled faintly as he did so.
Her feelings grew more tangled.
“Don’t weaken over things like this, Psyche.”
She stared down at the food before her, trying to steady her heart. As the duke cut the steak on his own plate, he glanced at her and spoke.
“Oh, by the way, my lady. About the palace banquet.”
At the mention of the banquet—the very thing she had been agonizing over—Psyche’s eyes widened in surprise.
She already had been worrying about how to escape there, and it felt as though her thoughts had been exposed.
“Why are you so startled?”
“Well… you usually aren’t interested in gatherings where only women attend. So I was surprised.”
She smiled as usual, carefully deflecting the moment.
But it didn’t last long.
At the duke’s next words, Psyche finally lost her composure—and the knife slipped from her hand, clattering to the floor.
End Of Chapter : 02
