So the Duchess Disappeared

62. Whose Child Is It? Part 3

“Oh my goodness.”

“Incredible.”

In an instant, they recognized each other’s faces.

Though several years had passed, it wasn’t such a long time that their initial meeting hadn’t left a lasting impression.

Psyche was much tidier than before, but Maery couldn’t help but recognize her because a woman with such pure silver hair wasn’t common.

“That, that time…!”

Maery was so surprised and delighted that she stumbled over her words.

Encountering a past connection in such an unexpected place left them speechless for a while.

“It seems you two… know each other.”

Clint broke the ice, and Maery, with a face on the verge of tears, managed to speak.

“Should I call you Miss here, or should I say, now you’re a Duchess? I never expected to meet a lady in a place like this…”

Maery began hesitantly recalling past memories.

“I just thought of you as a noble lady passing by… I was too inexperienced back then, I couldn’t even properly express my gratitude… My command of the imperial language was poor, and I only thought about saving the prince…”

“Incredible…”

“Thinking we were being chased, I felt like I couldn’t trust anyone, so I think I caused trouble unintentionally.”

Maery slowly pieced together what needed to be said about the distant past.

Psyche was shocked and speechless, and suddenly, she thought of Shilard.

“Goodness, if that’s the case…”

“Please forgive my rudeness even now, ma’am.”

As Maery seemed about to kneel down, Psyche was taken aback and quickly protested.

“Oh, no! You don’t have to think of me as a Duchess back then…”

“You may speak freely, ma’am.”

Maery lowered her head again.

“Oh… Oh! No, that’s not it. Alexsa, could you bring Shilard here?”

Thinking quickly that she needed to bring Shilard, Psyche made the request urgently.

Alexsa, who was standing behind, asked with a puzzled expression, “She must have only just fallen asleep… Shall I wake her up and bring her?”

“Yes, please wake her up if you have to, but bring her here.”

“…?”

Everyone looked puzzled by Psyche’s sudden request.

But Psyche immediately turned to Maery and asked.

“Maery, was the prince blonde?”

“Oh, yes! He had blonde hair just like our Queen… And…”

Recalling the image of the prince, Maery began describing him.

“Also, he had green eyes full of determination, just like the King’s. He was smaller in stature compared to his peers, but that’s a common trait among children in Tarran, so we weren’t too worried… Oh, why are you crying all of a sudden?”

Psyche burst into tears at Maery’s words.

Everyone present looked at her in surprise.

Psyche was certain.

Shilard was Queen Sandrine’s son.

The dazzling blonde hair, the green eyes filled with determination, and even his slower growth compared to his peers were all just traits inherited from his bloodline. Thinking that Shilard was just growing up naturally made her feel strange.

Moreover, knowing that Shilard’s parents were still alive and well added to her unnecessary sense of relief.

“I-I’m sorry… I’m just so happy.”

Psyche suppressed the urge to cry.

Then, in a tearful voice, she turned to Sandrine and asked,

“Your Majesty, may I ask what your child’s name was?”

Taken aback by the unexpected question, Sandrine hesitated before slowly speaking in a dreamy voice.

“My son’s name… It’s been so long since I couldn’t say his name…”

With eyes filled with memories, she uttered the name.

“My son’s name is ‘Kaili Tarran.'”

As Sandrine finished speaking, Alexsa appeared in the hall with Shilard.

Despite being half-asleep, Shilard’s face lit up with a broad smile when he saw Psyche and Clint together, and he ran over to them.

“Mama!”

Shilard ran into Psyche’s arms without a second thought.

She hugged him tightly, feeling momentarily melancholic at the thought that she might never see him again.

But she quickly let go of her own sadness, knowing that her sorrow shouldn’t overshadow this joyful news.

“Shili, today I’ll introduce you to someone special.”

“Someone special?”

Shilard struggled to keep his sleepy eyes open as he repeated her words.

“Yes.”

Psyche turned his body to face Sandrine.

“Say hello, Shili. No, Kaili, to your mother.”

Everyone was stunned by her words.

And perhaps the most surprised of all was Clint.

❖ ❖ ❖

The meeting between Sandrine and Shilard was a story that would turn the entire palace upside down.

And among the rumors that circulated, Psyche was undoubtedly the most talked-about.

The gossip about her being a dirty woman or shameless had disappeared as if they never existed.

As a result, she was glorified as if she were some kind of saint.

Although she had deceived everyone, the fact that she had become a mother to a child who had lost his parents stimulated the maternal instincts of women, spreading the story as something even nobler.

Protecting the neighboring kingdom’s prince, now known as Kaili, was an inevitable choice, and Psyche’s story began to spread like a heroic tale.

In such an atmosphere, the nobles who used to scorn Psyche began praising her without hesitation, as if nothing had ever happened.

It was truly a swift change of attitude.

However, despite being at the center of all the rumors, Psyche couldn’t care less about such things.

“Shili, no, Prince Kaili.”

“No, not a prince! Don’t call me a prince!”

When Psyche addressed Shilard, now Kaili, in a firm manner, he frowned, showing his dislike for it.

Although Kaili had grown fond of Sandrine, he still seemed hesitant to fully accept Psyche as his stepmother.

But Psyche had never explicitly told him to call her mother.

However, since she had often been called “Mom” or “Mother” by him, subtle situations like this would often arise.

There had even been an awkward incident during dinner the night before, where Psyche was referred to as Kaili’s mother in front of Sandrine.

Therefore, Psyche eventually decided to see less of Kaili.

After all, he was a prince of a kingdom and would eventually need to become accustomed to his biological parents.

But Kaili didn’t take it well.

“Prince, and please don’t call me mother anymore.”

Though somewhat harsh, she felt it was necessary for him.

While Sandrine didn’t attach much significance to Kaili’s behavior, Psyche knew that this relationship couldn’t continue indefinitely.

“Ugh!”

“Your Highness!”

She was currently trying to convince him to go to bed early tonight, as he had promised to sleep with Psyche.

There was a struggle like this almost every day.

Psyche wasn’t at peace with herself.

At first, when she found out that Kaili was Sandrine’s biological son, she felt a sense of relief, but it was short-lived.

She hadn’t even thought about the separation from Shilard, now Kaili, and she was struggling to cope with the reality before her.

Separating a child who had called her mother and followed her around wasn’t something she could easily accept.

Seeing Kaili cling to her, her resolve weakened hundreds of times a day.

But she couldn’t turn everything into a soap opera now that things had finally settled down.

Psyche reaffirmed her resolve as she watched Kaili protest outside her bedroom.

“Please go back now, Your Highness.”

“I’m not going baaack!”

Kaili, who had never thrown a tantrum before, suddenly became stubborn.

But Psyche was even more resolute than usual.

“If you don’t go back now, you won’t see me tomorrow.”

“T-that’s not faiiir!”

“Then go back now and get a good night’s sleep. We’ll see each other at breakfast tomorrow.”

“Ughhh!”

In the end, Kaili burst into tears. Psyche wanted to cry with him, but she held back as much as possible to suppress her emotions.

In the end, Psyche emerged victorious.

As she watched Kaili being led away by Alexsa, she felt completely exhausted.

Clint, who had been watching Psyche and Kaili’s struggle from his bed, looked somewhat crestfallen.

*Sigh…*

Psyche felt utterly defeated.

It was even harder to hide her sad emotions and pretend nothing was wrong.

And Clint, who watched her situation from beside her every time, was feeling the same way.

Since sending Kaili to Sandrine, Psyche hadn’t slept properly or eaten properly. It seemed unbearable for her to not have Kaili, whom she had cared for like her own child, by her side.

From the moment she found out that Kaili wasn’t her biological son, he had been trapped in a strange mix of emotions.

It was somewhat satisfying, but at the same time, he felt a sense of self-disgust for not being able to embrace Psyche more.

He felt like a great sinner in front of her.

In the face of such helplessness, Psyche suddenly collapsed in tears.