Chapter 26

“It really is awful. No matter how fine a man might be, if he tells me I can never see my daughter again after marriage, I would never agree to it.”

“Who would have thought Count Overhen was that kind of person? He looks so proper, but what kind of man throws his wife out overnight? I thought he was a gentleman.”

“But are we sure that was the only reason? Maybe there’s something we don’t know about.”

“Even if there was, couldn’t he have just talked to her? What kind of man treats his wife so cruelly?”

“Oh, enough. Stop worrying about someone else’s daughter and make sure you look after your own. Count Overhen will probably want to remarry soon anyway.”

“I actually saw him flirting with Lady Hardin earlier.”

“Really? But I heard Count Overhen wants to reconcile with Lady Everchen instead.”

“Yes, I heard that too! They say he went to see Lady Everchen and brought her a marriage contract. Can you imagine humiliating the woman who used to be his wife like that?”

At those words, every noblewoman’s expression twisted in disgust.

Their eyes all turned toward Rickman, who was wandering about the ballroom. Each gaze carried open disdain.

Feeling the chill of their attention, Rickman turned toward them, and the ladies quickly hid behind their fans and scattered in all directions.

* * *

By that time, Rickman had realized that the mood of the party had turned against him, and rage boiled in his chest.

‘What the hell is happening?’

The women were looking at him as if he were vile, and the men clapped him on the shoulder with smug smiles, saying he had gone too far.

They were all people he had always looked down on, and now every step he took seemed to shatter his pride into pieces.

‘Those bastards keep mistresses and spend their nights whispering to courtesans, yet they have the nerve to look down on me? I only disciplined an unruly wife!’

Grinding his teeth, Rickman glared across the ballroom, his gaze cold and venomous.

Then he spotted someone.

‘Agnes.’

The woman who had spent the night clinging to Dylan’s arm like a sly fox was now walking alone. She looked as if she were searching for a place to rest.

Rickman’s lips twisted into a crooked smile as he followed her slowly.

As he expected, Agnes stepped into one of the smaller rooms prepared for guests to rest. Rickman quickened his pace, shoved her through the doorway, and slipped inside after her.

Startled, Agnes nearly lost her balance but managed to steady herself before turning to face him.

“Are you insane? What kind of behavior is this? Get out right now!”

“Why should I? If someone walks in and your fiancé misunderstands, that’ll only benefit me.”

“I’m sorry, but His Grace isn’t the kind of man who would make such a disgusting assumption.”

“Shut your mouth. Don’t defend that bastard in front of me.”

Left alone with him, Rickman quickly revealed his violent nature. Agnes brushed a few loose strands of hair behind her ear and sighed.

“What do you want? Have you finally decided to let me see Noah?”

“Hah!”

Rickman let out a sharp laugh of disbelief. Was this the same meek woman he used to know? Or did she no longer feel any need to obey him?

His anger flared as he stepped closer, towering over her.

“Don’t even dream of it. I came here to tell you to stop your pathetic little schemes.”

“Pathetic schemes? What are you talking about?”

“You’ve been whispering to those noblewomen and spreading lies!”

“Lies? Which part of what I said was a lie? That you unjustly cast out your own wife? That you refused to let me see Noah, even once? Or that you suddenly pretended to be generous and asked me to come back to your house? Every word of it was true.”

“Have you lost your mind?”

Even as his voice grew threatening, Agnes stood her ground, staring him straight in the eyes. Rickman sneered.

“If you keep this up, I have ways to deal with you.”

He shrugged slowly, the gesture dripping with arrogance. It was the posture he always took when he was convinced he held all the power.

“I’ll tell Noah the truth. I’ll tell him you’re not his real mother. Then he’ll stop crying about wanting to see you. Once he knows, he’ll never want to look at you again, and there’s nothing you can do about it…”

Smack!

A sharp sound rang out as Rickman’s head snapped to the side.

He froze, stunned not by the pain but by sheer disbelief.

‘Agnes hit me?’

To him, it was as absurd as seeing a fish fly through the sky.

Before he could collect himself, her trembling voice burst out like a shout.

“Just once!”

“…”

“Can’t you just once think from Noah’s perspective? You’re terrified of your pride being wounded, but aren’t you even more afraid of hurting that child? How can you still call yourself his father?”

Rickman finally turned his head back toward her. His blue eyes darkened, anger rising like a storm.

“You…”

He raised his arm, but Agnes didn’t even flinch.

“Do you dare lay a hand on me? I’m soon to be Duchess of Vasteron, a member of House Harkvitz.”

She was right.

The balance of power between them had changed completely.

Count Overhen, whose small estate barely generated enough income to sustain his family, could never compare to the Duke of Vasteron, who held vast royal lands and wealth beyond measure.

Agnes had never liked using power or wealth to intimidate others, but she knew that was the only language Rickman understood.

While he faltered, Agnes’s golden eyes hardened.

“Rickman, you and I may be different, but we both care about Noah. So let him come with me. You know I truly love him. If he’s raised in the Duke’s household under my care, he’ll become the brilliant heir you always wanted. Isn’t that what you want?”

Her voice was calm and steady, filled with sincerity rather than emotion.

“I’ll never burden Noah with my future or interfere in his marriage. I’ll make sure he studies hard and grows into a capable man. Once his health recovers, I’ll host gatherings to build his connections among the nobles. You can even have everything written down. I’ll submit it to the temple with witnesses, so you’ll have nothing to fear. So please…”

“Noah is my son.”

Even after all her reasoning, Rickman’s answer didn’t change.

Agnes couldn’t understand his stubbornness. Wasn’t he the one who had always wanted Noah to have the best life possible?

“I’m not trying to take your son away. I won’t even register him under the Duke’s name. When he comes of age, or whenever he wishes, he can return to you. If that’s too much, then at least until he can speak properly…”

“Enough!”

Rickman swung his arm violently. His hand grazed her cheek, leaving a small cut.

Agnes didn’t cower or scream. She simply closed her eyes for a brief moment, then opened them again, sharp and fierce like a hawk’s.

Her fearless gaze made him bristle defensively.

“In the end, you’re just another vulgar woman. I was a fool to think you were any different. So what are you after? Planning to hand my son over to the Duke and take his favor as payment?”

“I know you only want to insult me, but let me correct your foolish assumptions. If I had truly wanted something from the Duke’s house, I would’ve gone there alone and forgotten about Noah. Can you really not see something that simple? And besides…”

Rickman’s entire body trembled with fury. Every word she spoke was a knife to his pride.

The woman he had always considered beneath him was now confronting him head-on, and he hated her for it.

Even his dark blue eyes, burning with rage, couldn’t stop her from speaking.

“Even if I did, you’d have no right to blame me. Like you said, I didn’t give birth to Noah. But I want to take him and protect him. That alone proves that I love him as my own. So calm yourself and think clearly, just as you always told me to.”