Chapter 29

Even though Dylan had agreed readily, Agnes hadn’t expected the extent of his concern.

He had sent not one but three knights to escort her to the Overhen townhouse.

For any noble lady, having even a single knight by her side was enough to be considered distinguished. And since the Vasteron knights were known for their elite skill, three was beyond excessive.

Agnes tried to decline politely, as she always did, but Pavel’s earnest pleading silenced her.

‘There were actually plans to send five of us! I had to insist that you wouldn’t like that and that it would be rude to the other household, so I negotiated it down to three. Please, my lady, my lips are sore from arguing.’

Pavel tugged at his own mouth as if to show how tired he was of persuading others. The two knights beside him gave him light smacks on the back of his head and shoulder, scolding him to mind his manners.

Unable to say no any longer, Agnes ended up departing for the Overhen townhouse under the protection of three elite knights.

When the carriage stopped before the gates, the knights stepped forward to announce her arrival. Moments later, the butler burst out from inside, looking flustered.

It was the same man who hadn’t shown his face when she came here alone before. Only now, with the Duke’s crest displayed beside her carriage, did he hurry to greet her.

A short while later, the gates opened.

“Finally…”

Agnes smiled faintly, though her brows knit together. The emotion twisting inside her was hard to name.

She had once knocked on this very door countless times as Lady Everchen, the former Countess of Overhen.

Now, under the shadow of Vasteron, it opened easily.

Her feelings were a tangle of bitterness and relief. Yet above all, she was grateful.

Choosing Dylan had been the right decision. With his help, she would be able to bring Noah back.

But before that, there was one last thing she had to do.

“Where is Count Overhen?”

She asked the butler, the man she had seen every day for six years but who had never truly been hers.

Clutching his hands together, the butler stammered nervously.

“In his office, my lady.”

Without waiting for him to lead the way, Agnes walked straight into the house.

The butler reached out to stop her but quickly stepped back when the three knights followed close behind like silent shadows.

Finding the office wasn’t difficult. She had lived here for years, managing every detail of the household.

Even with her eyes closed, she could have walked the path by heart.

The maid standing by the office door froze at the sight of her. After a moment of hesitation, she knocked and stepped inside.

Agnes waited outside, restraining the urge to follow.

“My lady… oh!”

The maid emerged soon after, startled by the sight of Agnes.

“Ah, I mean, not ‘my lady’ but…”

“The title doesn’t matter. Just tell me.”

“The master said you may enter.”

Agnes nodded once and stepped inside the office.

The room looked exactly as she remembered.

Sunlight poured through the wide window, blindingly bright. The man sitting with his back to it was little more than a dark silhouette.

The setup was deliberate. By letting the light conceal his face, he forced others to face the glare, making it impossible to read his expression. It was a trick to assert dominance over whoever stood before him.

Once, that had worked on her.

Now it only felt pitiful.

Shielding her eyes with a hand, Agnes walked forward until the sunlight no longer stung her vision.

Rickman frowned, resting his chin on his interlaced fingers.

“So, the little lady who hid under that monster’s protection finally decided to show her face. What do you want?”

At his rude tone, one of the knights reached for his sword. But the leader gave a silent shake of his head, stopping him.

Rickman only smirked as if mocking them all.

Pavel’s words flashed in her mind.

Either he’s confident in his strength, or he’s insane.

Rickman had always prided himself on his intellect and dismissed physical strength as beneath him. That could only mean the latter.

She wasn’t here to reason with a madman anyway.

“I want to speak with Noah before the custody trial begins.”

Rickman shot up from his chair, his eyes flashing.

“Custody trial? You’re really going through with that madness?”

“Yes. The papers will arrive soon. You can read the details then. I only came today to see Noah.”

Hands on his hips, Rickman glared at her with the same intensity that used to make her cower. But now, she didn’t flinch at all.

The butler and maid nearby exchanged wide-eyed glances.

In truth, the most surprised person in the room was Agnes herself. Only days ago, she would have been afraid to meet that glare. Now, she wasn’t afraid at all.

At the ball, he had already lost his temper with her. Yet even knowing how furious he must be, she could still stand here, steady and unshaken.

Once a fear is conquered, it loses its power forever.

The man she had once thought she’d serve for life meant nothing to her now.

“I’ll make it clear. Whether you permit it or not, I’ll see Noah today. If you care about appearances…”

She was trying to reason with him, her voice calm and firm, when the office door burst open.

A small figure ran straight into her arms.

She didn’t even need to look down to know who it was.

Agnes knelt and gathered the child close, holding him tightly.

As she breathed in, the familiar scent filled her lungs, chasing away months of emptiness in an instant.

“How are you managing this child!”

“I’m sorry, my lord! The young master insisted…”

Rickman’s angry shouts and the nanny’s stammering faded into nothing.

Agnes only held Noah tighter, shielding him with her whole body.

“Noah, Noah…”

The boy wrapped his short arms around her neck, his lips moving rapidly in soundless words. His voice broke before he could form a sentence.

He was breathing so hard from trying to speak that it made her chest ache.

Gently pulling back, she stroked his chest to calm him.

“Noah, it’s all right. Take your time, okay?”

Meeting her eyes, Noah’s trembling emerald irises slowly steadied.

But his tiny hand still clung to her skirt, gripping tightly as if terrified she might vanish again.

“Noah…”

Agnes placed her hand over his and straightened, facing Rickman.

“I’d like to talk with Noah alone. You don’t mind, do you?”

Her tone made it clear that even if he refused, she wouldn’t back down.

Rickman gave a short, bitter laugh.

“Why? Going to ask if he wants to live with you? I told you before. It doesn’t matter what either of you want.”

“If it doesn’t matter, then there’s no problem, is there?”

She didn’t flinch at his sarcasm.

“I didn’t expect you to agree so easily. Thank you.”

Rickman glared at her, dumbfounded, but she simply took Noah’s hand and walked out of the office.

With three knights bearing the Vasteron crest following closely behind, neither the butler nor the maids dared stop them.

Agnes smiled softly down at Noah, trying to ease the tension, but he only gripped her hand tighter, his face drawn with worry.

Then she understood.

Noah wasn’t afraid of the shouting or the anger between his parents.

He was afraid that she would be dragged away again, that she’d disappear and never come back.

The realization made her throat tighten. Tears threatened, but she swallowed them back.

She couldn’t cry now. If she did, Noah would only grow more afraid.