Chapter 3

Agnes instinctively pressed her hand to the arm Dylan had bitten.

Though the wound had closed, a faint ache remained that proved last night had not been a dream.

Of the two, it was Agnes who had the other’s weakness, and it was Agnes who had offered help.

Still, that did little to close the gap between them.

It was not merely a matter of rank but of state of mind.

Right now, the one who needed something more urgently was clearly Agnes.

As if reading her thoughts, Dylan put the main question first.

“What do you want in return.”

Agnes had expected such a conversation, yet she flinched and swallowed.

Perhaps because Dylan was staring at her so intently, she felt his gaze pierce through the veil and see her tension.

“I called you my benefactor first, did I not. If there is something you desire, you may say it. I will decide whether I can grant it after I hear you.”

Dylan did not lower himself in the slightest, though he had the upper hand. He remained polite and measured, and that only made him seem more dignified.

‘This is what being a gentleman must be like.’

Agnes remembered the viscountess calling her former husband a gentleman and smiled bitterly.

People called Dylan a monster, yet to Agnes, Count Overhen, who abused their son, seemed the greater monster.

Thinking that eased some of her fear. Agnes steadied her gaze on the man behind the veil.

“There is only one thing I want. I want to get my son back from my ex-husband.”

Dylan leaned forward slightly as if to hear more. His friendly posture eased the tension in her shoulders.

“What exactly do you mean by get your son back.”

“I married Count Overhen six years ago and had a son. But we clashed terribly over how to raise him, and Count Overhen demanded a divorce.”

‘He demanded a divorce.’

That short phrase did not capture the violence of the process.

Agnes had pleaded at his feet many times to avoid being driven out. She had fought until her shoes were nearly torn off. Two strong men had each seized an arm and dragged her, tearing the skin of her instep.

She squeezed her eyes shut at that dizzy memory, then opened them at Dylan’s voice.

“What sort of disagreement was it.”

“That is…”

“If you do not speak honestly, you cannot expect to avoid a price.”

Agnes exhaled heavily.

To say all of this aloud required resolve. Even now, it felt as if a blade pressed into her chest.

“Count Overhen wanted Noah to be perfect. Quick to learn and able to have everyone beneath his feet.”

“That is what every parent wants.”

“I know that. But his greed went too far.”

Even recalling it made her clench her fists onto her thighs as if to stop herself trembling.

“He would not allow Noah even a single day of rest. He hired tutor after tutor, and if Noah did not show progress, he fired them in front of the child. Noah had to watch those tutors beg as they lost their positions.”

She swallowed behind the veil and continued to steady herself.

“When that kind child felt sorry and did not know how to respond, Count Overhen would rage. He said that as his heir, Noah could not have such weakness.”

Noah did his best to meet his father’s expectations and to prevent tutors from losing their jobs. But he was only five. No matter how hard he tried, some things were beyond him.

A genius might manage it. But not every child can be a genius.

“Noah grew to fear his father. He began to stammer in front of him, and the more he stammered, the harsher Count Overhen punished him. Eventually he stopped speaking altogether.”

“You mean he lost his ability to speak.”

“The doctors said there is almost no physical problem. He does not sleep well and lacks appetite so his strength has declined, but that can recover. The inability to speak is a problem of the heart.”

Agnes shut her eyes tight.

Could she blame Count Overhen alone for placing Noah in such a state.

Count Overhen prized pride above all and wanted a quiet, beautiful, well-bred lady rather than a marriage that would bring another family’s influence. He had courted the eighteen-year-old Agnes and proposed not long after.

Her parents rejoiced that they could marry her into a wealthy house, and no one asked Agnes what she wanted.

She regretted accepting his proposal. Marrying him had brought her the person she loved most in the world, Noah Overhen. But she was not fit to be his mother. She had no power to protect him.

Even after marriage, Agnes could not influence life at the Overhen estate. The count wanted nothing from Everchen beyond Agnes herself. He would not take Lizzie, the maid who had cared for Agnes, because she did not meet his standards.

Though Agnes oversaw the household, everything had to be reported to the count. She had no access to what he did, not even the punishments he gave Noah.

When Noah began to fear his father, Agnes had thought giving him a father’s love would be enough. How foolish she had been. Believing she could protect him without any power was a sinful ignorance.

When Noah finally shut his mouth, Agnes protested strongly to Count Overhen. She tried to help Noah find playmates and leisure so he could relax. The count admonished her to stop, but she stood firm.

‘What Noah needs is not study but stability. The reassurance that lagging behind will not cause a parent’s hatred. So please, be kind to Noah. I beg you.’

Instead she received divorce papers.

Agnes did not plan to refuse the divorce papers Count Overhen handed her. The marriage had never been one of love. There had been no happiness. But before she stamped the papers, she insisted on one thing she would never concede.

‘Allow me to raise our son Noah. I will return him when he comes of age. You yourself said Noah is my son.’

Laughter was the only reply.

‘Do you not understand, Agnes. Noah is my son and the son of the Countess Overhen. You are merely Viscount Everchen’s daughter now. I told you to be sensible. Pathetic.’

Count Overhen had the servants force Agnes’s hand to sign. She ceased to be Count Overhen’s wife and lost any influence over Noah. The count hid Noah’s illness out of shame so she could not even see his face. She had no way to know whether he was well.

‘Pathetic…’

Agnes fought back tears. She rose and stood before Dylan.

‘The time has come.’

Dylan watched and thought Agnes would finally play her card. She would threaten to expose his secret to force his cooperation. For anyone, desperation could breed cowardice. A mother’s love for a child could justify almost any excuse.

At the instant vigilance flickered into Dylan’s eyes, Agnes dropped to her knees at his feet and removed the long glove covering her arm.

The bite marks from last night were faint and starting to dry, but the arm beneath was healthy and had a warm color.

“I know you would not ask an excessive price for a single taste of blood. I will give blood periodically whenever Your Grace desires. So please help me get Noah back.”