Chapter 37

Agnes had been staring at Dylan for some time, so their eyes inevitably met. When confusion flickered across his face, she subtly gestured for him to come closer.

“Huh? Where are you going, my lady?”

The knights who had been chatting cheerfully over the map noticed her hand motion almost instantly. Their sharpness was impressive enough to make Agnes understand how they had accomplished so much on the battlefield.

“Your Grace, I have something to discuss. May we speak elsewhere?”

She finally stated her reason directly.

The knights’ eyes sparkled. From their point of view, their lord’s fiancée asking to speak in private sounded suspiciously romantic.

That was precisely why she had wanted to avoid their attention.

Dylan slowly turned his expressionless face toward the group. The knights, sensing danger, immediately looked back down at the map.

The longer Dylan silently stared, the lower their heads sank. Soon, they were bent so far forward that Agnes worried they might slam into the table.

Once the room grew completely quiet, Dylan extended his hand toward her.

“Let’s go.”

When Agnes placed her hand on his, every knight’s gaze shifted again. Their eyes were cautious this time, almost reverent, which made it hard to scold them.

Feeling her cheeks grow warm, Agnes followed Dylan out.

Honestly, the fault lay with the man who insisted on escorting her with such elegance over something as simple as a private talk.

In the corridor, Dylan closed the study door behind them and gestured toward her, silently asking if it was a conversation they could have here.

“Let’s go to your room, Your Grace.”

It was the most private place in the mansion, and also the only place where Dylan could speak freely about his secret.

But Dylan raised an eyebrow without moving an inch.

“I am fine.”

“I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“It has been four days. You wish to shorten the feeding interval, don’t you?”

It would have been strange if someone as perceptive as Dylan had not guessed her reason. Although she was caught off guard, Agnes stood her ground.

“Your Grace, you have been looking tired lately. If that is because of my situation, then I think I should do my part too.”

“My lady, as long as you meet the terms I set, you will receive everything you asked for.”

“I know. It’s not that I don’t trust you. But we…”

Her hand, still resting on his from his earlier escort, tightened slightly. Dylan looked down at their joined hands.

“…we are partners, aren’t we?”

The golden light in her eyes shimmered with quiet resolve.

It was a small light, fragile yet enduring, the kind that might fade for a moment only to return each day to brighten the sky again.

Dylan glanced down at their hands. Her smaller hand gripped his right one in an awkward handshake, and her grip was too weak to make much difference.

And yet, her words made him pause.

A handshake. It sounded foolish. He had shaken hands with countless people in his life, most of whom he could not even remember.

But he understood what she meant.

She did not want to be someone who only received protection.

For some reason, that thought made him recall his sister, Cali.

He remembered how she had scowled fiercely when he tried to protect her during the royal hunting tournament. She had always been proud and strong, unwilling to hide behind anyone.

The woman before him seemed softer, smaller, but the determination in her expression was exactly the same.

Dylan let out a quiet breath and stepped back.

“You are right, my lady. Given the situation, I will accept it. It may help us both achieve what we need.”

Agnes’s eyes widened in surprise, and her face brightened. She had not expected him to agree so easily.

He found it strange that she looked genuinely happy about it. It was her blood that would be drawn, yet she smiled as if she were the one being granted a gift.

“However, once Noah is safely back, there will be no more exceptions. Once every five days, no matter what.”

“Yes, thank you!”

Dylan released her hand, only to extend it again as if for a formal handshake. This time their hands fit properly.

“The one who should be thankful is me. Come to my room tonight.”

Agnes smiled brightly at his words. She was the type of woman who smiled often, but this smile felt different.

Dylan realized it was the same expression she had worn when he promised to deliver Noah’s letter, and again when she had received Noah’s reply.

‘So this is what she looks like when she truly smiles.’

He suddenly wanted to touch her flushed cheek, though he stopped himself out of caution.

It was good that he resisted the impulse, yet part of him regretted not feeling the warmth of her skin.

* * *

The next day, the knights who specialized in secret passages returned to report. They exchanged glances with one another, trying not to laugh.

The lord looked refreshed, while his fiancée appeared exhausted.

Considering they were engaged, the implication was obvious.

The knights quickly forced their thoughts aside and began their report. Bram, the eldest among them, spoke first.

“Ahem, we discovered that the Overhen townhouse was relocated once in the past.”

Agnes, unaware of their assumptions, focused entirely on his words.

“Yes, that’s right. It happened before I married Count Overhen. When he inherited the title, he moved to a new townhouse because the old one was too far from the Imperial Palace. The previous one is still on the outskirts of the capital. He didn’t like that location much.”

“Yes, and it seems the old townhouse was never sold. It was simply sealed off. Do you know why?”

“I’m not sure, but the count was the type to obsess over history. I didn’t think much of it. Why do you ask?”

Bram murmured under his breath, “As expected,” and continued.

“The two houses may be connected by the underground passage you mentioned.”

Agnes could not hide her surprise.

“But they are quite far apart.”

“Distance matters less than what lies between them. If someone were to dig underground carelessly, another structure could collapse or the passage could intersect with others. That would cause trouble for everyone involved.”

“I see…”

Agnes knew little about architecture, so it was hard to imagine tunnels accidentally crossing paths. She nodded quietly, trying to follow along.

“When I investigated further, I learned that someone has been visiting the old townhouse despite it being officially closed. The witnesses described them as rough-mannered and poorly dressed. A large wagon was seen parked outside late at night.”

“That does sound suspicious.”

“Yes. If what they were transporting was legitimate, they would not need to move in secret. It could be drugs or counterfeit goods.”

“You mean gold or art pieces, perhaps?”

“Those would be the most likely.”

Dylan, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke.

“There is already evidence that Count Overhen dealt in counterfeit artworks. It seems he used the old townhouse as his storage site.”

At that, a memory surfaced for Agnes.

Back when she was still Countess Overhen, Rickman had once mocked other nobles, saying they had no eye for art.

She had brushed it off as another sign of his arrogance, but now she wondered if he had meant the nobles who had unknowingly purchased forged works from him.

If he had deceived nobles, his crime would be far more severe.

“In that case, we should investigate that building thoroughly. Also, find out who purchased the forgeries. Some of them may become useful allies.”

At Dylan’s command, the knights dispersed quickly to gather information.

But a few days later, when they returned, every one of them looked uneasy.

“We told them they had been tricked into buying forgeries, yet none agreed to cooperate.”

“They were angry at me instead, telling me not to speak of it to anyone.”

“Well, nobles do have their pride…”

Still, the reactions were too uniform to ignore.

Could it be that they had all hit a dead end?