Chapter 41

After Noah turned away from her, Agnes could no longer press Rickman as fiercely as before.

All the crucial evidence had already been revealed, and the priest clearly knew Rickman was not a decent man.

Under normal circumstances, the priest would have sided with Agnes.

But Rickman’s claim that “Agnes is not the real mother” combined with the sight of Noah avoiding her eyes kept tipping the scales in his favor.

While the priest deliberated, Rickman lifted Noah in his arms, pretending to be a kind and affectionate father.

The moment Agnes saw that, the haze in her mind cleared.

Noah, cradled in Rickman’s arms, still looked uneasy. He could not rest in his father’s embrace and stared only at the floor, unsure where to look.

Agnes had always known one unchanging truth, that even parents could never truly understand their children.

Even though she had raised Noah, fed him, and clothed him, she knew there would come a day when he would do something she could never foresee, think thoughts she could not imagine, and show a side of himself she had never known.

But that day was not today.

She could read it clearly in his face, the fear of Rickman, the unease of being trapped in this unfamiliar place.

‘Why did I lose my nerve like a fool? Did I really think Rickman wouldn’t resort to cowardice? Am I going to let myself become his slave again?’

Agnes straightened her back and scolded herself in silence. Then she spoke, choosing the words that would strike Rickman where it hurt the most.

“There is one more thing I must tell you about Hasel Overhen.”

Just as she expected, Rickman’s lips snapped shut. He had been boasting endlessly about how Noah adored him and how his son should inherit the title of Count Overhen.

“Priest, Rickman Overhen imprisoned Hasel Overhen and left him to lose his mind in order to steal the count’s title. But think carefully. Why would he lock Hasel away in a secluded mansion? Wouldn’t there have been an easier way?”

“Agnes, enough of that nonsense.”

Rickman roughly set Noah down beside him and leaned on the podium, growling like a beast. His face had gone beyond pale, almost blue.

If he had not cared so deeply about pure noble bloodlines, his impotence would not have been such a damning flaw.

But Rickman was a man obsessed with lineage and hypersensitive to the judgment of noble society.

Agnes deliberately avoided naming the truth aloud. She intended to make him realize it himself.

“Rickman always had a deep inferiority complex toward Hasel.”

Agnes looked straight at him, her expression a mix of pity and quiet scorn.

It was something she had learned from watching Dylan. One did not need to shout or strike to crush another person’s pride.

“Hasel could do effortlessly what Rickman never could. So Rickman kept him alive…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Rickman screamed.

“Agnes! Aaaagh!”

Losing all composure, he charged at her.

No one had yet understood the implication behind her words, not Noah, not even the priest.

But Rickman did. The sting of inferiority, her look of contempt, the despair of realizing that all his sins had already been exposed.

It was enough to push him completely over the edge.

Agnes did not flinch as the madman came rushing at her.

She was not frozen by fear. She truly was not afraid. Dylan was there, and so were the guards.

Even if Rickman managed to strike her, it would only make the trial’s outcome more favorable for her and for Noah. If that was the case, she did not care if she got hurt.

Rickman’s movements seemed strangely slow. Perhaps because this moment was one of the most decisive of her life.

She saw every detail, the bloodshot eyes, the disheveled clothes, the wild movement of his throat as he screamed.

She could also sense Dylan moving faster than any guard to reach her side.

And then, from beside the podium where Rickman had stood, she caught sight of Noah.

The boy looked shocked and terrified, tears welling up as he ran toward her with both arms outstretched.

Don’t come, Noah. It’s dangerous.

Agnes wanted to say it, but she could not.

At that moment, a golden orb of light shot from Noah’s hand and struck Rickman’s leg.

“Moth… er!”

Rickman fell right in front of her, but Agnes did not even glance at him.

All that mattered was that Noah had used some strange power and that she had heard his voice, his real voice, for the first time since being cast out of the Overhen estate.

“Noah!”

Agnes rushed past the fallen Rickman and wrapped Noah tightly in her arms. She pulled him against her chest, holding him as if she would never let go.

“Noah, Noah… what just… Noah, are you alright?”

It didn’t matter that they were in the middle of a trial or that everyone was watching. Agnes gently touched his face and met his eyes.

Noah’s small face crumpled completely, and he began to cry in deep sobs.

“Mo… ther, hic… mo… ther…”

He threw his little arms around her, clinging tightly, but his sobs only grew louder.

In truth, Agnes was not the only one who had forgotten where they were. Even the priest had gone still for a moment, staring down at them in shock.

Even Rickman, who had been knocked to the floor by his own son, looked dazed and speechless.

Noah kept crying, over and over, calling for his mother.

It seemed those were the only words he had regained.

But that was enough. It told everyone in the room exactly where his heart lay.

The priest spoke at last, his expression solemn.

“It is shocking enough that Rickman Overhen attacked the opposing party in this holy trial, but to see the son he claimed to love strike his father to protect his mother… Rickman Overhen, I now doubt that you have ever spoken the truth in this court.”

The implication was clear. He no longer believed that Agnes was not the real mother.

The priest’s judgment had shifted completely.

The guards helped Rickman to his feet, but they no longer treated him like a noble. Their hands were rough, as if handling a criminal.

“Priest, please, Priest!”

“We will seek guidance from God and deliver judgment soon. Take Count Overhen away.”

Rickman shouted desperately as he was dragged out, but the priest only shook his head coldly. Yet when he turned to Noah, there was warmth and pity in his eyes.

“Lady Agnes Everchen, please remain here. We will now discuss Noah Overhen’s custody.”

It was as good as saying she would be granted guardianship.

The temple could be so complicated, sometimes cruelly indifferent yet at other times unexpectedly compassionate.

But for now, Agnes was only grateful. She bowed deeply, still holding Noah’s shoulders close, her heart full of thanks.

“Before that, I would like to speak with the child for a moment. Noah Overhen, is that alright with you?”

The priest, who had spoken so sternly until then, softened his tone when addressing Noah.

The boy looked up at Agnes as if asking what to do.

Agnes gently wiped the tears from his wet cheeks with her palm. She wanted to go with him no matter what, but she knew the priest likely wanted to speak to Noah alone.

She patted his head softly to comfort him, then asked the priest carefully.

“Priest, will Noah be in trouble for using magic?”

“It is true that the temple once opposed magic, but times have changed. What matters now is how and for what purpose it is used. Noah is a young child who has only just awakened to his power, so there will be no issue.”

Relieved, Agnes patted his back tenderly. The priest also smiled faintly at Noah, as if to reassure him.

Only then did Noah reach out and take the priest’s hand.

The priest led him toward a room behind the courtroom, and Agnes watched them go, her eyes following until the door finally closed.

Feeling a presence, she turned her head.

Dylan was looking at her with a gentle smile.

Rickman had fallen, and Noah was safe in her arms. It was her victory.

His beautiful smile seemed like a silent congratulation.

Seeing his calm, unwavering face, Agnes felt the tension drain from her.

Without realizing it, she ran to him and threw her arms around him.