Chapter 52

‘My lady.’

Agnes blinked, startled by the formal address, and then her ears flushed red.

Until yesterday, he had called her “Lady Agnes.” Hearing him now call her “my lady” made their marriage feel suddenly real.

She pulled her shawl over her shoulders and sat up on the bed.

“The banquet starts at three, doesn’t it? Do you have another appointment this early?”

“His Majesty seems to be in the mood to tease me, so he summoned me at dawn. I’ll be back soon.”

At the mention of His Majesty, Agnes hesitated.

Ever since hearing Dylan’s warning about Cali, the Empress, she found it difficult to grasp what kind of person she really was.

She had never found the Empress approachable, but before, that was only because of authority and pressure. Now she felt as if the woman lived in an entirely different world.

Dylan, however, looked perfectly calm, as if he were simply going to meet a mischievous sister.

After a moment’s thought, Agnes asked carefully.

“His Majesty won’t keep you too long, will she?”

Her voice carried clear concern. Dylan, who had been straightening his cravat, turned to glance at her.

“If she does, I’ll just tell her that I must leave because my wife misses me.”

Agnes stared at him, wide-eyed, then covered her mouth and laughed softly.

“When you make jokes like that, you should at least smile a little.”

Dylan gave a faint smile.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Until the banquet begins, why not have Noah come here and spend some time with you?”

Agnes smiled back and nodded.

“Yes, I will. And please, don’t overwork yourself.”

“This isn’t a battlefield, so you needn’t worry. I told you already, His Majesty has her own way of caring for me.”

With a wry smile, Dylan kissed the back of her hand. Their eyes met briefly before he rose to his feet.

“Then, I’ll see you later.”

He left the room with his usual composed grace.

Agnes still felt uneasy, but she couldn’t tell him not to go when the Emperor had summoned him.

She rang the bell for her attendants. Lizzie and several others came in to help her dress and fix her hair.

“Lizzie, please bring Noah here. We’ll have breakfast together.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Lizzie’s voice carried bright energy as she emphasized the word “ma’am,” and she hurried out of the room.

By the time Agnes finished getting ready, Noah came in holding Lizzie’s hand.

Agnes knelt down with open arms, and Noah ran straight into her embrace.

“Did you sleep well? You weren’t scared in this new place, were you?”

Noah’s speech had improved slightly, and he answered cheerfully.

“I read a storybook.”

He pointed at Lizzie. The maid puffed up proudly, and Agnes laughed, sitting with Noah on the sofa.

“Lizzie read you a story? So you weren’t scared at all?”

“No.”

“My brave boy. Then today, Mommy will read to you.”

As she stroked his hair and talked to him softly, a knock came at the door. A maid entered with a tray.

Agnes and Noah moved to the table and watched as the food was set before them.

At first, it was simple—warm eggs and bacon. But soon, more dishes appeared that were surprisingly plain for the palace kitchen.

There were sticks of bread thickly coated with honey, skewers piled with meat and vegetables, and roasted corn brushed with oil.

They looked delicious but too humble to be the work of the royal chef.

As Agnes gazed at the food in curiosity, Lizzie covered her mouth in delight.

“Oh my! These are festival dishes, aren’t they?”

When she asked the maid who brought the tray, the maid bowed politely.

“Yes, that is correct. The Duke of Vasteron gave the order himself.”

Agnes’s eyes widened before curving into a warm smile.

After the maids left, she examined each dish closely.

Last night, she had mentioned that she was curious about the festival but thought it wasn’t the right time to attend.

It seemed Dylan had remembered her words.

Had he ever tasted these foods himself? Or had he simply told the chef to recreate them based on her comment?

Either way, it didn’t matter. The gesture alone made her heart warm.

Smiling tenderly, she wrapped her arm around Noah’s small shoulders.

“Noah, these are the kinds of food people eat during festivals. Want to try some?”

“Festival.”

“Yes. During festivals, people eat outside in the streets, so they make the food easy to hold and eat. Doesn’t it look good?”

“Yes.”

“Master Noah, this one’s the best. The honey bread is amazing!”

Among the three of them, only Lizzie had ever been to a real festival. For this brief morning, she became their cheerful guide.

Agnes and Noah listened to her stories while they tasted each dish together.

Noah bit into the honey bread, his cheeks puffing as he smiled brightly. He must have liked it. Agnes wiped a crumb from the corner of his mouth with her thumb and whispered softly.

“When we go to the North, let’s visit a real festival. We’ll buy food from the stalls and watch people dance. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Noah nodded eagerly, his eyes shining.

The three of them continued to enjoy their little “festival” right there at the breakfast table.

* * *

While Agnes, Noah, and Lizzie shared their cheerful morning in the bedroom, Dylan walked toward the garden that Cali favored.

Under an elegantly carved gazebo, Cali sat with one leg crossed, leaning back in her chair with an air of careless ease. She wore trousers, as usual, ignoring every royal convention.

When she saw Dylan, her eyes gleamed with mischief, and she waved lazily.

He returned the greeting with a polite nod before speaking, his tone reproachful.

“You shouldn’t sit like that in such an open place.”

“My dear little brother is married now, and he’s still as fussy as ever. Doesn’t your wife get tired of all your nagging?”

“My wife never gives me a reason to nag.”

“Oh my, marriage truly does change a man. I’ve never heard you talk about anyone this fondly.”

Cali chuckled and gestured for him to sit.

Dylan sighed but took the seat she indicated.

“So, was the wedding night pleasant?”

“Yes.”

His answer came without a pause. Cali’s eyes widened, and then she burst out laughing, slapping her knee.

“Haha! I was only teasing, but I didn’t think you’d answer so seriously!”

“You shouldn’t ask such indecent questions.”

“All right, all right, I’ll stop.”

The two siblings looked alike, yet their temperaments could not have been more different.

Cali rested her chin on her hand, speaking lightly and with amusement, while Dylan sat straight and scolded her for every little thing.

She waved dismissively at his scolding, pretending to be annoyed but clearly not upset.

At her signal, maids appeared silently and began to fill the table with food.

Cali barely paid them any attention and continued their conversation.

“Anyway, I told you to bring your wife, but you came alone.”

“She worked hard preparing for the wedding, so I thought she deserved to rest.”

Cali narrowed her eyes.

“You didn’t tell her about the invitation, did you? She seems just as stiff as you are.”

“No. If I had told her, she would have insisted on attending, so I decided not to mention it.”

Cali shook her head in exasperation and began eating.

“Well, that’s thoughtful of you in its own way. But don’t lock her away in the name of protection.”

“I’m not keeping her locked up.”

“Giving someone information and choices is different from keeping them in the dark.”

Her tone sharpened for a brief moment, then softened again into a teasing grin.

“You must really love her. I suppose I’ll be getting a niece or nephew soon.”

“Even if that happens, I won’t bring them to the capital.”

“You’re already making your sister sad. You were so cute when you were little.”

“You said I was creepy last time.”