Chapter 58

The next morning, Agnes woke feeling more refreshed than she had in a long time. Beside her, Noah was still fast asleep, breathing softly through his small lips, his face full of innocence.

She pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead and carefully slipped out of bed so as not to wake him.

It was still early, and Noah would likely sleep for a few more hours.

With Lizzie’s help, Agnes washed and changed into a light indoor dress.

When she stepped out of Noah’s room, she found Gavelin already standing in the hallway.

“Good morning, Gavelin.”

Agnes smiled as she greeted him, while he, as always, bowed with a perfectly neutral expression.

“Good morning, my lady. I trust you slept well.”

“I slept very well. You must have rested well too, since it’s been a while since you’ve returned home, right?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“You came looking for me, didn’t you? You must have been managing the household affairs until now.”

“That’s correct.”

“Then… Lizzie, could you stay with Noah for a while?”

“Yes, my lady.”

Lizzie replied brightly and hurried back toward Noah’s room.

Agnes then led Gavelin to her study, the one Dylan had shown her the day before.

Once seated, she looked up at him and noticed faint shadows under his eyes.

“Hmm, Gavelin?”

“Yes, my lady.”

Agnes lifted her hand and pointed near her own eyes.

“You don’t look like you’ve slept at all. You seem exhausted. Did something happen last night?”

Gavelin hesitated, as though surprised by the question.

Agnes expected him to give a vague excuse, but instead he answered honestly.

“To tell you the truth, I stayed up late organizing documents.”

“You organized documents last night? Until when?”

“Until around four in the morning.”

Agnes’s eyes widened. She glanced at the clock, which showed half past seven.

And Gavelin was already standing here, impeccably dressed and alert. He couldn’t have slept more than three hours.

“You must have been tired from the long trip. Why didn’t you take a proper rest?”

“I can’t sleep if there’s work left undone.”

Agnes was stunned.

She recalled Dylan’s words about Gavelin, that he was a workaholic, and that he had tried to correct it but never succeeded.

Clearly there was a good reason even someone like Dylan had given up. Gavelin’s dedication was beyond extreme.

As if unaware of her disbelief, Gavelin calmly placed several folders on the desk, explaining each one as he went.

“This contains the records of wages paid to the staff so far. This one outlines the current maintenance costs of the mansion. And this includes the details of the ongoing road construction project in the territory for the past few years.”

Agnes wanted to tell him he was much closer to dying of overwork than finishing all that paperwork, but she restrained herself.

Instead, she listened attentively and even took notes while he explained.

Once he had finished laying everything out, she looked up at him with determination.

“There won’t be any urgent business until I finish going through these documents. So why don’t you go and rest?”

“I can’t do that, my lady. I organized these papers in my own way, and you may find them inconvenient. I should stay nearby to explain anything that’s unclear.”

“No. I can’t allow that.”

Agnes raised her hand firmly, making it clear she wouldn’t back down.

“Gavelin, as I told you before, we’ll be working together for a long time. There are many things I’ll need to ask you, so you can’t afford to collapse. If you work yourself to death, who’s going to manage this enormous mansion while I’m left alone? That would be a disaster, don’t you think?”

“I won’t die from this, my lady. I’ve always worked this way.”

“Even if you don’t die, you could still collapse. If you’re bedridden for a week, the whole mansion will fall into chaos. Just imagine that. Even Sharon, as capable as she is, wouldn’t manage without you.”

As Agnes refused to yield, Gavelin’s expression grew uneasy.

“I’ll read through these documents and mark the parts I don’t understand. You can explain them later, after you’ve had at least eight hours of sleep.”

“I’ve already slept three. That should be enough.”

“Gavelin, don’t tell me you expect the other staff to work under the same standard?”

“Of course not. The working conditions here are far better than in any other noble household.”

“Then why doesn’t that excellent environment apply to you?”

“Because my situation is different. I’m not an ordinary servant. I serve His Grace directly.”

As he began to insist again, Agnes realized she had to use her final weapon, authority.

“Oh, I see. You’re such a capable steward that you think you can ignore me, right? You must think I wouldn’t even know what I don’t know without you.”

Agnes said it with a mischievous smile, and Gavelin sighed deeply.

He knew she was teasing, but since she was the Duchess and his superior, he had no choice but to comply.

“Understood. It’s now seven thirty, so I’ll return at three thirty in the afternoon.”

“Make it four thirty. You need time to eat too.”

He opened his mouth as if to argue, but when he saw her smiling brightly, he exhaled in quiet defeat.

“Yes, my lady.”

Agnes waved him off, then lightly tapped the open folder in front of her as a silent promise that she would study it thoroughly.

Gavelin left looking somewhat dejected, like a child forced to part with his favorite toy.

Once he was gone, Agnes focused intently on her work.

Though Gavelin had said his filing system might be difficult for her to follow, that wasn’t true at all.

He was remarkably organized. It was clear he had prepared all this long ago, perhaps in anticipation of the day a duchess would finally take her place.

Thinking about how eager he must have been to show these well-prepared reports, she could almost understand why he had sacrificed sleep for it.

Even so, that didn’t make his overwork any less concerning.

Agnes knew she might not be the kind of mistress Gavelin had imagined, which only strengthened her resolve to do better.

Whenever she encountered something she didn’t understand, she wrote notes and marked sections carefully, immersing herself fully in the task.

Then, she heard a soft knocking at the bottom of the study door.

Smiling, she looked up and called out, “Who is it? You may come in.”

The door swung open, and Noah entered with a bright grin.

“It’s me, Noah.”

Before Agnes could rise from her chair, he ran straight over and flopped onto her lap.

She laughed and stroked his hair.

“My sweet Noah, did you sleep well? Are you still sleepy?”

He nodded eagerly, then shook his head. That meant he had slept well and wasn’t tired anymore.

Agnes slid her hands under his arms and lifted him up. He was getting heavier every day. Though it took some effort, she managed to seat him on her lap.

“Mom, let’s eat.”

When he said that, Agnes glanced at the clock. It was already lunchtime. She had been so focused on the documents that she hadn’t noticed the time passing.

“Shall we? Let’s have lunch together.”

Noah nodded enthusiastically, then glanced at the thick pile of papers on her desk.

He wrapped his small arms around her neck.

“Mom’s busy.”

His voice was soft and a little sad, and Agnes felt a pang of guilt.

Then she remembered his sleepy words from the night before. “Mom, tomorrow.”

She stroked his forehead gently.

“Noah, was there something you wanted to do with Mom today?”

“Yes.”

“What was it?”

“Walk. Noah doesn’t know this place.”

Understanding dawned on her face, and she nodded.

“Oh, you wanted to take a walk with Mom and explore since this is your first time here.”

“Yes. But Mom’s busy.”

Agnes hugged him tightly, then loosened her hold and spoke honestly.

“I’m sorry, Noah. I promised someone I’d take care of something first, so I can’t today. But I promise we’ll go for a walk tomorrow. How does that sound?”