Chapter 63

“When Noah raises his hand?”

“I still don’t think it will reach.”

Agnes held back a laugh, worried that smiling might hurt his feelings. She bit down lightly on her back teeth and answered seriously.

“How about this? When you raise your hand and it reaches the top of Mom’s head, then you can visit the training grounds.”

As soon as she set the condition, Noah jumped to his feet and stretched his arm high above his head. He looked eager to test it right away, so Agnes stood too, confirming that his height still fell short.

Noah puffed his cheeks in frustration but soon nodded as if he accepted the result.

That was a relief. Now she had a clear reason to keep him away from the training grounds for a while. Agnes sighed in quiet relief and gently patted his swollen cheek.

She spent the morning eating and walking with Noah, but even as she headed to her study to discuss internal affairs with Gavelin, she couldn’t help but worry a little.

By the time she returned in the evening, Lizzie spoke with a proud smile.

“He kept looking back, like he wanted to go to the training grounds, but he didn’t ask even once. How can a child be so well behaved?”

Noah had always been more mature than his age, so Agnes smiled faintly instead of being surprised.

At least this way, she didn’t need to tell him to stay away from Dylan. There was no chance they would meet by accident, and that was comforting enough.

She silently wished the test results would arrive soon. It would be better for both Noah and Dylan if they came quickly.

* * *

Perhaps time always moved slower when one waited too earnestly.

A week had passed, yet no letter arrived from the Imperial Magic Division. Agnes was beginning to grow anxious.

Just then, Gavelin entered her study, holding a silver tray with a letter on it.

“My lady, a letter has arrived for you.”

Agnes’s face brightened immediately, and she hurried toward him. But before she could reach for it, Gavelin added quickly, looking uncharacteristically flustered.

“It’s not from the Imperial Magic Division.”

“Oh.”

Her excitement faded into disappointment. She steadied her expression and took the letter from the tray.

What made it worse was that it came from the Everchen household, not even from her father, but from the Viscountess herself.

Agnes pressed her fingers to her forehead, exhaled slowly, and then apologized to Gavelin.

“I’m sorry, Gavelin. I don’t mean to show my emotions so plainly, but right now it’s hard not to.”

“It’s all right, my lady. There’s no one else here.”

Though his tone was flat, there was a trace of understanding in his expression.

Agnes smiled faintly and opened the envelope with a paper knife.

She already had a good idea what it would say. Probably something about how they’d strained themselves to send her dowry and that she should repay the favor by honoring the family.

And she was right, except for the last paragraph.

“Because of the trouble you caused, the young ladies once betrothed to Haver have withdrawn in fear. Such foolish girls are not fit to be his match anyway. You should look for a proper bride for your brother, one who suits his status.”

Agnes let out a short, incredulous laugh and rubbed her temple.

The letter was nothing but a jumble of greed. The Viscountess clearly wanted to profit from her marriage to the Duke of Vasteron, yet still managed to twist everything into Agnes’s fault, even calling the marriage itself a “scandal.”

She folded the letter again, set it back on the tray, and turned away as if from something that smelled foul.

“Letters like this will probably come again. From now on, Gavelin, you can read them first. If there’s nothing important, you don’t need to report it to me. Only let me know if there’s new information.”

Gavelin blinked in surprise, watching her quietly for a moment. When he finally spoke, his tone was cautious but direct.

“If I do that, my lady, I’ll be privy to all affairs of House Everchen.”

Agnes smiled calmly, unbothered.

“If you can trust me, then I should be able to trust you, shouldn’t I?”

Gavelin’s demeanor had softened greatly from when they first met. He was no longer dismissive or distant and had started to listen to her opinions. That in itself was progress.

Still, trust was different from acknowledgment.

He paused as if caught off guard, then nodded politely.

“Yes, my lady. As you wish.”

“They’ll grow restless before long and come visit themselves. Until then, there’s no need to send a reply.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Agnes nodded slowly.

“Oh, and it seems the examination results from the Imperial Magic Division are taking longer than expected. Could you look into that for me?”

“Of course.”

Agnes smiled in relief, but the moment was cut short by a sudden knock at the door.

The sound was quick and familiar. It had to be Lizzie.

“Lizzie, come in.”

At her permission, Lizzie burst into the room.

“My lady— ah, I mean, ma’am!”

Seeing her flustered, Gavelin visibly tried to suppress a sigh.

To him, such unrefined behavior from a servant of House Vasteron was nearly unbearable. Yet he also knew how much Agnes cared for Lizzie, and that left him in silent inner turmoil.

Agnes neither scolded Lizzie nor defended Gavelin. She simply accepted that they had been raised in different worlds and decided she would speak to them both about it another time.

“What’s the matter? Why are you in such a hurry?”

“Young Master Noah went to the training grounds. I thought he understood last time, but…”

“Noah?”

Agnes’s eyes widened. She started for the door, then paused and looked at Gavelin.

“There’s nothing urgent here. Please go,” he said with a respectful bow.

“Thank you, Gavelin.”

Agnes lifted her skirts and hurried down the stairs.

The etiquette of noble ladies forbidding them to run felt useless now. The dress tangled around her legs as she nearly stumbled several times.

Between hurried breaths, she asked Lizzie what happened.

“Why did Noah go to the training grounds?”

“I’m not sure. He said he was cold, so I went to fetch his coat. When I came back, he had already run off. The maids tried to catch up, but he was too fast. And of course, Sir Pavel wasn’t around again. That shiny-faced knight is never there when he’s actually needed.”

Lizzie stomped her foot in frustration as she blamed Pavel.

Children of six were always unpredictable. Still, it was true that the maids and guards should have been more watchful.

But what caught Agnes’s attention was that Noah had told Lizzie he was cold before leaving.

That meant he had lied just to go to the training grounds. He had always kept his promises so well before.

‘Why would he do that?’

Her thoughts tangled in worry as she quickened her pace. Proper manners had long been kicked aside by her urgency.

By the time she reached the training grounds, Noah was already there, clutching Dylan’s trouser leg and craning his neck to look up at him.

Dylan gazed down at the boy, clearly unsure how to respond, struggling to hide his discomfort.

Agnes hurried forward and scooped Noah into her arms.

“Noah. My goodness, what were you thinking…”

She wanted to scold him right away, but she was so out of breath from rushing that she couldn’t speak clearly.

Dylan, noticing her distress, spoke calmly, as if he hadn’t been caught off guard at all.

“My lady, please calm yourself. It’s all right.”

Agnes steadied her breathing before replying.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace. I told him not to come to the training grounds, but…”

“He’s just at that age when boys are curious about knights. It’s fine.”

His tone was composed and polite enough for others nearby to hear.

“You should take him back and comfort him. It might be dangerous for a child to watch.”

He spoke of the knights’ sword training, though Agnes knew he meant his curse.

Unable to find words, she lowered her head and quietly left the training grounds with Noah in her arms.