Chapter 73

“I did not come for the tea party. I am here to discuss something with your father, Viscount Tavella. Run along and play.”

“Okay. Have fun while you are here!”

Marcella had not come to socialize, yet she did not say that. She simply gave a gentle smile.

When Violet grabbed Noah’s hand and dashed off toward the stables, Marcella quietly watched the boy’s small back grow distant.

“It seems there really are fates in this world that cannot be resisted, Dylan.”

She murmured low and shook her head.

* * *

Agnes kept attending the modest gatherings of the northern social circle and gradually grew used to life in the north.

Noah, who had struggled with shyness at first, soon made several friends. He could now speak clearly. Unless he was startled or tense, he was no different from other children his age.

When she was not at tea parties, Agnes checked over the Vasteron household affairs with Gavelin or strolled the gardens with Noah and helped him with his studies.

Everything felt almost too good to be true.

Only one thing weighed on her. Her conversations with Dylan had noticeably decreased.

Dylan was always moving between his office and the training grounds. Otherwise, he was out inspecting the domain.

Feeling as though he was drifting farther away, Agnes once looked over the inspection schedule and gently made a suggestion.

‘We have not been married long, so I should go with you at least once. I would like to see the north with my own eyes.’

It was a reasonable request, yet Dylan shook his head every time.

‘This time I am headed near the mountains and the roads are rough. Next time.’

‘The weather is overcast today. It may rain, so let us put it off.’

‘Time is tight, so I have to ride hard and return quickly. Next time we can take the carriage together.’

The reasons made sense, but Agnes felt a subtle wrongness each time.

They still shared a “meal” every fifth night, yet as soon as it ended he would excuse himself to wash and the chance to talk slipped away.

They slept in the same bed, yet somehow she felt more distance than when they did not.

The space between them left her feeling empty, but she could not bring herself to demand anything of him.

Dylan remained the perfect partner. He fully supported Noah’s treatment and education, and he did not meddle with her efforts to tend to internal affairs.

After feeding, he checked her wound, and the next day he made sure she ate well.

He was endlessly courteous and a flawless partner.

She told herself she should be satisfied.

“Then why do I feel so stifled…”

Agnes did her best to tuck away that hollow feeling so it would not show.

Time passed, and even when the official summons arrived from the Imperial Family to attend the harvest festival, the distance between them remained.

Dylan, Agnes, and Noah climbed into the same carriage and set off for the capital.

“When are we coming back?”

Noah leaned his head against Agnes’s shoulder and asked in a coaxing voice.

Since it meant he liked the northern life, Agnes smiled softly and stroked his hair.

“We will stay only one day in the capital. The travel time will be longer than the stay.”

“Mm…”

“You promised to see Violet during the harvest festival, right? Do you have fun with her?”

“Yes. Violet’s house has a foal.”

“You should say Viscount Tavella’s estate… No. Never mind. So Violet’s house has a foal.”

Agnes started to correct his phrasing, then simply shook her head with a smile.

From what she had seen, children of northern noble houses did not master refined speech and etiquette until around twelve.

Debut was not until at least seventeen, and until then they mostly stayed in the north. Perhaps no one wanted to tire the children too early.

While Noah and Agnes talked, Dylan sat in front reading.

Agnes glanced his way, then lowered her head again, worried she might bother him, and looked back at Noah.

Hoping to return north quickly, Noah asked again.

“If we stay one day, are we coming back at night? Or the next morning?”

“We need to sleep there one night. Otherwise you will be too tired.”

“Mmm…”

Noah drooped and sneaked a look at Dylan.

The sight almost made Agnes laugh.

How did a child know so precisely that the reason for going to the capital lay with Dylan?

Sometimes he seemed to know nothing at all. Other times he sized up a situation with startling clarity. It was fascinating.

Before Agnes could soothe him, worried Dylan might feel uneasy under the child’s gaze, Dylan spoke.

“When you reach the capital, visit the Imperial Magic Division.”

He lifted his eyes from the page.

“There is no reason for a child to sit through an uncomfortable meal. Tour the Magic Division and return in the evening.”

Noah’s eyes went wide. He bounced in his seat.

“Really?”

“Yes. But Pavel must accompany you at all times. Do not do anything he forbids, and if he says it is time to go back, you follow him at once. Understood?”

His tone sounded stiff, but the content was the opposite.

Dylan had pretended to ignore their talk while reading, but clearly he had been listening.

He was making a suggestion Noah would like, since the boy disliked going to the capital.

And the warning that followed was only for Noah’s safety.

Noah seemed to sense that kindness and nodded quickly.

“Yes, Your Grace!”

Then he grinned as if he had never wanted to go home early at all.

Agnes pinched his plump cheek and smiled.

“Our Noah already forgot the foal entirely, I see.”

“I like the foal too. It is cute. I like the Magic Division too. Will Louis play with me again?”

He meant the odd young magician who had been dispatched to Vasteron. A week of lessons had won Noah over completely.

“If Louis is not too busy, I will ask.”

Agnes still did not fully trust the Imperial Magic Division. She stressed the words “if he is not busy” so Noah would not be disappointed, and thankfully he nodded.

Agnes straightened and smoothed his hair.

As if he had never joined in the conversation, Dylan turned another page as naturally as ever.

He was clearly the same man when it came to looking out for the child, but the way he treated Agnes felt somehow different.

Even now, in this very carriage, the two of them had exchanged almost no words.

Dylan had always been reserved, yet in the past he would at least say what they could do in the capital, or tell her not to worry about the Emperor.

Unsure how to handle this courteous yet unmistakable distance, Agnes secretly let out a sigh.

* * *

As soon as they reached the capital, the three of them rested only a moment at the townhouse, then headed straight to the Imperial Magic Division.

“I will wait outside.”

At the sight of the building, Dylan’s brows drew together slightly and he stepped aside. Agnes nodded, took Noah’s hand, and went in.

The Magic Division lay deep within the administrative quarter of the palace.

Even among those who worked inside the palace, few had reason to pass through this area, so it was quiet. At least outside.

Once they entered the building, there was still no sign of anyone greeting them.

It was not that the mages were shut in their offices. They were huddled together off to one side of the hall, chattering in excited voices.

“Oh, it works. I told you it works.”

“No. We need to watch a little longer.”

“Should we push more?”

“Do not push. How dense can you be.”

What on earth were grown adults doing to cause such an uproar?

If they had been rattling off incomprehensible terminology in a furious debate, it might have been less shocking.

Agnes hesitated, then cleared her throat twice.

“Excuse me. We have come to the Imperial Magic Division.”

A stranger’s voice cut through their flurry of chatter and they all jolted, heads snapping toward her in unison.

“Huh? Were we expecting someone?”

“I did not hear anything.”

“Even if we were not, someone has to handle reception. Will someone bring tea at least?”

The mages flustered and scurried around, not knowing what to do.

Watching them made Agnes feel lightheaded.