Chapter 77

Holding Noah in her arms, Agnes looked toward the center of the room where the magicians were gathered.

There was a square table, completely empty. It didn’t look like something one would use for chess or card games.

As she tilted her head in confusion, Noah chuckled in her arms.

“They make balls with magic and play with them!”

“Technically, with mana, young master Overhen.”

“With mana!”

Still confused, Agnes adjusted Noah in her arms, and Louis placed a finger on the table to explain.

“You can’t see it, but there are several balls made of mana floating above this table. Think of it like croquet. It’s a training exercise that enhances control over Kyronic mana potential. Once you start, it becomes quite fun.”

Agnes blinked in astonishment and looked back at the empty table. Just as he said, there was nothing there at all.

The magicians were excited over what seemed to be thin air, and now Noah had joined them.

“Was it fun?”

“Yeah! Noah won!”

He raised both arms in triumph, and Agnes couldn’t help but smile.

She might not understand the strange magician games, but as long as Noah enjoyed himself, that was enough.

“Then, Louis, we should get going. Thank you for letting Noah have such a good time.”

“It was my pleasure. If you ever come to the capital again, please visit us. We’d be delighted to have this talented young magician with us again.”

The magicians behind him nodded with regretful faces. It seemed they truly enjoyed the presence of their little guest. Agnes smiled softly and nodded.

“Of course. If it’s all right, we’ll come again next time. Noah, say goodbye.”

Noah grinned brightly and waved at Louis and the others.

“Oh dear, when will we see him again?”

An older magician muttered with heartfelt regret.

Hearing that made Agnes feel a twinge of guilt as she turned away, but it was time to go.

Outside, Pavel and Lizzie, who had been assigned to escort them, followed as Agnes stepped out with Noah.

Through the carriage window waiting out front, she saw Dylan’s profile. He noticed them as well and got out immediately.

He walked toward them and gently took Noah into his arms.

“You could have let Pavel handle him.”

“We’re getting in the carriage anyway.”

“He’s getting heavier. You should be careful.”

The small bit of concern made Agnes laugh. She had thought there was distance between them, but after lunch with Cali, things somehow felt closer again.

Part of her felt foolish for reacting so sensitively to his small changes, but she couldn’t deny that it eased her heart.

‘Maybe he’s thinking about what Cali said.’

Knowing Dylan’s sense of responsibility, it seemed possible.

Agnes tried not to expect too much, yet when Dylan gently set Noah in the carriage seat, she couldn’t help smiling again.

She sat beside Noah, running her fingers through his soft hair.

Dylan watched the peaceful sight for a moment, then spoke.

“What did you learn from the magicians today?”

His tone sounded calm but carried a gentle warmth, as though he didn’t want to frighten the child.

It was a simple question about the day’s lessons, but Agnes could sense his underlying wariness toward magicians.

Noah swung his legs that didn’t reach the floor and replied cheerfully.

“I looked around Sir Louis’s lab, and we played a ball game. It’s called croquet!”

“Croquet?”

Croquet at the Imperial Magic Division? Dylan’s eyebrow lifted slightly. Agnes laughed and added an explanation.

“I don’t fully understand either, but it seems like they make little mana balls and play with them on the table.”

“With mana!”

“Yes, with mana.”

Agnes stroked Noah’s hair again in agreement.

Dylan looked skeptical that the Imperial Magic Division would teach something so trivial, but since Noah seemed so happy, he chose not to press the matter.

As the carriage rolled forward, Noah chattered excitedly about everything he saw in Louis’s lab. His enthusiasm made Agnes smile without realizing it.

* * *

After finishing their business in the capital, they spent one night at the townhouse before setting out for the north again at dawn.

The journey didn’t feel as exhausting as before, perhaps because they already knew the road.

Once they returned, they planned to attend the northern harvest festival, so they spent a day resting and recovering from the trip.

The next morning, Agnes dressed in a soft green gown and headed to the festival grounds.

The biggest difference between the northern and capital harvest festivals was their scale.

The northern one, held at the foot of the mountain range, was much smaller and simpler.

During the hunt, the viewing stand for the ladies was nothing more than a raised platform with a few tables.

The separation between hunters and spectators was so faint that when riders brought their horses close to the stand, they could easily receive cookies from the ladies.

Yet the sight of the towering mountains and the dense evergreen forest beyond was magnificent in a way the capital could never replicate.

Agnes sat at one of the tables with Noah, admiring the view.

Meanwhile, Noah’s attention was fixed on the horses waiting in the hunting field.

“Horses! There are so many horses!”

He tugged on Agnes’s sleeve excitedly.

“Wow! His Grace’s horse is the biggest! The black one!”

He was talking about Dylan and the huge black stallion he was stroking.

Agnes followed Noah’s gaze. Dylan’s horse was larger than the others, yet it moved with sleek, effortless grace.

Its glossy coat shimmered with a faint bluish sheen in the sunlight, elegant and striking.

And standing beside it, Dylan looked every bit the horse’s rightful master.

His fitted black hunting outfit, made of treated leather, matched the horse perfectly.

At his waist hung a silver scabbard that glimmered like moonlight against his dark attire.

Holding the reins in one hand, he gently patted the horse’s neck. When he heard Noah’s excited voice, his gaze shifted toward them.

Agnes met his blue eyes and rose from her seat with a faint smile.

Holding Noah’s hand, she descended from the stand. Dylan waited quietly where he stood.

“Your Grace, can I touch the horse?”

Noah asked eagerly, his cheeks flushed with excitement.

He loved horses but also knew they could be dangerous, so he didn’t rush forward recklessly.

Agnes could guess that Violet must have told him that. The thought made her smile.

“When you get a little older, you can.”

Before she could finish, Dylan, who had been listening, bent down and lifted Noah easily into his arms.

“Just for a moment should be fine.”

Noah gasped in surprise at the sudden height, then laughed joyfully.

Dylan adjusted his grip so the boy sat comfortably on his arm and brought him closer to the horse’s face.

“Nocturne likes being scratched behind the ears. Try it.”

Noah’s eyes sparkled as he looked between Dylan and the horse.

“This horse’s name is Nocturne?”

“Yes.”

“Did Your Grace name him?”

“No. My father did.”

At that, Noah’s eyes widened.

“Then you’ve had Nocturne since he was a baby horse?”

Though he had wanted to touch the horse, the boy was too absorbed in his questions to actually reach out. Dylan found it amusing but answered patiently.

“I saw him the moment he was born.”

“Really? So you saw him come out of his mom’s belly?”

“Yes.”

“Wow… Violet said her family bought their foal from somewhere else. That makes you even cooler!”