Chapter 84

Surrounded by the noblewomen’s curious and expectant gazes, Agnes hesitated, her lips parting but no words coming out.

“Well…”

Her cheeks slowly flushed under their stares.

She wanted to deny it, to say it was not like that, that she never dared to hope for such a thing. Yet she could not forget the feeling that had stirred in her heart when Dylan lifted Noah into his arms and helped him onto the horse.

Worry had been the strongest emotion, of course, but gratitude had come right after. And she could not deny what Baroness Orwellin had said.

They looked good together.

The child, laughing freely in Dylan’s arms without a trace of fear, and Dylan himself, carefully supporting the boy with steady arms and eyes full of attention.

Agnes could not deny that the sight had moved her, filling her chest with warmth.

Seeing her flustered, the ladies smiled in satisfaction.

“I think it’s only a matter of time. So don’t keep refusing or saying you’re fine. If you do, the man might lose his nerve and stop trying altogether.”

Baroness Orwellin laughed softly, and Agnes gasped, covering her mouth in surprise.

But Baroness Arbil, who had been quietly listening, nodded in agreement.

“I understand your concern, but it’s a good thing for a child to have another adult they can rely on besides their mother. If His Grace offered to do so on his own, there’s no need to turn him down.”

Her calm tone turned teasing as she added with a playful glint in her eyes,

“Of course, you should keep your current title as it is. What better revenge could there be against your former husband? He lost his child but still has to pass on the title.”

Agnes blinked in astonishment at the sharp yet honest remark. Baroness Tavella clapped her hands in laughter.

“You look just like young Master Overhen when you’re surprised. How can mother and son resemble each other so much?”

“I know. At first, I thought the boy only took after his father, but just now, I saw his expression in yours. I couldn’t help laughing too.”

Agnes could not help but smile at that.

The child was not of her blood, so she had assumed they shared no resemblance. Yet hearing others say they looked alike filled her heart with quiet joy.

Thanks to the ladies’ kind words, Agnes found herself relaxing a little more, though she still could not stop glancing toward the entrance of the hunting grounds.

At least now, the image in her mind was not of Noah crying or Dylan flustered, trying to comfort him. Instead, she imagined Noah smiling brightly, enjoying himself.

Time passed.

The conversation among the ladies grew livelier until it turned to complaints about their husbands.

Agnes simply listened, unable to join in since there was nothing she could criticize Dylan for.

It was then that Baroness Orwellin nudged her playfully.

“Come now, say something bad about your ex-husband at least.”

Before Agnes could reply, she saw Dylan and Noah approaching on horseback, riding out from the forest on Nocturne.

Her worries vanished in an instant. Noah was leaning comfortably against Dylan’s chest, talking to him with animated eyes. He was not laughing, but he did not look frightened or distressed either.

“Excuse me, His Grace has returned. I’ll go greet them.”

“Oh, of course. And don’t forget what we said.”

Agnes smiled at their cheerful send-off and rose gracefully.

By then, Dylan had dismounted a short distance from the viewing area. He held Noah in his arms as he stepped down from Nocturne.

A stablehand approached and led the horse away. Nocturne would soon be rewarded with a fine meal and water.

Agnes walked toward them with a warm smile.

“Your Grace, Noah. Did you enjoy the hunt?”

At the sound of her familiar, gentle voice, Noah turned his head quickly and inhaled deeply.

“Mom, His Grace caught a bear!”

Agnes’s face went pale.

Baroness Orwellin had mentioned earlier that animals were scarce in the forest this year, yet a bear had appeared.

The thought that Noah had been there made it hard for her to hide her alarm.

Noah, unaware of her distress, began chattering about what had happened, just as he always did.

“His Grace and Nocturne played together. We saw berries too. But then, people got scared, so His Grace shot arrows twice, and the bear fell down. Then I asked if he really had to catch it, and he told me why…”

Agnes listened closely to his halting but clear recounting, gradually feeling relieved.

It seemed Noah had not been frightened at all. Dylan must have kept him safe and calm the entire time.

She stroked Noah’s hair and cheek gently, her eyes lifting to Dylan.

As always, his expression was composed. There was no pride or thrill of victory in his face, even though he had brought down a bear with only two arrows.

Agnes lightly gathered her skirt and bowed in gratitude.

“Your Grace, it seems Noah truly had a wonderful time. Thank you. And thank you for keeping him safe.”

Dylan did not respond right away. He looked down at Noah in silence before turning to her.

“Noah fell and hurt his knee. We should return and treat it.”

Agnes’s eyes widened as she looked at Noah, but the boy was standing perfectly fine. Just as confusion flickered across her face, Dylan lifted Noah into his arms.

“Noah, isn’t that right? We need to show your mother the injury.”

Noah’s face fell, and he nodded reluctantly.

It was clear now that they had planned this together.

Agnes was puzzled, but since Dylan wanted to leave, she had no reason to refuse. She gestured to a maid nearby.

“Please tell the ladies I must take my leave. Say my son hurt his knee and that I’ll visit again another time.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Once the maid left, Agnes followed Dylan toward the carriage.

He helped Noah climb in first, then turned and offered his hand to Agnes, guiding her inside before following her.

When the door closed, silence filled the carriage. Dylan said nothing at first. Only when the sound of the coachman snapping the reins broke the stillness did he finally speak.

“Noah, your mother needs to know what happened. I’ll ask again. What were you trying to ask the bear?”

The question made no sense to Agnes.

She looked at Dylan in confusion, silently asking for an explanation, but he shook his head slightly and kept his eyes on the boy.

“I’m not scolding you. I just want to know what you were thinking. If you made a mistake, that’s something we can learn from and correct. That’s all.”

Dylan’s calm tone made Noah fidget nervously. The boy glanced at Agnes, but when she offered no help, he hesitated and finally spoke.

“I told the bear to stop because it was going toward people.”

“That’s right. I told you it could hurt someone, even your mother. So we had to stop it.”

“But I didn’t ask the bear first. I didn’t ask if it really wanted to go that way.”

Agnes blinked, puzzled, watching her son’s serious face.

Noah looked small under the weight of the adults’ attention, but he did not seem to think he was wrong.

And in front of him sat his mother, who had always been on his side, and Dylan, who had never once raised his voice at him. That gave him the courage to keep going.

“Noah can talk to cats. So I wanted to ask the bear too.”

“…”

Agnes froze.

She had known that assuming she understood everything about her child was arrogant, that a parent’s certainty would gradually fade as a child grew. Lizzie had told her that this was natural, and she had accepted it.

But this… the idea that her son could speak to cats was beyond anything she could have imagined.