Chapter 88

Marcella, who had briefly turned her eyes toward Agnes, followed Clarice up the stairs when the latter urged her on.

After the two women disappeared, Agnes quietly looked down at the table, now covered in an awkward silence.

Fortunately, the children seemed unaware of the sharp tension among the adults. They continued chatting and laughing among themselves as if nothing had happened.

After taking a moment to choose her words, Agnes spoke in a calm voice.

“There’s no need for you to end your ties with the Peridot family because of me. Besides, it’s a good thing that your daughters get along so well, so you really don’t need to be so careful around me.”

Her straightforward remark made the three noblewomen stare at her in surprise.

“Of course, if we were all invited to the same gathering, it might be a little awkward. But I know you’ve always gone out of your way to prevent that. So please, don’t feel troubled over something this small.”

As she added those final words, Agnes curved her eyes with a gentle smile.

The three women exchanged glances before letting out embarrassed laughter.

“If you say so, Duchess, we won’t do that again.”

“Yes, you’re right. It must have been more uncomfortable for you that we kept acting so cautious. We didn’t think that far. I’m sorry.”

“Duchess, I told them you wouldn’t be the type to mind anyway.”

At Baroness Orwellin’s playful addition, Agnes couldn’t help laughing too.

She knew how much the baroness had worried over this matter in her own thoughtful way.

With that, the conversation came to a peaceful end, and the three noblewomen began chatting comfortably again. Agnes was relieved, feeling she had lifted a burden off her friends’ shoulders.

Yet a faint unease remained. The image of Marcella’s gaze on Noah lingered in her mind.

Why did Marcella keep hovering around them?

Agnes had been avoiding her so much that she had no idea what Marcella’s true intentions were.

Did she hate Dylan? Or did she still hold some lingering affection for him? Was she watching Noah out of malice or for another reason entirely?

Marcella’s eyes were sharp and guarded, yet there was no hostility in them. Instead, it seemed as though she was anxious about something she could not reveal.

‘Can I really keep ignoring her like this?’

As the days passed, Agnes’s unease grew stronger.

* * *

The uneasy feeling from Baron Arbil’s tea party only deepened with time.

Even after that day, Marcella continued to send invitations.

Her letters were written politely, asking about Agnes’s well-being and inviting her to visit the Peridot estate. Agnes no longer opened them herself. Gavelin checked them first, sent polite refusals, and only reported afterward.

Considering that Marcella had once been rumored to be Dylan’s potential fiancée, her persistence almost felt like a challenge toward the Duchess.

Yet it didn’t take much to notice that Marcella’s fixation wasn’t on Agnes at all, but on Noah.

‘If she were trying to take my place as Duchess, I wouldn’t find her so frightening.’

But that wasn’t it. Marcella showed no interest in titles or position.

Agnes let out a quiet sigh.

She had tried to handle the matter without Dylan’s help, but it was becoming impossible to avoid.

It was the fifth night of the cycle.

After helping Gavelin with household matters and putting Noah to bed, Agnes entered the master bedroom.

The maids had already come by earlier, lighting the fireplace so that the room glowed softly with warmth.

Sitting before the crackling fire, Agnes was lost in thought when she heard the door open behind her.

“Your Grace, you’re back?”

Her gentle voice drew his attention. Dylan answered with a brief nod and walked toward her.

Even up close, he looked the same as always, composed and graceful, each step measured. His expression held a faint touch of arrogance that somehow suited his flawless face.

Seeing him here in her bedroom still felt strange to Agnes, both comforting and stirring. At the same time, she felt a small pang of regret, realizing that lately, she only saw him here, and never during the day.

Even in winter, Dylan remained busy. In fact, he seemed busier than ever.

The knights continued training through the cold season, and wild beasts often appeared in search of food, forcing the patrols to sweep across the northern lands daily.

Dylan was not the type to leave such matters entirely to others, so they had not shared a proper meal together in some time.

Whether he noticed her thoughts or not, he took the chair beside her with his usual quiet poise and met her eyes.

“You seem troubled.”

He was as observant as ever. Agnes gave a faint smile and nodded.

“Yes. I can’t deny that. In fact, I was hoping to ask for your help.”

“Speak.”

His calm voice carried a reassuring strength, but the faint red shimmer in his eyes betrayed a different struggle.

Agnes noticed and gently rolled up her sleeve.

“Eat first.”

It was the fifth night of the cycle.

There was no need to say more. Dylan already knew. She simply rested her wrist on the arm of the chair and held it out to him.

He gazed at her pale, slender wrist for a moment.

The hesitation was brief. He took her hand, pressed a light kiss to her skin, and sank his fangs into it.

They had repeated this ritual many times. The pain no longer startled her.

But what unsettled Agnes now was not the bite itself.

It was the warmth of his breath against her skin, the faint scent that surrounded him, and the hunger in his crimson eyes.

Those things always left her heart unsteady.

Each time, she had to remind herself again and again, ‘What he wants is blood. He’s only thirsty.’

Only then could she calm her racing heart until the end.

When it was over, Dylan treated the mark as he always did, dabbing medicine onto her wrist with careful hands.

“Now, tell me,” he said softly.

His voice was lower now, heavier, carrying a quiet danger. It reminded her of a predator that had just fed and was still half-awake in its satisfaction.

Agnes swallowed and spoke carefully.

“Lady Marcella Peridot has been sending invitations. Gavelin and I have handled them so far, but she doesn’t seem likely to stop.”

At that, Dylan raised his eyes from the mark on her wrist. His gaze, now completely blue again, was sharp and cold.

“Marcella?”

“Yes. Lady Marcella Peridot.”

He frowned, displeasure flickering across his face.

Even before Agnes could explain further, he already seemed to understand.

“She said she wanted to tell you something about me, didn’t she?”

Agnes nodded slowly.

Dylan watched her for a moment, then carefully wrapped her wrist with a clean cloth.

Despite the faint anger visible on his face, his hands were as gentle as ever, treating her like something fragile.

The touch sent a tingling sensation up her arm, but Agnes forced herself to stay composed and continued.

“For some reason, she seems very interested in Noah. Whenever we meet by chance, she keeps looking at him, almost as if she’s trying to confirm something. It’s happened several times now, and it’s making me uneasy. I wanted your advice.”

Speaking about Noah brought her back to focus. The warmth of Dylan’s breath and his closeness no longer distracted her.

She didn’t need to hide her emotions now. She was only a mother, worried and protective of her child.

Dylan regarded her quietly before asking,

“Are you not curious about what she wants to tell you?”