Chapter 91

To Agnes, the youthful desperation and urgency on Marcella’s face looked almost like madness.

There was no connection whatsoever between Marcella and Noah.

So Agnes had assumed that Marcella was only paying attention to Noah because of Dylan.

For whatever reason, she had been certain that Marcella hated Dylan and was dragging Noah into it out of spite.

But the woman kneeling before her now, begging even to the point of dropping to her knees, didn’t look like she was acting out of simple vengeance or malice.

That realization only made Agnes more unsettled. Madness with no clear cause was always the most frightening kind.

Agnes asked, her expression confused.

“Why, exactly? Are you trying to get revenge on His Grace by using a child?”

Even though she already sensed that wasn’t the case, Agnes couldn’t help asking. Part of her hoped it would be that simple.

But as expected, Marcella shook her head fiercely.

“No. That’s not it. I won’t say I don’t resent His Grace at all. But if that were the only reason, I wouldn’t go this far!”

Marcella’s voice had risen to something close to a scream. She took a step toward Agnes.

Erion immediately grabbed Marcella’s arm and yanked her back. Even as her body staggered, her eyes never left Agnes.

“That child might be in danger. I’m serious. I swear on my family that I have no other intentions!”

“…Noah is in danger?”

Agnes’s golden eyes wavered violently. But she quickly forced herself to steady her thoughts.

“I won’t listen to slander claiming His Grace would harm Noah. His Grace is sincerely protecting him.”

“Of course he is…! Dylan’s that kind of person!”

Marcella shouted again, almost shrieking now. She pounded her tightly clenched fist against her chest as she spoke.

“Do you think I wouldn’t know? Not just Ricardo. I was Dylan’s friend too! I know better than anyone that he’s not the kind of person who’d hurt a child like that!”

Ricardo?

Agnes immediately realized that was the name of the late Count Peridot’s son. Dylan’s former friend. The one who had betrayed him.

Ricardo Peridot.

It was painfully clear that he was the one fueling Marcella’s madness.

More composed than before, Agnes fixed Marcella with a sharp gaze, as if she intended to strip away her every hidden thought.

“Then I really don’t understand why you’re doing this, my lady.”

Marcella couldn’t answer right away. She opened her mouth as if about to speak, then bit down on her lower lip and dropped her gaze.

After several moments like that, Agnes finally let out a sigh and shook her head.

“If it’s that hard for you to say, then don’t. I’ll be leaving.”

When Agnes spoke coldly on purpose, Marcella desperately reached out.

Stopped once again by Erion, Marcella clawed at the empty air and cried out.

“Ask Dylan. Ask him if he doesn’t feel better lately.”

At those words, Agnes stared at Marcella with a startled expression.

As Agnes’s previously composed face turned pale, Marcella continued speaking, her breath coming fast.

“Taboos… aren’t something only evil mages break. Please… please check it. Please make sure there aren’t any more children like Ricardo…”

‘Mages’ taboos.’

Hearing those words from Marcella’s mouth, Agnes finally began to understand, at least vaguely, why Marcella had been so fixated on Noah. She had been seeing her dead younger brother in him.

And unintentionally, Agnes had also learned a little about the tragedy that had occurred between Dylan and the Peridot family.

Agnes lowered her gaze and swallowed dryly.

“…I understand what you mean. You don’t need to say anything more.”

Agnes wanted to keep the promise she had made to Dylan.

If he didn’t tell her himself, she didn’t want to dig into his secrets.

Even so, she couldn’t completely ignore what Marcella had told her.

“I’ll check with the Imperial Magic Division soon. About Noah’s condition.”

If Marcella was right, then the issue lay with Noah. There was no need to involve Dylan with the Magic Division.

Only after hearing the words she wanted did Marcella finally let out a deep breath. Her body swayed as if it might collapse at any moment.

She looked both relieved and utterly drained.

“Thank you, Duchess. Truly.”

Marcella spoke in a voice thick with tears.

Her expression, her voice, every small gesture felt utterly sincere, stabbing straight into Agnes’s chest.

Agnes said nothing more. She backed away, then hurried into the carriage. Lizzie, who had been tidying the inside, turned around and gasped in surprise.

“M-Madam? Are you alright?”

Agnes couldn’t answer. Lizzie didn’t press further, instead helping her sit while straightening her dress with a worried look.

Only then did Agnes manage an awkward smile and nod.

“I’m fine. Let’s go.”

When Erion, who had remained wary of Marcella to the very end, climbed onto the driver’s seat, the carriage finally set off.

Lizzie looked like she wanted to ask more, but Agnes was too lost in thought to notice.

During the Harvest Festival, Dylan had emphasized mages’ taboos as well.

‘When people hear the word taboo, they tend to imagine something illegal. But there are very few mages who break taboos for selfish reasons. Since the consequences fall directly back on themselves, it’s often those with kind hearts who cross the line, like Noah.’

A mage who breaks taboos.

The fact that both Marcella and Dylan had spoken those words made Agnes’s heart pound wildly.

Agnes watched Marcella growing smaller through the gap in the carriage curtain. Marcella, too, was still staring at the carriage with a desperate expression.

‘Please make sure there aren’t any more children like Ricardo.’

That plea couldn’t have been an act.

Agnes didn’t want to uncover Dylan’s secret. But as the pieces in her mind came together, the puzzle began assembling itself on its own.

Dylan’s curse.

Ricardo Peridot’s death.

The strange relationship between Vasteron and Peridot. Publicly fractured, yet secretly helping one another.

Marcella’s hostility.

Mages’ taboos.

Dylan’s intense aversion to mages.

As all those pieces fell into place, Agnes found herself forming a single horrifying hypothesis she never wanted to consider.

What if the one who cursed Dylan was Ricardo.

And what if it was… for Dylan’s sake.

Agnes, snapped out of her thoughts, shook her head hard.

That couldn’t be true. No one knew better than Agnes how much Dylan had suffered because of that curse.

Even she couldn’t claim to understand even half of his pain.

Agnes pushed that dreadful speculation out of her mind.

Right now, what mattered wasn’t Dylan’s secret.

It was Noah.

Whether that child was truly doing something to Dylan mattered far more.

Of course, if Noah really could help Dylan, that would be a good thing. Agnes had even planned to encourage him to do so, as long as it didn’t overstrain him.

But if Noah was truly wearing himself down to help Dylan…

Growing anxious, Agnes clenched her dress until her knuckles turned white.

* * *

When the carriage arrived at the ducal residence, Agnes took a steadying breath and walked inside alone.

Servants passing by stopped and greeted her respectfully.

Normally, Agnes would have paused to exchange a few words, asking how they’d been lately.

Not because servants would ever speak honestly to the lady of the house, but to build familiarity through light conversation.

But now, she didn’t even have the presence of mind for that. She simply nodded once in response and headed straight up the stairs.

The moment she stepped onto the third floor, light, rapid footsteps echoed down the corridor. Before she even saw him, she knew it was Noah.

“Mom!”

Not long after, Noah ran straight into Agnes and wrapped his arms around her. Agnes willingly lowered herself and hugged him back.

“Noah, what did you do for fun while Mom was gone?”

She asked gently, stroking his hair. But her fingertips trembled faintly, unlike usual.