Chapter 94

Agnes asked with a confused expression.

“His Highness the Crown Prince is only fourteen. Can he really assess things like that?”

“At fourteen, members of the imperial family are sent to the battlefield. His Grace was the same. Being sent to a province as an inspector is actually considered an easy assignment for royalty.”

Gavelin replied as if it were obvious, then added,

“On top of that, those assigned to guard His Highness will be coming as well, so you should be especially careful. It might be wise to summon a physician for an examination before His Highness arrives.”

Agnes looked at Gavelin with a puzzled expression.

“Why would I summon a physician…”

Mid sentence, Agnes realized what Gavelin meant and closed her mouth.

She didn’t know how much Gavelin knew about Dylan.

As one of Dylan’s closest people, he likely knew at least something about the curse Dylan carried.

But there was a good chance he didn’t know that Dylan had no intention of producing an heir, or that he and Agnes hadn’t even shared their first night.

That was directly tied to the dignity of the lady of the house.

Unless it was absolutely necessary, Dylan wouldn’t have spoken about such things aloud.

“…Alright. Please summon a physician. It would be best to have things checked before His Highness arrives.”

“Yes. The Vasteron physician is highly skilled, but if you’d like a separate diagnosis from another physician, please let me know.”

“Thank you.”

“Madam, shall I inform His Grace about the Crown Prince’s visit?”

After a brief moment of thought, Agnes shook her head. She would need to discuss several things with Dylan anyway.

“No. I’ll tell him myself. Please prepare to move up the estate repairs.”

“Yes, Madam.”

After Gavelin withdrew, Agnes let out a sigh and took out writing paper and a pen from the drawer.

She couldn’t leave for the capital right away anymore, but she also couldn’t postpone confirming Noah’s situation.

So Agnes decided to at least summon a mage from the Imperial Magic Division, Louis, to the North.

Of course, she couldn’t bring a mage into the ducal residence in such a sensitive situation. He would have to stay nearby. Still, for now, that was the only option.

‘Sir Sepion, there are things I’d like to ask further regarding taboos.

Since it’s a sensitive matter, I imagine it would be difficult to discuss by letter.

If possible, would you be willing to visit the North?

Noah is fond of you as well, so he would be happy if you came.’

After finishing the letter, Agnes placed it into an envelope and set it inside her desk drawer for the time being.

It would be better to ask Dylan first whether it was acceptable to bring a mage into the territory.

With the Crown Prince’s visit being such an urgent matter, there was no room to wait until night.

Agnes stepped outside immediately and spoke to a maid standing in the corridor.

“Find out where His Grace is.”

The maid withdrew at once and hurried down the stairs. Not long after, she returned with an answer.

“Madam, His Grace is at the training grounds. Shall you go now?”

“Yes, I think I should.”

“Then I’ll escort you.”

The maid quickly fell in behind Agnes. As she descended the stairs, Agnes thought that the day felt unusually long.

That morning, all she’d needed to do was prepare for the social season after visiting the boutique. Then she’d heard Marcella’s confusing story, struggled to deal with it, and now she was hearing that the Crown Prince was coming.

With so many things happening at once, she felt oddly calm instead.

As she got closer to the training grounds, the knights’ thunderous shouts echoed all the way outside.

The stamina required to move their bodies like that every day while shouting at full volume was impressive.

When she reached the entrance and looked inside, the knights were lined up with plenty of space between them.

Up close, the sharp sound of wooden swords slicing through the air rang out in steady rhythm, overwhelming in its intensity.

Dylan walked among the knights, his keen eyes checking their stances and maintaining the tension of the training.

‘How should I call him?’

It was urgent, but she didn’t want to break the other knights’ focus, so she hesitated.

Just then, one of the knights at the edge of the formation stopped mid swing, turned his head, and stiffened in surprise.

“Madam is here!”

The other knights noticed Agnes’s presence and greeted her loudly.

“Greetings, Madam!”

Naturally, Dylan turned toward the entrance and spotted Agnes.

Surprise flickered across his eyes. Then he handed the sword he was holding to an attendant and walked straight toward her.

It was the worst possible way to announce her visit, and Agnes couldn’t help feeling flustered. Still, the knight had meant well, so she couldn’t fault him.

Agnes gave the knights an awkward smile and stepped back slightly so she wouldn’t interfere with their training.

Before long, heavy footsteps approached and Dylan appeared.

Seeing Agnes standing as if hiding against the corridor wall connected to the training grounds, Dylan showed a faint smile that was barely there.

Then, with long strides, he closed the distance between them in an instant.

Now there were only about three hand spans between Dylan and Agnes.

The man standing so close carried his familiar scent, mixed with the smell of sweat from training.

The rough scent wasn’t unpleasant, and Agnes found herself lowering her gaze without thinking. This wasn’t the time for such pointless thoughts.

Fortunately, Dylan spoke first.

“My lady. What brings you here at this hour?”

As always, his low and calm voice carried a note of curiosity.

Agnes cleared her throat and spoke.

“Your Grace, I’m sorry for interrupting your training. Something urgent came up, so I had to come.”

“It’s fine. If you’ve come, there must be a good reason. Please go on.”

The trust evident in his words didn’t feel unpleasant. Agnes steadied herself even more.

“His Majesty the Emperor sent a personal letter.”

“…His Majesty? A personal letter, without even sending a messenger?”

Dylan asked with a baffled expression, rubbing his forehead. But since Cali behaving that way wasn’t exactly unusual, he soon shook his head and asked again.

“So what did it say?”

“It says His Highness the Crown Prince will be visiting the Vasteron territory soon.”

“With only a month or two until the social season, does that mean he’s departing now?”

“He’s already departed. He may arrive within two days, so we’re rushing to prepare the separate wing. There were also parts of the main building that needed repairs, so I ordered the most visible areas fixed first.”

Dylan nodded, letting out a breath.

“Well done. But since His Majesty is the one being unreasonable, you don’t need to push yourself too hard. Then will His Highness be staying here until the social season?”

Dylan asked as if he already had a rough idea. In his blue eyes were signs of weariness, along with concern for Agnes.

She wanted to tell him it wasn’t the case for his sake, but his guess was entirely correct, so Agnes replied with an awkward smile.

“Yes. It said to escort him together when we go to the capital for the social season.”

Dylan rubbed his temples briefly, then lowered his hand and met Agnes’s gaze.

“To be honest, you don’t need to worry too much about His Highness himself. He’s nothing like His Majesty and is gentle and polite. The real issue will be the people accompanying him.”

It was the first time Dylan had spoken about his nephew, the Crown Prince. Agnes nodded and listened carefully.

“Hospitality toward His Highness is important, but more than that, we should strengthen security around the third floor of the main building.”

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

“For a while, the knights will focus more on security and escort duties than training, so please make sure Noah doesn’t get startled.”

The way he naturally considered Noah made warmth bloom in Agnes’s chest.

“Yes. The knights are always kind to Noah, so he won’t be too scared. Don’t worry.”

“…That’s a relief. For now, you should focus solely on assisting Sharon and Gavelin with hosting His Highness. However.”

Before continuing, Dylan stepped one pace closer to Agnes and leaned down toward her.