Chapter 95

Agnes froze for a moment, holding her breath as her shoulders stiffened.

At the same time Dylan’s breath brushed against her ear, his voice sounding very close.

“Whether it’s His Highness or those assisting him, word must never leak that there is no marital relationship between us.”

Agnes swallowed dryly and nodded.

“Yes, of course.”

“That’s enough, then.”

Once he’d finished speaking, Dylan stepped back, restoring the distance of three hand spans between them. Only then did Agnes regain her composure and bring up her second matter.

“And Your Grace, if you’re alright with it, I’d like to summon an imperial mage to the territory once more. Of course, since His Highness will be here, I won’t bring him to the ducal residence.”

“We’re going to the capital in two months. Would it be too late to meet him then?”

It was a reasonable objection. Dylan disliked mages, which made it even more so.

“…Yes, I’m sorry. Honestly, this is why I was thinking of going down to the capital first with Noah. I wanted to ask for your opinion, but with His Highness coming, that’s become difficult.”

At that, Dylan narrowed his brows slightly.

“Is there a problem with Noah?”

“Well…”

Agnes drew in a breath and met Dylan’s eyes.

His blue eyes were filled with concern for Noah. It still didn’t feel like the right time to explain the reason. At the same time, she didn’t want to lie to him, so she answered vaguely, yet truthfully.

“I want to check whether there’s a problem.”

“I see.”

Thankfully, Dylan didn’t press further. He simply looked at Agnes quietly, lost in thought.

“You’re right. With His Highness visiting, it wouldn’t be wise for you to leave the ducal residence. Go ahead and summon the mage.”

It was permission far more readily given than she’d expected. Agnes, who had been preparing arguments to persuade him, blinked rapidly.

Seeing that, Dylan tugged the corner of his lips up ever so slightly. He looked oddly amused.

“It concerns Noah. How could I say no?”

“Ah, well… thank you, Your Grace.”

At her awkward thanks, Dylan’s smile seemed to deepen for a moment, then faded.

Returning to his usual expressionless face, he continued.

“You may bring the mage into the ducal residence. You never know what mages are thinking or what kind of trouble they might cause, so it’s better to keep him close and under watch.”

His face was calm, but the wariness in his tone was unmistakable. Watching him, Agnes felt even more concerned and spoke carefully.

“But once we give the annex to His Highness, the mage would have to stay in the main building.”

“It can’t be helped given the circumstances. It’s fine. It would look worse if word reached the imperial family that we were keeping a guest outside under suspicion.”

That made sense too, and Agnes nodded quickly.

“Yes, then we’ll do that. I’ll make sure proper supervision is assigned so Sir Sepion doesn’t get any strange ideas.”

“Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?”

“No. I’ve sorted out what needs to be done first.”

“Then I’ll go give instructions to the knights.”

“Yes, I will as well.”

When Agnes replied with a firm voice, full of determination to do well, Dylan smiled in satisfaction.

“I said I’d let you rest properly once you came to the North, but it looks like things will be busy again for a while. I’m sorry.”

Caught off guard by the unexpected apology, Agnes widened her eyes, then covered her mouth and chuckled.

“You’re apologizing while smiling?”

“Yes.”

He admitted it so easily. Agnes turned her head and swallowed the laugh that threatened to grow bigger. This wasn’t the time to laugh.

Instead of scolding her, Dylan continued in a gentle voice.

“I truly am sorry, but with you here, I don’t feel overly worried. I know you’ll handle it well.”

At those words, Agnes couldn’t respond at all for a moment.

Aside from Noah’s blind trust, had anyone ever placed such strong faith in her before?

‘What have I even done?’

Since coming to the North, she’d only managed the internal affairs of Vasteron, which was simply the routine duty of the lady of the house. Dylan hadn’t even taken her along on inspections, so she barely knew the territory.

She’d even thought that anyone would want a marriage like this, living so comfortably in the North…

Yet Dylan spoke as if she were a great help.

“…If you say that, it really feels like I have to do well.”

“You would have done well even if I hadn’t said anything.”

At his firm words, Agnes finally nodded as if in agreement and met his gaze.

“Yes. I’ll do well.”

“Once the social season is over, you can truly rest then. I’ll think of an excuse for us to skip this year’s Harvest Festival.”

He spoke of declining the Emperor’s invitation as lightly as an academy student skipping class.

Normally, Agnes would have stopped him, but for some reason, she didn’t want to.

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Dylan seemed surprised by her answer. He studied her eyes for a moment, then lowered his head with a faint smile.

He lifted Agnes’s hand and, with a reverent gesture, pressed his lips to the back of it.

As Dylan slowly raised his head, his blue eyes met Agnes’s gaze once more.

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

The farewell was brief, yet it felt suffocatingly long. Dylan turned and headed back toward the training grounds.

Agnes stared blankly at his retreating figure, then hurried her steps toward the main building.

There was so much to do. She needed to check whether the annex was being prepared properly, instruct the chef to plan the menu, and find out what ingredients were needed.

With more people staying at the residence, she had to make sure the servants kept quiet… right, Noah too. She needed to explain the situation properly so he wouldn’t be startled.

Just thinking about it made her feel breathless, yet strangely, her mind was calm.

Walking quickly while clutching the hem of her dress, Agnes suddenly glanced back toward the training grounds.

‘…It’s because of Dylan.’

She was certain of it.

Right after meeting Marcella, she’d felt like she was trapped in a room full of doors, unable to tell what lay beyond any of them.

When she heard that the Crown Prince was coming, she’d felt dizzy, like she’d lost her compass in the middle of a vast sea.

But after exchanging just a few words with Dylan, all that confusion and fear vanished.

How was that possible?

The situation hadn’t changed at all.

Yet she felt certain that if she handled things one by one, it would work out somehow.

She would do her utmost, and for whatever she still couldn’t manage, he would help her.

She trusted Dylan completely.

Agnes smiled once toward the training grounds, then hurried back to the main building, firmly resolving not to disappoint the trust he placed in her.

* * *

Three days passed.

Surprisingly, the one who arrived at the ducal residence first wasn’t the Crown Prince, but Louis.

Last time, he’d arrived in barely two days, so taking three this time could be considered leisurely by his standards. Still, it was clear he’d ridden day and night without rest.

Stepping down from the carriage looking dusty and unkempt, Louis greeted her with his usual bright smile.

Agnes was about to thank him for coming so quickly when Louis spoke first.

“There was a bit of trouble borrowing horses along the way, so I couldn’t arrive as early as last time. I apologize, Duchess.”

Unsure what to say, Agnes simply laughed.

She was slowly learning that she shouldn’t think of Louis the same way she did other people.

Still, unlike his previous visit, she’d been in a genuinely urgent situation this time, and she hadn’t expected him to rush over so quickly.

Agnes found herself trusting this peculiar man just a little more than before.

“Noah is taking a nap right now. When I told him you might come within a day or two, Sir Sepion, he was very happy.”

“Really? I’m quite fond of young Master Overhen as well. He’s bright and absolutely delightful.”

Louis beamed so widely it was impossible to think he was lying, then covered his mouth and whispered softly.

“But I hear His Highness the Crown Prince will be staying at the ducal residence. I came running the moment you called, but I’m not sure it’s really alright for me to be here.”