Chapter 45
Meanwhile, Rickman, locked inside a prison cell, was pounding wildly on the iron bars and shouting.
Not long ago, the temple had declared that the gods had delivered their judgment, sentencing Rickman to life imprisonment.
They said he might be released if the emperor granted a special pardon—but there was no chance the emperor would do that.
The emperor was serious about abolishing slavery, and he showed no mercy to criminals who dared defy imperial orders by continuing to capture and sell slaves.
Rickman had been causing a scene for quite some time now, yet not a single person came to see him. In the end, he kicked the bars one last time and collapsed unsteadily onto the prison floor.
A rat eyed Rickman’s lunch greedily. Rickman twisted his face in disgust and was about to throw his shoe at it when—
Footsteps approached.
A guard appeared first, followed by a slender figure wrapped in a robe.
“If it becomes dangerous, call immediately.”
After speaking politely to the robed figure, the guard walked back down the corridor.
Now, only Rickman and the robed visitor remained.
Without even seeing the face beneath the hood, Rickman immediately knew who it was.
“Why are you here? Agnès.”
Agnès let out a quiet sigh and lowered her hood.
Her pale, clean face—completely out of place in the dark, damp prison—was revealed. After briefly looking around, she turned back to Rickman and spoke with difficulty.
“I never imagined the day would come when you’d end up like this.”
“So what? Did you come here to laugh at me? You?”
“You’re always like this. You think that if you don’t trample on others, you’ll be the one being mocked.”
Agnès furrowed her brows and shook her head as if she were tired of it all.
“I didn’t come here for something that petty. I didn’t come to see you like this either. I told you from the beginning—if you just let Noah go, I wouldn’t do anything. I even said I’d send Noah back to the viscount’s house once he became an adult. What’s happened to you now is something you brought upon yourself. Don’t blame me.”
There was no hatred or resentment in Agnès’s voice.
And that made Rickman’s pride feel even more painfully torn apart.
Rickman’s eyes burned with rage, but Agnès continued to look at him calmly.
“I came because I have something to ask. You knew Noah had magical talent, didn’t you? Your brother, Hassel Overhan, was a mage.”
Answering that would mean admitting that Noah was not his blood but Hassel’s—so even in this situation, Rickman remained silent.
“I want to know if you ever had Noah’s magical talent measured separately. If we start a new examination now, it’ll take months. I need to know how strong his talent is, whether there are any dangers, or if he has power the country might need to monitor.”
Rickman scoffed as if it were ridiculous, but Agnès continued.
“Noah will be raised by me. If you cared for him even a little, you’d know how important that information is. Please tell me—not for my sake, but for Noah’s.”
Rickman’s reply was cold and vicious.
“You’re talking nonsense.”
“……”
Agnès closed her eyes and took a breath to suppress her anger.
What Rickman said next was even worse.
“Noah is my son. Why would I need some stupid test? What does that bastard Hassel have to do with anything? I’m not a mage, so why would Noah be one? Doesn’t that make sense?”
Disdain filled Agnès’s eyes—followed by resignation.
No matter what hardship she faced, Agnès had always comforted and driven herself forward. But the man before her was someone she no longer had the will—or confidence—to persuade.
Staying here any longer was a waste of time.
Agnès turned to leave, then stopped and looked back at Rickman with emotionless eyes.
“Rickman, I learned how greed rots a person by watching you. If you’d been just a little less greedy—if you’d shown even a bit more mercy to me and my child—I would have endured you to the end. Even Noah, that kind child, wouldn’t have been able to turn his back on you. But your filthy greed tripped you and gave us the chance to escape.”
She narrowed her brows slightly and shook her head.
That small gesture showed just how insignificant Rickman had become in her eyes.
Rickman screamed curses at her from behind, but Agnès never stopped walking.
What mattered to her was not what lay behind but what lay ahead.
After returning from seeing Rickman, Agnès’s life became busy once more.
A wedding involving a duke—and even imperial family members—required an unimaginable amount of preparation.
On top of that, there would be two weddings, which doubled the work: wedding dresses, banquets, guest lists, and even a carriage worthy of the imperial family for the public ceremony.
Amid all this, she made sure not to neglect her time with Noah.
Spending time together was important, but Agnès also wanted to personally meet the doctor who would treat Noah and the teacher who would educate him—at least once.
And now that Noah’s magical talent had manifested, a proper examination was necessary to understand his condition.
While a doctor consulted with Noah, Agnès stood beside him, flipping through a catalog of curtains for the banquet hall.
The doctor had been found through Gavelin and was said to be a renowned physician who had treated many cases like Noah’s.
Meeting him in person, Agnès felt relieved—he had a gentle, stable presence.
After finishing the consultation, the doctor approached her.
“The young master is still anxious, but he has a strong will to recover. I believe he’ll improve quickly—though of course, we’ll only know for sure once proper treatment begins.”
“… There’s no need to rush. Please make sure he doesn’t feel pressured.”
Agnès emphasized her request, and the doctor smiled and nodded.
After the doctor left, Agnès picked Noah up and moved to the sofa. Sitting him on her lap, feeling his increased weight compared to before, warmed her heart.
But what she needed to say next was difficult, so she kissed Noah’s round forehead and took a moment to choose her words.
In the end, she decided to speak honestly, using the simplest words possible.
“Noah, do you want to come to Mom’s wedding?”
Noah immediately nodded.
Smiling at how adorable he was, Agnès gently touched his soft cheek.
“But lots of important people will be there. The Emperor, the Princess, and the Crown Prince too.”
Noah’s eyes rolled around before he carefully asked,
“Scary?”
Agnès was secretly moved by how much his vocabulary had grown.
She stroked his cheek.
“No, they won’t be scary to you. But you might feel uncomfortable because you’ll have to behave quietly. Will that be okay?”
She continued explaining calmly.
“During the wedding, you’ll have to stay with Lizzie, not Mom. Of course, I’ll come to you right away once it’s over—but until then, I won’t be able to stay by your side. I’m worried because it’ll be an unfamiliar place for you.”
At her careful question, Noah moved his lips, trying to speak.
A small “Ah…” vibrated against her chest, but forming long sentences was still difficult.
After struggling for a while, Noah frowned in frustration—then nodded vigorously.
Feeling both sorry for him and charmed, Agnès gently pinched his cheek.
“You’ll still go?”
Noah nodded strongly again.
“Our Noah has grown so much.”
“Noah has grown.”
He repeated her words.
It seemed easier for him to imitate others than express his own thoughts.
Even that was precious.
Agnès hugged him tightly.
Clear laughter spilled from her lips.
She kissed Noah’s small nose and said,
“Then we have to choose clothes for you to wear to the wedding too. Shall we pick them together?”
“Yes!”
This time, instead of nodding, he answered with a bright voice.
Agnès stroked his hair and asked Lizzie, who was standing nearby, to bring the catalog.
Lizzie had originally been a kitchen maid when Agnès first came to the ducal residence, but back when Agnès was Lady Everchen, Lizzie had been her personal attendant.
When Dylan heard that, he immediately reassigned Lizzie to Agnès.
Agnès felt sorry that Lizzie had become busier because of her, but Lizzie always smiled energetically and took good care of both Agnès and Noah.
This time too, Lizzie brought the catalog with a bright smile and handed it to Agnès.
Sitting side by side on the sofa, Agnès and Noah looked through outfits for young gentlemen in the catalog together.
There was so much to do, and she was tired—but this moment was too precious.
For a while, Agnès even forgot her exhaustion.
