Chapter 4
How had she even made it back to her room?
When Agnes finally came to her senses, she realized she was holding a heavy box in her hands. Kesenor had practically forced it into her arms as she left the drawing room.
Inside the box Amy had supposedly sent…
…were gold coins.
An unbelievable amount of them.
Even if Agnes quit working as a governess immediately, it would be enough for the entire family to live comfortably for at least a year.
She murmured blankly,
“So… Amy really brought all of this back from the Dragon’s Lair…”
She looked down at the back of her hand, where the leaf-shaped mark had appeared before.
There was nothing there now.
Before leaving the drawing room, Kesenor’s final words echoed in her mind.
“I intend to remain here for some time.”
“Miss Agnes, I came all the way from the distant north for one reason alone—you.”
“If you have any questions, come see me whenever you wish.”
Her mind felt so overwhelmed with conflicting thoughts that it seemed ready to burst.
Whenever she needed to sort out her thoughts, repeating simple, familiar tasks always helped.
As usual, Agnes washed herself. Then she removed the dirty sleeves from the dress she had soiled while searching for the twins earlier that day and carefully sewed on a clean pair.
The maids would at least do the laundry, but if she asked them to handle tedious jobs like this, they would openly resent her.
After changing into her nightgown, she lay down on her bed.
Her tiny room.
The familiar ceiling.
The familiar scent.
The familiar feeling.
Everything was exactly the same as always…
“Ha…”
So what?
No matter how unbelievable the story was…
Amy was alive.
She was safe.
She wasn’t hurt.
A foolish smile spread across Agnes’s face before she pulled out the letters Rupert and Amy had written.
The moment she looked at them…
The tears she had been holding back came flooding out.
She burst into loud sobs like a little child.
After that, she couldn’t remember when she finally fell asleep.
When she opened her eyes again…
Morning had arrived.
Looking into the mirror, she found her eyes terribly swollen.
She looked dreadful, yet she couldn’t stop smiling.
For the first time in days, she finished every bite of her breakfast instead of leaving more than half untouched.
Even humming cheerfully to herself, Agnes headed toward the twins’ study as she did every morning.
As expected…
They weren’t there.
Seeing the clear, sunny weather outside, she hadn’t expected otherwise.
“Those impossible children…”
With a sigh, she stepped outside.
Brilliant sunlight bathed the estate.
Before she’d even realized it…
Spring had arrived.
She hadn’t noticed it yesterday, but now the entire world was covered in fresh green leaves.
Colorful flowers proudly bloomed among the thick bushes, while the songs of tiny birds drifted pleasantly through the air.
It was the exact same scenery…
Yet it felt completely different from yesterday.
“How can everything seem so different…?”
Even if Amy came home…
House Laberose would still be struggling.
The debts their father had accumulated were simply too enormous.
And yet…
The whole world looked filled with joy.
Nothing had changed except that she now had hope Amy would return.
With light footsteps, Agnes searched all the places where the twins usually hid.
“They’re not here either.”
She checked beneath their favorite tree and inside the bushes they loved to play in.
Nothing.
“Leonard! Cedric!”
She called loudly.
No answer.
Normally the boys would giggle the moment she walked anywhere near them, eager to play another prank.
“Maybe I should ask the servants to help search…”
Just as she was beginning to worry that something might actually have happened—
A hand suddenly shot out from the thick bushes and pulled her inside.
“…!”
A scream nearly escaped her lips.
But before it could…
She recognized the person who had grabbed her.
Taking a shaky breath, she called out,
“Marquis?”
“Good morning, Miss Agnes.”
Unlike yesterday, Kesenor was dressed casually.
He wore a fitted navy-blue shirt and trousers, while his long black hair was neatly tied back.
Without the heavy formal clothing he’d worn before, his lean, well-built physique was far more noticeable.
“Ah…”
Only then did Agnes realize how close they were standing.
His face was right in front of hers.
To hide them both inside the bushes, he had wrapped an arm around her waist.
Their upper bodies were pressed tightly together.
Even through their clothes…
She could feel his body heat.
Startled, she immediately tried to pull away.
“…!”
But he didn’t let go.
Instead…
His arm tightened around her waist.
“M-Marquis!”
As Agnes panicked, he lowered his head and whispered beside her ear.
“Have you given any thought to what we discussed yesterday?”
She hadn’t.
None of those unbelievable stories mattered more than learning Amy and Rupert were alive.
Seeing the blank expression on her face, Kesenor curled his lips into a faint smile before pointing toward a tree some distance away.
Its leaves were swaying unnaturally.
“Weren’t those children the ones you were looking for?”
“Those troublemakers! I told them climbing trees was dangerous!”
The moment she tried to rush toward them—
He caught her once again.
At this point…
Shouldn’t she be angry at how rude he was being?
As she hesitated, he quietly asked,
“What do you intend to do?”
“This happens all the time.”
“I could simply bring them down with magic.”
“It’s all right.”
“I’m their governess.”
Only then did he finally release her.
But instead of immediately running over, Agnes hesitated.
Because of her family’s financial situation, she had never attended a debutante ball.
She had never even gone to a formal party.
At balls, people usually danced while standing this close.
Was this kind of physical contact considered perfectly normal?
Would it be rude if I asked him not to touch me like this?
She worried he might think she was an unsophisticated country girl.
After brushing the bits of grass from her skirt, Agnes finally gathered her courage.
“I would appreciate it if you didn’t touch me without permission in the future.”
“It makes me uncomfortable.”
“Ah… I see…”
He seemed about to apologize.
But Agnes simply shook her head and hurried toward the tree.
For some reason…
She could still feel his gaze burning into her back.
Pretending not to notice, she quietly slipped through the bushes.
Climbing trees wasn’t difficult.
Removing her shoes, Agnes skillfully began climbing.
The memories of running freely around the estate as a child still remained in her body.
“You little troublemakers!”
Several hazelnuts suddenly rained down from above.
Apparently the twins had planned to drop them on her as she walked underneath.
The startled boys spotted Agnes climbing toward them and cried out in alarm.
“How did you know?!”
“We didn’t make any noise!”
“I told you not to climb trees!”
“If you do this again, I’ll make both of you copy one hundred pages of The History of the Empire!”
“No!”
“That’s horrible!”
“How could anyone write that much?”
“Then stay up all night.”
“Or would you rather I tell the Countess?”
“You’re so mean!”
“Agnes is a witch!”
“If you don’t like it, go ahead and get me fired.”
“Do you think another governess would actually come teach you?”
“If no one does, you’ll end up in boarding school.”
“You’ll share a tiny room with a roommate…”
“…and wake up every morning at six for exercises.”
“No!”
After sending the boys safely back down first, Agnes climbed down herself.
Her hair had become a complete mess.
Tree sap had stained her dress with brown patches.
As she brushed leaves from her clothes, she let out a quiet sigh.
The marquis had probably seen all of that.
Although the bushes blocked her view, she somehow felt he was still standing there.
What must he think of me…?
Not only was she a noblewoman working as a governess…
She had even climbed a tree without the slightest hesitation.
Well…
I’m not ashamed of working hard for my family.
Returning to the study, Agnes seated the twins at their desks.
The boys still looked sullen.
Ignoring their expressions, she opened the textbook on the table.
History of the Empire, Volume Two.
“Today we’ll continue with Emperor Roberto Cardiam, the Fourth Emperor.”
“Cedric, what did we learn yesterday?”
“I don’t know.”
“I forgot!”
“Use proper manners when speaking.”
She fixed him with a stern stare.
Cedric flinched and quickly sat up straight.
“…Teacher.”
“What did we study yesterday?”
“…”
“Very well.”
“If you can’t remember…”
“Leonard?”
“There were repeated conflicts with the various non-human races.”
“Excellent.”
“You remembered well.”
The twins were mischievous beyond belief.
But once lessons actually began…
They participated reasonably well.
Because every month, the Countess personally reviewed their test scores.
If they performed poorly…
She would send them away to boarding school.
They hated studying.
Yet they were forced to do it.
Running away into the forest and hiding was simply their way of avoiding it.
“As I mentioned yesterday, Emperor Roberto’s reign was extremely important.”
“It was during his rule that the long-standing conflicts between humans and the other races were finally resolved.”
“Human territory was officially confined to the center of the continent.”
“In return, the territories of the non-human races were recognized and respected.”
“In other words…”
“They signed what was essentially a non-aggression treaty.”
Just as Agnes was explaining—
Knock. Knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
Thinking a maid had brought refreshments, Agnes opened it.
Instead…
Kesenor was standing there.
“Marquis?”
“If you don’t mind…”
“May I observe today’s lesson?”
“…May I ask why?”
He leaned closer.
Then, in a low voice beside her ear, he whispered,
“Because I’m curious about you.”
“…!”
Agnes looked up at him in surprise.
He smiled gently.
Heat rushed to her cheeks.
“Perhaps it’s because I’m a magician…”
“I simply can’t resist satisfying my curiosity.”
Unable to immediately comprehend what he meant…
Agnes could only stand there frozen, meeting his gaze.
