Chapter 18
I had known Patricia for a long time.
When I was deployed as my family’s representative to the Siege of Aere, she had come to the battlefield as a novice nun, volunteering alongside a group of sisters.
Since we were around the same age, we quickly became close.
“How on earth do you two even know each other…?”
Viscount Percil looked back and forth between Patricia and me in astonishment.
“We’re friends.”
Patricia summed up our relationship in a single sentence, then leaned against the shabby desk and looked at Viscount Percil.
I stood beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
“When Devon asked me for a divorce, I contacted Patricia and asked her to come to the estate.”
Viscount Percil’s wavering gaze finally steadied as he looked between us.
“D-Do you perhaps intend to ask Lady Patricia to stop your divorce from the Marquis?”
“Pfft!”
How did he even arrive at that conclusion?
After laughing for quite a while with me, Patricia turned serious.
“Does Viscount Percil really think my brother is valuable enough for a woman like Agnes to cling to him?”
The viscount couldn’t answer.
Looking down at her bluntly trimmed nails, Patricia spoke firmly.
“If I had known about their marriage beforehand, I would’ve stopped it no matter what. Devon is an incompetent bastard who only makes women suffer.”
Viscount Percil bit his lip and remained silent, as if he couldn’t deny that either.
“Compared to him, Agnes is far more capable and admirable. Why would someone like her try to reverse a divorce from trash like my brother? Were you trying to make me laugh?”
Her voice was filled with fury toward her own brother.
She had always felt deeply guilty for failing to stop my marriage to Devon.
What she said now seemed to come from that same guilt.
I only learned that Patricia and Devon were siblings four months after my marriage, when Viscount Percil handed me the Pietra family tree.
There was a small portrait above one of the names.
It was unmistakably Patricia.
I had stared at it in shock for a long time.
Seeing my reaction, Viscount Percil had explained:
“That is Lady Patricia, the Marquis’s only younger sister. She is currently away recovering from illness.”
That explanation made me suspicious, so I sent Patricia a letter.
Only then did she learn that I had become Devon’s wife—and she told me the truth.
Why someone who had originally been engaged at seventeen was still unmarried at twenty-three.
And why the family claimed she was “recovering” when she was actually serving at a convent.
It was because Devon had stolen the land and money their parents had set aside as her dowry.
He claimed he was investing it in the family’s revival—
and squandered every last bit of it.
Patricia repeatedly demanded that Devon return her money.
Instead, he shoved her onto a carriage bound for a convent and drove her out.
After being kicked out of her home, Patricia sent an apology letter to her fiancé and had been living in a convent near Aere ever since.
When I learned her story, I felt sick at heart.
A dowry represented a woman’s dignity and worth when she married.
By using it so recklessly, Devon had personally trampled his sister’s value into the dirt.
Without Devon knowing, I investigated where Patricia’s land and money had gone.
It didn’t take long to uncover the truth.
It had nothing to do with rebuilding the family.
He had spent it on countless jewels and luxury goods while courting Sophia Lerang.
When Patricia received my letter, she immediately rushed to the estate and caused an uproar.
But Devon happened to be away at the time.
As I watched Patricia cry bitterly that day, I made a promise to myself—
I would restore her dowry somehow.
And today, I had called her here to fulfill that promise.
“Patty, that’s enough.”
Even when I tried to calm her down, Patricia shook her head.
“If my brother had treated you properly, I wouldn’t have to say any of this. But look what happened!”
Her anger reminded me of Celine, who had rushed over after hearing I was sick.
I gently patted Patricia’s shoulder and smiled.
“You said your fiancé is still waiting for you, right?”
At that question, Patricia’s voice softened.
“…For now. But he’s getting older too. He’ll probably marry someone else this year. He can’t wait for me forever.”
Her shoulders drooped.
Her voice had lost all strength.
It seemed she had already prepared herself for heartbreak.
I turned to Viscount Percil.
“I plan to marry Patricia off before the temple officially declares my divorce from Devon. That means she needs her dowry. That’s what I want you to overlook.”
“What?”
Patricia stared at me in shock.
So did Viscount Percil.
“I spent three straight years making money. But I never spent any of it however I wanted. If I choose to use the money I earned just once before my divorce, is that really such a terrible thing?”
“Agnes, what are you—”
I tightly grabbed Patricia’s wrist, silencing her.
“Viscount Percil, if you simply look the other way, Patricia can proudly marry the man she loves. Is Pietra only Devon to you? What about Patricia?”
His eyes shook.
He was hesitating.
“Imagine you had a younger sister like Patricia. Would you still side with Devon? If so, then you have neither conscience nor morals.”
At my rebuke, his head slowly lowered.
“…Understood. I’ll pretend I know nothing.”
“Good. Then let’s do this right now.”
I immediately handed Patricia two central bank drafts worth one hundred thousand kana each, along with a bag containing one thousand kana.
“Go to your fiancé right now, Patty. I know this may feel rushed, but hold the wedding later. First, submit your marriage registration at the temple and get it approved. Can you do that for me?”
Patricia shook her head, unable to accept what I gave her.
“How can I take this? I know how hard you worked for this money…”
I hung the bag around her wrist and forced the bank drafts into her hands.
“Take it. If you don’t, I won’t be able to leave this place either. Why do you think I worked so hard?”
Through tears, Patricia said,
“You said it was for Elizabeth and Vilkius.”
“It was partly for them. But Patty… I also wanted to help with your marriage myself. I’m sorry it took me so long.”
“Hic… I can’t… I know what you went through to earn this… Hic… waaah…”
Patricia, who had been barely holding herself together, finally burst into tears.
I gently hugged her and patted her back.
“I wanted to do more for you. I’m sorry this is all I can give.”
That only made her cry harder.
“Patty, register your marriage immediately. And wait one week before cashing the drafts. I’ll prepare the money by then. Understood?”
“Hic… thank you… and I’m sorry, Agnes. You’re getting divorced, but I…”
She couldn’t continue.
I understood why she felt guilty.
But I truly welcomed this divorce.
Why would I be upset about leaving a husband who had done nothing but deceive and use me?
“I know. I understand how you feel, so stop crying now. What if Devon comes back? Hurry and go.”
I had deliberately called her while Devon was out with Sophia.
If she ran into them, everything would be ruined.
After I pushed her toward the door, Patricia left the estate in tears.
After she was gone, Viscount Percil remained silent for a long time.
He seemed deeply shaken by what had just happened.
I quietly reviewed documents while he eventually spoke.
“I had no idea the thing you wanted to do… was help Lady Patricia get married.”
His eyes trembled violently.
Though he didn’t say it outright, he was clearly stunned by what I had done.
“Well, I never told you. It makes sense that you didn’t know.”
I tried to brush it off casually—
but suddenly, someone came to mind.
Elizabeth.
What if, after I left Pietra and Devon’s finances worsened, he sacrificed his daughter the same way he had sacrificed his sister?
The thought made my chest tighten.
But I quickly shook my head.
Elizabeth was not my responsibility.
She had perfectly capable parents.
Why should I—
I forcibly pushed away my unnecessary affection and shook my head harder.
“Lady Agnes… is there perhaps something else you still wish to do?”
When I looked up, Viscount Percil was staring at me intensely.
There was a stubbornness in his gaze that made me answer honestly.
“There was one more thing. But I don’t think it’s my place anymore, so I’m trying to let it go.”
“Please tell me. If there’s anything I can help with, I will.”
When I remained silent and simply turned another page of the ledger, he cautiously asked:
“Could it be… that you were also planning to prepare a dowry for Lady Elizabeth?”
He had struck the mark exactly.
For a long moment, I couldn’t speak.
I briefly wondered if I should accept his help and secretly set aside money for Elizabeth.
But I quickly gave up on the idea.
Elizabeth had never even lied and said she liked me.
Earlier this year, after paying off all of Pietra’s debts, I had created savings accounts for both Elizabeth and Vilkius.
For Elizabeth, it was meant to be part of her future dowry.
When she found out, her response had shocked me.
“Why are you preparing my dowry? Do you think you’re actually our mother?”
There was no way a child like that would accept money from me.
And now that her biological mother had returned—
this would truly be overstepping.
All I could do was pray that Devon would value his daughter more than he valued his sister.
“I see… Lady Agnes really would…”
“Viscount, I’ll handle the remaining documents myself, so could you leave now? And please keep what happened today confidential.”
“Yes. Of course.”
I watched him bow and leave.
I had been anxious—
but there was no way to secretly give Patricia money without Viscount Percil noticing.
He reviewed Pietra’s ledgers and finances every single day.
Even if I falsified the books, it would be exposed within a day.
The only reason Devon could leave the estate so often while dumping all the work on me was because Viscount Percil kept things running.
I need to finish everything before he changes his mind.
Determined to keep my promise to Patricia, I buried myself in paperwork.
By late afternoon, when I still hadn’t left the office—
Ruwan came to find me.
“You’re here?”
I looked up and stretched both arms.
Ruwan asked,
“If your body feels stiff, should I use recovery magic?”
“No, I’m fine. Magic would be overkill for something like this. More importantly… let’s go for a walk, Ruwan.”
“Shall we?”
His bright smile made me smile too.
Just as we were about to leave the office—
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Devon stood in front of the open office door, his face twisted with rage.
