MHWHR 20

MHWHR

Chapter 20

The next day.

It wasn’t even ten in the morning when Celine came to pick me up.

“Unni? Wasn’t our appointment at noon?”

I had been getting ready, and I jumped to my feet in surprise when she suddenly barged in, stopping midway through fixing my hair.

That was when Devon appeared behind her.

As if he had completely forgotten what happened yesterday, he gave me a shameless shrug.

My expression hardened, and Celine immediately strode over and pulled me into a hug.

“You’ve gotten even thinner, Anes. Have you been eating properly?”

Devon answered for me.

“There’s no need to worry, Lady Stacker. We’ve been taking excellent care of her meals. Pizetra’s finest chef prepares all three meals personally.”

Celine shot him a cold glare.

“If Pizetra’s finest chef has been feeding her and she still looks like this, then I can imagine just how talented that chef must be.”

Devon’s face stiffened at her criticism.

But only for a moment.

He quickly rearranged his expression, smiled calmly, and even nodded.

“Now that you mention it, perhaps I should look into that. Thank you for pointing it out.”

It wasn’t exactly surprising that Devon groveled before power.

Still, today it looked particularly pathetic.

Did he want power that badly?

What exactly was so important about it?

And if I ever gained power myself—

would he act like that toward me too?

Suddenly, I found myself curious about how Devon would react if I were the one holding power.

“Anes, if you’re done getting ready, let’s go. Grandfather is waiting.”

Celine took the bonnet Jessie had hurriedly brought over and placed it on my head.

After looking me over from head to toe, she clicked her tongue.

“Ah… so the chef wasn’t the problem. This is…”

She trailed off and looked at Devon with pity.

“I had no idea the Pizetra family was struggling financially. I apologize for what I said about the chef.”

Devon’s face instantly flushed red.

“N-No, Lady Stacker! That’s not—”

He tried to explain himself, but couldn’t seem to find the words.

Then Celine looked at my clothes and let out a bitter laugh.

“I’m sorry, Anes. If I had known, I would’ve brought one of my dresses for you. Seeing how extravagantly the marquis dresses himself—and how well he provides for that former lover of his—I assumed Pizetra was financially comfortable.”

I had chosen the best outfit I owned.

Even so, it clearly looked pitiful in Celine’s eyes.

“Do my clothes look too plain to meet Grandfather?”

I laughed awkwardly, and Celine turned toward Devon again.

“Plain? Even commoners wouldn’t wear something like this. Jessie, tell me honestly—does your clothing look any different from Anes’s? My goodness, it even has buttons on the sleeves. It’s not a uniform. What noblewoman wears a dress like this?”

She exaggerated her shock while continuing to stare directly at Devon.

Devon hurriedly tried to defend himself.

“Lady Stacker, the truth is that this is Anes’s preference. I’ve told her many times to buy better clothes, but she refuses to listen.”

Apparently, he felt no shame whatsoever.

“Anes? That can’t be right. The Anes I know would never choose something like this.”

Celine began loudly listing my actual preferences for Devon to hear.

Lace like a princess.

Layered, extravagant skirts.

Every word made my face burn hotter—

but strangely, I didn’t feel bad.

Those were the clothes I had loved as a child.

Celine hadn’t forgotten a single thing I liked.

Devon went completely silent.

Watching him get caught in his own lie so effortlessly was almost entertaining.

I laughed inwardly.

Lewan neither laughed nor joined in.

But judging by the slight curve of his lips, he seemed pleased that Celine had completely shut Devon down.

“Unni, that’s enough. Let’s go. Honestly, I feel embarrassed meeting Grandfather dressed like this. Shouldn’t we stop by a boutique first?”

To be honest, it had been a long time since I’d seen Grandfather.

If I showed up looking this shabby, he would worry.

And if Celine reacted this strongly—

Grandfather would probably react even more dramatically.

Celine clapped her hands excitedly.

“Oh! That’s a wonderful idea. And while we’re shopping, let’s buy more than one dress. I’ll pay for everything. Your birthday was recently, wasn’t it?”

“You don’t need to. I can just—”

“By the way.”

Celine suddenly looked me up and down before glancing at Devon.

“What did the marquis give you for your birthday? Judging by your appearance, it clearly wasn’t jewelry or dresses.”

“……”

“Did he buy you a horse? You love horseback riding. Surely he bought you a gentle, well-bred mare. Where’s your stable, Anes? I’d love to see your horse.”

I instantly understood what Celine was doing.

She wanted to humiliate Devon a little more.

But I was already tired of seeing him in front of me.

At the same time, I had no desire to defend him.

So I answered honestly.

“Unni, Devon has never bought me a horse. Or jewelry. Or dresses. And no—I’ve never received a birthday gift either.”

“What?”

Celine looked genuinely stunned.

“Then did he at least throw you a birthday party? I heard he recently held one for his daughter. Surely he held one for you too?”

“No. Not once in three years.”

Celine stared at Devon in complete disbelief.

Devon anxiously looked around, desperately trying to come up with an excuse.

But nothing seemed to come to mind.

Celine clenched her fists and muttered under her breath,

“He really was trash. Divorcing him was absolutely the right decision.”

“Unni, you shouldn’t say things like that directly in front of people.”

“What? I’m just stating facts.”

“Even if they are facts.”

When I tugged her arm, Celine reluctantly started walking.

Lewan was our only companion.

I asked Jessie and Lamiri to wait until I returned.

And despite everything, Devon shamelessly called after Celine.

“Next time, I’ll offer proper hospitality. Travel safely, Lady Stacker.”

Celine ignored him and simply knocked on the carriage roof.

The carriage began moving.

As soon as we got far enough from the Pizetra estate, Celine finally exploded.

“Is that man even human? What have you been enduring all this time? Don’t you dare go back there, understand?”

She practically shouted at me.

Honestly—

I wanted to leave immediately too.

But I still hadn’t fulfilled my promise to Patricia.

“Unni… just one week. There’s still something I need to do.”

“You want to stay under the same roof as that pig? I wouldn’t last even a minute.”

“I don’t want to either. But there’s someone else I need to help—someone who suffered under him just as much as I did… maybe even more. Just give me one week. Once I finish this, I’ll go to the duke’s estate even if you tell me not to.”

“Why are you worrying about someone else when you’re in this condition?!”

Celine finally shouted in frustration.

I grabbed her trembling hands tightly.

“Unni… this is something I want to do. Just this once. Please?”

Her face twisted with emotion.

Tears had been gathering in her eyes for a while now.

After wiping them away, she slowly held out her pinky finger.

“It’s a promise.”

I hooked my pinky around hers.

Devon ground his teeth as he watched the carriage shrink into the distance.

“She couldn’t even dress properly and ended up humiliating me.”

Unable to contain his anger, he stomped his feet.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

Even if they were close—

how could Anes insult her own husband alongside someone else instead of defending him?

He found her behavior deeply offensive.

And Celine’s comments about Anes’s preferences irritated him even more.

If what Celine said was true—

then Anes was no different from Sophia.

No, she was even stranger.

“So she indulges in every luxury imaginable, yet acts pure and noble in front of me?”

The moment Devon entered his office, he summoned Viscount Percil.

“Is Anes at least doing her work properly?”

As it happened, Viscount Percil had been reviewing the documents Anes had sorted and annotated the day before.

“Yes. Her speed isn’t what it used to be because she’s still recovering, but her judgment remains as sharp as ever. She continues making precise and necessary decisions.”

Devon hated hearing Anes praised.

“She’s not recovering—she’s being lazy. Push her harder. The only thing she’s good at is work. If she can’t even do that properly, then there’s no reason for me to keep supporting her.”

Viscount Percil bit the inside of his lip.

Supporting her?

That’s absurd.

She’ll be leaving this place soon anyway.

When the viscount returned to the annex, he stared at the mountain of documents and ledgers piled onto the trolley and let out a low sigh.

Pizetra had no future without Anes.

No matter how he calculated things—

all that remained was suffering.

And he already knew exactly how severe that suffering would be.

For the first time, Viscount Percil seriously considered leaving Pizetra.

If I give up the title Marquis Pizetra granted me… what could I do afterward?

He hadn’t originally been one of Pizetra’s retainers.

Ten years ago, he had simply been a hired employee who achieved the highest score on the financial administrator examination held by the newly inherited Marquis Devon.

His exceptional skills earned him a baron title two years later.

And two years after that—right before Devon planned to marry Sophia—he was granted a viscount title.

But aside from the title—

nothing had changed.

He was still just the person responsible for managing the family’s finances.

After working under Devon for ten years, Percil had learned many things.

But the most important realization was this:

Devon Pizetra was narrow-minded, impulsive, and utterly incapable of handling large-scale ventures.

There was nothing left for him to learn under a man like that.

The more he thought about it—

the only answer was resignation.

Once Lady Anes leaves… I should leave too.