MHYFMAMD Ch 2

It was a simple question, but Grace swallowed hard. Wouldn’t any human naturally long for life?

 

A desire to live just a little longer. A desire to hold her child, whom she had struggled to give birth to. Among all her desires, one person came to her mind.

 

‘Dietrich. My husband.’

 

Grace fluttered her eyelids, staring blankly into the air, and nodded faintly.

 

She wanted to see her husband again. She wanted to send a message, asking him to return to the castle immediately.

 

They say you realize things when it’s too late. Grace regretted, deeply, the feelings she only now recognized.

 

Guilt and regret clung to her heart.

 

She had asked Dietrich for a contract for the sake of their families.

 

“I will bear the legitimate heir of the Haberfeld family. In return, please help our family, Your Excellency. I will not ask for anything else after that.”

 

She and he — their interests aligned.

 

The wedding between Dietrich and her, held under the name of a contract, had been followed by Dietrich’s full support for the Akelarts. Under the Haberfeld family’s backing the Akelarts had escaped from the brink of losing their standing.

 

The Akelarts had survived. That was the extent of Grace’s conditions under the contract.

 

That’s why she had thought, after the Akelarts were out of danger, Dietrich would no longer help them.

 

She had no intention of holding him back with her family’s troubles. The fact that he had saved her family when they were at risk of collapse was enough. Grace never mentioned the Akelarts, and neither did Dietrich.

 

Had she not accidentally discovered that her husband had secretly continued to support the Akelarts, she might have never known.

 

By the time she found out that the Akelarts had been receiving both financial and social help, Dietrich had already left for the war.

 

How grateful and guilty she had felt. She had sworn to God that she would repay him properly if only he came back.

 

“I want … to live … to see him…Dietrich… just one more time…”

 

She had fulfilled the contract by bearing a child. But compared to all that Dietrich had done for her, it seemed like a mere trifle. Grace bit her lips, gasping for breath.

 

“Is that the last wish of someone with only a short time left?”

 

The man pressed further.

 

“What if he doesn’t recognize you, and you can’t tell him the truth?”

 

What did any of that matter? Grace barely managed to keep her breath and spoke.

 

“I… want to repay him… , even if it’s just a little…”

 

“Standing in the center of chaos for just that reason. Are you saying it’s okay for this pain and suffering to repeat, just for that?”

 

The man’s eyes, which had been gentle, now held an odd gleam.

 

“Even a temporary life comes with a heavy cost. Pain is inevitable, and as time goes on, your borrowed body will slip beyond your control. Of course, even in such a body, you won’t live for long.”

 

The man was saying that everything was unreasonable. The suffering gained for a brief life would be indescribably severe.

 

“Still, are you sure?”

 

So what.

 

Grace, her head now stiff as stone, nodded faintly. It was a tiny motion, but the man’s lips curled into a smile.

 

“Heh.”

 

The man smiled slyly.

 

“As I’ve said before, you really won’t live long. Compatibility matters to avoid rejection.”

 

With that, the man’s robe fluttered as he spoke at length. A pale, slender hand emerged from the long sleeves.

 

“Moreover, to fully make that person’s body yours since you are borrowing it…”

 

It felt like the man was describing some kind of product, explaining it at length. Grace, her mind growing hazy, struggled to focus, but it was pointless.

 

Who was this person? Did the undertakers bring a mortician, since she was about to die?

 

…But what did that matter?

 

Grace gathered her last bit of strength to speak.

 

“It doesn’t matter…”

 

My only wish. My one desire.

 

“I just want to see Dietrich… one more time…”

 

“Then the contract is sealed.”

 

Bright light began to spread from the man’s palm. The gentle light, once soft, quickly grew into a blinding glow that filled the room.

 

‘Ah…’

 

Grace murmured faintly, and a single tear rolled down her cheek as she realized this was the end of her life.

 

Countless moments flashed through her mind, most of which were filled with memories of her contract husband, Dietrich.

 

“I’m sorry, my love. I…”

 

Grace’s eyes slowly closed.

 

With a soft thud, her head slumped to the side, never to be lifted again.

 

Thus, Grace Haberfeld died.

 

*******************************************

“…Ah, Tenesia!”

The violent shaking that woke her up brought Grace back to her senses. She slowly opened her heavy eyelids to see a woman she had never seen before, tearfully greeting her.

 

“My Goodness, thank the Gods.”

 

Relief and sighs of despair filled the air. She heard prayers and cries calling for a doctor. All these voices were new to her.

 

“Thank God you’ve woken up. I was so afraid, so afraid you’d… oh my dear…”

 

“Me…?”

 

“Yes, Tenesia. I’m your mother.”

 

Mother? But her mother had passed away long ago…

 

Before Grace could speak, a parched thirst overtook her, and she stopped.

 

Her breath was easier now, but her body felt strangely weak. Even sitting up and keeping eyes open was a struggle.

 

After a brief examination, the doctor suggested she lie down again. When she did, the strange sensation of something crawling in her head gradually faded.

 

“Waking up is truly a miracle. We’ll have to wait and see, but…”

 

Through her blurry vision, she saw the woman, calling her mother, talking with the doctor.

 

Bright red hair. A stark contrast to the mother she remembered.

 

What’s going on? Why was she alive again? Grace stared at the scene in confusion, but the pounding headache made her close her eyes.

 

For now, she had to recover her body before she could figure anything out.