MHYFMAMD Ch 25

Spending a night with a woman other than Grace was more horrible than expected.

 

The situation of having to overlap with another woman instead of her made everything he had been preparing for feel tiresome.

 

The pitiably drooping corners of her eyes. Her small, delicate nose. Not a single part of her resembled Grace, from head to toe.

 

A woman who constantly irritated his nerves.

 

And yet, a strange woman who kept making him think of Grace.

 

The whole situation was just painful for Dietrich. So much so that he almost resorted to drinking to stay sane.

 

The alcohol worked quite a bit of its magic. It made him think she had silver hair and violet eyes, though nothing about her resembled Grace.

 

He hugged Tenesia, mistaking her for Grace. I called out her name again and again, without pause.

 

He didn’t regret it. After all, she was just a substitute until Grace returned.

 

‘But why…’

 

Suddenly, he remembered the pink eyes that clearly looked at me, not the violet ones I had imagined.

 

He was the man who had torn her first night apart. Even if there was no fantasy for the first night, no one wanted a man who mistook them for another woman.

 

He had thought he wouldn’t care if she cursed him with contempt. In fact, he even intended to mock the flimsy contract. Nowhere in their contract did it say anything about respecting the other person.

 

But Tenesia didn’t do that.

 

Her bright eyes just stared at him.

 

For some reason, that gaze weighed heavily on his heart. If she had cursed or yelled at him, he wouldn’t have felt this uncomfortable.

 

She even went a step further.

 

“… I think I won’t be able to help you get to work today. I’m feeling a bit unwell.”

 

Her calm demeanor only stirred his guilt.

 

“D*mn.”

 

The curse slipped out of his lips. His heart felt strangely tight.

 

It wasn’t okay.

 

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

 

Tenesia let out a small sigh.

 

Sure enough, as soon as morning came, her body began to show signs of fever. The heat around her neck quickly spread to her face.

 

Emily and Helle exchanged worried glances when they saw Tenesia’s flushed face.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

 

“I should tell the Master and bring the doctor…”

 

“No.”

 

Tenesia grabbed Helle’s wrist.

 

“Don’t do that.”

 

“Madam.”

 

“I don’t want to cause any unnecessary worry.  I guess my body was a little surprised because a lot of unexpected things happened since yesterday. I’ll get better soon after some rest.”

 

“But…”

 

“Please, okay?”

 

Tenesia managed a smile, and only then could she escape from their concerned gaze, saying she would tell the master if things got worse.

 

“By the way, Helle.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“…As far as I know, Margrave has a child.”

 

At that moment, Helle froze. Her startled expression looked as if she forgot to breathe.

 

“…Helle?”

 

“Yes, yes?”

 

“Am I mistaken?”

 

“…Ah, no. Yes, there’s one young master.”

 

There was something strange about Helle as she spoke hesitantly. Her gaze kept moving back and forth around the surrounding area, as if she was watching.

 

“Since I’ll be staying here from today, I wanted to make sure he wasn’t surprised and at least say hello beforehand.”

 

“Oh… The young master is not at the castle right now.”

 

“What?”

 

Tenesia’s voice raised in surprise at the unexpected answer.

 

“Why? Where is he?”

 

“He’s at Count Olbeira’s house.”

 

Count Olbeira, Dietrich’s sister’s family.

 

“…The young master is close to the Countess, I assume?”

 

“Yes. The Countess of Olbeira looks after the young master and also handles his ‘heir education’. So naturally, they spend more time together than with the Master.”

 

“I see…”

 

Tenesia fidgeted with her fingers. Though she knew there was nothing to be done, the fact that she wouldn’t see him for a while made her heart ache.

 

“Do you know when he’ll be back?”

 

“Probably not for another month.”

 

A month! The absurdly long time made Tenesia feel drained. She had been eagerly waiting to see her child again, and the hopelessness felt overwhelming.

 

“…”

 

But she couldn’t show it in front of Helle. She slightly clenched her dress and forced a calm smile.

 

“Alright… Thank you for telling me.”

 

“Of course. Please rest well.”

 

Once the maid left, Tenesia buried her face in the pillow. A hot breath escaped onto the soft blanket.

 

The composure she had barely maintained evaporated. The smile she had worn so boldly began to crack.

 

‘My body is so weak…!’

 

She had always kept her distance from illness. She had no idea how to handle a body so fragile.

 

She gets frequent fevers. She’d lose strength suddenly and had to grab onto something to keep steady. Nothing seemed to go right.

 

Just this morning, her legs had buckled several times while walking. She had tried to act like it was nothing, but the exhaustion came rushing back with a sigh. 

 

“Don’t get caught.”

 

Tenesia muttered quietly.

 

“Somehow…”

 

At least, until this marriage ends, she had to deceive Dietrich’s eyes.