MHYFMAMD Ch 28
by rosey“Pardon?”
“So now I finally know who to blame for your strange behavior.”
Tenesia, locking eyes with Baroness Blanchette, unconsciously took a step back.
“The Margrave has ruined you.”
“What are you talking about…?”
“Let’s go home now.”
The Baroness snatched Tenesia’s hand.
“To see my once well-behaved, obedient child caught up in such strange thoughts… I don’t need to hear anymore about how terrible this place is.”
“Mother!”
Tenesia managed to pull her hand away from her mother’s grasp, who was trying to drag her along.
“I’m not going.”
The Baroness wouldn’t listen to her daughter’s wishes in the slightest.
“Mother. I’m not going back home.”
The reason she had been soft on the Baroness in the past was because she was the mother of Tenesia.
Even though Tenesia had died and her body was now being used by someone else, it was still a fact that she had borrowed this body. For the sake of that, and for Tenesia’s sake, she had tried her best to treat those around her well.
‘But that’s only if you don’t mess with Haberfeld.’
She couldn’t just stand by and watch as her mother belittled Haberfeld and caused a scene in front of the servants.
“I love Margrave Haberfeld. I have no intention of marrying anyone else or going back, leaving the one I love behind.”
Baroness Blanchette stood there, mouth agape, having never seen her daughter take such a firm stance.
“Don’t be foolish. Do you really think the two families can easily intertwine just because of your wishes?”
“Well, Margrave Haberfeld said it wouldn’t be a problem.”
“What?”
“Regardless of my background, Dietrich said he would embrace me with love. Even if I don’t have a title.”
“You…!”
Tenesia knew how difficult it would be to marry without any backing or title. There would surely be objections from everyone, from the vassals to the emperor himself.
But this wasn’t a real marriage—it was a contract marriage. The more noise it made, the better it would be for them.
“Hmm, I understand that you’re still too young and naive to fully grasp the situation.”
Realizing she had spoken too loudly, the Baroness cleared her throat and tried to regain her composure. It seemed she wasn’t giving up on her role as the ‘kind mother’ just yet.
“So, when I forgive you, come back. You have Count Weigelin, who promised to be by your side through thick and thin, don’t you?”
“That person was someone you arranged for me, for money.”
“Tenesia! All I did was arrange for you to receive the best medical care! How can you belittle my concerns like that?”
“Does that change the age difference? Or are you going to force me to marry him because his debts are not repaid?”
“I…”
For a moment, Baroness Blanchette was at a loss for words.
That was the limit. Her shallow thinking had been exposed, and she lowered her head.
“I won’t marry him. My decision hasn’t changed.”
Seeing her emotional appeals fail to sway Tenesia’s determination, the Baroness’s face twisted with anger.
“No matter what, you’re still my daughter! You think you can escape me?”
“Please, let go of me now. I don’t want to be dragged around by your desires anymore.”
“You really…!”
Unable to hold back her boiling anger, the Baroness raised her arm.
Tenesia instantly recognized where her hand was heading. The familiar sensation flashed in her mind, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
Thwack!
“Let go!”
To her surprise, there was no sound of a slap. When Tenesia opened her eyes, she saw a knight holding the Baroness’s wrist.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
The Baroness flailed around, but the knight remained calm.
“I was ordered to protect Lady Tenesia.”
“What? I’m just trying to touch my daughter, what’s the big deal…!”
“It seems to me that you were trying to slap her.”
“So what if I was!”
“I cannot allow it, as it conflicts with my lord’s orders.”
“What…!”
The Baroness’s face turned bright red from the knight’s unwavering stance.
“How dare you, a mere knight, stop me!”
“Mother. Please stop insulting the people of Haberfeld. Didn’t you have something you wanted to say to me?”
“If you weren’t here, none of this would have happened!”
Her tantrum was a sight to behold, as she seemed ready to lunge at Tenesia. However, once again, she was stopped in her tracks.
“Stop. I won’t warn you a third time.”
The Baroness, overwhelmed by the knight’s superior size and strength, stumbled back in surprise.