MHYFMAMD Ch 46

Dietrich looked at the woman who was laughing with Arden. The more he looked, the more uneasy he became. At the end of this turmoil, there was the uncomfortable feeling that it was starting to seem appropriate.

 

‘He is crazy.’

 

He quickly dismissed that thought.

 

This should have been Grace’s place. Tenesia, who had taken her spot and even tried to imitate her, must have been repulsive.

 

Arden’s laughter. The respect from the servants. All of it belonged to Grace. It could never belong to anyone else.

 

His teeth ground together in frustration. Dietrich turned his head away from the scene in front of him. Even looking at it was painful. It felt as if Grace might call to him at any moment.

 

‘Dietrich.’

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“Why do you ask?”

 

“Well… you suddenly look pale.”

 

His grip on the railing tightened. Even the question about his condition felt intentional. There was no way she could resemble Grace so closely without it being deliberate.

 

Dietrich barely swallowed the disgust rising in him.

 

“You must have seen wrong.”

 

“Maybe you should take a little rest…”

 

“I’m busy. I’ll go upstairs first.”

 

That wasn’t an outright lie. There were always piles of documents waiting for him in his study.

 

He couldn’t deny that he was escaping. His feet moved heavily, as if stuck in the mud, towards the study.

 

He missed Grace terribly.

 

However, Tenesia Blanchette was more persistent than he had expected. Despite his sharp attitude, the next day, she came to the study where he was staying.

 

“I’m here to help.”

 

She casually laid out the writing tools she had brought from the bedroom.

 

“Have I ever asked you to help me with work, Miss Tenesia?”

 

“Well, it’s true that Margrave has taken on too much work.”

 

She nonchalantly commanded him to bring the ledgers, as if it was something she had always done. Some of the papers piled on his desk were moved to the desk she took over.

 

“Madam came because she was worried about her husband, who had been in the study since morning.”

 

The butler, who had entered behind her, whispered softly into Dietrich’s ear.

 

It was said that she had come to check on him after worrying that he hadn’t returned to the bedroom until dawn. Soon after, a breakfast she had personally prepared was placed beside him.

 

The bread and soup for two people on the tray were steaming gently.

 

“You prefer a simple breakfast, don’t you? I’ve prepared a thin soup. And the bread…”

 

“Miss Tenesia.”

 

His cold voice cut through.

 

“I don’t eat breakfast. I find it uncomfortable to fill my stomach as soon as I wake up.”

 

Dietrich threw a quick glance at the butler. The butler, understanding his look, hurriedly took the tray of food away.

 

“Ah…”

 

Her soft sigh echoed. Her hand seemed to tremble slightly.

 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that Margrave doesn’t eat breakfast.”

 

Yet Tenesia simply smiled brightly at him, as if the reprimand meant nothing.

 

Dietrich stared at her in a dazed manner. By now, anyone else would have been frightened.

 

Marlo, his aide, who was with him all day, was no different. But Tenesia was different. The cold attitude, the threatening words, none of them seemed to affect her.

 

Sometimes, she seemed even braver than his subordinates. He briefly thought that if all the knights in the empire were like her, there would be no concern about foreign threats.

 

“Well, then, shall we get started? We can’t keep wasting Margrave’s precious time.”

 

“……”

 

He was about to say something but stopped. It felt pointless to continue speaking to her.

 

For a while, the study was filled with the sound of writing. Once the documents were finished, they were handed over to him through the butler.

 

She was quite capable. She had even handled the Blanchette family’s ledgers before and was proficient at managing the work.

 

Without him asking, she knew how to allocate the funds appropriately and even knew the sources for each department’s budget. Even Dietrich was surprised as he reviewed the ledger she had written.

 

“Where did you learn how to write ledgers?”

 

“My younger brother, who attends the academy, taught me. Even though I was bedridden, I wanted to do something to help.”

 

Tenesia recalled her blurry memory. The face of her younger brother, who had returned from the academy, as she desperately learned how to keep records, came to her mind.

 

“…Can I continue asking for your help in the future?”

 

The scratching of Tenesia’s pen stopped. She gazed at Dietrich’s face blankly, and a look of pure joy filled her face.

 

“Of course!”