MHYFMAMD Ch 49

“Wait a moment!”

 

His relentless steps didn’t slow down.

 

The startled expressions of the people who quickly lowered their heads flashed by. But Dietrich seemed to pay them no mind at all.

 

He usually paid attention to his surroundings, but now, it was as if he were someone else. His broad back didn’t budge even an inch.

 

Tenesia could feel his rough grip tightening around her wrist as he dragged her forward.

 

“It hurts… it hurts.”

 

“…”

 

“Dietrich, please.”

 

For a brief moment, his steps slowed. At the same time, the grip that twisted her wrist loosened just a little.

 

But that was all. Dietrich didn’t release her. The large hand pulled her toward none other than their bedroom.

 

“Ah!”

 

Tenesia, using her aching wrist to steady herself on the sheets, could barely make a sound before a shadow loomed over her head.

 

“Dietrich.”

 

The light wheat-colored hair spilled across the sheets.

 

Between them, the firm arm of Dietrich rested, keeping an almost dangerous distance—just the thin piece of cloth keeping them apart.

 

Their breaths were so close, it felt as if they would touch at any moment, maintaining a fragile boundary that could break at any second.

 

The trust he had given her just days ago felt like a lie.

 

The husband who had handed over the ledgers and allowed her space in the study was nowhere to be seen. In his place, a stranger with cold eyes looked down at her.

 

“Wait… let’s talk.”

 

“If you wanted to talk, we’re doing it now.”

 

“This isn’t a conversation. You’re just venting your anger on me.”

 

“I’m giving you what you wanted so badly. Are you really going to misinterpret it like this?”

 

“I never wanted this.”

 

Tenesia shook her head vigorously. She knew. She knew that not speaking while expecting him to understand was just as same as treating him with disdain.

 

But there was no other way.

 

“This kind of venting will only hurt you in the end.”

 

“What makes you think you know so much about me?”

 

“I…”

 

“You’ve been like this since we first met.”

 

His rough hands grabbed her chin, lifting it harshly. The painful sensation lingered briefly, and then his hand tightened around her neck, causing Tenesia to stop breathing.

 

“Since the beginning, you’ve acted as if you know me better than anyone else.”

 

Tenesia couldn’t respond.

 

“I’ll admit you have some connection with my wife.”

 

His voice, wild like an untamed beast, scratched at her insides.

 

“You’ve been acting recklessly based on a few bits of information you’ve gathered from her.”

 

“Grace… she never spoke about her husband, except when I asked her to.”

 

“Then where did you get the information you claim to know?”

 

“…”

 

Her lips sealed shut like a clam.

 

Dietrich squinted. Even though she wanted to talk, she was the one who kept her mouth shut once the conversation started.

 

She was a woman he couldn’t figure out. She would act as though she understood him perfectly, only to become completely mute and unresponsive when it came time to speak.

 

“Speak, Tenesia.”

 

It was as if she was testing how much he would endure, pushing his patience to its limits.

 

Like now, as his fingers dug deeper into her jaw without him realising.

 

“…I was on my way to meet the young master at the agreed-upon time. It was a coincidence that the door was open.”

 

“Everything was just a coincidence… and you expect me to believe that?”

 

He smirked, his lip curling in derision.

 

“No one would believe such a ridiculous coincidence.”

 

The conversation ended there. As his hand tore at her skirt, it brushed against her bare legs, causing Tenesia’s body to stiffen in response.

 

“Stop… stop it.”

 

He pressed his hand against her inner thigh and began to explore. Even though she knew it was Dietrich’s touch, an unfamiliar chill ran down her spine.

 

The unfamiliar sensation overwhelmed her. Everything felt as if she were experiencing it for the first time. As his cold face settled into a terrifying memory, she could feel the tension building.

 

“…”

 

At the faint sound that grazed her ear, she turned her head sharply.

 

Through the crack in the door, black hair swayed. In the small gap, a child’s face was pale with fear, only half of their eye visible.

 

No. There was no time to think. She reached out and slapped Dietrich’s cheek.

 

The sharp sound of the slap echoed, and all movement stopped.

 

“…”

 

Dietrich didn’t say anything for a long time. His dark eyes remained unmoving.  He traced the flesh of his mouth with his tongue, seeming to be carefully considering what had just happened.

 

“…What is this all about?”

 

“I didn’t know how else to make you listen, so I had no choice but to take drastic measures.”

 

“You were just going to repeat the same words like a parrot anyway.”

 

“You won’t trust me, will you, Margrave?”

 

Even under the reproachful stares, Tenesia looked straight up at him.

 

“I understand that you’re deeply saddened by Grace’s loss.”

 

“……”

 

“I will apologize for wandering around recklessly. But that’s it. I won’t apologize for things I didn’t do, and I won’t in the future either.”

 

“Until the end…”

 

“That’s all. I’ll tolerate everything you do to me because of the mistakes I made. Beyond that, I’ll return everything to you.”

 

Tenesia looked up at him. She could see herself reflected in his dark, hollow eyes, as though the light had been snuffed out from them.

 

“No matter how hard it is, don’t torment yourself. You’re not alone, Margrave.”

 

“You’re not alone?”

 

“You have the young master. Your child, who looks just like Grace and Margrave.”

 

“……”

 

For a while, he didn’t say anything. His pitch-black eyes roamed the air as if searching for something.

 

“What could someone like you possibly understand?”

 

His voice, raspy as if scratching his throat, burrowed into her ear.

 

He grabbed her wrist, the one she had used to slap him.

 

“You’re nothing more than Grace’s replacement. Filling the position until my wife returns.”

 

Dietrich moved closer to her as though he were about to kiss her. Instead, his lips brushed past her to her ear.

 

“Don’t forget your place.”

 

With a sharp pain on her ear, Dietrich raised his body, leaving her in silence. Without a single glance back, he left the room. When he briefly met Arden’s gaze, it seemed as though his eyes had dropped, but that was all.

 

He left, leaving behind a chill colder than the winter winds of Haberfeld.