MHYFMAMD Ch 5

Tenesia’s lips stiffened.

 

The dinner she had been invited to was nothing like the family gathering she had imagined. It wasn’t even the sort of meal one might expect at a social event.

 

After having been confined to her bedroom for so long, surrounded by faces that seemed strange and unfamiliar, sitting down to eat with them was nothing short of torture. Tenesia pushed food into her mouth with a fork, unsure whether it was entering through her mouth or nose.

 

“Come to think of it, Tenesia, when you left your bed and got up, Count Weigelin was quite pleased to hear that.”

 

The woman sitting across from her smiled. She was none other than Baroness Blanchette, who had wept upon seeing her when she first opened her eyes.

 

“Pardon? Why?” Tenesia asked, bewildered.

 

“Oh, Did you forget?” The Baroness replied casually.

 

The Baroness spoke so nonchalantly, Tenesia thought it was nothing significant, but apparently, it was not. The Baroness covered her mouth in surprise. 

 

“He was the one you were having marriage talks with, remember?”

 

What?

 

“But… my health is so frail…”

 

“Yes. And even knowing about your health condition, he is willing to marry you. You should be grateful.”

 

From what Grace remembered, Count Weigelin was in his fifties. And that was information from five years ago.

 

Tenesia’s memories confirmed the same. Her information was confined to her small bedroom due to her poor health.

 

Tenesia couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off. 

 

‘I can’t make judgements based solely on old memories.’

 

Situations change in as little as six months. She tried not to misunderstand Baroness Blanchette.

 

“D… Does the Count have a son?”

 

“What? Tenesia, what are you talking about? Count Weigelin has no children at all. He lives alone.”

 

The Baroness chided her for making nonsensical remarks.

 

“Of course, that’s why you’re able to marry him. It’s great that he’s willing to accommodate someone with your deficiencies.”

 

Tenesia stared at her blankly. The Baroness’s calm demeanor revealed no hint of guilt, no sense of wrongness in what she was saying.

 

Was there really no shame in marrying off a young girl to an old man? Tenesia felt her already slight appetite vanish completely.

 

She hardly noticed how the meal ended. Even after returning to her room, Tenesia couldn’t easily regain her composure.

 

‘This is bad.’ 

 

If things continued this way, she would end up dying beside some old man seeking young women before she could even repay her husband’s kindness.

 

She didn’t have much time allotted to her to begin with. It couldn’t be wasted in such a vain manner.

 

She clenched her fist.

 

‘I need to go to my husband.’

 

***

 

There weren’t many people who took an interest in her day-to-day life.

 

Out  of sight, out of mind. That’s how it had always been for Tenesia. She rarely left her room, so no one really paid attention to her. She glanced down at her clothes.

 

“I won’t die in this, right?”

 

She had put on all the thick clothes she could find in the closet made her look uniformly bulky. She resembled an unsightly snowman.

 

It seemed like she needed to dress like this if she didn’t want to collapse from the cold. Tenesia quickly gathered all the money and jewelry she could find in her room and shoved them into a bag.

 

With her hat pulled low, her appearance was unrecognizable. Even though it looked somewhat comical, she stepped out of the room.

 

The corridor was desolute. Complaining about the lack of money yet neglecting security, no one seemed to notice or care that Tenesia was walking alone. 

 

With a slow, hesitant pace, she made her way to the entrance, where a carriage secured by Sarah awaited.

 

“A carriage? Are you going out?”.

 

“Huh, no, I just have something to send.”

 

“Why not use a courier?”

 

“The package is too big.”

 

It was fortunate that her vague excuse worked. It might have been because of the money she had given earlier. Tenesia told the coachman the destination and climbed into the carriage. 

 

As the wheels began to turn, the carriage jolted along the rough path. Tenesia blankly looked around. The ride was quite uncomfortable because she had chosen a cheaper carriage, but it couldn’t be helped.

 

‘If I don’t use a teleportation gate, it would take days’

 

A teleportation gate, a magical device that reduces travel time between domains, was installed outside the domain. Although it was available to everyone, the cost was prohibitive. Even with all the money she had scraped together, it was barely enough for a one-way trip.

 

‘Well, it’s fortunate I managed to gather this much.’

 

She sighed deeply and looked out the window. The carriage was leaving the bustling area and heading towards the city walls.

 

As the carriage approached the teleportation circle, the magical gem in the center of the circle began to glow. The scenery outside distorted, the world warping as bright, blinding light surrounded them. Tall, pointed trees and grayish grass stood out.

 

Tenesia sniffled from the cold as the chilly wind pierced through the cracks. The familiar scenery outside the carriage window filled her with a nostalgic longing.

 

Yes, this was the place. She nodded to herself.

 

The steep spires, the sturdy stone walls. It might look cold and unwelcoming from the outside, but inside the walls, it was warmer, full of life…

 

“Huh?”

 

When the carriage arrived at Haberfeld, Tenesia froze, her mouth hanging open.

 

The landscape was just as she remembered, but something was off. The streets that had once been bustling with lively, warm-hearted people were now eerily silent and drab, the once-vibrant energy replaced by a depressing, desolate atmosphere.

 

“We’ve arrived.”

 

Even after the carriage came to a stop, Tenesia couldn’t shake the strange feeling. As she paid the coachman, she glanced around in confusion.

 

The mournful sound of a horse whipped in the silent street echoed sadly.

 

Now, she was left with no money to return. 

 

She gazed up at the tall castle ahead of her. Even though the scene was one she knew so well, a strange sense of unease settled in her chest.