After I Died, My Husband Went Mad [EN]: Chapter 66

For a week, Sebelia was in despair, and Dihart did everything he could in Supredy. It might have been easier if he had gone to Hiland Hall himself, but Dihart dismissed that option immediately.

‘I can’t leave her like this.’

In his eyes, Sebelia was in a precarious state. It wasn’t just about her health; her heart had become very fragile. He couldn’t easily leave her side in this condition.

‘At least I have to give her news that can instill hope.’

If he could only see the vitality return to those beautiful blue eyes, he wouldn’t mind leaving this place right away. And today, Dihart got what he wanted.

“Is that a letter from the herbalist?”

Watz asked Dihart. He had been in Supredy for the past week.

There, medicinal herbs that Dihart had scoured from every direction were piled high. Watz, who witnessed the unbelievable sight, looked at it with fresh eyes.

‘I didn’t know he could do this much without using the Duke of Inverness’s name.’

Dihart had said that anything was possible for the Duke of Inverness, but he hadn’t actually used his title to gather the medicinal herbs. If it became known that he was here, Sebelia would be in danger.

But to Watz, this also seemed like a display of humility.

‘Now all that’s left is the Glass Snowflake.’

Even one or two roots of the Glass Snowflake would have been enough, but no one possessed any. This was understandable, as the five roots harvested ten years ago were all that existed.

So Dihart found the herbalist who had harvested the Glass Snowflake. Unfortunately, he was staying in another country, so instead of meeting him in person, he had to settle for a letter.

But that was enough for Dihart.

“I told him to write down all the habitats he knew and all the canyons with climates where Glass Snowflakes could grow, even if he hadn’t confirmed their presence. I’m going to start exploring from the closest place.”

Dihart handed over the letter and waited for Watz to finish reading it.

“Is this true?”

When he finally received the reaction he wanted, Dihart crossed his arms and gave an arrogant smile.

“Didn’t I say I could find it?”

Arrogance dripped from his upturned lips. Watz would normally have found that appearance unpleasant, but it was different now. The information he had learned was truly amazing.

“Certainly, the mountains surrounding Supredy are more rugged than anywhere else in Belkram. But to think there would be such a deep canyon behind the third hill.”

“Thanks to the idiots who firmly believed in the land of God and didn’t even conduct a simple regional survey, let alone development. Pathetic creatures who don’t even know what’s around them.”

A scathing assessment of the successive Lords of Supredy followed. Watz brushed off his sharp criticism and was filled with emotion.

“To have left it so close and wandered so far away. I can’t believe it.”

“There was another blind man here. Didn’t you say it yourself? That the Black Fingernail Weed, which can’t be seen anywhere else, is abundant in this forest. That means there may be another rare herb somewhere in this mountain range.”

Watz’s eyes widened at Dihart’s sharp remark. An unknown sound escaped his slightly opened mouth. Dihart snatched the letter from his hand and said,

“Now that things are this way, I’ll be away for a while.”

“What are you talking about?”

Watz grabbed him in embarrassment. Dihart easily shook off the grabbing hand and stood facing him.

“You didn’t think I’d push others into the canyon and sit anxiously waiting for the herb to come into my hands, did you?”

“You’re crazy. If you’re saying you’re going to the canyon yourself, take that back immediately. If it’s an environment where Glass Snowflakes grow, ordinary people are of no help.”

Watz stopped him with a serious face. In his eyes, Dihart was doing a foolish thing, throwing himself into danger, driven by the sentiment of saving his loved one.

“You’re the first to think of me as an ordinary person. It’s a novel feeling. But I don’t need your concern. It’s enough to get it from my uncle [referring to his family’s resources and influence].”

Dihart said, grabbing the doorknob.

“This is something I have to take responsibility for, Doctor. You know that, too. That the guy who barely survived thanks to your sense of duty and then ran away committed such a thing because of me.”

At that moment, Watz’s eyes shone coldly. In the end, he couldn’t let Henkit die. His duty as a doctor took precedence over his desire for revenge. But Henkit, who was handed over to Ilay after the treatment was completed, ran away at dawn. Dihart didn’t bother to chase after him on purpose, because that’s all he was worth.

“Forget your petty worries. I’m just doing what I have to do. This is a responsibility I have to bear.”

He spat out those last words as if chewing them, opened the door, and disappeared. Soon, the sound of footsteps going up the stairs could be heard. Watz, left alone, slumped down in his seat and buried his face in his hands.

“Haa…….”

A deep sigh escaped him, as if he didn’t know what to do. After groaning like that for a while, Watz quickly got up and ran down to the kitchen.

“Claude!”

He called Claude in a voice that was suppressed as much as possible.

* * *

Her mind was hazy. She couldn’t feel the passage of time, whether morning had dawned or evening had passed. Every day was the same and meaningless. She hadn’t taken a single step out of her room since hearing the news that the herb storage had burned down and that Watz said her chances of recovery were unclear.

Claude sometimes wanted to say something to her, but Sebelia refused. She didn’t want to hear anything related to treatment for the time being.

[Mr. Claude, I’m sorry, but ‘possibility’ or ‘hopeful news’ doesn’t give me any strength. I’m sorry.]

[No. I was short-sighted. Yes. Even relying on hopeful news is too much for Bella right now.]

So Sebelia had no idea that Watz and Dihart were looking for her medicine. Claude thought he should tell her after everything was confirmed.

‘Let’s just stay like this for a little while longer.’

Sebelia hugged Maya, who had come to see her after a long time. In one corner of her heart, she thought she shouldn’t be doing this anymore. But she didn’t want to get out of this situation at all.

‘I’ve been running too hard all this time. I’m just taking a break.’

It wouldn’t last long. It was just a matter of time to soothe her tired heart and accept reality. Sebelia rationalized and closed her eyes. Soon, familiar and comfortable sleep came. It was a sweet and languid sleep that would make her forget everything.

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door. The knocking was urgent, as if it was an urgent matter. Sebelia didn’t answer. But the other person was persistent.

“Miss Bella.”

“…….”

It was a voice that sounded somewhat trembling, unlike usual. Sebelia hesitated, but eventually got up at the sound of her name being called again. But she didn’t have the courage to open the door.

“Please.”

“Nyag.”

Maya opened the door for her. With a rattling sound, Maya landed on the ground with a quick movement.

“Bella.”

Claude came in with a face that couldn’t hide his confusion and knelt next to the bed. Sebelia was surprised and hugged the pillow tightly. But Claude didn’t care. No, rather, it seemed like he couldn’t see anything.

“Please, just once. Please, just once.”

“What are you talking about?”

Sebelia’s voice was very low, perhaps because she hadn’t spoken in a long time. When she asked, stammering in a cracked voice, Claude said with a pitiful face,

“That guy Dihart is leaving for the canyon tonight.”

“Yes?”

Was it because he was too hasty? Sebelia blinked at the story that had been cut off at the beginning and end. Claude shook his head violently and added a proper explanation again.

“While Miss Bella was in the room, Dihart searched the whole country and gathered all the lost medicines.”

“What…!”

“Except for one, the Glass Snowflake.”

The news that Claude told her next was all surprising and embarrassing. Sebelia twisted the back of her hand as if to see if this was real and groaned at the sharp pain.

“Wait a minute. So, to summarize, you’re saying he said he’s going to the canyon himself to find the last herb? And that canyon isn’t a normal valley.”

“A place where the sun doesn’t shine, cold air flows, and the snow that falls never melts. Yes, that’s right. A guy who’s not even an herbalist is packing his bags to go in there now.”

“…Crazy.”

He’s completely out of his mind. She couldn’t say anything other than that. As Sebelia muttered that she was crazy and became confused, Claude persuaded her.

“If you’re a skilled herbalist, you can recruit as many as you want. It’s dangerous, but if you pay that much for their lives, there will be plenty of people who will apply. But that stupid guy…!”

Claude couldn’t continue speaking, as if he was frustrated. He thought Dihart was doing something ridiculous, swayed by his emotions. Sebelia agreed with this.

“So, what you’re asking me to do is to persuade him.”

“Please, Miss Bella. That guy is… not in his right mind. He just keeps repeating that everything is his fault and that he can’t leave it to someone else.”

“Ha.”

Her head throbbed. She knew that the culprit who burned down the herb storage a week ago was a knight of Inverness who had followed him. But that was just an unfortunate accident, not Dihart’s fault.

“What on earth is he thinking…!”

But at the same time, Sebelia also knew that he would never abandon that responsibility.

“Where is he now?”

“He’s on the 3rd floor. We have to catch him right away. He said he’s going to go down to Supredy as it is and leave for the canyon with the knights.”

“…Okay. I’m sorry, but could you help me up?”

“Of course.”

Sebelia sighed and got up with difficulty. Claude quickly grabbed her shoulder and hugged her, fearing that she might change her mind again.

“Let’s go.”

Sebelia took a step, holding her throbbing head. An unknown emotion bubbled up from deep inside her chest.