After I Died, My Husband Went Mad [EN]: Chapter 78

Their eyes met for a fleeting moment. Sebelia remained silent, while Dihart’s golden eyes trembled like leaves in a gust of wind.

“…….”

He involuntarily lowered his head, avoiding Sebelia’s gaze. The sudden shift in Dihart’s demeanor, who had been incessantly shouting, naturally drew everyone’s attention.

“Your Grace, is that…”

It was Illei who broke the silence. He approached, carrying a bundle of herbs the herbalists had hidden, and stared at Sebelia with a surprised expression.

“Is that… her? I mean, is that… the deceased? But if it’s not a trap, she looks exactly like her.”

“…….”

“Perhaps she had a twin? That would make sense. Ah, I wonder if you’ve apologized for chasing her so aggressively.”

Illei’s words tumbled out as if he didn’t quite grasp their meaning himself. Dihart raised his head, which he had lowered, and glared at him fiercely.

‘Shut your mouth.’

As Dihart silently warned Illei, Sebelia carefully scanned Dihart’s appearance. His hair was disheveled with dust and sweat, and dried blood trickled down his chin to his chest. He clutched the glass snowdrop as if it were his lifeline, never letting it go.

“Hoo…….”

A sigh, soft but audible, escaped her lips. Even from a distance, Dihart could feel the weight of that quiet sigh.

Dihart’s grip tightened on the herbs, and his lips formed a hard line. His golden eyes, which had been aimlessly wandering, now held a stubborn light. He shifted his gaze from Illei and stared intently at Sebelia.

His eyes were confident and, some might say, arrogant, as if he had done nothing wrong. Sebelia’s brow furrowed deeply as she recognized the meaning in his gaze. Soon, she began to walk purposefully toward Dihart.

“Oh, Your Grace. She’s coming this way.”

Dihart pushed aside the fussing Illei and met Sebelia halfway. Instead of lowering her head in the face of his silent, piercing gaze, Sebelia raised her chin.

“It’s nice to meet you for the first time. I came with the physician for a field inspection. I’m Bella.”

Sebelia looked past Dihart and extended her hand to Illei, a deliberate move. Dihart pressed his lips together and avoided her gaze. Illei hesitated, then lightly took her fingertips and offered a brief, almost knightly salute.

“I am Illei Huesfield, serving Your Grace.”

It was a more formal gesture than a commoner would typically give to a lady. However, Illei had an ulterior motive. If Sebelia wasn’t a fake created as a scheme to ruin him, as Dihart had claimed… perhaps she could be a source of comfort and healing for his wounded heart.

‘She’s a commoner, so marriage is out of the question, but a pleasant dalliance would be fine.’

Keeping her by his side for a few years and then sending her away with enough money to live comfortably for the rest of her life would be a clean and beneficial outcome for both of them. That’s why Illei treated Sebelia with such formality.

If Sebelia and Dihart knew what he was thinking, they would both be furious. But fortunately, neither of them possessed the ability to read minds.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Illei.”

Sebelia, who had been glaring at Dihart, turned her gaze to Illei and offered a faint smile. Illei tilted his head, looking momentarily dazed. For a fleeting moment, she seemed to exude an air of aristocratic elegance.

And then, in the very next moment, Illei’s heart nearly leaped out of his throat.

“Your Grace.”

Sebelia’s hand was on his shirt. Dihart’s eyes widened in surprise as her small hand gently stroked his chest. But his misunderstanding was quickly dispelled.

“I thought you would take good care of him.”

Instead of caressing Dihart’s chest, her delicate fingers pulled at the shirt pocket. Inside the small pocket, the limp little body of the blue bird was pitifully displayed. A whispering voice tickled Dihart’s ear.

“Didn’t you promise there would be no danger?”

“I…”

“I don’t need excuses right now.”

The blue eyes looking up at him were utterly cold. Dihart swallowed hard. Sebelia took the blue bird out of his shirt pocket and reached out with her other hand to smooth the shirt that covered his neck.

The scent of a cold forest wafted from her as she drew closer, and the tips of her fingers brushed against his chest. Dihart involuntarily tried to pull back. But at that moment, eyes as cold as a still lake held him captive.

‘Stay still.’

Her lips didn’t move, but Dihart felt the command resonate through his entire being. Eyes as cold as frost captivated his every nerve.

“I see.”

The short but intense, enchanting moment was over. Sebelia stepped away from Dihart without regret, holding a red fragment in her hand. It was the remains of Allos.

“That child shattered while protecting you.”

The tension in Dihart’s tightly closed jaw increased. Shadows flickered across his golden eyes. The excuse that it couldn’t be helped swirled on the tip of his tongue.

“Let’s go inside and talk.”

Sebelia said as she walked past him. The remaining fragments of her words pierced his heart like blades. Soon, he heard the sound of the cloth covering the tent entrance fluttering.

Dihart slowly closed and opened his eyes, then walked through the entrance of the tent.

Pajik.

Illei whispered ‘Good luck’ from behind, got zapped by a small lightning bolt (likely a magical warning), and then disappeared to attend to his duties. Finally, Dihart had some alone time with Sebelia without anyone’s interference.

* * *

Sebelia looked around the tent. The tent, with its sturdy supports and thick cloth covering the wood, was as good as a house. If he had just sat quietly inside, he would have been safe and unharmed from the shock that shook the canyon.

‘But he didn’t do that.’

Sebelia let the remains of Allos she had been holding flow into the air, perhaps scattering them respectfully, and placed the blue bird on the cushion. Then Dihart followed her in. She heard the sound of the thick cloth moving, and his dull golden eyes stared at her.

His firm lips twisted. He moved his lips a few times but couldn’t bring himself to call her name. Sebelia had to break the silence for him.

“Dihart.”

He nodded slightly.

“How did you get that injury?”

“…….”

“What’s the injury on the back of your hand, and why is there dried blood?”

Dihart didn’t answer.

“You promised there would be no risk-taking. You said you knew your place now. Ha. Yes. You promised you knew your place.”

Sebelia rebuked him with cold, frozen eyes.

“I don’t know exactly what happened here, but if Allos was protecting you and was reverse-summoned [forced back to its origin], something unusual must have happened. Something that threatened your safety.”

“…….”

“If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have sent you. I wouldn’t have asked you to find herbs for me.”

Dihart thought about how things had turned out this way. But no matter how much he thought about it, all he could say was that it couldn’t be helped. Yes, it couldn’t be helped.

Because those damn bastards were playing with her life and indulging their own greed.

Thinking about it made Dihart feel sick to his stomach again. His insides burned, and his eyes grew hot. Hot breath escaped through his teeth, and his arms and legs tingled. He had the urge to grab those sons of bitches by the collar and throw them off a cliff.

But he didn’t. Even though he didn’t know Sebelia was coming here, he didn’t do it. Because.

“This was my best. I just did what I had to do.”

The voice he spat out was low and rough. Sebelia’s eyes widened. Dihart’s eyes briefly swept over her and the little bird. A feeling akin to guilt flashed for a moment.

When he turned his head back to Sebelia, his face was the same as before: arrogant, selfish, intense, and reckless.

“You’re dying day by day where I can’t see you. That damn disease is eating away at your body every moment, and I’m stuck here, giving money to those trashy bastards, begging them to find herbs to save you?”

The rough voice grew stronger towards the end, striking like lightning. Sebelia swallowed a sigh and tried to calm him down, but it was no use.

“Dihart, first……”

“You’re dying, and I have to stay cooped up in this comfortable tent, worrying every day that you might have collapsed today? I couldn’t relax for a moment, wondering if that alternative medicine would lose its effect, or if I would hear the news that you died this morning.”

The fervent voice flowed through her eardrums and down to Sebelia’s heart. The temperature was so hot that it felt like she would get burned just by touching it, and she clenched her hands.

“But I still endured it. Yes, I endured it, remembering my promise to you. Even when those bug-like bastards kept babbling with stupid faces that they couldn’t find anything!”

He seemed unable to control his emotions. White lightning streaked across his golden eyes like cracks.

“But my nature doesn’t change. I can’t help it. Where would this personality go? So I did it. I threw away the precious promise as if to show off. I couldn’t entrust your life to such trash.”

Dihart gave a twisted smile and reached out to her. Sebelia quietly looked up at him. Eventually, his hand brushed past her and picked up something behind her.

“I won’t say I’m sorry for breaking my promise.”

Sebelia was speechless when she saw the small box placed in her arms. The glass snowdrop was clearly lying neatly on the soft cloth.

“But I have no choice but to say I’m sorry for being this kind of guy.”

“…….”

“I’m sorry.”

With those words, Dihart turned his back. Sebelia grabbed his wrist.