After I Died, My Husband Went Mad [EN]: Chapter 96

The situation was this: Denisa had planned to remain in Earlsick, awaiting Sebelia’s response. However, an incident occurred at Hillend Hall when Silas opened Sebelia’s coffin.

Silas confirmed her survival, as he’d hoped. Hillend Hall, now without the Duke, was thrown into disarray, its occupants anxiously wringing their hands. Ryan, barely recovered, attempted to stop Silas, but he lacked a valid reason—or, more accurately, a reason he could readily disclose.

The Duchess’s body, which had been laid to rest in Hillend Hall, had vanished without a trace!

This was a terrible scandal, one that threatened to tarnish Inverness’s reputation. Ryan urgently sent a message to Dehart, but the situation was already spiraling out of control.

Silas Weden posted an advertisement seeking his lost daughter. Absurdly, it wasn’t an advertisement for the deceased Sebelia Weden.

“Actually, my youngest daughter was a twin. During a childhood picnic, one of them was lost. Ever since, I’ve been terrified of a similar incident, which is why I kept Sebelia sheltered.”

It was a perfectly crafted piece of insane nonsense, impossible to fault from any angle. A preposterous and absurd statement that would send shivers down the spines of those who knew the truth.

The problem was that this deception attracted far too much attention.

The dead Duchess had a twin. She’d even been lost as a child! People now understood and sympathized with Silas, who had kept Sebelia confined. Silas willingly accepted their sympathy.

“I was too heartbroken to remember it, but… after losing Sebelia, my senses suddenly returned. I must find that child now. I will handsomely reward anyone who finds my poor daughter, who has never known proper love.”

Sebelia’s portrait appeared in every daily newspaper and newsletter published in the central region. Silas even thoughtfully added a note: ‘She looks similar, but her hair or eye color may differ.’

Thus, people searched for Sebelia’s twin with unwavering focus. Now, Sebelia would inevitably be scrutinized wherever she went.

Silas’s scheme was truly vicious, characteristic of him.

* * *

After explaining everything, Denisa gulped down the cold tea and shuddered, saying,

“The advertisement seeking the young lady was in every newspaper published in the central region. You can’t imagine my surprise at seeing the young lady’s face at a newsstand in Earlsick, Duke.”

She wouldn’t have been so shocked to hear that Sebelia had escaped death. But Sebelia’s twin, and a reward for finding her!

“It’s a very Marquis-like plan. He prefers to slowly corner his opponents rather than confront them directly.”

As soon as Denisa saw the advertisement, she understood the Marquis’s intentions. He wanted the escaped Sebelia to return to him willingly.

“So, we must leave this place as soon as possible.”

Denisa said, tightening her grip on Sebelia’s hand. Sebelia was trembling slightly, unconsciously.

“Don’t worry, young lady. The news probably hasn’t spread much beyond the central region yet. Let’s leave today and head for the border.”

While Denisa gently reassured Sebelia, Dehart organized his thoughts. A flash of lightning crossed his cold, sharp eyes.

‘He must have known that Sebelia was alive all along.’

Silas had undoubtedly acted in advance. Otherwise, the advertisement wouldn’t have been published so widely, as if he’d been waiting for this moment.

‘Besides, wanting Sebelia’s twin instead of Sebelia…’

Dehart’s jaw clenched, making an ominous sound. A chilling light flashed in his golden eyes, then vanished. ‘Yes, now I understand.’

“Marquis Weden wanted you to be free.”

Dehart’s gaze met Sebelia’s. She, who had been listening to Denisa with a dazed expression, turned to him.

“He wants you without the constraints of Inverness.”

When he received Silas’s letter confirming Sebelia’s empty coffin, he was confused, unable to grasp Silas’s intentions. He couldn’t understand why Silas would create such a commotion at Hillend Hall to uncover the fate of his daughter, whom he had used as a pawn rather than loved.

But now, he seemed to understand, at least vaguely. Silas was planning to secure Sebelia for himself.

“The word ‘snake’ truly suits him. I never realized he was so cunning.”

To imprison Marquis Weden, a central aristocrat, his charges would have to be reported to the central government, dragging Inverness’s prestige through the mud. In the end, Inverness had no choice but to remain silent, unable to publicly admit that Sebelia’s body had disappeared.

Meanwhile, Silas was drawing her into his grasp under the guise of searching for Sebelia’s twin. Even if Inverness belatedly suspected she was alive, they could do nothing.

‘No, even if she is alive, they won’t try to get her back.’

Marriage with Sebelia wasn’t merely a union between families, but a peace treaty between the central and northern regions.

An ear-splitting sound echoed through the office. Denisa, startled, glanced at Dehart before quickly looking away. Dehart’s face was brutally contorted.

“Hoo…”

Dehart took a rough breath and swept his hair back. Cold sweat trickled down his spine. But even Silas’s seemingly perfect plan had one flaw.

‘I met you first.’

He found her first, the one who ran away because his side was painful, the one who disappeared to find a place to die, burdened by a sick body.

If he hadn’t met her, he would have gone mad knowing her body had vanished. But he couldn’t dare reveal that fact, so he would have hidden his festering pain and mobilized troops to find the culprit.

‘If I hadn’t met you, I would have believed you were truly dead.’

Dehart felt his insides churn as he recalled the illusion of her lying peacefully in the coffin.

Sebelia, who had been quietly watching Dehart’s pained face, finally spoke. She looked tired.

“My father knew I was alive. But he didn’t look for me; he left me alone because he thought he could bring me back… anytime.”

A lonely voice escaped her lips, swollen red from being bitten. Her blue eyes wandered aimlessly.

“To him, I’m just a chess piece forever.”

Sebelia sighed and muttered to herself.

“Yes. That’s all it really was.”

“Bella.”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to comfort me. It’s just that I vaguely knew it, but it feels like I’m facing something I didn’t want to be assured was true, so I turned away from it.”

“……”

“And it’s much worse than I expected.”

Sebelia, smiling weakly, took a deep breath. She withdrew her hand from Denisa’s grasp, clasped her hands together, and stared at Dehart.

“Dehart.”

“…Yeah.”

In her blue eyes, which seemed lonely enough to chill her bones, a cold light soon appeared—a transparent, solid light.

“I want to ask you one thing.”

Gazing at the beautiful light with admiration, Dehart nodded. At that moment, he was willing to fulfill any request Sebelia made, even if it meant sacrificing his life.

“There’s no need for grand words like ‘request,’ Bella. I’ll do anything you want.”

Dehart replied gently, suppressing his wildly beating heart. He imagined various bloodsheds, wondering how he should kill Silas.

But Sebelia’s request was far less dramatic than he anticipated.

“That thing you suggested last night… that offer to take revenge on those who tormented and drove me… is it still valid?”

“Young lady, what are you talking about? Revenge?”

Denisa, who had been quietly observing their conversation, was surprised and intervened without thinking. Revenge? Did that mean taking revenge on Marquis Weden? It was too dangerous for Denisa, who only wanted Sebelia to live a peaceful and safe life.

“Why are you trying to walk down such a thorny path? You promised me. You said you wanted to forget all the painful past and live a normal, happy life.”

“Yeah, I know. I haven’t forgotten. I really want to live like that, too, Denisa.”

“Then…!”

“But I realized that a life of simply avoiding conflict can never be normal or happy.”

Denisa’s face paled. She tearfully clung to Sebelia, trying to change her mind, but Sebelia remained firm.

“If my father is determined, he will find me no matter where I hide. Denisa knows it, too. That’s why, on the day I decided to leave Hillend Hall, you grabbed me and stopped me.”

At those words, Denisa had no choice but to abandon the idea of fleeing with Sebelia to a foreign country. Dehart, who had been watching her with a strange expression, turned his head at her gaze.

“Answer me, Dehart. Is your offer still valid?”

Sebelia, straightening her posture, urged him to answer with an elegant demeanor. Dehart immediately rose and knelt before her. Her blue eyes stared at him, unwavering.

“There’s no expiration date on my promise to you.”

Dehart whispered, looking up at Sebelia. His heart was beating so wildly he thought it would burst.

“Just wish for it, and I’ll make anything happen.”