After I Died, My Husband Went Mad [EN]: Chapter 105

Sevelia, her legs trembling, went directly to Dihart’s bedroom. It was something she would never do if she were thinking clearly, but she was now teetering on the edge of reason.

She knew her family saw her only as a tool. She knew they were trying to use her as they pleased, discard her, and now coax her back to manipulate her again.

But the reason was treason: to use her abilities to install a fake emperor and crown the First Prince as the Crown Prince!

“They’re all crazy…”

Cold sweat trickled down her cheeks. Sevelia dragged her body, which felt as though it would collapse if she lost focus, through the hallway. A blue glow flashed in the pale dawn light.

‘I have to remove the fake Sevelia before the illusion is exposed.’

The first to witness this astonishing sight was Illei, the poor fellow guarding Dihart’s bedroom.

“Huh.”

Illei’s face, previously etched with boredom, now registered terror beyond astonishment. He instinctively reached for his waist, and only after hearing the ragged breath did he realize the person was alive.

And after identifying the person, he trembled.

‘The Duchess.’

To be precise, she *might* be the dead Duchess, but in Illei’s mind, it was already a confirmed fact to some extent. Moreover, after moving to the capital, Dihart had directly instructed Illei:

“Make your attitude clear, Illei Husfield.”

“Yes, yes?”

“If you understand, then show it. Don’t confuse her with those ambiguous glances that irritate people.”

“……”

At that moment, Illei was horrified, wondering if Dihart even possessed mind-reading abilities. Of course, that thought didn’t last long. If he could read minds, he wouldn’t be continuing such a long and drawn-out charade with the Duchess.

“Ah, Sir Illei.”

It was Sevelia’s voice that broke Illei’s reverie as he recalled Dihart’s tearful devotion. She had approached him before he knew it, looking at him with unfamiliar eyes.

“This is, well.”

She seemed to have finally come to her senses. Sevelia looked down at her attire with a flustered face and scanned the hallway. Illei pondered.

‘Is this a secret date?’

He didn’t know the occasion, but in Illei’s view, there had been considerable progress in their relationship. The gentle attitude and kind tone they showed each other proved it.

So Illei couldn’t help but hesitate. Was this a pre-arranged situation? Even if it wasn’t, she was Dihart’s wife—no, his ex-wife—but either way, she was the only person he loved.

‘What if it were me?’

Illei pondered deeply, and in the meantime, Sevelia pulled up the shawl that had slipped down and tried to turn back. It was Illei’s urgent cry that stopped her, just as she was about to say she would return after dawn.

“Please, go inside.”

“……Yes?”

Illei’s expression was more than resolute; it was desperate. He had already rehearsed the scenario in his head.

*If* the person I missed due to my mistake, the person I loved so much that I wanted to hold onto even if I had to kneel, had come into my bedroom overnight? My God, this was an event that deserved more than the word ‘miracle.’

“Whatever happens inside, I will pretend I don’t know.”

“……”

Sevelia looked at Illei with a suspicious face. For some reason, she felt uneasy, as if he was having strange thoughts. But there was no choice.

‘I don’t know when or how the illusion my father created will be exposed as fake.’

The illusion she created was so elaborate that it was impossible to tell the difference from a real person. But there might be people or tools somewhere that could distinguish the difference.

In a race against time, Sevelia eventually suppressed her uneasiness and nodded.

“Then I’ll ask you to do that.”

“Yes!”

Illei nodded vigorously and opened the door. Sevelia stepped into Dihart’s bedroom with his attentive guidance and let out a groan.

“This is……”

A pungent smell stung her nostrils. At the same time, blue and red smoke brushed past her eyes. Seeing that, Sevelia’s eyes widened. The acrid smoke was coming from the head of the bed.

Sevelia abandoned her cautious attitude and strode forward. After checking the silver container holding the incense, she exclaimed.

“Goodness.”

It was an awakening incense made from the shell of a Loadel [a type of magical creature]. Sevelia had learned from Wetz that burning this would keep one’s consciousness awake, preventing them from falling into a deep sleep.

It was highly addictive and disrupted the body’s balance, something only used on the battlefield. Sevelia glared at the half-burnt residue and put the silver container in her arms.

‘How long has it been since he got rid of his anti-anxiety medication addiction?’

Her insides, which were already churning, felt ready to burst.

Sevelia threw Dihart’s blanket under the bed, then threw open all the windows in the room. A strong wind pushed the curtains back and began to sweep through the room.

“Ugh……!”

The cool dawn wind quickly swept away the smoke from the awakening incense. Not long after, Dihart groaned and opened his eyes.

Golden, brilliant eyes flickered in the darkness. Soon, like a sunflower chasing the sun, they naturally moved towards Sevelia.

“Bella?”

His hazy face flickered with disbelief. He blinked slowly and reached out to her, awkwardly getting up.

“That’s strange. I thought I wouldn’t dream today. Ah, instead of this, I should go see if you’re okay, right… Wetz, what did that guy say?”

Dihart, who was mumbling something while holding onto Sevelia’s sleeve, gradually realized that something was wrong as time passed.

“……”

The golden eyes, carefully raised, met the blue eyes that were quietly looking down at him. At the same time, a silent realization swept through Dihart’s head.

‘Could it be.’

This was not a dream. She was neither an illusion nor a ghost. A chilling realization made Dihart’s spine tingle. Sevelia, who had been looking at him with cool eyes, suddenly began to apologize.

“I’m sorry for coming here like this without permission.”

That calm voice plunged Dihart into even greater fear.

“I know it’s rude, but there was no other way. It’s a race against time, and you’re the only one who can help me.”

Sevelia said in a low voice, leaving the completely frozen Dihart in front of her.

“Did I disturb your sweet dream?”

“Ah, no. Absolutely not. There’s no way.”

He had burned the awakening incense on purpose to avoid dreaming. Dihart swallowed the rest of his words and looked up at her, meeting her quiet blue eyes. At that moment, a strange sense of incongruity enveloped him.

Dihart gritted his teeth, realizing his own posture. *Something* felt strange! He carefully lowered the hand holding Sevelia and opened his mouth.

“More than that, are you alright?”

Dihart bit his lip, recalling Sevelia, who had collapsed helplessly a few hours ago. Fortunately, Wetz’s diagnosis was simple exhaustion. It seemed that she had used her abilities too much, and all her energy was depleted.

But the fear did not easily disappear from within Dihart. So he burned the awakening incense, fearing that something might happen to Sevelia, that he would once again be unable to do anything while her life was on the line.

A peaceful sleep was worth nothing compared to Sevelia’s safety.

“Everyone was surprised when you suddenly collapsed. Claude, too, deeply regretted it.”

“Ah.”

Sevelia’s eyes widened. Come to think of it, she had collapsed without any explanation. Her attitude, which had been cold since discovering the awakening incense, softened a little.

“I’m sorry. Actually, when I met Nelia, something unexpected happened, so I created a doppelganger. Maybe that’s why. I suddenly used a lot of power……”

“That’s what happened. Haa, that’s a relief.”

Dihart sighed at the same words as Wetz’s diagnosis. Soon, he sat Sevelia down in her place and knelt in front of her. Sevelia raised her eyebrows at the very familiar gesture and then lowered them again.

“So, what’s going on? If you came running this early in the morning, it must be something significant.”

The golden eyes shone seriously. Sevelia, who seemed to hesitate for a moment, sighed and began to explain the situation from beginning to end.

“Where should I start?”

“……”

“Yes, it would be better to start from the beginning. Actually, my father tried to kidnap me through Nelia at the tea house.”

“What did you say?”

A white line of fury was etched around the golden eyes. Sevelia urgently grabbed his shoulder.

“Don’t get excited, Dihart. The kidnapping obviously failed. Does the me sitting in front of you look fake?”

“That’s……!”

“Calm down and listen to the story first. And don’t raise your voice.”

Sevelia glanced over Dihart’s shoulder and then turned her gaze back to him. Dihart frowned, unable to understand why she was looking towards the door.

“Nelia thought my doppelganger was the real me and took her to the mansion. I was waiting for the right moment without cutting off the sensory sharing. Not long after, I heard my father’s voice.”

After hearing the whole story, Dihart opened the bedroom door with an unparalleled ferocious aura.

“Oh, Duke……”

Illei, who was about to greet him with a more cheerful face, closed his mouth, overwhelmed by the fierce momentum. Sevelia, who was following behind, glanced at him and then followed Dihart with a sulky look.

“……”

‘Did I misjudge?’ Illei, who was gloomily looking at their backs, suddenly raised his head at the sound of Dihart calling him.

“Don’t stand there like an idiot, go and bring Mr. Carl Apends to the office!”

“Yes, I understand!”

Illei quickly regained his energy and sprinted down the hallway.