After I Died, My Husband Went Mad [EN]: Chapter 116

The fox rain that started in the morning intensified into a heavy downpour by noon, engulfing the capital. The wind-driven rain rendered umbrellas useless, but Balak paid it no mind.

He had something far more important on his mind.

“…You resemble my aunt.”

Inverness Mansion stood shrouded as if in a light fog. From an alley two or three blocks away, Balak stared intently at the curtained window.

His cousin was there. The child with beautiful blue eyes appeared perfectly healthy. Relief washed over him, tinged with sorrow, as Balak swallowed his emotions.

The child, abandoned at birth, was the spitting image of her mother—a mother she had never known.

[Is the baby in Aunt’s belly a boy?]

[Well, we can only know that after it’s born, so I can’t tell you now.]

[I hope it’s a boy. Then I can play with him.]

You didn’t even know you were a girl back then. Balak wiped the rain from his face, a fleeting smile gracing his lips before he adopted a cold expression once more.

Even indulging in such memories felt like a luxury. Unlike him, his aunt didn’t even know if the child she bore was a son or a daughter. She had lost consciousness before hearing the baby’s first cry and hadn’t woken since.

“Haa…….”

The most precious treasure in the world. My precious child, for whom I wouldn’t hesitate to give everything. Balak bit his lip, recalling the whispered promises he had overheard in his sleep as a child.

He composed his surging emotions and scanned the tightly closed gate and the knights guarding it inside and out with sharp eyes.

Breaking through that ironclad security alone seemed impossible.

‘Should I aim for tomorrow after all?’

After confirming that Sebelia was alive, Balak had attempted various methods to meet her, enlisting the aid of Shateian. However, he repeatedly failed, thwarted by the Duke of Inverness’s unwavering opposition.

In the end, the only remaining option was to meet her at the art exhibition scheduled for tomorrow. But that exhibition was nothing more than a trap laid by the Imperial Consort.

Thus, Balak desperately wanted to meet her beforehand. He wanted to extract her from this chaos and escape to Rookwood together.

Well, that plan has now fallen through… Balak didn’t give up.

‘I will definitely take you home.’

Balak slowly turned away, pondering how to reveal his identity to her tomorrow.

‘After all, the revelation that the person who saved her life was actually her cousin would be far more impactful than a strange man suddenly approaching her, claiming kinship.’

To get the timing right, it was crucial to keep Sebelia within his sight.

‘I should stay by her side as much as possible.’

He wouldn’t budge, no matter how intensely the Duke of Inverness glared at him. Balak entered the mansion that Shateian had discreetly provided, steeling his resolve. But the thought of it all left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“What kind of face does that bastard have to be next to her?”

He couldn’t fathom what that crazy Duke was thinking, staying by her side, but the fact that he had faked his death and forced her to flee proved he was unworthy to be near his cousin.

As Balak muttered a low curse, the rain ceased. Looking at the sun peeking through the dark clouds, Balak vowed.

He would rescue Sebelia from this dirty and filthy Belkram no matter what, and take her to Rookwood, where her ‘real family’ awaited.

* * *

On the day of the art exhibition, people were relieved by the clear sky. Although a light mist still clung to the streets, there was no sign of rain.

The first to grace the exhibition hall was, of course, the Imperial Consort, the event’s sponsor. She surveyed the bustling scene with a proud gaze, exchanged a few words with her close aides, the eastern nobles, and then announced her departure.

“Today, this place is for promising artists, so I will take my leave now.”

This came as a surprise to Sebelia. Dihart seemed to share her sentiment, his soft whisper tinged with stiffness.

“I thought she would summon you separately.”

“Indeed. As expected, she doesn’t make predictable moves.”

The most obvious tactic would have been to call her aside privately, given her recent debut into society under the Imperial Consort’s patronage. A private audience would have provided the perfect opportunity to administer drugs, unseen.

But instead, the Imperial Consort chose to depart. Sebelia fiddled with the antidote pills sewn into her sleeve like beads, suppressing a sigh of disappointment.

‘She’s not resorting to simple tricks.’

This made it impossible to ensnare both Nathan and the Imperial Consort simultaneously. Should she commend her for acting befitting of the Empire’s Consort? Or criticize her for trying so hard to avoid getting caught?

‘Neither is pleasant.’

It was an unsettling feeling to knowingly walk into a trap. Sebelia clicked her tongue inaudibly and fixed the Imperial Consort with a cold stare.

She offered a light greeting to her son, Prince Dillian, and Nelia, who stood beside him, and left the exhibition hall without a hint of regret.

“It seems Nathan is the main attraction of this stage today.”

Dihart whispered in her ear. Turning her head, she saw Nathan approaching, just as he had predicted.

Nathan, arriving in an instant, exuded an ethereal aura and greeted her.

“It’s been a while. Are you feeling well?”

“I’m unaware of when we became acquainted enough to exchange pleasantries, but I assure you, I am healthy enough not to require your concern.”

“Ah, that’s right. I only witnessed you collapsing back then. Yes, I see…….”

It was all a calculated performance.

“Still, I’m glad you’re healthy. It seems the Duke is treating you well. Actually, I was quite worried after sending you away like that.”

Sebelia felt a shiver crawl down her spine as Nathan glanced back and forth between her and Dihart with a pitiful expression. She wanted to lash out at him for daring to feign concern, but she restrained herself.

For now, she had to play along and allow him to dig his own grave. Nathan continued his charade, oblivious to Sebelia’s barely suppressed rage.

“After losing Sebelia like that, I didn’t consider your position in my desire to protect you. I’m sorry. I apologize even now. It was an ordeal to maintain my sanity after seeing you collapse like that…….”

For reference, the title of this act was ‘Me in a terrible tragedy where my lost younger sister doesn’t recognize her family and rejects them’.

‘Is this what they call pulling out all the stops?’

Sebelia decided to observe and see how far he would go. Frankly, she was also curious about how he intended to drug her.

Her curiosity was soon satisfied. Nathan, who had been listing his grievances and basking in the attention of the onlookers, suddenly appeared speechless and rubbed his face dry.

“No, no. That’s not why I reappeared in front of you.”

The moment she had been anticipating had arrived. Sebelia felt her heart pounding and waited for Nathan’s next words.

“Actually, I have prepared a gift for you.”

“…A gift?”

“Yes. A gift that you have longed for and desired for the rest of your life.”

Nathan smiled bitterly and pointed towards the hallway.

“I have brought your mother, Cornelia.”

Sebelia nearly strangled Nathan on the spot.

Nathan’s outrageous claim also reached Balak’s ears. He flew into a rage, losing the last thread of his composure.

“Are you going to be a criminal instead of a hero!”

When he regained his senses, Shateian was restraining him. His red eyes were fixed on Balak with an unusual intensity.

“You said she was your cousin you’ve been searching for all your life. You should be a hero who rescues her from the crisis, not a mysterious assailant who suddenly appears at the exhibition hall and slaughters the nobles.”

Balak’s heart constricted at the eerie murmur. The sky-blue eyes, swirling with black energy, calmed once more. Shateian lowered his hand from his waist with a relieved expression.

Balak, having regained his reason, muttered lowly, rubbing his cheek, which throbbed for some reason.

“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help it. How dare he mention my aunt. How dare he use her as bait…….”

A chilling realization washed over him, as if an arrow had narrowly missed its mark.

“That child, where did she go?”

That was all he managed to say. Balak immediately recalled the preceding events: Nathan’s announcement that he had brought her mother to the capital, and Sebelia’s face turning deathly pale.

After a moment of hesitation, she had taken a deep breath and accepted Nathan’s offer.

[I want to go with my uncle.]

Only then did people realize that Karl Offentz, legally her blood relative, was also present. But Nathan refused outright. The reason was clear.

[I understand your feelings, Cornelia. But that person… is the one who gave birth to you alone.]

In other words: Sebelia’s mother wished to reveal her identity only to her daughter, as she was a woman who had given birth to an illegitimate child.

[You mean she only wants to reveal her identity to me. Okay. Then you wouldn’t mind if the Duke escorted me to the door.]

[Th, that’s… yes. I think that much is fine.]

Thus, Sebelia bravely walked into Nathan’s trap.

“Damn it!”

Balak, having pieced everything together, immediately bolted from the hall. Without knowing their destination, Balak moved without hesitation.

Shateian didn’t stop him this time. Instead, he ordered Ludmil to gather his nobles and follow in the direction they had gone after the agreed-upon time had elapsed.

It was around the time they located the hallway where Dihart had been.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Aaaah! Stop it. Get away!”

The screams of people began to pierce through the cracks in the door and echo through the hallway.