After I Died, My Husband Went Mad [EN]: Chapter 159

Side Story 1-7

Dehart tapped the armrest with his finger and murmured,

“The wall is higher than I thought.”

It seemed the unsuccessful dealings with Taryen were stressing him out. Indeed, Taryen was known as the only place in the Empire that maintained smooth trade with the Southern Continent across the sea, and it was famous for not easily giving goods to even the most prominent noble families.

It wasn’t strange that they were being picky with the Northern Duke, who had only just established himself in the capital.

“Things have become quite difficult.”

Dehart, resting his chin on his hand, sighed, and Doreen’s eyes sparkled.

“If you don’t mind, would our family be of assistance?”

Dehart’s head tilted slightly. With his chin resting on his hand and his eyes lowered, he stared at Doreen. Her neck instantly flushed red. And Sebelia emptied her cold tea in one gulp.

While Sebelia ordered a servant to bring fresh tea, Dehart, who seemed to be pondering Doreen’s words, opened his mouth.

“That’s too good of an offer for me, young lady. I don’t think Count Serica would allow it.”

“Don’t worry about that, Duke! My mother will definitely allow it. She’s one of your followers, after all. Oh, come to think of it, there are a few conditions for establishing trade with that place. It’s quite interesting.”

Doreen leaned slightly towards Dehart with a bright smile and whispered something.

“It’s like this…”

Just as her lips were about to touch his ear, Dehart moved away. Doreen’s eyes widened as she ended up whispering into the air. Dehart, as if shaking off something unpleasant, ran his hand through his hair, then let out an ‘ah’ and glanced towards the door.

“Something came up.”

Ilay, holding documents, had arrived unnoticed. He shook the documents towards them with a smiling face.

“I see. You must be busy.”

While Dehart was talking with Ilay, Doreen fidgeted with her fingers as she watched them. Sebelia quietly observed this scene before turning her head to look out the window.

The evening glow had already dyed the sky.

“Young lady, it seems like it’s time for you to return. I heard you were planning to leave before dinner.”

“Yes? Oh my, has the time already come?”

Doreen, looking pale, hurriedly stood up. Rosalyn also stood up, saying she would see her off. Dehart was still talking to Ilay about work.

“Duke.”

Just as Doreen was about to say goodbye, Dehart suddenly said something unexpected.

“Are you already leaving?”

“Yes, I need to leave before dinner.”

“Hmm.”

Dehart slowly rubbed his chin, then sent an inscrutable look towards Ilay before saying this:

“We’ll provide a carriage.”

“Pardon?”

“I can’t possibly send the young lady back alone at this late hour. I’ll have Ilay accompany you in case of any unforeseen circumstances.”

At his words, Ilay, who was standing beside him, gave a friendly smile.

“I will serve you to the best of my ability, Young Lady Doreen.”

“Goodness.”

Doreen was deeply moved, Rosalyn frowned, and Sebelia watched.

“Thank you for your consideration, Duke.”

Shortly after, Sebelia leaned against the office window and watched Dehart escorting Doreen. Rosalyn, who had come back after saying goodbye, approached her.

“It seems they had more to discuss regarding the Taryen trading company.”

“I see.”

“You know, Bella.”

Rosalyn seemed to want to spend more time with her. Normally, she would have agreed without hesitation, but strangely, she had a headache since earlier. It must be because of that strange incense Dehart had burned.

“I’m sorry. I’m not feeling well.”

Sebelia gently pushed away Rosalyn, who kept trying to hold her back.

“I think I caught too much of the cold wind. I should go in now. Rosalyn, don’t stay out in the wind too much either.”

“…Okay.”

Even as she received a look that seemed to have much to say, Sebelia left the office without concern. Watching the evening glow paint the walls like watercolors, she walked slowly.

It took her ages to finally reach the end of the hallway, and Dehart hadn’t returned yet.

And from that day on, Dehart’s returns home began to be delayed.

“Is something going on these days?”

At the quietly spoken voice, the man raised his head. A fleeting look of embarrassment crossed his face as he returned through the dawn air.

“Are you still not in bed?”

“I asked first, Dehart.”

Dehart, who was in the middle of taking off his coat, subtly gauged her mood. It seemed he wouldn’t get away with it easily today. As he made a troubled face, Ilay, who had been about to follow him in, subtly turned around and disappeared.

Sebelia’s eyes narrowed as she stood on the landing.

Tap. The sound of her tapping the railing echoed through the silent hall. A tense silence flowed, and Dehart was the first to speak.

“There were setbacks in the joint project with the central government, so I couldn’t help it.”

“…”

“It’s not like I was caught up in anything dangerous. I was just trying to handle things quickly because I didn’t want you to worry, but I didn’t realize it would cause misunderstandings.”

Tap, tap. The sound of her tapping the railing stopped. Then, Dehart strode up the stairs and bowed to Sebelia.

“Really.”

As if asking her to see his innocence, Dehart whispered with a pure and guileless face. His finely trembling eyelashes were so pitiful and ephemeral that Sebelia sighed.

‘He’s so sly.’

“Bella…”

At his behavior of leaning in and acting spoiled as if asking to be seen favorably, Sebelia sighed but placed her hand on his cheek.

“Just this once.”

“Yeah. I understand. I won’t do anything to worry you in the future.”

The man, smiling like a blooming flower, kissed her forehead. At the sensation of his soft touch, Sebelia quietly closed and opened her eyes.

The feeling that pierced her heart never seemed to become familiar.

After that day, Dehart tried to keep his promise. On days when he thought he would be late, he always contacted her first so that Sebelia wouldn’t stay up late waiting for him, and after returning, he would casually tell her about what had happened that day.

“Rosalyn’s place to stay has been decided.”

“Already?”

“Yes.”

Saying that, Dehart, pressing down on the bridge of his nose, looked very tired. Because Hillend Hall was still under renovation and uninhabitable, he had been agonizing over finding a suitable place for a while.

Understanding his difficulties, Sebelia pushed a cup of tea towards him. It was a tea with fatigue-recovering effects.

“Thank you.”

After emptying the teacup, Dehart leaned on Sebelia’s shoulder and closed his eyes for a moment.

“I’m so out of it, maybe because things piled up.”

“Take it easy.”

“I can’t do that…”

Dehart, who had been complaining about being tired, suddenly shut his mouth and rubbed his forehead against her shoulder.

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to see you happy.”

The small, muttered voice brushed past her ear. She couldn’t understand it properly, but it probably meant that he wanted to see his subordinates happy after successfully finishing his work.

‘He doesn’t seem like it, but he’s really considerate.’

Sebelia smiled without realizing it. At the laughter that was as light and beautiful as the sound of a bell, a curve was drawn on Dehart’s lips before she knew it.

Quietly cherishing Sebelia’s laughter, Dehart suddenly grabbed her hand and started playing with it. Her heart fluttered at the act of tapping the back of her hand and shaking it with his fingers intertwined with hers.

“Stop it, you’re not a child.”

“Is there a law that adults can’t play with their hands?”

Suddenly, her shoulder became heavy. It was because Dehart had placed his chin on her shoulder. She couldn’t even turn her head at the instantly close distance.

Sebelia’s cheeks flushed at the close distance where their breaths could touch. Dehart quietly watched her before whispering softly.

“Aren’t you going to ask where Rosalyn will be staying?”

“Huh?”

“Aren’t you two close?”

The voice that said that was a little brusque, but it wasn’t genuine. At the jealous voice, Sebelia forgot the tension from just now and burst out laughing. Then, Dehart gave her a sulky look.

“Go away.”

When she pushed his shoulder, Dehart obediently leaned back.

“So, where is she going?”

Leaning back against the backrest as he was, he straightened his head and answered.

“It seems she will be living in my Uncle Bairen’s villa. It’s not far from the capital and it’s in an area with well-developed transportation, so it’s perfect.”

“I see. Oh, by the way, this Bairen person…”

She had heard of him somewhere before; the identity that Claude had impersonated in the past was the illegitimate child of Count Bairen. Recalling that time, Sebelia made a subtle expression, and Dehart raised his eyebrows as if puzzled.

“Is there something bothering you?”

“Um, no. I just remembered that he was also said to be a brother of the previous generation Duke.”

“That’s right. He was a sibling of Rims, who has now been excommunicated. Unlike that side, who went mad at a young age, fortunately, my Uncle Bairen hasn’t lost his ability to grasp the situation.”

The two brothers shared a conservative educational philosophy in raising Dehart as the head of Inverness, but they were distinctly different in personality and character. If Rims was an absolute tyrant, Bairen was like a strict and rigid but communicative professor.

It was also Bairen who held the reins of the Council of Elders and controlled them while Dehart was running wild. It was because he couldn’t allow a collateral line to run rampant while there was no direct line.

“He’s not someone who would do anything foolish. He’s an old man who cherishes the direct descendants more than his own children, so he’ll treat Rosalyn well.”

If he said so, it must be so. It was right to trust his judgment more than her own, who had never even met Count Bairen. As they were spending such a leisurely time, someone knocked on the door.

It was Ilay.

“Duke, you must leave now.”

Dehart’s expression instantly became unpleasant. He glared at Ilay with a resentful look, but that was it. It was annoying to have the sweet moment interrupted, but he wouldn’t be able to taste even greater joy if he didn’t leave now.

Dehart, sighing, gave Sebelia a farewell kiss and stopped as he was about to leave the room. Outside the door, Ilay was gesturing and signaling something to him. But Sebelia, who was tidying up, didn’t see it.

Dehart, who had been standing still in place, bit his lip slightly and turned around.

“Bella.”

“You startled me. Weren’t you leaving?”

“I forgot to tell you.”

As Sebelia tilted her head, Dehart said with a sigh.

“I’m going to be very busy for a while. So, you don’t have to wait for me for the time being.”

“Pardon?”

Sebelia, who had been tidying up the blanket, raised her head as if asking what he meant.

“It won’t take long. This is the last time. Really.”

The low voice was so sincere that it sounded like he was making a life-or-death vow. As far as she knew, he was clearly just busy because of his partnership with the Crown Prince. Looking at him like this, it felt like he was caught up in something serious.

‘Could it be… No, it can’t be.’

While Sebelia harbored doubts in her heart, his golden eyes flickered with an unreadable emotion.

As she didn’t say anything, Dehart murmured once more.