After I Died, My Husband Went Mad [EN]: Chapter 115

How much can one person’s ambition ruin the lives of others? Sebelia felt as though she had stumbled upon the answer to a question she had never even considered.

The answer was immeasurable.

Even if it was just herself and Dihart now, there was no way to know when the people Gren Inverness had harmed might surface. It felt inevitable.

Because she wasn’t alone in this. Her father, and perhaps even the First Imperial Consort, might have been plotting something for a long time.

Sebelia could only laugh in disbelief at the absurdity of it all.

“Ha…”

*I just thought she didn’t like me because I was an illegitimate child from the Central.* Her foolish assumptions flashed through her mind.

*I thought her malice was directed only at me.*

Before Sebelia’s arrival, Gren Inverness was the de facto mistress of Hillend Hall, so she assumed Gren simply didn’t want to relinquish her power and status to someone like herself, whom she considered no better than a stray.

But that wasn’t the case at all. To Gren, Sebelia was just a minor inconvenience. What she truly desired was probably…

Sebelia looked up, as if searching for the answer in the air. Her eyes immediately met Dihart’s. His golden eyes, shining as brightly as the midday sun, were fixed on her.

“Dihart.”

Sebelia called his name softly. Dihart rose from his seat and approached her as if he had been waiting for her summons.

“What should we do?”

Sebelia was slightly taken aback by his seemingly indifferent demeanor – his calm attitude and unwavering voice.

For a moment, Sebelia wondered if he was concealing his pain, if he was trying to shield her from his own difficult emotions. But the moment she looked deeply into his eyes, that thought vanished.

His intensely shining golden eyes, filled with a devotion that bordered on obsession, were solely focused on her. Faced with his unwavering gaze that seemed to disregard everything but her, even his own well-being, Sebelia couldn’t help but ask, a chill running down her spine.

“Are you… alright?”

“If you’re asking about Gren, then no, not really.”

His response was excessively quick and almost flippant, leaving her feeling more awkward than reassured. Noticing Sebelia’s hesitation, Dihart murmured, his face impassive.

“I’m not particularly surprised or hurt, so you don’t need to worry about me. From the moment I learned she was trying to kill you, she ceased to be my family.”

“What? What are you… wait a minute.”

What was he talking about? Sebelia clutched her head, confused, and asked again.

“Gren tried to kill me?”

“Ah.”

Dihart bit his lip and glanced at Wartz and Claude behind him. Sebelia fixed him with an intense stare, silently demanding an explanation. Dihart hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke.

“Before the rumor spread that you were… cursed, she put in a request to an underground organization to make your death look like a suicide.”

Dihart revealed that he had discovered the assassination request in Gren’s room, and Sebelia burst out laughing. The malice directed at her was far more persistent and vicious than she had imagined.

“Goodness.”

Sebelia shook her head, reflexively rubbing the goosebumps on her arms. She had almost been the victim of a terrible plot; it was chilling to contemplate.

*Should I call this luck?*

If it hadn’t been for the thorn disease that she believed was incurable, she wouldn’t have left the mansion. In that case, she likely would have been killed by Gren.

But fortunately, Gren hadn’t directly intervened. Of course, it wasn’t because she suddenly felt sympathy for her.

*It must have been because she thought I was cursed by the first Duchess and would die soon.*

She was already trying to kill her, and then she was cursed at the perfect time. Gren must have been thrilled, believing Sebelia would self-destruct without her having to get her hands dirty.

“So that’s why she kept sending servants to the detached palace to check on my condition…”

Sebelia was startled by the words that escaped her lips without conscious thought. It was a barely audible murmur, but Dihart had already heard her. She heard the sound of him grinding his teeth, followed by his ragged breath.

Dihart, having barely regained his composure, raised his head. His golden eyes, flashing like lightning, shone intensely in the dim office.

Dihart carefully took the tip of Sebelia’s hand in his and said,

“It’s better this way.”

His low voice was deep and resonant, as if echoing from a dark cave.

“Wedden drove you to despair, but everyone in Hillend Hall sentenced you to death. They have to pay the price, too.”

Sebelia blinked, stunned. *What did I just hear?*

*That’s the last line of the will I wrote.*

Had he remembered that all along?

Sebelia felt her heart pounding and looked at Dihart with surprise. Her large, wide blue eyes met his golden eyes, shining like golden discs. But the moment was fleeting.

“Ahem.”

Claude, who had been feeling excluded, cleared his throat and raised his hand.

“Shall we get to the point?”

“Ah, yes!”

Sebelia blushed and carefully withdrew her hand from Dihart’s grip.

“First of all, it’s certain that Nathan is planning to drug me at the exhibition. The problem is how to prevent it.”

“Hmm, how about sending a doppelganger [a person who looks exactly like another] to the exhibition?”

“That’s difficult. I’m not just dealing with Nathan. A doppelganger can only repeat one or two greetings convincingly, and he might realize it’s a fake.”

“It seems we can’t even use a doppelganger as a substitute until the situation arises. Ah, that’s too bad. It might have been possible if your specialty was doppelgangers.”

“Speaking of specialties… can’t we discover it by tonight? You never know. It might help with tomorrow’s work.”

While Claude and Sebelia were brainstorming countermeasures, Dihart stared blankly at his empty hand before slowly rising. Meanwhile, Claude felt a cold sweat trickling down his back as he sensed Dihart glaring at him as he returned to his seat.

*Why are you mad at me, you stupid nephew?*

Claude suggested using the bluebird [a type of messenger bird], forcibly averting his gaze.

As the conversation continued, Wartz, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

“But why did you call me here?”

“Ah, that’s…”

Sebelia instinctively turned her gaze to Dihart. Dihart then took out a blood-stained piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Wartz.

“What is this?”

Wartz’s face hardened as he unfolded the rustling paper. It was the first time he had looked so serious since the medicine warehouse had burned down. Sebelia blinked, and Wartz said in a stiff voice.

“You’re not asking me to make this, are you? If so, I can’t accept it. Bella, not even if you beg me.”

“No. There’s no way I would.”

Sebelia waved her hand, trying to dispel Wartz’s misunderstanding. And she realized once again how little he had been involved in their plans.

“Then what is it?”

“It’s the recipe for the drug I was almost forced to take. It seems to be a drug that makes people lose their reason and easily swayed by orders.”

Elrei’s recipe for Loden, which he had seized through violence and threats. What Wartz was holding in his hand was exactly that.

“I wanted to ask if you could create an antidote for the drug. And the reason I explained everything in detail is… because I know what kind of suspicions you would have if I just asked you to make an antidote without saying anything.”

Wartz’s eyes widened in shock at Sebelia’s confession. He gripped the paper so tightly that it crumpled, then looked back and forth between the three of them.

“If I had known this would happen…”

“Wartz?”

“Have you forgotten that you are still a patient in recovery? Both officially and practically, I am your doctor.”

For some reason, he looked slightly betrayed. He took a deep breath, his face pathetic, and then began to nag with bitterness.

*How could you not say a word to me about such a serious drug until now, Bella? How could you act so nonchalantly even though you were about to take this?* etc.

It was a more intense reaction than someone who was deliberately trying to avoid involvement in the revenge plan against Marquis Wedden, but Sebelia inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

*He’s not interested in the drug itself, that’s a relief.*

In fact, Sebelia had hesitated at Dihart’s suggestion to hand over the recipe to Wartz to create an antidote. She was worried that Wartz, with his obsessive interest in researching rare diseases and developing new drugs, might misuse the recipe.

But judging by the current situation, it seemed her worries were unfounded.

While Sebelia was relieved, Dihart frowned, unable to endure Wartz’s nagging any longer.

“So, can you make an antidote or not?”

“Do you think I’m incapable of detoxifying this filthy drug?”

“Is that so? That’s a relief. But there’s one thing to keep in mind.”

Dihart, who had been tapping the armrest of his chair, raised his eyes and said,

“There’s only one day left until the exhibition.”

“……!”

Seeing Wartz’s shocked expression, Dihart snapped his fingers. Immediately, Elrei, who had been waiting in the next room, entered as if on cue.

“Well, let’s go, Doctor. It’s time to compensate for the time you spent relaxing and eating at the mansion.”

Elrei, who entered with a bright smile, grabbed Wartz and tried to lead him away with his arm around him. When Claude tried to intervene, embarrassed, Dihart stopped him.

“I’ve cleaned up the studio and set up a laboratory for the doctor there. I’ve gathered all the medicinal herbs and stocked it, so he’ll be happy, not angry.”

That was true. Claude quickly understood and sat back down. Just as they were about to resume their discussion, the rain that had been falling since morning intensified, lashing against the window.

“I’ll close it.”

Sebelia, approaching the window, paused as she reached out to close it and draw the curtains. She felt a gaze from somewhere. But she couldn’t spot anyone suspicious.

*Am I mistaken?*

Sebelia closed the curtains and turned around. Claude was already urging her to rediscover her ‘specialty’.

“You might succeed if you try!”

Sebelia nodded. There was only one day left until the exhibition. There was no time to waste.