After I Died, My Husband Went Mad [EN]: Chapter 147

“Ah……”

Upon hearing Sebelia’s words, Rosalyn gasped, as if her soul had left her body, and slumped down. As the light faded from her once-bright golden eyes, Claude, looking flustered, quickly scooped her up in his arms.

“Rosalyn? Rosalyn!”

“Oh dear, her forehead is burning up. Claude, you should take the young lady back to the mansion.”

“But…”

Sebelia, seeing Claude’s hesitant eyes, wore a stern expression.

“There’s nothing more for you to do here. From now on, Dihart and I will take responsibility.”

“……”

“Go on, quickly.”

Claude bit his lip, gave a brief bow, and left with Rosalyn in his arms.

“Haa.”

Sebelia’s head was spinning. Ilay moved to support her, but Dihart’s voice cut through the air.

“You can drop the illusion now, Bella.”

“Dihart.”

“I told you not to overdo it.”

The man, covered in blood, was breathing roughly, but his eyes were unwavering. He wiped the splatters of blood from his pale cheeks and gestured to Ilay.

“Go and round up all the remaining stragglers and transport them. Once the scene is cleared, we head straight to the Imperial Palace.”

“Yes.”

As Ilay left, Dihart, having roughly wiped off the blood, slowly approached Sebelia. He checked once more to see if his hands were clean before carefully placing them over hers.

“Now, lower the barrier around the mansion. There won’t be any more escapees.”

Sebelia looked up at him, then slowly turned her head to gaze at the blue wall surrounding the mansion.

‘I didn’t actually plan to go this far.’

Until she arrived at the scene and saw Nelia, she hadn’t even considered using illusion magic. She didn’t think she had the energy for it.

But as soon as she saw Nelia, her mind changed. Nelia had cursed her with all she had as soon as she saw her, then tried to escape, using the servants she had brought as shields.

Angered by her unchanging behavior, she quickly gathered all her remaining strength and isolated the mansion.

“……Alright.”

Sebelia nodded and gently waved her hand. In response to her gesture, the blue barrier collapsed like a wave. Gasps erupted from the knights guarding the perimeter.

Shortly after, Ilay returned, announcing that preparations for returning to the Imperial Palace were complete. Dihart nodded and returned to the Imperial Palace with Sebelia to meet Shatayian.

There, they received unexpected news.

“My father escaped during transport and headed to the Imperial Palace?”

The story Ludmil told, rushing over with a pale face as soon as they crossed the threshold of the Imperial Palace, was truly shocking.

“How on earth is that possible? The Public Security Bureau clearly took custody of my father and moved him to the underground prison……”

“Damn it.”

Dihart ran a hand through his hair and cursed under his breath.

“An informant within the Public Security Bureau must have helped him escape. That’s why I deliberately called out the Knights, but then I found out that Rosalyn was being attacked.”

“So that’s how it happened.”

Sebelia groaned at the behind-the-scenes story she hadn’t known, wondering why the Inverness Knights were waiting for them as soon as they left the Imperial Palace.

But there was no time to dwell on the past. Even now, the carriage they were riding in was faithfully moving towards the Imperial Palace.

Ludmil, who was sitting across from her, said, “I don’t know what’s happening at the Imperial Palace right now. As soon as Shatayian found out that Marquis Weden had escaped to the Imperial Palace, he entrusted you to me and left for there.”

In the meantime, the Imperial Palace, which had seemed so far away, came into view. The golden palace, built as a pair with the red crystal palace, radiated light alone in the darkness.

Gazing at the palace, whose outer walls were all covered in gold, Sebelia opened her mouth.

“There’s no way Father would have headed to the Imperial Palace without a plan.”

And there’s no way Prince Shatayian would have called us to the Imperial Palace without a plan either.

Clatter, clatter. The sound of hooves grew slower and slower. The carriage carrying the three of them stopped in front of the Imperial Palace as if sliding to a halt.

* * *

“Duke, those without invitations cannot enter……!”

“Move.”

As Dihart followed behind and stepped into the hall, she felt the air around her change. Following that, a piercing scream stabbed at her eardrums.

“I am wronged, Your Majesty!”

The one kneeling before the Emperor and wailing was Silas. Empress Yi was standing next to him, placing her hand on his shoulder and offering counsel to the Emperor.

A hollow laugh burst from Sebelia’s mouth at the sight.

“Ha.”

So that’s it. He’s clinging to Empress Yi, trying to survive somehow. A fire ignited in Sebelia’s blue eyes. As she struggled to control her anger, a listless voice echoed through the banquet hall.

“Marquis Weden, be quiet. It seems we have an uninvited guest.”

The old, bloodshot eyes, aged by time, stared at Sebelia. Faced with eyes filled with annoyance and fatigue, Sebelia gave a dignified greeting.

“I greet His Majesty, the eternal Emperor under the sun. I am Bella Apentira, summoned by Prince Shatayian.”

“Your Majesty, are you going to stand by and watch as that vile witch defiles Your Majesty’s palace!”

No sooner had the greeting ended than Silas’s scream pierced the ceiling. As Sebelia glared at him with a cold face, Dihart stepped forward.

“What right does a low-quality criminal who tried to kill someone by using my own son have to raise his voice in the Imperial Palace!”

The heavy voice immediately corrected the tense atmosphere. Dihart immediately ordered the Public Security Bureau officials to be brought in to prevent Silas from having time to speak.

Then, Silas, who had become desperate, raised his voice.

“They have all been bribed by Duke Inverness, Your Majesty! Think about it. Nate is my only heir. Would I use a precious child to kill someone? Your Majesty knows that I am not such a despicable human being!”

“He is right.”

Empress Yi stepped forward to defend him.

“Isn’t it truly absurd? Your Majesty’s loyal servant has lost his only son and is weeping with a broken heart and body. But the arrogant Duke of the North, who has ignored Your Majesty’s earnest summons every time, dares to not even kneel before Your Majesty and arbitrarily brand a noble of the central region as a criminal!”

“That’s right! And that’s not all. The reason I was in the tower was because I realized that that witch was trying to kill my son with her evil sorcery!”

Silas shouted, rising from his seat and supporting himself on his knees.

“The woman named Bella Apentira did not exist until a few months ago. Unaware of this, I tried to get close to her, thinking that the witch was really my child.”

The desperate voice echoed through the hall.

“The result is this, Your Majesty. I was caught in Duke Inverness’s trap, lost my son, and almost lost my own life, the life of Your Majesty’s only loyal servant! And when things didn’t seem to go as planned, he dragged in the Second Prince and framed me before running away!”

“How long do you think you can get away with lying?”

A cold voice dissolved the heated atmosphere. Sebelia’s blue eyes shone with a gruesome light.

“Your Majesty, Marquis Weden infiltrated the tower to harm Duke Inverness and me……”

“Stop.”

The Emperor waved his hand with a bored face, cutting off Sebelia’s words. Annoyance was etched on his tired face.

“It seems that Duke Inverness is not in a position to accuse others of being overly dramatic. A commoner he brought in as family is an unidentified witch who uses sorcery. Is that why the North is in such a state?”

“……!”

“Let’s set aside some time to look into today’s events. The Duke is welcome to file a lawsuit against the Marquis if he wishes. However, Marquis Weden is one of the few noble families with a long history among the central nobility and a loyal subject of the Imperial Family, so he cannot be sent to prison so easily.”

The Emperor, struggling to speak, let out a groan as if his pain had returned, and concluded his words.

“Be satisfied with house arrest and go back, everyone. I’m worried that you might make a guest from afar uncomfortable.”

Sebelia felt like she was suffocating. Her vision blurred for a moment, but she barely managed to regain her senses. Yes, she had been too naive.

The Emperor, who had been indifferent to the power struggles between Empress Yi and Empress Lee, would not be interested in a matter involving the Duke of the North and the commoner beside him.

‘But I can’t back down like this.’

Although they had not yet obtained material evidence, they had tried to kill the Emperor and set up a substitute. Yes, if he heard this story, even the Emperor would not leave them alone.

Sebelia clenched the hem of her dress, put strength into her hands, and raised her lowered head. The bloodshot eyes stared at her as if asking why she wasn’t leaving.

“Your Majesty, actually.”

“Excuse me, but may I ask why you call her a witch?”

A soft, low baritone voice echoed through the hall. Like sunlight clearing away the fog, it was warm but firm, as if it held a knife inside.

Sebelia quickly recognized the person who had interrupted her. He was a man near the Emperor who was watching the situation with interest.

‘And probably an ambassador from another country.’

The clear, light blue eyes were directed at Silas. The Emperor wore a tired expression at his actions of trying to bring up something that was already done, but he did not stop him. In many ways, he seemed to be paying attention to him.

Meanwhile, Silas, thinking that he had gained another ally, quickly shouted with a brightening face.

“Ah, you must not know because you haven’t been in Belkram for long. The reason is that that woman uses an unheard-of sorcery called illusion magic, which is neither magic nor divine power……”

“Aha.”

The man chuckled and threw down the glass he was holding.

“Balak’s words were true.”