After I Died, My Husband Went Mad [EN]: Chapter 157

“What’s going on?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Rosalyn. I was so caught up in our conversation.”

Sevelia said she came to return the bracelet with an abashed look. But, contrary to expectations, Rosalyn looked clueless.

“Bracelet?”

“Oh, isn’t it Rosalyn’s?”

Rosalyn said that although the bracelet was very pretty, she had never seen such a thing before.

“I think Maya stole something, but it’s not a bracelet. Last time, the gold bookmark that was in the book a friend lent me disappeared.”

Now Sevelia was the one who didn’t understand the situation.

“Then where on earth did it come from…….”

If it’s such a valuable item, it must belong to a great noble. Sevelia’s head became complicated, and she trudged back to her room.

So she didn’t notice Dehart’s pale face as he couldn’t take his eyes off the bracelet.

The next day, Rosalyn knocked on the door as soon as it was bright.

“Bella, are you awake?”

Sevelia, who couldn’t sleep all night, greeted her happily.

“Oh, Rosalyn.”

“Oh my, are you okay? The dark circles under your eyes are so dark.”

“Ah……. I couldn’t sleep until dawn.”

Rosalyn looked like she knew it. Sevelia heard that she had been holding onto the knights and servants late into the night, asking about the bracelet. But unfortunately, there was no one who knew about the item, let alone the owner of the bracelet.

Now she had to suspect the situation that she might have stolen it from another noble’s mansion.

Sevelia rubbed her eyes and said.

“Um, so what’s going on from the morning?”

“I have something to ask you about Maya.”

‘Oh, man.’ Sevelia thought. ‘I was hoping I could focus on something else, but it was back to square one.’ Sevelia tried not to show her troubled feelings and listened carefully to Rosalyn’s words.

“The friend who lent me the book will stop by tomorrow at lunch to pick it up. So, do you know where Maya usually puts things?”

Rosalyn looked a little anxious, perhaps because of the earlier-than-expected visit. Sevelia willingly stepped up to help her. Cleaning up after a troublemaker was the same, but somehow, if she kept moving her body, her frustrating feelings might get a little better.

And it would be even better if she found something that could be a clue.

Sevelia parted ways with Rosalyn and continued her thoughts while searching the annex. Maya liked to build her own nests in various places in the mansion, mainly preferring secluded places with good ventilation.

“It’s not here…….”

However, since she had no principles when it came to height, she sometimes built nests in the knots of beautiful trees, so special attention was needed. After searching for a while, she found some odds and ends that Maya had collected, but there were only a few thimbles or balls of yarn that the maids must have lost, and there was nothing special.

“Hmm.”

Sevelia put her hand on her waist and pondered. Where else could Maya have built a nest besides here?

‘Rosalyn decided to take charge of the inside of the mansion, and the servants said they would scan the outside…….’

Sevelia, with a serious face, stayed there for a long time before bravely taking a step.

The place she was heading to was the small lakeside that was almost finished.

The small lake was located a little further from the annex surrounded by rose bushes, and it was originally the site of a small mansion behind Inverness Manor. Because Inverness Manor was so impressive, it blocked the sun. So Dehart bought the small mansion from the owner and immediately had it torn down and the ground dug up to fill it with water.

Sevelia was surprised by the boldness and recklessness, but the site where the small mansion had been was filled with water for a long time. So she didn’t criticize it much, and Dehart, taking advantage of the momentum, began to buy landscaping trees famous for their beauty from all over the empire, saying that he would decorate the surrounding scenery.

‘They said it’s almost over, so it’s okay to go.’

‘I don’t know how great a lakeside he wants to create, but what’s important right now is to retrieve the items Maya stole,’ she thought.

As she arrived at the lakeside along the path leading from the annex, Sevelia realized that there was a guest there.

“Huh?”

The identity of the guest was none other than Dehart. He stood blankly between the pink weeping willows at the edge of the lakeside where a small boat could be launched, staring at the tree trunk.

He looked so serious that Sevelia couldn’t easily call his name. Instead, she moved her steps quietly and carefully so that he could concentrate.

Crunch.

‘Ah.’

She tried to be careful, but she stepped on a branch. The small sound was so loud.

Her heart almost dropped, but fortunately, Dehart didn’t seem to notice. He was approaching the tree he had been watching closely since earlier.

‘What’s there?’

Sevelia, curious, followed behind. When she approached and peeked, Dehart was kneeling in front of the tree and looking at the hole below. Sevelia let out a silent sigh.

Gems shining even in the dark were revealing their presence.

One of Maya’s secret nests was right here.

“Dehart.”

Sevelia, who had grasped the situation roughly, lightly tapped Dehart’s shoulder. The effect was great. Dehart, who had not noticed her presence, was startled and stood up.

“Bella!”

The hand he reached out to twist his arm naturally wrapped around her waist. Of course, Sevelia didn’t notice at all. It was a great change of attitude.

“What brings you here?”

“Why are you here? I told you not to come near until the construction is finished.”

Sevelia asked, glancing at the hole under the tree trunk. Dehart looked embarrassed for a moment, but quickly changed his face and answered nonchalantly.

“Rosalyn asked me to help her find the bookmark. I remembered that the dust cat [a creature that collects shiny objects] was wandering around here, so I came here.”

‘No wonder she often came with flower petals on her,’ Sevelia thought.

Recalling Maya’s bold personality, who sometimes trespassed into the house next door and played around, Sevelia broke away from his arms. She roughly knew the situation, and it was time to check if the item she was looking for was here. As she tried to kneel, Dehart stopped her in disgust.

“I’ll do it.”

Dehart knelt on the ground and bent down, saying that his clothes were already dirty, so it didn’t matter. The hole under the tree trunk was narrow like a tunnel, and the roots were intertwined, so he had to almost lie down.

“Ugh.”

After a long struggle, Dehart succeeded in robbing Maya’s treasure trove. But instead of the item he was looking for, what came out on his fingertip was…….

“Ring?”

The platinum ring, with a green-blue gem in the center and transparent gems lined up around the edge, was obviously a pair with the bracelet he had found earlier.

“Did she steal it as a set?”

Was it because it was so absurd? Her inner thoughts popped out of her mouth on their own. She could feel Dehart looking at her in surprise. If it were normal, she would have tried to fix it, but now she didn’t have the energy to do so.

Accessories custom-made by artisans usually consist of a set of bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and rings. But two of them were found at home.

That meant that there might be more that Maya stole.

‘What should I do?’

Sevelia stared blankly at the ring on Dehart’s palm for a long time. Dehart was watching her, so fierce was her gaze.

How much time had passed? Dehart, who had been watching, carefully opened his mouth.

“Bella, I’m asking just in case…….”

“Yes…? Yes?”

“What do you think of this design? Do you like it?”

Sevelia blinked slowly at Dehart’s hesitant words. For a moment, she didn’t understand what he was saying. But soon, as he slyly held out the ring, she realized that what he had said was, ‘Do you like this ring?’

“Why are you asking that all of sudden?”

“It’s not like I can’t ask.”

Dehart spat out as if making an excuse when Sevelia raised her eyebrows.

“Isn’t it time to get new clothes as the season changes? I was going to order jewelry to match the clothes.”

Sevelia immediately sensed his intention.

‘If I say I like it here, he’s going to bring me a similar design,’ she thought.

‘Wear the same stolen item? That was ridiculous.’

“No. Not at all. Neither the bracelet nor the ring is to my taste.”

Sevelia deliberately put on a serious face and hardened her voice. To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, she had to nip this in the bud.

He was a man who had bought the house next door and demolished the mansion at once to create a lake more beautiful than the imperial palace, saying that he would bring her only the best in the world. There was no guarantee that such a person would not bring an item that was the same as the one the cat had stolen, or perhaps one that resembled it but was much more luxurious.

‘It’s scary just thinking about it.’

Sevelia was planning to give a firm warning here now so that such a thing would not happen. But strangely, Dehart didn’t ask her a few more times and trembled his lips with a pale face.

At that, Sevelia was surprised and grabbed his arm.

“Dehart, what’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

After stopping taking the nerve stabilizers with severe side effects, he would occasionally have seizures or panic disorders. Still, she felt that he had gotten better recently, but it was starting again. Sevelia felt anxious and tried to summon the phantom to call a servant.

“No, I’m fine.”

But Dehart stopped her in a fading voice. Overlapping his hand on hers, which was holding his wrist, he let out a sad sigh.

At that, Sevelia narrowed her eyes and said.

“Don’t tell me you were going to bring something like this.”

“I asked just in case. It’s not an easy shape to see. It’s such a unique item, I was just curious…….”

“That’s enough. I like the trendy style these days, so you don’t have to bother.”

“Is that so.”

There was a pathetic atmosphere flowing from his nodding figure, but Sevelia decided to harden her heart. If her heart wavered here and she fell for him, there could be an irreversible scandal.

“I’ll keep this.”

‘I have to make sure he doesn’t even refer to it,’ she thought.

Sevelia took the ring that Dehart was holding tightly and put it in her pocket. Dehart didn’t say anything, but blinked with a desolate face like a squirrel who had lost an acorn.