After I Died, My Husband Went Mad [EN]: Chapter 170

Side Story 2-7

“Bella. You were here.”

Valak, looking slightly nervous, came to pick her up.

“The Duke is here as well.”

“That’s obvious.”

At Dihart’s words, Valak twitched his eyebrows but didn’t retort as usual. Dihart didn’t provoke Valak further either.

Both of them noticed Sebelia’s tension.

“Then, have a good time.”

Dihart kissed Sebelia’s pale fingertips and led her to Valak.

“See you later.”

Sebelia barely moved her lips to greet Dihart. Her strained voice and darting eyes showed how nervous she was.

Dihart watched her for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand. With a gentle smile, he lightly caressed Sebelia’s cheek.

“Ah!”

“Now you seem more like yourself. Go on now.”

A voice filled with laughter fell into her ear. Sebelia touched her earlobe, feeling ticklish, and nodded.

“I’ll be back.”

Perhaps because she was surprised, her pale face flushed with color, making her look much better than before. Relieved by Dihart’s teasing, she greeted him with lively eyes. Dihart gladly let her go.

Sebelia walked with Valak to meet her mother. For some reason, the path felt familiar, and as she recalled, it was the promenade leading to the detached house she had seen yesterday.

Soon, a building with gray bricks and a blue roof appeared. Unlike yesterday, the presence felt particularly distinct, and Sebelia swallowed hard.

As they reached the front door, the pounding of her heart loudly echoed in her ears. Unable to collect herself, Valak raised his hand and knocked on the door.

Rosiel’s voice was heard from inside.

“You’ve come.”

Through the crack in the opened door, a corridor with bright colors could be seen behind Rosiel. A warm breeze blew from inside, making Sebelia feel like she was about to lose her mind.

“Come in. She’s been waiting for you.”

The door opened completely, and Rosiel led her in.

Leaving Valak, who said he had something to do, the two passed through a reception room without a threshold and a dining room without heavy doors, and stood in front of a bedroom adjacent to a small garden. By then, Sebelia was barely holding onto the edge of her floating consciousness.

Knock, knock, Rosiel knocked on the door. After a breathlessly short pause, a faint voice was heard from inside.

“Baby?”

Her heart moved before her head. Sunlight poured through the flung-open door. In the scene more beautiful than light, Sebelia stared at her silently.

Elena was smiling with her arms open.

“Mother.”

At the call she uttered without realizing it, Elena responded with a smile. For a brief moment, Sebelia felt like she was in a fantasy she had dreamed of in her childhood.

“Come here.”

Her lake-like eyes sparkled with clarity despite the decades that had passed. Her lips, bearing a smile, were a little pale due to her health, but her cheeks glowed with joy.

Sebelia approached her little by little. Two pairs of identical eyes scanned each other incessantly.

Thin arms and legs, and the lingering traces of illness. The wrinkles around her eyes and mouth, inevitable with the passage of time.

It was different from the mother she had dreamed of in her childhood. It was a far cry from the ideal of the youngest, most beautiful, and perfect mother in the world.

But far from being disappointed by the sight, Sebelia was overwhelmed.

“Oh, my.”

“Yes.”

“Mother…”

Hugging the arms stretched out towards her, Sebelia trembled. A light weight settled on her back. Elena took a deep breath.

“Hello, baby. Your mom has been waiting for you for a very long time.”

Hugging Sebelia tightly, Elena soothed her like a child and began to speak softly.

“You’re so pretty. How can my daughter be so pretty? I wanted to get you a beautiful dress for your coming-of-age ceremony. Valak and Rosiel used to fight over who would dance with you first.”

“…”

“Let me see your face, huh? Your eyes are as blue as the sea. Your hair looks just like your mom’s. I didn’t know you’d grow up to be so tall. You’ll be taller than me when you stand up, won’t you?”

Stroking Sebelia, who was crying like a newborn baby, Elena smiled.

“I’ve missed you so much.”

Feeling something swelling up inside her chest, Sebelia bit her lip.

The thirst she thought would never be quenched was gradually being relieved. The space she had ignored, saying she didn’t need it, was slowly being filled, and she didn’t know what to do.

A stream of water, starting from who knows where, was constantly falling into the empty space she had stubbornly turned away from, saying she didn’t need the mother who abandoned her and that the nanny who raised her was enough.

It quickly filled the endless emptiness and overflowed over the boundaries.

Her chest felt tight, and she couldn’t breathe. The heavy weight prevented her breath from escaping and wandered beneath the surface.

Her head was dizzy. Heat enveloped her entire body. Soothing her as she groaned like a child with a fever, Elena whispered.

“Call me Mom once, baby. Huh?”

At the gentle request, Sebelia parted her lips. Her throat was choked, and she couldn’t make a proper sound for the first few times.

She repeated the word “Mom” several times like a child imitating her parents, and finally succeeded.

“Mom, Mom… Mom.”

At the soft call, Elena hugged Sebelia with all her might. She didn’t have much strength yet, so it was just a tight embrace, but that was enough.

“Yes, Mom is here.”

Sebelia closed her eyes tightly and hugged her back. Ah, this was it. She wanted this embrace. She wanted this warmth, affection, and stability that would always be there to embrace her when she reached out.

“I love you, my daughter. Your mom has been missing and loving you for a very long time, even before I met you.”

The voice, like moist rain, filled Sebelia’s heart and overflowed with tears.

“My little sun, my child who will be loved by everyone, my Sebelia.”

As the lullaby-like voice filled the room, Rosiel slowly closed the door and leaned against the wall.

The two had many stories to share.

* * *

Sebelia didn’t return even after evening turned into night. Dihart finished dinner with a lonely feeling and left his seat abruptly. He thought he heard Claude saying something behind him, but he didn’t care.

He passed through the entrance and walked along the promenade where the detached house was located. He didn’t intend to go inside; he just wanted to take a walk and look around.

The well-maintained promenade was lit by lamps everywhere. The high-purity magic stone lamps, incomparable to Mount Belkram, made him frown as he was reminded of the old days.

But even so, his feet moved along the path without hesitation. Before long, he saw the detached house with its faint exterior buried in the darkness.

An unbelievably soft and warm light was emanating from the cold-colored building. If it weren’t for the curtains covering the windows, the inside would have been clearly visible.

Dihart leaned against a roadside tree and stared at the window. Occasionally, a shadow that seemed to be Sebelia crossed in front of the window.

Each time, Dihart deflated his swelling chest and took a deep breath. Feeling that he had spent enough time, he straightened his body.

It was then that the door of the detached house opened.

“…”

“…”

The moment their eyes met, her blue eyes softly curved. One step, and then another. With each light step, he felt as if the darkness surrounding them was scattering.

“Did you come to pick me up?”

Looking down at the hand she held out as if asking him to take it, Dihart blinked. Then, as if realizing something, he curved his smooth lips into a smile and firmly grasped her white hand.

“You weren’t coming back.”

“That’s what I should be saying; why are you saying it?”

Waving their clasped hands, Sebelia blamed Dihart instead. Suddenly put in a difficult position, Dihart widened his eyes.

“Are you saying this is my fault?”

“You should have come to pick me up sooner, instead of hiding in the shadows like that.”

“No…”

Dihart, who was about to retort, quickly shut his mouth and shook his head. A hollow laugh escaped from his slightly raised lips.

“Okay. It’s my fault.”

Sebelia nodded as if satisfied with his obedient attitude. Dihart narrowed his eyes as if he couldn’t believe it, but the smile on his lips didn’t disappear.

Rather, he led her under the street lamp and said mischievously.

“I should have come earlier and given you an ice pack for your eyes. I’m worried about what Claude will say when he sees your eyes so swollen, like a goldfish.”

“Huh? Is it that bad?”

With a flustered face, Sebelia groped around her eyes. Her red and swollen eyes stung when she touched them.