After I Died, My Husband Went Mad [EN]: Chapter 28

And Sebelia, who received a straightforward letter without any explanation, was equally perplexed.

“He suddenly went to Denisa…?”

What on earth is going on? Sebelia tried to make sense of it but quickly realized it was impossible.

“Why would Dihart go to Denisa of all people?”

In the North, especially the East, people were less sensitive to gossip about Hillend Hall than those in the Central region, who were reluctant to even mention the Inverness family. Therefore, Sebelia only knew that the atmosphere at Hillend Hall had deteriorated after her departure, but she didn’t know the specifics. So, Denisa’s note baffled Sebelia as much as if she’d heard the sun had risen in the west.

“There’s absolutely no connection between them.”

But no matter how much she tried to deny it, the letter remained unchanged.

“Ha…”

Sebelia groaned, holding her head. She didn’t know why, but Denisa seemed to be suffering because of Dihart. And she was asking Sebelia to leave, fearing that the suffering might extend to her.

‘I don’t know the situation, but for now, I should do as Denisa asks.’

Sebelia opened the closet door, her mind racing.

In a crisis, her thoughts seemed to sharpen.

‘The fact that Denisa sent a letter means that Dihart hasn’t imprisoned or tortured her… at least, not yet.’

It was a terrible assumption to make about her ex-husband, but still, it was a relief.

“But changing the destination is…”

A small furrow appeared between Sebelia’s eyebrows. Originally, Sebelia and Denisa were supposed to settle in a small town on the edge of the East.

She had even looked at a house there in advance. Now, the only reason to change the destination could be…

“She’s not imprisoned, but she’s in a situation where it’s difficult to escape… or it’s become too risky for her to come to me.”

What on earth happened?

Sebelia felt a headache coming on.

‘The situation must be so dire that even buying a house in the East could be discovered, so she’s telling me to go somewhere else.’

Was the situation that serious?

“…Ha.”

Was it because of the sudden shock? Her heart was racing, and she felt dizzy from the stress.

“I’m dizzy.”

It was like the feeling she had when she saw the shaman just before leaving Hillend Hall. She felt like she was still just anxious, while the other person had already finished all the preparations and was driving her into a corner.

“…But I succeeded in the end.”

She left that cold and ruthless place and became free. Sebelia said it as a vow to herself. Her gaze turned to the doctor’s note placed in her bag.

The sum total of that faint expectation that might bring her an unexpected future.

A complex emotion flickered across Sebelia’s face as she looked at it, and then disappeared. A lighthearted voice escaped her lips.

“Maybe this was meant to be.”

It was unconscious. Sebelia was surprised to hear herself say that and quickly raised her head. She saw her reflection in the mirror across from her.

It wasn’t the tired look she had seen before leaving the clinic. Her blue eyes, as if the fog had cleared, looked almost… satisfied.

It was as if she felt good, as if the problem she had been worrying about had been resolved in the direction she had hoped for.

“Ah.”

Realization struck her like lightning. At the same time, her cheeks flushed with shame.

“…I’m in a situation where I’m being pushed around again.”

Only when a crisis is imminent do I become honest about my shallow desires.

“I can’t believe it.”

With a bitter smile, Sebelia closed her suitcase.

The desire to live, the hope for an uncertain future rather than a safe death, was certainly not shallow. But Sebelia had never been honest about her desires in her life.

She was deprived of the possibility of choice before she even wanted anything, and when she showed a liking for something, she was immediately criticized for that taste. So, even while leaving for herself, she had to struggle with self-loathing for a while.

“How flawed am I as a person…?”

And Dihart, who was similar to her but different, was also groaning in pain.

Although it was a different kind of pain.

* * *

“Keuk…”

Dihart was slumped in his chair, his shirt off. A large, blue bruise covered his lower back, glistening with cold sweat, horribly swollen.

“Are you alright?” the knight asked cautiously as he applied medicine to Dihart’s waist and wrapped a fresh bandage around it. Then, as if on cue, a torrent of venom erupted.

“Does this look alright to you? I can’t believe you’re walking around with those things you call eyes. I’d rather go out on the street and give alms to those who actually need them!”

Despite the suffocating rage, the knight remained expressionless. He stepped back, confirming that Dihart was still in control, however tenuously.

Left alone, Dihart leaned his head against the back of the chair without a word. Only his eyes gleamed in the middle of his otherwise indifferent face.

“Yes, you have to go that far to dare to think about harming the master you serve.”

Whatever had happened, Denisa had already become, in his mind, a despicable maid who had betrayed Sebelia.

Of course, Denisa’s betrayal and escape had significantly influenced that judgment.

“But no matter what, I’ve already caught your tail.”

Dihart said calmly, looking down at the crumpled letter in his hand. It was a letter taken from Denisa’s house.

“…I won’t miss you this time.”

A nonchalant but persistent obsession filled the room. At that moment, the knight waiting outside felt goosebumps all over his body.

“Sigh…”

He shook his head, imagining the terrible future that awaited the runaway woman.

‘She wouldn’t have lasted long anyway, so why did she do that?’

With a sigh, the knight recalled the day that had triggered this whole mess.

* * *

So… at first, everything was going smoothly.

“I will follow the Duke’s instructions.”

As a result of Dihart’s persuasion—more like threats—pointing out each of the people who were watching her, Denisa surrendered without resistance.

“I don’t want to have my life taken away in an instant due to an unpleasant incident.”

Dihart smiled with satisfaction at Denisa’s calm words.

“Good. You’re not as foolish as I thought.”

So, Dihart brought her to his residence under the pretext of ensuring Denisa’s safety and began an interrogation that lasted for several days.

“What I’m most curious about is what happened to her after I left.”

The fingernails, with bite marks, tapped the desk.

“The day I left before our wedding anniversary, and after that… until she died. I need to know everything that happened during that time, without missing a single detail.”

He coughed from time to time, as if his throat was constricted while speaking.

Denisa stared at him with unfathomable eyes and slowly began to speak.

“As you know, Duke, Madam… No, I’ll call her Lady.”

“Do as you please.”

“The Lady was not as disappointed or hurt as you thought.”

“…What?”

Dihart’s face froze. The hand that had been tapping the desk froze in mid-air.

Denisa continued to speak silently in front of him, who had become like a stone statue.

“The Lady had already been exhausted by unrequited affection for a long time. So, not being able to spend the wedding anniversary together only made her hardened blood even harder and did not cause any further wounds.”

That was a more terrible story than Dihart had imagined.

“You mean… so.”

Dihart’s chapped and cracked lips repeatedly opened and closed.

“It sounds like she had already given up on me.”

“Yes.”

Denisa nodded without hesitation, and Dihart’s golden eyes froze like glaciers.

“The Lady had already said goodbye to you in her heart.”

“That can’t be.”

That can’t be. How great is the guilt she has towards me? How terrible are the wounds she inflicted on me?

There’s no way she would leave me before I did…

“…!”

Dihart shuddered at the thought that came to his mind unconsciously.

He had already lost her once, and now he was caught up in such an ugly thought again.

Dihart, who was pale and unable to speak, waved his hand.

“Come back in an hour.”

He felt nauseous. Dihart lowered his head and reached out to open the medicine bottle.

That’s how similar days were repeated. Dihart was far from uncovering the truth about Sebelia’s death, but he only realized how tired she was when she was alive. And how much she suffered because of him.

‘I’m…, I.’

Then, Denisa would sometimes testify about the harassment that Gren and Flora had inflicted on Sebelia.

“I heard that Flora also touched the Lady’s dowry without permission.”

Such stories were carefully recorded separately for use as evidence later.

As such cooperative days continued, one day, Denisa spoke first.

“Actually, Sebelia has a diary that she secretly used to write.”

“Why are you only revealing that now?”

Dihart asked sharply, but Denisa calmly brushed off his questioning.

“It’s a diary like a memo that briefly records the feelings of the day. But I’m telling you because I think it will be helpful to the Duke.”

“Tell me the location. I’ll tell the knights to bring it.”

“No. It’s a memento that she left to me directly. I can’t leave it in the hands of others.”

Dihart looked at Denisa with annoyed eyes but soon allowed it.

He also hated having his things touched by others.

So, Dihart took Denisa and a few knights to Elad Street.

“You guys check to see if any suspicious people are passing by here.”

Dihart went into the house with Denisa, and, damn it, he was backstabbed by her there.

“Forgive me, Duke.”

He groaned at the sharp sensation of a sharp object piercing his bruised side.

“I’ll just say for sure that your delusion is wrong.”

“You, what is this…”

Drip, drip.

A dark blue sleeping poison dripped from the tip of the sharp pen.

“Please let her go as she is.”

Unfortunately, the whispering words did not reach Dihart’s ears.