After I Died, My Husband Went Mad [EN]: Chapter 4

Ironically, her married life wasn’t bad. The bride that Central had foisted upon him was, as if to provoke his trauma, born of a concubine, but her temperament wasn’t particularly awful.

Dehart didn’t like that very much. Smooth sailing in the present was, without exception, a stepping stone to a future full of trials.

Especially for an unlucky man like himself.

Just then, as if to brush away his worries, Ryan’s voice broke through.

“You seem to be doing quite well.”

“It seems it’s time to pick a new adjutant. You’re making jokes at me, after all.”

Dehart, gazing at Ryan with eyes full of deep regret, scribbled with his pen.

“But you have meals together every time. Like today…….”

Ryan watched the quickly finished work and gave a kind smile.

“It’s good to see you working so energetically to leave work early.”

“I really think it’s time to pick a successor.”

Dehart clicked his tongue and stood up from his seat. He was already wearing the coat he had taken off. Anyone could see he was a newlywed hurrying home for his bride, who was eagerly waiting, although he himself wouldn’t admit it and shuddered, saying it was for surveillance.

“That woman has a strange taste. She likes weird spices. I wonder where she learned that habit…….”

Dehart grumbled, yet he was rattling off that he knew her tastes. Of course, he insisted it was information gathering on an untrustworthy woman.

“Anyway, I need to know every single one of her intentions. She keeps smoothing things over with a smile, so I keep just letting it go.”

Ryan shook his head at his superior, who was burning with strange fighting spirit. But that strange peace didn’t last long, as he expected.

“Explain yourself, madam.”

“Dehart, I… I…….”

Her beautiful and gentle mask shattered, piercing his heart. With that undeniable pain, Dehart had no choice but to belatedly admit it.

That he had foolishly fallen for her.

* * *

“……Damn it.”

Waking up from his sleep, Dehart swore and covered his face.

“Damn it all.”

Clutching his violently beating heart, he bit down hard. He slowly blinked his eyes, mocking his own foolishness—foolishly being fooled by her innocent act and dreaming that dream again.

“I wouldn’t have anything to say even if I was betrayed again.”

Looking out the window at the dawning sky, he smiled with a pale face.

* * *

Knock knock knock!

Waking up in a daze, Sebelia thought there was an earthquake.

Thump! Knock!

But it wasn’t an earthquake, but a guest she was meeting for the first time.

“Sebelia! Open this door right now!”

And it was an uninvited guest who came as he pleased.

“Sebelia!”

A booming voice rang out against the door. Following that, words mixed with pleading, as if worried about her, followed.

“I told you, you don’t need to be swayed by dirty rumors. Open the door quickly; your brother doesn’t believe such words…!”

‘What nonsense is that… wait.’

Sebelia stiffened, realizing that the pretentious and pompous voice coming from outside the door was familiar.

‘It’s Nathan.’

Her half-brother, and Nelia’s twin, Nathan.

He was the one who took the lead in insisting on sending her to the Inverness County family.

[Wouldn’t it be better to send Sebelia to the North rather than Nelia? That atmosphere will suit that child well. Don’t worry about her causing problems. I’ll visit often, so.]

Nathan said that so smoothly in front of Nelia, who was wailing that she didn’t want to go to the North, saying, “Are you telling me to die?”

[Hmm.]

And her father accepted his nonsense, which he had logically packaged, as if he had been waiting for it.

That’s how Sebelia’s marriage was decided.

Of course, as expected, Nathan didn’t keep that promise. He never even set foot in the North, let alone Inverness. But what could she do? Sebelia was already the Duchess of the North, and Nathan was someone who would live in the capital for the rest of his life.

Thus, Sebelia was not given the opportunity or the right to punish his lies. But the meritorious person who sold her off was calling her right now from outside that door.

It was then.

Thump!

“Are you going to keep worrying your brother like this… Damn it, please open the door!”

Nathan shook the door violently once more, pretending to beg. What an excessive greeting. Finally, the hinges began to creak.

“Haa….”

Sebelia first sent the bird that was scurrying around her bedside back, then put on a cardigan over her pajamas.

It was clear that Nathan wouldn’t wait long, given his personality. There was no time to leisurely change her clothes.

Besides….

‘Judging by how noisy he’s being, it seems he’s already finished talking with the butler.’

The fact that not a single servant had come running meant there was tacit permission.

It was that moment.

Crack-

Finally, the hinges broke, and the door fell to the floor.

Bang!

“Cough…….”

Dust rose in the air. Sebelia naturally covered her mouth and took a step back. Nathan rushed straight at her.

“Sebelia, you.”

It was as if he had come to catch a fleeing criminal. Sebelia’s body reflexively stiffened at the sight of him rushing at her like a demon with a reddened face. The image of Nathan grabbing her wrist and dragging her away when she was young overlapped with that.

And the adults who passed by without pretending to see her being dragged away, Nathan who was shouting with a reddened face, Nelia who was sticking her face through the crack in the door and laughing silently….

“I left you alone, and it seems you’ve completely gone crazy.”

The voice whispering in her ear was sinister. The door was already tightly locked.

‘How did he get so close?’

Sebelia looked up at him with a pale face. Nathan gripped her wrist tightly.

“Let go… Ugh!”

“Don’t act rashly. I clearly warned you, my cute sister.”

A chilling voice swept over her ear. Nathan’s face, smiling kindly, was nothing but repulsive.

He was always like this. Pretending to be an exceptionally kind and strict brother in front of other people, he drove her into a corner and made her suffocate.

“Ugh.”

“Don’t be rude!”

Sebelia naturally flinched at the loud voice as she tried to pull her arm away. It was the effect of learning from childhood. Seeing that, Nathan chuckled and took something out of his pocket and threw it on the floor.

Sebelia trembled once more at the rough noise. Nathan pointed down with his finger and whispered in a sharp voice.

“The word has spread all the way to Weden that you’re sleeping around.”

“What…….”

“If you have eyes, look for yourself. See what kind of vulgar things people are spewing out about you and Weden!”

Sebelia blinked at the thunderbolt that had fallen from above her head. She slowly read the papers scattered on the floor.

“Ah.”

It was written there that the Duchess, unable to overcome her loneliness while her husband was away, was seducing men and drawing them in.

Nowhere was Dehart’s or her own name written… but the target being referred to was clear.

“Even my friends from college are sending me letters asking if the rumor is true.”

Nathan growled with a face that was turning red.

“Just how did you behave!”

As the story progressed that far, Sebelia was finally able to understand the current situation. Nathan was a man who valued reputation above all else. To him, letters from friends asking if his younger sister was really dragging men into her bed must have been an unbearable insult.

“Ha….”

As her thoughts reached that point, Sebelia became tired of everything.

‘Right. There’s no way my brother would come all the way here because he’s worried about me. All he’s worried about is his own reputation and honor.’

Even the Lynn Post he brought was a daily newspaper famous for spreading all sorts of false gossip and not taking responsibility.

‘He believed this and came all the way here….’

The person who hadn’t set foot here even once since I got married, that is.

At that moment, extreme fatigue and futility enveloped Sebelia. At the same time, the fear that had been making her body helpless disappeared in an instant.

Sebelia let out a languid sigh. She deeply closed and opened her trembling eyelids.

‘How funny.’

All of this is so ridiculous.

“Sebelia. You need to pull yourself together and answer me.”

Nathan growled as if threatening her. But for some reason, it wasn’t as scary as before. The man in front of her was not the object that had oppressed her and made her terrified for her entire life, but just….

‘A selfish, opportunistic, and even petty man.’

Yes, the brother she had been so afraid of was just such a person.

Realizing that fact, the stone that had been heavily pressing down on her chest became as light as a feather.

“A sigh? Who do you think should be sighing right now, daring to.”

Nathan still seemed to think that she would easily kneel as before. In fact, until just now, Sebelia had almost succumbed to the helplessness and fear that she had learned over a long period of time.

But….

‘Why should I?’

She had changed. She no longer wanted to kneel and beg for forgiveness. There was no reason or need to.

When she was young, being hated by her family was the scariest thing. Living in the Marquis family as a bastard [illegitimate child] was like walking on thin ice every day. But now the situation was different.

‘I’m going to die anyway. What good is it if you hate me?’

Then even the fear that remained at the bottom of her heart disappeared.

The young Sebelia hiding there realized that she was no longer afraid of Nathan.

Sebelia smiled faintly with her head bowed.

Ah, the freedom and relief that death gives was so sweet.

At that point, Nathan also felt something was wrong. He stopped shouting and grabbed Sebelia’s face, forcing her to make eye contact with him.

“What… what are you doing?”

His distorted face was saying:

Act like yourself. Immediately prostrate yourself, beg for forgiveness, and bark like a dog at my feet.

But his arrogant and shallow expectations were easily shattered.

“What are you doing, brother?”

It was a languid voice filled with annoyance.

“What?”

Nathan, surprised by the retort he was receiving for the first time in his life, opened his mouth wide. His eyes, widened to the limit, looked quite foolish. Sebelia continued, thinking, was Nathan such an insignificant person?

Before, she was so scared that even encountering him was terrifying.

“I don’t know what I should do for you after seeing a newspaper article that doesn’t even have initials written on it.”

“I’m- Ha. Are you trying to stand up to me right now?”

Nathan, at a loss for words at her logical words, reflexively raised his voice.

It was also the most effective means of suppressing Sebelia because she was afraid of loud noises. But this time it was useless.

“Trying to stand up to you?”

“Then that rude look in your eyes-”

“Our positions are not the same.”

Brother, you’re not even a Marquis yet, are you? Sebelia added.