After I Died, My Husband Went Mad [EN]: Chapter 45

The moonlight kissed the edges of the mountain ridge. In the silent night, Severia stood by the window inside the darkened mansion, gazing out.

[Did Dihart… really come after you?]

At that moment, Severia met Claude’s gaze as he urgently grabbed her arm. She remained silent. It wasn’t that she didn’t know what to say. She saw the answer he wanted in Claude’s desperate stare.

He hoped that Dihart hadn’t come after her.

“To reveal his emotions so easily, they must be very close.”

Severia buried her face in her knees, blinking slowly. In the end, she didn’t give Claude a straight answer. Claude, the man who suffered as if Dihart’s pain was his own.

She couldn’t rashly reveal the cards she held to him.

People tend to side with those they love. Affection dulls reason, and prejudice blinds. Like parents who protect their children no matter how terrible their actions, Claude might try to defend her if he knew the truth.

So, she couldn’t tell him anything for now, not until she was ready to leave this place. The problem was Dihart’s existence.

“Haa… What exactly is their relationship?”

Claude seemed to be begging her to tell him what was going on, which meant Dihart hadn’t said anything yet. Still, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

“I hope they’re not the kind of friends who share all their innermost thoughts.”

Looking at the rising moon, Severia let out a frustrated sigh.

* * *

It was an unusually quiet morning. Severia, who had woken up early, finished washing up and headed to the dining room. She almost stumbled back in surprise when she saw Wartz already sitting there.

“Lady Bella?”

“Ah, no. A bug flew in…”

Severia made up an excuse and sat across from him. Soon, Claude appeared with steaming dishes. Severia made eye contact with him and greeted him cautiously.

“Good morning.”

“G-Good… Ahem! Ahem. Good morning, Bella.”

After exchanging greetings with Claude, who seemed a bit flustered, the three of them quietly focused on their meal. As always, there was no dessert, but a cup of warm tea was served to each of them.

“I’ll get up first.”

Claude was the first to leave. He rummaged for something on the living room side table and then dashed up the stairs. The remaining two slowly savored their tea. And just as Severia’s teacup was almost empty, Wartz spoke.

“I apologize for neglecting Lady Bella’s treatment until now.”

“…Pardon?”

It was fortunate that she had almost finished her tea. Severia was so surprised by the sudden apology that she almost spilled her tea. As she looked bewildered, Wartz said calmly.

“The other patient upstairs was in such critical condition that I focused on him, neglecting the research into Lady Bella’s illness. It’s largely due to my lack of ability… but in any case, it’s my fault.”

“You don’t have to apologize. The medicine you’ve prescribed is already helping me a lot. Look, I can move around so well even in the morning.”

Severia repeatedly opened and closed her hand as if to show off. She realized she had done something embarrassing only after Wartz looked at her with a smile.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s alright. Still, the patient upstairs has improved quite a bit, so from now on, I plan to focus solely on Lady Bella’s treatment. I’ll investigate thoroughly within this week and revise the treatment plan accordingly.”

Wartz took the last sip and put down his teacup. His brown eyes remained fixed downwards for a moment before he looked up at Severia.

“May I ask you something?”

For some reason, it reminded her of what had happened with Claude last night. But Wartz was probably not connected to Dihart in any way. Unlike Claude, he hadn’t shown much interest in Dihart. After a brief moment of contemplation, Severia nodded with a nervous expression.

“Do you have any ancestors with the blood of Luckwood?”

“…Excuse me?”

Severia’s blue eyes were filled with bewilderment.

* * *

Luckwood was a closed country bordering the Empire, nestled beside the Frostwood Forest. Seven families, including the royal family, maintained a balance of power and ruled the country. It was known as a region that refused entry to outsiders.

“But there are always people who desire new experiences. As times changed, more and more people from Luckwood began to appear in the Empire.”

Wartz pulled out a book related to Luckwood and handed it to her. The leather on the spine was a vivid color, as if it had not been published long ago.

“There isn’t much information about Luckwood available domestically yet. The same goes for their climate, customs, and constitution. But that’s not the case for me.”

At that moment, Severia felt like Wartz was showing off. However, his expression was as indifferent as usual. As Severia turned the pages, Wartz continued.

“My specialty is rare diseases, and those diseases are often found under specific conditions. So, among the data I’ve gathered… there was information about Luckwood.”

Wartz’s voice lowered. His calm tone and serious gaze indicated that he was getting to the point. Severia closed the book and met his gaze.

“You’ve determined that the disease I have is only found in people from Luckwood.”

Wartz nodded slowly at Severia’s words.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s called the Thornwood Disease. That’s why I asked if either of your parents were from Luckwood.”

“I see…”

Severia lowered her head. She clasped her hands together with a calm expression and placed them on her lap. She was very happy to know what kind of disease it was. But knowing the history of the disease… she didn’t know if she should be happy.

‘I had Luckwood blood in me, I never knew.’

It was probably her mother who passed on this blood.

She knew the Weden family tree by heart. The prestigious Weden family tree was filled with the names of prominent families, but nowhere was there the name of a stranger without origin.

‘Besides, Father always spoke of Mother as if she wasn’t an Imperial citizen.’

That stranger, that witch, that devilish woman. Severia remembered the words her father used to curse her and her mother.

She had only come to cure her illness, but to find out about her mother who had abandoned her in this way. Life was truly unpredictable.

‘What kind of person was Mother?’

Luckwood was such a closed country that it had only recently opened its doors to other nations. Even excluding her time in the central region, confined and raised, she had never seen a Luckwood person even in the north.

But her mother was from there. Severia honestly didn’t know how to react. She felt as dazed as if she had heard something completely absurd.

Suddenly, the resentful feelings she had suppressed even during her adolescence began to erupt indiscriminately. How did her mother come to the Empire? And how did she meet her father….

‘Why did she abandon me?’

The question that naturally arose sharply clawed at her heart. Her face, which had been flushed with joy, turned pale. Severia tried to take a deep breath. Meanwhile, Wartz, who had been organizing the data, suddenly exclaimed.

“Oh, dear.”

Severia looked up at him with a still pale face. Wartz, looking troubled, ran a hand through his hair and avoided her gaze.

“What’s wrong?”

“I meant to ask you one more thing, but I forgot while talking about Luckwood.”

To be honest, she was starting to find the questions annoying. But Severia nodded calmly.

“You can ask.”

“I’m sorry, but this is really the last one.”

Even the person asking the questions seemed to be growing weary of the situation. He frowned and asked.

“Lady Bella, are you really alright with encountering him?”

Severia’s blue eyes met Wartz’s brown eyes.

“He’s past the critical point now. Which means he doesn’t have to stay in bed anymore. So… I’ll ask one last time.”

“…….”

“Are you alright with encountering Dihart Inbernessa?”

* * *

Claude felt helpless for the second time in his life in front of Dihart, who was acting like a teenager. The first time he felt helpless was… well, it wasn’t a pleasant memory to recall, so let’s leave it at that.

He blocked Dihart, who kept turning his head away like a child who didn’t want to eat his vegetables, and asked again.

“Tell me what your relationship is with the patient downstairs.”

“…….”

Dihart pressed his lips tightly together and avoided his gaze. No matter how he thought about it, it was clear that Dihart wanted him to remove the restraints because of Bella, but he couldn’t understand why he was keeping his mouth shut.

‘Both of them are a mess.’

He could understand Severia, as she seemed to be on the run. But what was this guy so upset about that he was invoking his right to remain silent? Claude sighed as he looked down at Dihart, who was only bigger in size but still seven years old inside. Just then, Dihart moved his expensive and heavy lips.

“I need confirmation.”

“What?”

“I need to find out if she’s the person I’m looking for. Until then, I can’t answer you. You might get caught up in it.”

“You’re talking as if she might be a suspicious person.”

Claude crossed his arms with a subtle expression. A furrow appeared on his brow. Dihart smiled coldly.

“Yes, so stay out of it. This is a problem she and I have to solve.”

Was she a fake, or was she real? Was she a trap to bring him down, or was she… Dihart bit his lip. Either way, he had to meet her first. He had to meet her and investigate whether she was a trap to bring him down.

Until then, he couldn’t make any judgments.

“If you’re not going to cooperate with my plan, don’t bother me anymore.”

His slow way of speaking was quite cold. It was then. The door clicked open, and Wartz entered with a bunch of keys.