After I Died, My Husband Went Mad [EN]: Chapter 57

There was, of course, only one way to contact Denisa: create an illusion that looked exactly like her. It was something she had already done several times, so with a few practice runs, she could easily pull it off.

However, things became a bit complicated when Dihart called her name.

“What should I do?”

Now that he showed the possibility of regaining his memory, it was better to finish the treatment quickly. At this point, two goals collided: treating the illness and contacting Denisa.

For the former, she needed to stay inside the house and focus on treatment. But to contact Denisa, she had to practice creating illusions away from prying eyes. As she was agonizing over this dilemma, she heard something hitting the window.

Tap, tap.

It was a very small and soft sound of something tapping on the window. Sebelia went closer, covered her mouth, and gasped.

“So cute.”

The gray-furred cat that had ruthlessly bitten her wrist last time was tapping on the window with its front paws. As she stared at it, charmed by its cuteness, it seemed to get a little annoyed, and the tapping became stronger.

“Hmm…”

After hesitating, Sebelia opened the window. With a soft cry, the cat jumped over the windowsill and into the room. It was so cute that she wouldn’t mind giving up her wrist again.

“Myaong.”

The cat made a strange noise and rubbed its back against her ankle. Was this the cat’s way of making up? Sebelia was charmed and picked up the cat, although it wriggled and immediately slipped away.

“Oh.”

And then Sebelia witnessed a shocking sight. The cat… the cat was opening the door.

“Huh?”

Leaving Sebelia, who was frozen in shock, the cat nonchalantly entered the hallway. And a moment later, Claude’s scream echoed through the mansion.

“Maya! Where have you been all this time!”

He was a cat with a name.

* * *

Claude stroked Maya, who was sprawled on his lap and purring, and said in a voice that sounded like he was about to cry.

“Maya was originally born in this forest. So, she sometimes runs away like this and breaks people’s hearts.”

“Ah…”

Only then did Sebelia realize that the cushions placed here and there in the living room were for Maya. She had thought it was an excessively cute design choice, but she never knew it had such a secret purpose.

“Watz suddenly said yesterday that Maya would be coming soon. I didn’t think it would really happen.”

Claude sniffled and pressed his cheek against Maya’s front paw. With a soft thud, his face turned, and Sebelia flinched in surprise.

“Hehe, Maya. You’re healthy.”

It was a relief. He didn’t seem angry. No, he seemed happy. Sebelia felt an inexplicable chill. Claude noticed her awkward reaction and cleared his throat.

“Hmm, sorry. But it seems Maya likes Bella.”

“Is that so?”

Sebelia tilted her head, looking at the gray fur ball that was already snuggling against her side. Why does it keep making strange noises? Sebelia looked down at Maya, who was trembling, with concern.

“You said you met her in the garden?”

“Ah, yes.”

As Sebelia readily answered, Claude smiled, narrowing his eyes. It was a smile as if he had caught her doing something.

“I’m pretty sure Watz told you not to go out to the garden.”

Sebelia’s lips pressed together. Instead of protesting, she chose silence. Swish, swish, Maya’s fur had a fascinating texture. Claude chuckled softly as he watched her feign ignorance.

“Okay. It’s stuffy to stay at home.”

Claude knew that Bella was Sebelia. He belatedly looked up what kind of life she had lived and learned that she had lived a life close to confinement in Hillend Hall.

So, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. Even though they didn’t know each other’s existence, they were still tied together as a family.

“If you’re with Maya, you can take a walk to the lake.”

“Really?”

Sebelia’s face brightened at Claude’s words. It was the first time she had shown her emotions to this extent, so he was a little surprised.

‘It must have been hard for her to be confined like that.’

Even if it wasn’t a trauma, she was someone who had been deprived of her freedom at one time. Even though it was done for treatment purposes, it must have been a difficult time for her.

Claude looked at Maya and confirmed.

“Yes, even if it’s someone else, there’s no worry of getting lost if you go with Maya. Even if you collapse, she’ll come to tell me right away.”

“She must be a smart cat.”

Sebelia scratched Maya’s chin and said. Claude nodded like a parent bragging about their child.

“She’s a Cath Sith [a fairy creature from Celtic mythology, often depicted as a black cat with a white spot on its chest].”

‘Cath Sith?’

Cath Sith were known as spirits in the form of cats, usually living in deep forests. They had a long lifespan and the intelligence of a child, and there was a legend that some Cath Sith occasionally took on human form.

‘Wow, I never thought I’d meet one in person.’

As expected, it was Supredi, once called the City of God. She thought of the sanctuary not far away. Surely, there must still be undiscovered mysteries here.

“I see, Maya. You were a Cath Sith.”

Sebelia lowered her head and met Maya’s eyes. Jewel-like, clear green eyes stared at her intently.

“I knew you weren’t just an ordinary cat.”

She broke the cat treats she received from Claude into small pieces and gave them to Maya. It was a celebration of Maya’s return and a reward for freeing her.

‘Now I can go to the forest and practice making illusions without interference.’

It was reassuring in many ways that Maya, of all beings, would be by her side.

* * *

While the two were talking, Dihart, who was chopping firewood in the backyard, opened the door and was shocked.

“This damn cat… Ugh!”

Before he could finish speaking, Maya bravely jumped up and struck Dihart’s chin. Dihart was so dumbfounded that he stared blankly at the gray fur ball disappearing down the hallway.

‘Did I just get hit by a cat?’

His golden eyes shook. It was a reality he wanted to deny, but his tingling chin was telling the truth: You just got punched by a cat.

“Huh!”

Dihart cooled his rising anger and entered the living room. And he heard the news that Sebelia would be going for a walk with Maya. It was like a bolt from the blue.

“Are you kidding me?”

“Of course not.”

Sebelia smiled brightly and replied. The fur ball that had crept in was already occupying her side. Claude was making desperate attempts to get the fur ball’s attention, making baby noises.

“She’s a Cath Sith. I knew she was no ordinary cat.”

Sebelia slowly stroked Maya’s back as she hissed at Dihart. Dihart groaned and slumped down on the opposite side.

* * *

The day Claude was to go down to the village behind the mountain arrived. Dihart urged him once again.

“He’s a strange guy, so there’s no need to get involved with him for too long. Just say what you need to say and come back.”

“I know.”

“And if the Supredi Baron has moved himself, tell him to hold off for a while because I’ll be sending a separate letter soon.”

“I remember it properly, so I wish you’d stop. This is the fifth time already.”

Dihart clicked his tongue and said with his arms crossed.

“I can’t help it. I can’t go down myself, so I have to entrust everything to you. Do you know how nerve-wracking that is?”

“It’s less nerve-wracking than leaving the house to you, who can’t even do laundry properly.”

Claude laughed at him and left. He could feel a piercing gaze stabbing him in the back, but he lightly ignored it.

Claude, carrying a bag and sacks with lightweight magic, left the front door. Sebelia, who was returning from a walk with Maya, ran into him. She approached him with quick steps.

“Are you going down now? I thought you were going in two days.”

“Things have turned out that way. Something urgent has come up.”

Watz hadn’t sent the paper he was supposed to send by this week, and Claude sighed heavily. Sebelia comforted him at the sight of his deep exhaustion.

“Then you’ll be back next week.”

“That’s right. Twice a week is too much for me. I used to be okay, but now I’m old, so it’s hard.”

Claude smiled kindly and then asked, his eyes widening as if he had thought of something.

“By the way, tell me if you need anything.”

“Hmm…. I heard there are stones with warming magic. They’re used to warm the bed. It’s so cold at night that I think I need some.”

Claude nodded and engraved Sebelia’s request in his mind. Certainly, the night air had become colder these days. It was cold enough to see your breath when passing through the hallway at dawn.

“Is there anything else you need besides that?”

“No, that’s all. If possible, please get about five of them.”

She must be very sensitive to the cold. Well, she wasn’t from the north. Claude looked at his niece-in-law, who was no longer family, with pitiful eyes. How could she have endured in Hillend Hall with such a fragile body?

‘No, she couldn’t have endured it, so she ran away.’

His heart sank heavily. If he hadn’t made that foolish decision that day, his brother and his wife wouldn’t have died, and Dihart wouldn’t have had such a terrible experience.

‘Then so much would have changed.’

Whenever Claude thought that the painful memories of his childhood had made Dihart who he was today, he twisted his body with deep guilt. Especially whenever he saw him acting like an innocent young man in front of Sebelia, his guilt deepened.

‘Isn’t that what you were supposed to be?’

If the whole family had returned home happily that day without anything happening, if you had grown up without worries under the protection of your parents, wouldn’t you have smiled like that and been with Sebelia when you grew up?

“Haa…….”

But all these assumptions were useless. Claude smiled softly at Sebelia, who was holding Maya in her arms and looking up at him.

“I’ll be back.”

“Yes, be careful.”

Sebelia grabbed Maya’s front paw and waved it at Claude. Behind them, Dihart was standing with his arms crossed, looking displeased.

Yes, this was the best reality they could have. So, he shouldn’t waste his energy on futile assumptions. Claude adjusted his backpack and stepped into the deep forest.