After I Died, My Husband Went Mad [EN]: Chapter 97

People favor sensational stories, even if they’re far-fetched, over mundane and boring ones. No matter how hard a fact is to accept, they can’t help but glance at it.

And if it’s plausible, they can’t help but wonder if it might be true. Just like Ilay right now.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

After reading the letter from Ryan, Ilay was unbearably tormented. What he couldn’t bear was the urge to rush to Sebelia and confirm the truth.

‘Could it be real? If it is, how on earth did they find a corpse that looks exactly the same?’

“Gasp, could it be…?”

“Ilay, stop muttering to yourself and focus! How many times is this?”

“Ah, sorry.”

Ilay apologized to his fellow knight and untied the knot he had tied incorrectly. They were packing to leave Supredi under Diheart’s orders.

“I’m going insane.”

Ilay groaned and frowned. He knew he wasn’t in good shape right now. He was sure that if he lost his mind even for a moment, he would rush to Sebelia and ask, ‘Are you perhaps the late Duchess?’

‘And the Duke would chop my head off in one swift blow.’

Ugh, Ilay was shuddering when a knight approached and tapped him on the back.

“Ack!”

The knight, startled by Ilay’s violent reaction, told him that the Duke was calling for him. Ilay, unable to control his trembling heart, rushed to the office.

Knock, knock. With trembling hands, he somehow managed to knock and open the door. There stood not only Diheart but also Sebelia, Wetz, and Claude. Ilay’s eyes widened at the unexpected combination.

Not knowing what was going on, Ilay turned his gaze, and Diheart asked abruptly,

“Is the preparation finished?”

“Yes, all the knights have packed. We’ve packed enough food, as we can resupply along the way.”

Ilay, barely regaining his composure, answered quickly.

The road to the North was long and arduous. Rather than filling up with food in advance, it was wiser to stop at large cities along the way to resupply food and necessary items.

Sebelia came into Ilay’s sight as he thought that far. He suddenly exclaimed as if he had realized something.

“Ah, now that I think about it, I didn’t account for the physicians joining us. I’ll make sure to pack plenty of easy-to-eat foods.”

If they couldn’t stop by a city in the middle, they would inevitably have to camp out. But there was no way the Duchess could endure that properly. Ilay was sweating profusely as he made excuses, but Diheart said something unexpected.

“There’s no need for that. The plan has been changed. Pack food roughly. Go down and tell the knights. We’re going to the Central, not the North.”

“…Pardon?”

What did he say? Ilay almost asked back without realizing it, but he barely swallowed the words. Central? What on earth was he talking about? Ilay opened his mouth with a calmer face than before.

“I apologize for saying this, Your Grace. But Hiland Hall is in an unprecedented state of chaos right now. Marquis Lims dared to trample the mansion with force…”

“If you know it’s presumptuous, don’t bring it up. And do you think I’m doing this because I don’t know that?”

Diheart spat out sharply and glared at Ilay.

“Get out. Departure is in an hour.”

“Yes? It’s not even dawn yet. We’re not some petty thieves, do we have a reason to slip out of Supredi in the dead of night?”

This time, he couldn’t hide his question and blurted it out. It was too late when he realized it. Ilay belatedly covered his mouth, but Diheart had already heard his words clearly.

Fortunately, it was Sebelia who stopped him from kicking Ilay’s thigh.

“Calm down a bit, Diheart. And there must be a reason, so don’t think too badly of it, Sir Ilay.”

“Ah. I was presumptuous. I’m sorry.”

Ilay quickly bowed his head. An intense premonition ran down his spine. Yes, she was too bold with Diheart and himself for a commoner.

‘Could she really be the Duchess?’

If that were the case, the question remained of who the corpse in the coffin at the funeral was. But even that question was quickly resolved. Hadn’t he seen the fake Sebelia jumping from the balcony of the inn himself!

Ilay, clenching his fist tightly, bowed deeply.

“I will do my best to leave Supredi within an hour.”

Ilay, having finished speaking with sincerity, left the office faster than the wind. After he left, a brief silence flowed, and Sebelia opened her mouth.

“You really don’t have to do this.”

“Although your illness is almost completely cured, you are still weaker than ordinary people in many ways. Besides, what kind of teacher sends a student who doesn’t know how to handle their powers properly alone into such danger?”

Claude shook his head as if he was dumbfounded. Just a few minutes ago, he had almost screamed on the spot at Sebelia’s words, who had honestly told him about her situation as a farewell.

“I’m really okay. I’m not going alone either…”

Sebelia glanced at Diheart as she spoke. But Claude was firm. He swallowed a dry breath and said.

“Bella, really… Ha, you’re still incredibly naive. No one is relieved and sends you off when they hear you’re leaving to take revenge.”

“…”

“Still, it’s a relief in a way. How could I send such a naive person alone with Diheart? Isn’t that right, Wetz?”

Wetz was referring to the task of finding Sebelia’s mother’s family, who lived somewhere in Lockwood. Sebelia bit her lip weakly at the accurate point he had made.

‘I didn’t intend to make things this big.’

Her heart felt heavy at the thought that they might be doing things they didn’t have to do because of her circumstances and might be swept up in things they didn’t have to experience. Diheart, seeing her face shadowed, swallowed his breath.

“Bella, don’t worry too much.”

He knelt down on one knee in front of Sebelia as if it were a habit and placed his hand over hers, speaking in a gentle voice.

“If things get complicated, I’ll step in and kick them out to the research lab, so you just focus on getting revenge.”

“Look at what that bastard is saying. Hey, are you saying that knowing that Bella’s citizen registration is impossible without me?”

Claude groaned, clutching the back of his neck. Diheart stubbornly ignored him, even though he could see it all.

“I wouldn’t have even thought of taking you if that weren’t the case.”

Diheart retorted, grinding his teeth. When Claude first insisted on going to the Central with him, Diheart refused outright. Then Claude took out a very sweet bait as if he had been waiting for it.

[Even though I can offset Silas’s nonsense?]

Claude’s bait was really powerful. It was to introduce Sebelia as ‘Karl Apentz’s niece’ and shake off Silas’s dirty tricks.

Claude spread his arms with a triumphant attitude and said to Sebelia as if telling her to hug him.

“Bella, no. Bella, our niece. Uncle can never allow such a heinous guy. So leave that dark guy alone and come here.”

“I’ve been keeping a dog as a family member, not a person. Your barking skills are excellent.”

Diheart growled, but he couldn’t utter any harsher words than that. It was because he knew that Claude’s plan was plausible.

If Sebelia was registered in Karl Apentz’s family register, she could be legally protected. Of course, Silas might try to invalidate it by finding all sorts of faults, but it was still helpful.

Wetz, who had been watching the Inverness family as if watching a scene from a play, glanced at the clock on the wall. He rose from his seat with an indifferent face.

“I think things have been sorted out to some extent, so I’ll get up first. I haven’t packed my things yet, even if the others have.”

“Ah, now that I think about it, I have something to pack too.”

Claude, who had gotten up following Wetz, gestured to Sebelia before leaving the office. Sebelia left Diheart, who was clinging to her like a whimpering puppy, and moved to the door.

As Sebelia came closer, Claude smiled and whispered softly in her ear.

“Allos is back.”

“…!”

“So you can stop calling out the Bluebird now, Bella. You don’t have to be conscious of me.”

Claude, who couldn’t say anything and only breathed, gently patted Sebelia’s head and left the office. Sebelia stood blankly for a while before finally turning her body.

‘He knew.’

Sebelia was feeling a sense of debt because of what happened in the canyon. Unlike the Bluebird, who was unharmed, Allos was shattered. It was as if she was blaming her incompetent self, so Sebelia sent the Bluebird back after returning to the mansion and never called it again.

Claude, who noticed that, didn’t bother to tell Sebelia that she didn’t have to do that. Instead, he waited until Allos returned safely and then told her the news.

That she didn’t have to be so tormented. That no one blamed her, that Allos’s reverse summoning was not her responsibility.

“What did Claude say?”

Sebelia, looking up at Diheart, who was already standing in front of her with a worried face, almost smiled without realizing it.

Regaining her senses, Sebelia shook her head lightly and said.

“It was nothing much.”

Clenching her hands, Sebelia whispered. A blue light sprouted between her interlaced fingers.