After I Died, My Husband Went Mad

It was the day of a grand and magnificent funeral.

The weather was gloomy as an elegant dirge echoed along with the raindrops.

It was truly a fitting day to mock the death of the Duchess who had betrayed her husband.

Finally, the priest stepped forward to recite the last prayer.

Bang!

However, at that moment, there was a loud noise as the front door of the funeral hall was smashed open.

“Oh my God!”

“Who is it?”

The one responsible for the commotion was none other than Dehart Inverness, the deceased’s husband, and the leader of the northern nobles. With urgent steps, he approached the coffin while everyone else just watched him in disbelief and amazement.

“Didn’t they say he couldn’t come?”

“What is he doing here…”

But the whispers spreading through the hall soon evaporated when they saw Dehart stare at the coffin with a pale, horrified face.

“…This can’t be true.” His choked voice mingled with the cold air as his pupils shook.

“There’s no way this is real. You, really….”

Dehart covered his face with his hands.  He had no choice but to admit the reality he had been denying on his way here.

The wife he had loved and hated at the same time was dead.

Sebelia.

Leaving him alone in this world, his wife lay in the coffin with a peaceful face. Before he knew it, he found himself kneeling in front of the coffin.

 No. I can’t let you go like this.

Only now did he realize that she was always there for him. But what use was this, when Sebelia had already left his side. She died in this empty house without him. She died alone, and in pain.

“No, Sebelia. No, please…….”

He wasn’t even given the chance to ask for her forgiveness.

And now, belated regret was crushing him.

 

 * * *

A few days earlier….

Inside the Inverness mansion, more specifically the Hylend Hall, the chirping of birds replaced the ominous funeral song.

And there, Sebelia stood quietly, guarding the front door of a greenhouse.

This mansion is like a dense spiderweb; she thought to herself.

For some time now, Sebelia had felt that way about this house. It held her tightly like a spiderweb, slowly eating at her from the inside out.

“It seems you’ve taken the wrong path.” Just then, the butler’s blunt voice interrupted her thoughts.

 “If you run into his Excellency like this, he would certainly be annoyed. It’s best if you turn back now.”

 The butler, wearing a monocle, spoke while glancing at his watch. It was a gesture that seemed to say, ‘Hurry up and leave.’

It was indeed an impudent attitude to have towards a Duchess. Even if she were to raise her voice, he would display an attitude of having nothing to say.

However, Sebelia knew.

 She knew she couldn’t do that, and the one who made her unable to was none other than her husband who was leisurely spending his time in the greenhouse.

All this time, she persevered as if those kinds of treatments were normal since Dehart was forced to marry an illegitimate child he had never seen before. It was a marriage agreement his father arbitrarily decided on, hoping for harmony with his political enemy.

Considering their families mutual animosity for one another, she knew it was foolish to expect good feelings between them, and that she should be glad they didn’t openly hate each other.

But…….

 I still wanted to love you.

I wanted to love, and I wanted to be loved.

That’s why she tried so hard to make things work, but to Dehart, It must have looked like a trap.

One meant to betray him.

With a bitter smile, Sebelia sighed and straightened her clothes.

But this ends today.

“Why haven’t you left yet”

The butler frowned, seemingly displeased as he reprimanded her.

But Sebelia ignored him and put her hand on the doorknob herself.

“Madam, this goes against proper etiquette.” The butler exclaimed, trying to lecture her as he always did.

 “So what?”

However, unlike usual, Sebelia talked back this time. “Are you, of all people, going to teach me about good manners?”

 “Madam!” Taken aback by the unexpected answer, the butler glared at her with anger, and as their gazes met, he realized that her eyes were cold and empty like those of a corpse.

What, what is it? He thought as he gulped nervously without realizing it.

 Sebelia brushed past him with a nonchalant gaze before going through the door.

“Today, I’d like to join my husband’s noble hobby.”

Then, scanning the butler’s face up and down one last time, she sarcastically said

“You don’t have to wait for me to come out. That will be all.”

With those final words, she slammed the door shut.

* * *

“Ahhh….”

The sweet, heavy air inside the greenhouse drew her into silence as soon as she stepped in. And as she slowly walked into the place, she gazed at her husband surrounded by rose bushes.

He was a sculptural man with dark hair and cold golden eyes.

“I don’t remember inviting you in.”

Snap!

The scissors in his hands clanged against each other with a sharp sound. His dark golden eyes stared heavily at her and darkened as if they had been swallowed by shadows, leaving them intense and foreboding.

“Sebelia.” The man added.

His delicately shaped lips curved as they called out her name but the smile hanging at the corner of his lips wasn’t one of warmth, but indifference.

He was Dehart, the accursed lord of Inverness.

And the husband who hates and always pushes me away.

Sebelia stared at him as if he was someone she would never see again after today.

“If you need a place to relax, there are plenty of other places besides here….” He remarked, his chilly voice brushing against her ears like a well-sharpened blade, making her shoulders tremble.

“I don’t understand why you’re here,” he continued.

When she finally came to her senses, Sebelia found Dehart staring at her with the same nonchalant and cold face he had always shown her.

“You will need to explain yourself.”

His tone was neutral, but the daunting pressure beneath it was pushing her to quickly state her business.

 So, Sebelia took a deep breath, and said, “I’m here because I have something to say.”

As her words mingled with her calm breath, the man lowered his eyelids. He seemed to ponder about it for a moment before tossing his scissors on the table, making a loud bang echo throughout the place.

“I hope it’s worth you wasting my time.” Dehart complained, taking his gloves off and glaring relentlessly at Sebelia.

“Go ahead, speak.” He ordered, running his fingers through his hair in an arrogant manner.

Then, his eyes scanned Sebelia once more before more twisted words came out.

“Don’t force yourself like last time.”

At the familiar warning, a smile broke on Sebelia’s lips. It wasn’t her usual sad and defeated smile; it was a smile that genuinely found the situation amusing.

Upon seeing this, Dehart’s eyes widened then shrank for a quick second, leaving an unknown light in them.

Something feels weird, he thought to himself as a feeling of discomfort grazed the back of his neck.

Usually when he pushed her away, she would get embarrassed, but would cling to him until the end. That was the Sebelia he was used to.

But today was slightly different. With a subtle smile on her face, she was looking at him with a certain sense of distance.

Dehart wiped his disturbed expression off and turned his head. For some reason discomfort was coursing through his whole body. No, maybe it was something other than discomfort.

But that feeling only lasted for a moment.

And as always, he decided to hurt her with his harsh words and actions,

“Are you here to extract information from me for your family? I mean, if that’s not the case, then there is no reason for you to come find me here.”

His expression was still indifferent, but the words that came out of his mouth were crueler than before.

If it were in the past, I would have pleaded with all my might that it wasn’t the case.

But now Sebelia knew he would never believe her.

This had happened so many times already.

She swallowed a tired sigh thinking that luckily, her heart had already become too hardened to shed even a single drop of blood because of him.

In fact, this must be the reason she was slowly dying.

Shaking her head to clear her mind, Sebelia decided to get down to business, “Actually, I’m here to ask if I can leave a day late.”

“This is unbelievable, are you serious?” Dehart laughed, dumbfounded.

“I guess leaving late this time will somehow benefit your father.”

He mocked, carelessly fiddling with a pile of roses on the table before a thorny stem sharply pricked his finger.

“I didn’t mean it that way,” Sebelia answered sweetly.

If it had been before, she would have given up on the conversation at this point. But today, she went all out with a newly found calmness.

“Tomorrow will be our wedding anniversary.”

“…….”

“You probably didn’t remember. It’s okay, I’m not trying to blame you. I just want us to spend it together this one time. There’s something I really want to tell y…” she tried to explain, but her words were mercilessly cut short by Dehart.

 “Was our wedding worth celebrating?”

His expression was hostile.

 “…….”

“Oh, but I guess it is for you.”

A lightning-like flash appeared in his eyes as blood dripped from his clenched fingers holding the bundle of roses.

“You might have grown up beautifully, but a mere illegitimate marquis daughter like you doesn’t have many chances to marry a Duke,” he reminded Sebelia while staring directly at her.

Feeling like she was talking to an unwavering and heartless wall, Sebelia grew silent.

You haven’t changed at all.

From the very beginning, there was no mutual consent regarding this marriage. Dehart was bound by a treaty arbitrarily signed by the previous Duke, and Sebelia was forced to take Nelia’s place, her sister who didn’t want to be with the murderous duke.

It was a union devoid of love or understanding, and naturally, Dehart saw her as a thorn in his side.

[I’m lenient towards people who know their place.]

Those were the first words Sebelia heard from the man she fell in love at first sight with.

[And I’d like to believe you’re that kind of person.]

[…….]

[I hope you won’t disappoint my expectations, madam.]

And Sebelia, who had been thinking marrying him was a good thing, was ultimately shocked. Nonetheless, she didn’t give up. Even though this was an arranged marriage, she believed that if she tried hard enough, their relationship would improve.

But such a fairy-tale ending did not exist.

It was a beginning with a predefinite end.

Dehart was a man who had no intention of loving her, but she foolishly longed for his love, wanting to be cherished by him.

As a bitter smile crossed the corners of her mouth, Sebelia asked in a clear voice, “I’ve always wanted to ask you something.”

“I’m surprised you still have more to say. It’s truly amazing.”

“Would you have acted the same way if It was Nelia?”

Dehart frowned at the name that popped up out of nowhere.

Nelia Weddon was Sebelia’s half-sister, and the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Weddon, the bride Inverness wanted.

“If I was my sister, would you have spent the wedding anniversary together?” Sebelia asked, calmly brushing her pale golden hair as if she already knew the answer.

And her guess wasn’t wrong.

“No.” His voice, as cold as the northern wind, only spat out the cruelest truth.

“I don’t ever want to come in contact with Weddon’s bloodline if I can avoid it.

At his words, Sebelia felt her face contort strangely.

She looked as if she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

And Dehart’ s complexion turned pale when he saw this.

However, Sebelia, too distracted by her rampant emotions, failed to notice the fact.

She took a deep breath, repeatedly closing and opening her hazy eyes.

Thank Goodness. I’m not the only one you hate.

When those words came out of his mouth, declaring that he hated every single Weddon……. It felt strangely liberating.

Was it because she was about to die?

It was the first time she felt such a strange emotion.

“Is there anything else you wish to say?”

Smiling at the man who was frowning at her, Sebelia replied, “I’m sorry I wasted your time over something so trivial.”

Then, she immediately walked straight out of the greenhouse and returned to her room without giving a single glance to the butler who was looking at her with a strange expression.

She entered a cold and secluded room where sunlight barely reached, and with quick steps, she locked the door before pressing her hand over her mouth as if she had been dying to do so.

“Ack….”

In that prison-like place, she wiped the blood dripping from her lips.

[You have six months at most.]

The words of the doctor who had secretly examined her rang in her ears as she recalled Dehart’s unchanged behavior until the very end.

“That’s a relief. You will remain the same, even if I die,” Sebelia said out loud before pulling out the bag under her bed with a peaceful expression.