After I Died, My Husband Went Mad

These […] are for flashbacks.

Sebelia was just about to finish her letter when Flora stormed into the room.

Without any warning, the red-haired girl flung the door open, calling, “Hey, Weddon woman!” before boldly approaching and snatching the letter from Sebelia’s hands.

“……The butler was right.”

There was an unmistakable anger in her soft voice.

She quickly read the letter before moving to the next page with a rough gesture, then, unable to hold herself back any longer, she burst out in anger.

“What kind of mischief are you up to this time…Hah!”  she exclaimed as her eyes were continuously bombarded with unbelievable sentences.

‘Please, grant me access to the vault in order to manage the private assets I brought in as my dowry?’

“I truly can’t believe this,” Flora mumbled in disbelief.

Sebelia, on the hand, previously caught off guard by the sudden intrusion, had already regained her composure.

“Flora, what is the meaning of this?” She asked sternly.

In response, Flora waved the letter in her face, taunting her,

“Oh, Sebelia. Our precious spy, sent by the central nobles. Is that how you plan to squander our money this time?”

“Enough! Hand me the letter.”

“Oh my, are you feeling guilty now? Or are you afraid my brother might scold like last time when you pretended to be rescuing refugees?”

At Flora’s words, Sebelia’s complexion immediately turned pale.

 What Flora just mentioned was the second thing that sparked DeHart’s unease against her, following the incident where she was accused of being the central nobles’ spy.

“I . . .”

Memories she didn’t want to recall forcibly resurfaced.

 And Sebelia’s lips turned blue.

Like other noblewomen in the past, she had tried to help people affected by disasters. She thought that helping those in distress here, could improve the North’s and Dehart’s reputation; she thought that maybe it would also make him look at her favorably again……

She believed so because Flora’s mother, Gwen, had convinced her.

[I don’t believe that you are a spy. How could a delicate child like you do such a thing.]

[I know it’s hard, but you must stand by his side. When he finds out what you’ve done for him, he’ll realize your true feelings.]

Gwen had spoken those words with reddened eyes, while holding Sebelia’s hands and giving her courage.

[You are the only one who can do this.] she added.

Ah, how deeply moved Sebelia’s past self had been by those words.

How much she had wanted to cry knowing that Gwen, who was like a mother to Dehart, believed in her innocence.

[Thank you for believing in me……] Sebelia had fervently answered then.

Disdain and resentment.

Wherever she turned, Sebelia had only received disdain and resentment.

So, she all too easily accepted Gwen’s advice, and that’s how the incident happened.

[Don’t ever do such a thing! Do you understand?] Dehart spat out when he realized what she was up to, while trying to suppress his anger before walking away.

With a cold expression, and a voice sharpened with thorns, he had pushed her away.

In that moment, Sebelia realized that the dreadful day from her past was repeating itself.

Once again, she had foolishly allowed herself to be manipulated and betrayed.

 [I, again…I….]

Leaving her broken inside, Gwen cleverly evaded any responsibility regarding the matter.

[Sweetheart, it seems like you acted too impulsively. You should have been more patient. Didn’t they teach you that in Weddon?]

Ah, in the end, it was all because her own pathetic state.

As a result, Sebelia was stripped of her formal duties as a Duchess. Even the right to access the underground vault containing her dowry was also taken away from her.

Rip!

When Sebelia finally came back to her senses, she saw that the letter had been torn in half by Flora.

“Please, stop causing more trouble for Inverness.”

“…….”

“Have you forgotten that you just staying still helps? Listen to my big brother,” Flora said with a fake pleading voice, tearing the paper a few more times.

In an instant, the letter, shredded into pieces, fell on to the floor like dust.

Just like her heart had shattered into pieces in front of Dehart.

“My brother probably warned you not to do anything. I guess he must have anticipated this satiation,” Flora said in a singing-like tone, waving her hand gently.

Deep down, she secretly wished that Sebelia would fall into despair again, just like her own mother had made her.

But this time, however, was going to be different.

Sebelia’s blue eyes did lose their shine, nor did they become overwhelmed with sadness.

Instead, she stared at Flora’s white wrist with eyes as dry, and indifferent as a barren desert where wind never blew.

 To be exact, Sebelia was looking at the bracelet adorning Flora’s wrist.

That’s……could it be.

Ignoring Flora’s mocking words, Sebelia blinked, dumbfounded.

She couldn’t believe it.

But no matter how many times she looked, what she saw was real.

This is one of the items I brought with me when I got married; she said to herself, her blue eyes turning frosty.

 Flora had stolen her dowry.

* * *

Dehart’s mind was in turmoil.

Standing up from his seat, he threw the window wide open, allowing the sea breeze from the harbor to come in and sweep through the oval office.

Then, a small noise came from behind him.

“…….”

Turning his head, he found a golden-feathered bird flapping its wings inside a cage.

It was the bird he had impulsively bought while strolling through the market not too long ago.

[Are you going to give it as a gift?]

[No, I’m going to put it in the greenhouse.]

Recalling his conversation with Ryan, Dehart ran his fingers through his hair.

Right now, there were so many other things to worry about besides that bird.

Yes, things like the tail suddenly dying, or the telegram he had just received from the butler.

“Hah…….”

The turmoil in his stomach started to act up again as soon as he remembered the butler’s words.

 [The lady is acting strangely.]

The servant had hurriedly sent a telegram, saying that he was worried that Sebelia might be spying again. He also swore to ensure she never enter the underground vault.

However, Dehart was convinced Sebelia would not dare to do so.

There’s no way she would do that; He said inwardly.

With a sigh, he leaned against the window.

He ousted everyone from Sebelia’s side and took away her authority as the Duchess. Although he had to leave the woman, who had been her nanny, stay.

“Hold on,” he suddenly muttered.

Blinking silently in the cold sea breeze, Dehart straightened his posture as doubt flashed in his head.

Veins bulged on the back of his hand as he clutched the window frame tightly.

Yes, she would never betray me voluntarily, but……. His thoughts trailed off.

What if someone deceived and influenced her? Especially that sweet nanny of hers; someone capable of swaying her emotions and leading her astray.

“That’s a bit far fetch,” he admitted.

Until Sebelia’s image, from the last time he saw her before leaving, flashed vividly in his mind.

The way she didn’t cling to him or try to hold him back.

The distant smile in her eyes.

In that specific moment, the butler’s telegram and her figure overlapped, giving rise to a new suspicion.

“Are you trying to abandon me completely, even going as far as breaking your last promise?”

Sebelia, who had never needed separate living expenses suddenly asks for a dowry?

“It’s clear something serious happened. Could it be the men she had been meeting are from the central nobles’ faction?

The seeds of doubt that Rash had planted were quietly taking root in his heart.

Given that she already betrayed him once in the past, it was a plausible scenario.

And Dehart’s agonizing wounds were too easily reopened by those unsettling thoughts.

Sebelia, not again.

Unconsciously, Dehart bit hard on his rosy lips, tearing them apart until droplets of blood dripped down.

And sweeping through the room, the wind carried the bloody smell away.

“If that’s the case, I won’t stand idly by. There will be no forgiveness this time.”

Dehart clenched his teeth as he gripped the window frame as if to crush it. His eyes gleamed brightly in the darkness.

“How dare you……” he growled.

Coldness and distrust.

 His attitude towards Sebelia could be summed up with these two words. However, it was she who brought it upon herself. The punishment she received for her betrayal was a burden she had to bear.

“You wouldn’t dare.” Dehart muttered, as if casting a spell.

She had to stay by his side for the rest of her life.

Even if she didn’t love him, she wasn’t allowed to leave.

That was her duty.

As long as he could still remember the bitter betrayal and feel those indelible wounds.

As the one who pretended to be kind, the one who spoke of love, and deceived him, she deserved to endure this.

[will there ever be a day when we fall asleep together like an ordinary couple?]

Dehart recalled how she used to whisper such things to him before her schemes were discovered.

[I’m sorry. I didn’t expect you to be here.]

And until recently she had shown interest in various aspect of Inverness, but she quickly started to act submissive.

She started acting politely, almost as if she understood her situation, paying close attention to my every move.

[If you don’t mind…, may I stay here until I finish reading the book?] she once whispered softly, watching me closely.

That delicate face that hovered cautiously around me, unable to run away or come closer.

Every time DeHart thought of her, it felt like a fire was burning in his chest, accompanied by a strange sense of satisfaction.

“You must continue to fear and love me. Atone for your betrayal by my side for the rest of your life.” Dehart said out loud.

Keep feeling guilty about what you’ve done to me, about that false love you so easily spoke of.

“That’s the punishment you deserve,” he softly murmured, caressing the cross necklace hidden under his clothes like he always did.

However, his throbbing heart did not calm down.

He needed to run back to the mansion.

He had to go back and check.

The unforgettable look on her face as she left the greenhouse, and those eyes that felt so distant simply refused to leave his mind.

That sad and resigned face, as if she was saying goodbye to him…….

In that moment, a piercing pain, as if a cold hand was squeezing it mercilessly, gripped Dehart’s heart.

And after struggling for a while, he finally conceded with a pale face, “I need to go back with a small group of people.”

He really didn’t want to admit it, and damnit, he was furious with himself, but he had to see Sebelia with his own eyes.

Only then would this turbulent heart of his be at peace.