After I Died, My Husband Went Mad - Chapter 177

The thought of ‘I’ll snap your spine in half’ made Eli’s face turn pale. Soon, the door closed silently.

“…Understood.”

Eli bowed his head toward the firmly closed door and turned away. His footsteps down the hallway seemed incredibly lonely.

“Sigh.”

What should I even write to Ryan?

Eli furrowed his brow as he descended the stairs. However, not a single person was in sight on this floor. He casually turned his head to glance out the window.

As instructed, all the servants had gathered on the first floor.

“What’s the big deal about being loyal to our master? We’re servants of Baron Suffredi, after all. So, serving Lady Lycia is just our duty…”

“Duty, you say? Is that the same duty that endangers the Duke’s safety?”

“Endanger? No, it’s our lady who’s been hurt!”

In truth, Dehart didn’t need to issue orders to keep people from passing through the third floor.

After considering the possibility that Dehart might be in Bella’s room, Eli had gathered the servants on the first floor earlier. The excuse was to investigate those who had sold the Duke’s schedule to Lady Lycia, but the real reason was to keep Dehart’s visit to Bella’s room at dawn a secret.

After treating Lady Lycia like that, I must prevent any scandals from arising.

That was something not only for Dehart, but for Bella, a commoner. After all, there would never be any real connection between her and the prestigious Duke Inverness’s family.

* * *

When Dehart returned after closing the door, he slowly took a step forward. Fortunately, the old carpet covering the entire room cushioned his heavy footsteps.

As he quietly approached the bed, Sebelia, who had been breathing steadily, suddenly fluttered her eyelids. When their gazes met by accident, Dehart felt like his heart was crashing down.

“…”

Her blue eyes, still half-closed as if she hadn’t fully woken up, stared at him. Seeing his twisted reflection in her beautiful eyes, Dehart clenched his fists.

It felt like all the blood in his body drained to his fingertips. At the same time, his heart seemed to stick to his eardrums, trembling uncontrollably. It was an unfamiliar, frightening feeling.

Nervously, Dehart kneeled beside the bed.

With his hands clasped together and placed on the bed, he stared at Sebelia.

In this vulnerable morning, in the warm air filled with sunlight, facing the one who held his life and death in their hands was beyond words.

However, before Dehart could speak again, his stiff lips parting to apologize, Sebelia smiled softly and spoke first.

“Hello.”

“…”

“Your eyes are swollen.”

Without hesitation, her fingers gently brushed under his eyes. It was then that Dehart realized his eyes had become swollen from the tears he’d shed all through the night.

“Is that so? Sorry. I must look awful. I wasn’t in my right mind, and you had to see this.”

Habitually apologizing, Dehart tried to cover his eyes with his hand. Sebelia stared at him for a moment, then slowly got up. Dehart followed suit and stood as well.

“I’ll use the bathroom.”

Dehart felt a rush of shame rise up his neck. Only now did he realize how dreadful he must look. As he backed away with his face still covered, Sebelia blinked in surprise.

She spoke as she watched him retreat, leaning against the wall.

“Dehart.”

“Uh, yeah?”

Like a well-behaved child, his body froze in place. He stood awkwardly, one hand against the wall and the other still covering his face. Sebelia sighed and pulled the blanket aside.

“Sit on the couch.”

It had only been a few hours since he’d cried until he passed out. On top of that, he’d only managed to get a few hours of sleep on the thin carpet, so his body was in no condition to function properly.

Sebelia guided him to the couch, treating him like a patient on the verge of collapse. Even then, Dehart still hadn’t removed his hand from his face.

“Take your hand down.”

“…”

“You need to wipe your face.”

Sebelia sat beside him after bringing a wet towel from the bathroom. But Dehart stubbornly refused. Instead, he extended his free hand awkwardly, trying to snatch the towel away.

Sebelia let out a deep sigh at his persistence, even in such a state. Dehart’s shoulders hunched up high.

“S-sorry.”

He muttered, biting his lip, then lowered his hand from his face.

“Sigh.”

Sebelia sighed again and looked at him with unreadable eyes. Up close, his face looked even worse than she expected. She pressed the cold towel to his swollen eyes and spoke gently.

“Calm down. Let’s go downstairs and have something to eat. We’ll finish the work we’ve missed… and then we can talk.”

“Talk… about what?”

Dehart barely managed to move his dry lips to ask. His eyes were shaken uncontrollably through his swollen lids. Sebelia answered in a soft voice.

“We’ll talk about how to resolve our bad history.”