After I Died, My Husband Went Mad - Chapter 184

“What kind of disgusting act is this…!”

When Ryan finally found Silas, he had already dug up Sebelia’s grave. The mounds of dirt were now occupying the place where Dehart would eventually be buried.

“There’s no need to hear any excuses. Silas Wheddon, I’m arresting you here and now.”

Ryan dropped the formal address and shot Silas a look filled with disdain. Standing alone without his son, who was usually with him, Silas exuded an unexpected elegance.

‘Is he not around? Well, that’s a relief.’

Having spread his knights throughout Hillend Hall in search of Silas, Ryan was alone. He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword as he moved forward. Just then, an eerie sound pierced his ears.

Screech, the sound of a servant opening the coffin lid from below the pit.

Ryan twisted his face in disgust. As he was about to shout at the servant, a thud sounded as the lid fell to the floor.

“……”

Ryan froze, unable to close his mouth. Silas’ laughter echoed through the graveyard. It was a laugh full of satisfaction.

“Haha.”

Under the suffocating silence, Ryan remained silent. The cold wind brushed past his ears. In disbelief, Ryan kept opening and closing his mouth. When he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse.

“Is this what you’ve done?”

“Impossible.”

Silas’ lips curved into a smug smile. He raised his gloved palm toward the sky and shrugged his shoulders.

“Sir Ryan, if you have eyes, surely you can see what’s going on here. A crime in progress? You think I’m the one committing a crime? No, that’s not it.”

“……”

“You should be saying that I personally uncovered the horrific crime scene you never imagined, Sir Ryan.”

Silas kicked the ground. A stone rolled into the pit below.

Ping.

The sound of the stone bouncing inside the empty coffin pierced Ryan’s eardrums. As Ryan gripped the hilt of his sword, Silas slyly whispered, like a snake.

“Are you going to arrest me for opening an empty coffin? Or are you going to charge me with not even noticing that someone stole the Duchess’s body, you fool? Hmm, that works too. It could tarnish the reputation of Inverness.”

Silas, noticing Ryan’s gaze, spread his arms wide and pointed at his daughter’s coffin with a triumphant gesture.

“Pick which one you prefer, sir. If you’re going to arrest a noble from the central court like me, wouldn’t you have to announce my charges to the Central Police?”

“…..”

Ryan couldn’t say a word. Since the Duchess’s coffin had been opened, all he could do was clench his teeth, his eyes wide with shock.

Sebelia Inverness’s coffin. The late Duchess, the woman whom Dehart longed for so desperately, was supposed to be resting in her final resting place. But all that was inside were a few scattered herbs and some coins. Sebelia’s body was nowhere to be found.

‘What is this…?!’

Ryan clenched his jaw. This couldn’t be happening. When the coffin lid had been pried open, this was not what he had expected. What should have been there were lifeless skin, the beauty that had begun to decay.

The stench of rotting flesh mixed with the sweetness of the scented pouches, a foul odor that should have overwhelmed the senses.

But reality betrayed his expectations. The body that should have been desecrated was gone, and the criminal who dared to desecrate Inverness’s tombstone boldly claimed that they had uncovered a terrible crime.

This was something beyond what the deputy head of the family could handle. Ryan quickly tried to process the chaos.

‘This cannot get out to the public.’

Ryan understood why Silas was so bold. First, the horrifying act of digging up the grave couldn’t even be established without the desecrated body itself. Second, he—

“As a father, it’s unbearable to think about. Not only was she mistreated by her husband to the point of madness, but even after her death, she’s ended up in this tragic state!”

…He would certainly claim that he was the one who uncovered that the Duchess’s body had been taken by someone.

“I won’t listen to any more nonsense.”

At least, until Dehart returned, he needed to buy time. Ryan ground his teeth and shouted. The sharp sound of a sword being drawn echoed through the room.

“Hmph.”

Despite the obvious crisis, Silas remained composed. Ryan stormed out, his boots hitting the ground hard.

Crash-!

“Ugh!”

At that moment, Ryan’s body was pushed backward with overwhelming force. He only avoided falling because he managed to stabilize himself.

“Is it that sorcerer again?!”

Ryan roared at the barrier blocking his path. With a deep hum, energy began to flow from his fingertips. The light enveloping his sword was a faint golden hue. But his opponent had no intention of fighting him head-on.

“You can’t stop me, Sir Ryan. From the start, the outcome was already decided. I am the father of the poor child who passed away, and you are the monsters who mistreated the unfortunate Duchess and ultimately caused her to turn away from this world.”