After I Died, My Husband Went Mad - Chapter 188

This was the situation. Denisa had originally planned to stay in Ursic and wait for Sebelia’s reply. But then the incident at Hillend Hall happened—Silas forcibly opened Sebelia’s coffin.

Silas confirmed, just as he wished, that she was still alive. Without the Duke, Hillend Hall was left helpless and restless. Ryan, who barely regained his composure, tried to detain Silas, but he had no legitimate grounds. Or rather, he couldn’t recklessly bring up those grounds.

How could the body of the Duchess, laid to rest at Hillend Hall, disappear without anyone knowing?

It was a terrible scandal that tarnished the honor of Inverness. So Ryan urgently sent a message to Dehart—but by then, the situation had already spiraled out of control.

Silas Wheddon placed an advertisement searching for his lost daughter. But absurdly, it wasn’t for the deceased Sebelia Wheddon.

“In truth, my youngest daughter was a twin. When they were young, one went missing during a picnic. Since then, I was afraid the same thing might happen again, so I never let Sebelia leave the house.”

It was utter nonsense—crazy, baseless claims that would send chills down the spine of anyone who knew the truth.

The problem was that this ploy perfectly captured the public’s interest.

The deceased Duchess was a twin? And one was lost in childhood? People suddenly began to understand and sympathize with Silas for keeping Sebelia locked away. Silas eagerly soaked up their pity.

“I had been too hurt to think about it, but losing Sebelia woke me up. I must find that child now. Whoever brings my poor daughter back—who’s never known true love—will be handsomely rewarded.”

Every major daily and newsletter published in the capital featured Sebelia’s portrait. Silas even kindly added a note below: “The appearance is the same, but hair and eye color may differ.”

And so people scoured everywhere with fiery determination to find Sebelia’s twin. Wherever Sebelia went, she was sure to be watched by those seeking her.

Silas’s scheme was truly vile and cruel.

* * *

After explaining everything, Denisa gulped down her now-cold tea and grimaced.

“All the newspapers published in the capital carried ads searching for the lady. You can’t imagine how shocked I was when I saw your face at the Ursic newsstand.”

Had the news simply been that Sebelia escaped without dying, it wouldn’t have been so shocking. But a twin? And a reward offered to anyone who finds her!

“Truly a scheme worthy of the Marquis. He prefers to slowly corner his opponent rather than draw his sword directly.”

Denisa recognized the Marquis’s intent as soon as she saw the advertisement in the papers. He wanted the runaway Sebelia to come back to him on her own.

“That’s why we have to leave here as soon as possible.”

Denisa squeezed Sebelia’s hand firmly, noticing how she was trembling uncontrollably without realizing it.

“Don’t worry, Miss. News probably hasn’t spread much beyond the capital yet. We’ll leave today and head straight to the border.”

As Denisa gently persuaded Sebelia, Dehart was quietly piecing together the situation in his mind. A flash of cold steel passed through his calm, sharp eyes.

He clearly knew Sebelia was alive all along.

Silas had surely prepared his moves in advance. Otherwise, the same ad wouldn’t have appeared in every newspaper as if waiting for the perfect moment.

And the fact that he wanted Sebelia’s twin, not Sebelia herself…

A troubling sound came from Dehart’s jaw. A cold gleam flashed briefly in his brilliant golden eyes before vanishing. Yes, now he understood.

“Marquis Wheddon wanted you—free.”

Dehart’s gaze settled on Sebelia. She, dazed and half-hearing Denisa’s words, turned her head toward him.

“He wanted you unshackled from Inverness.”

When they had only received the note confirming that Silas had inspected Sebelia’s empty coffin, his intentions were unclear and frustrating. It was hard to comprehend why he caused such an uproar at Hillend Hall just to find out if his daughter was alive.

She was someone he had barely loved, and was only using her as a mere pawn.

But now it is beginning to make sense. He intended to trap Sebelia for good.

“The nickname ‘snake’ suits him perfectly. To think he’d be this cunning.”

To imprison the noble Marquis Wheddon in the capital, they’d have to expose his crimes publicly—and that would utterly ruin Inverness’s reputation. Ultimately, Inverness couldn’t admit Sebelia’s body had disappeared, so they were forced into silence.