After I Died, My Husband Went Mad - Chapter 198

The second act ended. Everyone was buzzing with excitement over the prima donna’s dazzling comeback after a long break, streaming out of the auditorium.

Among them, a few glanced toward the box seats.

“…….”

Dehart remained seated until the entire audience had cleared out—Sebelia still hadn’t returned.

[I’ll be back before too long.]

He calmed himself by recalling the whispered promise she had made in his ear. His restless body longed to dash out, but each time, a small bird thumped its feet insistently in his chest pocket.

It was the familiar Sebelia had entrusted to him, asking him to wait quietly.

“Sigh.”

Dehart frowned and placed a hand over his chest. Instantly, the thrashing sensation subsided. Claude noticed and smiled faintly.

Not long after, Sebelia returned with Watts.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Not at all. But… did you meet with Wheddon? You don’t look well. Are you alright?”

“Not bad enough to worry over. The reason I look unwell… It’s probably because I directly experienced how casually they asked to talk with me. That unsettled me.”

“Now that you mention it, I thought it was strange they didn’t seem flustered when our eyes met in the hall. Seems they knew you were coming.”

Dehart frowned. It wasn’t a secret that he was attending the opera with someone; he had even made it obvious by spreading rumors.

The problem was that the Wheddon family already knew that ‘someone’ was Sebelia.

“I thought we had left early, but Lady Lycia beat me to it.”

As Dehart clicked his tongue, Sebelia quietly approached him. He looked down at her in surprise.

“Bella?”

“Ah, sorry. You seemed frustrated, so I acted without thinking.”

Sebelia’s eyes met his, already slipping her hand inside his coat. Surprised even by herself, she bit her lip lightly.

“Sorry.”

Lately, her connection with the bluebird had grown stronger. She felt the bird’s emotions more intensely and found herself acting impulsively more often.

Dehart suppressed his surprise and shook his head slightly.

“It’s fine. This little one prefers your touch more than mine.”

Dehart tapped his chest.

Sebelia smiled, eyes closing in gratitude. Then she casually lifted Dehart’s coat. Feeling the warmth near his chest, he swallowed hard.

Pirit.

With a cute chirp, a tiny bird popped out, as if it had been waiting. Sebelia’s body leaned closer. Dehart bit the inside of his cheek and straightened his disheveled clothes.

Meanwhile, the little bird, still unnamed, perched on Sebelia’s palm, preening its beak.

“You must have been pretty restless. And sorry, Dehart, for touching your clothes without permission. I apologize again and will be more careful next time.”

Only after stepping back did Dehart manage to catch his breath. Hiding his flushed neck, he cleared his throat and spoke quickly.

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Huh?”

Sebelia, stroking the nodding bird’s head, hadn’t caught his words. Dehart changed the subject awkwardly.

“Let’s head back. If we stay any longer, the staff might get fed up and grab us by the collar. Come on.”

“Oh, I forgot about the staff.”

Sebelia accepted Dehart’s escort and climbed into the carriage, followed by Watts and Claude. Their appearance was clearly noticed by people waiting for the opera singers to leave.

* * *

The carriage, bearing the Inverness family crest, slowly rolled over the cobblestones. Despite the slow pace that might warrant complaints, no one, including Dehart, spoke up.

The carriage made a grand loop through the city, then smoothly slipped into the grand mansion.

“So, what happened? What were the Wheddon siblings rambling about that you didn’t come back until the second act ended?”

Claude immediately spoke up after entering the parlor, his voice sounded worried and impatient—he’d probably been itching to ask all along during the ride.

Sebelia smiled quietly and gestured for him to sit. Watts, thinking the matter wasn’t his concern, had already left.

“You don’t have to rush me—I’ll tell you soon, so take a breath.”

“Sigh. How can you be so calm? Sometimes I feel like I’m mentoring someone who’s easily a hundred years old.”

Having been abandoned by family himself, Claude reacted with an almost overprotectiveness to Sebelia’s troubles.