After I Died, My Husband Went Mad - Chapter 231

It felt as if someone had stabbed her back in a dream. In pain, she also felt relief.

Right… she’s a fake.

Sebelia exhaled, smiling faintly, holding the hand of the stand-in mother. Strange—she had felt a warmth here she had never felt even from her real father.

But it was over. She resolved to be satisfied with this brief experience of parental affection.

She spoke quietly, eyes never leaving the woman:

“If he really intend to let me and Mother go… then who is blocking the door and the windows?”

“……”

There was no pretense. Sebelia silently sighed at the middle-aged woman’s vile gaze. From the start, this woman had been a distraction.

“Did you enjoy it, even briefly?”

The woman smiled, stroking Sebelia’s cheek. Sebelia remained motionless, watching. The woman, returning to the tender motherly face, poured tea gently.

“Soon there will be a grand fireworks display to celebrate the exhibition. The First Queen herself has prepared it. Everyone will leave their spots to admire the sky’s beauty… leaving just our family together.”

She offered the teacup one last time. Offering it as a final chance.

“Drink, my dear. If you drink now, the worst outcome can be avoided.”

With eyes full of affection, the woman presented Sebelia with the spiked tea. Sebelia stared at it, then asked calmly:

“You intend to proceed even knowing I’m not here alone?”

“Oh, you’re not alone?”

The middle-aged woman tilted her head, chuckling faintly.

“Do you think we would have brought you here without knowing that?”

“What…”

A bad premonition struck Sebelia just as she was about to summon a projection. Nathan appeared behind her, gripping her shoulder.

“My poor, arrogant little sister, walking into the sorcerer’s barrier without noticing it.”

“……!”

“Shout all you want, Sebelia. Summon that pathetic projection as much as you like. No one will hear you, and those foolish projections will shatter while trying to protect you.”

Her blue eyes froze. This was an unexpected move. Using the sorcerer’s barrier against her, despite the North’s disdain for sorcery.

But Sebelia wouldn’t sit idly by. She immediately summoned a projection: hundreds of small birds swept through the air.

Flap! The birds collided, and Nathan let out a maniacal laugh.

“Ha ha… not bad! Yes, you need this level of skill!”

The room descended into chaos. Birds darted around, colliding with bodies; no one could stand properly. Sebelia charged across the room.

“Out of the way!”

She sent a massive illusion at the servants blocking her, reaching the door in moments. Behind her, Nathan laughed relentlessly, calling to her.

Her heart pounded; her mouth went dry. She had to open the door. Beyond it, he was waiting.

“Dehart!”

Sebelia called with all her strength, reaching for the doorknob. Cold brushed her fingers, and for a moment, exhilaration filled her.

“Ah!”

Her attempt was thwarted by black ropes crawling from beneath the carpet.

“Ugh…!”

A subtle glow emanated from under the carpet. Sebelia felt as if she’d been struck on the back of the head. The barrier was not a single one.

I was careless.

She bit her lip, shoulders trembling. Polished shoes came into view.

Nathan, standing arrogantly before her, said:

“Finally, I can give Father a report he’ll be satisfied with.”

Sebelia struggled as the servants approached. They seized her arms and restrained her, forcing her jaw open, but she refused to yield.

If only for a moment, if only she could loosen the bindings…

Please!

Her blue eyes flashed. A white light erupted around her, enveloping the servants.

Whoosh!

The world flipped. The meticulously arranged room now looked as though an incompetent painter had smashed together multiple canvases into a chaotic montage.

“What is… this!”

Nathan’s shock was drowned out by the horrific screams filling the room.

“Kyahhh!”

“Ahhh! Stop! Get away!”

“You, you! No, it wasn’t me!”

Crawling from the floor, dropping from the ceiling, emerging from ankle-deep water—nameless corpses appeared. But in Nathan and the servants’ memory, they were the helpless victims they had tormented.

Through Sebelia, they had regained form and stepped back into reality.