After I Died, My Husband Went Mad - Chapter 241

The letters and stacks of paper Balak had piled high on the table scattered to the floor. Sebelia watched them fall, her vision blurred, letting out a soft gasp.

[Silas… I still wonder. Why did you do what you did that day?]

The smooth handwriting had a weighty emotion. Reading the words, Sebelia blinked against the sting in her eyes.

These were the letters her mother had written—love letters exchanged with her father, and letters penned alone after being betrayed.

She wasn’t abandoned by her mother.

At least her mother had never hated her. Tears fell onto the faded letters.

* * *

The thumping sound didn’t just make Balak react.

“This is….”

Shateian muttered under his breath. They had been sharing a tense silence in the room adjacent to the parlor Sebelia had entered.

“Is it already too late?”

Shateian rested his chin on his hand, watching as Dehart bolted from the room. Claude sighed as he rose.

“Try to contain it. I’d rather not see anyone bleeding in my palace.”

Claude shot him a look, full of unspoken complaints, and moved toward the door. Meanwhile, Dehart had already smashed through the parlor’s entrance.

“Bella!”

His eyes flashed. In his view, Sebelia’s tears streamed down her cheeks. Balak, standing beside her, seemed utterly helpless.

“….!”

Of course, Dehart did not restrain himself at all. Before Claude could intervene, he lunged forward, slicing through the air.

“The rumors of your madness were true.”

Balak deflected the incoming dagger, looking up to glare at him. Claude’s breath was taken away at the sheer intensity of the display.

“What would have happened if I’d been injured?”

“You’d have been harmed trying to block it. Clearly not an imperial—what did you do to Bella?”

“The rumors about your obsession seem true, too.”

Balak muttered lowly, and Dehart’s brow furrowed.

“You’d better keep your words away from her. Today, you may be a guest of the Second Prince, but tomorrow, you could be found dead along the riverbank.”

“Sorry, but that won’t do.”

Balak stepped in front of Sebelia, shaking his head. His unnatural sky-blue eyes shone with steadfast resolve, protective as a parent defending their young.

Dehart felt an unusual, creeping unease.

No, this wasn’t just unease. He gritted his teeth. Throughout the standoff, Sebelia stayed behind Balak, huddled like a child under his protection, wiping her tears.

Dehart’s unease grew.

He puffed himself up, cloaking his vulnerability in a fierce exterior, so no one could sense it.

“If you know who I am, there’s no reason to waste time. Yes, even if the mad Duke tears someone apart in the palace, no one will be surprised.”

As Dehart growled and stepped forward, Balak spread his palms. Shadows began to crawl from the corners of the room.

At that moment, Sebelia stood up.

“Stop it.”

Her still-damp voice echoed through the room. Dehart instinctively pushed Balak aside and grasped her tear-streaked hand.

“Bella, what did that bastard do to you?”

Balak blinked, sprawled on the floor, overwhelmed by Dehart’s sudden force. He realized the dagger had only been a threat. Had Dehart thrown it with full strength, he could not have deflected it so easily.

The bastard is strong…

His reflexes and judgment were also better than expected. Though slightly rattled by successive provocations, he remained largely composed.

But still, this won’t do.

Balak clenched his fists, raising his head. The mad Duke, notorious across the empire, was clinging desperately to Balak’s cousin, whispering who knew what.

Obsession could be understood. Love blinding someone to overprotection wasn’t the problem. The real issue was far graver.

That madman was the ex-husband infamous for mistreating Balak’s cousin.

“Step back. Now.”

Balak spat the words, getting up to his full height. Sebelia’s eyes widened in shock. As Dehart clicked his tongue and tried to pull her behind him, an unbelievable statement pierced his ear.

“I don’t know what nerve you have, lingering near her. As long as I’m alive, I will never allow it.”

“What?”

“I’m late in introducing myself, Duke Inverness. My name is Balak Ashrent, one of the seven ruling houses of Lockwood, and the cousin of the girl you’re holding captive.”

The fury burning within his sky-blue eyes was cold and deep enough to chill bones.