After I Died, My Husband Went Mad - Chapter 256

Prince Hares Belkram’s sudden move sent a shockwave through the ballroom. The most stunned, of course, was Duke Dehart, but not far behind was the First Queen herself.

“That’s enough! The Third Prince must be confused. Second Queen, please take Hares back to his quarters immediately!”

The First Queen leapt to her feet, sharply addressing the Second Queen—who, beautiful as a flower and gentle as wild grass, neither bowed her head nor hid her smile. Instead, she met the First Queen’s gaze with a faintly mocking look.

“Hares is only doing what he believes he must, Your Majesty.”

The Second Queen’s almost proud expression left the First Queen speechless. In all these years, the woman had never once openly defied her.

Now, blindsided, the First Queen was left gaping for words,just as someone else called out toward Hares.

“Are we supposed to simply accept that she’s a daughter of the Inverness family without any proof?”

It was a reasonable protest. Hares glanced over, letting out a short, dry laugh. The objector was one of the eastern nobles who always hovered around Dillion.

“As expected.”

Hares muttered. Then, he turned toward Rosalyn, who had remained silent all this time.

“Rosalyn.”

Rosalyn’s golden eyes gleamed as she smiled sweetly.

“You might want to cover your ears for this.”

She gently spoke while fixing Dehart with a direct gaze.

All around them, the murmur of voices grew louder as Rosalyn, eyes closed, slowly raised her hand.

A bolt of gold lightning flashed across her darkened eyelids. The murmur grew louder. Rosalyn smiled and raised her hand.

BOOM!

* * *

That night, instead of the usual fireworks, those waiting outside the palace for the festival saw a sky illuminated by golden lightning. The breathtaking, awe-inspiring spectacle left the city guard captain speechless.

“Find out what just happened—now!”

But in the end, the captain was spared from an inquisition by his superiors. Thanks to the early conclusion of the imperial ball, guests spilled into the salons, eager to recount everything they’d witnessed.

Their stories stunned those not invited to the imperial festivities.

Lady Rosalyn Valerie, a Baron’s daughter, was actually a Duke’s daughter. That alone was sensational enough to sell out the next day’s papers. But what truly gripped the capital was that she was the lost heiress of the powerful House Inverness in the north.

“No way!”

“Incredible…”

Golden eyes and black hair might not be unheard of in the vast empire, but her display of supernatural power was another matter entirely. That was a mark unique to the Inverness bloodline—something impossible to fake.

“So Rosalyn Inverness, presumed dead, has really come back?”

Some sighed in regret. If only they’d known sooner, perhaps one of them could have taken the Third Prince’s place.

Rosalyn Inverness’s allure was more than her looks or powers; she was a direct descendant of the previous Duke Inverness, possessing a gift as potent as the current Duke’s.

“Things are about to get turbulent up north.”

Their predictions weren’t far off. The very next day, Prince Hares made good on his vow—formally pressing Rosalyn’s claim to the Inverness succession, with Duke Dehart as her rival.

[The former Duke Inverness never formally named an heir before his death.]

Which meant Rosalyn had every right to claim the title as well.

News of this spread like wildfire, reaching even the far north. The ambitious Gren, who’d hoped to install her own daughter as Duke after Dehart’s downfall, was left reeling.

She’d been waiting for word that Dehart had been eliminated—never imagining such a twist.

“Should I have intervened myself…?”

Gren groaned, clutching her head in belated regret. Just then, Flora came running in.

“Mother, did you see the paper? Rosalyn—she’s really come back!”

Gren managed to smooth her features before greeting her daughter.

“Calm down, Flora. Sit with me for a moment.”

“But—!”

“Don’t worry so much. Maybe she showed off some parlor trick that fooled everyone. Who knows what really happened?”

“But even so… the papers say there’s already unrest up north. What if the elders decide to make her Duke at the last minute?”

“That’s not going to happen, dear.”

Not if I have anything to say about it, Gren thought. She swallowed her anger, while soothing Flora with more plausible words.

“She’s just a girl with no real backing, relying entirely on the Third Prince. There’s no way she could take over House Inverness. That article was probably just written to stir us up.”

“So there’s nothing to worry about?”

Flora let out a sigh of relief and nestled against her mother. Gren stroked her daughter’s hair, then, as if struck by inspiration, continued.

“We have been staying here for quite some time, haven’t we? Perhaps it’s time to return to the capital—find out for ourselves who this so-called Rosalyn really is.”

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong? Don’t you want to go?”

“No—of course I want to!”

Flora’s hesitation was brief. For someone who’d lived only in the north, the imperial capital was a dream come true.