After I Died, My Husband Went Mad - Chapter 266

“Can you tell me why you wanted to invite her to the estate?”

“Ah…”

Sebelia let out a small sound of surprise, hesitating for a moment as she considered how to answer.

Dehart seemed to regard Rosalyn as family, at least to some extent…

When they met at the banquet, he’d scolded her as the head of the house. Unlike Claude, it meant he considered her a part of Inverness.

If she admitted she’d wanted to invite Rosalyn just to see whether she was the real thing, he might feel hurt. While Sebelia was debating her answer, Claude, who’d been coming up the stairs, stopped when he saw them in the hallway and walked over.

“Is something going on?”

“Ah, well…”

For a moment, Sebelia hesitated, looking flustered. Then, as if making up her mind, she ushered them all into an open room. The two men, caught off guard, exchanged blank looks.

“I think it’s better to just put everything out in the open now.”

“What do you mean?”

“Wait. Actually, Claude, you have the floor right now. Why don’t you explain, in front of your dear nephew, what exactly you were up to that day?”

Not quite following, Claude blinked at her, then let out a short sigh and ran a hand over his face.

“Please, Miss Bella…”

“Don’t you think it’s strange that I—an outsider—know things Dehart doesn’t?”

Her stern tone made Dehart raise an eyebrow. Now that she mentioned it, he realized that while he’d been buried in work in his office, he hadn’t once heard any news about Claude or seen him stop by.

“What exactly did you do?”

“It’s nothing. Honestly, nothing happened. I got caught before I could do anything.”

“Then just say it.”

It was a rather rude tone for a nephew to take with his uncle, but with guilt in the air, Claude reluctantly dropped the hand covering his face.

“I just wanted to see if she was real. If illusions can perfectly mimic people, then it stands to reason there might be powers out there that can look like a gift too.”

“That’s reasonable. Did you have a specific way to check?”

Both Sebelia and Claude stared at Dehart in surprise at his calm reaction. Noticing their expressions, Dehart frowned as if to say, “What’s with those faces?”

“If it’s just a hypothesis, I see no reason not to consider it. Frankly, it’s easier for everyone if we settle things one way or another. You two weren’t expecting me to get upset about the idea of confronting Rosalyn, were you?”

He sighed, glancing at Sebelia, then turned to Claude.

“So, you’re saying you did end up causing some trouble over all this?”

“Ahem.”

Claude cleared his throat, awkwardly covering his mouth with a fist. Dehart shook his head, motioning for Sebelia to sit down as he took the seat next to her. He addressed Claude in a more commanding tone.

“Well, let’s hear it. While I was breaking my back to fend off that ridiculous succession dispute, what sort of chaos was my uncle getting up to?”

“Must you put it like that?”

“Honestly, I probably don’t even need to ask. Let me guess—you tried to go off and investigate on your own.”

“How did you know?”

Sebelia’s eyes widened as she turned to him. Dehart gave a knowing, wry smile.

“Isn’t it obvious? In my uncle’s eyes, I’ll always be that little kid crying inside. So he probably thought he couldn’t risk burdening me or stirring up trouble around Rosalyn. Naturally, he figured he had to step in and find out the truth himself.”

It was a dead-on reading of Claude’s mind. At a loss for words, Claude slumped into a chair with a defeated sigh.

“Worrying about nothing, Uncle.”

Dehart rested his chin in his hand, a faint smile on his lips. He seemed to enjoy saying ‘uncle’ at every opportunity. Claude couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of relief at seeing it.

What am I even doing…?

Claude turned to Dehart.

“So what were you planning to do, then?”

“Why ask me about how to prove it? I’m sure you two already had something up your sleeves.”

Dehart held his palms up, showing that he had nothing to hide.

“But, as head of the house, let me say this—whether she’s real or not, it doesn’t change anything. I’m not about to give up my position to anyone.”

Even if Rosalyn turned out to be the real thing, he couldn’t accept anyone coming to take the title away from him.

After all, to him, being head of Inverness was no longer just about representing the North—it was now the power he needed to protect Sebelia.

Third Prince Hares picked the wrong time to make his move.

He probably hoped to leverage Northern support to secure the throne now that the Eastern faction was on the back foot, but… it was the wrong choice.

If it had been back when Sebelia’s funeral had just ended—back when he’d lost his mind—maybe he would have handed over the title to Rosalyn, real or fake, without a second thought.

Dehart let out a soft, sardonic laugh, slowly opening his eyes again. He could feel every detail in the room—the subtle breathing, the brush of cloth, every tiny movement. Each small thing told him Sebelia was alive and beside him.

Realizing just how precious she was, Dehart involuntarily let out a long, shaky breath.

Just then, Sebelia spoke.