After I Died, My Husband Went Mad - Chapter 271

“…Fine. Tell me what you want. I don’t particularly wish to see those requests with my signature fall into the hands of the police either.”

“Hmph.”

Gren snorted, settling back on the sofa. A short sigh slipped through her lips. Her green eyes, which had burned with intensity, now calmed as she looked at Silas with a steady gaze.

“Stick to the plan—deal with Dehart and Sebelia yourself. I’ll handle Rosalyn.”

“You expect me to take out both of them at once? That’s a tall order, even for me. It’s taken this long just to come up with a plan to eliminate the Duke.”

“Don’t think I don’t know why you’ve been stalling, holed up in your manor all this time, Silas. It’s not that killing the Duke is hard. What’s been taking so long is you trying to figure out how to do it without leaving any traces.”

Silas frowned and slumped into his chair. That was the trouble with old acquaintances—they could always read you too well.

“Alright, since you’re barging in here like a tyrant and giving out orders, I’ll assume you actually have a proper plan. Let’s hear it, Mrs. Gren.”

Ignoring his sarcasm, Gren propped her chin on her hand, her green eyes drifting across the floor before returning to Silas.

“You must have heard the rumors that the Emperor is planning something soon.”

Silas crossed his arms and scowled.

He’d heard talk of an important guest from abroad and that the Emperor had ordered a grand reception. Most of the capital’s guards would be concentrated at the palace for the event.

It was the perfect day to get rid of anyone standing in your way.

But the exact date hadn’t been announced, nor whether it was just a private audience or a formal banquet, so nothing could be set in motion yet.

She would pick the same day…

Silas gestured for her to go on. Gren studied him for a moment, then continued.

“The date’s been set. It’s a week from now. Finish your preparations by then and make sure Dehart Inverness and that wretched girl Sebelia are both eliminated.”

“I assume you’re not just going to sit back and watch.”

“Of course not. We’re in this together, after all—even if neither of us really trusts the other.”

She gave him a sweet, mocking smile.

“I have my own tasks to handle. No need to explain the details.”

“You’re being awfully one-sided. If you want me to go along, I’ll need a little insurance of my own.”

Gren arched a brow, while Silas reclined lazily in his chair with a sly smile.

“Nelia and Flora. Let’s send them to one another—just as a precaution. I’m not saying keep them right by your side, but if you betray me, I need something to hold over you, too. Like you said, we don’t trust each other.”

Gren clenched her teeth. She wanted to snap at him for using her daughter as a bargaining chip, but she couldn’t—he was putting his own daughter on the line, too.

“Fine. But if anything happens to my daughter, you’ll pay for it.”

“An honest and satisfactory deal. I’ll send a carriage for her tomorrow morning, so leave the address where she’s staying.”

Gren gave him one last cold glare, then left the study without another word. Silas smirked at her refusal to yield, even at the end.

* * *

A few days after Sebelia’s successful first interrogation of Nathan Wheddon, she received an unexpected letter from Shateian.

It brought good news: the information uncovered in that first session had proven accurate, and several more bodies of previously missing victims had been recovered. There was even word that her abilities were now being discussed favorably among some within the police.

“That’s a relief.”

The letter also mentioned that the date for the second interrogation had been set—the very same day as the imperial reception the Emperor was personally overseeing.

So that’s the day the foreign ambassador arrives…

She didn’t have to think hard about it. Only royals and central nobles were required to attend the event, so as a commoner, she was under no obligation to be present.

“I’d better be ready by then.”

She’d been practicing her ability by sifting through Nathan’s memories over and over, and she was finally getting a feel for her ‘specialty’.

The third time I searched, I actually got a memory from almost the exact period I wanted…

She’d been hoping to see something from March two years ago and ended up seeing May. After a few more tries, she realized that seemed to be her limit.

Maybe that’s as far as it goes for now.

It was something that would probably shock Shateian and the others, but Sebelia was calm about it. As she was firming up her resolve for the second interrogation, Dehart’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

“Well, with all the noise from the reception, I suppose any ruckus from the tower will go unnoticed.”

When she looked back, he was smiling with an icy edge. Sebelia watched him a moment before bringing up another subject.

“By the way, is that still on hold?”

“What is?”

“Inviting Rosalyn.”