After I Died, My Husband Went Mad - Chapter 290

“Ah…”

Hearing Sebelia’s words, Rosalyn let out a dazed gasp, then went completely limp. As the golden light in her eyes faded, Claude hurriedly caught her with alarm.

“Rosalyn? Rosalyn!”

“Her forehead’s burning up… Claude, you should take her back to the estate.”

“But—”

Sebelia said with a firm tone as she met Claude’s worried gaze.

“There’s nothing more you can do now. From here on, it’s up to Dehart and me.”

“….”

“Go. Quickly.”

Claude bit his lip, then left with Rosalyn in his arms, only a brief farewell marking his exit.

Sebelia swayed, her head spinning. As Eli moved to steady her, Dehart’s voice rang out.

“You can drop the illusion now, Bella.”

“Dehart…”

“I told you not to push yourself.”

Despite being splattered with blood, Dehart’s eyes remained calm and steady. After wiping the blood from his pale face, he gestured to Eli.

“Round up the remaining stragglers and get them transported out of here. Once the area is secure, we’ll head to the palace.”

“Understood.”

Once Eli was gone and Dehart had cleaned himself up as much as possible, he approached Sebelia and, after checking his hands were clean, gently took hers in his.

“You can let down the barrier around the estate now. There’s no one left to escape.”

Sebelia glanced up at him, then slowly turned to look at the blue wall surrounding the mansion.

I never meant for things to go this far…

Until she’d seen Nelia, she hadn’t even planned to use illusion magic—she hadn’t thought she had the strength.

But the moment she saw Nelia, all that changed. Nelia had immediately hurled curses at her and tried to use her servants as a shield to escape. Before she knew it, Sebelia had summoned every last bit of strength to isolate the entire estate.

“…Alright.”

She nodded and gently waved her hand. The blue barrier fell away like a crashing wave, drawing murmurs of amazement from the nearby knights.

A short while later, Eli returned to say preparations to return to the palace were complete. Dehart nodded, and together he and Sebelia set out to meet Shateian at the imperial palace.

There, they were met with unexpected news.

“My father escaped during transport and is heading for the palace?”

As soon as they crossed the threshold, Ludmil rushed toward them, his face stricken with panic. He delivered a piece of news that was almost unbelievable.

“How is that even possible? Wasn’t he supposed to be in custody in the underground prison?”

“Damn it.”

Dehart muttered, running a hand through his hair.

“It must have been an inside job—someone in the security office helped him escape. That’s why I called in the knights in the first place, but then we learned Rosalyn was under attack…”

“So that’s what happened…”

No wonder the knights of Inverness were ready and waiting as soon as they left the palace earlier, Sebelia thought with a sigh. She finally understood the pieces she hadn’t before.

But this was not the time to dwell on the past; even now, their carriage was steadily making its way to the imperial palace.

Sitting across from her, Ludmil said.

“I don’t know exactly what’s going on at the palace right now. When Prince Shateian heard that Marquis Wheddon had escaped to the palace, he entrusted you to me and left for there immediately.”

The golden palace, twinned with the Red Crystal Palace, soon came into view, gleaming alone in the darkness.

Staring at its gold-plated walls, Sebelia spoke up.

“My father wouldn’t head for the palace without a plan.”

And Prince Shateian wouldn’t have summoned them here without a reason, either.

Clip-clop, clip-clop—the carriage gradually slowed and finally glided to a stop in front of the imperial palace.

* * *

“Duke, only those with invitations can enter—!”

“Move.”

As they entered the hall behind Dehart, Sebelia could immediately sense the shift in atmosphere. A piercing wail echoed through the room.

“Your Majesty, have mercy!”

It was Marquis Wheddon, kneeling and sobbing before the Emperor. The First Queen was beside him, her hand on his shoulder as she pleaded the case.

Sebelia let out a bitter laugh at the sight.

“Ha”

So that’s it. He’s thrown himself at the First Queen in a desperate bid to survive.

Her blue eyes burned with anger as she struggled to keep her composure. Then a weary voice rang through the hall.

“Wheddon, be silent. It seems we have an uninvited guest.”

The Emperor’s aged, dark-red eyes settled on Sebelia, his gaze a mixture of irritation and exhaustion. Meeting his stare, Sebelia offered a dignified bow.