After I Died, My Husband Went Mad - Chapter 115
The grayish-brown eyes staring at him made Claude break out in a cold sweat inside.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, no problem.”
Claude avoided looking directly at Eli, who was eyeing him suspiciously, and turned his head away.
He really is strange… more than I expected.
Claude had arrived in Suffredi half a day earlier.
Before coming to Suffredi, he had stopped at a village behind the mountain range. There, he purchased the necessary items and even visited a small post office before heading back into the mountains. He could have just descended the mountain and walked into Suffredi, but that felt like a waste of time for Claude. After all, he was a master illusionist.
“So, you’re the assistant to the researcher at the Sixth Road’s laboratory, Mr. Karl Appenz?”
“Yes. I believe I showed you the identification badge as well.”
Claude flashed a pleasant smile. Despite this, Eli didn’t let his guard down easily.
He looks too nice…
Claude was currently using his illusion abilities to disguise himself. The technique required incredible focus and precision, as he carefully layered a thin illusion over his body.
Thanks to this, Claude now appeared as a robust man in his fifties, with plain brown hair and eyes, and an always-smiling expression with a pleasant voice.
He had the kind of face that made people think, ‘He must be a really nice person.’ However, sadly, this outward charm had no effect on the perceptive Eli.
Does it really get resolved this easily? Hmm.
Eli was solely focused on the facts. The missing superior from the Sixth Road, the lack of any news, and then suddenly, a man arriving with the Duke’s letter and pendant.
The situation unfolding too smoothly made Eli uneasy. And honestly, it was a valid suspicion on his part. Dehart had disappeared after following the brown-haired woman, and who knew if he had walked into a trap or not.
What if that woman is keeping the Duke captive and sent someone to trick me?
But Claude felt wronged. He didn’t have time to waste being held back by Eli. With a stiff expression, he dropped the pleasant smile and spoke in a different tone.
“I understand that I seem suspicious in this situation. But how long do you plan to keep questioning me? The handwriting on the letter has already been confirmed to be from the Duke, hasn’t it?”
“…”
“The Duke personally entrusted me with this pendant. Don’t you think you should accept his will, Sir Eli?”
At this, Eli had no retort. Claude wasn’t making things up. The letter was indeed written by Dehart, and he had seen the pendant with his own eyes.
“Ugh…”
Eli scrunched his nose, then sighed deeply.
“I suppose there’s no helping it. But I can’t send you off right away.”
“That’s troublesome. The time we’ve already wasted…”
“I’ll have a carriage waiting for you to take you to the road. And I do have an obligation to inform the Duke about the current situation.”
Eli spoke in a cold tone, then picked up a pen, as though he was planning to write a letter right in front of Claude.
“When will the next time be?”
“…If you’re asking about the next time I come down to Suffredi, it would probably be next week.”
“That’s too late. Let’s make it every three days.”
Eli made his own decision about the schedule and quickly scribbled the letter. His speed was so fast that half the paper was filled in no time.
Meanwhile, Claude frowned and made a face of discomfort.
“I can’t come down that frequently. There are circumstances at the lab…”
“Everyone has their circumstances, Mr. Karl. And it’s clear to even a child that the matters of the north are more important than the affairs of a mere lab.”
Eli looked up from his writing and met Claude’s gaze. His hazel eyes now carried a cold, sharp glint. Unlike before, his demeanor was far more subdued, making Claude hesitant to speak further.
“Actually, we wouldn’t even need three days.”
“…”
“Once he gets the letter, don’t try to stop him from coming right down.”
At Eli’s sharp warning, Claude silently lowered his gaze. Eli wasn’t expecting a reply, so he finished writing the five letters, sealed them in envelopes, and used wax to seal them shut.
“Then let’s make sure we don’t meet again, Mr. Appenz.”
“…I will come here in a week.”
Both Eli and Claude spoke their own minds and turned away from each other. A short while later, as Claude left the inn, Eli appeared at the window.
“Shall we follow him?”
Henkit, one of the knights in the room, asked. Eli paused, then shook his head.
“There’s no need. We have to make him feel like he’s deceived us once. Let’s leave it for today.”
“Tch. You’re too cautious, Eli.”
Henkit clicked his tongue as he turned away, clearly displeased with Eli’s judgment. But since it wasn’t something that could be settled in one day, Eli ignored him.
He stood there, arms crossed, watching Claude disappear down the road with intense gaze.
It had been two weeks since the master of Hillend Hall had disappeared, and finally, that day, they received the confirmation that he was alive.
