After I Died, My Husband Went Mad - Chapter 19
Dehart knew Roger to be an objectively respectable man. Having raised his brother’s child until adulthood without seeking titles, he possessed qualities deserving of praise. However, at the same time, Dehart knew there were many faces to a person.
Just like right now.
Well, seems like a destination he wants to keep hidden from his nephew.
Disdain flickered in Dehart’s eyes as he pursued Roger in the darkness. It had been about an hour since he had followed his highly esteemed uncle, and Dehart eventually found himself arriving at one of the worst opium dens even within the slums. Stranger still, Roger was leading him deeper and deeper into the alley, past the opium addicts strewn about.
I wonder what he’s hiding.
Alleys deeper than the usual opium dens were usually home to those who profited from the shadows of the world.
Crunch.
At that moment, something caught Dehart’s foot. He was about to dismiss it as trash and clear his path when he hesitated and stopped in his tracks. That’s when Ryan whispered to him.
“Sir, if it bothers you, I can take care of what’s ahead…”
“No.”
His golden eyes, glowing in the darkness, slowly read the words on the paper. The paper was heavily scented with the cologne Rash wore, and the words were unusually familiar.
[Five rumors related to Sebelia’s peculiar s****l preferences. (Omitted) Spreading details of her childhood exploits after the encounter…]
“Ah.”
Dehart ran a hand through his hair. Haha. A hollow laugh escaped him, a spark lit beneath his golden eyes.
“Right, that’s how it is.”
His voice was murderous. It was as if lightning struck around him for a moment. The opium addicts who had been looking at him with cloudy eyes recoiled in fear as he quickly took control of the alleyway, pulling out black gloves from his pocket.
With a snap, he pulled the tough leather gloves up to his wrists and slipped them on.
“I was wondering what kind of rat you were, the one that ate and slept in my house. Or maybe the real rat was the one that raised me?”
“My Lord,” Ryan called out, not to disparage Dehart for calling his uncle a rat, but to bring his attention to something.
Ryan’s hand pointed somewhere. Far away, Roger was disappearing into the depths of the alley. Dehart’s gaze narrowed.
A cold fire burned behind Dehart’s eyes as he made his way through the fetid alleyways.
How dare you.
Roger was one of the few people he trusted. He hadn’t just raised him, he’d made it his mission to serve his family, and yet he’d taken it upon himself to besmirch Sebelia’s honor?
That’s why he kept saying nonsense, asking if I would ever consider seeing other women. He said he was worried about my lack of an heir, and suggested that I meet other women. Of course, it sounded like dogshit. No, it sounded like something a passing dog would laugh at and bite him for.
[Dehart, a woman who cannot bear children is not a proper wife, and everyone will understand your choice.]
It was a load of crock. It was Dehart who decided not to bed Sebelia in the first place, so why should that be her fault? So, he calmly dismissed Roger’s nonsense.
[I’m young, and so is my wife. We’ll decide when we have children, so you can rest easy, Uncle.]
[How can I rest easy when your father died when you were only seven?]
But Roger stood his ground and pushed through his insanity, and eventually Dehart was forced to play his last card.
[…Alright, here’s what I’ll do.]
[What?]
[I will choose the strongest child in the family as my successor. Even if I have my own child, if they’re weak, they can never become the heir.]
At the same time, something flashed in the air, striking Roger’s foot before disappearing.
[You…!]
What a look Roger must have given him then, seeing the round burn marks beneath his feet.
Dehart grimaced as he made his way through the cramped alleyway, his face a mix of resentment and distrust.
How dare you speak of betrayal.
His clenched fists and jaw made his anger at Roger clear as day. If he could do such a despicable act to drive Sebelia away, what else was he capable of? Dehart quietly recalled the abandoned ore and the traitor who was killed during interrogation.
Roger was taking a path that led to the outskirts of the city. Dehart drew his sword and cautiously followed him. His heart pounded with anxiety.
We need to make this quick and return immediately to the estate.
Little did he know, Sebelia was already preparing to leave the manor.
