After I Died, My Husband Went Mad - Chapter 56
Dawn had not yet broken when Dehart opened his eyes. He glanced around the modest room, beads of cold sweat lingering on his skin.
“…Back to reality.”
He washed his face dry.
In his dream, he couldn’t bring himself to open the door to the greenhouse. He feared finding her there, on the other side. He feared reliving that dreadful moment.
“How pathetic…”
Dehart let out a sardonic laugh, rose to his feet. Approaching the nearby window, he leaned against it, and the towering hills filled his vision. Seven hills sprawled towards the sky like fingers holding up the heavens.
Dehart gazed upon the white glowing remains of the ruins atop the hill’s fingertip and slept through the night.
It was the first day spent in Supredi, the fallen city of the gods.
* * *
Supredi was a city that the ancient people believed to have housed the glory of the gods. While the council emphasized its simplicity, Sebelia envisioned it in her mind as a sublime place. Perhaps that was why.
“…Oh.”
Stepping down from the carriage, the sight of Supredi came as a shock to her.
“Are they arguing over there…?”
In an open-air café, people of various ages were engaged in heated debates. Judging from their discussions about the sacred and the sanctum, it seemed likely that these were scholars residing in Supredi.
“So, even scholars quarrel.”
Sebelia felt unsettled, never having encountered individuals of the scholarly profession. She had imagined scholars as serene figures engrossed in reading and study within their labs.
She felt out of place in such an environment. Blushing slightly, Sebelia quickly turned away.
Meeting someone recommended by the doctor in Ursic apparently required quite a bit of preparation.
* * *
The knights bowed as Dehart descended gradually.
“Master.”
As Dehart sat down at the table, Eli approached and spoke to him. Like Ryan before him, he had changed his title to avoid giving away his identity.
“I have an urgent matter to discuss with you.”
Dehart’s eyebrows rose at Eli’s visibly agitated demeanor.
Leaning in, Eli whispered, “I’ve thought about it all night…but I can’t bring my lord to such a humble place as this. I’ll ask Baron Supredi to give you a private audience.”
Nonsense.
Seems Ryan’s high hopes for his younger cousin were his alone.
Dehart would be ashamed of himself if his cousin, who looked so much like him, were like this. Dehart dismissed him immediately and motioned to the staff.
“What’s the best item on the menu?”
Despite the request for a recommended dish, his tone was rather arrogant. The waiter’s face went blank for a moment, but he soon managed to force a toothy smile. He realized that he was dealing with an aristocrat.
“Our inn’s most esteemed dish is…”
Ignored, Eli protested with a glare, but Dehart gave him no leeway. Eventually, with disgruntled steps, he made his way out onto the street. He wanted to find somewhere better than the inn they were staying at, at least.
He strolled through the café-filled streets teeming with eccentric scholars and council members, scanning one inn after another near the square.
You’d think they’d have rebuilt them into hotels by now, but they’re holding on.
It’s a city that prides itself on its ancient history, but buildings steeped in remnants of the past didn’t catch Eli’s fancy. The last inn they stopped at was quite a distance from the square, and it had a distinctly newer feel to it.
“Here.”
Eli leaned against the inn counter with a satisfied smile. There happened to be another guest present—a woman with short-cropped hair, reaching just past her shoulders. Her blue eyes sharply contrasted with her deep brown hair, giving her an air of mystery.
“Hello there, ma’am.”
Eli greeted her with all the dignity of a knight.
Hmm…
Was it because she was too solemn? Her eyes seemed to tremble slightly, not scrutinizing him but rather seeming very jittery.
Did I come out in my pajamas by any chance?
Eli blinked and checked his clothes. Yet, nothing seemed amiss. He wasn’t wearing the emblematic uniform of Inverness, nor was it a knight’s attire with any distinguishing features. Yet, the woman stood frozen in place, looking like a hapless merchant facing a group of bandits.
She seems awfully frightened of knights.
Well, understandable if she’s from the countryside.
Eli maintained a calm and expressionless demeanor, deciding not to move even a bit for fear that the woman might start screaming. As a knight, he could not allow her to suffer such humiliation.
“Apologies for the long wait… Ah, it seems another guest has arrived.”
And finally, the person who would end this bizarre confrontation appeared.
“I’m sorry, but we’re fully booked. The young lady in front of you took the last room.”
The innkeeper, holding the keys, glanced at Eli and clicked his tongue.
“The current guests are here for an extended stay, so it seems unlikely that we’ll have any vacancies soon.”
“Ah… It was the only inn I really liked. Such a shame.”
Eli turned with a sense of regret, his mind in disarray, but he couldn’t shake off his concern for the woman. However, she had already received the key from the innkeeper and disappeared into the hallway.
Should I have at least asked if she was alright?
He regretted it in hindsight, but there was no use crying over spilled milk.
