After I died, Everything Changed - Chapter 61

The sky above was pitch-black— not a single star to be seen.
It gave the night an eerie, desolate feel.

I ran into Elliot only a few steps down the corridor.

“Milady, you need to get to the council hall. Immediately.”

“The hall? But the family head has collapsed. What—?”

“Lady Chloe summoned everyone. All the retainers are gathering as we speak.”

The stepmother?

Dread spread through me like ink dropped into wet parchment.

Without another word, I turned toward the council chamber.

And I gave Elliot sharp instructions as I walked.

“Elliot, start by replacing the physician at Grandfather’s side. I want someone loyal to us monitoring him at all times—and find out what kind of poison it was.”

“Understood. I’ll see to it quickly.”

“What about the interrogations?”

“No clear evidence yet.”

“Keep them going. Investigate Chloe and Roosevelt’s movements—any staff who might’ve crossed paths with them.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And—”

Before I could finish, we arrived at the chamber doors.

Inside, the room was abuzz with the low roar of voices. The massive doors were already wide open.

I stopped speaking and straightened my back.

Time to face them.

All eyes turned to me the moment I stepped in.

The murmurs only grew louder.

So, they really all came…

Chloe had pulled it off. She’d summoned everyone.

The only one conspicuously absent was Abel.

As Elliot and I entered, the heavy doors behind us swung shut with an ominous thud.

The wind that had followed us in fell completely still.

“Now that we’re all here, let’s discuss how we’re going to respond to our family’s current crisis.”

I walked to the seat I always used.

Elliot stood behind me, and the retainers began settling around the grand round table.

The dry air in the chamber made my lips crack.

Then—Chloe moved.

She walked slowly from her spot across the room.

Every step she took drew the eyes of every retainer—including mine.

And the place she was headed… was none other than the family head’s seat.

“…!”

A ripple of shock spread through the room.

Even I felt my blood run cold.

“The family head has collapsed. No one knows when—if—he’ll awaken. I’m sure you’re all aware of that.”

Chloe’s voice rang clear across the silent chamber.

“But just because the family head has fallen ill doesn’t mean we can afford to sit idle, does it?”

“What are you implying?”

My voice cut through sharply, directed at my stepmother.

Chloe met my eyes—and smiled.

“I’m suggesting we proceed with the necessary protocol in light of the family head’s absence.”

Protocol? No…

“Until the family head recovers, I intend to act as his representative.”

And just like that, Chloe sat in the head’s seat—
the highest, most honored position at the round table.

Her back straight, she slowly scanned each retainer, one by one.

“Why you, of all people, acting as the representative?!”

A retainer stood abruptly; outrage written all over his face.

But before he could take another step, a soldier—stationed to guard the hall—moved in and forced him back into his seat.

“Ugh…!”

He was restrained. Right here, in the council hall.

Unthinkable.

“As you all know, the heir to Mergen has yet to be officially named. In such a case, with the family head incapacitated, wouldn’t I be the most suitable to lead in his stead?”

“…”

Everyone was surely thinking the same thing: This is madness.

There were plenty of legitimate heirs at this table, real blood from the Mergen line.

But Chloe? She didn’t share a single drop of it.

But as much as her logic was outrageous, she wasn’t entirely wrong.
There was no officially named heir.

So, depending on how the situation was interpreted, Chloe’s claim could very well hold.

And with this kind of pressure being exerted on the retainers…

She planned all of this.

This wasn’t a reckless move—
Chloe knew exactly what she was doing.

But it was still a foolish gamble.

There would be no backing out.
This was a definitive line drawn between victory and ruin.

And a move like that… is dangerous.

Because when you lose, all that’s left is destruction.

So she’s drawn her sword after all.

Everyone has their moment—the point they decide to go all in.

For Chloe, this was that moment.

“According to the laws of Mergen, we’ll proceed with a vote. Let’s keep it simple: raise your hand if you object to me serving as the family head’s proxy.”

The room fell into a wave of silence.
Eyes shifted, darting between neighbors.

Some sat straight-backed and composed, as if they’d anticipated this exact situation.

I couldn’t help myself. A faint laugh slipped from my lips.

Pfft.

The sound, slight as it was, drew all eyes to me in an instant.

“What is it, Irene? You seem… displeased.”

Chloe’s voice came coolly, and when I turned, her red eyes met mine.

Red—like blood. Like her ambition.
Her stare pinned me like a butterfly on a board.

“Do you object?”

I shook my head.

“Rushing anything too fast tends to spoil the stomach.”

Chloe let out a sharp, amused breath.

Of course she did.
The more rushed it was, the better for her.

“And since when have you worried about my stomach?”

From the start, all she’d wanted was the title of proxy.

And now that she had it, there was only one thing she’d do next.

“Then, since it appears the majority is in favor, let’s conclude this vote. I’ll be serving as the acting family head from this point forward.”

Quick as lightning.

There was no point in protesting.
It wouldn’t change a thing.

“Now, as acting head, my first order of business…”

Why now?

What—or who—had pushed Chloe to act?

She’d kept her claws hidden for years, yet suddenly chose to gamble everything?

The only logical explanation was this:

She’s buying time.

“The matter of naming a successor will be postponed until the family head regains consciousness.”

She was buying time to cement her position.
Time to sway the retainers— To pave the way for Abel to be declared heir.

Had she sensed Grandfather’s shifting favor lately?

But then… why not kill him outright?

If she’d already taken the risk of poison, why leave the job unfinished?

Sure, it was a risk— but a clean one.

The fact that he was still alive… it made no sense.

Then I thought of someone who hadn’t shown up today.

Abel.

Could something has happened to him?

But that was a shallow guess. Too linear.

Chloe’s motives were too layered to decode so easily.

What I knew for certain was this:
Chloe was not someone who liked complex schemes.

Everything about this felt… wrong.

“Well then, I look forward to working with you all.”

Chloe smiled, her expression bright and unburdened.

My head swirled.

So much didn’t make sense.

Why go this far?

Why risk exposure?

And why not finish the job?

That restraint—that unfinished cruelty—was what unsettled me most.

If I were Chloe, I would’ve done it cleanly.

But because I couldn’t grasp her reasoning, I couldn’t figure out how to respond.

Maybe… the poison simply failed?

“Then, that concludes today’s council.”

Chloe’s closing words sparked movement across the chamber.

Retainers began to murmur among themselves.

Some whispered with suspicion, others as if to offer quiet congratulations.

In the noise, I leaned toward Elliot and whispered— “Elliot.”

“Yes.”

“Find out where Abel is. Immediately.”

“Understood.”

Elliot bowed slightly and moved away.

As he approached the door, he signaled for it to be opened.

Tch. I’ve lived too long to be seeing this kind of nonsense!

“We’re doomed, that’s what this is!”

The moment the doors creaked open, several retainers couldn’t contain their frustration.

Snide comments, sharp whispers, angry footsteps—
one by one, they stormed out of the chamber.

The whole room was a mess.

And I was still frozen in place—glued to my seat.

That feeling…
like the floor was crumbling beneath me.

Still, I told myself, if I can uncover who’s really behind this…
I might be able to remove Chloe for good.

But how?

I couldn’t use whispers in my head as evidence.

The best outcome—the most direct one—would be for Grandfather to awaken and name her as the one who poisoned him.
Or, failing that, to use her current actions as a basis for expulsion.

But either option felt nearly impossible.

Somehow… I already knew this wouldn’t be simple.

Across the room, Chloe smiled like she had already won.

That face— It stirred too many conflicting emotions to name.

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