My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 10

To be honest, I wasn’t too bothered by Ethan’s cold treatment.

You could say that Ethan was just being Ethan. He was merely staying true to his character.

Ethan lost his father at the tender age of sixteen and became the head of the Dumont Duchy.

He had neither family nor friends. All he had was the Dumont family, his father’s legacy. Those under his command and his vassals were people he had to protect, but they were never family to him.

Ethan was afraid of creating a family. He didn’t want to lose another family member or be betrayed by one again.

It was this sense of duty to continue the family line that led him to marry Camille, but he never managed to open his heart to her for the same reason.

‘And in the end, Camille betrayed Ethan by having an affair…’

Of course, things changed after I possessed Camille, but Ethan’s doubts about me hadn’t entirely dissipated.

So it was only natural for Ethan to be wary and cold towards me. From his perspective, it must seem like I became a completely different person overnight.

‘Although I did get seriously annoyed when he belittled me over a few books…’

This time, I was determined to get back at him.

Now that I had the materials I wanted, all that was left was to thoroughly read “The History of the Erendel War” and wipe that smug look off Ethan’s face.

I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Ethan being rendered speechless.

At that moment, I made eye contact with Victor.

“Why?” I asked.

“Nothing,” he replied.

“Nothing? You were just looking at me. It’s okay, tell me,” I encouraged.

“……”

My persistent gaze made Victor reluctantly speak up. “…Actually, I thought you seemed very cheerful today.”

“Today? Did I usually look that unhappy?” I teased, causing Victor to bow his head immediately.

“No, that’s not what I meant. My apologies.”

“I’m joking, I’m joking. Why so serious?” I said with a wry smile.

In the original story, Victor was fundamentally a serious character, but he wasn’t this rigid.

Unlike Ethan, who was initially a tsundere, Victor was kind to Elodie from quite early on.

He was the first to take Elodie’s side in the Dumont Mansion.

That’s why readers nicknamed him ‘Big Mama.’

‘Of course, the way he treats a lady and his mistress might differ, but I wish he wouldn’t be so overly cautious with every word.’

Honestly, despite the complicated situation I was in, being transported into my favorite romance fantasy novel was pretty exciting.

Meeting the characters I adored in the book was something I had never dreamed of.

“Don’t be so formal. Feel free to treat me more comfortably from now on,” I suggested.

“……”

Victor remained silent with a peculiar expression.

I chuckled. “Was that a difficult request?”

“…No.”

“The mistress and the butler need to work closely together, right? It would be nice if we could get along,” I continued.

“……”

Victor still seemed at a loss for words.

‘I guess Camille must have treated Victor poorly before.’

In fact, the original story never described the relationship between the two. As I mentioned several times, Camille was an extra among extras, barely mentioned after the beginning.

To be honest, I wasn’t too bothered by Ethan’s cold treatment.

You could say that Ethan was just being Ethan. He was merely staying true to his character.

Ethan lost his father at the tender age of sixteen and became the head of the Dumont Duchy.

He had neither family nor friends. All he had was the Dumont family, his father’s legacy. Those under his command and his vassals were people he had to protect, but they were never family to him.

Ethan was afraid of creating a family. He didn’t want to lose another family member or be betrayed by one again.

It was this sense of duty to continue the family line that led him to marry Camille, but he never managed to open his heart to her for the same reason.

‘And in the end, Camille betrayed Ethan by having an affair…’

Of course, things changed after I possessed Camille, but Ethan’s doubts about me hadn’t entirely dissipated.

So it was only natural for Ethan to be wary and cold towards me. From his perspective, it must seem like I became a completely different person overnight.

‘Although I did get seriously annoyed when he belittled me over a few books…’

This time, I was determined to get back at him.

Now that I had the materials I wanted, all that was left was to thoroughly read “The History of the Erendel War” and wipe that smug look off Ethan’s face.

I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Ethan being rendered speechless.

At that moment, I made eye contact with Victor.

“Why?” I asked.

“Nothing,” he replied.

“Nothing? You were just looking at me. It’s okay, tell me,” I encouraged.

“……”

My persistent gaze made Victor reluctantly speak up. “…Actually, I thought you seemed very cheerful today.”

“Today? Did I usually look that unhappy?” I teased, causing Victor to bow his head immediately.

“No, that’s not what I meant. My apologies.”

“I’m joking, I’m joking. Why so serious?” I said with a wry smile.

In the original story, Victor was fundamentally a serious character, but he wasn’t this rigid.

Unlike Ethan, who was initially a tsundere, Victor was kind to Elodie from quite early on.

He was the first to take Elodie’s side in the Dumont Mansion.

That’s why readers nicknamed him ‘Big Mama.’

‘Of course, the way he treats a lady and his mistress might differ, but I wish he wouldn’t be so overly cautious with every word.’

Honestly, despite the complicated situation I was in, being transported into my favorite romance fantasy novel was pretty exciting.

Meeting the characters I adored in the book was something I had never dreamed of.

“Don’t be so formal. Feel free to treat me more comfortably from now on,” I suggested.

“……”

Victor remained silent with a peculiar expression.

I chuckled. “Was that a difficult request?”

“…No.”

“The mistress and the butler need to work closely together, right? It would be nice if we could get along,” I continued.

“……”

Victor still seemed at a loss for words.

‘I guess Camille must have treated Victor poorly before.’

In fact, the original story never described the relationship between the two. As I mentioned several times, Camille was an extra among extras, barely mentioned after the beginning.

Of course, it was mentioned before that the servants secretly disregarded Camille. But it didn’t seem like Victor would have been one of them.

“By the way, considering adoption, does the master have no thoughts of remarrying at all?”

“That’s what I’m saying. He’s still quite young.”

“But it’s better for the master to remain single than for someone like the former madam to come back.”

“Oh, that’s a given.”

In the first chapter of the original story, there was a scene where two maids had such a conversation. And Victor, passing by, sternly rebuked them.

“No matter how unfortunate the circumstances were, she was once your mistress. Do not speak lightly of her.”

This scene clearly showed what kind of character Victor had.

In reality, Victor must have served Camille with utmost diligence just because she was the duchess, regardless of what kind of person she was.

However, how Camille treated Victor was an entirely different matter. According to what I learned through Marie, Camille seemed to have quite a difficult personality. Her moods swung frequently, and the people around her always had to stay on edge.

That’s probably why Marie initially tried to deceive me with a complacent performance but quickly changed her attitude when she realized something was off. She knew from experience that things could get out of hand if Camille’s mood soured.

Marie becoming Camille’s dedicated maid was likely due to her quick adaptation and keen sense. Her ability to flatter and butter up when needed must have also played a part.

In contrast, Victor was polite but not the type to make insincere compliments. So, it wouldn’t be surprising if he had fallen out of Camille’s favor.

“Victor.”

“Yes, Madam. Please speak.”

“I know I haven’t been the kindest mistress to you. So, it must be strange to hear me say this suddenly,” I said.

“…Not at all, Madam,” Victor replied, though his eyes said otherwise. It seemed I had hit the mark.

If I were in his shoes, I would also be cautious if a superior with a terrible personality suddenly became friendly. It would be natural to suspect it was the calm before the storm.

“Given how I’ve behaved so far, I can’t expect you to change your mind about me overnight. I’ll try to make sure you can see me differently,” I continued.

Victor looked surprised. He quickly bowed deeply. “Please, do not say such things. You are the Duchess of Dumont. There is no need to concern yourself with someone as insignificant as me. I will serve you better from now on.”

‘Wow… impressive. Character truly matters in a man. If only Ethan could emulate even half of Victor’s integrity,’ I thought.

Of course, I couldn’t take Victor’s words at face value. It would take time to win his genuine trust.

“Then I will take my leave. Please call me if you need anything else,” Victor said, bowing respectfully.

I smiled at him warmly. “Thank you, Victor.”

***

“Then handle it accordingly.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Ethan’s secretary, Mathis, tucked the documents under his arm and bowed lightly.

Mathis was nearing sixty and had served the Dumont Dukes for two generations, having previously assisted Ethan’s father, Philip.

“And about what we discussed earlier, are you absolutely certain?”

Though Ethan’s words were vague, Mathis immediately understood their meaning. “Yes. Without a doubt. Since the Duchess arrived, there have been only two occasions when the location of ‘that item’ was mentioned during conversations between you and her within the mansion, and neither time was there an eavesdropper–not her, not anyone else.”

Mathis’s voice was low but firm.

“I see.”

With a nod, Mathis left the study. Ethan unbuttoned the top of his shirt and leaned back deeply into his chair.

“I overheard a conversation between you and your secretary. That’s how I found out where the real ledger is kept.”

“Think about it. What other way could there be? You wouldn’t leave such records in plain sight, and if I had searched your documents, you would have caught me.”

Though it might have sounded like Camille was stubbornly insisting, there was a certain logic to her claim.

Realistically, there was no other way for Camille to know the ledger’s location except by eavesdropping on a conversation between Ethan and Mathis.

‘There’s no way Camille could be so skilled at stealth to deceive both me and Mathis.’

Ethan was proficient in self-defense and swordsmanship. Mathis, having served as the duke’s secretary for many years and handled numerous confidential matters, was highly sensitive to the presence of others.

It was practically impossible for Camille, a noblewoman, to eavesdrop on their conversation without being detected by both men.

‘Could there have been another leak, or perhaps…’

Ethan furrowed his brow in deep thought.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.