My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 100

At that moment, Mael raised his hand. “I apologize for interrupting, but may I ask one thing?”

“What is it?”

“It’s about Sir Vincent. I know this may sound absurd to bring up now, but… I still find it hard to believe that he would be involved in such a ruthless scheme.”

Mael spoke with a slightly cracked voice, his expression more troubled than ever. His usual calm and composed demeanor was gone, making him seem like an entirely different person. It was clear how much this issue had been weighing on him.

“As of now, there are only two reasons to suspect Sir Vincent. The fact that he visited a gambling den owned by the Girard family, and that he suggested using real swords in the duel. Isn’t it too much to conclude that he has allied with Girard and is plotting against the Duke based on just these two factors?”

At Mael’s cautious words, Ethan furrowed his brows. “Are you doubting Camille’s words?”

Mael hurried to clarify. “Not at all. I just wanted to check if there’s any possibility of a misunderstanding. There could be another reason why he went to that gambling den…”

“Jacques.”

At Ethan’s low call, Jacques, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.

“According to the investigation conducted under His Grace’s orders a few days ago, Sir Vincent lost a large sum of money in a card game at his usual tavern two months ago. That was the reason he ended up going to the aforementioned gambling den.”

At Jacques’ words, Mael’s expression darkened. “A large sum? Just how much are we talking about?”

“From what I heard…”

The amount Jacques revealed was more than the annual budget of many noble families.

“That’s absurd. Of course, Sir Vincent has always enjoyed card games, but he never bet more than the cost of drinks.” Mael shook his head vigorously.

“There’s a man named Frank who recently became close to Sir Vincent. Until then, Frank had always been losing whenever he played cards. Using that as a pretext, he slowly increased the stakes over several months. Eventually, he set up a situation where Sir Vincent would lose a fortune in one go. In short, it was a trap,” explained Jacques.

“Doesn’t that method sound familiar? I’m sure you can already think of a name.”

At Ethan’s words, Mael pressed his lips together in silence. If it was Girard, such a scheme would be entirely unsurprising.

“…Have you investigated this Frank’s background?”

“Not thoroughly yet. If we approach too hastily, Girard’s side might catch on. For the same reason, we haven’t identified the true owner of the gambling den. The place is called Noir Perle—a secret club that only wealthy nobles who pass strict vetting can enter.”

At Jacques’ words, Ethan shrugged. “I received an invitation to that place a few years ago. I never went, though.”

“That was a wise decision—if it really does belong to Girard.”

“Who knows? Maybe I missed a chance to take some of their money.”

At Ethan’s nonchalant remark, Camille gave him an incredulous look. “No gambling. No matter how much money you have, you could still lose everything in one night.”

“Do you really think I’m that foolish?”

“It’s not about being foolish. In fact, people who think they’re smart are even more likely to fall into traps like this. In any case, you must never get involved in illegal gambling. Understood?”

Camille spoke in a stern voice. Ethan let out a wry chuckle and raised his hands in surrender.

“As you wish, dear wife.”

In the past, Ethan might have been at least slightly annoyed by such words, but now, there wasn’t even a hint of displeasure. Instead, he seemed almost amused.

Jacques silently observed Ethan for a moment before clearing his throat.

“Anyway, it was also Frank who introduced Sir Vincent to that gambling den, Noir Perle. Given that neither Sir Vincent nor Frank fit the typical clientele of the establishment, it’s reasonable to assume that Frank is an agent working for Girard.”

“……”

Mael remained silent, his expression dark.

At this point, there was little room for further doubt. Though there was no definitive proof yet that Girard was behind Vincent, there had never been such proof before either. As Camille had said, the only time Girard had ever left a clear trace was in the Liam Bernard case.

Although he was still upset, in a way, he also felt relieved. If Vincent had cooperated with Girard of his own will rather than being deceived and falling into a trap, it would have been a much worse situation.

At that moment, a sudden thought crossed Mael’s mind, and he turned to look at Camille.

“But if Jacques has already finished his investigation… that means you reported this to the Duke immediately after you first came to see me?”

Back then, Camille had clearly said, “Let’s wait and see for now.”

“Yes. If my suspicions were correct, we couldn’t afford to sit back and do nothing. You know the saying—hope for the best but prepare for the worst. To respond quickly, we had to be ready in advance,” said Camille in a calm voice.

Ethan looked at Mael with an expression that seemed to say, ‘You heard her, didn’t you?’ For some reason, he was the one looking smug rather than Camille.

“To execute the counterattack Camille mentioned, the most important thing is to ensure Girard remains unsuspecting. That means we should stop investigating Vincent and Frank any further. For now, we’ll act as if we know nothing.”

“Then what should we do about Sir Vincent’s proposal to use real swords…?”

“We’ll accept it.”

At Camille’s words, Mael’s eyes widened.

“Is that really okay?”

“Yes. If we refuse to use real swords, Girard might back out at that point. But if we accept, he’ll assume Ethan isn’t suspicious about the duel and will proceed with the next phase of his plan.”

“But… isn’t it dangerous?”

Mael turned to Ethan with concern.

“We’ll attach conditions. We’ll say that the duel weapons must be prepared by us. And you, Mael, will personally oversee them to ensure nothing is tampered with. If we make sure of that, there won’t be any problems. Besides, the duel will take place within the ducal estate.”

“……”

Despite Ethan’s words, Mael still looked unconvinced.

At that moment, Camille turned to Mael and spoke, “Sir Mael. When you first recommended Sir Vincent as a dueling opponent, you mentioned that you believed Ethan had a good chance of winning. Can I ask what made you think that?”

“Well…”

Mael hesitated for a moment before answering.

“The reason is simple. I assessed that His Grace and Sir Vincent are evenly matched in skill. No… in fact, I even thought that His Grace might have the upper hand.”

At those words, Jacques raised an eyebrow. “But isn’t Sir Vincent known as an equal rival to you, Sir Mael? And yet you say he and His Grace are evenly matched…?”

“Are you underestimating my skills?” Ethan asked, sounding slightly offended.

Jacques shrugged his shoulders slightly. “No, of course, I know that Your Grace is highly skilled. But objectively speaking, I’m not sure if you are at a level where you can stand on equal footing with those who have dedicated their lives to the sword…”

At that moment, Mael spoke up again, “The Duke is strong enough to be considered an equal to any elite knight I know. Of course, real combat situations are different, but at least in a one-on-one duel, I am certain he would not be easily overpowered. I say this because I have observed him closely for a long time.”

Hearing this, Jacques glanced at Ethan in surprise. Ethan frowned slightly, but he didn’t seem displeased.

It was clear that he was pleased to receive Mael’s recognition.

Camille smiled subtly.

‘As I thought, Vincent is a step below Mael.’

Considering Mael’s personality, he would never have truly tried to defeat Vincent, his senior in the knight order. Most likely, he had carefully orchestrated their duels to end in a convincing draw. That was probably why they were known as rivals.

“I see. If an expert like Sir Mael is that certain, then there should be no problem.”

“No, but…”

Mael trailed off in hesitation.

“Don’t worry too much. We’re only pretending not to know, but we’re not actually going to let Girard’s plans unfold as he wishes.”

“Then what exactly do you plan to do?”

At Mael’s question, both Ethan and Jacques also turned to look at Camille. It was clear that they were all intently awaiting her answer.

Camille thought for a moment before speaking, “First of all…”

***

Past midnight, on a moonless night.

Inside a small cabin on the outskirts, two men sat facing each other.

“…Are you serious?” Vincent asked, his complexion even paler than usual.