My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 105

Ethan was silent for a long time.

“Can you promise me? That you will never take any risks. That your true identity will never be revealed to Girard’s side.”

“Yes. I promise.”

I looked straight into Ethan’s eyes and spoke firmly. His gaze, which met mine, had a metallic silver sheen, darker than usual.

At last, he lowered his eyes.

“…Fine. Then go ahead and do it.”

I smiled brightly and spoke, “Thank you.”

Ethan turned to Mael. “Prepare the interrogation.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Ah, wait a moment. There’s something I’d like to say in advance.”

As I raised my hand, Ethan’s gaze returned to me.

“What is it?”

“That is…”

***

Mathieu was imprisoned with his hands and feet tightly bound.

The shackles restraining him were excessively heavy and sturdy. They even had double locks, sealing the keyholes. It was as if they believed he would escape like a magician if they didn’t take such precautions.

Of course, it was true that Mathieu always carried lock-picking tools on him. But when he regained consciousness, they were gone—along with the poison capsule he had hidden in his mouth.

When Marlon had said, “It could be a trap set by Dumont,” Mathieu had honestly thought that was impossible.

It wasn’t because he had underestimated Ethan Dumont. Rather, it was a logical judgment based on all available information.

But in the end, Marlon’s suspicion had been correct.

Dumont had been several steps ahead of Mathieu and Girard’s intelligence unit.

Ethan Dumont must have known from the moment Mathieu first approached Vincent. By inviting Vincent as a sparring opponent, he had set a counter-trap. Everything had been planned in advance.

‘Damn it. Vincent, that sly bastard. He acted like a fool, only to stab us in the back like this…’

At what point had he been recruited by Dumont? Had it been ever since Frank first approached him? If so, did he intentionally lose that card game as part of the scheme?

‘No. No matter what, that’s impossible.’

Mathieu shook his head. That theory was too far-fetched to be logical.

Of course, the current situation itself was equally illogical. As he had reported to Marlon, there had been no sign that Dumont’s side was aware of their operation.

If Dumont had been monitoring Vincent or Mathieu for that long, there was no way he wouldn’t have noticed. That was something he was still certain of.

Which meant there was only one possible answer.

‘There’s a traitor inside the intelligence unit. No doubt about it.’

If someone had leaked information to Dumont in advance, then everything made sense.

But there was no obvious suspect. From the start, only a handful of people had known about this operation. They were either the highest-ranking officials in the intelligence unit or subordinates whom Mathieu trusted deeply.

Above all, there was no one reckless enough to betray Girard.

‘But if I had to suspect someone, it would be…’

Just as that thought crossed his mind, he heard footsteps descending the stairs.

Two knights wearing armor engraved with Dumont’s emblem appeared.

They opened the iron-barred door and stepped inside. Then they blindfolded Mathieu and unfastened the chain securing his shackles.

Mathieu did not ask where they were taking him. He kept his lips tightly sealed. In fact, since being captured, he had not spoken a single word.

They weren’t planning to kill him just yet. To Dumont, Mathieu was no different from a vault filled with priceless information. They would try every method possible to make him talk.

But Mathieu had no intention of speaking. There was a reason Girard’s agents were always prepared to die at any moment. Betraying Girard meant facing consequences far worse than death.

Usually, interrogations were conducted inside the prison itself. The fact that they were moving him meant that the interrogator had changed.

And that was, without a doubt, Ethan Dumont.

‘It doesn’t matter who it is. They’ll never get a word out of me.’

Mathieu reaffirmed his resolve.

Soon, Mathieu arrived at a certain room. The knight escorting him pressed down on his shoulder, forcing him to sit.

The sound of chains clinking echoed. It seemed like they were securing the shackles on his hands and feet tightly to the chair. Judging by the feel of it, escaping without breaking the chair would be impossible. Even more so, judging by the texture at his fingertips, the chair was made of metal, making even that impossible.

Soon, the blindfold was removed. Mathieu opened his eyes. Aside from the table in the center and two chairs, the room was empty. There weren’t even any windows. It was clearly a room designated for interrogation.

A moment later, the sound of a door opening came from behind him. One of the knights standing guard beside him walked to the opposite chair and pulled it out.

“Thank you.”

At the sound of the voice, Mathieu reflexively lifted his head, which had been bowed.

The person sitting across from him smiled as their eyes met.

Golden hair cascading in waves and dazzling features. A woman so stunning that once seen, she could never be forgotten.

It was Camille Dumont.

“You may leave.”

Camille addressed the two knights. They hesitated momentarily.

“But…”

“Did you not hear from Sir Mael? He approved this as well, so there is no need to worry. Leave us.”

Camille’s voice was calm. She had barely spoken a few words, yet something felt off. She was completely different from the Camille Dumont Mathieu had heard about in rumors.

No, if anything felt out of place, it was the very fact that she was here in the first place.

“…Understood.”

The knights bowed their heads and left the room. Soon, the door closed behind them.

Camille smiled at Mathieu once more. It was a smile so alluring that, for a brief moment, he wondered if she was attempting to seduce him.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Camille Dumont.”

“……”

Camille tilted her head slightly.

“No introduction? Isn’t responding to an introduction with another introduction the most basic form of etiquette?”

“……”

Camille shrugged. “Well, it doesn’t matter. I’ll assume you’ve introduced yourself. I already know who you are. Guillaume Bonello, owner of the gambling den Noir Perle. Though you rarely show up in person, since you have someone else managing operations.”

“……”

Mathieu remained silent, staring at Camille.

Camille chuckled. “That look in your eyes—it’s as if you’re wondering if this is the best I can do. Don’t be disappointed. That’s just what Sir Vincent believed to be true. I know your real identity, Mathieu Anglade.”

“……”

At Camille’s sudden revelation, Mathieu barely managed to maintain his composure.

If he hadn’t already suspected there was a traitor within Girard’s intelligence unit, he wouldn’t have been able to suppress his reaction. But now, this confirmed his suspicions.

Camille blinked, her expression one of admiration. “Wow, you’re not surprised? Or are you just pretending? Either way, impressive. As expected of a Girard intelligence agent. I suppose they don’t pay you well for nothing.”

“……”

“I assume that’s why you’re keeping your mouth shut. Or do they have some leverage over you? If you speak recklessly, will your family’s lives be in danger?”

“……”

Camille placed a hand on her cheek and shook her head. “Hmm, no. That wouldn’t be the case. You’re unmarried, have no dependents, and don’t even know who your biological parents are.”

“……”

Outwardly, Mathieu remained composed, but inwardly, he was shaken.

Aside from Marlon and the intelligence unit’s leader, Luc Bukriev, no one knew the truth about his parentage. At least, as far as Mathieu was aware.

‘Could it have been Bukriev…? No, that’s impossible.’

Luc had been Marlon’s trusted right-hand man for decades. Recently, he had taken a temporary leave due to illness, and given his age, it was unlikely he would return.

Mathieu had been working diligently to succeed Luc as the next leader of the intelligence unit.

Pushing this operation forward so aggressively had been part of his effort to outshine his rivals and solidify his standing. He knew that both Marlon and Luc valued his competitors more than him.

‘…If that’s the case, the one who leaked this to Dumont and set me up was…’

At that moment, Camille smiled as if she had read Mathieu’s thoughts.

“Yes. That assumption of yours is probably correct.”