My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 109

Ethan held me all night, stroking my hair, caressing my cheek, and occasionally sighing for reasons unknown. Only when the sky outside began to brighten did he finally fall asleep.

After confirming that his breathing had become steady, I slipped out of his arms. I picked up my discarded robe and quietly left the bedroom, careful not to make any noise.

Leaning against the bedroom door, I let out a long sigh.

My cheeks were still hot, and my head felt light. I felt as if I might collapse from the release of tension, yet at the same time, I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep. The sensation of Ethan’s scent and the warmth of his embrace still lingered vividly.

Feeling slightly unsteady, I made my way back to my room.

When I woke up, it was already past noon.

I sat blankly on the bed for a moment before ringing the handbell. Before long, Marie entered the bedroom.

“Did you call for me, Madam?”

“Yes. Have the kitchen prepare something light for me to eat.”

Normally, I would have gone down to the dining hall, but I hesitated at the thought of running into Ethan.

Of course, I would have to face him eventually for Mathieu’s interrogation, but for now, I wanted to delay it as much as possible. The memory of last night was still too vivid in my mind, and I wasn’t sure how to face him.

However, Marie hesitated instead of responding right away, her expression somewhat hesitant.

“What is it? Is something wrong?”

“Well, actually… His Grace has been waiting for you.”

At Marie’s words, my eyes widened instinctively.

“What? Ethan? Since when…?”

I couldn’t even finish my sentence. As if he had been waiting for the right moment, Ethan appeared in the doorway.

“Prepare the meal, as Camille requested. Make it for two.”

Ethan’s voice was low, and the slight furrow in his brow signaled that he was in a rare bad mood.

“Ah, yes, Master. Right away.”

Quick-witted as always, Marie immediately left the room.

Ethan stepped toward me in silence. I unconsciously tensed my shoulders.

“Um… did you sleep well?”

“When did you come back here?”

Instead of answering my question, Ethan asked bluntly.

“Around dawn. I woke up and saw that you were still asleep, so I… left quietly to let you rest.”

“Why would me sleeping better require you to leave?”

“Huh? Well… Isn’t it more comfortable to sleep alone? We’ve been sleeping separately for years…”

I tilted my head slightly as I spoke.

“……”

Ethan fell silent for a moment, his lips pressed together.

“What’s wrong? Are you upset?”

“…I’m not upset.”

“You look upset, though.”

“I just don’t understand. The fact that you went back to your room and slept until now means you needed rest, too. So why did you have to leave my side?”

“I already told you. I just wanted to let you sleep comfortably…”

“Not me. You. You wanted to sleep more comfortably without me there.”

Ethan spoke with clear dissatisfaction. I narrowed my eyes slightly and looked at him intently.

“Ethan… are you sulking?”

At those words, Ethan’s expression twisted slightly.

“What? Sulking? That’s ridiculous… I already told you. I just don’t understand it logically. That’s all.”

“……”

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

Ethan asked, visibly uncomfortable. I lowered my head slightly to hide the smile playing at my lips.

‘What should I do? He’s kind of cute.’

In the original novel, Ethan had shown tsundere moments a few times—particularly during his initial denial of his feelings for Elodie.

But back when I was just reading the novel, I had never found those moments particularly endearing. Now, however, seeing Ethan so restless and uneasy, I couldn’t help but find it amusingly adorable.

The fact that he had stormed over here in a huff after waking up to find me gone, only to wait patiently for me to wake up, made it even more so.

A peculiar, ticklish feeling swirled in my chest.

“It’s nothing. So, did you sleep well? You do look better than you did last night.”

Ethan muttered something in a low voice.

“What? What did you say? I didn’t hear you.”

“…It was just talking to myself. Don’t mind it.”

Ethan sighed as he spoke. I got out of bed and put on my robe.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes. I think so. Can’t you tell just by looking at me?”

Ethan gazed at me silently. That was when I belatedly realized that I had just woken up and hadn’t even washed my face yet.

Covering my face with my hands, I spoke, “Don’t stare at me like that.”

“You told me to look, and now you’re suddenly telling me not to?”

“You can tell how my complexion is with just a glance. I just woke up, and it’s embarrassing.”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about? Just because you woke up doesn’t mean your pretty face is any less pretty.”

Ethan said it so casually that I was momentarily stunned. Then he took my hand and gently pulled it away. My eyes widened as I looked up at him. His gaze, which had been fixed on me, deepened for a moment, and he took a step closer. I caught a faint whiff of his scent, and memories of being in his arms last night flooded back all at once.

For a moment, my whole body felt like it was heating up. And yet, I couldn’t take my eyes off Ethan. His face gradually drew closer. I swallowed softly and, without realizing it, closed my eyes.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Master, Madam. We have brought your meal.”

Startled, I instinctively pushed Ethan away. He didn’t budge, but thanks to the force of my own movement, I managed to create some distance between us.

“Ah, yes. Come in.”

Soon, the maids entered one after another, carrying trays of food.

“Wow, this looks delicious. Don’t you think?”

I spoke in an exaggeratedly cheerful voice. In truth, the freshly baked bread did smell quite appetizing.

Outwardly, I maintained a composed facade, but my heart was still racing wildly inside.

“What are you doing? Come sit down.”

“……”

Ethan silently watched me gesture toward the table, then let out a small sigh before walking over and taking the seat across from me.

***

It had been ten days since Duke Dumont was severely injured during a sword duel.

Finally, an official announcement was made by House Dumont stating that the Duke had recovered safely.

Due to the severity of his injuries, he would need to rest for a while, but there were no lingering aftereffects.

“…So, Mathieu is still missing?”

Marlon asked Raymond in a low voice.

“Yes. Along with his four subordinates, he has remained unaccounted for these past five days. Ever since Vincent Frenet caused a disturbance in front of Noir Perle.”

“Did you find Vincent?”

“No. After boarding a train to Eson, all traces of him vanished. We have been conducting searches along the train’s route, focusing on every station, but so far, there’s been no sign of him…”

Raymond lowered his head as if ashamed.

Vincent had resigned from his position as the Third Division Commander of the Capital Order of Knights immediately after the duel with Ethan Dumont. Then, he had left a letter stating that he was taking a short trip and departed the capital.

At first glance, it seemed like he had acted impulsively out of guilt for severely injuring Duke Dumont, but Marlon thought differently.

“What about the agent we planted in Dumont’s estate?”

“…We have lost contact with them these past few days as well. I apologize.”

That was expected. At this point, Marlon let out a quiet scoff.

‘It seems the worst-case scenario was right after all. ‘

Ethan Dumont, who had supposedly been on the brink of death, had made a miraculous recovery, while Vincent and Mathieu had vanished without a trace.

This entire situation had been a trap laid by Dumont from the very beginning.

‘If that’s the case, then they must have already figured out that I was the one who sent Liam Bernard.’

Marlon had already suspected that Dumont was the one who had hidden Liam away. What remained uncertain was whether Dumont had discovered that Marlon himself was behind it.

But now, even that had become clear. It was impossible for them to have countered his every move so perfectly unless they had prior knowledge of his plans.

‘Which means there’s a rat inside my camp that has sided with Dumont.’

If that rat turned out to be Mathieu, it would be one thing. But if it was someone else, that would be a real problem.

A faintly bitter smile appeared on Marlon’s lips. His expression turned so cold and ruthless that Raymond unconsciously tensed.

‘Ethan Dumont. I thought he was just a naive fool scrambling to hold onto his position… but it seems he’s grown sharper than I expected.’