My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 110

Unlike his greedy father, Ethan Dumont was a man who knew his limits. At least, that’s how he seemed until a few years ago.

Until then, he had seemed overwhelmed just trying to protect his father’s legacy. But at the age of twenty-five, he changed. As if determined to carry on Philip Dumont’s will, he aggressively expanded his business and increased Dumont’s influence within the empire.

In hindsight, killing Philip had been a grave mistake. The emperor, burdened with guilt over Philip’s death, supported Dumont even more than before.

Marlon had resumed his offensive against Dumont around that time.

At a glance, it appeared that Dumont had been defending well, but there seemed to be no particular countermeasure in place… Was he simply holding his ground and waiting for the right moment to strike back?

Marlon recalled the image of Ethan at Philip’s funeral over a decade ago. A boy pretending to be composed, yet with empty eyes and wax-pale skin—fragile, painfully so.

Perhaps it was because he had remembered Ethan that way all this time that he had allowed such a blow to land.

‘No, that’s not it.’

He may have underestimated him, but he had never let his guard down. Never in his life had he been allowed such a luxury. If he had, he would never have survived the blood-soaked battle for succession, where he had killed three of his brothers to become Duke Girard.

He was missing something. This wasn’t just a matter of having a traitor within his ranks. To land such a perfectly executed strike, Dumont must have spent considerable time laying the groundwork with a multi-layered plan.

If Dumont had been scheming against Girard all this time, there was no way Marlon would have missed the signs. That wasn’t arrogance—it was a cold, calculated assessment.

There had to be something. Some decisive factor that had changed the game without Marlon realizing it.

‘The question is, what is it?’

Marlon narrowed his eyes in thought.

Regardless, he couldn’t afford to waste another moment. If Mathieu had truly defected, then the blade was already at his throat.

He had to take action. But with intelligence leaks occurring within his ranks, he couldn’t rely on the intelligence unit.

If that was the case…

Marlon turned to Raymond.

“You may go. Report to me directly if any new updates come in.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Once Raymond had left, Marlon sat at his desk. He pulled open a hidden compartment within a double-layered drawer and took out a single card. The card bore a golden letter ‘L.’

***

The Wednesday following the announcement of Ethan’s safe recovery, I visited the orphanage for volunteer work for the first time in three weeks, having missed two visits due to Ethan’s situation.

“Duchess. I apologize for not reaching out sooner. It is truly a relief that His Grace has recovered. How is his condition?” Father Dreyfus asked. The wrinkles on his forehead were deeper than usual.

“He’s recovering smoothly. No doubt it’s thanks to Lord Armas’s watchful care. He’s still avoiding strenuous activity, but he has no trouble moving around now,” I answered with a smile.

“That is truly fortunate. I am sure it is also due to the Duchess’s unwavering goodwill. Lord Armas never turns a blind eye to those who act according to his will.”

At Sister Miriam’s words, Father Dreyfus quietly made the sign of the cross.

After the news of Ethan’s injury broke, inquiries about his well-being flooded in from all directions. The emperor, influential figures, business associates, even distant relatives—handling it all had been overwhelming.

Among them, of course, were my older brother Olivier and Audrey. I had visited each of their homes recently to explain the situation and express my gratitude.

“Has everything been well at the orphanage? And how is Elodie?”

“Ah, yes, Duchess. In fact, Elodie was very worried about His Grace. She has been visiting the chapel every day to pray for his safety.”

“Oh my, really? How precious…”

I was genuinely touched.

Unlike in the original story, Ethan and Elodie were still somewhat distant. Yet she had prayed so earnestly for him. Just imagining her small hands clasped in prayer made my heart ache with emotion.

Father Dreyfus narrowed his eyes slightly behind his glasses, as if puzzled by my specific inquiry about Elodie.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t told you yet, Father. I mentioned it briefly to Mother Superior before, but I’m actually considering adopting Elodie into House Dumont.”

“Elodie… You mean to say?”

Father Dreyfus looked as surprised as he had been when I first told Sister Miriam.

“Yes. The discussion with Duke Dumont isn’t finalized yet, so nothing is certain, but I truly want to do this. I apologize for telling you so late.”

“No, there’s no need to apologize. I see… I had heard that the Duchess is quite fond of Elodie, but…”

Father Dreyfus paused for a moment, falling silent. His slightly lowered gaze reflected both confusion and concern.

It was the reaction I had expected. In the original story, he had the same response when Ethan mentioned it.

In fact, anyone would react similarly. It was difficult to understand why a noble family as prestigious as House Dumont would go out of its way to adopt a child of common birth.

After a few moments of nodding to himself, as if convincing himself, Father Dreyfus spoke.

“I understand. If Elodie is adopted by someone like the Duchess, it would surely bring her happiness. Please take good care of her.”

“Thank you for saying that. I will do my best.”

After saying that, I added as if I had just remembered.

“Ah, and for now, please keep this between the two of you. Given the nature of the matter, if word gets out prematurely, it could cause unnecessary trouble.”

“Of course. I will keep it in confidence.”

***

“Duchess.”

Elodie’s eyes widened as she spotted me. She ran toward me like a small rabbit, her movements utterly endearing.

“I heard the news. Um… The Duke… He was seriously injured, wasn’t he? Is he all better now?”

I crouched down to meet Elodie at eye level and smiled. “Yes. He’s fine now. I heard you’ve been praying for him all this time, Elodie. I’m sure Lord Armas listened to your prayers. Thank you so much.”

At my words, Elodie’s cheeks flushed slightly. She lowered her gaze shyly and spoke in a small voice.

“No… I only prayed. It was the doctor who healed the Duke…”

Her unexpectedly pragmatic response made me chuckle.

“That’s true. But without Lord Armas’s care, the Duke wouldn’t have recovered so quickly. That means you played a big part in it, too.”

“Um… okay.”

Elodie fidgeted with her hands before nodding.

‘Ah, she’s just too adorable!’

I barely managed to suppress the urge to scoop her up in my arms and kiss her on the cheek.

If it were up to me, I would have taken her to the ducal estate right this instant. But of course, that wasn’t possible yet. I hadn’t even brought up the adoption with Ethan.

‘Even so, the sooner I act, the better.’

It wasn’t just a matter of personal sentiment.

With the situation surrounding Mathieu, we were now in direct conflict with Girard. Marlon Girard was not the type to sit idly by after suffering such a blow.

In the original story, Elodie had only been brought into House Dumont after she had grown up, but considering the current circumstances, it made sense that the timeline had moved forward.

Girard had likely already realized how much I adored Elodie—enough that I had even invited her to the ducal estate once.

That said, the possibility of him kidnapping her to use as leverage was low. Given his mindset, he would never believe that I, a noblewoman, would place such value on a common orphan.

Even so, even the slightest risk to Elodie was unacceptable.

There was only one answer.

The safest place for Elodie was within House Dumont, beyond Girard’s reach.

‘I had already planned to take the lead in adopting her, so this doesn’t really change my plans. But the real issue is…’

The real issue came after that.

Originally, I had planned to adopt Elodie, resolve the matter with Nicolas, and then flee abroad.

‘But…’

As I recalled the night I had spent with Ethan, I felt my face grow hot all over again. Nearly ten days had passed since then, yet the memory still lingered vividly.

‘No matter how I think about it, that night… I mean, Ethan… he really does… feel that way about me, doesn’t he?’