My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 123

“Confirmed. Nothing unusual.”

The subordinate who had completed the body search reported. Julien nodded and turned to Camille.

“Let’s go.”

Camille followed Julien, with Jacques beside her. As previously instructed, four armed subordinates trailed them. That way, even if Jacques tried anything reckless, he could be subdued immediately.

Julien led them to the cabin where Ines was being held. Six soldiers guarded the cabin inside and out.

Hearing the door open, Ines lifted her head from where she sat listlessly. Upon seeing Jacques, her eyes went wide.

“Mm, mmph…!”

A gag was in her mouth, and her hands and feet were tightly bound. Jacques’s eyes flared with fury at the sight.

“Tying up a defenseless woman like this—isn’t that a bit much?”

At Camille’s protest, Julien shrugged.

“It’s for her own safety. We can’t risk her hurting herself by struggling.”

Jacques ground his teeth.

Julien gave a subtle signal to his subordinates. Their hands moved to the hilts of their swords, ready to draw at any moment.

“Calm down, Jacques. We’ve confirmed that Ines is unharmed, haven’t we?”

“……”

Camille spoke gently to soothe Jacques, then turned to Julien again.

“Untie her. Leaving her like that is too cruel. You know as well as we do that none of us are in a position to resist.”

“Not until you give us the informant’s name.”

“If I tell you the name, you’ll untie her?”

Julien paused before responding, “Sure. But as I said earlier, sending her home will have to wait until we verify the informant’s identity.”

“……”

Camille looked tormented for a moment, then shut her eyes tightly.

She pulled something from her bosom and extended it to Julien—a small note, neatly folded in half.

Julien reached to take it, but Camille didn’t release it immediately. Her hand trembled slightly.

“Duchess?”

“……”

Only when Julien addressed her did Camille finally let go of the note. He unfolded it. A single name was written inside.

Julien glanced at Camille, then folded the note again.

“Wait here while we verify it.”

“How long will it take?”

“Hard to say. At least an hour, probably.”

“Very well. Then, as promised, untie Ines now.”

Julien signaled the guards. They moved in and freed Ines from her restraints.

“Jacques!”

As the gag was removed, Ines called out in a tearful voice. She stumbled and ran into Jacques’s arms. He embraced her, his face filled with anguish.

“Ines, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?” Camille asked.

“Yes, Duchess. I’m alright. But how… why are you here…?”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about that. The important thing is you’re safe.”

At Camille’s gentle smile, Ines shook her head fiercely. “That’s not true. Because of me… all because of someone like me, the Duchess came to a place like this…”

She trailed off, then turned sharply to Jacques. “Jacques, why? You’re not just my husband—you’re a vassal of House Dumont. After all the grace we’ve received from the Duke and Duchess, how could you—”

Jacques said nothing, only held her tighter. Ines, lost for words, bit her lip. Soon, tears streamed down her cheeks.

Camille took out a handkerchief and wiped them away. “Calm down, Ines. Getting worked up isn’t good for you.”

At that, Ines flinched slightly. Camille continued in a gentle voice, “There’s no need to worry. Everything will be fine now. They know who I am—they wouldn’t dare do anything rash.”

“But…”

“It’s alright. Just trust me and Jacques,” Camille said firmly.

Julien, who had been watching in silence, suddenly said, “Bind the man.”

At his command, two subordinates approached and grabbed Jacques. They began tying his hands and feet with the same rope that had restrained Ines.

“Jacques!” Ines cried out, her face pale.

Camille turned to Julien and protested, “What is the meaning of this?”

“I ask your understanding. This is merely a precaution against potential rash behavior.”

“Jacques doesn’t even have a weapon. You know he wouldn’t do something so reckless. Untie him. Didn’t he already promise not to resist earlier?”

Despite her earnest plea, Julien didn’t budge.

“If the information you gave us turns out to be true, he’ll be released immediately. Please don’t worry.”

“……”

Camille said nothing, but clenched her slender fists tightly.

“Keep watch.”

“Yes.”

Julien gave the order to his men, then left the cabin.

“Tell Alex to include this note in the next message to Duke Girard. Say it bears the name of the informant, written by the Duchess of Dumont herself.”

“Yes, boss.”

Julien sat down on a tree stump, a satisfied smile on his face.

With this, he considered his mission complete.

Of course, whether Camille’s information was true had yet to be confirmed—but it was likely. There was no reason to give a false name now, with no plan or fallback.

What would happen to the Duchess and the Alide couple from here on would be for Marlon to decide.

Julien just followed orders and collected his pay.

***

“…What? The Duchess of Dumont showed up at the meeting point herself?”

Marlon unconsciously widened his eyes and asked again.

“Is that confirmed? Could it be a diversion by the enemy?”

“No. The hawk and the code were the same as usual.”

Julien’s subordinate replied. Marlon twisted his lips slightly.

‘No way Ethan Dumont would… No, that can’t be.’

The way Ethan had looked at Camille during the imperial banquet had definitely not been an act.

Even if, by some chance, it had been a performance meant to deceive Marlon, he would never use his own wife in a matter like this. Not Ethan—or any noble, for that matter. Not even Marlon himself.

‘Then this must be the work of the Duchess of Dumont herself.’

If what Jacques Alide had said was true—that the mole within Girard was connected only to her—then it wasn’t an impossible assumption.

Looking at it that way, it was no wonder Liam Bernard’s operation had failed, despite his unwavering confidence.

Camille Dumont, who he had thought to be a mouse caught in a trap, had actually been a serpent—and Liam had willingly offered up his head to her jaws.

With Camille’s appearance, Marlon had to consider his original plan ruined.

Even if Ethan didn’t know about this now, it was only a matter of time before he found out. But eliminating Camille like Jacques Alide and his wife? That was out of the question.

Jacques might be a key aide to Dumont, but in the end, he was still a commoner. If two commoners disappeared, Ethan wouldn’t be able to accuse Marlon without solid evidence.

But if the one who went missing was the Duchess of Dumont, evidence wouldn’t matter. Ethan would have every justification to do whatever it took to find his wife.

Ethan already had the full backing of the Emperor. If things ended with a simple house search by the police, that would be fortunate. With the Emperor’s tacit approval, Ethan might even lead his knights and storm Duke Girard’s estate.

‘…To think there was a move like this.’

It was a move Marlon hadn’t even imagined. He had always operated from the shadows, crafting schemes that would never leave a trace.

What was he supposed to do now? It was already too late to scrap the plan and retreat. If he did, he would gain nothing and only end up having his entire plot exposed by Ethan Dumont.

And yet, laying a hand on Camille Dumont came with far too much risk.

“…Sir, what should we do about the reply?”

Julien’s subordinate, having watched nervously, finally asked. Marlon remained silent.

Then came a knock at the door.

“Another messenger has arrived. Says it’s urgent.”

“Let him in.”

A moment later, a man dressed similarly to Julien’s subordinate entered.

“What is it?”

“We’ve obtained the informant’s name from the Duchess of Dumont. This is the letter she wrote herself.”

Marlon’s eyebrows twitched. He walked over to the messenger and took the note.

After unfolding it and checking the name inside, Marlon unconsciously furrowed his brow.

***

Before long, dusk fell and darkness blanketed the area.

There wasn’t a single star in the sky—not even the moon. Near the cabin, everything was pitch black except where torches had been lit.

A soldier stood guard with a crossbow aimed, yawning wide. He was watching over the coachman of the carriage that had brought Camille and Jacques.

“Uh, sorry, but can I go relieve myself real quick?”

The coachman had been fidgeting strangely for some time, and now he finally spoke.

“Just go over there and piss anywhere.”

“It’s not that. It’s, uh, the other kind. My stomach’s been rumbling for a while—think something I ate didn’t sit right… If I have an accident here, the smell’ll be—”

The coachman was squirming, even twisting his body.

The soldier scowled. “Damn it, fine. Go over into that brush.”

The coachman grabbed at his waistband and bolted toward the indicated spot. The soldier set down his crossbow and drew his sword. In his other hand, he picked up a torch and followed the coachman.

He waited outside the brush for a while, then called out irritably.

“You done yet? Hurry up and—”

Before he could finish, the coachman leapt out from the bushes. One strike to the stomach, another to the neck. With two lightning-fast blows, the soldier collapsed without a sound.

The coachman pulled off his wig and fake beard.

Lit faintly by the torch dropped on the ground, his face was revealed—it was Mael, captain of the Dumont knights.