My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 125

Soon the door burst open and a soldier came inside.

“What’s with the commotion?”

“The coachman seems to have escaped!”

“What? That’s ridiculous…”

The captain trailed off and glanced at me briefly before heading out with the soldier.

“Did you just say the coachman escaped? How could he run off and leave the Duchess behind?”

Ines looked at Jacques, incredulous.

“It’s alright, Ines.”

“How is this alright? Even if a reply comes, the Duchess has no way to return to the mansion now.”

Even in this situation, she was more concerned for me than herself. I found it touching.

I held Ines’s hand and said, “Don’t worry, Ines. We’ll figure something out.”

“But…”

“There’s really nothing we can do about it right now. So let’s stay calm. Getting worked up won’t do your health any good.”

At my pointed words, Ines flinched and then gave a small nod.

I quietly stared at the closed door.

***

“What do you mean the coachman escaped? Are you telling me the guy on watch just nodded off?”

Outside the cabin, Julien interrogated the subordinate.

“Well… he said he urgently needed to relieve himself, so we took him into the bushes, and he must’ve escaped from there.”

“What? Are you serious? Who let him slip?”

“I think it was Andre.”

“You think? What kind of answer is that? Are you joking?”

Julien scowled and barked, causing the subordinate to shrink.

“I didn’t hear it directly. Apparently he ran off, and Andre took three men to go after him.”

“Unbelievable. What is this, some back-alley gang…”

Julien cursed roughly, then took a deep breath, trying to rein in his anger.

“No need to panic. On a dark mountain path like this, how far could he possibly get? The men chasing him should catch him soon enough. And you’re making a fuss over that? Pathetic…”

“But… actually… he didn’t run.”

“What do you mean? What, did he escape by carriage?”

“No, not that. It looks like he stole one of the horses tied up outside and rode off.”

“……”

Julien’s expression suddenly turned serious.

‘That bastard wasn’t just a regular coachman.’

He hadn’t ruled out the possibility.

They had thoroughly searched the man and kept him under watch. Most of all, with the Duchess in Julien’s hands, he had assumed the man couldn’t make a move, no matter who he was.

‘No way… he just ran off and left the Duchess behind?’

It was a blind spot. If he were just a coachman, there’d be no chance of escape. And if he were a knight in disguise, surely he’d prioritize protecting the Duchess.

No one—not just Julien—could have anticipated this.

‘Unless there’s another plan in motion…’

At any rate, if that man made it back safely and reported this to Ethan Dumont, things could spiral out of control.

And Julien would have nothing to say to Marlon.

Julien broke the brief silence. “You said three men went after him? Were they on horseback too?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Send five more. Also, send a hawk to alert the lower posts. I don’t care if he ends up dead—just catch him no matter what.”

“Understood.”

The subordinate bowed and sprinted off to deliver Julien’s orders.

With a grim face, Julien returned to the cabin where Camille was.

“Has the reply arrived?” Camille asked as she looked at him.

“That coachman—who is he, really?”

“What do you mean?”

Camille’s tone was evasive, and Julien scowled.

“Don’t play dumb. You think a regular coachman could slip past our watch? He’s a knight, isn’t he? Or what, what kind of man leaves the Duchess behind and bolts?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t?”

“I simply asked for a carriage. The coachman came with it. I noticed he wasn’t someone I recognized, but I was too preoccupied to care.”

“……”

Julien turned his gaze to Jacques, still bound. “Was this your doing?”

Jacques silently stared back.

“Answer me. Was this the plan from the start? Or did he act on his own?”

“I don’t know.”

“Damn it. You all just keep saying you don’t know. If you don’t want things to get ugly, talk. Which is it?”

“……”

Julien clicked his tongue and glared at Jacques.

“You must think staying silent will work in your favor, but you’re gravely mistaken. Even if that bastard brings the knights now, all I have to do is flee before they arrive. And if that happens, neither you nor that precious wife of yours will live. I can’t guarantee the safety of the fine lady sitting here with that calm face either. Got it?”

“……”

Even at those words, Jacques remained silent. Julien’s eyes took on a menacing glint.

“Looks like you really won’t talk unless there’s blood.”

Just as Julien said this and took a step toward Jacques, a knock came from behind the door.

Julien turned back and opened it. There stood a subordinate, wearing a mask and a hat pulled low.

“What is it—”

Before he could finish the sentence, a sharp glint flashed. The subordinate had drawn a sword and held it to Julien’s neck. It was so quick that Julien couldn’t react.

“No funny moves. Hands up.”

It was an unfamiliar voice. Before Julien could respond, he felt the chilling sting of the blade against his neck. Blood began to seep from the shallow cut.

Julien slowly raised the hand that had been reaching for the dagger at his waist.

The man—no, the man disguised as a subordinate—twisted Julien’s arm behind his back and forced him down. Julien let out a groan from the blunt pain.

“Drop your weapons. Now.”

At the man’s command, the soldiers in the cabin looked at one another in hesitation.

Then the man pressed his sword even closer to Julien’s neck.

“Didn’t you hear me? Drop your weapons.”

“…Do as he says.”

At Julien’s hoarse command, the soldiers began dropping their weapons to the floor one after another.

“Mrs. Alide. Untie Jacques’s ropes.”

“What? Oh, yes.”

Ines stared wide-eyed at the man before answering belatedly. She picked up a dagger dropped by one of the soldiers and began cutting the ropes with trembling hands.

“It’s okay. Take your time, no need to rush.”

“Mm.”

At Jacques’s words, Ines nodded.

‘…What the hell is going on? Didn’t he ride off on horseback?’

Julien broke out in a cold sweat.

Was someone else hiding nearby? No, that couldn’t be. The mountain path entrance had been perfectly guarded.

Of course, sneaking up from another route wasn’t completely impossible, but that would only work if they had enough time. And if the knights had mobilized, there would’ve been a report by now.

So that meant this man had to be the coachman.

Julien clenched his teeth tightly.

***

The Duchess was quietly watching Mael. She said nothing, but her gaze was clear.

‘Well done.’

Mael responded to that look with a subtle nod.

After knocking out the soldier who had been guarding him and stealing his uniform, Mael had gone to where the kidnappers had tied up the horses. He untied a horse named Phil, whipped it, and sent it charging off.

Then he mounted a different horse and shouted at the top of his lungs:

“Coachman escaped! After him!”

Hearing the shout, nearby soldiers came running.

“Hurry! We’ll lose him!”

After yelling that, Mael bolted off on horseback. Three soldiers hastily mounted and chased after him.

Mael waited for them along a bend in the mountain path, then took them down one by one. After hiding the bodies and tying up their horses in the bushes, he walked back to the cabin area.

Just then, five more pursuers were being dispatched.

Mael confirmed the enemy leader was heading into the cabin where the Duchess was, then knocked on the door, pretending to be one of the subordinates.

And he had succeeded in taking the leader hostage.

All of it went just as the Duchess had outlined.

“Marlon Girard won’t be at the meeting point himself. Which means it’ll take time for them to report the situation and receive his orders. I’ll draw the leader’s attention as long as I can. Sir Mael, use the cover of darkness to escape. It’d be nice if you could thin out their numbers, but don’t overdo it. The real goal is to take the leader hostage. Since all the kidnappers are masked, you can steal one of their uniforms.”

“…Will everything really go according to plan?”

At Mael’s question, Camille gave a firm nod. “Yes. If it’s you, Sir Mael, I know you can do it. I believe in you.”