My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 140

As expected. The vague suspicion had been right.

Ethan was bound to use every possible method to find me once I went missing.

Given the circumstances, he would naturally suspect Marlon. And since there was no way Marlon would hand me over without a fight, the only option left was a show of force.

‘But that direction isn’t where the Girard Ducal Residence is… Don’t tell me he figured out where I was being held?’

But even if he went there now, I wouldn’t be there.

“Ethan!”

It was dark and chaotic around us, and the sound of hooves echoed loudly. There was no way my voice could reach him.

Even knowing that, I found myself calling out to him without thinking.

And then, something unbelievable happened. Ethan, galloping at the front, raised a hand and came to a halt.

The knights following him yanked at their reins in a hurry.

“What’s the matter, sir?”

I ran toward Ethan and called out to him again.

“Ethan!”

Ethan scanned his surroundings, and finally, his gaze landed on me. His eyes widened.

“…Camille?”

He leapt off his horse and dashed toward me with astonishing speed.

“Camille, is it really you?”

“Yes. It’s me.”

I took off my headscarf as I spoke. A deep wrinkle, like a scar, appeared between Ethan’s brows.

“Your hair… What on earth happened?”

“Oh, this? It’s nothing. I just had to do a bit of disguise… My body’s fine, so don’t worry.”

I smiled as I spoke, and Ethan cupped my cheek with his hand. His hand, large enough to cover my whole face, was faintly trembling.

“…Really? You’re really okay?”

His voice trembled too. Feeling a lump in my throat, I quietly placed my hand over his.

“Of course. You can see for yourself.”

Ethan pulled me into a tight embrace. So tight that for a moment I couldn’t breathe and my feet slightly lifted off the ground.

“Thank goodness. Truly… thank goodness.”

His voice, filled with emotion, told me just how much he had been worried.

I had thought he would be angry the moment he saw me. Demanding how I could do such a thing without telling him. Saying it was pure luck I got away, and asking what would’ve happened if I had died.

I was both surprised by this side of Ethan and struck by a renewed wave of guilt. I wrapped my arms around him tightly in return.

“…I’m sorry, Ethan. For making you worry.”

For a moment, we just stood there, holding each other as if time had stopped.

Then I suddenly realized that the other knights were looking at us with emotional expressions. The realization made me flush with embarrassment.

“E-Ethan. Just a moment.”

“…Ah, sorry. Did I hurt you?”

Ethan let go and asked. He looked me over anxiously, as if worried he might have hurt me.

“No, it’s not that… Where were you headed just now?”

“Of course, to find you. I went to the Girard mansion first, but Marlon Girard wasn’t there. The butler said he had gone out with a physician a few hours earlier. So I went to the physician’s house and got his movements from the coachman. He’d been visiting some estate recently, so I was on my way there.”

‘Ah, that physician.’

To be honest, I didn’t think Ethan had a very high chance of finding me in time. But with what I just heard, I realized he might have saved me even if I hadn’t managed to escape.

“And you? Why were you out here? Weren’t you kidnapped by Marlon?”

“Yes, that’s right. That physician was someone Duke Girard hired to examine me, and I was confined in the very estate you were headed to. I just managed to escape, luckily.”

At my words, Ethan gave a faint, bitter smile. “I see. I knew you’d find a way somehow. So once again, you didn’t need my help.”

I quickly shook my head. “No, that’s not true. You found out where I was and were already on your way there. Like I said, the only reason I escaped was because I got lucky. It wasn’t easy at all. You did a really great job, Ethan.”

At my words, Ethan let out a quiet chuckle. “Thanks for the compliment. I’m honored to be acknowledged by you.”

“Huh? Oh, that’s not really what I meant… Sorry if it sounded arrogant.”

“I know. I was joking.”

Ethan said that, then looked at me with a gentle gaze. For some reason, his look made my cheeks feel a little warm.

Then suddenly, Ethan’s eyes shifted behind me.

“Who’s that?”

I turned around to find Toma had quietly approached.

“Ah, he’s the one who helped me escape.”

“I see. Is he one of your informants?”

“Huh? Oh, no… But I did meet him thanks to one,” I replied vaguely.

Ethan extended his hand to Toma. “Thank you for helping my wife.”

Toma shook Ethan’s hand without a word, then looked at me. “Please don’t forget our promise.”

“Of course. Don’t worry.” I nodded to Toma.

Ethan asked, “What promise was that?”

“I’ll explain later. More importantly, we should hurry. The Duke of Girard is probably still at that estate.”

“Why is that… Ah, I see.”

Ethan had looked puzzled for a moment, then seemed to understand.

“Yes. Now we have both the evidence and the witness to make it impossible for Duke Girard to deny anything. Let’s secure him while we can. We’ll need to report everything to His Majesty tomorrow.”

At my words, Ethan narrowed his eyes. “How did you know I’d already reported to His Majesty?”

“Well, you moved this many troops within the capital—there’s no way you didn’t inform the Emperor first. Of course, I doubt His Majesty would have easily approved such a private military action… So I figured you must have promised something in return. That you’d find and rescue me first, then report everything with evidence that Duke Girard had kidnapped me. Am I wrong?”

“…You’re right. Incredible. You always manage to exceed my expectations.”

“Thanks for the compliment. I’m honored to be acknowledged by you.”

With a playful expression, I echoed the words Ethan had said earlier. He gave a wry smile.

To be honest, it hadn’t been purely a guess.

In the original story, Ethan had also met with the Emperor before going to war with Girard. Given the context, I’d assumed he would make the same choice this time.

“The estate wasn’t heavily guarded. With this number of knights, it should be easy to take. Let’s move before it’s too late.”

“Are you saying you want to come with us?”

“Of course. I need to be there. Otherwise, Duke Girard might try to deny everything.”

Ethan hesitated for a moment. “But your condition…”

“Like I said earlier, I’m fine. Let’s go. You won’t feel at ease unless I’m right there with you, will you?”

I looked up at Ethan intently. He stared back with a slight furrow of his brow, then sighed.

“All right. Let’s go together.”

One of the knights quickly brought over his horse.

“Please mount, Duchess.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll ride with Ethan.”

Truthfully, I was a bit scared to get on a horse again after falling off just days ago. But I thought riding with Ethan would make it more bearable.

After signaling the knight, Ethan climbed up first and held out his hand.

I took his hand and climbed up onto the saddle.

***

But by the time we arrived at the estate, Marlon was already gone.

Chances were, he had realized the Girard mansion was under attack and quickly assessed the situation.

He had lost me and likely suspected Toma of betrayal. In other words, he knew he couldn’t avoid the charge of kidnapping and torturing the Duchess of Dumont.

It was disappointing to have missed Marlon, but it didn’t change the outcome.

That night, the Dumont forces secured a resounding victory in the battle at the Girard mansion.

While Girard’s troops were concentrated at the main building, Dumont’s second wave easily breached the front gate and struck from the rear.

With overwhelming numerical and tactical superiority, victory had been inevitable.

The Dumont knights suppressed the enemy completely and succeeded in seizing the Girard Ducal Residence.

The next morning, Ethan and I entered the palace early to request an audience with the Emperor.