My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 141

“So, it was all true.”

Emperor Henry VII muttered with a strangely grim expression.

“Unbelievable. Why on earth would Marlon do such a thing…”

His words surely carried a double meaning. Not only ‘How could he commit such a heinous act?’ but also ‘Why would Marlon, of all people, make such a reckless move?’

It was true that Marlon had always upheld an extreme sense of caution. But if he were merely someone who only played it safe, he never would have risen to his current position.

‘It must have been a calculated gamble on Marlon’s part. And in fact, it was the right decision.’

Honestly, there was little to criticize in Marlon’s actions. Every decision he made had logical grounds, and when needed, he showed unprecedented boldness. At one point, he even had me cornered.

As expected of the final villain of the original story.

‘It was close. If Marlon had called someone other than Toma… I definitely wouldn’t be here now.’

The thought alone sent a fresh chill down my spine.

The reason Marlon lost was simply because he didn’t know this world was a fictional one. To be fair, how could he have imagined that I was a possessed person who knew the entire plot of the original story?

Emperor Henry VII turned to me as if he had just remembered something.

“…Are you all right? You weren’t harmed in any way?”

“Yes. As Your Majesty can see, I’m unharmed. I deeply apologize for the concern I’ve caused.”

“You’ve returned safely—that’s all that truly matters. What could be more important than that?”

Henry VII spoke with a faint smile, then turned to Ethan.

“So, what do you plan to do now?”

“With Your Majesty’s permission, I intend to formally file charges against Marlon Girard in court. Beyond this recent incident, Girard has engaged in various schemes against Dumont over the past ten years. He took my subordinate’s wife hostage to blackmail him, staged a duel accident to attempt my assassination, and covertly tried to steal Dumont’s classified documents.”

Ethan listed Marlon’s crimes in a calm voice.

“Everything I’ve stated so far is backed by solid evidence and witnesses. If we conduct a search and seizure of the Girard estate, we’re bound to uncover even more evidence of his schemes.”

“…Hmmm.”

Henry VII fell silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.

I could roughly guess what he was debating. A very similar exchange occurred in the original story as well.

Although the Emperor was known to favor Dumont, when Girard’s downfall actually drew near, he hesitated to make a decision. He feared that Girard’s collapse would destabilize the political balance of the realm and grant Dumont excessive power.

But there were some key differences this time around.

“…You said Marlon’s whereabouts are still unknown?” asked the Emperor suddenly.

“Yes. We are searching in all directions, but we’ve yet to find any solid leads. No doubt he had escape routes prepared in advance, anticipating a day like this.”

Indeed. Unlike in the original story, Marlon Girard had not yet been captured.

In the original, Ethan arrested Marlon and brought him to trial, where all his crimes were laid bare.

Marlon desperately tried to avoid severe punishment through bribery and backdoor dealings. But thanks to Gabriel’s testimony revealing that he had ordered the assassination of the late Duke of Dumont, Philip, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

The second major variable was Gabriel. Even if the Emperor authorized a search of the Girard estate, it was highly unlikely they would find solid evidence of the assassination plot. Marlon was meticulous when it came to covering his tracks.

And finally, there was one more variable.

“Where is Marlon’s eldest son, Thierry, right now?” Henry VII turned to his secretary and asked.

“He is currently on retreat in southern Occitany, Your Majesty.”

“Summon him. Order him to return to the capital immediately.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

In the original, Thierry was killed by Nicolas. With Marlon imprisoned and no heir remaining, the Girard household was stripped of its title and wealth and fell into complete ruin.

But we couldn’t expect that kind of ending this time.

No one knew when Marlon might return or what he might scheme next. Without Gabriel, the assassination of the previous Duke of Dumont couldn’t be proven. And now, Thierry was still alive.

Thierry, just like Marlon, was a cold, ruthless, and ambitious man. There was little doubt that he would see this crisis as an opportunity to seize control of the Girard house.

‘He’ll probably claim that his father orchestrated everything and he knew nothing. If he can just protect the title, he becomes the Duke of Girard immediately.’

Which meant the fight with the Girards wasn’t over yet.

“Issue an imperial order to place Marlon Girard on the wanted list across the empire. Arrest all individuals involved in this incident and conduct house searches to bring the full truth to light.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The secretary bowed and accepted the Emperor’s command.

“You should withdraw your knights for now as well. Leave the rest to me.”

At the Emperor’s words, Ethan bowed his head. “I shall obey Your Majesty’s will.”

***

“…Which is why we can’t let our guard down yet. His Majesty the Emperor will most likely try to resolve this matter as peacefully as possible. With Marlon gone, he might claim the remaining family shouldn’t be punished, and Thierry Girard could escape proper judgment,” I said as I followed Ethan into his room.

We’d been discussing future countermeasures the entire way back in the carriage and even after arriving at the Dumont residence.

But something seemed off about Ethan’s demeanor. He had seemed attentive enough in the carriage, but after entering the mansion, he hadn’t responded to a word I said.

“Ethan? Are you listening to me?”

That’s when it happened. Ethan suddenly turned and pulled me into an embrace.

“E-Ethan? What are you doing all of a sudden?”

“I get it, so just be quiet for a moment.”

“……”

I didn’t understand what was going on, but I did as he asked. Ethan let out a small sigh and ran his hand gently down the back of my head.

“I was worried. I thought I might lose you.”

“…I already said I was sorry. It was such an urgent situation, I had no choice—”

“I know. So just stay quiet for a bit.”

I closed my mouth again.

Ethan’s embrace was large and strong, yet somehow also warm and comforting. It was amazing how it could be both.

He held me like that for a while, then suddenly stepped back. Placing his hand on my cheek, he looked closely at my face.

His expression was deadly serious. Just meeting the heat in his eyes made my whole body tingle oddly.

Ethan turned my head to the left, then to the right. Then he grabbed my shoulders and even spun me around once.

“…Ethan? What are you doing?”

“Checking. To see if you’re really okay.”

“I told you I’m fine. I’ve said it multiple times. I’m not hurt anywhere.”

“There might be injuries I can’t see.”

“There aren’t. And even if there were, how would you know just by looking like this?”

Without thinking, I said it, and Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

“Good point.”

“Huh? Kyah!”

Ethan picked me up. Easily, like I was a stuffed toy.

He carried me to the bedroom and gently laid me on the bed.

“W-what are you doing?”

“Taking your advice. I need to check properly.”

“Wait, what exactly do you mean by—”

Instead of answering, Ethan reached behind me. Without hesitation, he began to undo the laces of my dress.

Startled, I began to squirm.

“E-Ethan!”

“Hold still. It’s hard to get it undone.”

“Don’t undo it! What are you doing all of a sudden?!”

“I told you. To see if you’ve got any injuries, I need to take your clothes off.”

He said it with the utmost seriousness.

“I told you, I’m fine!”

“You fell off a horse—how could you be uninjured? I know you’re lying just so I won’t worry.”

“I’m not lying… Even if there were bruises, I should show them to a doctor!”

“You want to show your body to some other man?”

“There are maids… anyway, I don’t like this!”

At that, Ethan’s hand paused.

“I’m your husband. Is it really that unthinkable for a husband to see his wife’s body?”

His expression wasn’t angry—it looked more like he was hurt.

“W-what? No, that’s not what I meant…”

My voice trailed off into a whisper.

Looking into those pained eyes, I couldn’t bring myself to say anything harsh. Especially not right after I’d worried him so much.

‘If he had some lecherous motive, it’d be one thing… but when he’s not even doing this out of that… I can’t exactly object…’

“Then you don’t mind, right?”

Ethan’s hands started moving again. The laces on my back came undone, and my dress began to loosen.