My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 152

Thierry silently took the letter and unfolded it.

It was an apology for failing to keep their scheduled meeting, stating that they should stop their secret rendezvous for the time being to avoid her husband’s suspicion.

At the bottom of the letter was the initial “C.”

Thierry placed the letter and envelope on the desk and laced his fingers together again.

“How did you get this letter?”

“As I said, it was a letter the Duchess of Dumont personally wrote to me.”

“So why would the Duchess of Dumont write you a letter like this? Are you saying you were having an affair with her?”

“To be precise, I’d say it was more of a relationship with potential to develop into one. Of course, the affection was entirely one-sided—on her part. My intention was only to get close and extract information.”

Thierry narrowed his eyes at Nicolas.

There had previously been a similar operation involving the Duchess of Dumont—sending a man to seduce her in hopes of uncovering Dumont’s secrets.

But the agent used in that plan wasn’t from the intelligence division. It had been a libertine named Liam Bernard.

Liam had failed in his mission and subsequently disappeared. The intelligence division suspected Dumont’s side had hidden him away.

‘And now they’re trying the same tactic again, just with a different man? That’s absurd.’

Thierry looked at Nicolas with suspicion. “Is that true? I never heard of any such operation within the intelligence division.”

“Ah, well… that’s because I acted independently. I’m not a full agent yet—I’m still in training.”

At those words, Thierry furrowed his brow. “In training?”

His voice turned cold, and Nicolas quickly continued, “But my operation was going quite well. You saw the letter yourself. Besides, I already reported this to the Duke.”

“…You reported it to my father? You?”

Thierry looked Nicolas up and down. The implication was clear—‘You expect me to believe my father met with someone like you?’

Nicolas’s expression twisted slightly.

“Yes. I met with him right here and told him everything.”

‘Look at this bastard.’

Nicolas stared at Thierry with a defiant gaze, as if saying, ‘What would you know?’

That alone might have been enough to label him an insolent brat and kick him out. But more than feeling offended, Thierry was intrigued—and curious.

Just who was this guy?

If he really was just a trainee agent, it was unthinkable that his father would have taken the time to meet with him personally.

Even Thierry himself wouldn’t have let Nicolas into this room under normal circumstances. And that was before he even knew Nicolas was a trainee.

Something about him felt off. His face seemed vaguely familiar, like someone Thierry had seen a long time ago.

“…So what did my father say?”

“He told me not to take any further action for now. That it could be a trap set by Ethan Dumont, and that it’d be best to wait and see.”

“And when was that?”

“Right after Chief Anglade went missing.”

“……”

Around that time, Marlon had begun an extensive internal investigation of the intelligence division. It seemed he suspected there was a spy from Dumont within their ranks.

Marlon managed the intelligence division as a direct agency under his control, with extreme security.

Even Thierry, his eldest son and heir, had been completely excluded from intelligence matters.

The only reason Thierry knew about incidents like the Liam affair or the internal investigation was thanks to a high-ranking agent he had bribed.

In exchange for a hefty sum, that agent had kept Thierry informed about the intelligence division’s activities.

Of course, that only lasted until recently. That agent had fled the moment Dumont launched their raid.

It was no surprise. If he’d been loyal enough to stick with a sinking ship, he wouldn’t have accepted Thierry’s bribes in the first place.

“So why did you bring me this letter?”

“I thought it might be of use to you, Young Duke.”

“But didn’t my father say it could be a trap set by Dumont?”

“Yes, he did. But… I assume he only said that out of caution. Personally, I don’t think it’s likely to be a trap.”

“And why is that?” Thierry asked flatly.

“Because… the Duchess of Dumont didn’t seem like she was acting. Her reputation, and even the previous Liam Bernard case, all support that.”

“That’s your reasoning? From a mere trainee? That’s all you’ve got?”

At Thierry’s words, Nicolas’s face flushed red. “I may be a trainee, but I’m still an agent of the Girard intelligence division. I’ve had proper training. Besides, the Duke—”

As if flustered, Nicolas spoke quickly but then stopped mid-sentence.

“What about my father?”

“…The Duke said he couldn’t afford to lose me. That’s why he told me to wait until everything was certain.”

Nicolas’s voice trembled slightly, but his expression was tinged with undeniable pride.

It could have been the delusion of a madman imagining himself favored. But dismissing it so easily left an odd sense of unease.

As Thierry remained silent, Nicolas spoke again, seemingly anxious. “I heard the trial at the Imperial Court is approaching. Wouldn’t this be useful preparation?”

“In what way, exactly?”

“I could try meeting the Duchess of Dumont. Since everyone knows she was kidnapped, it wouldn’t seem strange if I contacted her out of concern. I could use the chance to probe her for more information.”

“……”

“Or we could show this letter to Ethan Dumont and try to negotiate. Tell him to drop the charges unless he wants his wife’s affair exposed. Or we could present it at the trial and damage her credibility by claiming she wasn’t kidnapped, but was with me all along.”

Nicolas continued proposing ideas without pause. Clearly, he had put significant thought into these plans.

“You’re telling me to commit perjury before His Majesty without any evidence? If it turns out to be false, the blame will fall entirely on me.”

“You wouldn’t be held responsible, Young Duke. The Duchess of Dumont doesn’t know my real name or face. If I testify under an alias, no one will identify me—not even other agents.”

Thierry narrowed his eyes and looked at Nicolas. “Why go that far? What’s in it for you? You’ve nothing to gain by taking such a risk.”

“The Duke did me a great favor. I must do whatever I can to ensure his safe return,” Nicolas replied with a grimly serious expression.

“……”

Thierry stared at Nicolas in silence.

“Young Duke?”

When the silence dragged on, Nicolas prompted him again.

“I’ll consider it.”

“I believe the trial is quite soon. If we delay, we might miss the opportunity—”

“I said I’d think about it. Wait until then.”

“……”

Nicolas fell silent. He stared at Thierry with a displeased look, then bowed and left the room.

Left alone, Thierry clicked his tongue with a twisted expression.

‘I’ll have to investigate this bastard.’

***

Wednesday arrived.

The trial announced by the Imperial Court was scheduled for next Monday, making today the last chance to meet Gabriel beforehand.

There had been no word yet from Arthur, but that didn’t mean Gabriel hadn’t received my letter. The only way to be certain was to go to the church.

I left the ducal residence saying I was going to volunteer at the orphanage.

“Please take care, madam.”

Victor saw me off to the carriage. He had been cheerful lately, likely because of how close Ethan and I had become.

Ever since that night, Ethan had visited my room every night. I’d lost count of how many times we’d been together.

‘At this rate, I really might end up pregnant…’

It wasn’t just a joke—there was a real possibility it had already happened.