My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 158

“Young Duke Girard. Do you have any questions for the witness?” Henry VII looked at Thierry and asked.

With a hardened expression, Thierry rose to his feet. “According to the witness’s testimony, Duke Girard ordered the witness to interrogate the Duchess of Dumont, but did not explicitly say to torture her. Is that correct?”

“Yes. But as I mentioned earlier, given the context and circumstances, it was almost certain that was the intent—”

“What I want is not the witness’s speculation, but only the factual truth. Did Duke Girard use the word ‘torture’ in your presence or not?” Thierry interrupted Toma.

Toma’s brow twitched slightly. “…He did not use that exact word.”

“Very well. Next question. You said the Duchess of Dumont claimed the fire at your residence three years ago was ordered by Duke Girard. Did she present any concrete evidence of that?”

“No. But given the situation at the time, it’s unlikely she would have had—”

“So you’re saying you believed the Duchess’s words without any proof?” Thierry cut him off again.

“As I said before, the Duchess told me things that only someone closely involved could possibly know. She knew the circumstances surrounding the fire and what happened with stunning accuracy.”

“Just because the Duchess knew about the event, that doesn’t guarantee her version of the so-called ‘true story’ is correct, does it? She could have crafted a different scenario based on what she heard from an informant.”

“That’s…”

Toma hesitated. Thierry stared at him sharply.

“That’s?”

“…Of course, I considered the possibility that it might be false. But the Duchess told me my son was still alive—and as proof, she shared things only my son could have known. If what she said was true, I couldn’t throw away the chance to see him again.”

“In other words, you betrayed the employer you’d served for nearly ten years based on uncertain information,” Thierry spoke slowly.

Toma’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. That’s what it comes down to.”

“And you feel no guilt or shame about that?”

“Objection. The Young Duke is attacking the witness with irrelevant remarks.” Ethan stood and protested.

Thierry spread his arms and looked around. “I’m simply verifying whether the witness possesses the basic loyalty and moral integrity expected of a person. If not, then he could just as easily commit perjury for convenience right here.”

At that, Jacques beside me clicked his tongue. “Loyalty and moral integrity? A Girard saying that out loud.”

“It’s exactly because he’s a Girard that he can say that,” I said softly.

To be honest, Thierry’s tactic wasn’t particularly impressive. It might mislead the audience and blur the issue temporarily, but in the end, it held little weight.

However, this trial differed fundamentally from the modern ones I had known in my past life. There were no juries here.

Everything hinged on the Emperor alone. He alone judged the severity of the crime and determined the sentence.

‘No doubt, the Emperor doesn’t want the House of Girard to be completely wiped out by this trial. Deep down, he’s probably hoping Thierry will offer him a reason to avoid a harsh sentence.’

Thierry seemed to know that perfectly well. That’s probably why he kept speaking in ways that seemed like wordplay and deflection.

‘Just as I thought—he’s not an easy opponent.’

But that didn’t matter. Ethan and I had both anticipated this much.

“Stay on topic.”

At the Emperor’s words, Thierry bowed politely. “Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll be careful.”

Just then, Toma spoke again.

“You asked earlier why I believed the Duchess’s words without proof, right?”

Thierry turned to Toma. “You have more to say about that?”

“Yes. I truly believe that Duke Marlon Girard would do something like that. Ask any other agent in the intelligence division—they’d say the same. We all carried out filthy, inhumane tasks under Duke Girard’s orders.”

Toma’s eyes burned with vivid hostility and contempt.

Thierry looked at him in silence for a moment, then turned his gaze to the Emperor.

“I believe the witness’s recent statement speaks volumes about his character. That concludes my questioning.”

With that, Thierry returned to his seat.

The Emperor looked to Ethan.

“Is there another witness you’d like to call?”

“……”

Ethan remained silent for a moment.

Everyone in the courtroom, including Thierry, focused their eyes on him.

I knew exactly why he was hesitating—and that he shouldn’t.

I looked at Ethan’s back, silently urging him.

“Duke of Dumont?”

The Emperor called out, sounding puzzled.

Finally, Ethan raised his head and spoke, “…Yes. I’d like to call my wife, Camille Dumont, to the stand.”

The courtroom buzzed once again. I rose from my seat and walked toward the witness stand.

Ethan looked at me quietly. His eyes were filled with concern.

When I’d first offered to take the stand, Ethan had objected.

“No. If you testify yourself, who knows what that snake Thierry might say to you.”

“It’s fine.”

“I’m not fine. I won’t be able to just sit there and watch you get insulted in public.”

Back then, Ethan’s expression had been deeply serious. I’d purposely smiled and said,

“Aren’t you underestimating me a bit? If it were Marlon Girard, maybe—but I’m not about to lose a verbal battle to his son.”

“But still…”

I gently stroked Ethan’s arm. “If we want to win this trial, it’s something I have to do. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

“…It’s not that I doubt your abilities. I just hate the thought of you going through something awful.”

“I know. That’s why I’m saying it’s really okay. I won’t let Thierry Girard do anything to me.”

I looked up at Ethan and smiled. “Just watch, Ethan. I’ll wipe that smug look right off his face.”

“You may begin the questioning.”

At the Emperor’s command, Ethan rose from his seat and slowly approached me. I straightened my back and met his gaze.

“…Please state your name.”

“Camille Dumont. My maiden name is Chevillotte, and I’ve been married to the Duke of Dumont for five and a half years.”

“Please explain how you came to be abducted and imprisoned by Duke Marlon Girard.”

“It all began on the day Ines Alide went missing. Ines is the wife of Jacques Alide, a retainer of House Dumont. I was fond of her and spent a lot of time with her. That evening, I went to visit her at the Alide residence…”

I proceeded to recount the events that followed—how Ines was abducted, how Jacques was blackmailed, how he came to me asking for help, and how I went to the meeting place myself.

As the story unfolded, the courtroom fell into repeated waves of gasps and murmurs. Even Emperor Henry VII seemed too absorbed in the story to quiet the room.

When I described the sudden thunderstorm and my fall from the horse, people even cried out in surprise.

“…And when I woke up, I was in a strange room. Neither the doctor who examined me nor the maid who served me would explain where I was or why I was there. It wasn’t until a full day later, when Duke Marlon Girard entered the room himself, that I learned the truth.”

“What did he say to you?” Ethan asked.

“He told me to give him the name of the informant. I refused. Then he said, ‘If possible, I’d rather not resort to rough methods with a lady.’ I asked him if he meant to torture me. In response, Duke Girard said the following.”

I cleared my throat and lowered my voice slightly.

“‘Whatever your reasons for staying silent, they won’t matter once we strip them away. No one is immune. Not when faced with excruciating pain.’”

A wave of shock swept through the courtroom, louder than any before.