My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 160

The Emperor’s gaze turned to Ethan.

“What part is a lie?”

“The Young Duke of Girard’s claim that he knew nothing of the operations carried out under Duke Marlon Girard’s orders.”

“That is not true. I would not dare speak falsehoods before His Majesty. I knew nothing. Even if you interrogated every Girard intelligence agent currently imprisoned, they would say the same.”

Thierry spoke as if he were the picture of injustice, then glared at Ethan.

“The Duke of Dumont is slandering me. He wants to link me to my father’s crimes no matter what. He’s using this as an excuse to completely destroy House Girard.”

“Do you have any proof that the Young Duke is lying?” asked the Emperor.

“Yes. I do.”

At Ethan’s reply, the courtroom buzzed again.

Thierry kept a blank expression, showing no sign of unrest. Clearly, he believed no such evidence could exist.

“With Your Majesty’s permission, I would like to summon today’s final witness.”

“Proceed.”

Soon, the witness Ethan named walked toward the stand.

The moment he saw the man’s face, Thierry’s eyes widened in shock.

***

‘How… How is he here?’

Even seeing it with his own eyes, Thierry couldn’t believe it.

“State your name and position.”

“…Fernand Magimel. Senior agent of the Girard intelligence division.”

For the past few years, Fernand had been leaking internal intelligence division information to Thierry in exchange for large sums of money.

But no one aside from Thierry and Fernand knew that. If it had ever been exposed, Fernand would’ve been eliminated immediately, and Thierry would’ve faced serious consequences.

That was why Thierry had thoroughly concealed his connection with Fernand. If someone had uncovered it, he should’ve at least sensed a hint.

‘But how did Ethan Dumont… Don’t tell me he was the Duchess’s informant all along?’

No—that couldn’t be. If that were true, then Thierry had been fed false information all this time. But Fernand couldn’t possibly have the nerve to pull that off.

He had always been timid and nervous for an agent. Even now, standing in the witness box, he looked visibly anxious, unable to keep his eyes still.

So it was unlikely he’d gone to Dumont voluntarily to sell information.

‘Then… maybe he was caught by the Dumont knights while fleeing that night?’

That seemed the most plausible explanation.

Still, it would be unfair to call Thierry careless.

Given the nature of the situation, Thierry had done everything he could to track Fernand’s whereabouts immediately after the incident.

Fernand hadn’t been at the Girard estate that night, so he wouldn’t have crossed paths with the Dumont knights. His own residence showed no signs of a search, unlike Marlon’s quarters, and there were no reports of Dumont forces raiding that area.

Thierry had even spent money to obtain the list of agents detained by the Imperial Palace, but Fernand’s name hadn’t been on it.

So assuming he had safely escaped hadn’t been a careless assumption.

Yet now…

Thierry ground his teeth behind closed lips.

“Please describe your relationship with Young Duke Thierry Girard.”

“I…”

Fernand hesitated and glanced at Thierry. Seeing the way Thierry was glaring at him as if to kill, he flinched.

‘Don’t say it. Don’t you dare say it.’

Thierry’s eyes burned with the silent warning. Fernand blinked in panic, then looked away from him.

“…I, that is…”

“Witness.”

At Ethan’s low, heavy voice, Fernand flinched again.

“You stand before His Majesty. Be warned that even the slightest falsehood will not go unpunished.”

“……”

Fernand swallowed hard and opened his mouth. “…For the past three years or so… I have been receiving money from Young Duke Thierry Girard in exchange for leaking internal intelligence division information.”

The courtroom stirred.

“What kind of information?”

“Mainly outlines of operations ordered by Duke Girard. I wasn’t aware of the details in most cases…”

“Such as the mission involving Liam Bernard’s approach to my wife, or the plot to frame Sir Vincent with gambling debts?”

“…Yes, that’s correct. I reported both operations to the Young Duke.”

These were the very operations Thierry had denied any knowledge of earlier.

His mind reeled.

“…That’s a lie.”

Thierry finally spoke in a strained voice.

“All of this is outrageous perjury. I don’t even know this man. Today is the first time I’ve ever seen him.”

Ethan turned toward Thierry with narrowed eyes.

“Are you saying the witness of lying before His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Yes. It is unquestionably perjury! How dare you attempt to deceive His Majesty in order to shift the blame onto me… Duke of Dumont, have you no fear of heaven?”

Thierry cried out as he glared at Ethan.

It wasn’t an act of a man cornered into desperation. Thierry knew it was a dangerous gamble, but he had no other choice.

He had already sworn before the Emperor that he knew nothing. Staying silent now would only add perjury to his charges.

“It seems we cannot determine the truth of this matter immediately,” Ethan said quietly, then turned to the Emperor.

He continued, “I respectfully request a temporary suspension of the trial to allow for a thorough investigation into this matter—and that Young Duke Girard be taken into custody.”

“……”

Henry VII looked between Ethan and Thierry, his expression grim.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the Emperor’s verdict.

Finally, the Emperor spoke, “…So be it.”

The courtroom erupted into uproar. Thierry bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

He had absolutely no intention of admitting anything. But that alone wouldn’t be enough.

He had to make a move—whether through negotiation, backdoor dealings, anything.

Then, a flash of inspiration struck.

“Y-Young Duke.”

Just then, his secretary approached with a pale face. Thierry whispered in a low voice.

“Find Nicolas Sadun.”

“Pardon?”

“Nicolas Sadun. Tell the butler. He’ll know. Have him bring the letter.”

“Ah… Yes, Young Duke. Understood.”

The secretary nodded, flustered.

“Let’s go.”

The guards came forward. Without another word, Thierry followed them out.

***

The next day, the capital was flooded with special editions. Most newspapers reported that “Young Duke Girard was helplessly outmaneuvered by the Duke of Dumont’s meticulous preparation.”

The Emperor declared he would issue a final ruling after fully determining the extent of Thierry Girard’s involvement.

Thierry was now under arrest and being interrogated alongside Fernand.

Things were not looking good. While Thierry could only repeat, “I don’t know, I’m not aware of anything,” Fernand’s testimony was systematic and consistent.

At this rate, even without physical evidence, the odds of a favorable outcome for Thierry seemed slim.

Unlike Thierry, imprisoned and unable to move, Ethan was free to act as he pleased.

Even now, he could be using that silver tongue to persuade the Emperor. The mere thought of it sent chills down Thierry’s spine.

“I’m sorry, Young Duke. I did everything I could to secure your release…”

The secretary bowed repeatedly, head hung low.

It had to be Ethan Dumont’s doing. He must have argued that Thierry posed a flight risk, just like Marlon, and needed to be detained.

The prison, reserved for high-ranking nobles, was far more comfortable than regular ones—but it was still a prison. Being locked up in a place like this was nothing short of humiliation.

“Enough of that. Have you found Nicolas Sadun?” Thierry looked through the bars at his secretary.

The secretary leaned in and whispered, “Yes. He’s on standby and ready to move at a moment’s notice. Just say the word.”

“Good. Then summon the Duke of Dumont.”

The secretary blinked in confusion. “Pardon? You want to summon… the Duke of Dumont?”

“Yes. Tell him I have an urgent matter to discuss. …Say it’s about the Duchess of Dumont. That should be enough.”

He was certain Ethan would take the bait. And it wasn’t even a lie.

“Yes, Young Duke. Understood.”

The secretary quickly rose and hurried away.

***

The next day, Ethan visited the prison where Thierry was being held.

“You wanted to see me?” Ethan asked flatly through the bars.

Thierry glanced at the guards and said, “Send the guards away.”

“You want me to dismiss the Emperor’s men stationed here to keep watch over the prison?”

“If anyone can do it, it’s you. We both know that. Let’s not waste time.”

Ethan stared at him silently.

“This isn’t something others should hear. It concerns you and the Duchess. Do as I say.”

“……”

Ethan turned and gave a silent signal. The guards exited. The door shut behind them.

“So, what do you want to say?”