My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 17

‘Another failure…’

I walked down the hallway, furrowing my brow. I had tried to play the sympathy card with Victor, but it hadn’t worked as I had hoped. When I used it on Ethan, the result was lukewarm, but I really thought it would work on Victor. After all, I knew Victor had a soft heart and was easily moved by emotions.

‘I even used my best combo of teary eyes and a forlorn smile… maybe I missed some details?’

Considering that playing the damsel in distress wasn’t my strong suit, my confidence was a bit shaken.

‘Maybe I should practice that more. Anyway…’

It occurred to me that, being the kind person he was, Victor might think he was helping by trying to keep Ethan and me together.

Regardless, if Victor wasn’t going to help, it would be difficult to get support from anyone else. And persuading Ethan on my own seemed impossible.

‘So, my only option left is…’

Honestly, I wanted to keep that as a last resort. But right now, I couldn’t think of any other way.

‘I’ll keep that in mind for now and try to think of other solutions. To do that…’

***

“Lift the house arrest?”

I nodded, looking at Ethan. “Yes. It’s been almost two months since I’ve been confined to this mansion. If I stay secluded any longer, people will start getting suspicious.”

Simply asking for the house arrest to be lifted might result in Ethan refusing again, claiming that his doubts about me had not yet been cleared. So, I decided to take a different approach.

No matter how much I asked him to trust me, without any concrete evidence to support my claims, it would just come off as an emotional plea—something Ethan despised. Presenting a practical argument was the best course of action.

Ethan had declared that he had no intention of divorcing me over social scandals. Whether he realized it or not, this indicated that he no longer suspected me of infidelity. He had also expressed a desire for me to continue as the Duchess of Dumont. If that was the case, there was no reason to keep me under house arrest any longer.

“Alright. We’ll do that,” Ethan agreed.

As expected. I smiled brightly. “Thank you.”

“You mentioned addressing the rumors, correct? We can start with this,” Ethan said, picking up one of the white envelopes from the corner of his desk and handing it to me.

Inside the envelope was an invitation to a ball, adorned with gold trim. The date was a week from now. The recipients were Ethan Dumont and Camille Dumont, and the sender was Viscount Maurice Rochefort.

“We’ll attend this together,” Ethan stated.

“Together? You mean you’re going too?” I couldn’t help but ask in surprise.

In the original story, Ethan was known for rarely attending social events unless it was an invitation from the royal family. When he escorted Elodie to her first ball, everyone was astonished.

“Yes. Is there something strange about that?” Ethan asked, his face expressionless.

“Well, it’s unusual…” I admitted.

“I owe Viscount Rochefort a small favor in business. It’s a good opportunity to settle it. And as you said, it’s a chance to quash the rumors about us. We need to show that our relationship is solid.”

“Solid… We’ve never had a solid relationship,” I muttered under my breath.

“What did you say?” Ethan asked, turning to look at me.

“Nothing,” I replied with a nonchalant smile. “But there’s no need for you to go. I can handle it on my own.”

Ethan stared at me silently.

“Why? Do you think I can’t?” I challenged.

Ethan shook his head. “No, it’s just that it’s better if I accompany you this time. As I said, I owe Viscount Rochefort.”

It was clear he had no intention of changing his mind.

“Alright. I understand,” I conceded, though inwardly I was panicking.

‘A ball? In just a week?’

I hadn’t expected to attend any social events as the Duchess of Dumont. My original plan was to clear the infidelity suspicion, then divorce Ethan and leave the mansion. While I had managed to grasp the internal workings of the household with Marie’s help, high society was an entirely different matter.

Etiquette could be learned from books and the guidance of others, but remembering everyone’s names was the real challenge. I knew most of the characters from the original story, but there were undoubtedly many more who weren’t mentioned.

Even the host of the ball, Viscount Rochefort, was a name I was hearing for the first time.

‘Adapting on the fly is one thing, but I can’t do that with everyone I meet at the ball.’

If I were alone, it might be manageable, but with Ethan beside me, he would undoubtedly notice any slip-ups.

That’s why I suggested he not bother attending and let me handle it alone. Unfortunately, that didn’t work.

‘In these transmigration romance stories, the protagonist usually retains the original body’s memories… Why is mine the hard mode?’

Of course, complaining wouldn’t change anything. I had to find a way to manage, just as I had done up until now.

***

That night, I stayed up late, sacrificing sleep to devise a plan. And as soon as the sun rose the next day, I handed Marie two letters.

“Could you give these to Victor for me? The recipients’ names are on the envelopes, so please make sure they get to the right people,” I instructed.

“Of course, Madam. …But did you not sleep well last night? You have dark circles under your eyes,” Marie said, her squirrel-like eyes wide with concern.

“It’s nothing that makeup can’t cover. Besides, if you notice things like that, you should pretend not to,” I replied.

“I’m sorry. I was just worried. Getting good sleep is one of the few… Oh, dear,” Marie clapped a hand over her mouth, realizing her slip.

I narrowed my eyes. “You’ve been getting a bit too comfortable lately, haven’t you? The weather is getting colder. How about you try living on the streets with just a bundle of your belongings?”

“What? Oh, no, Madam. I’m fine. I’ll deliver these to the butler right away!” Marie stammered, quickly scurrying out of the room.

The letters I entrusted to Marie both contained the same message: “I would like to meet you urgently. Please let me know a convenient time.”

One of the recipients was Viscount Rochefort, the host of the ball I would be attending with Ethan in a week. The other was the Viscountess Grandbert.

***

“Goodness, I am truly surprised. I never imagined the Duchess of Dumont would visit such a humble place as this…” Viscount Rochefort said, clasping his hands together.

He was a gaunt man in his forties, with a thin mustache that added to his somewhat obsequious smile.

“I wanted to confirm a few things before the ball this weekend,” I said.

“The ball? You mean you will be attending my ball, Duchess?” he asked, his eyes widening.

“Yes. Didn’t Ethan mention it?” I tilted my head slightly.

Viscount Rochefort’s small eyes doubled in size. “The Duke is coming too?!”

He was visibly shocked. It seemed he had sent the invitation without expecting it to be accepted. It made sense, given that I had been confined to the mansion recently, and Ethan rarely attended such events.

Viscount Rochefort clenched and unclenched his fists nervously. “Oh, if I had known, I would have prepared more thoroughly… No, it’s not too late. I can still—”

“Viscount Rochefort? Are you listening to me?” I interrupted.

“Ah, yes, of course, Duchess. My apologies,” he stammered.

“Anyway, I have a favor to ask. Is that alright?”

“Of course, anything you need,” he replied eagerly.

“I would like to see the guest list for the ball this weekend. Not just those who have confirmed their attendance, but the entire list of people you sent invitations to,” I requested.

Viscount Rochefort blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting such a request. “The guest list?”

“Yes. Is that difficult?”

“No, not at all. I’ll get it right away,” he said, summoning his secretary to bring the list.