My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 23

Just as I expected, Nadia was seething with resentment over Ethan choosing Camille over her. But Camille was undoubtedly Ethan’s wife, and Nadia was not even an old flame, just a complete stranger. She had no right to be upset by my words. This reaction alone showed just how much Nadia had been overstepping her bounds.

“Oh my, what’s wrong? You don’t look well. Are you unwell, Marchioness Leroy?” I asked innocently. Nadia bit her lip, her face pale.

“…No, I’m fine,” she replied, her voice tight.

“That’s a relief. You should be careful, though. Unlike me, you don’t have anyone to lean on in times of crisis…” As I spoke, Nadia’s face went from pale to ashen.

“Duchess Dumont!” Berenice exclaimed, her tone sharp. “Don’t you think that was a bit too much? There are things you should and shouldn’t say.”

“I agree. You should apologize to the Marchioness,” Marianne quickly added.

Nadia looked down, pretending to be hurt.

‘Aren’t they just like ladies-in-waiting? Who was it that threw herself at Ethan as soon as her husband died?’ I thought, slumping my shoulders and looking dejected.

“Why are you all getting so serious? What did I say?” I asked, my eyes wide in feigned innocence.

“You made a harsh comment about the Marchioness’s late husband! How could you?” Berenice said, raising her voice.

“Did I? Oh, no, I didn’t mean it like that. I just thought it was unusual that the Marchioness didn’t come with a partner today, unlike me…” I said, widening my eyes.

“That’s exactly what you meant! You think just saying it wasn’t your intention makes it okay?” Berenice retorted.

I let out a small laugh, not bothering to hide or suppress it this time.

“What else is there to say?” I asked, tilting my head.

“What did you say?” Berenice was taken aback.

“You’ve always done the same to me, haven’t you? When I got angry, you said it wasn’t your intention, that you were sorry if I misunderstood, but you didn’t know why I’d take it that way. You made me look like the unreasonable one. Now that the roles are reversed, isn’t it strange that your stance has changed?”

“……”

Not just Berenice, but Marianne and Nadia, too, looked shocked. They all stared at me as if asking, ‘Who are you?’

“Or are you saying I was right to be angry before? Because that would be a problem… not for me, but for you,” I continued, placing a hand on my cheek.

“…What do you mean by that?” Nadia asked, her voice cracking.

“It means that you have been repeatedly insulting the Duchess of Dumont. Knowing this, I would have to inform my husband and seek official action… which would be troublesome for you,” I explained.

“……”

Now, not only Nadia, but the other two also paled.

The power a woman wielded in high society often came from her husband. It was a bitter truth. Thus, invoking their husbands’ statuses was the most effective strategy against these women. Moreover, my threat wasn’t empty. Ethan had a strong sense of pride and responsibility toward the Dumont name. Even if he didn’t love his wife, he wouldn’t stand by if she were insulted.

“So, which is it? Should I believe that you didn’t mean it, or should I judge by how I feel today, just like you did?” I asked.

“……”

Berenice swallowed hard.

“Well…”

She glanced at Nadia, but Nadia kept her gaze fixed downward, biting her lip.

“It wasn’t… we didn’t mean it that way. Absolutely not,” Berenice finally said.

“Oh, I’m glad to hear that. So, you’ll take my words today at face value as well?” I asked, my smile unwavering.

“Ah… yes, Duchess. Of course,” Berenice replied, her eyes betraying a sudden subservience.

“Marchioness Leroy?”

“……”

Nadia’s shoulders trembled slightly. I continued with a sweet smile.

“Do you believe there was no hidden meaning behind my words?”

“……”

Nadia’s lips had turned white from how hard she was biting them. For a moment, I almost felt a twinge of pity for her. But I had no intention of forgiving her—not for myself, but for the Camille of the past.

“Marchioness?”

After being called again, Nadia finally spoke. “Yes, Duchess.”

“Good. So, all our misunderstandings are resolved, then?” I asked with a bright smile. Berenice and Marianne quickly nodded.

“Yes, of course, Duchess.”

I turned to look at Nadia. “Marchioness Leroy?”

“……”

The corners of Nadia’s lips twitched as if she was having a spasm.

“…No problem,” she spat out.

“Good.” I gave a satisfied smile and walked away from them.

‘Thinking about it, Camille really had it rough.’

Ignored by her husband at home, surrounded by sycophants or those like these women in society, she had no real friends. It wasn’t surprising she fell for Liam’s sweet words.

‘And in the end, she was divorced and thrown out with nothing…’

Of course, Camille wasn’t entirely without fault. No matter the reason, as a married woman, she had engaged in secret trysts and even stolen confidential documents from her husband’s safe. There was no excuse for that.

‘But Camille herself wasn’t inherently a bad person. She was just a bit naive and immature… Probably due to being overly protected by her brother.’

If she had married a man who cherished and cared for her, even a fraction of how much Count Chevillotte did, things wouldn’t have turned out this way.

It was all rather bittersweet.

***

Walking alongside Ethan, Viscount Rochefort wore a slightly smug expression. Many people were casting envious glances his way, and some were even approaching him.

“Viscount Rochefort.”

“Ah, Baron Emera. Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Yes, thanks to you. Thank you.”

Even while conversing with Viscount Rochefort, Baron Emera kept sneaking glances at Ethan, his desire for an introduction to the Duke quite evident.

“Viscount Rochefort,” Ethan quietly called, giving the Viscount a look.

“Oh, yes, Duke.”

Viscount Rochefort smiled apologetically at Baron Emera. “I’m sorry, I have an urgent matter to attend to. I’ll see you later.”

“Ah, yes, later, certainly,” Baron Emera replied, looking rather desperate.

Ethan and Viscount Rochefort exited the ballroom together. Ethan walked silently to the entrance of the garden, ensuring no one was around before turning back to the Viscount.

“You mentioned a business matter earlier. What exactly is this about?” Viscount Rochefort asked, now looking somewhat anxious.

“I understand my wife visited you recently. What did she discuss with you?”

“…Pardon?” Viscount Rochefort blinked, clearly taken aback by the question.

Ethan stared at him silently until the Viscount collected his thoughts. “Ah, yes, that’s right. The Duchess did visit me. She wanted to see the guest list for today’s event.”

“Why the guest list?”

“The Duchess mentioned that since it’s been a while since she attended a party, she wanted to know who would be present.”

“And did you show it to her?”

“Yes, well, she actually asked for a copy of the list, so I provided one. Did I do something wrong? I assumed you were aware of this,” Viscount Rochefort said nervously.

Ethan maintained a perfectly blank expression. “Is the Viscountess of Grandbert on today’s guest list?” he asked.