My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 24

“Pardon? Well… as far as I recall, she is not on the list,” Viscount Rochefort replied, looking puzzled as to why Ethan was asking such questions.

“May I ask what this is about?” the Viscount inquired.

“It’s nothing. Thank you,” Ethan said, dismissing the matter before walking away.

Viscount Rochefort was left standing, bewildered, as he watched Ethan’s retreating figure.

Deep in thought, Ethan made his way back to the ballroom. After lifting Camille’s confinement, she had gone out only once. Ethan had instructed Jacques to have someone follow her, not because he expected her to do anything suspicious—Camille would likely assume she was being watched and wouldn’t risk meeting any informants directly. The surveillance was merely a precaution, a safety measure.

“The Duchess visited the homes of Viscount Rochefort and Viscountess Grandbert in succession, spending about two hours at each.”

Jacques had reported this to Ethan that evening.

“Rochefort and Grandbert? Why would she visit those places?”

“I don’t know. We couldn’t get inside the estates. Shall I bribe the servants to find out?”

“Do that. And ensure they keep quiet about it.”

“Understood.”

The next day, Jacques reported back with information obtained from the servants at each estate. Camille’s actions at Viscount Rochefort’s matched exactly what the Viscount had just described. Her visit to the Grandbert estate was to meet with Viscountess Audrey Grandbert.

“The Viscountess was the only one who sent flowers and well-wishes during the Duchess’s confinement. It seems the Duchess visited to express her gratitude and deliver a gift in return.”

“Is that all? No significant conversation took place?”

“It appears so. The Duchess did inquire about events in society over the past two months, likely gathering information for her return. The same reason she wanted the guest list, I assume.”

“What was in the gift?”

“Flowers, an embroidered handkerchief, tea, and chocolates. As previously mentioned, we inspected everything before it left the mansion and found nothing suspicious.”

“Any chance there was a letter hidden in the gifts?”

“Highly unlikely. According to the coachman, the Duchess never touched the gifts once they were loaded into the carriage. The servants at the estate unloaded them.”

By then, Ethan’s suspicions were nearly dispelled. The reason he asked Viscount Rochefort again today was to ensure Camille hadn’t tried to silence him. If she had, it would indicate something to hide. But she hadn’t.

And he learned that Viscountess Grandbert was not invited to today’s event either.

‘Perhaps my worries were excessive.’

At this point, Ethan no longer believed Camille was involved with Girard. If she were, she wouldn’t have asked for a divorce. Though she might have been trying to extract herself from a dangerous situation, it was unlikely she would go through a formal divorce procedure if she were planning to flee. Running away quietly would be safer, avoiding Girard’s potential pursuit.

And it didn’t seem like she was after alimony either. Camille had hinted that revealing the source of her information could endanger others besides herself.

This meant it was reasonable to assume that Camille had someone feeding her inside information about Girard. Girard was notorious for leaving no evidence behind, as evident from his attempt to eliminate Bernard. Anyone privy to Girard’s secrets was likely deeply involved. And there was no guarantee this person was on Dumont’s side. They might be using Camille for personal reasons, or, in the worst-case scenario, it could be another of Girard’s elaborate traps.

Regardless of the scenario, Ethan needed to identify this informant. No matter what Camille meant by “freedom,” he couldn’t just let her go, not until all his questions were answered.

But why did he feel so unsettled? It had to be because of the dress Camille wore today. Victor’s unnecessary comments had made him overly conscious of it.

“You mean… it’s alright for me to wear this dress?”

The careful look she gave him when she asked that question was still etched vividly in his mind. She was an enigma. Not long ago, he had thought her a childish fool incapable of acting her age, but now it seemed that wasn’t her true nature.

She had demanded a divorce, saying she no longer cared about impressing him, yet suddenly she looked at him with such an expression and said such words.

“As I mentioned, it’s a precious and special dress, so I thought I should only wear it on important occasions.”

‘…What’s so special about a dress?’

Ethan had completely forgotten he had ever chosen such a dress for her. Even on the way to the ball, he had tried to recall but failed. Throughout their five years of marriage, he had never denied Camille anything she wanted, be it dresses or jewelry. Yet she treasured this dress merely because he had chosen it for her.

“The fact that Duchess is wearing that dress after all these years is undoubtedly to see if you recognize it. What’s important is that she’s undoubtedly giving you one last chance tonight.”

A deep frown creased Ethan’s forehead. If that was true… She really was a foolish woman.

***

I leaned against the ballroom wall, sipping on my lemonade. Many people were stealing glances at me from a distance, but none dared to approach. Perhaps they had overheard the conversation I had with Nadia and her companions.

‘Or maybe it’s always been like this,’ I mused. Despite everything, I am still the Duchess of Dumont. I expected people to flock around, hoping to curry favor. It was surprising that, aside from Audrey, no one had inquired about my well-being during the past two months.

‘Then again, the rumor about my affair with Liam must have scared them off. They didn’t want to risk getting on Ethan’s bad side.’

Such was the nature of relationships built on power. I took another sip of my drink, only to find my glass empty. I looked around, hoping to spot a passing servant.

“May I get you another drink?”

“Oh, yes, thank you…”

I turned at the voice beside me, narrowing my eyes slightly. The man who had spoken didn’t look like a servant. His immaculate suit and demeanor marked him as a noble. Moreover, he was quite tall and handsome.

‘Let’s see. Dark blonde hair, around Ethan’s age, and this striking appearance…’ I quickly ran through the information Audrey had provided me.

“Thank you for the offer, but that won’t be necessary, Count Brunkel. I wouldn’t dream of troubling you with such a task,” I replied.

“Please don’t refuse. I’d be more than happy to fetch a few drinks for the Duchess,” Count Clovis Brunkel said with a charming smile.

‘Look at this guy,’ I thought, recognizing the flirtatious gleam in his eyes. Audrey hadn’t mentioned Clovis having any particular closeness with Camille, though knowing her, she might not have said even if there was something. Given that the original Camille was infatuated with Liam, it was unlikely she had a secret affair with Clovis. This was probably just harmless flirting.

“No, really, I wouldn’t want to trouble you. Ah, I see a servant now,” I said, raising my hand to call over a servant. But Clovis, making a show of it, rushed over to grab a fresh glass himself.

“Here you go,” Clovis said, handing me the lemonade with what he probably thought was a dazzling smile.

‘Oh, the pretentiousness. Does he think fetching a drink is some grand gesture?’