My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 3

‘What should I do? I could play along with her, but…’

But there was no need to continue acting like the old Camille in front of the maid.

I had already made it clear to Ethan that I was no longer the Camille Dumont he knew. This was the right approach, considering what lay ahead.

With a decision made, I folded my arms and tilted my head slightly.

“Marie.”

“Yes?”

“Why are you asking when you already know? You’ve known for a while that Ethan found out, haven’t you?”

Marie’s eyes widened in shock. “M-Madam?”

“Why didn’t you tell me that the letter was taken from you? Ah, never mind. I guess you were told to keep your mouth shut. They probably threatened to throw you out of the mansion if you spoke to me.”

“……”

Marie stared at me with her mouth agape, clearly stunned. “M-Madam, I think there’s some misunderstanding…”

“Misunderstanding?”

“Y-Yes, of course! I would never betray you! Don’t you trust me?” Marie pleaded, her hands clasped together, on the verge of tears. Her wide, innocent eyes blinking up at me reminded me of a hamster I often watched on YouTube—slightly endearing, but not enough to soften me.

“Is that all?”

“Sorry?”

“You’re not even trying to offer an excuse or present any evidence. You’re just asking me to trust you blindly?”

“……”

I was honestly taken aback.

Having just used every ounce of my wits to survive a dire situation, this seemed almost laughable.

‘She must have had an easy time under Camille’s care to think this would work…’

Camille was known to be easily swayed by flattery, likely due to living with a husband who showed her no affection.

That was probably why she had fallen so easily for Liam’s charms.

Marie’s eyes darted left and right as she desperately tried to assess the situation. Her glances at me clearly conveyed her bewilderment, as if she were thinking, ‘What’s gotten into her? Why is she acting like this?’

‘Of course, I must seem completely different from the usual Camille.’

According to the original story, Camille was described as shallow and short-sighted.

She neglected all duties required of the Duchess of Dumont, focusing solely on adorning herself with extravagant dresses and jewels.

As a result, she was looked down upon and disregarded, not only in high society but also among the servants.

The fact that Marie was so flustered by what should have been a reasonable response showed just how little respect Camille commanded.

“I just heard it directly from Ethan. You were caught by his men while running my errand, and they took the letter from you. Are you still going to deny it?”

“……”

Marie’s face turned pale. Her expression screamed, ‘Wow, this is really bad.’

“Or do you want me to take you to Ethan for a three-way confrontation?”

“I-I’m sorry!” Marie dropped to the floor, bowing her head in desperation. “Y-You’re right, Madam. I had no choice. A huge, intimidating man grabbed me by the collar and threatened me… I never meant to betray you! Please, forgive me! It’s the truth!”

‘There you go. This is how she should have reacted from the start.’

I let out a quiet sigh.

To be fair, I could understand Marie’s position. What power did a mere maid have? Their lives revolved around obeying orders and keeping secrets.

Of course, I couldn’t be sure if Marie’s story about the severe threats was entirely true. Judging by her behavior, it was likely an exaggeration.

Regardless, it would have been impossible for her to escape the interrogation of an expert like Ethan.

“Look up, Marie.”

Marie lifted her head and looked at me. Her face was drenched in tears, and she looked pitiful.

“I understand your position. But if you truly valued me, you could have given me a heads-up today.”

“M-Madam.”

“You knew who I was meeting today and that Ethan was going to ambush us. Yet, you didn’t say a word to me.”

“I-I couldn’t help it. I told you, that terrifying man threatened me not to say anything, or else…” Marie’s voice trembled.

“But that’s not the only reason, is it? You knew that once Ethan discovered the truth, this day would come sooner or later. You thought it would be better to follow Ethan’s orders than to risk being thrown out of the mansion for supporting me. Isn’t that right?”

“……”

I heard Marie gulp. She knew I had hit the nail on the head. Honestly, I didn’t blame her. In such situations, self-preservation is natural. If it wasn’t Marie, eight or nine out of ten people would have made the same choice.

Sticking to loyalty only to be punished for knowing about the duchess’s infidelity wouldn’t have benefited anyone.

‘Now, what should I do with her…?’

From a practical standpoint, the answer was clear.

Despite her position, Marie had betrayed her mistress. She had even tried to cover it up with lies.

‘Still, she doesn’t seem entirely clueless. She understands the situation quickly and knows when to prostrate herself…’

I could easily dismiss her out of spite. But practicality was more important right now.

Even though I knew the plot of the original story, I had no memories as Camille. Keeping Marie around was far more advantageous for gathering necessary information.

‘With her weak spot exposed, she won’t dare to speak out, even if she finds me acting strange.’

Ethan had made it clear that he hadn’t entirely dispelled his suspicions about my infidelity.

I needed to avoid being thrown out with nothing, like in the original story, at all costs.

This world’s security and societal norms were nothing like modern times. A young woman with no money wandering the streets would face obvious dangers.

“Marie.”

“Y-yes, Madam.”

“Normally, I should throw you out of this mansion immediately. I should spread the word around the capital that you betrayed your mistress, ensuring you can never work as a maid again,” I said, watching her reaction.

Marie’s already pale face drained of color completely. “M-Madam…!” she cried out.

“Listen to me. I haven’t entirely decided against forgiving you.”

“W-what do you need me to do, Madam? I’ll do anything you ask!” Marie quickly pressed her forehead to the floor again.

‘See, she’s not entirely without sense.’

“Listen carefully. Ethan will likely call you soon to question you about what happened between me and Baron Bernard. Here’s what you’re going to say,” I began to explain the plan I had devised while riding in the carriage.

***

“So, you’re saying you never told anyone that the letter was intercepted?”

“Yes, Master,” Marie replied, bowing deeply.

“Enough with the obvious lies. If you didn’t say anything, how could the Duchess possibly know?” the man standing beside Ethan barked, his voice harsh.

He was a large, imposing figure, more formidable than most of the knights in the mansion. Though his face was handsomely rugged, a scar slicing through his right eyebrow gave him a fierce appearance.

Marie flinched and shrank back, a small squeak escaping her lips.

“I swear, I didn’t say anything. Please believe me,” she pleaded, her voice trembling.

“You still dare to—”

“Jacques,” Ethan interrupted.

The man, Jacques, stepped back but continued to glare menacingly at Marie. His expression remained severe, clearly meant to intimidate.

Despite his rough appearance, Jacques was known for his quick thinking and cold rationality. It was his competence that made Ethan value him so highly.

It was no surprise that Jacques was pressing Marie with his aggressive demeanor. He knew that this approach would be most effective in breaking her.

By making himself a figure of fear, Jacques also made Ethan’s interrogation easier. He likely anticipated this psychological tactic from the start.