My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 35

No matter how he looked at it, there was no reason for Camille to show interest in Ines. Even Ethan’s reaction to Jacques’ marriage was a mere “Oh, really?” Although he had given a generous bonus, he hadn’t even asked his wife’s name.

So why would the Duchess go out of her way to come here just to greet Ines?

“Oh, come now. Do you think I’ll harm your beloved wife?”

Though said in jest, Jacques couldn’t shake the feeling that there might be a hidden message in Camille’s words. She had expressed her displeasure about Jacques still following her. It could have been a subtle warning: be careful if you don’t want your wife to get hurt.

Perhaps he was overthinking it. But when it came to Ines, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down. He tightened his hold on Ines’s waist, pulling her close as she continued to chatter excitedly.

***

As I opened the carriage door, Victor was waiting. I took his outstretched hand and stepped down.

“Welcome back, madam. How was your visit to your family after so long—”

“Victor, where do we keep the old newspapers?” I interrupted him. His eyes behind the monocle showed a hint of curiosity.

“Newspapers, madam? They are stored in the Duke’s library.”

“Can you have all the newspapers from the past six months brought to my room?”

“All the newspapers from the past six months… every single one?”

“Yes, all of them. I would appreciate it if you could bring them right away.”

“Yes, of course,” Victor replied with a bow.

In this world, newspapers were typically weeklies rather than dailies. Although I had read all the issues from the past two months to stay informed, I wanted to review them again to ensure I hadn’t missed anything.

Ines was the fifth victim of the murderer. Of the previous four murders, only two had been reported. It wasn’t unusual for women to be killed on the streets in this era, which is why some deaths went unreported.

The third victim was an opera singer named Valerie Jeuness. She wasn’t very famous yet but had started gaining recognition as a newcomer. Her death became a topic of discussion because a high-ranking noble was her patron. The newspapers speculated wildly, suggesting a crime of passion.

Only after the fourth murder did suspicions arise that these incidents might be the work of a single individual. The commonalities were clear: all victims were young women with brown hair, strangled, with no signs of sexual assault.

A little while after I returned to my room, a mountain of newspapers arrived. Since there were three types of weeklies, there were nearly 80 issues in total.

“What’s all this?” Maria asked, her eyes wide.

“You should go to bed. It’s going to be a long night for me,” I replied, lighting the lamp on my desk and beginning to sort the newspapers by date.

After Valerie’s death and the ensuing speculation about a serial killer, the murderer had paused. Whether intentional or coincidental, this pause lasted exactly six months, 180 days. Newspapers used headlines like “Murderer Reappears After 180 Days!” when the killings resumed. This was why I had asked Victor to bring me newspapers from the past six months.

‘If I can find the date of the fourth victim’s death, I can calculate when the murderer might target Ines.’

In the original story, Jacques was depicted as a dark character, harboring deep-seated anger. When young Elodie first encountered Jacques at the mansion, his fierce demeanor scared her so much that she sank to the floor. It was only after they caught the murderer with Elodie’s help that Jacques began to find some freedom from his past nightmares. However, the wound left by his wife’s death was one that could never fully heal. Watching Jacques with Ines earlier made this fact painfully clear to me.

Jacques’ restless behavior, his protective stance in front of his wife, and the tender look in his eyes were all things I had never seen in the original story. Only I knew about the tragedy that was to come, and only I could prevent it.

Although my initial plan was to quickly divorce Ethan, I couldn’t ignore the fact that Ines’ death would destroy Jacques’ life. I had to act, and the sooner the better. I found the article I was looking for quickly, much faster than anticipated.

It was in the newspaper from the week following the first one I checked: ‘Serial Killer Suspected? Another Young Woman Found Dead!’ I carefully read through the article and confirmed it against other newspapers from the same week. It was undoubtedly the incident mentioned in the original story.

‘Let’s see, if the fourth victim was found on January 16th, then 180 days later would be…’

A chill ran down my spine. The calculated date was July 14th, and today was July 4th. That meant there were only ten days left until the next attack.

‘If I hadn’t heard about Ines from Jacques today, or if I hadn’t called him over in the first place…’

With only ten days left, the tragedy might have unfolded without my knowledge, leading to irreversible consequences. Realizing this made me even more determined to prevent it. It felt like fate that I had discovered this information just in time.

‘The problem is how to stop it…’

I knew the identity of the murderer from the original story. His name was Marcel Bache, a former knight in his twenties who was making a living doing odd jobs after leaving the service. Finding Marcel’s whereabouts with Ethan’s or Jacques’ help wouldn’t be too difficult.

The issue was how to explain why I was looking for him. I couldn’t exactly say that Marcel was the murderer behind four deaths and would kill Ines in ten days.

‘Reporting this to the police anonymously might not be enough. They might not act on it without evidence, especially given that it’s been six months since the last incident and only ten days remain…’

I couldn’t confront Marcel myself either. Unlike some other stories, I hadn’t transmigrated into the body of a knight or a wizard. My only strengths were my position as the Duchess of Dumont, my knowledge of the original story, and a sharp mind.

I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms, deep in thought.

‘So, what should I do…?’

***

“Camille knew she was being followed?” Ethan asked, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Jacques.

“Yes. She even suspected it might be because she was meeting with an informant,” Jacques replied.

“Could it be that she discovered the surveillance?” Ethan mused.

“I don’t think so. The men assigned to follow her have been in the field for over five years. If they were discovered, they would have known and reported it,” Jacques said confidently.

“And the possibility that they lied to you?” Ethan probed.

“There’s no chance of that,” Jacques responded without hesitation.

Ethan tapped his fingers on the desk, deep in thought. “She might be guessing. Camille herself mentioned the existence of an informant first. It wouldn’t be hard for her to deduce that I’d have her followed to catch the meeting. She knew I had her followed during the Bernard incident too.”

“……”

Jacques remained silent, his brows furrowed.

“Didn’t think of that, did you? Not like you,” Ethan commented.

“Not to boast, but lately, my assessments about the Duchess have been consistently off. I wasn’t confident,” Jacques admitted.

“Don’t doubt yourself. That way, you won’t be able to discern anything. It could be exactly what she’s aiming for,” Ethan advised, causing Jacques to sigh softly.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Alright then. I’ll instruct them to be more cautious in their surveillance for the time being,” Ethan decided.

“You’re saying we should continue the surveillance?” Jacques asked.

“Of course. Did you think otherwise?” Ethan retorted, making Jacques hesitate.

“Well, if she’s aware of it, it can’t really be called surveillance anymore…”

“It’s just a guess on her part. You yourself confirmed that they weren’t caught in the act, didn’t you?”

“Up until now, yes. But if someone knows they’re being followed, the chances of catching the pursuer increase significantly, especially for someone as perceptive as the Duchess,” Jacques explained.

Ethan interlaced his fingers and leaned forward. “So? Is there a specific reason why they shouldn’t be discovered?”

“Excuse me? What do you mean…”

“If Camille already knows she’s being followed, then getting caught on-site makes no difference. In fact, stopping the surveillance out of fear of being discovered is even more foolish. What if she really meets with an informant during that time?”

“……”