My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 41

Jacques could do no more than obtain the resident register, which was precisely what I intended.

Leaving the Grandbert Mansion, I headed towards Ines’ house. There were two purposes for this visit. First, I needed to confirm if Ines really did take Titi for a walk at that time and if she would do so again tomorrow. The second purpose was to establish a “motive.”

To persuade Mael, I needed a reason for my determination to catch the culprit. I visited Ines for three consecutive days after our first meeting because I genuinely liked her. The narrative would be that I couldn’t bear to leave her in danger.

Additionally, Camille loved the opera and went to the theater whenever she had the chance. I learned this from reading Marie’s diary. Upon double-checking, there was a record that Camille had attended Valerie’s final performance on the night she was murdered.

I used this coincidence to create a plausible scenario.

“On the way home in my carriage that night, I saw a suspicious man. I didn’t realize it at the time, but upon reflection, I think it was near the alley where Valerie was found the next day.”

“You believe that man was Bache?”

“Yes.”

I might have seen the murderer’s face. Therefore, I could have prevented another victim, but I didn’t. Combining this guilt with my fondness for Ines provided a compelling motive.

I would not stand by this time. I must prevent Ines’ death.

As I had felt on the first day, Ines was indeed a pure and charming person. It was no wonder Jacques had fallen so deeply into darkness after losing such a wife.

The next day, I bought desserts from the pastry shop and timed my departure for Ines’ house perfectly. I feigned motion sickness, asking the coachman to stop briefly or slow down to adjust the timing.

Soon, I spotted Ines and Jean.

“Daniel, stop for a moment,” I said, leaning out of the carriage.

Jean followed my instructions, confirming that Ines had entered her house before turning back.

“Daniel! Follow that man!” I commanded urgently.

“Who, madam? Who are you talking about?” Daniel, sitting on the coachman’s seat, looked around in confusion.

With so many passersby, it was natural he wouldn’t know who I was referring to. Even if he did, it wouldn’t matter. My goal was simply to create the pretext that ‘I ordered Daniel to pursue but he didn’t understand, so I had to follow personally.’

I stepped out of the carriage.

“Madam, where are you going? Madam!” Daniel called after me, his voice filled with concern.

“Don’t worry, just wait here with the carriage. I’ll be right back,” I reassured him before quickly walking away.

From then on, everything went according to plan. Jean executed his task flawlessly. Jacques must have investigated the resident register of the rowhouse and discovered Marcel Bache’s name, reporting it to Ethan as well.

‘Ethan is aware of the past involving Bache and Mael. Therefore, he couldn’t help but take note of that name.’

Of course, it wasn’t directly related to the current matter, so Ethan probably just stored it in a corner of his mind. But that was enough.

The next day, I visited my family home and asked Olivier to investigate Marcel Bache. Although he was puzzled by my request, he nodded when I promised to explain everything once it was resolved.

I told Mael that this was to avoid Ethan’s scrutiny, but that was a lie.

‘Ethan isn’t the type to lower his guard just because I visit my family.’

If anything, his vigilance would have increased due to the previous day’s incident with the midday pursuit. It was only a matter of time before he discovered that Olivier had hired someone to investigate Marcel Bache. But that didn’t matter because I had no intention of secretly investigating Bache.

‘What I needed was merely the fact that such an attempt was made.’

Hiring Jean through Viscountess Grandbert, visiting Ines for three consecutive days—it was all part of the same strategy. All these actions served one ultimate purpose: to compel Mael to search Marcel Bache’s room.

Bache meticulously planned his murders and always kept a few trophies from his victims. The original novel described numerous pieces of evidence found in his room during a search, besides his diary.

‘Simply put, searching his room would end the game.’

I chose Mael instead of Ethan or Jacques for the reasons I had explained to him.

My accusations against Marcel Bache were based on tenuous logic and insufficient evidence. I was relying solely on vague memories to claim Bache was the murderer. Ethan would never believe me.

But Mael was different.

It wasn’t that he was less intelligent or less logical. Mael was extremely righteous, unable to ignore the plight of the weak, and, crucially, he had experienced deep powerlessness and regret from past failures.

“If something horrible happened to Ines or another woman because you did nothing, you would feel responsible and deeply regret it. So would I.”

Mael would never be able to erase those words I had implanted in his mind. He couldn’t ignore the potential future that would unfold if my suspicions were true.

Moreover, I had presented him with a moderate way to search Bache’s room. Mael faced only two hurdles. One was lying to Ethan. The second was suspecting an innocent former subordinate and forcibly searching his room.

Depending on how Mael approached it, he could reduce those hurdles to just one. As I mentioned, Mael was intelligent enough to realize that soon.

I returned to my room and changed out of my sweat-soaked clothes. Sipping cold lemonade, I gazed out the window.

Soon, I saw a familiar silhouette riding out of the knights’ headquarters. I smiled quietly—a smile of victory.

***

Mael was riding his horse with a heavy heart.

‘…What am I doing right now?’

He had no intention of taking action when Camille first left his office. In fact, he had been deeply conflicted ever since. Should he trust the Duchess’s words? Was he simply falling for her rhetoric? Could she have another ulterior motive, perhaps trying to trap him?

However…

‘What if what the Duchess said is true?’

He couldn’t shake that thought. If his negligence led to Jacques losing his wife, Mael knew he would never forgive himself. Time was also of the essence; it was only a matter of time before Ethan called him to ask what he and the Duchess had discussed.

Thus, Mael decided to act immediately. This way, he wouldn’t have to lie to Ethan later. The urgency of the situation prompted Mael to spring into action.

But he couldn’t just rush to the address Camille had given him. He needed to verify at least some facts first.

So, Mael headed to Jacques’s office in the annex.

“Jacques, may I come in?”

He knocked and opened the door, finding Jacques and another man who seemed to be one of his subordinates inside.

“Leave us.”

At Jacques’s command, the man bowed and exited the room.

“I have some questions for you,” Mael began.

“How convenient. I have a few questions for you as well,” Jacques replied, raising his scarred eyebrow slightly. Jacques, at twenty-six, was a year older than Mael, but due to their difference in status, he spoke formally to Mael.

With his large build and rugged appearance, Jacques often seemed older than his actual age. In contrast, Mael was frequently described as having a youthful, almost boyish face.

“What did you discuss with the Duchess earlier?” Jacques asked directly.

“So you knew,” Mael replied.

Camille had mentioned that Ethan had instructed Jacques to keep a close watch on her every move. Thus, even within the ducal estate, she was under constant surveillance.

“Yes. Though I couldn’t hear the details, the knights’ headquarters is nearly as well-guarded as the main house. I should have arranged cooperation in advance.”

“That’s actually why I came to see you. Is it true that a few days ago, the Duchess suddenly got out of her carriage during an outing to follow a man?”

Jacques’s expression revealed his surprise. “How did you know… Did the Duchess tell you?”

“Judging by your reaction, it must be true,” Mael said calmly.

He had suspected as much. It seemed unlikely that the Duchess would lie about something so easily verifiable.