My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 5

“And tell him that I’m more interested in the household than he thinks. Say that I always know when and where Ethan is going out, and that I know all the names of the maids in the mansion.”

“…So that’s why you asked me to provide the names and details of all the servants in the house?”

Marie now had a look of realization on her face.

Of course, that was part of it, but not the whole reason. Since I had taken over Camille’s body, I needed to be well-informed about the household’s affairs.

I had already confirmed through Marie that Camille had always kept track of Ethan’s schedule.

‘From the perspective of a cheating wife, it makes sense. She’d need to know when her husband was away to meet her lover.’

However, perception is everything. If presented well, what looked like an attempt to arrange secret meetings could instead be seen as diligence in fulfilling her duties as the lady of the house.

The incident with Sophie was the same. It could be spun as evidence that Camille was secretly attentive to household matters.

I didn’t expect Ethan to be completely convinced by these explanations. But within the realm of what was possible, I needed to make my story as plausible as possible.

‘This isn’t a world where magic exists, so Ethan will never think another soul has taken over his wife’s body.’

In the end, Ethan would likely conclude that he never truly understood Camille. Any gaps would be filled in by his imagination.

“The Duke seemed quite surprised. He was quiet, lost in thought,” Marie said.

“That’s good. You did well,” I replied.

Marie hesitated, then spoke cautiously, “Madam, does this mean that until now, you’ve been deliberately acting dumb– no, I mean mindless– no, I mean pretending to be… um, uninterested in everything?”

‘Careful with your words, aren’t you…’

It made sense for her to ask, given how different I was from the Camille she knew.

“It was enough to do so until now. But not anymore.”

Marie still seemed puzzled, but she didn’t press further.

“You’ll see many changes in my behavior from now on. But you mustn’t show any surprise. Always act as if you knew my true nature all along. Understand?”

“Yes, Madam.”

All of this was just preparation. The real task lay ahead. I moved to the desk and spread out the paper I had been writing on earlier. It was filled with information from the original story. It was time to piece together the puzzle again.

***

“So, what were the results of interrogating Baron Bernard?” Ethan asked.

Mael Cantona, a knight of the Dumont family, responded, “He continues to deny everything. He claims he has no connection to Duke Girard and that the Duchess’s accusations are baseless delusions.”

“And receiving the ledger from Camille?”

“He insists he never asked for it. He says the Duchess brought it on her own accord.”

“……”

“That’s not all. Baron Bernard is demanding his release, stating that you have no right to detain him. He claims he hasn’t laid a finger on the Duchess and therefore has committed no crime.”

“The gall of that man is astounding,” Ethan muttered in disgust.

“In truth, his claims aren’t entirely baseless. We can’t hold him indefinitely. While we’ve silenced those present at the scene, we can’t be completely sure they’ll stay silent. The Duchess has been under house arrest since the Baron’s disappearance, which might raise suspicions among those aware of their relationship.”

“……”

Ethan furrowed his brow deeply, remaining silent.

This outcome was not entirely unexpected. He had already ordered Jacques to investigate Liam Bernard even more thoroughly than before.

But despite turning Liam’s residence inside out, no evidence linking him to Duke Girard had been found.

Reaching out to Duke Girard directly was risky. If their inquiries were discovered, it would be hard to justify their actions.

‘At least if I had solid proof of Girard’s involvement…’

At this point, Liam’s words stood unchallenged—Camille’s accusations could very well be fabricated to escape her predicament. Still, dismissing her claims outright wasn’t an option.

Girard was capable of such schemes and had the skill to leave no trace behind.

The House of Girard had long been one of the two most powerful families in the empire, alongside the House of Dumont.

The balance had shifted about thirty years ago when Ethan’s father, Philip, had supported the third prince’s ascension to the throne.

With the new emperor’s backing, Philip monopolized the distribution of key domestic and international goods, aggressively expanding their influence. Consequently, Girard suffered significant losses.

Girard’s covert attacks on the Dumonts began around that time, from ambushing trade caravans to attempted assassinations of Philip. Yet, no concrete evidence was ever found.

Ethan, deep in thought, suddenly spoke. “Bring the Duchess to me.”

***

Upon hearing that Ethan had summoned me, I thought, ‘Finally, it’s happening.’

It had been a week since I was placed under house arrest. Although confined to my room, I had been busy.

Besides ‘putting the puzzle together,’ I memorized the list of the mansion’s staff provided by Marie and familiarized myself with the major events of the past five years of marriage.

‘Marie’s habit of keeping a daily journal was incredibly helpful.’

During this time, Ethan hadn’t summoned me even once.

I had expected him to call me sooner. However, the delay was a positive signal. It indicated that he felt the need to approach the matter cautiously, which meant my claims had a degree of persuasiveness.

As I entered the study, I saw not only Ethan but also two men standing behind him.

‘The one on the left must be Jacques… and the other must be Sir Mael.’

Recognizing their identities from their appearances wasn’t difficult. As I’ve mentioned, I was an avid reader of “I Became the Daughter of a Distrustful Duke.”

The man with the calm and proper demeanor in a neat uniform was undoubtedly Sir Mael Cantona. He was Ethan’s right-hand man and led the knights of the duchy.

The more intimidating-looking man with a robust build was certainly Jacques Alideiri.

Jacques was also one of Ethan’s trusted men, handling tasks that required discretion and often working as a fixer.

Both were handsome in their own distinct ways.

As Ethan’s top retainers, they represented light and shadow, justice and unconventionality.

In the original story, they were deeply loyal to Elodie, supporting her to the end.

‘Seeing these three together is quite impressive… The author must have been a genius to create such perfectly complementary characters.’

As I marveled internally, Ethan’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

“Why are you just standing there? Sit down.”

“Oh. Yes.”

I composed myself and sat across from him.

“You can probably guess why I called you.”

“Hmm. Are you planning a new ball at the mansion?” I teased.

“……”

Ethan’s expression hardened, and I chuckled. “It was a joke.”

“I’d advise against trying to defuse the situation with jokes.”

“I have no intention of doing that. I just wanted to lighten the mood since you seemed so serious.”

“Isn’t it natural to be serious about this matter?”

“You still doubt me?”

“You know very well why I must.”

“Ask me anything. I’m ready to answer.”

Ethan glanced at Mael and Jacques before looking back at me. “You said you knew from the start that Baron Bernard had ulterior motives. When and how did you know?”

I pretended to ponder for a moment. “Well, almost from the beginning. And the reason… let’s just say it was a hunch.”

“A hunch?”

“Yes. Insincere flattery and false kindness are usually quite obvious. Women are especially sensitive to such things.”