My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 63

Actually, I didn’t expect to be this nervous in front of Elodie. Even I was surprised at myself.

‘…It’s just because I ran into her so suddenly. From now on, if I prepare myself mentally, I’ll be fine.’

***

Father Dreyfus looked utterly shocked when he saw the amount of my donation.

“Duchess, this is… a bit too much…”

“Oh dear, was it too little? I’m sorry. This is my first time donating, so I wasn’t sure how much was appropriate.”

“Pardon? No, it’s quite the opposite. It’s an excessive amount to receive as a donation.”

“Oh, is that so? Then it’s fine. Please accept it without any burden,” I said with a gentle smile.

“But Duchess, as one who serves the Lord…”

“It’s a donation meant to help those in need. The more, the better, isn’t that right? Oh, it would be wonderful to set up a library at the orphanage. Then that child from earlier could read all the books she wanted.”

“……”

Father Dreyfus still looked troubled.

“This isn’t just my intention; it’s also my husband’s wish. Please, do not refuse the sincerity of Dumont.”

Only after I added that did Father Dreyfus reluctantly nod his head.

“…Alright. Then I will gratefully put it to good use. However, from now on, I will only accept your thoughts. The amount is already far too much for a small church like ours to handle.”

“Yes.”

After wrapping up our conversation, we returned to the chapel where Audrey was waiting.

“Shall we go see the children at the orphanage now?”

“Yes, Audrey.”

Taking a small breath that Audrey wouldn’t notice, I followed her.

“What kind of volunteer work do you usually do at the orphanage?”

“Well, I usually hand out the snacks we’ve brought… Afterwards, I read picture books to the young children or do embroidery with the girls.”

It was roughly what I expected.

Audrey was, after all, a noblewoman. She probably wouldn’t do tasks more suited for servants.

“What about that child from earlier? The priest mentioned that she already reads adult books, so I assume you don’t read her picture books.”

“Ah, Elodie? Yes, that’s right. She mainly learns embroidery with the older girls.”

“…I see.”

According to the original story, Elodie was notably bad at embroidery.

When she first gifted Ethan a handkerchief she embroidered herself, the description was that it was such a mess you couldn’t even tell what she’d tried to stitch. And her skills didn’t improve much as she grew older.

‘So she didn’t teach herself from the beginning… I suppose it wasn’t Audrey’s fault. Elodie just really lacked talent for it.’

Not that it mattered, since it was endearing in its own way.

Despite her lack of progress, Elodie would persistently gift Ethan her embroidered items each year. Ethan, in turn, treasured each one.

‘Who cares if she’s not good at embroidery? It’s not like she needs it for a living. Exactly.’

I nodded to myself as I thought this.

The orphanage was right behind the church. It wasn’t as small or shabby as I’d imagined.

“Welcome, Duchess Dumont. I’m Miriam, the head of this orphanage.”

Sister Miriam, who seemed to be around the same age as Father Dreyfus, had a kind face. Her light green eyes appeared particularly clear.

In the original story, she was someone Elodie adored like a mother. When her adoption was decided, she cried bitterly at the thought of parting from Miriam.

“Nice to meet you. Please take care of me today.”

“Likewise. There are still many young children who lack understanding… They might accidentally act rudely toward you, Duchess. I ask for your understanding.”

Miriam bowed her head as she spoke.

“That’s how children are. Don’t worry, I understand.”

Hearing my words, Miriam gave a faint smile, though she couldn’t entirely conceal her worried expression.

‘Well, Camille never did have a great reputation…’

Noblewomen taking part in volunteer work like this was rare enough. For someone of Audrey’s status, it was already unusual, but for a high-ranking noble like myself, it was practically unheard of.

So, from Miriam’s perspective, it was only natural that she wasn’t entirely pleased to see me. She might even have been expecting me to frown in front of the children or storm off in frustration, and that would be one of the better outcomes.

It made sense, really. If the real Camille were here, she might well have acted that way.

‘Or rather, the real Camille wouldn’t have come here in the first place.’

Miriam led us to a lounge-like space inside the orphanage.

Hearing the loud noise from outside, it seemed they’d already gathered the children there in anticipation of our arrival.

‘Elodie must be in there.’

I had been nervous from the unexpected encounter earlier, but seeing her along with the rest of the children felt more manageable.

With so many other children around, sneaking glances wouldn’t draw much attention.

“Quiet!”

Miriam shouted as soon as she entered. It was a loud, firm voice, completely different from her gentle tone earlier.

The room instantly fell silent.

There were about fifty children in total.

They ranged from toddlers who looked barely three or four years old to teenagers as tall as adults.

All eyes were fixed on me, bright and curious. They were adorable.

“Today, aside from Viscountess Granvert, we have another visitor. This is Duchess Dumont. She has taken time out of her busy schedule to come and meet all of you, so be grateful and treat her with respect.”

Miriam looked to the right of the front row of children.

“Bruno, Alice?”

“Yes, Mother Superior.”

The oldest-looking boy and girl answered in unison.

“Make sure the younger children behave properly so they don’t cause any trouble for the Duchess.”

“Yes.”

I raised my hand. “Excuse me. There’s no need to make them be so careful. Audrey has already told me all about it.”

When I leaned in and whispered to Miriam, her expression turned bewildered.

“But…”

“Really, it’s fine. No matter what the children do, the kind of worries you have won’t happen, I promise.”

“……”

After smiling reassuringly at Miriam, I turned to the children.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Camille. The long name Mother Superior mentioned is a bit complicated, so just call me Camille.”

“Duchess…!”

Miriam raised her voice, flustered. I gave her a light wink, signaling it was alright.

“Now, without further ado, let’s hand out the snacks. This is what you’ve all been waiting for, right?”

When I held up the basket, the children erupted in cheers.

“Everyone, line up, please. No pushing.” Miriam quickly spoke up.

The children lined up in two rows in front of Audrey and me.

The first to rush up to me was a boy who looked about seven.

Grinning broadly with a gap where his front teeth should be, he held out his hands.

I smiled and handed him a bag filled with bread, cookies, and candy.

After handing out all the snacks to everyone, I looked around.

‘…Wait. Where’s Elodie?’

I had made sure to hand out snacks to every single child, but Elodie wasn’t among them.

Not only among those who came to my line, but even those who went to Audrey.

I checked again just to be sure, but there was no mistake.

No matter how I looked, based on hair color, eye color, or any other features, there was no one who resembled Elodie.

“Camille? What’s wrong?” Audrey asked quietly.

“Hm? Oh, it’s nothing.”

At least I’d had that brief encounter with Elodie at the church earlier. If not, I would have been far more flustered.

I wondered if my influence on the original story’s plot had affected things even this far.

‘Where could Elodie have gone? She must have received a book from Father Dreyfus earlier…’

Suddenly, something came to mind.

“Audrey, I’ll be back in a moment. Please take care of the children while I’m gone.”

“Pardon? Oh, alright. Um, where are you going…”

Without waiting for Audrey to finish her sentence, I left the room.

I immediately went up the stairs.

After reaching the second floor and heading to the right end of the hallway, I saw a ladder leading to the attic. I lifted my skirt and climbed the ladder, carefully pushing open the wooden door attached to the ceiling.

It was an attic low enough that you’d hit your head if you didn’t stoop.

I looked around and saw a small girl sitting against the window.

She was completely absorbed in a large book, almost as if her nose would touch its pages.