My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 64

A single braid of honey-colored hair. Bright emerald eyes. Plump, cherub-like cheeks.

She had an expression that seemed calm at a glance, but her eyes were full of intelligence and adventure.

It was just as she was described in the original story. The moment I saw her, I knew. There was no way I couldn’t.

‘It’s real. It’s really Elodie…!’

I was so moved that I even forgot to breathe, simply staring at Elodie.

Elodie was so engrossed in her book that she hadn’t noticed my head peeking through the attic door or that I was watching her.

The orphanage attic was a place Elodie occasionally used as her private retreat. She usually came here when she wanted to read without being disturbed by anyone.

‘I knew it. She just borrowed the next volume from Father Dreyfus earlier, so of course she would want to read it right away.’

Reading had always been Elodie’s favorite pastime.

Her first meeting with Ethan also happened because of a book.

There was a small antiquarian bookstore near the orphanage. It wasn’t well-known, but it sometimes got rare books, so Ethan would often visit.

One day, Ethan found a young girl sitting in a corner of the bookstore, her eyes glued to a thick book. That girl was Elodie.

Ethan, fascinated by the sight of such a young child reading such a thick book, impulsively started a conversation with her.

And he soon became intrigued by Elodie’s intelligence, which was beyond her years.

Through the bookstore owner, Ethan learned that Elodie was an orphan. He also learned that she would often sneak away from the orphanage to read books here whenever she could.

Hearing this, Ethan saw his younger self in Elodie. He too had lost his parents at a young age and found his closest companion in books.

After that, Ethan donated a large number of books to the orphanage for Elodie.

‘Miriam was overwhelmed, saying there was no place to store so many books.’

Afterward, much like a benevolent benefactor, Ethan eventually adopted Elodie into the ducal family.

That early part of the story was my favorite.

‘As a fan of the original, it’s a bit, no, very disappointing that things won’t unfold that way… But it can’t be helped.’

Anyway, watching the real, living Elodie read a book felt incredibly touching. It was like living in a dream.

Honestly, I felt like I could watch her all day.

At that moment—

“…Duchess?”

I heard Miriam’s startled voice from below the ladder. I flinched, hurriedly closed the wooden door, and slid down.

“Is there something strange up there?”

“No, nothing at all. I was just exploring the orphanage.”

I smiled brightly.

Miriam’s expression was half puzzled, half suspicious.

“It’s just an attic we use for storage. I wouldn’t think it would interest someone like you, Duchess…”

“We don’t have rooms like this in the duchy. The structure was interesting, so I wanted to take a peek. I’m the curious type, you see.”

“……”

Miriam looked at me wordlessly, as if she were staring at some incorrigible rascal.

‘It’s understandable. She must think it’s unbecoming for the Duchess of Dumont to be acting like this.’

“Anyway, what brings you here? Were you looking for me?”

“Ah, yes. It’s about time to read to the children…”

“Got it. Let’s go together.”

I gave Miriam a cheerful push on the shoulder, and she reluctantly started walking, still looking unconvinced.

‘If she finds out Elodie’s hiding in the attic, I’ll be in big trouble…’

I glanced back at the attic as we walked.

***

Elodie, who had been pressing her ear against the attic door for some time, finally stood up.

‘It was definitely the Duchess, right?’

She must have been the same person I saw earlier when I went to borrow a book from Father Dreyfus. Viscountess Grandbert had also called her the Duchess of Dumont then.

I had already heard that Viscountess Grandbert was bringing a friend with her today. And when I saw her earlier, I thought, ‘That must be her.’

Since she had been turned away the entire time, I hadn’t seen her face properly. I had only caught a glimpse of her profile for a second or two.

‘She seemed really beautiful…’

Even though I had seen her for such a short time, her beautiful side profile remained vividly in my memory. Not only that, but she was tall and slender. She looked like a princess from the adventure novels I loved.

‘Was she the one who hid me?’

Considering everything, it seemed that way.

The truth was, I hadn’t directly seen the Duchess. I had only realized when I heard the attic door close.

Since then, I’d been holding my breath, listening to the conversation between the Duchess and the Mother Superior.

‘Could it be that she doesn’t dislike me…?’

Earlier, she hadn’t even tried to come near me, or even look my way, so I had felt a bit discouraged.

Given how high her status was and how beautiful she was, I had thought it couldn’t be helped if she found me distasteful.

Of course, Viscountess Grandbert was always kind to us orphans, but I knew well that not everyone was like her.

Once, I had accidentally bumped into a noblewoman while walking in town. The woman had scrunched up her face and looked down at me as if I were something filthy.

If the Duchess looked at me like that, I would be very sad. So, in a way, I had felt relieved earlier.

Of course, that didn’t mean I had intentionally skipped the gathering. I had simply been too curious about the book’s content, and I thought I’d just read it for a moment before the meeting… and as always, I ended up losing track of time.

‘Should I go out now?’

I wanted to see the Duchess’s face properly and confirm if she was the one who hid me. But at the same time, I was afraid she might dislike me. I was also worried about getting scolded by Mother Superior.

After much thought, Elodie decided to stay in the attic.

In the end, what tipped the scales was the book. She was simply too curious about what would happen next.

Elodie settled back by the window and opened her book again.

***

Elodie never left the attic that day.

It seemed that Miriam hadn’t noticed Elodie’s absence either.

With so many children to take care of and so few people to help, it wasn’t surprising. Besides, with her attention focused on assisting Audrey and me, she must have been more distracted than usual.

‘I thought it while reading the original, but this really is an extreme job…’

After actually dealing with the children myself, I felt it even more.

They were adorable, but that was a separate matter. After just three hours, I was completely drained—physically and mentally.

‘At least the first step went smoothly.’

I did feel a bit regretful about not getting to speak directly with Elodie, but seeing her face was enough for today.

‘I don’t want to get so nervous that I end up fumbling in front of Elodie… There will be plenty of time from now on. I’ll take it slow.’

“Goodbye, Duchess Dumont, Viscountess Grandbert.”

The children all said their farewells in lisping voices. I smiled and waved at them.

“Alright. I’ll come again next time. Until then, listen well to the sisters.”

I suddenly noticed Audrey looking at me with an incredibly satisfied expression. I tilted my head.

“What?”

“Nothing. You’ve done well today. Shall we head out?”

“Ah… No. Before that, I’d like to stop by the church again. Could you wait here for a moment?”

Audrey blinked in confusion. “Oh, of course, that’s fine. But may I ask why?”

“Actually, I promised Father Dreyfus I’d make a confession. Since I’m here at the church, I thought I’d take this opportunity to lighten my heart.”

Audrey’s eyes showed a hint of pity at my words.

Audrey knew that I’d been under a lot of stress because of my husband. She had helped me out in many ways out of a sense of sympathy.

“Of course. Take your time. I’ll be here.”

“Thank you. I won’t be too long.”

I smiled at Audrey and headed toward the church.

***

Shortly after Camille left, Miriam approached Audrey.

“Viscountess Grandbert. Thank you for your efforts again today.”

“Oh, Mother Superior. You worked hard as well.”

“It’s just part of my usual duties. Honestly, the Duchess must have had the hardest time.”

“Yes, she did. Still, for her first time, she did exceptionally well.”

Miriam nodded at Audrey’s words. “…Yes. To be honest, I was quite surprised.”