My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 72

We didn’t stay long at Count Lenucci’s estate.

While Count Lenucci and his wife had treated us quite warmly, Ethan was much more blunt, cutting off others who approached afterward.

“My wife isn’t feeling well today, so we’ll be taking our leave.”

At a glance, it might have seemed like Ethan was acting as usual, but that wasn’t the case.

Ethan wasn’t the type to use me as an excuse in a situation like this. Besides, he kept checking on my condition attentively.

It seemed he noticed that I was feeling tired from interacting with so many people.

‘Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?’

On the carriage ride back home, I kept glancing at Ethan, who was sitting beside me.

To be honest, I thought there was no reason for Ethan to have any positive feelings toward me.

We’d argued quite fiercely twice during the thunderstorm, and from Ethan’s perspective, it must have felt like I was an ingrate who repaid his help with even harsher words.

‘But it’s even stranger that he’s being nicer to me now.’

I cleared my throat and asked, “…So, why did you come here today?”

“I already told you. I dropped by on a whim.”

“Where exactly were you passing by when you decided to drop by?”

When I pressed him further, Ethan frowned. “Does it matter? It’s not as though I wasn’t allowed to be there.”

“True, but… it’s still strange. You’ve never attended banquets in your entire life.”

“Never in my life? We attended the banquet at Viscount Rochefort’s together not long ago.”

“That was different. There was a reason and justification for that. And today wasn’t even planned.”

“Do you really have to dissect everything like this? Can’t you just—”

Ethan, who seemed agitated, suddenly closed his mouth. He clenched his lips and took a moment to collect himself before speaking in a low voice.

“…I was just curious about how you were doing. I was worried about you.”

“Worried? About me? Why?”

“Because you collapsed that time. You were bedridden with a cold for several days.”

“……”

I furrowed my brow and looked at Ethan.

“You’re looking at me like that again. Is it so strange that I worry about you?”

Hearing that, I found myself at a loss for words. It felt both strange and not strange at the same time.

Even though Ethan was a cold person, I knew he took good care of those within his circle.

The most representative example of that was Elodie.

The problem was that it wasn’t easy to enter his inner circle.

‘At least Camille was definitely, undeniably outside of that circle.’

Of course, ever since I possessed Camille, many aspects of the original story had changed.

‘Still, I can’t recall doing anything to make Ethan open up to me… If anything, I’ve been the opposite.’

Looking back, all I could remember was teasing, taunting, and saying unpleasant things.

‘Or maybe Ethan has a masochistic streak? The more I insult him and push him away, the more he likes it…? Could it be something like that?’

It sounded ridiculous, but part of me couldn’t help but wonder, ‘No, but what if?’

That’s how much I couldn’t understand the current situation.

‘Well, there’s no need to keep bickering with Ethan anyway.’

I had already abandoned the idea of divorcing Ethan. My plan was to adopt Elodie first and then escape with Arthur’s help.

For a successful escape, it might be better to pretend to have given up on the divorce and let Ethan’s guard down.

“No, it’s not strange. Thank you for worrying about me. And also…”

I hesitated for a moment before continuing, “I’m sorry about last time. I didn’t know you’d gone through so much trouble to help me, and I said harsh things.”

“……”

Ethan’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at me, his expression showing genuine surprise.

“See? You find it strange too when I apologize sincerely.”

“…I can’t say I don’t,” Ethan spoke reluctantly.

I smiled faintly.

After apologizing, I felt much lighter than I had expected. Unconsciously, that incident had weighed heavily on my mind.

“Thank you for everything today as well. Honestly, having you by my side made me feel more at ease. Thanks to you, I was able to leave without getting too exhausted.”

“…That much is no big deal,” Ethan mumbled awkwardly.

“Oh, are you embarrassed?”

“I’m not.”

“No matter how you look at it, you are.”

“…I said I’m not.”

I chuckled. “Okay, sure. If you say so.”

Ethan turned to look out the carriage window with a hint of discomfort.

After that, we remained silent until we reached the mansion. But unlike before, the silence didn’t feel awkward.

***

Time passed, and it was now September. I went back to the orphanage at Yena Church with Audrey to volunteer again. It had been exactly one week since the last visit.

I was so excited about seeing Elodie again that I ended up humming quietly without realizing it.

Audrey, who was riding in the carriage with me, looked at me and said, “You seem to be in a good mood today.”

“Huh? Oh, yes. I’m looking forward to seeing the children.”

“So am I.” Audrey smiled contentedly, seemingly pleased.

‘…She seems to be slightly misunderstanding, but there’s no need to correct her. After all, it’s not entirely untrue.’

Last time, I had only observed Elodie from afar, but today, my goal was to meet her face-to-face and make an impression.

‘It would be great if we could even exchange words, but I shouldn’t push it too far. If I take things too quickly, it might be too much for my heart.’

Not long after, the carriage arrived at the orphanage. When the door opened, I saw Miriam and the children standing there, as if they had come out to greet us in advance.

“Welcome, both of you,” Miriam greeted us with a kind smile.

“Have you been waiting outside for us? You didn’t have to do that,” Audrey spoke apologetically.

“Not at all. We just came out a moment ago.”

Miriam turned and gestured, and the children all bowed in unison.

“Hello, Duchess Dumont. Hello, Countess Grandbert.”

The way their voices were slightly out of sync was so endearing that I couldn’t help but smile warmly. Then, two children stepped out from the group, each holding a small bouquet.

“Oh, is this for me?” Audrey knelt down and asked.

The boy blushed and nodded, handing her the bouquet.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

Audrey accepted the bouquet and sniffed it, then patted the boy’s head. The boy, his face slightly red, fidgeted shyly.

It was such a heartwarming sight, but I couldn’t afford to admire it.

I couldn’t even greet the child coming toward me as Audrey had.

The child standing before me, holding a bouquet, was none other than Elodie. This was my first time seeing her up close like this.

Unlike last time, Elodie had her hair in two braids today. It was unbearably adorable. She was holding a bouquet of sunflowers, and it was impossible to tell whether she or the flowers were more radiant.

Elodie hesitated, her eyes lowered, fidgeting with the bouquet in her arms. She seemed unable to bring herself to offer it to me.

Unable to watch any longer, Miriam spoke up, “Elodie? Go ahead and give the Duchess the bouquet.”

Elodie glanced up at me, then shut her eyes tightly as if gathering courage. She took a step forward and held out the bouquet to me.

I reached out, as if in a trance, and accepted the bouquet.

The children’s applause echoed faintly, as if underwater.

‘What is this…? Is this a dream?’

I was so overwhelmed that I felt dizzy. I swear, not even being proposed to would feel like this.

“…Camille? Are you alright?” Audrey whispered beside me.

I quickly turned to look at her. “Huh? Oh, yes. I’m fine.”

When I looked back, Elodie had already rejoined the other children.

“Shall we go in?”

“Yes, Mother Superior.” Audrey nodded, then gave me a look.

Still in a daze, I followed her inside.