My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 8

We walked together to the library. The door was secured with a heavy lock.

‘Probably because Camille had stolen the fake ledger before I possessed her.’

Ethan’s library was enormous, far surpassing the size of most village libraries.

It was roughly the size of three other rooms combined, and considering the rooms in the mansion were already much larger than those in typical houses, it was a truly vast space.

I knew from the original story that it was supposed to be this large, but seeing it in person was something else entirely.

As soon as we stepped inside, the smell of old paper filled the air, making me feel a surge of excitement.

“You look like it’s your first time here,” Ethan remarked.

Maybe I had been too obviously thrilled. His comment had a tinge of accusation, as if hinting that I had been here when I stole the ledger.

“Well, it was dark last time, so I couldn’t see much,” I replied nonchalantly.

Ethan gave me an incredulous look. “Not sure if you’re being bold or shameless.”

“Bold? I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“……”

Ignoring Ethan’s frown, I approached the bookshelves.

‘Let’s see. What would be good… A novel would be nice. There must be romance novels in this world, but there’s no way Ethan has those in his library.’

Most of the books were likely to be academic or practical. To my surprise, there was a fair amount of literature, especially poetry.

‘Considering the era, it makes sense that poetry is more common than novels. So, Ethan reads poetry?’

“…Why are you smiling?” Ethan asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

‘Does he always know when someone is thinking about him?’

“Nothing,” I said, stifling a laugh.

I continued to browse the shelves until my eyes landed on a particular set of books.

“The History of the Erendel War.” Each volume was as thick as a dictionary, and there were twelve in total.

Judging by the title, it seemed to be a historical account of a war. Given its length, it must have been a prolonged and significant conflict.

What caught my eye was how worn and well-used the books looked compared to the others.

I pulled out the first volume and began skimming through it. Ethan’s voice cut in. “That book might be a bit too difficult for you.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Read any page, and you’ll see.”

“I’m doing that right now,” I replied, holding the book up for emphasis.

From what I had skimmed, the language was a bit archaic and complex but not unreadable.

“Just pick another book.”

“Why?”

“You’ll be asking for a different book before the day is over, and I’d rather not make another trip.”

‘Oh, really?’

I was irritated. It was just a book, after all.

“No, I’ll take this one.”

“You should listen to me.”

Ignoring him, I pulled out the volumes of “The History of the Erendel War” and handed them one by one to Ethan.

He frowned but reflexively caught them.

I continued to hand him the hefty volumes, causing him to stagger slightly as he tried to balance them.

“Oops, are they heavy? Sorry, I’ll call for a servant,” I said with feigned concern.

Ethan’s face twisted in irritation. “Not heavy at all. I can handle it.”

“Really? Your legs seem to be shaking.”

“Ridiculous.”

It wasn’t just bravado. Despite holding a towering stack of books, Ethan looked remarkably steady.

He was said to be proficient in swordsmanship, capable of sparring with Sir Mael, the captain of the knight order.

‘He really is the protagonist… Oh my, look at those biceps.’

His muscles, both biceps and forearms, bulged powerfully even through his shirt.

What a waste, using those muscles just to flip through documents. There was a reason so many women coveted Ethan’s side even after he divorced Camille.

“What… are you doing?” Ethan asked, glaring at me.

Startled, I drew back my hand, which had been reaching out towards his arm as if in a trance. “Oh, nothing. Thank you, Ethan. So you’ll move it to my room for me?”

“……”

Ethan’s expression grew subtly complex again. It was clear without saying that this wasn’t a job a duke should be doing personally.

I tilted my head slightly, frowning. “It seems heavy for you. Should we get someone else to—”

“I said it’s fine. Let’s just get moving,” Ethan spoke through gritted teeth.

Suppressing my laughter, I began to walk ahead. Several times as we walked down the hallway, servants who spotted us rushed over.

“Master, let me carry that for you.”

“It’s alright, don’t worry. He insisted on carrying it himself,” I said with a smile.

“But still…” the servant started.

“Didn’t you hear? It’s fine,” Ethan’s irritated tone made the servant flinch and withdraw.

“S-sorry. Excuse me,” the servant muttered before scurrying away.

After we returned to the room, Ethan set the books down on the table with a loud thud.

“I’m really looking forward to your thoughts on these,” he said, his eyes challenging me. It was clear he was convinced I wouldn’t be able to get through even one volume.

“Have you read all these books yourself?” I asked, feigning innocence.

‘Ugh, he’s so annoying. It doesn’t matter how good-looking he is; he’s such a jerk.’

“I don’t keep books I haven’t read on my shelves.”

“So you’ve read all the books in your library?”

“Not all, but most.”

“Didn’t you just say you don’t keep books you haven’t read on your shelves?” I retorted.

“…The ones I haven’t read are the ones I bought recently. Since when did picking apart my words become your hobby?” Ethan growled, his voice low.

‘Oh, teasing him is just too much fun. I really should stop, but…’

I maintained an expressionless face, suppressing my amusement.

“Anyway, thanks for carrying the books. As you suggested, I’ll read them and share my thoughts.”

“I look forward to it,” Ethan replied, clearly skeptical and already planning his retorts.

‘He’s probably thinking of all the ways he’ll mock me… He’s in for a surprise.’

“So when?”

“What?”

“Your thoughts. When can I expect them? A month, perhaps?”

“A month? No way. Two weeks is enough.”

Ethan frowned. “Only two weeks? Aren’t you being overly confident?”

“Did you forget I’m under house arrest? I have nothing else to do all day. Two weeks will be more than enough.”

“……”

Ethan stared at me, his expression growing darker. He looked genuinely offended, as if I had insulted him.

“You speak so lightly. Reckless confidence can be endearing to a point, but this is just foolish. You haven’t even started reading yet, and you think you can finish in two weeks?”

Ethan’s stern reaction caught me off guard. ‘What’s his problem? Does he think he wrote the book himself?’

Even if he had, his attitude would still be annoying. I recalled Marie mentioning Camille’s complete disinterest in books, but that didn’t warrant such a dismissive response.

“Aren’t you jumping to conclusions? You don’t know if I can do it until I try.”

“Must everything be tested to be known?”

“Where’s the guarantee without trying?”

“……”

Ethan glared at me before grabbing the top volume of “The History of the Erendel War.”

“Let me ask again. Are you serious? Do you truly believe you can finish this book in two weeks?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“What?”

We glared at each other, both frowning. Then, Ethan’s expression softened into a bitter smile.

“It seems there’s been a misunderstanding. Of course, it was absurd to think someone like you could finish this book in two weeks.”

“I said two weeks for all twelve volumes, not just one. Who takes two weeks to read a single book?”

Ethan’s face went blank. It seemed he couldn’t process what I had just said. But it didn’t take long for his confusion to turn into anger.