My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 91

Henry VII’s eyes widened in surprise at the words he had never imagined hearing.

Ethan, maintaining a firm expression, looked at Henry VII before flinching slightly and lowering his head.

“My apologies.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s fine, but…”

Henry VII glanced at Ethan, gauging his reaction as he spoke.

“I wasn’t trying to criticize your wife. It’s just that I’ve heard your marriage isn’t exactly harmonious. Was that just a baseless rumor?”

“It’s not… a baseless rumor,” Ethan spoke quietly.

Henry VII was tempted to ask what he had meant by those words just now. However, for some reason, he had a strange intuition that this matter needed to be approached cautiously.

He cleared his throat softly.

“If you have any concerns regarding your wife… or if there’s something you want to say, feel free to speak anytime. Well, I wouldn’t say I’m particularly knowledgeable about such matters… but perhaps that makes me more capable of understanding.”

“…I appreciate your kindness. I will keep that in mind.”

Judging from Ethan’s demeanor, it seemed unlikely that he would say anything further for now.

‘For now, I should observe the situation a bit longer.’

Henry VII gave a light chuckle and patted Ethan on the back. “Alright. Then shall we return? You wouldn’t want to keep your wife waiting too long, would you?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Ethan quietly followed behind him.

***

After briefly entertaining the people who approached me, I settled in a corner of the banquet hall.

I also made sure to inform passing attendants, ‘If the Duke of Dumont comes looking for me, please let him know I’m here.’

‘As expected, being close to the wall is the most comfortable spot.’

Even before being hospitalized, I had always been a homebody on my days off. Being in a situation where I had to constantly interact with people was exhausting. Just a little time in such an environment made me feel completely drained.

Of course, this was quite different from Camille’s usual temperament. To maintain consistency, I didn’t forget to mention, ‘I’m not feeling my best today.’

‘At this rate, I feel like I’ve become the person who’s always tired at banquets… Well, I did use illness as an excuse during my period of reflection, so it makes sense to say my health has weakened since then.’

As I was lost in such thoughts—

“Where is the Duke of Dumont, leaving you alone like this?”

A voice suddenly spoke from beside me. Turning to look, I saw an elderly man standing there.

His hair was entirely white, yet his face appeared younger than expected. Judging by his features alone, he seemed younger than Henry VII, whom I had seen earlier.

A tall, slender frame. Hands clasped behind his back. A seemingly friendly smile but an atmosphere that exuded an eerie chill. His features were too distinct to be mistaken.

A slight shiver ran down my spine.

“…Duke Girard.”

At my words, he smiled faintly.

“So you remember me. Though we’ve only met once or twice a long time ago.”

“How could I possibly not recognize someone as famous as you, Duke Girard?”

“Haha, you flatter me.”

Marlon chuckled. As expected of the final villain in the original story, he exuded an overwhelming aura of menace. In another genre, he would undoubtedly be at least a mafia boss.

‘Well, considering the nature of the Girard family, they are practically a mafia organization.’

Regardless, I never expected him to approach me directly. Was it because Ethan had stepped away?

If so, his goal was undoubtedly to extract information from me while Ethan was absent.

‘I need to stay alert and keep my guard up.’

I resolved myself once again. Marlon Girard was the most formidable opponent I had encountered so far. I couldn’t afford to leave him with even the slightest suspicion.

“To think that despite attending together, the Duke of Dumont would leave his wife alone like this… He is quite heartless.”

At Marlon’s words, I hunched my shoulders and looked at him cautiously.

“My husband… He is speaking with His Majesty the Emperor. I thought it would be inappropriate to interrupt, so I decided to wait here.”

‘Given that the Girard family is known to be adversaries of the Dumonts, it would be natural for Camille to be fearful in front of Marlon.’

At my words, Marlon nodded and said, “I see.”

“What about the Duchess of Girard? Did she not accompany you?”

“We came together. But we are both individualistic, so to speak. After greeting His Highness the Crown Prince earlier, I have no idea where she went.”

Marlon said this while glancing around as if searching the area.

“Well, I have heard that it’s not so different in your case either…”

Marlon narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at me.

‘Wow, his gaze is truly chilling.’

His expression itself seemed outwardly amicable, but his eyes that stared at me gleamed with an eerie sharpness. I suddenly realized that the phrase “snake-like gaze” must refer to something exactly like this.

“W-what do you mean by that…?”

I deliberately swallowed hard as I spoke.

“The Duke of Dumont is well-known for being a rather cold person. I have heard that he is not particularly affectionate toward his wife.”

“That’s… not true. He treats me well enough.”

At my trembling voice, Marlon gave a faint smirk.

“You don’t need to be so wary. It has been a long time since we last met, so I simply wanted to greet you. I don’t attend these kinds of gatherings very often either.”

“Ah, yes…”

I kept up my fearful demeanor, glancing at him warily from the corner of my eye.

“I heard rumors that you were unwell and had not left your residence for a couple of months. Are you feeling better now?”

“Ah, yes. I am fine now.”

“That’s good to hear. May I ask what illness you were suffering from?”

At Marlon’s question, I flinched on purpose.

“Huh? Oh, well, that is… um, it was a fever. I had a high fever, and my head kept spinning… so I was bedridden for over a month.”

“That must have been quite serious. By the way, what did the physician diagnose it as?”

“Oh, well… I don’t quite remember. I was told at the time, but…”

“You can take your time and try to recall. I don’t mind waiting.”

Marlon smiled as he said this. However, despite his smiling face, his eyes remained piercingly sharp.

‘I’m sure he’s trying to dig into the matter regarding Bernard with this conversation.’

Rumors that Camille and Liam had an unusual relationship had undoubtedly spread discreetly through high society.

Then, one day, Liam suddenly disappeared from the capital, and around the same time, I withdrew from public life. Many must have believed that my illness was merely an excuse, and that I was actually under house arrest.

‘If he presses me on this, he can always say he was just following up on the rumors. The Girard family would welcome any scandal about the Dumonts, no matter what it is…’

I rolled my eyes as if flustered while thinking.

‘Now, how should I handle this? I need to hide any information related to Liam while also avoiding suspicion in the most natural way possible…’

Just as I finished organizing my thoughts and was about to open my mouth—

“What exactly are you doing with my wife?”

Ethan had approached unnoticed.

With a gaze as cold as ice, Ethan glared at the back of Marlon’s head. Marlon, his hands still clasped behind his back, slowly turned around.

“Duke Dumont. It has been a long time.”

“We are not exactly on terms that warrant a friendly greeting.”

At Marlon’s smiling remark, Ethan spoke curtly. He stepped between me and Marlon, standing firmly as if shielding me.

“Answer my question. What were you talking about with my wife?”

Even at Ethan’s words, Marlon merely narrowed his eyes slightly but did not lose his smile.

“What else could it be? We were simply having a pleasant conversation since it has been a long time.”

“A pleasant conversation?” Ethan scoffed and continued, “I will say this again—we are not on such friendly terms.”

Ethan, who usually maintained an indifferent demeanor regardless of whom he faced, was now openly exuding raw hostility toward Marlon.

‘…Isn’t this a bit much?’

Of course, in the original story, their interactions weren’t much different from this.

But somehow, it still felt different. When Ethan confronted Marlon in the novel, even when expressing contempt and hostility, his emotions and demeanor had been more refined—less frantic, more controlled.

Right now, however, Ethan seemed genuinely angry at Marlon.

I discreetly tugged at Ethan’s sleeve where Marlon couldn’t see.

‘Calm down. Have you forgotten the plan we agreed on?’

That was the message I was trying to convey with my action, but I wasn’t sure if it got through to him.