My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 93

“W-what are you saying all of a sudden? Saying something so embarrassing right to my face…”

Flustered, I stammered.

“You’re the one who asked. I just answered honestly.”

Ethan responded with an utterly composed expression.

“That may be true, but still… It’s not like you.”

“I made up my mind to change. If I decide to change and fail to do so, then that would be truly pathetic.”

“……”

Everything he said was perfectly reasonable. My mind understood it, but somehow, I couldn’t just nod and accept it so easily.

I pressed the back of my hand against my cheek to cool the heat rising there.

Earlier, he said he couldn’t look at me properly, but now Ethan’s gaze was fixed squarely on my face. This time, I was the one who couldn’t meet his eyes.

“Y-you really do seem to prefer this understated style. I suppose my past choices were a bit excessive, weren’t they?”

Trying to shake off my embarrassment, I brought up a new topic.

“No, I think you would have looked good back then too. Your beauty was already well-known in high society. I was just blind to it.”

“……”

No matter what I said, all I got in return were more compliments. Meanwhile, the person saying them looked completely unaffected, as if he were stating a mere fact. That made me feel even more embarrassed, like I was about to die from the awkwardness.

Just then, Ethan suddenly stepped closer to me.

“How is your shoulder? Let me see.”

Before I could say anything in response, he reached out and pulled down the shawl draped over my shoulders. He hadn’t even undone any clothing, merely lowered the shawl, yet for some reason, his touch sent a jolt through me.

“That’s a relief. The mark has faded a lot.”

Ethan examined my exposed shoulders carefully. He hadn’t even touched them, yet wherever his gaze landed, I felt a strange tingling sensation.

“…I told you, it was just a temporary mark,” I muttered under my breath, turning my head away.

Ethan gently placed the shawl back over my shoulders. “Still, keep it on while we’re outside. The night air is chilly.”

“……”

Maybe because he still felt guilty for grabbing me earlier, Ethan’s touch was uncharacteristically cautious. Even his usually indifferent voice sounded unusually gentle.

‘What is this? This feels strange… This is really strange…’

I could hear the pounding of my own heart.

As I adjusted my shawl and lowered my head, Ethan looked at me with concern.

“What’s wrong? Are you still in pain?”

“…No, I’m fine. It’s nothing like that.”

“Then is something else wrong? If you’re cold, we should go back inside.”

I was about to shake my head again, but I hesitated and changed my mind.

“You’re right. That would be best.”

The reason I was so overly conscious of Ethan right now must be because we were alone here. If we returned to the bustling banquet hall, I would surely feel normal again.

Ethan nodded and placed his hand on my back. His hand wrapped over my shoulder, and naturally, our bodies touched. Instinctively, I stiffened.

“Camille? What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.”

I laughed awkwardly and quickly stepped away from Ethan. Then, I hastily headed back toward the banquet hall.

“Let’s go quickly. Come to think of it, we haven’t greeted the Crown Prince yet.”

“……”

Ethan stood frozen for a moment, his hand still mid-air, before belatedly following me.

***

Marlon Girard stood among the guests, holding a wine glass.

“So, Duke Girard, as I was saying—”

As usual, a few fools were hovering around, trying to curry favor with him, their intentions obvious.

Marlon maintained a polite smile, half-listening to their words while letting them go in one ear and out the other. His attention was elsewhere—on the entrance to the terrace across the hall.

The Duke and Duchess of Dumont, who had gone out to the terrace earlier, were now returning to the banquet hall. The Duchess was walking ahead with quick steps, and Ethan Dumont was following behind at a slight distance.

They seemed somewhat distant. Then again, that was the image everyone knew of them.

Ethan Dumont was a cold man who paid little attention to his wife. Meanwhile, his wife was said to be full of grievances, always eager to vent her frustrations about her husband to anyone who would listen.

‘But…’

What he had seen earlier felt somewhat different from what Marlon knew.

Of course, it was nothing new for Ethan Dumont to snarl at him like a beast wary of having its prey stolen. But earlier, something about it felt different from usual.

Naturally, his reaction could be justified. Camille Dumont was well known for being a foolish woman. It was entirely reasonable to worry that she might carelessly spill something she shouldn’t in front of Marlon.

However, somehow, it didn’t seem like it was just that simple. If that was all it was, Ethan Dumont wouldn’t have looked so intensely serious.

The way he glared at Marlon, his expression, the way he positioned himself protectively in front of his wife—

No matter how he thought about it, Ethan hadn’t seemed worried about Camille leaking secrets. Instead, it looked as if he was trying to protect Camille herself.

‘Did he suddenly start obsessing over his wife after nearly losing her to another man?’

From an instinctual male perspective, it wasn’t impossible. But the man in question was none other than Ethan Dumont. That Ethan Dumont obsessing over his wife? It was difficult to believe.

Ever since Ethan had become the new Duke of Dumont, Marlon’s sole interest had been in finding his weaknesses.

Whether today’s display was a true vulnerability or not remained to be seen, but Marlon had no intention of overlooking a potential lead.

Fixing his gaze on the Duke and Duchess of Dumont, Marlon silently tilted his wine glass.

***

Since leaving the terrace, Camille had been acting strangely.

Even after they left the banquet hall and boarded the carriage, her demeanor remained the same.

When Ethan spoke to her, she would answer, but she never initiated conversation, and more importantly, she avoided making eye contact with him.

Ethan watched Camille turn her head completely toward the window and sighed quietly.

It felt as if their roles had reversed from when they had arrived at the palace.

Truthfully, it wasn’t a good attitude. Camille probably misunderstood, thinking he had ignored her earlier to stay in character.

But even if he could go back, he wasn’t sure he would have acted any differently. That was how dazzling Camille had been today. From the moment she descended from the second floor and their eyes met, he had felt entranced, completely stunned.

What had the maids done to her? Should he summon them and tell them to tone it down next time, or should he raise their wages instead? He couldn’t decide.

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t known Camille was beautiful before. But why did he suddenly feel so restless about it now?

It was absurd that he was reacting this way to his wife of five years.

Regardless, the important thing was that Camille was clearly avoiding him.

‘…It’s not like she’s avoiding me for the same reason I was avoiding her. It must be for an entirely different, less favorable reason.’

He had a vague suspicion.

Camille’s behavior had changed right after he told her she was beautiful. Before that, she had walked arm-in-arm with him naturally and hadn’t reacted at all when their hands touched.

But after that, when he had placed a hand on her shoulder, she had clearly flinched and immediately pulled away.

It was the exact same reaction she had given him before when she rejected his advances.

‘…Does she dislike touching me that much?’

The first time she had reacted that way, he had been shocked. He had made efforts to improve himself since then.

As a result, he had become more honest in front of her than ever before, and he had been proud of himself for it.

She had even said she would think about things. Considering she had once been adamant about divorce, this was undeniable progress.

And yet, in this one aspect, nothing had changed.

Honestly, it was frustrating. No, frustrating wasn’t the right word—it was infuriating. He felt like he was going insane.

Even now, she was sitting right next to him in the carriage, yet—

If he were some love-struck fool pining for an unattainable woman, that would be one thing.

No, at this point, he thought he might prefer that scenario.

At least then, he wouldn’t be experiencing the humiliation of being rejected by his own wife.

Like this, he couldn’t even begin to consider the idea of having a child together.