My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 94

After returning to the ducal estate, Camille immediately tried to head upstairs to the second floor.

Watching her retreating figure, Ethan impulsively called out to her.

“Camille, wait a moment.”

Camille turned to look at Ethan. One hand rested on the stair railing, while the other held the hem of her skirt.

Her slightly dazed expression, as if wondering what was the matter, was needlessly beautiful, leaving Ethan momentarily speechless.

“What is it?”

Ethan swallowed a small groan.

“It’s nothing… Good night.”

“Good night.”

Camille quickly ascended the stairs and soon disappeared from Ethan’s sight. Even after she was gone, he stood staring at the spot where she had vanished for quite some time.

“Is something wrong?”

Victor cautiously asked while watching Ethan’s expression.

It wasn’t that Ethan didn’t want to confide in Victor, but for some reason, he felt like he wouldn’t hear anything encouraging if he did.

At some point, Victor had completely taken Camille’s side. Though he never said it outright, whenever Ethan and Camille argued, Victor always had that look in his eyes as if thinking, ‘It’s obvious the master must have been at fault.’ Even now, Ethan could sense that same sentiment.

That was why, last time, he had consulted Jacques instead—but that had turned out to be a mistake in its own way.

Jacques had confidently claimed that Camille bringing up the topic of children was her way of offering a gesture of reconciliation. Yet in the end, Ethan was the one left embarrassed.

‘…Still, there’s no way I can discuss this with Mael, who has never even been with a woman before.’

Aside from that, there was no one else he could turn to for advice. His secretary, Mathis, was much older, and the mere thought of discussing such a matter with him was unthinkable.

Ever since his father’s passing, Ethan had deliberately avoided forming personal relationships outside the family. He never imagined that a day would come when he would regret that decision—and certainly not for a reason like this.

As he frowned in contemplation, a thought suddenly came to him.

Ethan lifted his head and looked at Victor.

“Victor, when morning comes, call Mael and Jacques to my office.”

***

The next morning, inside Ethan’s office.

In front of Ethan’s desk stood Mael, Jacques, and Victor, all lined up in a row.

‘If one person’s insight is insufficient, why not gather everyone and discuss it together?’

That was exactly why meetings existed—to pool collective wisdom and prevent any single perspective from dominating.

With that in mind, Ethan had summoned them all.

“So, if I understand correctly, Your Grace is concerned that the Duchess seems reluctant to… that is, she avoids physical contact with you?” Mael asked cautiously, evidently mindful of the sensitivity of the topic.

“…Yes.” Ethan nodded in acknowledgment.

“You’ve mentioned this concern before, Your Grace. Has this been ongoing since then?” Jacques asked.

“Yes. Whenever I try to get a little closer, she flinches in surprise and pulls away. It’s not improving at all.”

The three men exchanged silent glances. Even without words, it was clear they were all thinking the same thing.

Considering Ethan’s personality, the fact that he had called them together to discuss this issue must mean he was quite troubled by it.

‘He must be really upset about this. Since he’s not well-versed in these matters, I should have offered my help sooner…’

As Victor quietly blamed himself, Jacques spoke again.

“Do you have any idea what might have caused this? If this behavior started suddenly at a certain point, there must have been a trigger.”

“I’ve thought about it many times, but honestly, I have no clue. We’ve been distant for so long…”

Jacques cleared his throat softly. “Forgive me for asking something so personal, but… when was the last time you and the Duchess were intimate?”

“……”

Ethan wore a vague expression and said nothing.

‘If he can’t even recall, it must have been a long time ago.’

Jacques thought to himself.

Given the state of the ducal couple’s relationship over the past few years, this wasn’t particularly surprising.

‘If it were simply due to lingering resentment, that could be resolved naturally through reconciliation…’

However, this didn’t seem like such a simple issue. Ethan had said that whenever he touched the Duchess, she “flinched in surprise.” That implied not a conscious rejection but an instinctive, reflexive reaction.

‘Something must have happened. Maybe he was embarrassed in bed… or perhaps it was even worse than that.’

For some reason, if it was Ethan, it seemed entirely possible that even if something like that had occurred, he would have completely forgotten about it.

If that were the case, it would truly be his own fault. However, from Jacques’ position, he couldn’t just say that outright.

Last time, he had given Ethan advice regarding his relationship with the Duchess, only to later hear that he had completely misjudged the situation. That made him even more cautious now.

As the one with the most experience in matters of romance within the ducal household, Jacques felt a strong need to restore his honor.

While Jacques was pondering how to resolve this issue, Mael spoke up.

“Could it be that Your Grace is mistaken?”

“…It would be better if that were the case, but no. This has happened more than once. Just yesterday, it happened again.”

“That is… strange.”

Mael murmured while stroking his chin. Not only Ethan, but also Jacques and Victor turned their gazes to him.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, do you recall when the Duchess visited the training grounds while the Duke was sparring? At that time…”

Mael paused mid-sentence, hesitating for a moment.

“…Ah.”

Jacques and Victor both made the same sound at the same time, as if they had just remembered something.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “Why? What are you talking about?”

“Well, it’s just that… that day, Your Grace and the Duchess were alone together inside the barracks. There were some who reported that the two of you… looked quite affectionate.”

Mael hesitated but eventually settled on that vague phrasing.

“…What?”

Ethan frowned and repeated the question.

Jacques cleared his throat again. “What I mean is, I heard that the atmosphere between you two was rather good. From what I gathered, you were standing quite close to each other. But based on what you just told us, shouldn’t the Duchess have been startled and pulled away in that situation as well?”

“……”

Ethan finally seemed to understand what they were implying.

“Now that you mention it…”

The three men leaned in slightly, waiting for Ethan to continue. However, despite their anticipation, Ethan remained silent for a long time.

“…Now that you mention it?”

Unable to bear the suspense, Jacques finally asked. But still, there was no immediate response.

Ethan was lost in thought, recalling what had happened that day.

“Fine, I’ll admit it. You’re right. I did have some feelings at that moment.”

Camille had certainly said that at the time.

Of course, right after that, she had doused the moment in cold water, saying it was just a fleeting whim…

“…Indeed. She did react differently then.”

Hearing Ethan’s words, Mael brightened. “See? Your Grace must have been mistaken.”

“No, but…”

Even so, it was difficult to believe it was all a misunderstanding. Just yesterday, Camille’s reaction left little room for interpretation. No matter how adept she was at controlling her expression and behavior, it seemed impossible that she could act so convincingly.

He distinctly remembered feeling Camille tense up when his arm brushed against hers. And the next moment, she had hastily fled from him.

Even just recalling it now dampened his mood. Ethan’s lips twisted slightly.

“…It’s not a misunderstanding. It can’t be. I remember everything clearly.”

“……”

The three men exchanged glances. After a brief, silent exchange, Jacques stepped forward to speak on their behalf.

“Then that means something must have been different that day. Could Your Grace tell us exactly what happened inside the barracks?”

“There was nothing particularly special. I had gone inside to change, Camille wiped me down, and then she lost her balance and…”

“Excuse me? What did you just say?”

Jacques’ eyes widened.

“She lost her balance. So I caught her… and for a moment, the atmosphere was strange. But that was it. Nothing more happened.”

“No, not that part… Did you just say the Duchess wiped you down?”

“Yes. It was the middle of summer, and I had just finished sparring.”

“Now that I think about it, Your Grace remained shirtless for quite a while that day,” Mael added from the side.

At that moment, Jacques’ eyes gleamed. “That’s it.”