As time passed, her tantrums subsided, and their conversations naturally became less frequent. However, Ethan never felt there was a problem.
He was very busy - so much so that he saw his wife less often, due to his late returns and early departures.
From the beginning, their marriage was nothing more than a strategic alliance. The matter was not limited to them; Many high-ranking nobles lived loveless marriages.
Ethan believed that he had fulfilled his duties as a husband.
He never envied Camille her extravagance, and took care to give her as much freedom as possible – within the limits of preserving the honor of the Dumont family.
He thought Camille was satisfied with that.
But was it?
Suddenly, Camille felt like a stranger.
She looked very different from the wife he thought he knew.
“...divorce.”
When he suspected Camille of infidelity, divorce was an obvious choice.
The idea that the Duchess Dumont might commit adultery was a great disgrace to the family, but that was not the only reason.
Since Duke Dumont turned sixteen, Ethan has been betrayed after betrayal - by his family, friends, and subordinates alike. He wouldn't have been surprised if his wife had done the same. But he could no longer bear it.
But now, even after the misunderstanding was cleared up, she was the one asking for a divorce.
Honestly, he couldn't understand her intentions.
“Maybe the goal is to confuse me.”
Old Camille was an open book, her thoughts transparent.
But if it was all an act, there might have been ulterior motives behind this divorce filing, which Ethan couldn't guess.
Due to Gerard's involvement, Ethan had to remain suspicious and vigilant to protect Dumont. At least until all doubts are removed and the truth becomes undeniable.
***
After Ethan left the room, I remained in shock for a long time. I never imagined that he would refuse a divorce.
Things have gone according to plan so far, which makes this turn of events even more surprising.
No way, I wasn't really expecting this.
For other emergencies, I had backup plans — Plan B, Plan C. But as for divorce, I had no alternative.
In the original story, Ethan was very skeptical about marriage due to his past experiences. It took a full year for the hero, Roland, to get Ethan's agreement to marry Elodie.
Although Camille's betrayal was the reason, their relationship was doomed from the beginning.
Ethan's marriage to me was only out of commitment, right? If he had adopted Elodie, he clearly didn't care about having an heir of his own blood...
I thought this would be a mutually beneficial proposition for Ethan.
“I thought he would be ready to get rid of his wife, who was just a facade, at any time.”
But I wasn't about to give up just because my first attempt was rejected. I was determined to achieve the life I wanted, no matter what it took.
***
“So, what I'm saying is, do you have any good ideas on how to convince Ethan?”
“……”
Victor looked at Camille with a troubled expression.
When the Duchess summoned him to consult, this was the last thing he expected.
“…divorce”
If Ethan had been the one to file for divorce, Victor might not have been so shocked.
“I can ask no one but you, Victor. You are the only one in this house who knows him as well as you do.”
“…That's not quite true,” Victor replied, even though he knew she was right.
“No, Ethan listens to you, even if he pretends not to,” Camille insisted sternly. Seeing her like this reminded Victor of a worry he had long forgotten.
The reason Camille has hated Victor for so long is because she believes that Victor was the one who captured Ethan's affection, which should have been directed to her. This wasn't just speculation from Victor; Camille said it explicitly.
“But he loves you more than he loves me, doesn’t he?”
She always said this sarcastically to the old servant, which made Victor helpless to reply. In fact, Victor understood her feelings.
Ethan has neglected his wife too much, and if Camille takes out her resentment and anger on Victor, it is part of his duty as Dumont's servant.
But those days seem like they are in the past now.
“Good morning, Victor. Did you sleep well last night?
“Oh, Victor. Have you eaten? no? "You have to take care of yourself."
For the past few weeks, Camille had warmly welcomed Victor and offered him advice whenever they met, always with a bright smile.
Her transformation was so dramatic that he doubted it at first. But as the days passed, his caution began to fade.
Her comment just now about Ethan listening to him didn't have the same meaning as it did before. It's just that old memories made him instinctively wary.
Victor spoke as cautiously as possible, “I apologize, but this is not something I can easily get involved in. It is a private matter between you two...”
“But you can at least give me some advice. I promise, whatever I say here today will stay between us. I won’t tell Ethan that you told me. I swear.”
Camille looked at him with a pleading look, her eyebrows drawn together, making it difficult for him to refuse. Even her ruby-like eyes seemed to sparkle slightly, though perhaps it was just his imagination.
“May I ask something then?”
“Sure. Ask anything.”
“When you told the Duke you wanted a divorce...did you mean it?”
Unlike Ethan, who was always indifferent, Camille was in love with her husband from the beginning. She always strived hard to get his attention.
Although her efforts had diminished over the years, Victor doubted that her feelings had completely faded away. She seemed to still be in tune with Ethan's actions and words.
Suddenly, filing for divorce seemed strange. Victor wondered if this was another attempt to provoke a reaction from Ethan, as she had done before.
However, Camille's face was more serious than ever.
"What? Of course, I'm serious," Camille answered firmly.
“…Can I ask why?” Victor asked again.
“It's simple. As you well know, he doesn't like me.”
Victor wanted to say that wasn't true, but he couldn't.
Camille gave him a slight smile and shook her head, as if to say she understood, but it wasn't necessary.
“I've put up with it so far, but I no longer want to continue in a meaningless marriage. Ethan may be against it now, but I think deep down he feels the same way.”
“……”
"Please, help me. I'm asking you to," Camille said, looking at Victor with a pleading look. She looked pathetic.
Victor couldn't help but feel sympathy for the Duchess. However, precisely for this reason, he could not agree to her request.
He looked at her for a moment before lowering his gaze.
“I'm sorry”
“No, please, just listen. Victor, I…”
"I understand why you feel this way, and I agree that part of the blame lies with the Duke. But I swear that the Duke does not want to separate from you. Didn't he himself say that divorce was out of the question?"
“What? No, but...”
“I ask you to reconsider. Give him another chance. The problem between you is a lack of communication. If you can resolve the misunderstanding through dialogue, I think you might change your mind.”
Camille's facial expression was complicated and incomprehensible, as if she was thinking, “This is not what I want.”