I frowned and asked, “What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“I'm talking about the Patch incident. You dragged Mile and Jack into the matter without telling me, and committed reckless and dangerous acts… but in the end, the criminal was caught. Thanks to that, Jack's wife is safe, and Dumont's reputation has improved, so it's not all bad.”
“……”
I stared at Ethan, “How can you change like this?”
"What?"
“A few days ago, you were asking me what my plan was, how I charmed Mr. Mael, and how you could trust me.”
“What? No...”
“Why this sudden change? Did you feel guilty after learning the truth? If so, be a man and apologize. Don’t try to ignore it by pretending to compliment me.”
“……”
Ethan frowned at me, then ruffled his hair violently, "Damn it, Camille. Can't you keep your mouth shut this time?"
“Why? Did I say something wrong? It’s all true.”
“I already told you that part of the blame lies with you for not clarifying anything at the time.”
"Then you should act as usual, and leave it at that. Why are these strange comments about your personality all of a sudden?"
“……”
Ethan stared at me with an angry look as if he wanted to eat me.
I stared at him in turn.
“…Damn it,” he muttered with a long sigh, “you said it yourself. You did what you thought was best for Dumont. I admit it was right.”
"And who are you to admit anything? If you think you made a mistake, apologize. How many times do I have to say that?"
“…I repeat to you that I did not know the circumstances, so why should I apologise? How many times do I have to say this?”
Ethan gritted his teeth, clearly angry, and his words were barely intelligible in the end.
“You can't really give up anything, can you? How exhausting?” I said, shaking my head.
Ethan let out a huff of disbelief, “I don’t know who you think you’re talking to.”
“It's okay. There's no point in continuing this conversation, it's annoying us.”
"Okay. Do whatever you want. Who said I even wanted to talk?"
"Great. You asked me earlier what I wanted to talk about. Here it is: Let's get a divorce."
“...what?” Ethan looked at me with narrowed eyes, looking surprised by the sudden topic, “We agreed on this a long time ago, didn’t we?”
“Why not? You treat me like a thorn in your side every time, so why don’t you leave me?”
“When…” Ethan began to raise his voice and then stopped, as if suppressing his emotions, “…when did I treat you like a thorn in my side? I only said that I acknowledge that you did what I thought was best for Dumont.”
“So, does this mean that the notebook incident doesn’t count? You still don’t trust me, do you?”
“You're hiding something from me. How do you expect me to trust you? Why don't you tell me how you knew everything?” Ethan asked.
“I told you, there are reasons I cannot explain,” I answered.
“So what are these reasons? Why don’t you tell your husband?”
“Is that why you made me a surveillance?”
“……”
Ethan was silent, his mouth slightly open.
"When I talked to Jack, he didn't deny it. Have you ever thought about how it would feel to be watched by your husband in public?"
“…If you suspect someone is tracking you, you should know why. It was also to protect you,” Ethan said in a tense voice.
“That's a good excuse. Anyway, I don't like it. I don't want to live with a husband who doesn't even trust me.”
"I don't trust anyone. Not just you, but anyone. Humans will betray you for a reason," Ethan muttered bitterly.
“Exactly. That's why I'm asking for a divorce. If you don't trust anyone, then you have to live alone. I'm trying to help you with that, so why are you against it?”
Ethan gritted his teeth and approached me.
Unlike last time, when I backed away in surprise, I took a step forward, raising my chin defiantly.
In doing so, I accidentally stepped on Ethan's foot and lost my balance.
"Yes!"
Ethan instinctively grabbed me.
His scent filled my senses, and I couldn't help but swallow nervously.
I couldn't take my eyes off his intense gaze. Although I wanted to turn my head, his eyes captivated me.
The fiery silvery blue in his eyes began to turn into something else. His gaze slowly traveled down my body and then returned to my lips.
Ethan exhaled softly, and the feeling of his breath on my lips made me shiver involuntarily.
“You, really...” Ethan whispered, sounding in pain.
What was he trying to say? I didn't know.
Maybe he didn't know either.
He extended his large hand, standing in front of my face, hesitating.
Finally, his fingertips touched my cheek.
“…Ah,” I gasped at the unfamiliar touch.
Ethan shuddered at the sound, his eyes shining with a strange light.
I didn't make the sound intentionally. As I quickly lowered my gaze, Ethan lifted my chin. I looked at him, forgetting to breathe.
At that moment, a knight entered, “Your Highness, the carriage is ready—”
He stopped suddenly, and bowed his head, “I apologize for this intrusion.”
The knight quickly turned and left. We stared at where he was, then exchanged awkward glances and walked away.
There was an indescribable and awkward silence between us.
“The carriage is ready. I will go,” I said, breaking the silence.
“...Yes. I will stay for a while and then come back.”
“Okay then”
I left the barracks quickly, and I felt extremely dizzy that almost caused me to collapse at any moment. I didn't remember how I got into the carriage or how I got back to the main building.
“Ma’am, where have you been without telling me again?…Ma’am?”
Ignoring Mary's questions, I went straight to my room and threw myself on the bed, hitting the pillow in frustration.
...what just happened? What was that?
I couldn't stop thinking about what would have happened if the knight had not entered. My face still felt like it was burning, and the heat didn't subside until sunset that day.
***
It was just because of the intense heat.
The next day, when I woke up, I decided to end it this way.
It was hot, we were arguing, and we lost our cool for a moment.
Yes, this must be the reason.
In the end, nothing happened between us.
It was just a fleeting, strange moment.
What is the importance of his external appearance? He is full of mistrust, obsessed with cleanliness, and lacks good manners. Even if he became a great father to Elodie later, it was because she was Elodie.
I have to remember that the person I was reincarnated as was Camille, a wife who Ethan neglected for five years before she was cast out for having an affair with another man. I must not forget that.
Stick to the plan – break up quickly and hand over control to Elodie. This was the path to everyone's happiness.
After I was sure of my decision, I got out of bed.
When I went down to the first floor hall, Victor bowed when he saw me.
“Good morning, ma’am.”
“Victor, is Ethan home?”
“Yes, he has breakfast in the dining room.”
I gathered my resolve and headed to the dining room.
I opened the door forcefully and saw Ethan sitting at the far end of the very long table. He narrowed his eyes when he saw me.
“Camille”
“We need to talk”
“...About what?”
“Don't tell me you forgot what happened yesterday?”
Ethan's expression became embarrassed and uncomfortable.
He put his tools down and reached for the cup of water.
“Is there really anything to discuss?”
“Of course. Finish what we started, since it was interrupted, we have to finish it perfectly.”
“Khhhhhhhhhh!”
Ethan choked on water and began coughing violently.