Jack cleared his throat and said, “Well...that's true. The Duke said so.”
“Then why?”
“...Can I be honest with you?”
“I would appreciate it if you did.”
“The truth is that you are still hiding something, Duchess. Given the seriousness of the situation, I believe that the Duke does not want to leave any potential dangers unchecked. The Duke is a cautious man by nature, even suspicious.”
Jack lowered his voice slightly, clearly careful not to mention Gerard's name publicly, even in this outside setting.
“Is he afraid that I will run away and reveal Dumont’s secrets? This is nonsense. If I intended to do that, I would have many ways to do so by now. It would be much easier to maintain my position as Duchess.”
“Not because there is hard evidence. As I mentioned, the suspicions have not been completely dispelled, so I think it is just a precautionary measure. And...”
“And?”
Jack hesitated a little before continuing: “May I ask you something first? Why do you insist on divorcing the Duke?”
“I have given you the reasons. Do you find them unconvincing?”
“No, I mean, from the Duke’s point of view, the same question might arise. Why is the Duchess suddenly asking for a divorce? He might suspect you have ulterior motives, which will make it difficult for him to accept it.”
Jack was right.
He continued, "In general, it is not easy to give up the title of Duchess of Dumont. It is true that you have been estranged from each other for years, but it is not rare for couples to live like this...and from the Duke's point of view, you have never shown any dissatisfaction with this situation."
Although Jack phrased it diplomatically, the meaning behind his words was clear.
Over the past five years, Camille has spent exorbitant amounts of money on jewelry and dresses, attended banquets and parties every day, and has never worn the same dress twice.
In other words, it's like I was living well on my husband's money, and now I suddenly want to get out of it.
From the outside, it certainly looks that way.
But in reality, Camille felt very lonely and abandoned by Ethan, which eventually led to her relationship with Liam.
Of course, that doesn't mean it's all Ethan's fault.
Ultimately, infidelity cannot be justified.
“I think it is true, it may have seemed to others that I was enjoying my life as a Duchess. Yes, I did enjoy the riches of the Duchy of Dumont.”
“That's not quite what I meant...” Jack stammered, clearly uncomfortable.
Camille smiled bitterly, a look of sadness on her face.
“It's okay. Like I said, it's true. At first, I thought spending money might fill the void I felt. Later, I did it out of spite for my husband, and he didn't care. But in the end, neither of them made me feel comfortable.”
“……”
“Some women compromise and shift their attention to other things. Others prefer a life of luxury to love. But that’s not me. I didn’t realize that until recently.”
Camille stopped attending social events after Viscount Rochefort's banquet, and her spending stopped completely.
Given Camille's previously lavish lifestyle, rumors must have been spreading through the family by then.
"As a husband known for his love, you have to understand. I don't want to continue in a marriage without love."
“……”
Jack looked around anxiously before speaking again cautiously, “Since you mentioned solving the basic problem…is there no way to reconcile with the Duke through conversation?”
“If it were possible, I wouldn’t ask for your help. Ethan is very stubborn about this matter, and refuses to listen to me.”
“No, what I mean is, is there no way for you two to clear up any misunderstandings?”
I narrowed my eyes, “There is no misunderstanding to clear up. What are we going to talk about?”
Jack explained quickly: “The Duke is not as indifferent to you as you think. He has given serious thought to how to mend your relationship.”
“It's only because he suspects I'm a spy. Of course, he'll listen. Fixing the relationship is just an excuse to avoid divorce.”
“Well, I wouldn't say it's just...”
“We are here”
I cut off Jack's words with a mutter, noticing that we had almost reached the main entrance of the house.
“Anyway, I'm going to my room now. You have to go back to Ennis.”
Jack looked surprised, "Sorry? But…"
“Enjoy the rest of your day off. Spend quality time with your wife. As for today’s conversation, feel free to report it or not. Do what you see fit.”
“……”
I added the last part as if it had occurred to me.
Jack remained silent, a strange expression on his face.
“You are back, ma'am.”
Victor, who came to greet me, bowed.
I gave him a slight smile and went up the stairs.
So, there's no hidden reason why Ethan wouldn't agree to the divorce after all.
From Jack's reaction, it seemed like he wasn't hiding anything. Since he owed me a debt to Ennis, if there was something there, I would have noticed it.
Okay then…
I walked up the stairs, lost in thought.
***
Jack watched Camille step back with a conflicted expression.
Victor quickly approached him.
“Why did you come back so quickly? Where is Ennis?”
“…Oh, the Duchess suddenly remembered something urgent,” Jack shook his head slightly and sighed.
"What's wrong? Did something happen during tea?" Victor asked with slight concern.
Even though they had completely opposite personalities and an age difference of almost 15 years, Jack and Victor got along surprisingly well.
Victor had been watching Jack since his first arrival at the estate, and even someone as cynical and insecure as Jack looked up to Victor with respect.
“...No, nothing. I have to go back to Ennis now.”
Jack bowed his head lightly to Victor and turned to leave.
But after just a few steps, he stopped and looked back.
“Victor...about the Duke and Duchess...”
***
That evening, while I was sorting through the mail that Mary had brought me, I found a letter from Audrey.
She has invited me to a banquet at Viscount Grandbert's house next week and says how honored she would be if I could attend.
I've been declining all banquet invitations lately, but I've been indebted to Audrey twice. As a courtesy, it seemed appropriate to me to attend this occasion.
While I'm there, I have to make sure to show you how close we are.
If others see that I'm on good terms with Audrey, it will raise her reputation as well... in more ways than one.
Camille cared for no one but herself, never complimented anyone, and showed no interest in others. If I had shown my affection for Audrey publicly, it would have inevitably been a topic of gossip.
I briefly considered mentioning the banquet to Ethan, but decided against it.
He had already told me that I did not need his permission for casual outings, and besides, I was sure that he was monitoring all my correspondence.
I picked up a pen and began writing a draft of a response to Audrey.
***
“Duchess Dumont!”
Audrey brightened when she saw me and approached me excitedly.
With a fan neatly folded in one hand, I greeted her with a graceful smile.
“Thank you so much for coming. I wasn’t sure if you would come despite the invitation...”
“Oh, of course, I had to come. After all, it is an invitation from Viscountess Grandbert.”
My words caused some unrest among the people nearby.
Even before I arrived, I had attracted a lot of attention.
“I'm really proud that you think so.”
“Honor? There is no need for that among friends.”
“Friends…?”
Audrey blinked, clearly surprised. With this expression, her round face, styled into a bun, looked more beautiful than usual.