Mael frowned, “That certainly looks like the Duke… but isn’t he a bit cold? That’s exactly what’s bothering the Duchess.”
“That's exactly my point,” Victor quickly agreed.
“Still…it seems like this isn't quite how he really feels,” Jack whispered as if thinking out loud.
"What do you mean by that?"
“Well, the other day, the Duke asked me a rather strange question. He wanted to know whether I maintained a regular intimate relationship with my wife.”
Viktor and Mile both blinked in surprise at the unexpected remark.
"…What?"
“I understand your reaction. I was surprised too. But from what I understand, it seems that the Duke recently tried to spend time with the Duchess and failed.”
“Are you sure?” Mael asked, still skeptical.
"Yes. He also asked me if I had ever surprised my wife when I was getting close to her. The Duchess's reaction might have been: 'Why are you suddenly doing something you never do?'"
“……”
Viktor and Mile exchanged glances.
“That reminds me of something. About a month ago, the Duchess visited the training grounds where the knights were training. It seemed that she was there to see the Duke. One of the knights who accidentally witnessed the scene said that the two of them… well...” Mael hesitated as he spoke.
"… What happened?" Jack asked impatiently.
“It seemed like they were… hugging,” Mile whispered in a low voice.
Jack and Victor's eyes widened in unison.
"Really? Are you sure?"
“Is it possible that the knight exaggerated what he saw? In the end, it would have made an entertaining story among the knights.”
Mael shook his head at Jack's comment, "This knight is not the type to make things up. I pressed him because I felt something strange, and he answered me truthfully. I swore him to remain silent, and he kept his promise. That's why no rumors spread."
"...When did this happen again? A month ago?" Jack rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“Yes, shortly after Marcel Patch was handed over to the police.”
“So, the timing is a few weeks after the Duke asked me the strange question. Maybe the Duchess initially rejected him and then changed her mind later?”
“……”
The room was silent for a short while as they exchanged ambiguous expressions.
“That's strange. From what I've seen, there's no sign of such intimacy between them… and I've never heard of them spending nights together.”
“Well, it doesn't have to happen at night...”
Victor narrowed his eyes at Jack's notice.
“Was it that time? Or maybe...”
While Victor was deep in his thoughts, Jack spoke again: "Frankly, all this speculation between us doesn't mean much. They're just guesses, and there's always the possibility that the knight might have misinterpreted what he saw."
“That's right”
"But one thing is clear. It doesn't seem entirely impossible for their relationship to recover."
The others nodded in agreement with Jack.
In fact, that was probably for the best.
“Their relationship wasn't great at all, so I think calling it 'recovery' isn't entirely accurate...”
"In the end, romantic relationships can flare up at any time, under any circumstances. It may even be easier for a couple like the Duke and Duchess, who have been estranged from the beginning, to reconnect than for a couple trying to revive their lost passion."
“So how can we bring them closer together?” Mael asked.
“Well, first of all, they need more opportunities to talk quietly. Even though they live in the same house, they rarely see each other.”
Victor's suggestion made Jack think for a moment before speaking, "How about this?"
***
“This guy from Oslant… my husband said he'd never heard that name before,” Audrey told me.
I narrowed my eyes slightly, “Really? So, Clement Cowness wasn’t on the guest list?”
“No. But for the Oslant guests, we only mentioned the name of the main actor. I think we assumed he belonged to the same group.”
“But he wasn’t? Is it possible that he was actually a business contact, but Viscount Grandbert didn’t know him?”
“No, that is not possible. The Viscount was quite clear that he knew no one like that.”
“...I understand”
Audrey lowered her head apologetically, "I'm sorry. It seems we made a mistake, letting someone we weren't sure of his identity into the party…"
"Oh? No, it's okay. Nothing happened to him, anyway. I was just curious, that's all. Maybe it's just a simple mistake."
“I hope so...Are you sure nothing happened?”
“Yes. He thought I was unmarried...You know how men are. Same familiar and expected expressions.”
I smiled weakly as I spoke, but Audrey still looked uncomfortable.
“By the way, I heard that you regularly volunteer at the church. Is that true?”
The sudden change in topic made Audrey blink in confusion.
"Excuse me? Yes. I try to help whenever I get the chance."
“There is no need to be ashamed, it is our pride.”
Audrey smiled shyly at my words.
“I was wondering... could I join you next time? If it's not too annoying.”
“Join me? To volunteer?”
Audrey looked surprised, and I smiled warmly at her.
“Yes. I was thinking of trying something nice with you. Of course, as long as it's not annoying.”
“No, not at all. That would be wonderful! It would arouse great interest, and the interest of others would certainly increase if the Duchess participated.”
Audrey looked really happy.
In the original story, it was stated that Audrey had been a volunteer for many years, helping orphans and the homeless.
That's how she met Elodie when she was living in the orphanage.
This is also the reason why Audrey eventually becomes Elodie's companion.
“Thank you very much, Your Highness. This will be of great help to those in need.”
“You still call me 'Her Highness', please, call me Camille.”
"Excuse me? But…" Audrey hesitated, clearly agitated.
"What's the problem? We're friends, right?"
“I appreciate your kindness, but how can I...”
“As I mentioned before, I have never found a true friend to whom I can reveal my heart. Everyone has always been afraid of me either because I am the Duchess of Dumont, or overly subservient to me...or, on the other hand, because of people who have tried to harm me.”
I deliberately put on a sad expression as I spoke.
“So, at least when we're alone, please treat me like a friend. I'm asking you for a favor.”
Audrey looked conflicted for a moment before shaking her head as if she had made a decision.
“Okay... Camille.”
I smiled brightly and said: “Thank you, Audrey. This makes me happy.”
Maybe she'll think I'm trying to approach her out of temporary curiosity.
Now that I've laid the foundation, you won't find it strange if I join in for a little while and then stop.
Even though I knew Audrey's personality, I doubted she would ever doubt me. This was simply due to my cautious nature, which desired to be meticulous.
The reason I wanted to join Audrey in her volunteer work was, of course, to build a relationship with Elodie.
With the original timeline quickly approaching, I was becoming increasingly concerned that the divorce with Ethan was slowly progressing.
I was concerned that by changing the story line, I might somehow prevent Elodie from being adopted.
But with the appearance of Nicholas, I found the solution.
If I adopted Elodie before I divorced Ethan, that would solve the problem.
Although it would still be a deviation from the original timeline, at least this way I would ensure Elodie's future.
Although I was worried that Ethan wouldn't be the one to choose Elodie on his own, I had to accept that things had indeed changed.
At this point, just pulling myself up isn't going to magically put everything back the way it was.