Chapter 3: Husband’s infidelity(3).

It was one morning.

“Madam, an urgent message has come from the royal palace for Master Adolf, but he’s nowhere to be found. Do you know where he might be?”

The Bloom family butler, holding a letter, spoke to me.

“Poor Emile, you’ve got your hands full. It’s fine. I’ll take the letter and look for Adolf.”

“…Thank you very much. I’m terribly sorry…”

Emile bowed deeply, expressing his gratitude.

“You’re being dramatic. I’m his wife; I’ll find my husband’s whereabouts.”

As I said this, Emile looked at me with a complicated expression.

Wondering what was wrong, I tilted my head but left the scene to search for Adolf.

“He’s not in his study… Could he be teasing a maid somewhere? Surely, even if it’s morning, he’s not still in bed, is he?”

Though I thought it unlikely, I climbed the stairs to Adolf’s bedroom. Carelessly, the door was slightly ajar. From within came Adolf’s voice and, strangely, a familiar woman’s coy tone.

—What’s going on?

“Hey, Adolf. Marry me. Our relationship has been going on since before your marriage. You’re keeping me waiting too long.”

“No way. Christina’s an excellent alchemical mage. My grandfather told me she’s essential to our alchemical noble family. And, frankly, she’s skilled. Convenient, too.”

“But both your grandfathers are already gone, aren’t they? So what? I’m an alchemical mage, too. I can take her place. …Oh, I know! Why not demote her to a mistress and work her to the bone?”

The sweet female voice begged Adolf to make her his wife—in other words, to reduce me to a mistress.

I froze in terror, recognizing the voice.

It was Olivia, my dear friend who always listened kindly to my troubles.

“…No way, it can’t be…”

She’s my friend. The one person I confided in about my household and Adolf. The only friend who listened with care.

She wouldn’t betray me.

She wouldn’t speak of me like that.

Torn between disbelief and the need to know the truth, I ignored the warning bells ringing in my head and peered through the gap in the door.

There, entwined in each other’s naked embrace, were Adolf and Olivia, our mutual friend and fellow alchemical mage.

Naked and entwined… It could only mean one thing.

—He refuses intimacy with me, his wife, but with her… What is this!?

The shock hit me like a blow to the head. My head throbbed. I wanted to scream. I covered my mouth with both hands.

Because, in my aching heart, I knew making a scene now would solve nothing. As my mother said, “Every household is different.” If he brushed it off with that, it would be the end.

Staggering, I walked down the corridor to my room. It was only a few doors away, not far.

Opening the door, I stumbled inside and collapsed onto the bed. As if pulled into the darkness born of my pounding headache, I fell into a deep sleep.