About Becoming My Ex-Husband's Mistress - Chapter 109

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 109. Annulment Lawsuit
The Chief Administrator who had served my father faithfully had, in the time since we last met, developed a receding hairline that stretched all the way to his crown.
I approached him and greeted him first.
“It’s been a long time, Chief Administrator. Do you recognize who I am?”
As I smiled and offered my greeting, the Chief Administrator’s eyes widened before he began rubbing them repeatedly.
He seemed to doubt his own vision.
“Y-y-you are…?”
“I’d prefer to finish our conversation before more people arrive.”
The Chief Administrator, whose pupils had dilated with shock, turned urgently to the attendant.
“Bring VIP refreshments. And not a word to anyone about today’s visitor.”
The attendant looked bewildered but nodded obediently.
“Yes, Chief Administrator.”
The Chief Administrator withdrew a handkerchief and pressed it repeatedly against his forehead. Cold sweat was beading on his skin.
“Please, come inside, Young Countess.”
It was a title I had not yet claimed, yet he addressed me by it.
I followed the Chief Administrator.
The moment I stepped into the Administrator’s Office, I fell silent for a breath.
A portrait hanging on one wall of the office.
I recognized it immediately.
“Father’s portrait is still hanging here.”
At my words, the Chief Administrator smiled warmly.
“The territory’s master has not yet changed.”
A faint smile bloomed across my face.
I was grateful that he remained unchanged.
Soon the attendant from before brought refreshments into the Administrator’s Office.
The Chief Administrator invited me to sit on the sofa.
Only after confirming the employee had finished setting out the refreshments and completely left did I speak first to the Chief Administrator.
“I imagine you have many questions. But what I need to do is rather urgent, so I’ve come to ask for your discretion and swift administrative assistance.”
“Please, tell me. What is it you wish to do?”
“I want to reclaim my identity. After that, I want to reclaim my title. But no one must know that I’ve come to the territory.”
Those three would certainly welcome my identity restoration.
It was a golden opportunity to reclaim the key.
But if they learned I intended to claim my title, Matilda would undoubtedly move heaven and earth to stop me.
Melissa Bilsty and Count Veloda Genoma would arrive at the Bilsty Estate the moment they received word.
So I explained my reasons to the Chief Administrator.
I had not consented to remarriage, and Count Veloda Genoma, Melissa Bilsty, and Matilda Bilsty—coveting my wealth—had stolen my identity documents and seal to forge a false marriage contract, and Melissa had pushed me into the sea.
I told him everything, including how Melissa had used that wealth to advance into the Central Social Circle.
I wished to punish them, but given Melissa’s current standing, it remained difficult for now.
Shocked by my words, the Chief Administrator’s eyes moved rapidly. He wiped his forehead with his handkerchief again before uttering words he found difficult to believe.
“The Countess, who serves as your legal guardian, seemed unusually harsh toward you, Young Countess. So it was true.”
It was oddly striking to hear him say that.
“Did it seem that way?”
“Everyone in the territory would know. They simply couldn’t interfere without the power to do so.”
He then assured me he would keep my presence in the territory confidential, and would request the same discretion from anyone he met on my behalf.
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
“Think nothing of it. The Count’s prolonged absence has made administration quite difficult for us. It would be far better if you received a title, Young Countess. However, if your status is restored, wouldn’t your married status be restored as well, preventing you from receiving a title?”
“There is a way around that.”
“Are you considering divorce proceedings?”
“Yes. That’s why I hope my identity papers are restored today. I need to begin the lawsuit immediately to prevent my false husband from interfering.”
A knock sounded at the door.
The person who entered was different from before.
“Chief Administrator, there is one hour remaining until your next appointment.”
“Oh my!”
The Chief Administrator quickly checked his pocket watch and rose from his seat.
“I wish we could talk longer since it’s been so long, but I have an important visitor scheduled. Since time is short, let me help you restore your identity first. Please wait here for a moment.”
He personally went to work and issued me a new identity document.
Priscilla Bilsty of Bilsty Estate.
Seeing my restored identity document filled me with unexpected emotion.
“Thank you, Chief Administrator.”
“Not at all. I’m truly glad you’re safe.”
With that, the Chief Administrator wrote a letter, sealed it, opened his safe, and withdrew a rather weighty purse, which he handed to me along with the letter.
“Lloyd Gillian has been winning cases consecutively lately. I can’t say he’s a good man. His weakness is that he’s a ruthless miser, but that same quality becomes his strength.”
In other words, money could solve anything.
“Still, he’s truly capable. This amount should secure his representation quickly. Please accept this as my gesture of welcome for your return, Young Countess.”
“What?”
I opened the purse. At a glance, there were over thirty gold coins.
I quickly returned the purse to the Chief Administrator.
“I can’t accept this.”
“Don’t you need sufficient funds to pursue the lawsuit? You must have lost everything….”
He went on to say that even this money would barely cover the lawsuit expenses.
“At most, it would only cover the retainer fee. I’ll manage the rest somehow.”
“Really, please keep it. I have more than enough money.”
I stood, leaving the Chief Administrator with his expression of disbelief, and took only the letter of introduction.
“I have over two hundred gold coins, so please don’t worry at all.”
The Chief Administrator finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Well, then I’m reassured.”
I thanked the Chief Administrator sincerely.
He had processed everything immediately despite my sudden arrival and intrusion into his schedule, and had even written me a letter of introduction.
After handling the administrative matters swiftly, there were twenty minutes remaining before the scheduled visitor would arrive.
“Please visit anytime you need assistance. If you require lodging, you’re welcome to stay at my home.”
His nose tingled, and he pinched the bridge with his fingers before his eyes reddened.
“The territory awaits Count Bilsty’s return.”
My eyes reddened in turn.
“Thank you.”
As I stepped outside, Sir Jester, who had been waiting, approached me promptly.
“Did the conversation go well?”
“Yes. He even wrote me a letter of introduction.”
I headed to the Lawyer’s Office with Sir Jester.
It was on the second floor of a wooden building about three hundred meters away, with a Bank occupying the first floor.
‘Lawyer Lloyd Gillian’s Office.’
I read the nameplate on the door and knocked, whereupon a man’s voice came from within.
“It’s open. Come in.”
Upon entering, I could see the entire cramped, antiquated office at a glance.
‘A miser, as they say….’
One bookshelf, one single-person sofa, two sofas that could barely seat two people, a small coffee table, and two desks.
At the desks sat a young man and woman in casual attire.
Only the front desk bore a nameplate, making it immediately clear who the lawyer Lloyd Gillian was.
He asked with his eyes half-lidded.
“I don’t believe we’ve met. Is this a consultation? What sort of lawsuit?”
I handed him the letter of introduction the Chief Administrator had given me and stated my business.
“I wish to file for annulment of marriage.”
Lawyer Lloyd Gillian’s expression changed upon reading the letter.
He immediately rose from his seat and gestured toward the sofa.
“Both of you, sit there. You there, bring us something to drink.”
“Yes.”
The woman who had been sitting at the desk shuffling through documents stood up.
Two glasses of water appeared before us shortly.
Lawyer Lloyd Gillian also sat on the sofa, rubbing his hands together.
“Now then, tell me in detail about the lawsuit’s contents.”
Sir Jester and I sat side by side on what could barely be called a two-person sofa.
When our shoulders touched, Sir Jester’s face flushed and he stood up.
“I’ll stand.”
At this, Lawyer Lloyd Gillian chuckled.
“At least this annulment lawsuit isn’t due to infidelity. That would make things easier.”
“It’s not that sort of matter.”
I laughed and explained the grounds for the lawsuit.
As he listened, his expression grew increasingly serious.
“A lawsuit for annulment against a Count, and then receiving a Countship…. It’s legally possible, but it seems like a larger case than expected…. It really depends on the opposing party’s power.”
He tilted his head, appearing to calculate something internally.
“I’ll investigate discreetly, but there’s a possibility of losing. And it seems like it will become a notable case in the territory’s legal history….”
He scratched the back of his neck.
“So the Chief Administrator didn’t write that letter of introduction for nothing.”
I felt a twinge of concern at his troubled expression.
“I was told you had won consecutive lawsuits. Is there perhaps something difficult about this case?”
Lawyer Lloyd Gillian shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s not difficult for me, but it could be difficult for the client. I’m sure the Chief Administrator must have explained how difficult it is.”
That was reassuring. Every action he’d shown me so far had transparent intent behind it.
“Tell me then. How much would your retainer be?”
At my words, he smacked his lips.
“This lawsuit is rather complicated, you see. The initial retainer is thirty gold coins, the interim payment twenty gold coins. If we win, there’s an additional fifty coins on top.”
* * *
At that same moment.
The Chief Administrator was bowing at a ninety-degree angle in his study.
“Oh my, welcome. Please, come in.”
He seated his guest on his sofa, then took the guest’s seat himself. With both hands he rubbed together eagerly, offering his most gracious smile.
“Your Highness Prince Wintem, what brings you to this humble fiefdom?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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