About Becoming My Ex-Husband's Mistress - Chapter 14

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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 14. How to Break a Curse
I detected something viscous and sinister in Count Veloda Genoma’s tone.
“…What did you just say?”
“We know exactly how much money you have in your account. Yet you’re demanding a thousand gold coins? Do you think the current situation is something we should tolerate?”
Melissa Bilsty’s words left me utterly dumbfounded.
‘They know how much I have? How is that possible?’
Count Veloda Genoma stepped forward and protested as if addressing me directly.
“Moreover, I’ve essentially been left at the altar.”
Matilda Bilsty, her demeanor shifting entirely, drew closer as well.
“Now that I think about it, what happened earlier was quite offensive.”
A chill ran through me, and I quickly retreated backward.
“Why… why are you doing this?”
All three advanced as I withdrew.
“I’d prefer if we could maintain some distance while we talk.”
As I spoke again, anxiety creeping into my voice, Count Veloda Genoma shrugged.
“If you’re too far away, I won’t be able to hear you.”
“I can hear you perfectly fine.”
“Is that so? Could it be that my scent is so captivating you find it difficult to resist?”
“That’s a revolting question.”
The moment I stepped back further, I felt the ship’s railing against my lower back.
The sea stretched behind me.
Count Veloda Genoma blocked my left, Matilda Bilsty my right, and Melissa Bilsty faced me directly.
I was completely surrounded.
Panic seized me. It felt as though they could seize me at any moment, overpower me, and drag me away without resistance.
“How can we possibly trust you after you’ve already run away once?” Melissa Bilsty said, her arms crossed.
She continued with a cold smile.
“I’ll lift the curse if you agree to two things.”
“What things?”
“First, give us your seal.”
“…”
“That way, we can actually believe your promise to hand over the money, don’t you think?”
I studied Melissa Bilsty’s expression for a moment.
She smiled with absolute confidence. There was clearly something scheming behind her eyes.
“How much longer will you keep this up? You won’t be able to hold out much longer, will you?”
Melissa Bilsty was right.
But I couldn’t simply hand over my seal.
As I hesitated, Melissa Bilsty glanced around.
“Listen carefully. I intend to use this seal on your marriage contract with the Count.”
“…What are you talking about!”
My voice rose reflexively.
“Hush. Let me finish,” I said.
Melissa Bilsty glanced around once more before continuing.
“And I’ll file a death report. You’ll stay hidden for two years, living freely without showing yourself anywhere.”
I gripped the seal tighter. Melissa’s scheme was painfully transparent.
She shamelessly aimed not only for my bank balance but also the inheritance I’d receive two years after the death declaration.
“Your identity will be erased then. From that point on, you’ll be a free person with no one to interfere,” she continued matter-of-factly.
Melissa rattled on without hesitation, promising to create a new identity for me afterward.
I looked around and clutched the key pendant hanging from my neck.
“So all I have to do is lie low for two years, as if I’m dead?”
They still didn’t know about the key pendant.
The current inheritance could be claimed with just my seal, identity papers, and death declaration.
But the remaining inheritance required this key pendant—without it, I couldn’t access it.
My husband, Luderne Sellen, was definitely still alive.
But in the original story, they succeeded in claiming the second inheritance as well.
That meant even after Luderne became a Grand Duke, he left the second inheritance accessible to me at any time.
Such a thorough identity cleansing suggested he never intended to return to being Baron Sellen again, even if it meant abandoning a massive fortune.
The thought depressed me. Was that why he pretended not to recognize me earlier?
It seemed he would never return to me as my husband.
“Will you do it?” Melissa pressed.
Her urging snapped me back to reality.
I didn’t know if Luderne and I could be husband and wife again. But having turned back time, I couldn’t live the same life twice, nor could I simply accept death.
First, I’d break the curse and escape this crisis. Then I’d assess Luderne’s situation and decide how to move forward.
That was my resolve.
The thought of three thousand gold coins and the remaining inheritance feeding these wretches made my stomach turn, but there was no help for it.
Still, there was one thing I wouldn’t concede.
“Break the curse first. Then I’ll give you the seal.”
When I insisted, Melissa sighed.
“Fine. I suppose I have no choice.”
Melissa Bilsty approached me.
“Then I’ll lift the curse first. Sister, if you have magical resistance, the dispelling magic won’t work well. Take a deep breath and release all tension from your body. You need to relax completely.”
I did as Melissa instructed, letting my body go limp.
My consciousness grew hazy almost immediately.
“Hurry, Melissa…”
“I know. Just hold on a moment.”
Melissa rummaged through her belongings.
“Ah, here it is. The dispelling grimoire. To break the curse…”
In the same breath, Melissa struck my hand sharply. The seal flew from my grip and skittered across the deck.
Count Veloda Genoma quickly snatched it up.
Then a chilling voice reached my ears.
“You have no choice but to die, you fool.”
Melissa threw all her weight into pushing my shoulder.
“!”
For a fleeting moment, I caught sight of Melissa’s wicked smile, and then my vision spilled over into a star-filled night sky.
Splash!
The instant I understood Melissa’s intention, frigid seawater engulfed my entire body.
I didn’t even have time to scream.
I clamped my eyes shut and held my breath, then frantically kicked my legs to thrust my head above the surface.
“Help me! Someone, save me!”
I called out for rescue with every ounce of strength, but it was futile. The massive Quindle simply sailed away into the darkness, abandoning me to the sea.
I gritted my teeth and swam on.
‘I cannot die like this!’
Somehow, I had to chase the ship and catch a sailor’s attention.
But my limits arrived swiftly.
I realized it was impossible for me to match the Quindle’s speed or swim all the way to the distant island visible on the horizon.
‘Good heavens.’
It was utterly absurd.
In trying to escape death and survive, I was only hastening my own demise.
I felt wronged and furious.
After a moment’s thought, I boldly abandoned my swimming and let my body float upon the water.
It was the best I could do now.
The survival floating technique I had learned before my regression.
‘When I was learning to swim, I never imagined I’d actually have to use survival techniques like this.’
At least I had secured my breathing.
As a small mercy—or perhaps a curse—the curse magic’s energy kept my body radiating intense heat.
No matter how cold the seawater was, as long as the curse’s power remained, I wouldn’t die from hypothermia.
But despair quickly set in.
Survival floating was meant to be used while waiting for someone to rescue you.
‘Will they notice I’m missing from the ship?’
No matter how I thought about it, the odds of rescue seemed slim.
‘I hope this is less painful than dying in a swamp.’
As I gazed up at the night sky, I closed my eyes. Then I let out a bitter laugh.
At least Melissa hadn’t taken the key from me. That was some small comfort—it would make it harder for her to bribe the Temple.
Though given that Melissa was the heroine in the original story, I probably couldn’t prevent her from becoming queen.
* * *
When I regained consciousness, a bitter liquid was entering my mouth.
Something soft brushed gently inside my mouth. Despite the bitter taste of the liquid, the sensation felt so refreshing and pleasant that I swallowed without hesitation.
Only then did I realize I hadn’t died—I had survived.
I must have been rescued by someone.
But that thought lasted only a moment before, the instant the thing touching my lips withdrew, what burst forth was rough, heated breathing.
My body burned with an intense fever. A throbbing sensation erupted from below.
My cursed body had already reached its limit.
“Hah… ah…”
I could tell I was lying in bed and that my surroundings were dark, but the fever from the curse was so severe that my vision remained blurred even with my eyes open.
I couldn’t clearly see where exactly I was or who was beside me.
Then someone placed a cool, damp cloth on my forehead.
The moment a wonderfully pleasant scent brushed against me, my heart raced violently.
As the sound of my heartbeat filled my ears, heat pooled in my lower abdomen, and my body twisted involuntarily.
I quickly grabbed that person’s wrist.
It was a man’s arm—solid and muscular.
* * *
The moment I woke, I felt the soft, plush sensation of a pillow beneath my head.
“Mm…”
I felt refreshed. So much so that a smile naturally spread across my face.
But I quickly opened my eyes wide.
‘I fell into the sea, didn’t I?’
I pushed myself up.
“Where am I…?”
The room I was in was a bedroom with soft gray-toned wallpaper that exuded an air of elegance.
The furniture, with its graceful curves, was white, and a beige rug lay across the marble floor. Dark brown curtains covered an entire wall.
It was a beautiful bedroom, but no matter how I looked at it, it felt unfamiliar.
Suddenly, an absurd thought crossed my mind.
What if I hadn’t been rescued from the sea, but had actually died, and now I’d been possessed by someone else?
I quickly examined my body.
I was wearing a white gown—different from what I’d had on when I fell into the sea.
The key necklace was not around my neck.
I got out of bed and hurried to the mirror on one side.
“…”
It was me. Priscilla.
As I touched my face in the mirror, I truly felt that I was alive.
The key necklace was placed on the table beside the mirror.
I picked up the necklace and put it back around my neck, looking at the mirror again. Since it was important, I had no intention of removing it from my body.
It was then that I naturally noticed red marks remaining on the nape of my neck.
Only then did I realize that despite feeling refreshed, my body wasn’t entirely light.
Especially the throbbing in my lower abdomen was peculiar.
I untied my gown and examined my body.
Though fainter than expected, there were definitely marks scattered across my body.
I sat in a daze for a moment before gradually recalling what had happened the night before.
Vividly.
“Gasp!”
I couldn’t close my mouth in shock.
“I’ll do whatever you ask. Mock me all you want. Until every last bit of this cursed heat drains away…”
Unbelievable as it was, I was unmistakably the one weeping and pleading those words.

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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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