About Becoming My Ex-Husband's Mistress - Chapter 147

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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 147. I Want to Be Queen
Melissa Bilsty leaned forward to peer deeper into the room.
There was no one but the Elderly Man, and only a water bottle and cup sat on the nightstand beside the bed.
‘I could reach it if I just stretched my hand.’
But the Elderly Man merely turned his head and didn’t move an inch.
“Cough! Cough! Is there no one here?! I need water, cough! I’m asking for water! Cough, cough!”
At the sight, Melissa Bilsty clicked her tongue inwardly.
‘Good grief, the old should know when to die. What a pathetic sight.’
Then, as the Elderly Man continued coughing, his expression twisted in irritation.
“How dare you! Cough! To abandon me like this?!”
At the word ‘abandon,’ Melissa Bilsty realized the Elderly Man was the Emperor of the Empire, who had not been seen in recent days.
Now she understood why there was no one around.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
Melissa Bilsty immediately entered and picked up the water bottle from the nightstand, pouring water into the cup.
“I heard severe coughing and looked in—it seems your body is in distress.”
As she spoke, she observed the Emperor’s condition.
His vacant eyes and lips cracked and parched like dried leather made him look like a living corpse.
The Emperor’s eyes narrowed with wariness.
“Who are you…? Cough!”
“First, please drink some water. Your cough is severe.”
Melissa Bilsty set down the cup and extended her hand toward the Emperor.
In that instant, the Emperor’s eyes gleamed with a sharp, icy light.
“How dare you! Such insolence!”
But Melissa Bilsty was not afraid of the Emperor. It was obvious that he had no one to protect him.
“If you wish to drink water, you must sit up first. Since you seem to have difficulty moving, I’ll help you.”
Melissa Bilsty lifted the Emperor’s upper body slightly and propped several pillows beneath his head.
The Emperor’s body was stiff as a wooden log, but surprisingly light, as if withered away.
Melissa Bilsty became even more intrigued. What on earth had happened to the Emperor who once commanded the Empire to end up like this?
She smiled like an angel and brought the water cup to the Emperor’s lips.
“If you don’t sit up, you cannot drink. And even if I wanted to call someone else, there is no one around.”
At those words, the Emperor’s brow furrowed.
But when another cough seized him, he soon brought his lips to the cup. His drinking was painfully slow.
‘He’ll be dead soon, it seems.’
Melissa Bilsty slowly poured water into the Emperor’s mouth.
“Give me more.”
Only after the Emperor emptied two cups did his voice settle somewhat.
“Hah… Yes. I’ve never seen your face before. Tell me your name.”
He would be astonished when he heard it.
The Emperor surely knew her name. It had been quite the scandal when she became known as King Zerox’s mistress.
Melissa Bilsty bowed with elegant grace, as if she had been waiting for this moment.
“I am Melissa Bilsty.”
“Melissa Bilsty?”
“Yes. I’m staying here for a while at Prince Wintem’s invitation.”
The Emperor’s pupils dilated sharply.
So the Emperor definitely knew my name.
That meant the remaining question was whether his response would be favorable or hostile.
Melissa deliberately brightened her smile, making it more angelic.
“Yes. I believe you already know about me.”
The Emperor opened his mouth with a displeased expression.
“Know you? You’re the sister of Baron Sellen’s wife.”
“?”
Melissa was utterly bewildered. She couldn’t understand why Priscilla and her husband’s names suddenly came up.
Then, recalling that Luderne resembled Baron Sellen, who had been her brother-in-law, an uneasy feeling settled over her.
“That’s right. And?”
“And?”
“Don’t you have something to say to me? It seems like you might.”
The Emperor chuckled softly.
No matter how she looked at it, he seemed to know nothing beyond that.
‘Is the information being blocked?’
Suspicion taking root, Melissa decided to probe the Emperor.
“I thought my brother-in-law had passed away… but actually…”
Melissa deliberately trailed off, waiting for the Emperor’s reaction.
No matter how she thought about it, bringing it up directly seemed too dangerous, so she would need to adjust her words depending on his response.
“If you wish to live, you must remain silent.”
At those words, Melissa went blank, losing her voice. It sounded like an answer that amounted to acknowledging that Baron Sellen was Luderne.
As she hesitated over what to say, the Emperor clicked his tongue first.
“I was relieved to hear that your sister had died.”
“?”
The Emperor, who had been muttering angrily to himself, soon sighed as if resigned to the situation.
“In any case, you will support Luderne.”
At his noticeably softened gaze and tone, Melissa quickly nodded.
“Of course.”
“Then could you do this old man a favor?”
“What kind of favor?”
“First, make sure the door is properly closed. This is important.”
Melissa closed the door securely as the Emperor instructed.
“There’s a small box under the bed.”
Melissa checked under the bed and retrieved the box.
“It’s a copy. Take it quietly and deliver it to Luderne.”
“A copy?”
“There’s nothing more to know. Behind the curtain on the wall, there’s another door. Use that to leave.”
The Emperor, who had revealed an alternate passage, exhaled a long, weary breath.
“Tell him that’s the last thing this father can do for him. With that, he’ll be able to command the world itself.”
As Melissa recalled those words, her lips curved upward with even greater confidence.
Having emerged through the alternate passage the Emperor had shown her, Melissa returned to her room alone and secretly opened the box.
Inside were three pieces of information that could overturn the world.
The first was the Emperor’s will.
The Crown Prince was listed as Luderne Wintem. Not Eclite.
The second contained the reason for Luderne’s appointment as Crown Prince.
Eclite’s treason was the issue.
It stated that Eclite had cursed me with the curse of Menglow Breeze, rendering me immobile, and then seized control of the state.
The document also contained supporting evidence and the names of witnesses.
The last matter concerned Zerox.
It was Zerox who had killed Hilda Arde, the late King of Arde.
The document stated that Zerox had succeeded in killing Hilda by collaborating with Eclite before Luderne appeared, seeking to inherit the throne.
It had only been possible because of Eclite’s schemes.
Moreover, Zerox had incurred considerable debt to Eclite in his bid for the throne, and had even made a deal to repay it.
If he failed to repay the debt within ten years, he would cede the governance of the Arde Kingdom to Eclite.
The Emperor’s will was for Luderne to use this fact against Zerox, execute him, and ascend to the throne. It would be his mother’s revenge, the document claimed.
After reading everything, Melissa felt a question arise.
If all of this were true, it would have been far better to give it directly to Luderne.
‘Why give this to me? If something this enormous reaches three people, rumors could spread.’
She couldn’t understand it at all.
Then, in the moment she recalled the Emperor’s expression when he spoke of Priscilla….
‘!’
Melissa found the Emperor’s slip of the tongue in their conversation.
The part where he said he was relieved to hear that her sister had died.
Her hair stood on end, and her tongue involuntarily curled.
What followed was indignation.
‘A mere wooden log, yet such a cunning fox. Testing me?’
Whether this box reached Luderne safely or leaked out and spread as rumors throughout the Empire, it would benefit Luderne.
She alone could end up bearing the responsibility.
The thought of the latter made cold sweat break out briefly, but soon a malicious smile played across Melissa’s lips. A truly brilliant idea had occurred to her.
After that, everything was simple.
She hid a copy of the box and went to find Eclite. Then, along with the Emperor’s will she had learned of, she brought up Eclite’s weaknesses.
Eclite’s expression was quite a sight to behold.
He immediately tried to kill Melissa. But his murderous intent subsided at her next words.
She had arranged for the contents of the documents to spread across the entire world if she died or disappeared.
“What do you want?”
“You’re quick to understand. Please cooperate so that I can obtain what I desire.”
“What do you want?”
“I want the position of Queen of Arde.”
“What an audacious dream for such a vulgar woman.”
Eclite spewed insults, but Melissa didn’t even blink.
“I believe the evidence I possess is worth that price. To Your Highness as well.”
Eclite glared at Melissa as though he might kill her, but ultimately he accepted her proposal.
Melissa immediately used a spatial transfer scroll with Eclite to return to the Arde Kingdom. Then she met with Zerox alongside Eclite.
As Melissa’s blackmail combined with Eclite’s pressure, Zerox became deeply flustered.
But he had no choice.
If the truth came to light, the throne would be automatically stripped according to royal law.
In the end, Zerox, firmly caught in their grasp, agreed to do whatever Melissa demanded.
But he could hardly be pleased about it, and his attitude toward Melissa only grew worse.
Seeing this, Melissa offered another proposal.
“Your Highness, I have a way to settle your debt.”
The debt owed to Eclite couldn’t be secured through official channels. Doing so would expose the transaction for all to see.
It had to be dirty money.
But Zerox had never earned money with his own hands. To him, money simply arrived as taxes when he did nothing.
Given this, Zerox showed great interest in what Melissa revealed to him.
“What is this method?”

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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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