About Becoming My Ex-Husband's Mistress - Chapter 164

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

Chapter 164. Jealousy?
After exchanging pleasantries, Zerox personally guided us to the stern.
At the stern stood a large white parasol, beneath which a circular table adorned with flowers and ribbons in elegant profusion awaited us.
As we approached the table, attendants nearby gracefully withdrew chairs for our comfort.
That was when it happened.
“Priscilla, you’ll sit here.”
Zerox pulled out a chair with his own hands and sat down to my right, smiling warmly.
“I’m delighted to be seated beside you.”
A sigh threatened to escape, but I couldn’t afford to show displeasure. I offered a perfunctory smile and offered an ambiguous response instead.
I certainly wasn’t going to call it an honor.
“How inspiring.”
“?”
Zerox’s expression filled with confusion.
But as I maintained my composure, he smiled broadly and nodded, clearly assuming he’d misheard me.
Luderne Sellen naturally took the seat to my left, followed by Sir Jester and Madame Laber in succession.
The empty seat between Zerox and Madame Laber naturally fell to Melissa.
Behind Zerox stood his aide and the commander of the knight order.
My gaze naturally drifted toward his aide.
According to the intelligence I’d gathered beforehand, he was likely Baron Ugly.
Madame Laber had warned me to choose my words carefully around him. Luderne had then added that while Baron Ugly was shunned in high society, he was remarkably competent in intelligence work.
But the moment I looked at him closely, I was bewildered.
“?”
Jeanne’s face seemed to overlap with the Baron’s.
“My aide here. Does his appearance strike you?”
At Zerox’s introduction, the Baron bowed respectfully.
“I am Baron Ugly, serving His Majesty the King.”
“Despite his appearance, his professional competence is quite exceptional.”
Only then did I realize I had been staring at his face unintentionally.
“I apologize. That was rude of me. I simply felt I’d seen you somewhere before.”
Baron Ugly smiled without any sign of displeasure.
“My daughter goes out frequently. We may have crossed paths. Both she and I have rather distinctive personalities.”
Zerox opened his mouth with genuine surprise.
“You have a daughter? But you’re not even married….”
Zerox covered his mouth with his hand.
He’d apparently judged in that instant that such a remark was inappropriate for this occasion.
But Baron Ugly showed no sign of disturbance, bowing respectfully instead.
“I only recently learned of this. A nobleman needn’t be married to have children, after all.”
He raised his head and met my eyes with a smile.
“Regardless of where she was born, she is precious blood—my one and only. I would be grateful for your congratulations, as I intend to cherish her greatly.”
In that moment, a family tree formed in my mind.
It sounded like an indirect message that Baron Ugly, who stood close to the King, had now become Jeanne’s ally.
Yet worry gnawed at me.
What if Jeanne’s identity as a countess had been exposed to Baron Ugly, and he had set a trap using her?
Was Baron Ugly a friend or an enemy?
I decided it would be wise to observe his demeanor carefully, and if danger seemed imminent, to help Jeanne and her mother escape the fleet.
Zerox merely nodded as though he had little interest.
“Indeed. A daughter like that deserves to be cherished. My congratulations.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Now then, let us enjoy the tea.”
At Zerox’s gesture, the chef standing beside two floral-decorated trolleys on either side filled the teacups.
The teapot on the left trolley was placed on our side, while the one on the right trolley was placed on Zerox’s side—the separate arrangement left me deeply uneasy.
Moreover, the tea poured into my cup came from the same teapot as Zerox’s, which made me even more anxious.
Was the tea that Luderne Sellen, Sir Jester, and Madame Raber were drinking safe?
Just then, after tasting the tea, one of Luderne Sellen’s eyebrows rose slightly. The expression felt odd, yet he merely lifted the corner of his mouth with his characteristic composure.
“The flavor is exquisite.”
“I took special care with it.”
Zerox smiled brightly and engaged in small talk with Luderne Sellen.
Throughout, Zerox’s gaze remained fixed on Luderne Sellen and me, while he naturally ignored Melissa Bilsty.
I pretended to look at Zerox while stealing glances at Melissa Bilsty’s state.
She appeared calm as she sipped her tea, but her mood seemed far from pleasant. She gripped her napkin with both hands, crumpling it slightly.
Whether it was from all she had endured or because I had become cruel in the meantime, I could not say, but my own mood had improved considerably.
Even if I had become wicked, what did it matter? I had already resolved to take my revenge.
‘It would be amusing to see Melissa Bilsty wear an even more displeased expression.’
Then Zerox turned his gaze toward me.
“You seem to be in good spirits.”
I nodded.
“The sky is blue, the fleet and sea are beautiful, and the tea I share with Your Majesty is quite delicious.”
Zerox’s pupils dilated briefly, and his lips curved up to his cheekbones. My words had clearly delighted him greatly.
“I’m glad I invited you so promptly.”
Despite his lover Melissa Bilsty sitting beside him, Zerox displayed his joy without reservation.
Simultaneously, Melissa Bilsty could not hide her emotions and bit her lip.
‘Ah, I see now.’
Zerox appeared to have no affection for Melissa Bilsty whatsoever.
Madame Raber’s words came to mind.
That the relationship between Zerox and Melissa Bilsty felt peculiar. They had come together while leaving Olivia in the Capital, yet the atmosphere was rather stiff.
The reason he still brought Melissa Bilsty along.
There could be only one.
‘The copy I received from the Emperor is exerting its own influence?’
“By the way, I hear you’re opening a Salon here.”
“Yes.”
“I’d like to hear more details about this.”
I smiled gently and looked toward Madame Laber.
“Madame Laber would know far better than I would.”
Zerox, who had been blinking, turned to look at Madame Laber as if he had no choice.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Since it is the hometown of one who receives Your Majesty’s favor, I judged it to be of considerable value.”
Madame Laber, as if she had been waiting for this moment, began to speak about the Bilsty Estate as she understood it.
Just then, beneath the table, Luderne Sellen gently tugged at the hem of my dress.
His expression was exactly as it always was. But the moment our eyes met, I sensed something different. The way he leaned slightly toward me suggested he had something to say.
After confirming that Zerox’s gaze remained fixed on Madame Laber, I leaned slightly toward Luderne Sellen.
He whispered to me in the faintest of voices.
“You don’t need to smile for him, you know.”
Though he had omitted the subject, I understood his meaning perfectly.
Startled by his unexpected words, I opened my eyes wide and turned to look at him. Luderne Sellen clicked his tongue softly, then whispered even more quietly into my ear.
“I suspected as much, but seeing it now… I feel like I’m burning up inside.”
I doubted my own ears.
Luderne Sellen was jealous?
I quickly glanced around with only my eyes.
Zerox was listening intently to Madame Laber’s briefing with a forced smile on his face.
And Melissa Bilsty, who had been about to take a sip of tea, had her eyes wide open, completely captivated by the sight of us whispering intimately together.
She looked as though she couldn’t believe her own eyes.
I quickly turned my head and pressed my lips lightly against Luderne Sellen’s cheek—deliberately, for Melissa’s benefit, whose mood had soured.
So this is what it means when they say we’re overflowing with affection?
“Pfft!”
The conversation stopped abruptly, and all eyes turned toward Melissa.
Her face flushed, Melissa quickly dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief.
“I-I’m sorry. I choked.”
Zerox’s head turned toward us.
Sitting in his usual posture, he merely lifted the corners of his mouth gently.
Unlike before, I did not offer a ceremonial smile—I simply nodded. After all, Luderne Sellen had told me not to smile.
“We’re fine. Please don’t concern yourself, Your Majesty.”
But my demeanor caused Zerox’s expression to change.
He clicked his tongue softly.
“You should have been more careful. We have a distinguished guest.”
His stern tone, so unlike that of a lover, made Melissa’s face flush even deeper. Her body trembled slightly, and tears seemed to be gathering in her eyes.
“Ahem.”
Madame Laber, whose explanation had been interrupted, cleared her throat once to redirect Zerox’s attention.
“…Though it is a quiet territory now, its location near the Doorban Empire makes it an excellent strategic position for expanding the Salon’s reach.”
Since we could not reveal that we were here for revenge, Madame Laber was presenting persuasive justifications of her own.
Meanwhile, I felt a chill run through me.
I worried that Zerox might pick up on the military significance of the location.

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