About Becoming My Ex-Husband's Mistress - Chapter 168

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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 168. She Fell to Her Knees and Pleaded
Zerox tilted his head to one side.
“There was something like that?”
“Yes. I discovered dust accumulating in one corner of the Fleet’s Magic Vault.”
“What is its function?”
“I brought it because I thought that if this one result proved reliable, the rest might gain credibility as well. It is actually….”
Just as Baron Ugly was about to speak, Sir Jester clapped his hands sharply.
“Ah, so that existed! A slate tablet is a truly magnificent magical tool!”
Sir Jester rose from his seat and approached Zerox. What followed was a whispered conversation.
Upon hearing whatever was said, Zerox’s eyes widened.
“Is that truly the case?”
“If you doubt me, why not listen to Baron Ugly’s whisper as well? You could verify whether it matches what I said, could you not?”
Baron Ugly gave a small, awkward cough before leaning in to whisper to Zerox.
Zerox nodded after a moment.
“You two don’t know each other?”
Sir Jester and Baron Ugly bowed their heads simultaneously.
“No. We meet for the first time today.”
“That is correct, Your Majesty.”
Sir Jester then leaned in to whisper to Luderne Sellen and me.
Upon hearing the contents, I was genuinely startled.
The slate tablet Baron Ugly had brought was a magical tool for confirming paternity!
At that moment, Zerox nodded.
“In any case, both of your accounts match. First, Melissa Bilsty—place one hand on each slate tablet.”
At Zerox’s instruction, Melissa Bilsty swallowed hard. Then she placed her left and right hands respectively on the slate tablets resting on the tea table.
A faint light emanated from both tablets.
“Ahhh!”
What followed was a scream.
Melissa Bilsty’s blood dripped down onto the slate tablets.
“Y-Your Majesty! What is this? It hurts!”
Melissa Bilsty opened her bleeding palms for all to see. She truly appeared to be in pain.
Yet the wounds on Melissa Bilsty’s palms healed with incredible speed. The blood that had stained the tablets seeped away and vanished.
Alternating his gaze between the tablets and Melissa Bilsty, Zerox let out a small sigh and tugged slightly at his cravat. His expression seemed decidedly tense.
“Countess Bilsty and the Coachman—each of you place one hand on the tablets.”
Both their expressions grew grave.
“Your Majesty, surely this is not…?”
Seeing the hesitation of the Coachman and Matilda Bilsty, who seemed to sense something, Zerox’s brow furrowed deeply.
Yet no words escaped from between Zerox’s trembling lips.
As Matilda Bilsty and the Coachman grew tense, Zerox too seemed anxious about confirming the result.
At that moment, Baron Ugly bellowed at the Coachman.
“How dare you defy the command of The King, radiant as the sun itself!”
The Coachman, startled, raised his bandaged hand and offered a pitiful excuse.
“M-my hand is in this condition.”
“Then raise your arm!”
At Baron Ugly’s sharp command, the Coachman quickly placed the back of his arm against the slate.
A faint light bloomed across the slate once more.
“Ugh!”
The Coachman let out a pained groan and hastily pulled away from the slate.
Blood was absorbed just as before, but there was no reaction whatsoever.
“You as well—quickly, place your wrist or arm against it.”
At Baron Ugly’s words, Matilda Bilsty pressed the back of her arm against the slate with a resigned expression.
“Ah!”
The moment the faint light flared, Matilda Bilsty too let out a sharp cry.
Both of their wounds sealed shut as if by a lie.
“Now we simply wait approximately one minute.”
Baron Ugly straightened his posture and spoke with clarity.
“This slate is a magical instrument for discerning bloodlines. It has been used to identify families of traitors who conceal their identities and flee in times of crisis. A red light indicates kinship; a yellow light indicates otherwise.”
All eyes turned toward the slate.
Soon both slates glowed with a vivid crimson light. Zerox’s expression hardened at the sight.
Luderne Sellen spoke coldly.
“It is proven.”
“T-this cannot be…”
Melissa Bilsty’s eyes bulged so wide that the whites showed bloodshot veins, and she stumbled backward in disbelief.
Then she glared sharply at Matilda Bilsty, whose lips were pressed firmly shut.
“Mother, how is this possible? Am I truly that Coachman’s daughter?”
“N-no. No, Melissa.”
Matilda Bilsty’s expression as she hastily denied it was quite a sight to behold.
“I, I committed adultery with such a lowly Coachman? Does that make any sense? There must be some mistake! Your Majesty! Baron!”
Matilda Bilsty began to bow and plead to Baron Ugly and Zerox.
“I am innocent, Your Majesty! How could I be subjected to such slander!”
The Coachman, cold sweat dripping profusely, also shook his head.
“How could someone like me be the father of such a noble person? I don’t know much, but I suspect this magical instrument must be malfunctioning.”
Then, as if remembering something, he raised his voice.
“N-now that I think of it, the Mistress’s servants are here with us as well. They have observed us for a long time, so they will surely know the truth!”
Matilda Bilsty’s head snapped up with a glimmer of hope.
“That’s right! Those servants will testify for us!”
Melissa Bilsty knelt before Zerox.
“Yes, Zerox! This device appeared out of nowhere—it’s suspicious! Servants who have observed us for so long will surely testify to the truth!”
How persistent they were.
Sir Jester, observing the three of them, spoke with composure.
“A magical instrument of sufficient quality to be loaded onto a fleet cannot have errors. Your Majesty the King is well aware of this.”
“Hmm.”
Zerox pinched the bridge of his nose lightly with his hand. The way he lowered his head slightly suggested he found this troublesome.
At his expression, Melissa Bilsty glanced at me and Luderne Sellen.
“But still, these tools were brought so suddenly that I can’t shake the feeling of a trap! Let’s have people testify!”
Luderne Sellen crossed his arms.
When he fell silent, Melissa Bilsty rushed forward and knelt before him, pleading.
“My mother could never have done such a thing. If this is admitted as is, she’ll face a terrible punishment, yet you’re completely unmoved, Your Grace?”
Then she looked at me with tears welling up.
“Priscilla, you’re not unmoved by that terrible punishment either? You’re not actually going to demand it be carried out, are you?”
I merely bit my lip slightly.
It wasn’t because I had nothing to say. It was because there was someone to speak for me.
“Miss Melissa Bilsty, or rather, I suppose we shouldn’t call you ‘Miss’ anymore.”
Madame Raber let out a long sigh.
“Even if your mouth is twisted, your words should be straight. Anyone watching would think we decided this. You set that punishment yourself, didn’t you?”
Sir Jester also nodded while keeping his arms crossed.
“Indeed. You even made a contract and sent it to the Court, didn’t you?”
Then he briefly explained how things had come to this point and recounted in full the punishment written in the contract.
“What? That… is that really true? Melissa wrote such terms while betting on her mother’s life?”
To the horrified Matilda Bilsty, I merely shrugged my shoulders.
Matilda Bilsty stared at Melissa Bilsty in shock.
“Melissa! Why would you make such a dangerous wager!”
Melissa Bilsty shouted irritably.
“Because innocence is obvious! Or should I admit that Priscilla, that madwoman, was right? That I’m base-born because my mother rolled around with the Coachman?”
At that moment, the Knight Commander, who had been observing from behind, spoke firmly.
“Please watch your language. You are in the presence of His Majesty the King.”
Then Zerox let out a sigh.
“Your Grace, is there no room for doubt in the proof?”
At his somewhat pleading tone, Luderne Sellen’s voice softened slightly. But his words were merciless.
“The magical tool is precise.”
I deliberately grasped Luderne Sellen’s arm lightly.
“Still, shouldn’t we hear testimony just in case?”
“Testimony?”
“The punishment is quite terrible, after all, isn’t it?”
At my words, Luderne Sellen seemed to ponder for a moment, then nodded.
“It will have no bearing on the verdict, but since they seem to be grasping at straws, I will hear the witnesses’ accounts.”
At his somewhat softened tone, Matilda Bilsty and the Coachman bowed their heads to us repeatedly.
“Th-thank you! Your Grace!”
Soon, two servants from the Count’s Residence were summoned as witnesses.
They stood bewildered before quickly prostrating themselves upon seeing Zerox.
“We greet Your Majesty the King.”
Zerox regarded the two servants with an expression of lingering irritation before turning his gaze to Matilda.
“Ask them directly.”
Matilda drew in a deep, steadying breath.
Then, in a voice as gentle and coaxing as silk, she began by thanking the servants for their help during such difficult times.
“There’s no need for thanks. We merely did what any person ought to do.”
She asked whether the two of them were quite familiar with the affairs of the Count’s Residence.
“Ah, yes. Having worked here for so long, we naturally know it well.”
At the servants’ sequential responses, Matilda swallowed carefully.
“From this moment forward, you must provide testimony of the utmost importance. We stand before The King himself.”
Matilda requested that the servants testify that she had no connection whatsoever to the Coachman.
She muttered a quiet curse under her breath, lamenting what trouble Priscilla had caused her.
“Understood. We know this better than anyone, so we shall testify.”
At the servant’s crisp response, the corners of Matilda’s mouth rose in relief.
Melissa wore the same expression.
Not a trace of remorse or regret crossed either of their faces.
Even in this moment, Melissa and Matilda maintained their vicious demeanor to the very end.
Their punishment was meant to be death for attempting to kill Priscilla, but now it had become a trap of their own making—they were simply receiving back the cruelty they had sown.
‘I sought revenge, but I never intended for things to spiral into such malice.’
Then the servant began to speak, his bearing filled with loyalty.
“How could we turn a blind eye to the truth for the sake of mere safety? Glory to the Arde Kingdom! Long live The King!”
Thanks to this, Zerox’s expression softened somewhat.
The servant then testified loudly.

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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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