About Becoming My Ex-Husband's Mistress - Chapter 178

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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 178. The Cursed Melissa
While Zerox offered his greetings for everyone to enjoy the party to their heart’s content, the fleet quietly set sail.
The moment he finished speaking, cheers erupted—”Long live the King! Long live the Kingdom!”
After waving and surveying the crowd once more, Zerox came straight toward us with Melissa.
“Welcome, Prince Wintem.”
At Zerox’s greeting, Luderne raised the champagne glass he held slightly in acknowledgment.
“What a magnificent party this is.”
At Luderne’s compliment, Zerox broke into a broad smile.
Soon his gaze fell upon me.
When I offered a respectful bow, he examined me more closely and nodded with satisfaction.
“The moment I laid eyes on you, I knew exactly where the Prince was. If a goddess were to manifest in this world, I believe she would look precisely like you.”
“You are too kind, Your Majesty.”
At my modest reply, Zerox’s expression became utterly foolish with delight.
“Not at all. I merely speak the truth.”
Soon he glanced around and asked Luderne.
“But Prince, where is Priscilla?”
“Ah, you haven’t heard yet? I thought you would know, as it was in the newspapers.”
Luderne lightly raised his palm, gesturing toward me.
“It is Priscilla.”
“?”
Zerox blinked several times, his expression one of doubt toward both his eyes and ears.
I offered Zerox another respectful bow.
“I now have the proper opportunity to introduce myself. I am Priscilla of the Raber Salon, Priscilla Bilsty.”
“?”
He still wore an expression of disbelief.
As Zerox stood bewildered, Luderne’s lips curved upward.
“Indeed.”
“But the appearance is… different?”
“Priscilla’s skill with styling is quite exceptional.”
Looking at me again, Zerox’s mouth fell open in astonishment.
“For the sake of personal safety, I had altered my appearance somewhat until now, but yesterday I noticed the newspapers had revealed this fact.”
Luderne also agreed with my explanation.
“Therefore, we determined that further disguise was pointless.”
It was then that something fell to the floor with a soft thud.
It was Melissa’s fan.
Her hand had lost all strength, and her face bore the expression of someone who had just received a heavy blow to the back of her head.
“What? Sister? You were Priscilla of the Raber Salon?”
Her lips, painted with crimson lipstick, gaped open without restraint—she was clearly quite shocked.
“It’s been two weeks. It’s been a long time seeing me like this. Isn’t that right, Melissa?”
At my greeting, Melissa bit her lower lip. Then, forcing herself to muster the angelic expression and tone she usually wore, she barely managed to speak.
“I-I see. It’s been so long. Have you been… well?”
“I’ve been living as you’ve seen fit.”
Perhaps because my tone sounded as gentle as before, a faint glimmer returned to Melissa’s bewildered eyes.
“I didn’t know you were living under a different appearance. You disappeared so suddenly one day—I was truly worried. You could have at least given me a hint.”
Melissa linked her arm gently through Zerox’s, then offered that same angelic smile she’d always worn.
“If you had, I could have helped ensure you didn’t need to hide your appearance with His Majesty the King.”
She seemed to think that by speaking sweetly now, she could somehow manipulate me.
I nearly laughed at the absurdity of her acting as though she’d never shown her true colors.
But I continued speaking in that same gentle tone.
“How shameless you are, Melissa. You pushed me into that deep sea, and now you ask how I’ve been?”
Melissa’s eyes widened. She seemed to doubt her own ears at what I’d just said.
I narrowed my eyes and added a smile.
“And why would I be your sister? You’re the bastard child of a sordid affair, while I am the daughter of a Count who was kind to his people.”
At my words, Melissa’s mouth fell open again in shock. Though my voice and tone remained the same, the difference from the person she’d known before was clearly striking.
Still, I had no intention of stopping.
There wouldn’t be many more opportunities for me to say what I needed to say to Melissa.
“You’re not even nobility. You and Matilda simply clung to us like parasites. We share no blood relation whatsoever.”
Zerox’s eyes widened as well.
Even with the King himself standing beside me, he hadn’t expected I would speak so boldly.
But when I smiled brightly at him, Zerox simply nodded slowly, his expression softening once more.
It was his approval—a sign to do as I wished.
I finished speaking to Melissa.
“Oh, and by the way—everything you and Count Veloda Genoma did was published in the newspapers.”
I deliberately glanced at Zerox once before fixing my gaze directly on Melissa.
“Surely you’re not thinking of standing beside His Majesty the King, who shines like the sun, after all that?”
As I raised one corner of my mouth with the question, Melissa’s complexion turned as pale as white paper.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but soon gave up on composing herself and covered her mouth with both hands. Then she bowed her head to Zerox.
“Your Majesty, I apologize. I’d like to retire and rest first.”
Zerox nodded once, and Melissa left her seat.
Seeing her go, I quickly spoke to Zerox.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty. I have unfinished business with Melissa.”
I signaled Luderne Sellen to attend to Zerox, then hurried after Melissa.
Walter quickly fell into step beside me.
Melissa moved swiftly through the crowd, but the trailing hem of her dress slowed her pace compared to ours.
“Once Melissa is alone, please block her path.”
At my words, Walter quickened his stride even faster than mine.
Moments later, I could see Melissa, startled to find her cabin door blocked.
“W-What is this? Aren’t you under Prince Wintem’s command?”
Walter, standing firmly before the door, nodded.
“That’s correct.”
Melissa then raised her voice irritably.
“Why are you doing this?”
“I have business to attend to.”
“Business? What business?”
I retrieved the curse scroll I had hidden in the ribbon at my waist and approached Melissa without hesitation.
Walter nodded at the sight of me.
“It’s not my business, but the person behind me said they still had business with you.”
Melissa turned to look at me.
“That’s right. I still have business with you.”
In that moment, I tore the curse scroll to shreds right before her eyes.
The distance was such that the curse’s target could not possibly change, even by accident.
“Gasp!”
Melissa, who had gasped in shock, alternated her gaze between me and the scroll in my hands.
“What… what did you just do to me?”
Her true nature laid bare, she had even lost the composure to maintain her formal speech.
“As for what I did…”
I waved the scroll, now in two pieces, before her.
“Don’t you know better than anyone?”
I stepped back a few paces to create distance between myself and Melissa, tilting my head to one side with a smile.
“So, how does it feel to experience the touch of magic firsthand?”
“!”
A murderous glint flickered in Melissa’s eyes as her complexion turned ashen.
“You… you cast a curse on me?”
Her voice was so loud she could have lunged at me without it being strange, yet Melissa merely flinched and ground her teeth.
The reason she could not attack me directly was simple.
Walter had quietly positioned himself solidly at my side.
His expression made it clear he would not tolerate any harm coming to me.
“That’s right.”
I nodded, my arms crossed.
“It’s a curse magic scroll. I don’t know what curse it is, but they said it would be far more vicious than the one you cast on me.”
“What?”
Melissa, seized by shock, wrapped both arms tightly around herself. Her anxious eyes darted about before she suddenly cried out.
“How… how am I supposed to…!”
“The Old Woman you harmed back then—she survived. She wanted her revenge on you as well.”
“!”
At my words, Melissa’s lips trembled as she barely managed to speak in a strangled voice.
“So… so you’re taking your revenge on me now?”
“You’re only realizing it now? My revenge began when I pulled you down from the Royal Elegance Contest and placed Olivia at the King’s side.”
“!”
“And hasn’t your reputation in High Society plummeted terrifyingly since then?”
“So… all of that was planned?”
I made no effort to hide the contempt in my gaze, my lips curling into a sneer.
“Ha, your perception is truly dull. Or perhaps I was simply too half-hearted?”
“….”
“In any case, through my own efforts, I’ve settled Father’s life with Matilda and the Coachman’s lives, and I’ve returned the curse you cast upon me back to you in kind. So that debt is now cleared.”
With my arms crossed, I smiled toward Melissa, whose anxious eyes darted about frantically.
“But there’s still so much more remaining, isn’t there? Look forward to it with anticipation. I’ve prepared quite thoroughly.”
“….”
As I turned to leave, my heart was utterly satisfied by the delightful expression now painted across Melissa’s face.

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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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