About Becoming My Ex-Husband's Mistress - Chapter 19

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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 19. A Way Out
‘Ah, the first man I ever shared a bed with.’
When I first endured the curse’s agony, any man would have sufficed, but now that I’ve lain with Luderne Sellen, it seems only he will do.
The curse appeared to follow a ten-day cycle.
‘The heat gradually builds until the body becomes unbearable…’
Judging that I had at least enough time to extract information from Walter, I settled back into my seat.
“It’s nothing at all.”
Before me lay grain bread and romaine lettuce, cheese and fried eggs, roasted beans and crispy bacon, alongside a glass of orange juice.
“The bread was freshly baked today, and the oranges and romaine are quite fresh. The eggs were just laid by the hens in the backyard, and I’ve roasted these beans fresh as well. They’ll be absolutely delicious.”
He cheerfully wished me a pleasant meal before carrying food to the other tables.
Soon the small tavern filled with customers who had come for lunch.
“Four here!”
“Beer too!”
Even after I finished eating, customers continued to stream into the tavern.
Walter prepared the ordered dishes and served them himself.
Watching him work, I gathered the dishes from my table and carried them toward the kitchen.
Just then, a customer called out loudly.
“Hey, Walter! Two here!”
Immediately after, three burly customers sat down at a table that hadn’t yet been cleared. They had towels draped over their shoulders, looking as though they’d just come from a construction site.
“Clear this table for us!”
But Walter didn’t respond. He was stuck in the kitchen, unable to leave while cooking.
Sensing it would take time, I rolled up my sleeves.
“Is this for three meals?”
As I cleared the table, the burly customers’ eyes widened in surprise.
Their faces flushed as they spoke in hushed, embarrassed voices.
“Ah, yes, y-yes… P-please.”
“A-and a beer, please.”
I carried the cleared dishes straight into the kitchen.
Several finished plates sat on one end of the counter, while Walter was absorbed in plating food on another.
“Three more meals and a beer.”
At my voice, Walter turned and his eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes?”
“Your work will finish faster if I help, and then I can attend to my own business. Shall I serve these plates? In the order they arrived?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Walter’s face flushed.
He hesitated before nodding.
“Then I’d appreciate your help.”
I assisted with the tavern work—greeting customers as they arrived, taking their orders and passing them to Walter, and clearing tables as they emptied.
Meanwhile, Walter brought out the prepared dishes and served them to the customers.
Soon the tavern’s table turnover became smooth and efficient.
As time passed, the tavern’s bustle gradually quieted.
“That was delicious. Your new staff member is quite diligent and skilled at their work. Ha ha!”
The last customer of the lunch rush laughed heartily at my farewell greeting and rummaged through his pocket.
“Here’s a tip for you! Let’s meet again next time!”
What he handed me were two mini coins.
Mini coins were a smaller currency made with one-tenth the value of standard coins.
In modern currency, that would be about two thousand won?
“Thank you, and have a good day.”
As I turned back after seeing the customer off, Walter was setting down a madeleine and orange juice on the table.
“Even during lunch hours, it’s usually not this busy. But ever since a few days ago, workers from the Mana Tower construction site have been arriving on the island.”
“A Mana Tower?”
“Yes. I hear Prince Wintem is having a Mana Tower built on this island and is also beautifying the surrounding area. That’s why things have gotten hectic here since yesterday. Since this island is privately owned, the residential population is very small. Because of that, it’s been difficult to find workers… but…”
He gestured for me to sit across from him and smiled broadly.
“Thanks to you, we got through today smoothly. Thank you so much for your help. Oh, and I can tell you how to leave this island. There are three methods.”
The casual way he offered to help with my current predicament piqued my curiosity, and I sat down across from him.
Walter held up one finger.
“First, there’s forging an identification card. It’s the easiest. I’m quite skilled at it, so I make them well. As long as you don’t get caught, it’s safe.”
“But if you’re discovered, both the person who made the card and the person who used it face punishment.”
At my words, Walter’s lips curved into a slight smirk.
“That’s why there’s a hazard fee. Seven silver coins.”
I let out a bitter laugh.
“Isn’t there another method?”
“This one is safe even if it’s a bit expensive?”
“It won’t work on this island, I think.”
“Why not?”
“The staff at the Harbor Office and Government Administration know that I don’t have an identification card.”
“Andy and Matthew know about that?”
Walter shook his head slightly as if disappointed.
“Ah, then… I can’t use that method. This was the best option.”
“What about the second method?”
Walter answered with a genuinely regretful expression.
“Stowing away… but…”
Walter paused and looked me up and down. Then his cheeks flushed slightly.
“If you’re discovered stowing away, it could be dangerous. That won’t work. But the third method isn’t exactly easy either… what should I do?”
Even his sigh suggested he was genuinely troubled.
“Is the third method very dangerous?”
“No.”
“Then is it illegal?”
“No. There’s no identity inspection, so you don’t need an identification card either.”
“What’s the problem then?”
“It takes time and money to find one.”
The solution was to rent a small fishing vessel.
There was no problem—I would simply board the ship, sail to a suitable location near the Capital’s Harbor, and disembark.
“If you guarantee a day’s wages, it should be possible. I’d need to ask about the exact amount, but in this case, they’ll probably demand at least a few gold coins.”
It was a good method, even if it cost a bit.
I told him I would use that method right away.
“Thank you for helping me, Walter.”
“Think nothing of it. Once you leave this Island, you can reissue your identification papers.”
Walter, smiling brightly, said he would look into when the ship could be used.
“I’ll open two hours early tomorrow. You can come then. And another thing….”
Walter asked if I could help with the Tavern work after eating together at opening time tomorrow, if I didn’t mind.
Even if he looked into the ship, the departure wouldn’t be tomorrow anyway.
Since I had nothing else to do, I promised to do so.
I returned to the attic of the Inn.
Sitting by the window of the attic, I gazed outside and thought for a moment.
My mind had changed on the way back here.
‘Do I really need to reissue my identification papers?’
Since the marriage registration had already been processed, finding my papers would only make me the wife of Count Veloda Genoma.
If my identification papers, seal, and marriage certificate had all been handed over to Count Veloda Genoma, my bank balance surely hadn’t escaped the same fate.
A wife’s wealth belongs to her husband, after all.
“Perhaps it would be better to obtain a new identity instead.”
It stung to have lost the vast sum that had been given to me outright.
I gripped the key pendant in my hand.
‘At least I managed to protect this inheritance.’
If I were to obtain a new identity, this key would become useless to me, but the same would be true for Melissa Bilsty.
‘It would be difficult to purchase the Temple.’
Then it would also be difficult for Melissa Bilsty to become the Queen of Arde Kingdom.
One corner of my mouth rose involuntarily.
‘Though I lack money and power, making revenge impossible….’
At least I could block the key element that would allow Melissa Bilsty and Count Veloda Genoma to rise significantly in status.
They would think I was dead, so they wouldn’t search for me anymore.
I took out the check that Luderne Sellen had written and examined it.
This sum was also considerable, and it seemed I could purchase a commoner’s identification papers in the Capital.
‘After laundering my identity and using the remaining money to secure a residence, couldn’t I start a small shop or something?’
But then I felt a brief tremor from below, and I immediately grasped reality.
I had to find a mage who could break this curse first.
‘If I can’t, I’ll inevitably end up going to Luderne Sellen and begging for his favor.’
I remembered him sending me away as soon as my body had recovered.
『He swore he wouldn’t hold me accountable for one night, but now that he knows my status, has his desires increased? Because of my vast wealth?』
As I recalled the image of him closing the window as if he had sufficiently compensated and resolved the accident that had befallen a passenger, my chest throbbed painfully.
He acted as though he would never see me again.
‘…I cannot ask the same of him again. Never.’
I had made my decision.
No matter the cost, I would break this curse first. Only then could I live a normal life.
Whether I could find a mage capable of lifting the curse remained uncertain.
Yet I soon found myself thinking there was no need to worry.
Count Bilsty’s Territory was rural, after all.
In a place where mages themselves were rare to encounter, the magic Melissa had obtained was likely of the lowest tier.
‘That’s right. I mustn’t panic needlessly. I’ll simply go to the Capital and find a mage.’
Perhaps the curse would lift as quickly as it had been cast upon me.
‘The cost will be the deciding factor, but surely I can manage it with the coins I have?’
My plan for the future crystallized.
I would leave the Island swiftly, purchase a new identity, and have the curse magic dispelled.
‘After that, if any funds remain, I’ll look for a place to live. And if my resources fall short, I can always find work as a maid.’
That seemed like the best course.
‘In any case, I am free.’
I need not live as the wife of Count Veloda Genoma. He believes me dead, so I need not fear being murdered by him.
With that thought, my heart grew light.
“Yes. Even if I become a commoner, I’ll build a new life.”

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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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