About Becoming My Ex-Husband's Mistress - Chapter 34

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

Chapter 34. Why That Tavern Woman
‘I never knew such a person existed on this Island.’
Priscilla was so beautiful that Anne found her disagreeable. She worried that Luderne Sellen might take notice of her.
But with the flood of guests arriving, their hands were woefully insufficient. They couldn’t afford to turn away help if they wanted to prepare by dinner time.
So Anne decided to first crush Priscilla’s spirit.
Kitchen work wouldn’t suit that purpose—there was no room for her to intervene there. She needed to find the right moment to point out flaws.
The best opportunity would come during her first tasks.
Table setting was where inexperience showed most glaringly.
Island folk and commoners alike were unfamiliar with how nobility arranged their tables. It was the perfect assignment to expose her ignorance.
Once Anne pointed out her mistakes, Priscilla would lose her confidence, and then she could naturally reassign her to washing dishes in the kitchen.
That way, she could remove her from the dining room before Luderne Sellen arrived.
After that, she could manipulate Priscilla as needed while maintaining her own image of competence and grace.
So she assigned her the table setting.
She was ready to point out flaws with authority, to crush her spirit by calling her ignorant and useless.
But Priscilla’s table setting was absolutely flawless.
She possessed not only beauty but also refinement.
Caught off guard and unable to find fault, Anne grew anxious. What if this woman caught the Grand Duke’s eye?
But she quickly reassured herself.
The tavern owner Walter and she were… that sort of couple.
Misha, who had been standing nearby, quietly burst into tears and left, which reduced their workload somewhat, but the preparations were complete anyway, so it hardly mattered.
But then…
Something strange happened.
Egardt and Sir Jester returned to the Mansion with Priscilla in tow.
Moreover, she stayed in the guest room for a day, and the next day she left the Mansion with Sir Jester.
That wasn’t all. When Egardt returned to the Mansion alone after going out with Priscilla, he issued instructions concerning her.
Priscilla, who had been living with Walter, now had a new house. They were to deliver Sir Jester’s dinner and some groceries there.
Bed sheets, a set of men’s clothing, and basic necessities as well.
‘Me? The head maid, doing this personally?’
Anne’s expression darkened.
“Why would you do all that for that tavern woman?”
Seeing Egardt’s displeased expression, Anne realized her mistake and quickly covered her mouth.
“Ah, Sir Jester is present. I spoke out of turn.”
Egardt’s voice turned stern as he cautioned Anne.
“Show respect not only to Sir Jester but to Priscilla as well.”
“Yes?”
Anne’s face registered bewilderment.
She stood rigidly, her eyes darting about before she spoke again with reluctance.
“Well, I mean, that woman is pretty, but for you to say such a thing, sir…”
“That’s not it.”
“Yes?”
“It might be old woman’s meddling, but Sir Jester’s gaze when looking at Priscilla is far from ordinary.”
“Ah.”
Anne let out a small sigh she couldn’t hide.
‘So that woman has caught Sir Jester’s eye? She must have grown restless and abandoned Walter for Sir Jester.’
I couldn’t say I didn’t understand Priscilla’s choice. If I had to pick between a tavern owner and a Mage Tower master with a knight’s title, my own decision would have been obvious.
But of all people, it had to be her.
At least Luderne Sellen hadn’t noticed, but this was a situation I truly despised.
If that woman became Sir Jester’s lover and came to the Mansion, I would have no choice but to bow my head.
I looked like I’d be serving rather than being served.
“I have so much work to do—could you send another maid instead?”
Egardt shook his head.
“Go yourself. Just deliver the supplies, but if you happen to see anything, keep quiet about it.”
Anne’s pupils trembled with shock.
But since Egardt was stubborn, there was nothing to be done.
“Understood.”
Anne gathered the items Egardt had listed into two large baskets. Then she drove a small open carriage toward Priscilla.
Anne knew the house from the map. It was old and had the cheapest rent.
It was practically an abandoned house, so a scoff escaped between Anne’s lips.
“Did she go in with a camping mindset?”
But shortly after arriving and checking the house, Anne couldn’t close her gaping mouth.
‘It should have been abandoned.’
The house’s appearance had completely transformed.
But since the house size remained the same, it seemed only hasty repairs and a rough coat of paint had been applied.
‘Right. Since it looked so wretched, Sir Jester must have done some work on it. When I go inside, there’s probably rustic furnishings everywhere.’
Handing over the baskets would finish the task. But Anne wanted to check the interior.
If I could see with my own eyes that typical Island interior design, perhaps this current discomfort would ease somewhat.
After gnawing at my lips for a moment, I decided to go inside and knocked on the door.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
The door opened shortly after.
The person who appeared was Priscilla.
* * *
I stayed by Sir Jester’s side as he lay unconscious, constantly wiping away the cold sweat pouring from him.
Sir Jester regained consciousness around sunset.
He remained dazed for a moment, but after hearing the situation, he soon said it was fine. His reaction suggested he understood what had happened—it seemed he had some chronic condition.
‘Could it be terminal?’
Then a knock sounded from outside.
“It seems the maid the steward sent has arrived. I’ll be back.”
When I opened the door, sure enough, the head maid Anne stood there holding large baskets.
“Welcome, Anne. Thank you for bringing the groceries.”
“Where is the dining table?”
It seemed she intended to take out the items herself, so I stepped aside.
“It’s over there. Please come in.”
Anne entered the house and set the basket down on the table, glancing around the room. Soon after, she murmured softly.
“Good heavens.”
Anne’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open. She appeared quite taken aback.
I waited a moment, uncertain whether it was the cramped interior of the house or the surprisingly neat furnishings that had startled her.
Eventually, her gaze lowered to the dining table.
Anne, who had been examining the table, opened her mouth.
“This isn’t… that, is it?”
“That?”
“I visited the Capital not long ago. I saw it there.”
“What?”
“Now that I think about it, you never answered my question.”
Not understanding what she meant, I simply widened my eyes.
“You said before that a noblewoman didn’t seem like she’d work in a tavern, remember?”
She was referring to the question I had dodged back then.
“Yes, I did.”
“I thought perhaps you had experience working in a noble’s mansion.”
I clasped my hands together and merely shrugged my shoulders. I hoped that would suffice as an answer.
At that moment, Anne’s brow furrowed slightly.
“But even so, you couldn’t have purchased furniture like this.”
“Pardon?”
Now I understood.
The furniture itself was the sort one would only see in a noble’s mansion.
“The furniture is far too beautiful for this house.”
“How on earth did you obtain this?”
I simply told her the truth.
“Fortunately, Sir Jester helped me acquire it.”
“What? He ‘helped’ you? Does that even make sense?”
Anne’s tone was rather peculiar.
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“This furniture is from the Capital’s master craftsman of furnishings…!”
A master craftsman?
What did she mean by that?
Anne, who had been about to exclaim further, hastily covered her mouth. Then she quickly bowed respectfully.
“S-Sir Jester.”
When I turned around, Sir Jester was leaning against the entrance to the bedroom, his upper body bare and glistening with cold sweat, his arms crossed.
“I didn’t know my head maid took such keen interest in other people’s household affairs.”
Perhaps due to his illness, his voice carried a deeper, more subdued tone.
Anne, whose gaze had been momentarily captivated by Sir Jester’s toned physique, started in alarm and bowed her head deeply.
“The f-furniture is just so beautiful. I apologize. Well, since I’ve completed my business, I should take my leave now.”
When Sir Jester nodded, Anne hurried away without even a chance to exchange proper farewells.
The door closed, and silence settled over the room.
I turned my head to look at Sir Jester.
“Sorry for stripping off like that. My shirt was soaked through with sweat.”
“I understand.”
“I’ve soaked the new bedsheets with sweat too. Sorry about that. I didn’t anticipate this.”
“It’s fine.”
“I apologize, but I feel so uncomfortable. I’ll use the Bathroom first.”
Sir Jester brushed his sweat-dampened hair back with his hand and rummaged through a basket placed on the table, searching for something.
“Go ahead. But are you sure it’s alright to move around?”
“It’s fine, I’m telling you. Ah, here are some clean clothes. Egardt really thought of everything.”
Sir Jester said he’d be back soon and headed toward the Bathroom.
While he was washing up, I opened the windows to air out the house, lit the fireplace, and organized the items Anne had left behind.
I placed the onions, butter, and eggs on the shelf. The milk, white bread, jam, soup, and salad—foods ready to eat—I arranged on the table.
By the time I’d plated the medium-rare fried eggs and set them on the table, Sir Jester had changed into a fresh shirt and trousers and sat down at the table.
“Oh, fried eggs? You can cook?”
His cheerful demeanor made me smile.
Sir Jester spread butter generously on white bread and took a large bite.
Sitting across from him, I offered my thanks.
“Sir Jester, thank you for preparing a place for me to stay.”
I should have said this earlier, but I hadn’t managed to before he collapsed.
Sir Jester chuckled at my gratitude.
“Hearing thanks from Priscilla is rewarding. I don’t know when the curse will lift, but live well.”
I nodded.
Naturally, the conversation that followed turned to his health issues.
“It was never this severe before. This is only the second time I’ve lost consciousness from it.”
He ate thoughtfully for a moment before speaking.
“I’ve been thinking about the cause all along. But the Doctor always says there’s nothing physically wrong with me. I suspect it must be related to magic somehow.”
Related to magic?
Naturally, the settings from the romance novels I’d been reading came to mind.
“Could it be something like a seal or restriction?”
At my words, Sir Jester tilted his head.
“A seal?”

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