About Becoming My Ex-Husband's Mistress - Chapter 42

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

Chapter 42. So He Wanted a Child
“Your Highness… do you perhaps love me as well?”
Even as I sought confirmation, my voice trembled beyond my control.
Luderne’s eyes narrowed.
I had known such a reaction was possible, yet seeing it now felt like a dagger piercing my heart.
“I thought we agreed not to be greedy. Let’s not speak of such things.”
His immediate attempt to end the conversation made my heart race with desperation.
“Sir Jester taught me how to break the curse. He said that if a child is born between two people who love each other, the curse will stop. When the child is born, the curse disappears entirely.”
Luderne’s lips pressed firmly shut.
I hoped he would consider my words carefully. Instead, he refastened the buttons of his loosened sleeves.
His swift gesture of composing himself filled me with unease.
“Are you… listening to me?”
“I heard you. Then simply don’t break the curse.”
He strode out of the bedroom and wrapped his robe around himself once more from the coat rack.
“Wait, please! Just listen to what I have to say a little longer.”
Fearing he would simply leave, I quickly grasped the hem of his garment, and he spoke.
“A child is absolutely out of the question. If you insist on using the curse as leverage, we should reconsider this arrangement.”
He coldly brushed my hand away and turned to leave, without a moment’s hesitation.
Click.
The door closed.
Silence descended upon the empty house.
* * *
About four years before Priscilla came to Heril Island, the Harbor had been quiet, with only the Harbor Office and Government Administration present.
But as Luderne began frequenting the island, the Quindel docked more often.
As a result, the Harbor’s appearance had changed somewhat from before.
Now there was a rather elegant hotel and several shops. A large warehouse for storing trade goods as well.
When a ship docked, the Harbor grew bustling with cargo being unloaded and tourists lingering for a few days of rest.
Today was one such day.
And among the passengers who disembarked from the Quindel this time was someone whose face Luderne recognized.
“My goodness, Prince Wintem?”
Luderne and his attendant Brissel Mohr, who were about to board, turned at the dulcet voice.
His brow furrowed slightly.
Dark blue hair pinned up, mascara applied thickly to her lashes, lips as red as blood, and makeup so pale it was almost ghostly.
The gaunt woman held a long cigarette holder in her hand, dressed in a gown so revealing that her cleavage was visible.
Though he had never spoken with her directly, Luderne knew who she was. Any nobleman of considerable rank would know of her.
“Madame Laber.”
She was the director of the Royal Theater Company’s performers and the proprietress of the Raber Salon.
Under the guise of supporting performers, she was also the dark hand that connected the flowers of the pleasure quarters to the mistresses of nobles, pocketing bribes in the process.
“How delighted I am that you recognize me.”
She stood before Luderne with a meaningful smile.
“I heard you were the master of this island, but I never expected to meet you like this.”
“Is that so? Are you traveling somewhere?”
His tone was formal.
Yet Madame Laber seemed delighted by even that much and answered accordingly.
“I heard Heril Island is beautiful. They say it’s wonderful for rest, so I thought I’d stay for a while.”
Madame Laber drew a long breath as if savoring the crisp air, then lifted one corner of her mouth into a smile.
“It seems you have so much work that even in such a lovely retreat, you find it difficult to rest.”
Luderne Sellen remained silent, offering no response.
Madame Laber stepped closer.
“The shadows beneath your eyes are quite dark—I wonder if you’re not sleeping well.”
“….”
She let out a soft laugh while observing his expression.
“A good night’s sleep comes so much easier with the warmth of a young, beautiful woman nearby. What do you say? Shall I introduce you to a refined and lovely girl? Where is there a prince these days without a mistress?”
Just then, the horn of the Quindle sounded.
“There’s no need. It’s time to set sail, so I’ll take my leave. Have a pleasant journey.”
Luderne Sellen cut her off without hesitation and headed toward the ship.
Behind him, Madame Laber raised her voice slightly.
“Please don’t hesitate to reach out anytime. There are many who would be delighted to be in the embrace of His Highness the Grand Duke!”
The moment Brissel Mohr stepped into the Quindle’s suite, he dropped the composed expression he’d been maintaining.
“What a rude and vulgar woman. How dare she try to push courtesans on you.”
“Not worth the thought.”
Luderne Sellen sat at his work desk without bothering to hide his disgust.
“Bring me the trade goods documentation for the Cigarette Kingdom that we’re currently reviewing.”
Brissel Mohr’s eyes widened.
“Pardon? You worked through the night, didn’t you? And now you won’t rest but will review the Boutique D’S inventory instead? Moreover, wasn’t that supposed to be handled two months from now?”
“It’s better to move quickly on profitable ventures. Contact the Bieta Kingdom as well.”
“That will create a tremendous amount of work. We’ll need more personnel.”
“Hire more.”
“Sir?”
Brissel Mohr fell silent for a moment, then let out a small sigh.
“You’ve had your sleep, at least. But wouldn’t it be better to have a proper breakfast first?”
“As you said, there will be a great deal of work. So I’ll eat simply here.”
Luderne Sellen immediately picked up his quill pen.
Watching him, Brissel Mohr spoke again.
“If I may be so bold, Your Highness, the shadows beneath your eyes are indeed quite pronounced, just as Madame Laber said.”
He cleared his throat.
“Of course, though you won’t listen to suggestions like hers, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
When Luderne Sellen glanced up at those words, Brissel Mohr continued.
“For both your health and regarding work matters, perhaps it would be wise to hear Prince Wintem’s opinion.”
“Didn’t you say that appearing too obsessed with profit-making isn’t a good look?”
“Yes. You’ve been granted enough wealth that you could live your entire life without working a day, indulging in luxury without want. The Empire may not know it yet, but the merchant guild has already built a system where money flows simply by breathing.”
“And isn’t that money being put to good use expanding necessary resources? When funds are abundant, we elevate the quality of our weapons.”
At his calm response, Brissel Mohr quickly glanced outside the door before slipping back in. He was being cautious lest anyone overhear.
“…You know this, so why do you persist? Show some mercy.”
Brissel Mohr moistened his thinning lips with his tongue, then loosened his cravat slightly as though exasperated.
“The scale of our income has become so enormous that concealing it grows increasingly difficult.”
“Isn’t concealment your job?”
“I’m asking for time to manage it. If we’re careless, we all die.”
“Regardless, once the Prince passes, we may reach the same conclusion anyway. It’s better to prepare as thoroughly as possible.”
“Of course, but….”
Brissel Mohr fell silent for a moment, observing Luderne Sellen’s movements. He was moving his quill rapidly across documents.
“Has something happened, perhaps? You seem unusually hurried.”
The quill’s movement ceased.
When Luderne Sellen lifted his eyes, Brissel Mohr bowed respectfully.
“Tell me. Haven’t I devoted my entire life to Your Highness?”
Understanding his request to know his true intentions, Luderne Sellen set down his quill for a moment.
Brissel Mohr raised his head as well.
The two men’s eyes met briefly.
“She wants to have a child, I’m told.”
“Pardon?”
At the words that fell from Luderne Sellen’s lips, Brissel Mohr’s pupils trembled with shock.
“Is she in her right mind? You said you had an agreement. How could she say such a thing…!”
Brissel Mohr’s voice rose slightly with agitation.
“I warned you from the beginning! You shouldn’t have accepted her. Refusing would have been the cleanest solution.”
Luderne Sellen’s gaze slid slightly away from Brissel Mohr.
Startled by his reaction, Brissel Mohr stepped closer to the desk.
“You didn’t agree to it, surely?”
“Don’t look at me that way. I’m not so foolish as that.”
Luderne Sellen picked up his quill again.
“…I told her to reconsider the nature of our relationship.”
* * *
I opened my eyes at the cool, damp sensation against my forehead.
“Ah, you’re awake?”
My blurred vision cleared quickly, and I saw the ceiling of my bedroom.
When I turned my head, I saw Maji.
“Why am I lying down? What happened….”
“Walter was worried since you’re not the type to disappear without word.”
Maji squeezed my hand firmly.
“He asked me to check on you, and I found you collapsed in the Reception Room.”
Looking out the window, it was midday.
“What time is it now?”
“It’s just past four in the afternoon. The Doctor came and went. He said it’s exhaustion—I need rest.”
Only then did the memory return to me.
After Luderne Sellen left last night, I wept through the darkness, my heart cleaved by a pain as sharp as a blade’s edge, drowning in sorrow. Eventually, I collapsed from sheer exhaustion.
Of course, considering the vast gulf between our stations, rejection was warranted. But to be cast aside before I could even finish speaking—that was a wound I couldn’t bear.
As the memory surfaced anew, the ache throbbed through my chest, and tears welled up unbidden.
Maji pressed a damp handkerchief gently against the corners of my eyes.
“Your eyes are quite swollen, and they’re very red. What happened?”
“I think I had a bit of anemia. I’m fine now.”
I forced my lips upward into a smile, but the bitterness in my heart was impossible to conceal.
“I’m relieved. Just a moment.”
Maji returned from the Bedroom carrying a tray with chicken broth.
“I’ll speak with Walter on my way home, so don’t worry about anything. Just rest well.”
“Thank you, Maji.”
Maji squeezed my hand warmly, offered a bright smile, and departed.
I gazed at the chicken broth she’d left behind, then lifted a spoonful to my lips. The broth was pleasantly warm and delicate, slipping smoothly down my throat.
Without thinking, I murmured softly.
“…It’s delicious.”
It truly was.
As I finished the bowl, the faces of the islanders—their kindness, their simplicity, their gentle care—danced before my eyes.
And in that moment, a resolve crystallized within me.

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