About Becoming My Ex-Husband's Mistress - Chapter 70

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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 70. Unrequited Love Alone
I was startled by the sum—far larger than I had anticipated.
Luderne, meanwhile, swirled the cocktail glass in his hand with deliberate slowness.
Madame Laber, who had been watching his every gesture, wilted slightly.
“Of, of course, I’m not asking you to invest the entire amount. Even a portion would be welcome. Count Dora has already pledged three thousand gold coins, so if we gather contributions from various sources, we should reach our target.”
“The Doerban Empire has vast territories. Which means there are plenty of wealthy fiefdoms as well.”
At Luderne’s evasive response, Madame Laber rubbed her palms together.
“That’s true, but those are places we’ll visit once funding is secured. There’s no need to calculate them now…”
Luderne drained his cocktail in one gulp and lifted one corner of his mouth into a smile.
“I’ll invest five hundred thousand gold coins on my own as a priority. That should be more than enough to expand into the Empire immediately.”
For a moment, my mind went blank. I wondered if I had heard the figure correctly.
I glanced at Brissel Mohr’s expression first.
Since he appeared perfectly composed, I began to doubt whether I had misheard the amount or was dreaming.
Madame Laber’s mouth, meanwhile, hung open without restraint. She was so shocked that her jaw trembled.
“F-five, five hundred thousand gold coins? Your, Your Highness?”
“The Royal Elegance Contest made quite an impression. If we introduce it to the Empire’s social circles, the response should be excellent. I’ll expand the business scope to the Empire immediately.”
Luderne gestured to Brissel Mohr with his eyes.
Brissel Mohr then spoke to Madame Laber with perfect courtesy.
“Since His Highness has made his investment decision, we’ll proceed with the formalities. We can use the Reception Room—let’s go inside and discuss the details.”
Madame Laber entered Count Veloda’s Mansion with Brissel Mohr.
We were alone again.
“This should create a decent working environment for you. Does this perhaps earn me some forgiveness for my rudeness?”
“…”
I bit my lip slightly.
‘This is too much…’
It would be strange if I didn’t forgive him after an apology of this magnitude.
Luderne ran a hand through his hair once.
“I’ll visit as your guest, so how about you touch my hair a little? I’ll receive it directly and examine the business seriously.”
As contempt and anger faded away, I could imagine touching his hair.
My heart began to race for an entirely different reason.
Both corners of Luderne’s mouth lifted slightly as he observed me. The subtle smile—as if gazing upon something beloved—clearly conveyed affection.
Yet that smile pierced my heart painfully.
At the same time, I felt a tightness in my lower abdomen.
‘Why?’
After a moment of confusion, I understood why I felt this way.
I had resolved to leave him behind and seek another love, yet my heart and body had not forgotten him.
The second reason stemmed from a different shock.
‘Did I ever see Luderne like this during our marriage?’
No matter how hard I tried to remember, I could not.
In fact, it made sense. Luderne had never shown me such an expression before.
Realizing this much, my heart ached.
‘From the moment we were husband and wife until the instant we parted, he never loved me, not even for a fleeting second.’
It had been nothing but my one-sided affection all along.
What would his reaction be if he discovered I was Priscilla?
Without question, he would cast upon me eyes filled with contempt—perhaps even more scathing than when he rejected me, insisting the child was absolutely unacceptable.
‘Of course he would be angry.’
In the worst case, he might accuse me of deception and condemn me to the gallows.
The mere thought of it was unbearable.
‘This cannot happen.’
If that were so, the conclusion was simple.
I still had to forget him. And I had to push away the man who showed affection toward ‘Priscilla’.
Because I was Priscilla in disguise.
“You’ve already become an investor, so I hardly have the standing to grant you forgiveness.”
With those words, I shook my head.
“Besides, my schedule is completely full. If Your Highness wishes to become my client, you would need to wait at least two months. I would suggest you seek another designer at the salon instead.”
“Isn’t it easier to secure appointments the higher one’s station?”
“That may be true, but surely Your Highness isn’t thinking of displacing the ladies who booked before you, are you?”
Luderne’s eyebrow twitched upward.
“You wish for me to hear complaints from the ladies that I lack gentlemanly conduct?”
Luderne fell silent, his lips pressed together.
The incomprehensible glint in his eyes made me uneasy.
“Surely you’re not withdrawing your investment?”
He answered immediately.
“The investment is not merely an apology, so do not worry.”
That was a relief.
Just then, a man approached Luderne’s side.
“Your Highness, shall we resume our previous discussion soon? Would that be acceptable?”
Luderne withdrew his pocket watch and checked the time.
“The hour has grown quite late already.”
Luderne gave a slight nod and entered the mansion with the man.
At that moment, before I could even stand alone, I heard my name being called.
* * *
Melissa kept her gaze fixed on where Luderne was.
Madame Laber and Brissel Mohr approached him and the woman, exchanged words, and departed again.
And Luderne left his position with another man who had approached him.
Melissa immediately checked on Zerox.
If Zerox had been watching Luderne, the direction of his gaze would have shifted.
But Zerox’s gaze remained fixed in the same place. It was a gaze unmistakably meaningful and far from ordinary.
Melissa studied Zerox’s expression for a long while, then gripped her opera glasses tightly. And she observed the woman again.
When the Royal Elegance Contest was held, the designers had not worn dresses. Their attire had been neat and simple, without adornment.
Yet today, she wore a cocktail dress of white silk adorned with blue floral patterns. Her luxuriant black hair, cascading in rich waves, gleamed even more brilliantly when paired with jeweled ornaments.
Even to Melissa’s eye, she was an utterly radiant and captivating woman.
She could have stepped onto the stage as the model herself rather than merely presenting Olivia.
Realizing that her beauty existed on an entirely different plane, I surveyed her surroundings.
The noblemen gathered in small clusters could not tear their gazes from her, even as they conversed among themselves.
I could sense it instinctively.
The woman who must never be placed at Zerox’s side was not Olivia—it was her.
‘The longer I delay, the more firmly entrenched this woman’s position will become.’
I disliked her name as well. It partially overlapped with my deceased sister’s.
“Count Genoma, isn’t the Raber Salon close to the Slums?”
“Indeed it is.”
“This woman works at the Raber Salon, doesn’t she?”
“That’s correct.”
“Then she should be easy to find?”
“Yes. She’ll be at the Salon if you go there.”
At Count Veloda Genoma’s agreement, Melissa’s expression twisted into something serpentine and venomous.
“Then have her killed.”
Confronted with such an extreme request, Count Veloda Genoma’s eyes widened in shock.
“…I beg your pardon?”
But Melissa displayed her malice without so much as a blink.
“Whether it’s an accident or murder, do it as quickly as possible. Tell them I’ll pay whatever they ask, and commission it. I want that face and body utterly ruined and disfigured.”
“Is she truly worth such measures?”
“Yes. Merely looking at her sickens me.”
“Shall we do to her as we did to Olivia?”
“That was something the nobles perpetrated. I don’t want the nobles doing that to her either.”
At that moment, I flinched.
For an instant, it seemed our eyes had met across the opera glasses.
Despite the distance between us, a chill ran down my spine—had she somehow heard what was being said about her?
Yet she merely turned her head with a serene expression and soon resumed her pleasant conversation with Countess Dora.
‘It must be my imagination.’
* * *
“Darling?”
It was Countess Dora who had called to me.
The moment I turned toward her direction, I felt as though my eyes had met someone else’s.
Glancing back, I caught the faint glint of reflected light from a distance away.
There truly was someone there.
‘Ah.’
The reason I had agreed to attend Countess Dora’s house party came back to me.
‘It was wise that Olivia came with me.’
Everything was unfolding according to plan.
“You seemed to have quite the lengthy conversation with Prince Wintem.”
I greeted Countess Dora with a gentle smile.
“Yes.”
“The atmosphere looked pleasant. What did you discuss?”
“Prince Wintem has graciously agreed to make a substantial investment in the Raber Salon. Without your invitation, Countess, it would have been difficult to achieve.”
Countess Dora’s eyes widened.
“My goodness, I suspected he might invest, but… how much?”
I leaned close and whispered the sum that Luderne had mentioned into her ear.
Countess Dora’s reaction mirrored Madame Laber’s from moments before.
“Good heavens, such an enormous sum from a brief conversation? No, I’m asking sincerely—do you possess some exceptional talent for attracting investments? Are you perhaps a genius at business development?”
The genuine curiosity in her tone made me laugh naturally.
“You’re too kind. I believe Count Dora’s decision to invest first made it possible for such a significant commitment to be made.”
“Still, though…”
Countess Dora fell silent for a moment, looking dazed, then shook her head.
“I can only call you a genius, truly. This is an investment of historic proportions.”
“I’m genuinely grateful, Countess. It’s all thanks to you.”
Countess Dora remained silent briefly, then broke into a radiant smile.
“My, how modest you are. Hehehehe. Prince Wintem recognized your abilities and made his decision accordingly, yet you credit me instead.”
She gently clasped my hand.
“If His Highness has invested, we can feel confident investing more as well. Bloodline aside, Prince Wintem is a true master of commerce.”
Countess Dora’s gaze turned toward the mansion where Luderne had gone.
“I’m delighted that such an investment was decided at our gathering. And truly, my congratulations. Your position will naturally become far more secure from here on.”
“Thank you. I’ll strive to provide even better service.”
“Goodness, you’ll be busy, yet you say you’ll pay me more attention?”
“Of course. What kind of person are you to me, Countess?”
“Oh! I like that. Then I’ll look forward to it.”
“Leave it to me.”
My immediate response seemed to satisfy Countess Dora greatly.
Now it was time to attend to the next matter.

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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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