About Becoming My Ex-Husband's Mistress - Chapter 76

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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 76. Today, You’ll Take Care of Me
Screams erupted from outside.
Curious, I opened the window and the sounds grew clearer—not screams exactly, but rather excited shrieks of enthusiasm.
“Goodness, Instructor!”
The door burst open and Irina and Misha rushed in, their cheeks flushed with urgency.
“What’s wrong?”
“The Casino entrance is in absolute chaos!”
Their words made little sense to me.
“What? Why the Casino entrance?”
“Prince Wintem arrived, and someone who came with him said something—we couldn’t hear it clearly from a distance, but….”
Misha picked up where Irina left off.
“The women standing nearby screamed, and everything descended into pandemonium. Some were even shouting, ‘Is that why you dressed up so elegantly?'”
Irina clenched both fists tightly.
“There’s even a noblewoman who fainted!”
Just then, Luderne’s voice—which should have been outside—suddenly cut through the room.
“Stop your chattering and get out. Bring Madame Laber here.”
“Ah! Your Highness!”
Irina and Misha gasped and bowed their heads in shock.
“Yes! Of course!”
They hurried out.
Luderne settled into a chair at the tea table positioned before the expansive window.
“What did those girls mean by all that?”
Luderne answered without tearing his gaze from the garden beyond the glass.
“Something happened.”
….
“Once the crowd thins, I’ll need to go down. Prepare some tea for me.”
I immediately set out teacups on the table.
While heating water in a teapot atop a magical stone plate with induction properties, I brought out an assortment of tea-time delicacies—cakes, macarons, financiers, and more.
After steeping the tea and placing it before him, Luderne invited me to sit across from him.
As I settled into the chair opposite and took a sip of the warm brew, some of my tension began to ease.
Then, unexpectedly, memories of tea time at Baron Sellen’s Estate surfaced.
Back then, we would share a cup of tea together once a week on the terrace of the estate.
But there was never much conversation. I was timid then, and Luderne was taciturn.
Yet despite the silence, we gazed upon the verdant garden together year-round, blessed by the mild climate.
Some days, sunlight poured down brilliantly; other days, wind scattered flower petals.
There were days when heavy rains fell beneath dark clouds. Regrettably, I never witnessed a rainbow in the sky after the storm clouds parted.
Once the tea was finished, Luderne would return to his study.
Now that I reflected on it, the sentiment felt fresh and poignant.
Since our reunion, I hadn’t shared tea with him except when explaining the curse. How long had it been since we sat like this, drinking tea together without any particular purpose?
Throughout his tea, Luderne kept his gaze fixed on the garden outside.
Just as it had been at Sellen Manor.
Once he finished his tea, it seemed he would leave just as he had before.
It was then that Madame Laber entered.
“You were looking for me, Your Highness?”
Madame Laber, observing Luderne’s appearance, broke into a radiant smile.
“My goodness, you look absolutely stunning dressed like that. You could pass for the god of beauty himself descended to earth.”
Luderne brushed aside Madame Laber’s compliments and got straight to business.
“There’s an important game today, and I need a partner to accompany me.”
Madame Laber’s eyes widened as if she couldn’t believe her ears.
“…I beg your pardon?”
“It seems the atmosphere is one of leisure, so apparently everyone brought their own partner today. They say that to sit at the Territory Conquest Game table, one must bring someone along.”
Having spoken these unexpected words, Luderne turned his gaze toward me.
“Word leaked out, which caused quite a commotion with everyone volunteering to be my partner, but since the stakes are high today, I need a composed one. So I’d prefer you to take responsibility for me.”
“I beg your pardon?”
I started to protest in shock, but Luderne merely brushed back his neatly arranged bangs once.
It was truly bewildering.
“…Are you saying you wish me to be your companion to the casino, Your Highness?”
“You understood perfectly.”
Good heavens.
Just moments ago I had felt relieved, thinking I’d shed ten years of worry.
I was about to refuse, but Madame Laber clapped her hands together faster.
“What excellent judgment, Your Highness! Please wait just a moment.”
After bowing respectfully, Madame Laber led me to another room.
“Madame?”
Madame Laber’s eyes gleamed like those of a predator.
“This is a golden opportunity, dear. Capture that man completely.”
Madame Laber pulled the bell cord of the room.
Soon Irina and Misha entered.
“I’ll bring a dress suitable for the casino, so in the meantime, you two prepare to make her look stunning.”
Irina and Misha looked bewildered at first, but soon nodded in understanding.
Before long, Madame Laber returned carrying a dress box.
“I have two outfits you can wear right now. Choose one of these. I’d recommend this one.”
Madame Laber withdrew a dress and held it up.
It was a pearl-studded halter-neck black dress.
While elegant in appearance, the back was exposed, making it quite revealing. The hem on one side was even slightly slit open.
“This seems far too daring. What about the other one?”
“This dress is the one I’d most recommend. The other is this.”
As Madame Laber produced the second outfit, Irina and Misha let out successive gasps.
“Good heavens! You mean to have her wear that? Truly?”
“Madame Laber, are you serious?”
I found myself at a loss for words. What Madame Laber had produced was a bunny girl costume with a mesh skirt added to the design.
Flabbergasted, I could only manage a weak protest with my mouth hanging open.
“No, this isn’t even a dress, is it?”
Madame Laber pouted her lips.
“That’s exactly why I recommended the first one, didn’t I?”
“Don’t you have something more modest?”
Madame Laber waved her hand dismissively.
“Today you’re not attending some demure noble’s ball. They say enormous sums and fiefdoms exchange hands in every game.”
I couldn’t believe my ears.
Large sums were one thing, but fiefdoms were at stake too?
“Precisely why it’s good to naturally draw attention and disrupt your opponent’s concentration.”
“But…”
The bunny girl outfit crossed the line.
Just then, Madame Laber’s eyes sparkled.
“Ah! I have one more. Darling, just a moment.”
The dress Madame Laber brought out was a red pearl gown with a deep V-line cut all the way down to the navel.
The plunge was so severe that my entire chest would be exposed.
I’d never had a choice from the beginning.
As I sighed softly, Madame Laber urged me on.
“Stop wasting time and wear something. How long do you intend to keep His Highness waiting?”
‘At least a bare back is better than exposed breasts.’
I reluctantly put on the halter-neck black pearl dress and fastened my accessories.
After pulling on the long gloves for the party and slipping into matching black stilettos, I adjusted my makeup to complement the dress.
Meanwhile, Irina and Misha pinned up my hair, leaving a few strands loose.
Once the style was complete, I examined myself in the mirror.
“It looks far too revealing…”
As I muttered in dismay, Irina’s eyes lit up brilliantly.
“But you look absolutely beautiful.”
It was a compliment, but… Irina didn’t disagree that it was revealing.
Misha also gave me a thumbs up.
“You’re truly captivating. With just a finger’s movement, you could possess the entire world.”
Then Madame Laber brought a black clutch and four very small pouches.
“You’ll need to take these too. Remember what’s inside and use them at the right moment.”
Madame Laber opened each pouch and showed me their contents.
Three pouches contained several pills each, while the other held a sewing kit.
The moment I saw them, an ominous feeling washed over me.
“What… are these?”
“The yellow one is a fatigue recovery potion, the pink one is an enchantment drug, and the green one is a contraceptive neutralizer.”
“…Excuse me?”
“You take the fatigue recovery potion yourself. As for the rest, slip them into His Highness’s glass when you see an opening. They’ll dissolve the moment they hit the drink. The enchantment drug will make him lose his reason, and the contraceptive neutralizer will render any contraceptive pills useless.”
It felt as though my head had been struck by a hammer.
“What on earth are you—”
But Madame Laber didn’t bat an eye as she pointed to the sewing basket.
“If he tries to use a protective barrier for contraception, secretly pierce it with this needle.”
“Are you serious?”
“As a commoner, you can’t become his legitimate wife, but if you want to be his mistress or second wife, this is your best chance. So listen to me.”
The absurdity of it all made my voice rise involuntarily.
“Madame! Have you lost your mind? That’s a crime!”
The moment I protested, Madame Laber’s eyes snapped toward me—as if she’d truly gone mad.
“Have you lost yours?”
Without hesitation, she struck my back hard.
The sharp crack made Irina and Misha flinch.
“Come to your senses! Your entire life is at stake. And we’re talking about Prince Wintem, no less!”
She bared her teeth at me, breathing heavily.
“This is no time to be choosy about methods! Prince Wintem has never brought a partner to any party before. Yet this time he’s bringing one! Do you understand what that means?”
Startled by her unexpected words, I opened my eyes wide.
“Heaven itself has surely granted you this opportunity!”

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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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