About Becoming My Ex-Husband's Mistress - Chapter 89

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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 89. She Resembles Her Mother Perfectly
“What a pathetic fool. Did you truly expect me to look favorably upon a grown man who tattles like a child?”
At the Emperor’s rebuke, Luderne’s subdued voice also reached my ears.
“My apologies. I was shortsighted.”
Eclite, with ears perked, felt a surge of relief.
‘Ah, so he was merely scolding him.’
In that case, there was nothing to worry about.
Upon leaving the Emperor’s Bedchamber, I made my way to the Empress’s Palace.
The Empress, seated across from me at the tea table, dismissed her attendants and addressed me.
“I know you visit the Arde Kingdom frequently, but it would have been considerate had you given some advance notice of your departure. The confusion it caused was rather embarrassing.”
I let out a soft scoff.
“I’m hardly at an age where I need to report my every movement.”
“Your mother worries because our stories don’t align, that’s all.”
I said nothing and took a sip of tea instead. The designer at the Laverre Salon whom I’d left behind in Arde came to mind.
My tongue clicked involuntarily.
Had it not been for the Emperor’s summons, I could have left that pretty body utterly ravaged.
“Why do you make such a face, Your Highness? Has something happened?”
“Nothing of consequence. I merely recalled a pest who survived through the Former King’s grace. Whether it possesses enough wit to survive today remains to be seen.”
“Pardon?”
I smiled wickedly.
“When night falls, a fire will break out at the mansion where that pest dwells—due to the negligence of its steward.”
The Empress covered her mouth in shock.
“Surely that pest isn’t of noble birth?”
“A commoner.”
Only after seeing me shake my head did the Empress release a breath of relief.
“Should it somehow survive even that, I’m considering putting it to use in taking over the Arde Kingdom.”
I pulled the bell cord.
I promptly had a maid summon my aide.
In the meantime, the Empress took a sip of tea, and once the maid had withdrawn, she leaned forward slightly.
“Have you noticed? The demeanor of several high-ranking nobles has shifted subtly of late.”
“Whom do you speak of?”
“Without evidence, I hesitate to say, but… Geoff Marquis, Paion Duke, and a few others. It may be mere fancy, but given their elevated ranks, your mother finds herself rather concerned.”
I drank my tea in silence before nodding.
“So I wasn’t the only one sensing it. Though without evidence or circumstantial support, it feels like mere paranoia.”
The Empress, who had been pondering for a moment, looked at me as though struck by a thought.
“Could it be that their daughters weren’t included among your betrothal prospects?”
“Their daughters are far too young to harbor such grievances…”
My words rang true.
The families the Empress mentioned were powerful, yet their daughters were merely six or seven years old—a gap of at least fifteen years between them and me.
“Where does one find a noble who dislikes power, and what relevance has age in matters of political marriage?”
Eclite nodded in agreement.
“Now that you mention it, you’re right. I have no objection to that point.”
“That’s why I’m suggesting this, Your Highness. Why not send invitations to their daughters as well? Since we don’t know who will become Emperor, we can’t predict whose consort they’ll be—but the selection of a Crown Princess will inevitably occur regardless, won’t it?”
“That’s true.”
“Then when they turn ten, why not bring them into the Imperial Palace and have them educated to become Empress? I’ll personally oversee their training.”
No one knew who would become Empress. But if there was even a possibility of becoming the Empire’s Empress, most nobles wouldn’t object.
No matter how nobly born a woman was, her status ultimately followed her husband’s rank.
Just as her property would become her husband’s upon marriage.
“By the time their daughters reach ten, Your Highness will have become Crown Prince, so they’ll certainly demonstrate their loyalty then. Since they say these nobles are so devoted to their daughters they’re called fools for it, how desperately they’ll covet the position of Crown Princess candidate?”
“I see.”
Eclite set down his empty teacup.
“Understood. I’ll leave that matter in your hands, Mother.”
A smile bloomed across the Empress’s face.
Just then, Eclite’s aide knocked and entered.
“You called for me, Your Highness?”
When Eclite gestured with his finger, the aide approached with a bowed head.
“Handle an administrative matter for me.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Please speak.”
“Among the residents of Necari Territory, there should be a woman employed at the Salon in Arde Kingdom. Her name is Priscilla. Have her deported and banned from entry, and quietly dispose of her family and relatives.”
As the aide lifted his head, Eclite made a slitting motion across his throat.
“Understood.”
The aide withdrew at Eclite’s gesture.
“A bug that fortunately survived, perhaps…?”
Eclite laughed softly.
“You catch on quickly. Your perception is truly sharp.”
The Empress’s question was what the aide hadn’t dared ask.
“What crime did she commit?”
“It seems she’s caught the attention of the illegitimate one, perhaps because she’s half-decent looking.”
The Empress laughed softly as well.
“My, she’s committed a capital offense. But why is she still alive?”
“The illegitimate one has invested in her. That means other nobles are likely involved too, and since the King also shows interest… I’ve been letting it slide for now.”
The Empress poured tea into Eclite’s cup.
“The accidents that follow won’t be Your Highness’s responsibility, but if she survives nonetheless, you’ll have the King wrapped around her little finger, won’t you?”
To Eclite, Priscilla was merely a designer.
Someone who groomed the appearance of nobles and received payment in return. Occasionally, one who also prostituted herself to become a nobleman’s mistress.
That was the only kind of designer Eclite had known until now.
Because of this, Eclite had no idea how much Priscilla had won the hearts of the noble ladies of the Central Society in such a short time.
“That’s what I suspect.”
The Empress continued with a soft laugh.
“By the way, how did your conversation with the King go?”
“What could I possibly say to the man who elevated me to the throne? Besides, with the evidence and testimony I hold, the legitimacy of the crown could easily be shaken. Naturally, I have no choice but to help with anything he asks. As a token of that, he first offered up his own administration.”
“My? You mean that administration he was so fond of recently?”
“Yes.”
“How impressive.”
“To protect the throne, I would not hesitate even if it meant killing my own wife.”
And once he became Emperor, the Arde Kingdom would ultimately fall into his grasp as well.
Of course, on the surface, Zerox would still be governing Arde, but in reality, it would belong to Eclite Doorban.
He had already secured documentary evidence regarding Hilda Arde’s death and Zerox’s succession to the throne of Arde, which he kept in his secret vault.
But he could not reveal those documents now. Doing so would only benefit Luderne.
So for now, he needed to use Zerox as a hunting dog to check Luderne’s power.
‘Once that bastard Luderne is dead, then the world truly becomes mine.’
Eclite recalled Priscilla, whom he had not yet torn apart.
That audacious woman who dared to hurl insults at him.
If she somehow survived today, he would use her thoroughly before destroying her utterly and completely.
With that resolve, Eclite brought the teacup to his lips and smiled meaningfully.
* * *
The Emperor regarded Luderne with visible displeasure for a long while.
He had just rebuked Luderne once.
Of course, the real reason was not the tattling. It was that he could not understand why Luderne, who came with Eclite despite knowing the intention behind sending the messenger first, would do such a thing.
“I am ashamed, Your Majesty.”
But no matter how many times Luderne thought about it, there was nothing he could do.
“Don’t just say you’re ashamed—give me an excuse. There must be some reason you abandoned the golden opportunity your father tried to hand you.”
Luderne’s eyes rolled for a moment before he spoke again in a subdued voice.
“The timing was not right. That is all I can tell you.”
The Emperor sighed deeply, as if giving up.
“So then, what of your forces now? If I die and Eclite ascends to the throne, will you have enough power not to be eliminated?”
Luderne offered a bitter smile.
“Die? Please do not speak such words.”
“You are waiting for my death, are you not?”
“I am not.”
“You lie without even moistening your lips first.”
“Even if I did miss the opportunity, there must be a reason you summoned me, is there not?”
When Luderne changed the subject, the Emperor let out a scoff.
“You hide your true feelings just like your mother.”
“….”
“Come closer and sit. I wish to see your face properly—the face that resembles your mother’s.”
Luderne obeyed the Emperor’s instruction.
“Will you take my hand?”
Luderne grasped the Emperor’s hand as instructed. Though buried beneath warm blankets, his hand was cold as stone.
“Do you have it?”
“Yes.”
“How does your father’s hand feel compared to before?”
“It feels heavier than before.”
“Then how much longer do I appear to have to live?”
Luderne Sellen bit his lip briefly, then exhaled a small sigh.
He knew the answer to the question precisely. Yet he could neither tell the Emperor that he would live long, nor that he would not.
After maintaining silence for a moment, the Emperor spoke first.
“Luderne Sellen, I…”
“Yes.”
“I cannot shake the feeling that it was Eclite Doorban who cursed me with Menglow Breeze’s curse.”

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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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