About Becoming My Ex-Husband's Mistress - Chapter 93

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

Chapter 93. Trash Among Trash
It was a large diamond ring adorning her left middle finger.
Countess Dora took an elegant sip of tea and released a subtle sigh, her ringed hand gently smoothing her bangs.
“Though I must say, he’s absolutely besotted with our daughter.”
I noticed the way the diamond ring sparkled brilliantly.
‘Ah, so that’s it.’
A subtle gesture hoping someone would notice the ring.
“He brought that diamond necklace yesterday and placed it around our daughter’s neck, you see?”
The noblewomen gasped in surprise, covering their mouths with their hands.
“Really? He managed to acquire it?”
“Is that even possible?”
Countess Dora, hearing the questions, turned her gaze toward me.
“What do you think? Does it seem possible to you?”
I smiled brightly.
“Of course. The diamond ring you’re wearing right now is also quite beautiful.”
Only then did all the noblewomen’s eyes fix upon Countess Dora’s hand.
Countess Dora widened her eyes, looking down at her left hand.
“Oh my, this? You noticed it?”
“Yes. It’s so lovely I’ve been admiring it since earlier.”
The corners of Countess Dora’s lips curved upward.
At her beckoning gaze, I offered the perfect response.
“Count Dora is so exceptionally skilled in business and devoted to family that I thought perhaps he acquired not only your daughter’s necklace but also this ring for you, madam.”
The noblewomen’s eyes began to sparkle.
“Oh my, now that you mention it, your words do ring true!”
“Is that so?”
At the noblewomen’s questions, Countess Dora looked at me.
“You have not only excellent taste but keen observation as well. Had you been born a noblewoman rather than a commoner, you would have been the jewel of the Central Social Circle.”
Countess Dora gazed at her left hand, tilting her head slightly from side to side.
“He recently invested in a venture together with Prince Wintem, you see. Thanks to that, our interactions have become quite intimate.”
Countess Dora’s pride swelled, and envy poured forth from the noblewomen’s expressions.
“Truth be told, I thought our daughter was merely frivolous, but he set aside the finest diamond from those used for the necklace and had this ring made for me, saying a countess should wear something of this caliber.”
The noblewomen, their hands covering their mouths, exchanged glances before unleashing a torrent of praise and admiration.
Countess Dora’s delightful moment of accolades ended when the Parasol Tree Door opened and a late-arriving noblewoman entered.
She had her brown hair pinned up and held a newspaper in her hand.
“Oh my, I apologize for being late. I wanted to arrive on time, but Serda took her time relieving me.”
As the noblewoman took her prepared seat, Irina quickly began removing her makeup.
With the topic shifting, Countess Dora brought her teacup to her lips, while the other noblewomen smiled brightly.
“Ho ho. Think nothing of it.”
“Attending to the Princess is hardly an ordinary task.”
“How is the Princess faring?”
“Oh my, don’t even mention it. The King suddenly burst in today and brought tears to the Princess’s eyes. It was absolute chaos.”
Everything discussed here was supposed to be confidential, yet suddenly she was sharing matters of the Royal Court itself.
As I removed the facial masks from the noblewomen’s faces and moved three mirrors and chairs near the tea table alongside Misha, I kept glancing toward the Parasol Tree Door.
I was checking whether any other ears might be listening.
“What was the matter?”
“I’m not sure. He lectured her about proper conduct, but no matter how I look at it, it seemed like he was just taking out his frustrations.”
At those words, another noblewoman furrowed her brow.
“Oh dear, it’s my turn to attend her tomorrow… The Princess might be quite melancholy.”
Then another noblewoman frowned as well.
“Why does he act like that anyway?”
“Is this the first time? He gets slapped somewhere and then takes it out on others.”
“Did that opera singer he’s been so obsessed with lately reject him? The same thing happened with Count Bilsty’s daughter before, didn’t it?”
From my perspective as a listener, it was delicate territory, but the noblewomen seemed entirely unbothered.
Soon the three noblewomen settled into the makeup chairs.
While Irina, Misha, and I provided makeup and styling services, they spoke without restraint about Zerox’s faults, even bursting into laughter.
Watching them, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
‘Zerox’s position isn’t as secure as I thought?’
The noblewomen eventually began recounting stories from when Zerox was still a prince.
Apparently, he had seduced a noblewoman’s daughter from the Capital back then.
He had promised to secure her future.
That promise sounded as though he meant to make her his queen.
The daughter, believing his words, did as he asked, and Zerox indulged in a dissolute lifestyle freely.
The truth of it erupted as a scandal in High Society after his ascension.
Zerox had seduced more than five women in this manner simultaneously.
When the heads of each family learned of this, they demanded that Zerox take responsibility for blocking their daughters’ marriages.
Zerox postponed the marriages, saying he would see which families remained loyal to him.
It was an audaciously shameless response, but unfortunately those families lacked the influence to pressure Zerox.
Ultimately, appealing to Zerox’s sense of responsibility had its limits.
The disappointment of the daughters who learned his true nature was beyond words.
Not long after, Zerox arranged marriages for the daughters with Imperial nobles—families of similar or slightly higher standing.
That was how Zerox took responsibility.
The matter was thus smoothed over.
However, among noblewomen with daughters, Zerox’s approval rating hit rock bottom.
They didn’t show it openly, but the noblewomen strictly monitored their daughters’ conduct, instructing them never to respond to anything Zerox might whisper, no matter what.
After that, Zerox’s advances reached toward lower-ranking noblewomen’s daughters from the provinces or commoners.
He enjoyed them and discarded them as a matter of course.
It was unexpected that after Melissa appeared, he seemed to settle with one woman for a time, whatever methods he had used.
Of course, his infidelity was revealing itself again now.
Having heard the story to that point, I understood—amid my bewilderment—why the noblewomen spoke of Zerox without restraint.
‘He was garbage among garbage.’
At that moment, another noblewoman looked at me and narrowed her eyes with a sly expression.
“Come to think of it, dear, The King seemed quite interested in you too… Did he not reach out to you separately?”
Every eye in the room fixed upon me, brimming with curiosity.
“That’s right. I felt it too.”
“But you rejected him at the Royal Elegance Contest, didn’t you? So very politely, too.”
“It was absolutely delightful.”
“I nearly burst out laughing and got scolded for it.”
“I found it utterly satisfying, I must say.”
I offered no response, merely forcing the corners of my mouth upward.
‘I thought they either didn’t care or didn’t know.’
“He’s not the type to give up after one rejection.”
“Exactly. If he finds someone even remotely pretty, he flirts relentlessly, doesn’t he?”
The noblewomen laughed again in unison.
“Still, wouldn’t it be acceptable for a commoner to entertain The King? You could accumulate quite a fortune.”
“My goodness, are you suggesting that to our dear friend here?”
“Unfortunately, her estate burned down entirely, didn’t it? If it were our dear friend, she could strip His Majesty clean and rebuild everything in an instant.”
At those words, a noblewoman who had arrived late unfolded a newspaper.
“Ah, about that. It seems His Majesty can no longer flirt with her. I read this newspaper on my way here.”
The moment everyone saw the newspaper, silence fell.
One noblewoman’s eyes widened, while another rubbed her own eyes in disbelief.
Irina and Misha’s makeup brushes halted as well.
The century’s illegitimate son, Luderne Wintem! Has he finally found true love?
The prolonged silence broke when Count Dora’s mouth fell open without restraint.
“My! At our party back then, I sensed something unusual in the way Prince Wintem looked at you….”
“…Pardon?”
“His demeanor was different from usual, wasn’t it?”
I recalled that day for a moment, but only confusion remained.
‘What was different about it?’
Where exactly had she sensed such a thing?
Another noblewoman stammered before picking up Countess Dora’s thread.
“Is it true? Our dear friend has won Prince Wintem’s heart?”
A bitter laugh escaped me at the misunderstanding.
“That’s not it. That photograph was taken when I entered the Casino as his partner.”
Then another noblewoman asked abruptly.
“So you and Prince Wintem have nothing going on?”
My words caught in my throat.
“….”
Yet another noblewoman’s eyes narrowed, and her lips curved upward.
“My! Our dear friend, now that I look closely, you’re quite cunning, aren’t you?”
Some time later, the noblewomen, having completed their styling with pleasant conversation, departed the Salon in a most satisfied mood.
Not forgetting the reminder to get along well with Prince Wintem.
Denying that we were anything more than that proved futile.
After seeing them off to the First Floor of the Salon, I returned to the Service Room and collapsed onto the day bed.
‘I’m exhausted.’
I closed my eyes for a moment.
‘Ever since Luderne visited the Salon, there hasn’t been a single moment of peace.’
I wanted to rest like this indefinitely, but soon it would be time for Melissa Bilsty and Olivia to meet at the Outdoor Cafe.
I thought I’d catch just a few minutes of sleep until then.
But that too was short-lived.

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