Chapter 24. The Ex-Husband’s Mistress

At that moment, a familiar voice broke through her wretched self-loathing.

“I saw a carriage with a familiar crest at the palace, so I came to check, and here you are, my lady!”

“Princess.”

Patrick’s younger sister, Princess Silvia, approached with delight from behind Isabelle.

Surprised by the unexpected encounter, Isabelle hastily offered a formal greeting.

As Silvia turned her sky-blue eyes toward Lottie, Isabelle belatedly remembered that the princess and Lottie had never met before.

“Princess, this is my grandniece and the only daughter of Councilman Ebenscher, Charlotte.”

“Charlotte? My, what a pretty name that suits the color of the lady’s hair so well.”

The princess now innocently smiling and complimenting her name was once her sister-in-law who had openly mocked her name, saying it was only suitable for old women.

First her mother-in-law and now her sister-in-law—was today the day for a full reunion with her former in-laws?

As she swallowed a hollow laugh, Lottie suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu among the ladies-in-waiting lined up behind Silvia.

“But my lady, why Charlotte? The lady must surely be from Matila, so shouldn’t it be pronounced as ‘Charlette’ in the Matilan way rather than Charlotte?”

“That is—”

“Princess, the lady’s great-grandmother was from our neighboring country, Triena. The lady’s name was probably taken from her great-grandmother or her relatives.”

One of Silvia’s ladies-in-waiting naturally cut off Isabelle’s words and stepped forward.

She was a youthful girl with luxuriously braided navy-blue hair, wearing a white muslin dress.

“It’s such a beautiful pronunciation. Charlotte. Charlotte.”

Those black eyes gazing at her as if in a dream.

From the repeated pronunciation of her name, Lottie dredged up memories she had buried in the deepest recesses of her mind.

— How did it feel when I kissed your husband in front of you and acted as the mistress of the house? Tell me! Charlotte!

That woman’s name was Delinda Prostis.

The woman who would later be called Miss Rose, named after the beautiful rose garden she received as a gift.

In Lottie’s first life, she was the mistress whom King Patrick had passionately loved.

* * *

Six years of married life.

Though many things had faded, the memory of when that time of love and hate came to an end remained vivid enough to grasp.

The first thing that came to mind when she closed her eyes was Ronvernon’s dark gray sky.

On that day, when it seemed like anything could pour down at any moment, a man hiding under the queen’s bed was dragged out.

Before the guards could beat him thoroughly, he confessed that he had been having an inappropriate relationship with the queen.

Lottie, who had been bathing, was dragged out in a nearly naked state without a chance to defend herself. Afterward, she was locked in the coldest solitary cell in the palace.

“No…… I, I didn’t commit adultery with anyone. Is anyone…… is anyone out there? I want to see His Majesty and prove my innocence directly! His Majesty will believe me! Anyone…… please…… the door……”

She warmed her body, wet and growing cold, with tears. She pounded on the door until the skin on both hands peeled off.

No one intends to come here. When she reached this desperate realization, she didn’t even have the strength to move a finger.

Collapsed on the cold floor, she muttered like a madwoman. No. His Majesty will believe me. He will come to save me. Just like he saved me from scandal when we first met……

“His Majesty has long since gone to parliament to initiate divorce proceedings.”

A long shadow touched the tips of her fingers, which were sprawled carelessly on the floor.

As if to spare her the effort of raising her head with difficulty, the person kindly crouched in front of Lottie.

“Miss…… Rose. I…… I……”

“You didn’t commit adultery with that man.”

Miss Rose, Delinda, who had been whispering calmly, smiled beautifully.

“I know. He’s not your lover but mine.”

“……! Miss Rose. Why…… why……”

“Are you asking why you’re in this state when I’m the one who committed adultery? It’s simple. In this country, even the king cannot obtain approval for divorce without the crime of his wife’s adultery.”

Her body temperature, which had been no different from a corpse’s, gradually began to rise. Her eyes burned, and her throat tightened.

Delinda’s black eyes sparkled as if watching a tormented insect dying.

“I’m sorry, but His Majesty knows that I’ve framed an innocent queen with a crime she didn’t commit. Otherwise, would he have rushed to parliament without even investigating, less than half a day after the incident occurred?”

“……! No…… His Majesty…… couldn’t have.”

“Oh my. Do you still firmly believe in His Majesty the King? That he married you because he truly loved you?”

Delinda giggled. Her plump lips, concealing a blade, moved seductively.

“You’re just a chess piece used for Rick’s stable succession to the throne.”

No.

“A pawn that has served its purpose must be removed from the board.”

No……

“That man never truly loved you, not even for a single day.”

No……!

Reading confusion on Lottie’s face, Delinda brushed aside the disheveled hair on Lottie’s cheek with a gentle touch.

“His Majesty doesn’t yet know about the inappropriate relationship between your lover and me. Come now, I’ve left the cell door open, so run out and confess everything to His Majesty. Tell him that the mistress you’re crazy about is a temptress who will someday lead you to ruin, and only I, pure and devoted, can be your savior.”

“How…… dare…… you……!”

A bestial roar erupted through her clenched teeth.

But that was all. Lottie couldn’t rise, let alone slap the mistress’s brazen face.

It wasn’t because she had no strength left. It was because the realization that nothing would make a difference suddenly struck her.

Delinda’s hand, which had been stroking Lottie’s cheek, firmly gripped the nape of her neck. Lottie writhed in pain.

“Even if I killed you right here, that fool would defend me, saying the woman who committed a capital sin deserved to die.”

“Kugh……!”

“How does it feel for someone born noble and of the highest class to have everything taken away by a half-breed nobody like me? Hmm? How did it feel when I kissed your husband in front of you and acted as the mistress of the house? Tell me! Charlotte!”

As she twisted the queen’s neck, Delinda seemed possessed by a strange euphoria.

Only when Lottie was about to suffocate and went limp did Delinda release her neck.

With red marks on her neck, Lottie sprawled on the floor, gasping for breath. While gasping, she sobbed.

Delinda, looking down at her with a strange smile, slowly stood up.

“Beauty is a talent God gave to me, who had nothing. I just used it well. It was the fool Rick who fell for it. So if you want to blame someone, blame your indecisive husband.”

“……”

“Oh, I guess he’s your ex-husband now?”

With those final words, dripping with mockery, Delinda walked away.

The door closed with a heavy sound.

Lottie confirmed that everything Delinda had said was true about a week later.

When Patrick completed all divorce procedures and mercilessly expelled Lottie from the palace.

* * *

Lottie awakened from the numbing memory and returned to the central garden.

She saw one of Princess Silvia’s ladies-in-waiting urgently whispering something to Silvia. Silvia’s face immediately turned red.

Judging by how her blue eyes, now glancing sideways at Lottie, had changed from before, she must have just learned that this woman was the notorious temptress who had played with the two princes.

“Charlotte, this is the eldest daughter of the Prostis family, Delinda.”

Silvia, who had been educated from birth to be a model for all women, introduced Delinda to Lottie with polite words instead of pulling out all of Lottie’s hair.

“I’m delighted to meet such a beautiful lady, Charlotte.”

Delinda slightly lifted the hem of her dress in greeting. She smiled brightly as she looked at Lottie.

Lottie blankly stared at the face that still retained its girlish charm.

This woman, like her ex-husband, remembered nothing.

Neither how she had so easily stolen the love of a man that someone else had desperately wanted, nor how she had mercilessly slashed her rival with her three-inch tongue without feeling any guilt.

Since those events had become non-existent to them, she couldn’t even demand they pay for their sins.

As Lottie pressed her lips tightly together to compose her emotions, an awkward silence fell over the gathering.

“Why are you silent? Miss Charlotte, I just introduced my lady-in-waiting to you—do you mean to ignore my goodwill?”

Silvia snapped coldly, completely different from when she had first been introduced to Lottie.

Even as Isabelle gently tugged at her grandniece’s sleeve, Lottie’s gaze remained fixed on Delinda.

Throughout all this, Delinda’s black eyes blinked detestably, as if she didn’t understand what was happening.

If only she could shout, “Why should I exchange greetings with the daughter of a harlot who nearly ruined an entire family?” She wanted to leave plenty of nail marks on that clear face.

But Delinda was both an illegitimate child of the Prostis family and the princess’s lady-in-waiting. Treating her rudely was equivalent to treating the princess rudely.

So, humiliatingly, Lottie had no choice but to bow her head.

“I apologize. That you remember even the unremarkable history of our family—I can’t help but admire Miss Delinda, who possesses both beauty and intelligence.”

“It’s only natural to learn such things to properly serve the princess, yet I receive praise? I’m embarrassed. Please withdraw such excessive compliments.”

“Excessive compliments? I feel like I want guidance from the excellent tutor who taught you.”

“I’m embarrassed to say this myself, but my father provided high-quality education to his children regardless of gender. The teacher who taught me history and literature was an excellent person, and it would be my boundless honor if I could connect Miss Charlotte with them.”

“Oh my, how delightful. Since you’ve offered to introduce such an excellent teacher, I shall also introduce you to a Trienean language tutor who might be helpful to you.”

“What? What do you mean……”

The continuous exchange, as if they were decade-long bosom friends, abruptly stopped at that point.