I Was Supposed to Be His Mistress, But He Made Me the Countess

Maman, a famed French courtesan, devoted her life to mastering the craft of captivating men. She’d hold me close and murmur, “Ma chérie, keep your waist lithe and your eyes alluring—that’s how you endure in noble households.” She trained me to wield beauty as a tool: conjure tears on cue, plant subtle whispers in men’s ears till they mistook her schemes for their own thoughts.