I Reincarnated As A Villainess, But Why Did I Become A Cat Butler Instead? - Chapter 90
Translator: Nabi
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Chapter 90
“Ah…”
Rowaine’s face slowly but surely turned flushed red, and at the same time, the blurry focus in her eyes. She then jumped up from her seat as if she had suddenly remembered something.
“I, I’m, Agwen… she’s waiting, so I’ll go up first. I forgot that I had ordered her something.”
“I’ll escort you…”
“No! No! It’s okay. I can go by myself.”
With that, Rowaine hastily fled from the parlor as though she was running away.
‘…What? What was that?’
As I made my way up to the bedroom, I sat on the bed in a daze, attempting to recollect the events that had unfolded just a short while ago. Though only a few minutes had passed, my memory felt blurry, likely due to the effects of alcohol.
‘I was eating a cookie, and I offered one to Dimitri. That’s what happened, but then…’
The image of Dimitri, suddenly appearing before me with his half-closed, languid eyes, became vivid in my mind. His long and delicate eyelashes came to my attention, and I couldn’t help but think they were truly beautiful.
Lost in this thought, I felt as if I could almost sense his breath on the tip of my nose…
In an absentminded gesture, I pressed my lips together.
However, the subsequent events seemed to slip away from my grasp the harder I tried to recall them. In an attempt to clear my mind from the haze of alcohol, I lightly slapped my cheeks, hoping to wake myself up.
“What was the conversation we had before?”
I remembered talking incessantly to him.
What did I say?
…What did I say that made him act like that?
‘Did I say something that could be misunderstood? Is that why he acted like that? No, but what kind of words would make him do that, that… a kiss…’
As the word ‘kiss’ popped into my mind, I squirmed in surprise for a moment.
“Oh my goodness, Seo Eunsoo. What have you done…”
The last words Dimitri whispered were deeply on my mind.
‘Did he say it’d be better not to get drunk in the future? Was he saying that I shouldn’t get drunk?’
It seemed like that was what he meant. I was so surprised that I couldn’t see his expression properly, so I couldn’t tell if he was angry or what nuance his words meant.
Memories in my mind started distorting chaotically.
‘…Did I initiate it?’
It felt as if Dimitri didn’t approach me, but rather, it was me who approached him first. As I thought so, a vague memory of me reaching out my hand to him surfaced.
‘Didn’t I offer him a cookie? Was my hand empty? Was that why Dimitri misunderstood?’
I rolled on the bed, clutching my hair.
‘No, why? Why didn’t Dimitri avoid it? Why did he just stand still when I was acting like that? Could it be that I moved too quickly, like a flash of lightning or something?’
I really wanted to cry.
Amidst that desire to cry, overwhelming drowsiness poured over me.
I stopped my intense wallowing and drifted off to sleep, thinking about how I would see Dimitri tomorrow and how I would apologize to him.
The next day, when I woke up, I used a hangover as an excuse to request breakfast in my room. Although I barely managed to avoid Dimitri, it seemed that if I stayed in my room any longer might prompt him to come looking for me, thinking I was unwell.
In the end, I had no choice but to get up and take a walk outside to get some fresh air.
‘Let’s go to the annex first and see how the cats are doing.’
I needed some comfort.
As I trudged towards the serene annex, I suddenly noticed a commotion on one side of the courtyard. I briefly glanced over but caught the sound of an unpleasant voice.
“Oh, Rowaine. I was just about to call you, but you’re here.”
Madam Elbas was there with Elaine.
Seeing that they had set up an outdoor table adorned with flowers and snacks, it seemed like a simple, casual tea time.
Elaine smiled friendly at me.
“It’s a good morning, isn’t it, Rowaine?”
I forced a smile and approached the two of them.
“Good morning to both of you. It’s quite early for tea time, but you’re quite diligent.”
Madam Elbas, who couldn’t be unaware that my words weren’t meant in a positive way, responded with a pretentious smile.
“It’ll be too hot for outdoor tea time once it’s afternoon. By the way, when did you two become so familiar that you address each other by name, Princess?”
It was a smooth transition to a different topic.
Under these circumstances, I couldn’t just exchange greetings and leave without offering some excuse like I was busy.
‘If I make up an excuse about work to leave and go back to the main building, I might run into Dimitri…’
I still wasn’t mentally prepared to face him.
Feeling confounded, I quietly sat at the table with the two of them. In addition, it wasn’t an empty gesture that they had tried to call me, as there was even a chair prepared.
Elaine gave me a meaningful glance and smiled innocently as she spoke to Madam Elbas.
“I went horse riding with Rowaine yesterday. We competed in a race and somehow became close. Isn’t that right, Rowaine?”
It was a question with the intention of keeping the fact that he had been drinking a secret. Since I hadn’t revealed the lie about my pregnancy to Madam Elbas yet, admitting to drinking alcohol was out of the question. Consequently, Elaine’s attitude brought a sense of relief to the situation.
“That’s right. You were really good at riding.”
“Oh, you’re too kind.”
Elaine blushed her cheeks shyly.
Her face didn’t show the slightest sign of a hangover. On the contrary, her skin was glowing as if she’d had a good night’s sleep.
‘…Surely she drank more than I did.’
The horse was just a wordplay*.
[ T/N: The author used the word ‘말술이라더니,’ which is often used to describe a situation where someone tries to deflect blame or responsibility by using clever or tricky words. It implies that the person is being evasive or using manipulative language to avoid addressing the real issue—wordplay or using rhetoric—to avoid the main point. So, in this case, being good at riding horses, as Rowaine and Elaine were talking about, was ‘being good at drinking.’ ]
As a maid refilled my cup with tea, I sipped the warm tea, hoping to soothe my queasy stomach due to the hangover.
Throughout the tea time, I remained vigilant, constantly on the lookout for any subtle attacks from Madam Elbas, and I tried my best not to make any mistakes. However, much to my surprise, it appeared that she didn’t hold any grudges against me. She simply asked casual questions about my equestrian skills and when I started riding.
After staying long enough not to be considered impolite, I excused myself first and left the place.
Lena, one of Rosanne’s personal maids, had been quietly but diligently observing and listening while wandering around the Blois mansion.
Today as well, she wandered around with a basket, making various trivial excuses while keeping an eye on the tea party. It seemed very suspicious to her that Cayetana was suddenly having tea with Rowaine.
‘Why would they suddenly have tea outdoors?’
Having been by Rosanne’s side, Lena had observed Cayetana for a long time.
Keeping her presence discreet, she attentively observed the maids as they cleared the crockery after teatime.
As the maids meticulously placed the expensive teacups into the basket and went to rearrange the chairs and tables, she stealthily approached the basket containing the teacups. With swift movements, Lena dipped her fingers into the small amount of remaining tea in one of the cups that Rowaine had used.
She sniffed it carefully and then touched the tea to the tip of her tongue to taste it…
‘This is…!’
She picked up the other teacups and did the same thing, she immediately rushed over to Rosanne.
“Grand Madam.”
When Rosanne, sitting in an armchair with reading glasses on while reading a book, looked up, Lena approached her and whispered something with a serious expression.
“It seems that there might be something in the tea…”
“Hmm. I think it’s best to keep an eye on it for now. The three of them drank together, so we couldn’t be sure right away.”
Sighing quietly, Rosanne turned the book over in her lap.
“Keep watching Cayetana closely.”
“Yes, Grand Madam.”
After parting ways with Madam Elbas, I spent some time with Coco and Sasha at the annex.
Excited about making a contract with a demon, Sasha had been clinging close to Esca, trying to figure out what it was like when Dimitri first summoned his demon.
On the other hand, it seemed like Coco still seemed to have a penchant for sneaking out of the main annex and exploring the mansion in secret. Since he hadn’t fully assimilated with the other cats, it seemed like he needed personal space and time, so I decided to turn a blind eye to his little adventures.
‘Coco moves around stealthily and he wouldn’t be seen by anyone, so it should be fine.’
Besides, I needed the information Coco could provide about the secretive happenings in every corner of the mansion. With the frequent friction between the employees’ Madam Elbas brought in and the existing ones, his information would prove useful in resolving any misunderstandings.
Still, I warned him to stay out of sight of the people from the imperial family. Technically, he was still considered a slave, and any conflict could lead to complications.
‘I don’t know if Elaine is completely on my side yet. Besides, her employees aren’t her helpers since they are just the Empress’s spies.’
Keeping that in mind, I made my way towards the main building, where my biggest challenge of the day awaited—meeting Dimitri.
As I tried to recall yesterday’s events with a clear mind, I had expected the circumstances surrounding the kiss to be more vividly remembered. However, even the faint memories I managed to hold onto vanished while I slept, leaving only the recollection of Dimitri scolding me, saying I shouldn’t drink again.
‘Ung, no. Ah… it’s going to be so awkward. How will I face Dimitri with such a strange expression on my face?’
Taking a few steps, I stopped before walking again. I repeated this pattern until I leaned my forehead against a nearby tree. Though instead of the tree trunk, something warm and soft cushioned my forehead.
It was someone’s hand.
“….?”
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Translator’s Note: Hello, it’s Nabi! I’m the translator of this novel ପ( ๑•ᴗ•๑ )ଓ♡ If you like the novel and would like to support me, please feel free to click the button below to go to my kofi~! Thank you so much for always supporting the novels I work on, even if you don’t buy me a coffee, I really do appreciate it a lot. ❤︎
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